proi;(l'ess, or perhaps at the closo of, the meal mended 118 a pattern to Christian wives (l saying), Where is Sarah thy wife I (thus in• Pot. iii. 6). dica ting that thei1· visit hod a special referenco Yer. 13.-And the Lord said unto Abra- to her). And he Hid, Behold, in the tent. ham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh,~-i question It is obvious that if at first Abraham re- which must have convinced Abmhnm of the guded his ,isitors only as men, by this time Speaker's omniscience. Not only had .ho a suspicion of their truo character must have heard tho silent, inaudible, inwarcl cachin- • be1;Un to dawn upon his mind. How should nation of Samh's spirit, but he knew tho ordinary travellers be aware of his wife's tenor of her thoughts, and the purport of" name 1 and why should they do so unusual her dubitations--aaying, Shall I of a surety a thing, nccording to Oriental manners, n.s bear a child, which (literally,. and I) am to inquire after her! If thus far their old t Sarah's mental cogitations clearly behm·iour could not fail to smprise the showed th,at the temporary obscurntion of 11atriarch, what must have been his astonish- her faith proceeded from a strong realisation ment at the subsequent communication! of the weakness of nature, which-made con- Yer. 10. - And he said (tho Principal ception and pregnancy impossible to one Guest, as above, who, by the very nature like her, who ,vas advanced in years; antl and tem1s of his announcement, identifies accordingly• her. attention, as woll as that· himself \\ith Jehovah), I will certainly re- of her husband; was directed to the Divine turn unto thee according to the time of life. omnipotence as the all-sufficient guarantee Literally, at the tim,e reviving; i. e. when for the accomplishment of the promise. the year shall have been renewed, in the next Yer. 14.-Is any thing too hard for the year, or rather spring (vule Ewald, 'Heb. Lord 1 Literally, Is any W01°d too wo.nderfal, Synt. ,' § 33i ; Rosenmiillcr, Drusius, Keil, i. e. impossible, for Jehovah i µ,j aovvarq<1u • Kalisch, Lan"c, Ainsworth, 'Speaker's Com- '1iapd T<f 0uj pijµa (LXX.), with which may mentary'); though other interpretations of be compared Luke i. 37. A.t the time ap- the phrase l1aYe been suggested, as, e. g., pointed I will return unto thee, according " according to the time of that which is to the time of life (vule supra, ver. 10), and horn," i. e. at the end of nine months Sarah shall have a son. (Willet, Calvin, Bush, Murphy). And, lo, Ver. 15.-Then Sarah (who.had overheard Sarah thy wife shall h.ave a son. I. e. the conversation, and the: charge preferred at the time specified. And Sarah heard it against her, and who probably riow appeared in the tent door, which was behind him. before the stranger).denied1 saying, I laughed Ver. 11.-Now Abraham and Sarah were not. Sarah's conduct will admit-of no other old and well stricken in age. Literally, gone explanation than that which .the sacred nar- 1'nto days, i. e. into years. This was the rative itself gives. For she was afraid. Tho first natural impediment to the accomplish- knowledge that hersecret·thoughts had been ment of Jehovah's promise; the second was deciphered must have kind.led in her. brellllt- peculin.r to Sarah. And it ceased to be with the suspicion that her visitor was none other Sarah after the manner of women (vide than Jehovah.. With this a sense of guilt Levit. xv. 19, 25). would immedistely 3.Sl!ail )1or consci~nco for Ver. 12.-Therefore (literally, and) Sarah having cherished ..even, a moment any .dou!it laughed within herself- Abraham had of the Divine worcl In the consequent con- laughed in joyful amazement (eh. xviL 17) fusion of soul she tries what ever seems to lie at the first mention of Sarah's son ; Sarah the first impulse of "detected transgressions, Jauuhs, if not in unbelief (Calvin, Keil, viz., deception-(cf. oh. iii 12, 13). And he 'Speaker's Commentary,' Wordsworth), at said, Nay; bilt thou didst laugh. With a least with a mingled feeling of doubt and directness similar to that which he employed delight (Lange, Murphy) at the annonnce- in dealing with the first culprits in the mcnt of her approaching maternity-saying, garden, not contending in a multiplicity of After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, words, but solemnly announcing that what my lord being old also1-literally, and my she said wiul false. The silence of Sarah was lord, i e. my husband, is old. The reve- an evidence of her conviction;. her subsequent rential 6Ubmission to Abraham which Sarah conception was a proof of her repentance and here displays is in the New Testament corn- forgiveness.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-15.-Noont:ide at Mamre, or angels' visits. I. THE ·AnnrvAL OP 'rllE ETI\aNGERB. 1. The appearance they p_esented. Seeming)y three men, th?Y were in reality three angels or more correctly, Jehovah accompamed by two celcstrnl attend- ants, who at an udcx;ected moment, were making for Abraham's tent. So are the homes of 'RaintR ofltiincs visited by angels unawnrcs (lleb. i. 14), nnd, grcator honour ne. xvm. 1-15.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 243