(Kalisch); "on tho mountain where Jehovah panying Divine oracles (cf. Isa. iii. 15 ; appears" (Keil). Amidst such e. conflict of ~zck. v. 11 ; .Amos vi. 8), though occurrin~ iuterpretations absolute certainty is perhaps II) the Pentateuch ouly here and in N um. unattainable; but the sense of the· proverb xiv. 28-for because thou bast done thia will probably be expressed by understanding thing, and haat not withheld thy son, thine it to mean that on tho mount of Abraham's only son (vi,d,e supra, ver. 12; from y;hicl, a1tcrilice Jehovah would afterwards reveal the LXX., Syriac, and Samal'itan insert here himself for the salvation of his people, as he the _words "from me"): tbat in blessing then interposed for the help of Abraham- I WJ!l bless thee, and, multiplying, I will n prophecy which was afterwards fulfilled in multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, the manifestations of the Divine glory given and as the sand which is npon the sea shore; in the Solomonic temple and in the incar- -:-)iterally, upon the_ lip of the sea; a repe- nation of Jesus Christ. ti_tion and accumulation of the promises prc- Vers. 15-18.-And the angel of the Lord v10usly made to the patriarch concerning his onlled unto Abraham out of heaven the seed (cf. eh. xii. 2, 3; xiii. 14-16 ; xv. 5 ; second ti.me,-the object of the first call xvii. 1-8), with the special amplification ha·dng been to arrest the consummation of following-and thy seed shall poBSess ( i. e. the fatal deed which threatened Isaac's life, occupy by force) the gate of his enemies;- and to declare the Divine satisfaction with shall conquer their armies and capture their the patriarch's complete spiritual surrender cities (Keil, :Murphy); though that the of his son, the purpose of the second was to spiritual sense of en t.e1in" in through the renew the promise in roward for his fidelity doorway of their susceptibilities in com·crsion and obedience-and said, By myself have I (Lange)is not to be overlooked maybe inferred sworn, - by my word (Onkelos) ; by my from the appended prediction-and in thy name (Arabic) ; equivalent to by himself, by seed shall all the nations of the earth be his soul (Jer. lL 14), or by his holiness (.Amos blessed (vide eh. xii. 3, where "families of iv. 2)-an anthropomorphism by which God the ground" occur as the cr;uirnlent of in the most solemn manner pledges the per- "nations of the earth") ; because thon hast fection of his Divine personality for the obeyed my voice. Origiually unconditional fulfilment of his promise ; an act which he in its grant, the promise is here distinctly never again repeats in his intercourse with declared to be reuewed to him as one who, the pRtriarchs. The oath here given to besides being jnstifieJ and taken into covc- Abraham (frequently referred to in later nnnt with J ehovoh, had through trial and 1-cripture: eh. xxiv. 7; xxvi. 3; I. 24 ; Exod. obedience attained to the spiritual patri- xiii. 5, 11 ; xxxii. 13 ; xxxiii. 1 ; Isa. xlv. archate of a numerous posterity. 23; Heh. vi. 13) is confirmed by the addition Ver. 19.-So Abraham returned unto his of-saith the Lord,-literally, the utterance young men, and they rose up and went qf Je!UJvah ,· like the Latin ait, i,uzuit together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt Doinin11,s, the usunl prophetic phrase accom• at Beer-sheba.
HO:O.llLETICS. Vers. 1-19.--Mount Mo1'iah, 01' tlie mount of sac,ri.jice. I. AnRADA11's TRIAL, 1. Divine in its origin. However explained, the appalling ordeal through which the patriarch at this time passed was expressly created for him by Elohim. Only he who made the human heart can adequately search it ; and he alone who has n perfect understnnding of the standard of moral excellence can pronounce upon the intrinsic worth of his creatures. 2. Unexpected in its coming. After oil that hnd preceded, it might have been anticipated thot not only were the patdarch'R trials over, but thnt the need for such discipline in his case no longer existed. It shows that neither length of yenrs nor ripeness of grace, neither conscious enjoyment of Divine favour nor previous experience of suffering, can exempt from trial or pince beyond the need of testing; and that mostly " temptations" come nt unexpected times, and in unlooked-for wnys, 3. Sevei·e in its form. Trials to be efficient must be gradunted to the strength of those they design to test. Only 11 temptation of great force conlcl. be of service in the case of morn! hel'oism like Abraham's. The intensity of the strain put upon his soul by the astounding order to make n holocaust of Isaac simply baffles description. l<~ven on the supposition that Abraham wos not un- familiar with the practice of offering human victims, as it prevailed among the C1111aanites and enrly Chaldreans, painful doubt must have insinuated itself into hi~ mind (1) I\B to the chnrncter of Jehovah, who in making such 11, barbuo1rn awl i11h11ma11 demand might se,;m little snpe1 ;or to the heathen dcitio8 nwnncl ; (2) as to 286 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [en. xxIJ. 1-19.