Genesis · Chapter 13

Verse 1. Abram went up out of Egypt-into the south.] Probably the south of Canaan, as In leaving Egypt he is said to come from the south, Genesis 13:3, for the southern part of the promised land lay north-east of Egypt.

Verse 1. Into the south — That is, the southern part of Canaan, from whence he had come, Genesis 12:9, which, however, was north-east of Egypt. The Scriptures being written principally for the Jews, its language, respecting the situation of places, is accommodated to their manner of speaking.

RETURN FROM EGYPT, 1-4.

1. Abram went up out of Egypt — An exodus typical of that later one of Israel, when another Pharaoh was plagued, and Abram’s sons and daughters went forth with much Egyptian spoil. Exodus 12:36. Lot with him — Hitherto Lot had accompanied his uncle in all his wanderings to the west and to the south; but the time of separation draws near. Into the south — The Negeb, or south country, (Genesis 20:1,) a name constantly used to designate the district immediately south of Palestine. So, whether Abram journeys southward, as in Genesis 12:9, or northward, as here, he goes into the Negeb; that is, enters the South Country bordering on Canaan. See note on Joshua 10:40.

Verse 2. Abram was very rich] The property of these patriarchal times did not consist in flocks only, but also in silver and gold; and in all these respects Abram was dam dbd cabed meod, exceeding rich. Josephus says that a part of this property was acquired by teaching the Egyptians arts and sciences. Thus did God fulfil his promises to him, by protecting and giving him a great profusion of temporal blessings, which were to him signs and pledges of spiritual things.

Verse 2. Very rich. Here is another proof of God’s fidelity in fulfilling his promises to Abraham. This has often been the lot of faithful men.

2. Very rich in cattle — Largely acquired in Egypt. Comp. Genesis 12:16. In silver, and in gold — “This species of wealth is intended to describe a higher social scale to which the patriarch had risen, and which significantly points to a future more settled state, when the bare necessities of life would be adorned by comforts, and cheered by embellishments.” — Kalisch.

V. 3. He went on to Bethel-Thither he went, not only because he was willing to go among his old acquaintance; but because there he had formerly had his altar. and though the altar was gone, probably he himself having taking it down when he left the place, lest it should be polluted by the idolatrous Canaanites; yet he came to the place of the altar, either to revive the remembrance of the sweet communion he had had with God at that place, or, perhaps, to pay the vows he had there made to God when he undertook his journey into Egypt.

Verse 3. Beth-el] See chap. 8.

Verse 3. He went on to Beth-el — Because there he had formerly had an altar, and although the altar had fallen down, as being probably built of earth, or had been taken down by Abram, lest it should be polluted by the idolatrous Canaanites; yet he came to the place of the altar, either to revive the remembrance of the communion he had had with God at that place, or perhaps to pay the vows he had there made to God, when he undertook his journey into Egypt. And there Abram, prevented by no legal restraints, deterred by no pains or penalties, or insurrection of the inhabitants, although idolaters, “called on the name of the Lord,” worshipped God by prayer and thanksgiving, by offering sacrifices, and instructing his family, Genesis 18:19.

3. On his journeys — An expression peculiar to the nomadic life — a pulling up of tent-pins, breaking up of camp, and moving onward. Comp. Genesis 12:9, note. Even to Beth-el — See on Genesis 12:8. At the beginning — Formerly. His first stop was then at Sichem. Genesis 12:6.

4. There Abram called on the name of the Lord — At the old altar, where he had once faithfully worshipped the holy Name, he offers sacrifice again, and calls aloud in praise and prayer to Him who has saved him from famine and from the power of Pharaoh. Blessed worship after long and hazardous exile!

SEPARATION OF ABRAM AND LOT, 5-13.

The time has come to separate Abram and his household more fully from kindred and connexions which he cannot “command.” Genesis 18:19. His father’s house in far-off Chaldea was tainted with idolatry, and he was to be removed from its power, and so Jehovah ordered him thence. But the love of kindred is strong, and Terah, his father, accompanied him as far as Haran. There he dwelt and died, and Abram resumed his journey westward. Lot, his brother’s son, still clings to him, but his earthly love and selfishness, as now to be exhibited, made him an unfit companion for the father of the chosen seed, and in the providence of God a peaceable separation is effected.

5. Lot also… had flocks — His associations with Abram had been to him a source of temporal prosperity, as well as a means of grace.

V. 6. The land was not able to bear them-The place was too strait for them, and they had not room for their flocks.

Verse 6. Their substance was great] As their families increased, it was necessary their flocks should increase also, as from those flocks they derived their clothing, food, and drink. Many also were offered in sacrifice to God.

They could not dwell together] 1. Because their flocks were great. 2. Because the Canaanites and the Perizzites had already occupied a considerable part of the land. 3. Because there appears to have been envy between the herdmen of Abram and Lot. To prevent disputes among them, that might have ultimately disturbed the peace of the two families, it was necessary that a separation should take place.

Verse 6. The land was not able to bear them — The Canaanites and other former inhabitants of the country undoubtedly occupied the best of the land, and what remained was not sufficient to supply their flocks and herds with pasturage.

6. Land was not able to bear them — Having been impoverished by the recent great famine, and being already occupied, as the next verse states, by other dwellers, they were cramped for pasturage for their immense flocks and herds.

V. 7. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled in the land-This made the quarrel,

1. Very dangerous; if Abram and Lot cannot agree to feed their flocks together, it is well if the common enemy do not come upon them and plunder them both.

2. Very scandalous: No doubt the eyes of all the neighbours were upon them, because of the singularity of their religion, and the extraordinary sanctity they professed; and notice would soon be taken of this quarrel, and improvement made of it to their reproach by the Canaanites and Perizzites.

Verse 7. The Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.] That is, they were there at the time Abram and Lot came to fix their tents in the land. See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 12:6”.

Verse 7. The Canaanite and Perizzite dwelt in the land — This made the quarrel, 1st, Very dangerous: if Abram and Lot cannot agree to feed their flocks together, it is well if the common enemy do not come upon them and plunder them both. 2d, Very scandalous: No doubt the eyes of all the neighbours were upon them; because of the singularity of their religion, and the extraordinary sanctity they professed; and notice would soon be taken of this quarrel, and improvement made of it to their reproach by the Canaanites and Perizzites.

7. A strife between the herd-men — “Such disputes were unavoidable in the circumstances. Neither party had any title to the land. Every body availed himself of the best spot for grazing he could find unoccupied. We can easily understand what facilities and temptations this would offer for the strong to overbear the weak. We meet with many incidental notices of such oppression: Genesis 21:25; 26:15-22; Exodus 2:16-19.” — Murphy. “The germinal divisions of masters ofttimes reveal themselves clearly in the strifes of their servants and dependents. Even the wives are often in open hostility while their husbands are still at peace. Abram teaches us how to observe these symptoms in the right way.” — Lange. The Canaanite — Comp. Genesis 12:6. Perizzite — This name, not appearing among the descendants of Canaan in Genesis 10:15-17, is supposed to designate some tribe not of Hamite origin. The Hebrew word, which means rustics, or countrymen, may designate them as nomads, or dwellers in the country as distinguished from dwellers in towns and cities. See note on Joshua 3:10. They probably occupied the best pastures, and so partly occasioned the strife between Abram and Lot’s herdmen.

Verse 8. For we be brethren.] We are of the same family, worship the same God in the same way, have the same promises, and look for the same end. Why then should there be strife? If it appear to be unavoidable from our present situation, let that situation be instantly changed, for no secular advantages can counterbalance the loss of peace.

Verses 8, 9. Although Abram was the elder, wiser, and every way worthier person than Lot, yet he voluntarily, and without reluctance or hesitation, relinquishes his own right to his inferior for the sake of peace, that no scandal might be brought on the true religion, hereby leaving a noble example for our imitation. Let there be no strife between me and thee — So nearly related as kinsmen, and as worshippers and children of the one living and true God. Betwixt us a contention will be very indecent, and of scandalous tendency.

8. Abram said — Abram’s words and proposition on the occasion are most magnanimous, and every way worthy of the father of the faithful. “He walks,” says Murphy, “in the moral atmosphere of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:38-42.” We be brethren — Hebrews, Men brethren are we. Compare Acts 15:13; 23:1. Their kinship and religious affinity would authorize this warm expression.

Verse 9. Is not the whole land before thee.] As the patriarch or head of the family, Abram, by prescriptive right, might have chosen his own portion first, and appointed Lot his; but intent upon peace, and feeling pure and parental affection for his nephew, he permitted him to make his choice first.

Verses 8, 9. Although Abram was the elder, wiser, and every way worthier person than Lot, yet he voluntarily, and without reluctance or hesitation, relinquishes his own right to his inferior for the sake of peace, that no scandal might be brought on the true religion, hereby leaving a noble example for our imitation. Let there be no strife between me and thee — So nearly related as kinsmen, and as worshippers and children of the one living and true God. Betwixt us a contention will be very indecent, and of scandalous tendency.

Ver. 9. Separate thyself. Generous actions excite generous sentiments. “Aristippus being angry with Æshines sent for him, and said, You are aware that I, as the elder, might exercise a compulsive power. True, replied Æshines, I am indeed the cause of the quarrel, and you are the author of friendship.”

SEPARATION OF ABRAM AND LOT, 5-13.

The time has come to separate Abram and his household more fully from kindred and connexions which he cannot “command.” Genesis 18:19. His father’s house in far-off Chaldea was tainted with idolatry, and he was to be removed from its power, and so Jehovah ordered him thence. But the love of kindred is strong, and Terah, his father, accompanied him as far as Haran. There he dwelt and died, and Abram resumed his journey westward. Lot, his brother’s son, still clings to him, but his earthly love and selfishness, as now to be exhibited, made him an unfit companion for the father of the chosen seed, and in the providence of God a peaceable separation is effected.

5. Lot also… had flocks — His associations with Abram had been to him a source of temporal prosperity, as well as a means of grace.

V. 10. The garden of the Lord-That is, paradise.

Verse 10. Like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.] There is an obscurity in this verse which Houbigant has removed by the following translation: Ea autem, priusquam Sodomam Gornorrhamque Do minus delerit, erat, qua itur Segor, tota irrigua, quasi hortus Domini, et quasi terra Ægypti. “But before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was, as thou goest to Zoar, well watered, like the garden of the Lord, and like the land of Egypt.” As paradise was watered by the four neighbouring streams, and as Egypt was watered by the annual overflowing of the Nile; so were the plains of the Jordan, and all the land on the way to Zoar, well watered and fertilized by the overflowing of the Jordan.

Verse 10. Lot beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered — Lot seems to have had nothing in view but his temporal convenience and advantage. His flocks and herds were already too numerous, and his substance too great; and yet he wishes them to be still more enlarged, and therefore makes choice of this fertile and pleasant spot. He does not inquire into the character of the inhabitants, nor consider what sort of society he should find there; nor does he appear to express any reluctance at leaving Abram’s family, and losing the benefit of his conversation, counsel, and instructions. God, however, in the course of his providence, disappointed his views and expectations, and he soon had cause to repent of his choice.

Ver. 10. The garden of the Lord. Augustine thinks this text a full proof that Eden was not a spiritual, but a real terrestrial abode. Isaiah 41:3. Lot chose the plain irrigated by the Jordan; and having little regard to religion in this instance, he lost all he had by disastrous events. He should have left the choice to his uncle, and counselled with the Lord.

10. Lot… beheld all the plain of Jordan — rkk, here rendered plain, means the region around, or circuit; h pericwrov, Matthew 3:5. “At the time when Abram and Lot looked down from the mountain of Beth-el on the deep descent beneath them, and Lot chose for himself the circle of the Jordan, that circle was different from any thing that we now see. It was well watered everywhere… as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt — And this description is filled out in detail by subsequent allusions. It is described as a deep valley, distinguished from the surrounding desert by its fertile fields. If any credence is to be attached to the geological conclusions of the last fifty years, there must have been already a lake at its extremity, such as that which terminates the course of the Barada at Damascus, or of the Kouik at Aleppo. Then, as now, it must have received in some form or other the fresh streams of the Jordan, of the Arnon, of En-gedi, of Callirrhoe, and at the southern end, as Dr. Robinson has observed, more living brooks than are to be found in all the rest of Palestine. On the banks of one or some of these streams there seems to have been an oasis, or collection of oases, like that which is still, from the same causes, to be found on a smaller scale in the groves of En-gedi and of Jericho, and in the plain of Gennesareth, or, on a larger scale, in the paradise of Damascus. Along the edge of this lake or valley Gentile and Jewish records combine in placing the earliest seat of Phoenician civilization. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, are (with Lasha [probably Laish] by the sources of the Jordan, and Sidon on the seashore) mentioned as the first settlements of the Canaanites. Genesis 10:19. When Lot descended from Beth-el, ‘the cities of the round’ of the Jordan formed a nucleus of civilized life before any city, except Hebron, had sprung up in Central Palestine.” — STANLEY: Sinai and Palestine, p. 281. The mention of the garden of the Lord shows how the traditions of Eden still lingered in the thoughts of men, and Lot’s recent sojourn in the valley of the Nile would naturally prompt the comparison of the well-watered Jordan valley to the land of Egypt. The words, as thou comest unto Zoar, are not to be connected, grammatically, with land of Egypt, but with plain of Jordan, from which they are separated by the intervening description of the Jordan plain.

Verse 11. Then Lot chose him all the plain] A little civility or good breeding is of great importance in the concerns of life. Lot either had none, or did not profit by it. He certainly should have left the choice to the patriarch, and should have been guided by his counsel; but he took his own way, trusting to his own judgment, and guided only by the sight of his eyes: he beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered, &c.; so he chose the land, without considering the character of the inhabitants, or what advantages or disadvantages it might afford him in spiritual things. This choice, as we shall see in the sequel, had nearly proved the ruin of his body, soul, and family.

SEPARATION OF ABRAM AND LOT, 5-13.

The time has come to separate Abram and his household more fully from kindred and connexions which he cannot “command.” Genesis 18:19. His father’s house in far-off Chaldea was tainted with idolatry, and he was to be removed from its power, and so Jehovah ordered him thence. But the love of kindred is strong, and Terah, his father, accompanied him as far as Haran. There he dwelt and died, and Abram resumed his journey westward. Lot, his brother’s son, still clings to him, but his earthly love and selfishness, as now to be exhibited, made him an unfit companion for the father of the chosen seed, and in the providence of God a peaceable separation is effected.

5. Lot also… had flocks — His associations with Abram had been to him a source of temporal prosperity, as well as a means of grace.

12. Lot dwelt in the cities… and pitched his tent — He seems to have divided his interests between city and country. Having pitched his tent toward Sodom, (µds d[, unto Sodom, or at Sodom,) and leaving his flocks and herds in charge of herd-men, he himself “dwelt in Sodom.” Genesis 14:12. It is thought that he was not married until after his separation from Abram, and that then he took a woman of Sodom for his wife, thus mingling himself with the ungodly.

V. 13. Sinners before the Lord-That is, impudent daring sinners.

Verse 13. The men of Sodom were wicked] רעים raim, from [r, ra, to break in pieces, destroy, and afflict; meaning persons who broke the established order of things, destroyed and confounded the distinctions between right and wrong, and who afflicted and tormented both themselves and others. And sinners, µyacj chattaim, from acj chata, to miss the mark, to step wrong, to miscarry; the same as amartanw in Greek, from a, negative, and marptw to hit a mark; so a sinner is one who is ever aiming at happiness and constantly missing his mark; because, being wicked-radically evil within, every affection and passion depraved and out of order, he seeks for happiness where it never can be found, in worldly honours and possessions, and in sensual gratifications, the end of which is disappointment, affliction, vexation, and ruin. Such were the companions Lot must have in the fruitful land he had chosen. This, however, amounts to no more than the common character of sinful man; but the people of Sodom were exceedingly sinful and wicked before, or against, the Lord-they were sinners of no common character; they excelled in unrighteousness, and soon filled up the measure of their iniquities. See chap. 19.

Verse 13. Sinners before the Lord exceedingly — That is, impudent and daring sinners, who despised and openly defied God. Alas for Lot! He has got into bad company, and will find the beauty and fertility of the country but a poor recompense for the daily grief their wickedness and reproaches will cause him!

13. Wicked and sinners — As more fully exhibited in chap. 19. The fairest and most inviting regions of the earth,

“Where every prospect pleases,

And only man is vile,”

may furnish the conditions of excessive licentiousness and crime. Sadly did Lot mistake in looking more on outward and temporal beauty than on moral and religious worth.

Verse 14. The Lord said unto Abram] It is very likely that the angel of the covenant appeared to Abram in open day, when he could take a distinct view of the length and the breadth of this good land. The revelation made Genesis 15:5, was evidently made in the night; for then he was called to number the stars, which could not be seen but in the night season: here he is called on to number the dust of the earth, Genesis 13:16, which could not be seen but in the day-light.

Verses 14, 15. The Lord said unto Abram — To comfort him after “Lot was separated from him,” and he was left alone, and in a less pleasant and fruitful soil than that which Lot had chosen; Lift up thine eyes, all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it. — But, how was this land given to Abram, when it is expressly said by Stephen, Acts 7:5, “He (God) gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on!” The answer is, God gave him the right to it, though not the actual possession, until the time appointed, when the inhabitants of the land should prove themselves to be irreclaimable, and fully ripe for destruction. God explains it, “To thee and thy seed,” that is, to thee “in thy seed.” But how could it be said to be given them “for ever,” when, after a few hundreds of years they were turned out of it? To this it must be replied, that the promise was made to them, and intended to be fulfilled, upon condition of their obedience, as is often expressed in other places. And the expression µlw[ d[, here rendered for ever, often signifies only long continuance, as is evident from many passages of Scripture, in which the subjects to which it is applied do not, in their nature, admit of an eternal duration. Indeed, when the word is applied to the Jewish rites and ceremonies, as it often is, it signifies no more than during the standing of that dispensation, or till the coming of the Messiah. And thus it may be here understood.

THE PROMISE RENEWED TO ABRAM, 14-18.

14. After that Lot was separated from him — Now, in the gracious providence of Jehovah, the father of the faithful is cut loose from all his kindred according to the flesh. Thoroughly separated from home, country, and kin, (comp. Genesis 12:1,) he is free to move in the line of the divine call and purpose.

In this renewal of the promise to Abram, (verses 14-17,) we notice the following: 1.) Look — Feast thine eyes on it in all directions. 2.) It is thine for ever, and will be known through the centuries as the Land of Promise. 3.) Thy seed shall be as the multitudinous particles of the dust of the earth, innumerable by man. 4.) Walk through the land — At pleasure; survey it as thine own, although thou, in thy lifetime, dost not possess it. 5.) Know and remember it as a GIFT. hnnta, I will give it, is twice repeated. Verses 15 and 17.

Verse 15. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.] This land was given to Abram, that it might lineally and legally descend to his posterity; and though Abram himself cannot be said to have possessed it, Acts 7:5, yet it was the gift of God to him in behalf of his seed; and this was always the design of God, not that Abram himself should possess it, but that his posterity should, till the manifestation of Christ in the flesh. And this is chiefly what is to be understood by the words for ever, µlw[ da ad olam, to the end of the present dispensation, and the commencement of the new. µlw[ olam means either ETERNITY, which implies the termination of all time or duration, such as is measured by the celestial luminaries: or a hidden, unknown period, such as includes a completion or final termination of a particular era, dispensation, &c.; therefore the first is its proper meaning, the latter its accommodated meaning. See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 17:7”. See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 21:33”.

Verses 14, 15. The Lord said unto Abram — To comfort him after “Lot was separated from him,” and he was left alone, and in a less pleasant and fruitful soil than that which Lot had chosen; Lift up thine eyes, all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it. — But, how was this land given to Abram, when it is expressly said by Stephen, Acts 7:5, “He (God) gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on!” The answer is, God gave him the right to it, though not the actual possession, until the time appointed, when the inhabitants of the land should prove themselves to be irreclaimable, and fully ripe for destruction. God explains it, “To thee and thy seed,” that is, to thee “in thy seed.” But how could it be said to be given them “for ever,” when, after a few hundreds of years they were turned out of it? To this it must be replied, that the promise was made to them, and intended to be fulfilled, upon condition of their obedience, as is often expressed in other places. And the expression µlw[ d[, here rendered for ever, often signifies only long continuance, as is evident from many passages of Scripture, in which the subjects to which it is applied do not, in their nature, admit of an eternal duration. Indeed, when the word is applied to the Jewish rites and ceremonies, as it often is, it signifies no more than during the standing of that dispensation, or till the coming of the Messiah. And thus it may be here understood.

THE PROMISE RENEWED TO ABRAM, 14-18.

14. After that Lot was separated from him — Now, in the gracious providence of Jehovah, the father of the faithful is cut loose from all his kindred according to the flesh. Thoroughly separated from home, country, and kin, (comp. Genesis 12:1,) he is free to move in the line of the divine call and purpose.

In this renewal of the promise to Abram, (verses 14-17,) we notice the following: 1.) Look — Feast thine eyes on it in all directions. 2.) It is thine for ever, and will be known through the centuries as the Land of Promise. 3.) Thy seed shall be as the multitudinous particles of the dust of the earth, innumerable by man. 4.) Walk through the land — At pleasure; survey it as thine own, although thou, in thy lifetime, dost not possess it. 5.) Know and remember it as a GIFT. hnnta, I will give it, is twice repeated. Verses 15 and 17.

V. 16. I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth-That is, they shall increase incredibly, and take them altogether; they shall be such a great multitude as no man can number. They were so in Solomon’s time, 1 Kings 4:20. Judah and Israel were many as the land which is by the sea in multitude. This God here gives him the promise of.

Verse 16. I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth — That is, they shall increase incredibly, and, take them all together, shall be such a multitude as no man can number. When Moses wrote this history, these predictions had been in some measure fulfilled. But the increase of Abram’s seed at that time bore no proportion to what it was in the days of Solomon, when Israel and Judah, without taking his descendants by Ishmael, Esau, and the children he had by his second wife Keturah, into the account at all, were as many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude. Now what human foresight could have perceived that this would be the case? And who that was prudent, and professed to be a messenger of God to man, and to be intrusted with the revelation of his counsel, would have ventured to predict such a thing, and thereby to risk his character as a true prophet of the Lord on the accomplishment of the prediction, if he had not known, on the most solid grounds, that God had actually made such a promise? How thankful we ought to be for the demonstration this affords us, that Moses spake by inspiration of God, and that our faith in the divine revelation made by him is built on a firm foundation!

THE PROMISE RENEWED TO ABRAM, 14-18.

14. After that Lot was separated from him — Now, in the gracious providence of Jehovah, the father of the faithful is cut loose from all his kindred according to the flesh. Thoroughly separated from home, country, and kin, (comp. Genesis 12:1,) he is free to move in the line of the divine call and purpose.

In this renewal of the promise to Abram, (verses 14-17,) we notice the following: 1.) Look — Feast thine eyes on it in all directions. 2.) It is thine for ever, and will be known through the centuries as the Land of Promise. 3.) Thy seed shall be as the multitudinous particles of the dust of the earth, innumerable by man. 4.) Walk through the land — At pleasure; survey it as thine own, although thou, in thy lifetime, dost not possess it. 5.) Know and remember it as a GIFT. hnnta, I will give it, is twice repeated. Verses 15 and 17.

V. 17. Arise, walk through the land-Enter and take possession, survey the parcels, and it will appear better than upon a distant prospect.

Verses 17, 18. Arise, walk through the land — Enter and take possession, for thy posterity; survey the parcels, and it will appear better than upon a distant prospect. Abram himself, however, was not to think of fixing in it, but expect to be always unsettled, and walking through it to a better Canaan: and in compliance with God’s will herein, “he removed his tent,” conforming to the condition of a pilgrim. And he built there an altar — In token of his thankfulness to God for the kind visit he had made him.

THE PROMISE RENEWED TO ABRAM, 14-18.

14. After that Lot was separated from him — Now, in the gracious providence of Jehovah, the father of the faithful is cut loose from all his kindred according to the flesh. Thoroughly separated from home, country, and kin, (comp. Genesis 12:1,) he is free to move in the line of the divine call and purpose.

In this renewal of the promise to Abram, (verses 14-17,) we notice the following: 1.) Look — Feast thine eyes on it in all directions. 2.) It is thine for ever, and will be known through the centuries as the Land of Promise. 3.) Thy seed shall be as the multitudinous particles of the dust of the earth, innumerable by man. 4.) Walk through the land — At pleasure; survey it as thine own, although thou, in thy lifetime, dost not possess it. 5.) Know and remember it as a GIFT. hnnta, I will give it, is twice repeated. Verses 15 and 17.

V. 18. Then Abram removed his tent-God bid him walk through the land, that is, Do not think of fixing in it, but expect to be always unsettled, and walking through it to a better Canaan; in compliance with God’s will herein, he removed his tent, conforming himself to the condition of a pilgrim.

And he built there an altar-in token of his thankfulness to God for the kind visit he had made him.

Verse 18. Abram removed his tent] Continued to travel and pitch in different places, till at last he fixed his tent in the plain, or by the oak, of Mamre, see Genesis 12:6, which is in Hebron; i.e., the district in which Mamre was situated was called Hebron. Mamre was an Amorite then living, with whom Abram made a league, Genesis 14:13; and the oak probably went by his name, because he was the possessor of the ground. Hebron is called Kirjath-arba, Genesis 23:2; but it is very likely that Hebron was its primitive name, and that it had the above appellation from being the residence of four gigantic or powerful Anakim, for Kirjath-arba literally signifies the city of the four; See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 23:2”.

Built there an altar unto the Lord.] On which he offered sacrifice, as the word jbzm mizbach, from jbz zabach, to slay, imports.

THE increase of riches in the family of Abram must, in the opinion of many, be a source of felicity to them. If earthly possessions could produce happiness, it must be granted that they had now a considerable share of it in their power. But happiness must have its seat in the mind, and, like that, be of a spiritual nature; consequently earthly goods cannot give it; so far are they from either producing or procuring it, that they always engender care and anxiety, and often strifes and contentions. The peace of this amiable family had nearly been destroyed by the largeness of their possessions. To prevent the most serious misunderstandings, Abram and his nephew were obliged to separate. He who has much in general wishes to have more, for the eye is not satisfied with seeing. Lot, for the better accommodation of his flocks and family, chooses the most fertile district in that country, and even sacrifices reverence and filial affection at the shrine of worldly advantage; but the issue proved that a pleasant worldly prospect may not be the most advantageous, even to our secular affairs. Abram prospered greatly in the comparatively barren part of the land, while Lot lost all his possessions, and nearly the lives of himself and family, in that land which appeared to him like the garden of the Lord, like a second paradise. Rich and fertile countries have generally luxurious, effeminate, and profligate inhabitants; so it was in this case. The inhabitants of Sodom were sinners, and exceedingly wicked, and their profligacy was of that kind which luxury produces; they fed themselves without fear, and they acted without shame. Lot however was, through the mercy of God, preserved from this contagion: he retained his religion; and this supported his soul and saved his life, when his goods and his wife perished. Let us learn from this to be jealous over our own wills and wishes; to distrust flattering prospects, and seek and secure a heavenly inheritance. “Man wants but little; nor that little long.” A man’s life-the comfort and happiness of it-does not consist in the multitude of the things he possesses. “One house, one day’s food, and one suit of raiment,” says the Arabic proverb, “are sufficient for thee; and if thou die before noon, thou hast one half too much.” The example of Abram, in constantly erecting an altar wherever he settled, is worthy of serious regard; he knew the path of duty was the way of safety, and that, if he acknowledged God in all his ways, he might expect him to direct all his steps: he felt his dependence on God, he invoked him through a Mediator, and offered sacrifices in faith of the coming Saviour; he found blessedness in this work-it was not an empty service; he rejoiced to see the day of Christ-he saw it and was glad. See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 12:8”. Reader, has God an altar in thy house? Dost thou sacrifice to him? Dost thou offer up daily by faith, in behalf of thy soul and the souls of thy family, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world? No man cometh unto the Father but by me, said Christ: this was true, not only from the incarnation, but from the foundation of the world. And to this another truth, not less comfortable, may be added: Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no-wise cast out.

GENESIS

Verses 17, 18. Arise, walk through the land — Enter and take possession, for thy posterity; survey the parcels, and it will appear better than upon a distant prospect. Abram himself, however, was not to think of fixing in it, but expect to be always unsettled, and walking through it to a better Canaan: and in compliance with God’s will herein, “he removed his tent,” conforming to the condition of a pilgrim. And he built there an altar — In token of his thankfulness to God for the kind visit he had made him.

Ver. 18. Plain of Mamre. Hebrews ˆwla ailon is rendered druv oak, by the LXX. So chap. 12., the oak, grove, or holt of Moreh. So Judges 9:6; the oak of the pillar which was in Sichem. Jerome does not appear to be supported in rendering this word “plain,” though followed by many versions. Mamre, the name of some Amorite, as Genesis 14:24, who had given his name to the country, as was the ancient custom of men. Psalm 49:11.

18. Plain of Mamre — Rather, oaks of Mamre. Abram now pitches his tent among the oaks (or in the oak-grove) of Mamre, as formerly at the oak of Moreh. Genesis 12:6, note. About a mile from Hebron is one of the largest oaks of Palestine, and bears the name of “Abram’s Oak.” Mamre is not to be identified with Hebron, but seems to have been the name of the oak-grove or plain in Hebron, that is, at or near Hebron; perhaps so called from Mamre the Amorite, the friend and confederate of Abram. Genesis 14:18. Hebron is celebrated as the most ancient city of Canaan, “built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.” Numbers 13:22. Its more ancient name was Kirjath-arba. Genesis 23:2; Joshua 14:15. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent much of their lives in the vicinity of this city, and here was Machpelah, the tomb of these patriarchs. Chap. 23. Hebron is now called El-khalil, “the friend.” Built there an altar — The third altar he had built in Canaan, (comp. Genesis 12:7, 8,) and thus is he careful to “keep the way of the Lord.” Genesis 18:19. “This remarkable narrative,” says Bunsen, “bears upon its face every evidence of historic truth, and is most fitly assigned to a time soon after 2900 years before Christ.” Notable concession from such a source.