ham, and said unto him, What | done deeds unto me that ought hast thou done unto us? and what not to be done. have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me, and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast

q ch. 26. 10. Exod. 32. 21. Josh. 7. 25.

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

r ch. 34. 7.

dwell forevermore ;' i. e. ye shall dwell by this offended king we see much to forevermore.

admire and to commend. Considering the injury he had sustained, and the danger to which he had been exposed, it is truly wonderful that he should express himself with such mildness and moderation. The occasion would almost have justified the bitterest reproaches; and it might well be expect

tions on the patriarch's religion; condemning that as worthless, or him as

8. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, &c. The efficacy of the oracle is here related. The divine admonition was not lost upon Abimelech. Deeply impressed with the dream, he summons before him at an early hour the principal men of his court, and imparts to them the particulars, at the re-ed that Abimelech would cast refleclation of which they were 'sore afraid.' Some afflictions had already been laid upon them, of which they were doubt-hypocritical. But not one reproachful less keenly sensible, v. 13, and considering the late tremendous judgments of God upon Sodoin, it is no wonder that they should be alarmed. An example, says Calvin, of such prompt obedience put forth by a heathen king takes away all excuse for our sluggishness, with whom the reproofs of God avail so little. To him the Most High appeared only in a dream. To us he daily calls by Moses, by prophets, by apostles, and by his only begotten Son; and yet how disgraceful that such testimonies should weigh less with us than a single vision did with him!-T His servants. That is, his counsellors, ministers, principal court-officers. See the word employed in this sense 1 Kings, 1. 2.-10. 5, 2 Kings, 6. 8; and compare the Note on Gen. 24. 2.

9. Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, &c. We have here the well-grounded expostulation of Abimelech with Abraham. Were we to judge simply from this portion of the sacred narrative, we should perhaps be ready to think that Abraham had been the heathen, and Abimelech the prophet of the Lord. In the reproof administered

word escapes his lips. The only phrase that has at all that aspect is the gentle sarcasm in his address to Sarah, 'I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver;' admonishing her thereby to call him no more by that deceitful name. But we are more especially struck with the utter abhorrence expressed by this heathen prince of a sin which is but too lightly regarded by the generality of those who call themselves Christians. It is observable that he never once complained of the punishment which he and his family had suffered, nor of the danger to which they had been exposed, but only of their seduction into sin. He considered this as the greatest injury that could have been done to him, and inquires with artless but earnest anxiety what he had done to provoke Abraham to the commission of it. The reply of the patriarch rather explains than justifies the grounds of his procedure, and presents to us a holy man in very humiliating circumstances. It was no little disgrace that a man of his character, a saint, a prophet of the most high God, should be reproved at all by

11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear

sch. 42. 18. Ps. 36. 1. Prov. 16. 6.

of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

t ch. 12. 12. & 26. 7.

to bring sin upon me; which tended to it; which exposed me and my kingdom to the commission of a heinous crime. See Note on Gen. 27. 21, Ex.

trated.

11. Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place. Heb.

a heathen; but when we reflect how
much occasion he had given for the re-
proof, it was dishonourable in the ex-
treme. How unworthy of hirn was
the manner in which his wife was re-7. 12, where this usage is fully illus-
stored to his hands! How must he
blush to be told that he who should
have been her protector, had been her
tempter; that, in fact, he had put a amarti, I said. The original
price upon her virtue; and that in-
stead of being willing, as he ought to
have been, to die in her defence, he had
in effect sacrificed her honour to his
awn groundless fears. It must not be
forgotten that Sarah was actually given
up to Abimelech, and that Abraham
had forborne to claim her; so that he
was answerable, not only for the con-
sequences that did ensue, but for those
also which, according to the common
course of things, were to be expected.
Moreover in what a light inust he have
appeared to himself and all around
him, when he was informed that he
had brought on Abimelech and all his
household the severe chastisements
which they had experienced, and had
actually exposed them all to instanta-
neous death! What Abimelech had
done, he had done 'in the integrity of
his heart; and if he and all his family
had died for it, would not Abraham
have been obliged to look upon him-
self as the legitimate author of their
ruin? We need add no more to the
degrading picture that has been exhib-
ited. Methinks we see him standing
overwhelmed with confusion, ashamed
to lift up his head, and in deep abase-
ment of spirit inwardly acknowledging
the justice of the reproof. That
thou hast brought on me and on my
kingdom a great sin. That is, accord-
ing to a Hebrew idiom, that thou
shouldest do that which was calculated

word is used frequently not only for
speaking vocally, but also for speaking
in the mind, or thinking. Thus Ex. 2.
14, 'Intendest thou to kill me as thou
killedst the Egyptian?' Heb. Sayest
thou to kill me? 1 Kings, 5. 5, 'I pur-
pose to build.' Heb. say to build.
Ps. 14. 1, 'The fool hath said in his
heart, There is no God;' i. e. hath come
to the conclusion that there is no God;
or it may imply that he hath entertain-
ed the wish that there were none.
Most ancient languages use terms
which literally refer to oral communi-
cation, to indicate the act of thinking
though no words are uttered. So Ho-
mer frequently employs the phrase,
'He spake to his mighty heart,' i. e. he
thought within himself. For the un-
favourable opinion which Abraham
here confesses that he entertained of
the king and people of Gerar, he had
no other grounds than mere surmise.
He had indeed just heard of the horri-
ble impiety of Sodom; and he con-
cluded perhaps that if a whole city' so
violently assaulted Lot for the purpose
of gratifying their brutal inclinations
with the men that were his guests,
much more would some individuals be
found in Gerar ready to destroy him
for the sake of gaining access to a fe-
male so renowned for her beauty. But
supposing him to have been actuated
by such reflections, what right had he
to judge so harshly of a people whom

denominate such a relative a sister.
Marriages of this kind, with persons
thus nearly related, were not at this
time prohibited by an express law,
though they afterwards were.
His ex-
cuse does indeed vindicate him from
the charge of falsehood, but it still leaves
him exposed to that of gross practical
unbelief and of a quibbling equivoca-
tion altogether unworthy of a good
man and a pattern of faith. See Note
on Gen. 12. 13.

he did not know? Could not that Godly accordant with scriptural usage to who had brought him out from an idolatrous country, and preserved Lot and Melchizedek in the midst of the most abandoned people, have some 'hidden ones' in Gerar also? Or, supposing that there were none who truly feared God, must they therefore be so impious as to murder him in order to possess his wife? There can be no doubt that many who are not truly religious, have well nigh as high a sense of honour, and as great an abhorrence of atrocious crimes as any converted man can feel; and therefore the reproach which he so unjustifiably cast on them returned deservedly on his own head.

13. When God caused me to wander, &c. Heb. 3 9 when they, (even) God, caused me to wander. The phraseology is peculiar, the origi12. Yet indeed she is my sister, &c. nal word Elohim, which is alIn what sense this was true is not per- most invariably joined with a verb sinfectly apparent from the scriptures. gular, as remarked Gen 1. 1, being here The prevailing opinion of the Jews, used as the nominative to a verb plural. which seems as probable as any, is, Some have proposed for this reason to that the term 'sister' here is to be un- render the term by 'angels,' a sense derstood in the same latitude as 'broth- preferred by Calvin, implying that in er' in other connections, viz. to denote all his wanderings he was under the a niece, and that Sarah was the grand-tutelary care and conduct of angels; daughter of Terah, the daughter of but we meet with modes of expression Haran, and consequently the sister of so very similar elsewhere, that there is Lot, being in fact no other than the perhaps no sufficient reason for departIscah mentioned Gen. 11. 29. Terah, ing from the usual signification, 'God.' it seems, had two wives, by one of Thus Gen 35. 7, 'There God appeared whom he had Haran, the father of Lot (313) unto him.' Heb. and Sarah, and by the other Abraham, There they, (even) God, appeared unto so that he might truly say of his wife him.' So likewise 2 Sam. 7. 23, comp. that she was the daughter (i. e. descend- with 1 Chron. 17. 21, from which comant or grand-daughter) of his father parison it will be evident that a pluralbut not of his mother; and it is entire lity of beings cannot be meant. The

b

a cover.

d

16 And unto Sarah he said, | behold, he is to thee Behold, I have given thy broth-ing of the eyes unto all that are er a thousand pieces of silver: with thee, and with all other : thus she was reproved.

b ver. 5.

c ch, 26. 11. d ch. 24. 65.

aught I know, be suggested, that God denied Abraham and Sarah the blessing of children so long, to punish them for this sinful compact which they had made, to deny one another; they will not own their marriage, why should God own it?'

16. Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Heb.

Gr. translates in the singular; 'When God (Oeos) brought me out from my father's house.' The Chal. is in the letter quite wide from the sense given in our own and most other versions; 'And it came to pass when the peoples wandered after the works of their own hands (i. e. fell into idolatry), the Lord applied me unto his fear, out of my father's house.' This has doubtless o a thousand (of) silver, or a thouarisen from some misconstruction of sand silverlings. The word 'pieces' does the original. The Heb. term caused to wander, is probably here em- 'shekels' is undoubtedly to be supplied, not occur in the original, though it or ployed from the circumstance of God's as is done by the Chal. Targum. The not directing him in the outset to go to Gr. also has xidia didpaxpa a thousand any certain place. On the contrary he didrachmas or double drachms, i. e. a was sent forth to go he knew not whither, and in allusion to this he is thousand shekels, as the Heb. said to have wandered.' But what is shekel is often rendered in the Sept. 'wandering' to us, when led by divine The original word comes from guidance, is a definite course of jour-shakal, to weigh, for which is derived neying to the omniscient eye that by transposition of letters, the English watches over and orders our steps.' scale,' an instrument of weighing. It The fact which Abraham here men- is so called from the fact that the value tions of an early precautionary ar- of money was anciently reckoned by rangement between him and Sarah, weight; for which reason the word would go far to set him right in Abim-'shekel' is at once the name of a weight elech's esteem, as it would prove that and of a coin. The Chal. terms a shekel he did not resort to the expedient because he thought worse of him and his people than of the other nations among whom he expected to sojourn. Neither the king nor people of Gerar were at all in his view when he proposed to adopt the artifice in question. Yet we can by no means commend this concerted plan of prevarication. It was a policy that savoured too strongly of the wisdom of the flesh, and implied a distrust in the overruling providence of God altogether unwor-ling Abraham her brother he makes use thy of their character. Indeed the remark of Henry on this subject carries with it great plausibility; 'It may, for

salin or selang, the origin perhaps of our word'shilling,' and the value of the common shekel differed not much from the English shilling, as the shekel of the sanctuary was equivalent to about two shillings, or fifty cents, American money. Which is intended here, whether the common or sanctuary shekel, it is not possible to determine, but probably the former which would make the sum about $250 of our currency.- -¶ Thy brother. In cal

of her own language in a sarcastic way, and thus administers in a very skilful and yet delicate manner a word

הוא לך כסות עינים .Heb

of fitting rebuke for the deception in which she had participated.- -THe is to thee a covering of the eyes, &c. Chal. 'Behold, it is to thee a covering of honour, for that I did send to take thee, and have seen thee and all that are with thee.' Gr. 'These (i. e. the thousand shekels) shall be to thee for an honour of thy face, and to all (the women) that are with thee.' The passage is very variously explained by commentators according as the original

would have every defence which she needed for the honour of her person, without resorting to any kind of stratagem for the pursose. The following remarks of the Editor of the Pict. Bible are not inconsistent with the above interpretation. 'We are not satisfied with any of the illustrations of this text that have fallen under our notice; and a reference to existing usages seems all that is necessary to render it quite intelligible. Without at present noticing the different sorts of veils, we may hoo, which in itself is ambiguous, mention that it is customary for all the is rendered by he or it. According to women inhabiting towns to go about the latter mode, which is favoured by closely veiled; while all the women of Chaldee, the meaning is, 'I have given the different pastoral people who live thy brother that sum of money to pur- in tents do not commonly wear veils, chase veils for thee and thine attend- or at most only so far as to cover their ants that are married, that all who foreheads and lower parts of the face, converse with thee here or elsewhere leaving the countenance exposed from may know that thou art a married the eyebrows to below the nose. It is woman.' Veils were anciently worn in evident, that although the use of comtoken of subjection to a husband, to plete coverings was known, the women which the Apostle, doubtless with this of the pastoral patriarchs did not conpassage in view, thus distinctly al- ceal their faces completely, except on ludes, 1 Cor. 11. 10, For this cause extraordinary occasions; and if we asought the woman to have power (skov-sume that the same distinction existed Glav authority) on her head;' i. e. a veil or covering as a token of her husband's power or authority over her. Abimelech's thus giving money for the purchase of veils was a reproof to Abraham for permitting his wife to go without one; implying that if she had worn one, it would have prevented the unpleasant consequences that actually ensued. If with others we understand the pronoun of Abraham himself, it will still leave the sense substantially the same; for in the phrase 'He is to thee a covering of the eyes,' we still recognise an allusion to a veil, and take the purport to be, that he was the person in reference to whom she was to cover her eyes and face with a veil as a badge of his exclusive right to her subjection and wedded fealty. As a matter of course, she would then have a right to his pro- ambiguity, on which, if we were writection, to his guardian care, and thus I ting merely for the learned, it would be

between them and women of towns, as we find at present, we have the elucidation required. Abimelech, according to this view, intended to give the very her women were in or near towns, they sensible advice, that while Sarah and had better conform with the customs of towns, and wear the complete veil instead of that partial covering which left the eyes and so much of the face exposed. This will certainly seem the most obvious illustration to one who, in the towns which border on Arabia, has at the same time seen the townswomen glide along the streets completely muffled up, while the Arab females go about with their eyes and great part of their faces exposed to T Thus she was reproved.

view.'

.ונכחת .Heb

A clause of extreme