credit for being less scrupulous about murder than adultery; which shews their distorted views of right and wrong, and the fearful influence that unhallowed passions exert upon our moral judgments. 13. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister. Heb. A say, now; where the original term for 'now' has the import, not of time, but of request and entreaty, as rightly rendered in our version. It is often used in English in an equivalent sense Here was obviously a failure, on the part of Abraham, in the very point in which he might have been supposed, a priori, most likely to have remained steadfast. She was indeed his step-sister, the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother, Gen. 20. 12. This, therefore, though a truth in terms, has generally been considered as a moral untruth; because it was intended to convey the impression that Sarah was nothing more than a sister to him; and if the essence of a falsehood consists in the purpose to deceive, it is contended that his affirming her to be his sister was virtually denying her to be his wife, and so was tantamount to a direct falsehood. But it must be admitted that there is an important difference between uttering a lie and concealing a truth, or a part of the truth, and as Abraham himself rested the defence of his conduct on this distinction, Gen. 20. 11-13, it is right that he should have the benefit of whatever validity may belong to the plea. That modes of speech giving but a partial view of the truth were often blamelessly adopted by good men in the Scriptures is indubitable. Moses led Pharaoh to under 14 And it came to pass, that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. y ch. 39. 7. Matt. 5. 28. stand that he wished to go with the children of Israel but three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice, Ex. 3. 18, and David certainly misled Achish as to the real motives with which he entered into his service, 1 Sam. 29. 17. In like manner Paul told but a part of the truth, Acts, 23. 6, when he cried out in the assembly, 'Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.' Yet no fault is found with him for adopting this stroke of policy. In the case of Abraham it should be considered also that he looked upon himself as the depositary of a future seed in which all the families of the earth should be blessed. The preservation of his life would of course seem to him essential to the performance of the promise, and we can easily see that a peculiar solicitude in regard to it would in such circumstances be natural, and one to which his faith itself would give rise. Some allowance may doubtless be made for him on this score. Still his conduct is not to be approved, and when he adopts an expedient which went directly to rob the honour of his wife of the protection which her relation to a husband threw around it, we behold a faltering in the faith of a strong believer and an affecting instance of human infirmity. He would have acted far more wisely, as well as more worthily of his character, had he told the whole truth without disguise, committing the disposal of the affair entirely to the providence of God, relying on his promises, and confident of his protection. He was authorized to believe that he would in some way in 15 The princes also of Pharaoh | fore Pharaoh: and the woman saw her and commended her be- was taken into Pharaoh's house. Z ch. 20. 2. terpose for his deliverance from the threatened peril, but failing in this, he had recourse to a carnal policy which taught him, as similar conduct always will those who practise it, that there is a 'fear of man which bringeth a snare.' The simple, straight-forward, honest course of truth, candour, and pious dependence on God is always safest and best. However strongly tempted to resort to the stratagems of fleshly wisdom to extricate ourselves from difficulty, it is better to hold fast our integrity, and taking Jehovah-jireh' (the Lord will provide) for our motto, cast ourselves implicitly upon his guidance for direction. -¶My soul shall live because of thee. Heb. naphshi. As the original term for 'soul' is often used for the person, the phrase is evidently equivalent to, 'I shall live, or my life shall be spared, because of thee.' like manner the soul is said to die (see note on Judg 16. 30) when a person expires. In 15. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her. The leading men about his court; officers and dignitaries attending upon his person and occasionally despatched upon business over the provinces. 'Pharaoh' is not a proper name, but a title applied, like Cæsar among the Romans, or Czar among the modern Russians, to the kings of Egypt. Indeed if we may believe Josephus its true import is that of king. It is applied in the Scriptures to at least eight different individuals who filled the throne of Egypt. Gen. 12. 15.-28. 36. Ex. 1. 8, 19. 1 Kings, 11. 19-21.-16. 24. 2 Kings, 23. 29, 30. Jer. 44. 30. -¶ And commended her before Pharaoh. Shewing in this the spirit of true courtiers and sycophants, a class of men who in all ages have been notori ous for ministering to the unhallowed passions of their royal masters. Parasite and pander are nearly equivalent terms, and to what an extent corruption in this respect has reigned in the courts of kings from the most ancient times to the present, the day of final. disclosure can alone reveal. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. The intention of the Egyptian king in this step is too obvious to be mistaken; but whether it was at once carried into execution may admit of doubt. Judging solely from the purport of the narrative, we should perhaps infer that it was. But as he seems to have designed, in a formal way, to make Sarah his wife, and as eastern usage prescribed certain ceremonies and purifications preparatory to such an event, which required considerable time, it is not unlikely that it was in this interval that 'the Lord plagued Pharaon and his house with great plagues;' so that she might have been restored before being fully received as an inmate of the harem. This opinion is confirmed by a comparison of the present with the incident recorded in a subsequent chapter. When a similar train of circumstances, Gen. 20. 2-18, had put her in the power of Abimelech, king of Gerar, we are expressly informed that God interposed for the protection of her person, and restored her intact to her husband. But why should a first indignity have been permitted when a second was prevented? Were not the views of Pharaoh as honorable as those of Abimelech ? And was not Abraham's dissimulation deserving of as severe a punishment on his second offence as on the first? On the whole we cannot but conclude, that though Sarah seems to have remained some time in 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels. a ch. 20. 14. 17 And the LORD b b plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. b ch. 20. 18. 1 Chron. 16. 21. Ps. 105. 14. Heb. 13. 4. riched him with gifts. These marks of his kindness are more particularly expressed in what follows, where the additions made to his possessions are severally specified. The words doubtless convey the idea of a somewhat pro sion to his property and his household establishment. But whatever acts of munificence were exhibited towards Abraham, they could not compensate him for the privation he suffered, nor prevent the interval from seeming to him long, dreary, and afflictive. The companion of his youth and of his age, of his journeyings and his perils, was torn from his arms, and how worthless in his sight must have been all the favours which were heaped upon him with a view to reconcile him to his loss, or win his consent to parting with her for ever? Shall we not suppose that in this trying period he was brought seriously and penitently to reflect upon his prevarication, and that in answer to his prayers a door was opened for the deliverance unharmed of his beloved wife? the house of Pharaoh, yet she was kindly make the object of a watchful Providence, and that Abraham was rebuked by no other cause of grief than a temporary separation from the partner of his bosom.--The following remarks as to Eastern usage in respect to simi-tracted residence and a gradual acceslar cases of abduction are worthy of notice. 'Of course Abraham could not have been a consenting party in this transaction; and yet it does not appear that the king intended to act, or was considered to act, oppressively in taking away a man's sister without thinking his consent necessary. The passage 18 illustrated by the privilege which royal personages still exercise in Persia and other countries of the East, of claiming for their harem the unmarried sister or daughter of any of their subjects. This exercise of authority is rarely, if ever, questioned or resisted, however repugnant it may be to the father or brother: he may regret, as an inevitable misfortune, that his relative ever attracted the royal notice, but since it has happened, he does not hesitáte to admit the right which royalty possesses. When Abimelech, king of 17. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh Gerar, acted in a similar manner to- and his house with great plagues. Heb. wards Sarah, taking her away from great strokes or blows. her supposed brother, Gen. 20. 2, it is admitted that he did so 'in the integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands,' which allows his right to act as he did, if Sarah had been no more than Abra ham's sister.' Pictorial Bible. What these plagues were, or how Pharaoh learned that they were sent in consequence of his intended conduct in relation to Sarah, we are not informed. The Egyptians, it appears, thought highly of the sanctity of the marriage connection, 16. Entreated Abram well for her for as soon as he ascertained who Sasake. Heb. pb did good rah was, he restored her to her husband to Abram. Gr. Ev Expηoaтo used well. and dismissed them both with kindShowed him many tokens of respect, ness. Indeed according to the standconferred many favours upon him, en-ard then acknowledged his conduct 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, | her to me to wife: now therefore and said, What is this that behold thy wife, take her, and go thou hast done unto me? why thy way. didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife ? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken c ch. 20. 9. & 26. 10. throughout was just and honourable. We may therefore perhaps conclude that the plagues inflicted were not any severe visitations intended as a punishment, but something merely designed to touch him, as the Hebrew indicates, and thus restrain him from the wrong which he was unknowingly about to commit. But whatever else is to be inferred from it, the incident teaches us how solicitously the Lord watches over the welfare of his people, and that how ever poor, mean, weak, or contemptible in the eyes of the world, - they are still precious in his eyes, and that in their defence he will array himself as an enemy against kings and princes. The words of the Psalmist, Ps. 105. 12 -14, in allusion to this very period of the sacred history, seal the truth of this remark: When there were but a few men in number; when they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; he suffered no man to do them wrong, yea, he reproved kings for their sake; saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.' 18. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? 'God had reproved Pharaoh, and now Pharaoh reproves Abraham. It is a sad thing that saints should do that, for which they should justly fall under the reproof of the wicked.' Trapp. 19. Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife. That is, so as to render her liable to be taken by me to wife. Your 20 d'And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. d Prov. 21. 1. words were calculated to lead me to take her. The original is rendered by Onkelos and the Syriac, in the absolute form, and I have taken,' but upon weighing more exactly the force of the particle 7, and the purport of the connected future tense, in which the verb is here found, the potential or contingent sense appears the most probable. This sense is accordingly adopted by the Vulgate, and from thence has passed into most modern versions, which are very nearly unanimous in conveying the impression that Pharaoh did not actually consummate his intended nuptials with Sarah. 20. And Pharaoh commanded his concerning him. ויצר .Heb men commanded men; i. e. certain men; some portion of his subjects. The ensuing clause, and they sent him away,' may also be rendered as it is in the Greek, 'that they should send him away,' though the former is rather more consonant with the sense indicated by the Hebrew accents. The original term (3 yeshallehu) is often used for that kind of sending or conveying away which is marked by peculiar tokens of honour and respect, as when a guest is accompanied at his departure to some distance by his host and a party of friends. The corresponding Greek term σvvпρояεμяoμai has distinctly this sense, and so also has the Chaldee word employed by Onkelos in this passage. In the N. T. the equivalent term (porεμяw) is usually rendered to bring forward on a journey, which was considered a token of Christian hospitality and Acts, 15. 3. 3 John, 6. et al. REMARKS.-The call of Abraham and his subsequent history in the foregoing chapter is susceptible of still far-road. Thus are we to fulfil our pilgrimage to the heavenly Canaan in the same spirit as did Abraham to the earthly. kindness, | divert us from our path. We are to be ther admonition to us than we have (2.) Similar inducements also are of fered to us. Abraham was to be a blessing to himself and a blessing to othIn respect to temporal things he was blessed in a very signal manner to the latest hour of his life. He was loaded also with spiritual and eternal benefits, being justified and accounted righteous before God, and being exalted after death to the highest seat in his Father's house. He was also a blessing to many; for his children and household were governed by him in a way most conducive to their best interests. The people among whom he sojourned could not but be edified by his instructions and conduct. And to this day the whole of his life affords a (1.) That a similar command is virtually given to us. We are not indeed called to leave our country ana connex-stimulus to the church to serve God ions; but to withdraw our affections from earthly things and fix them upon things above, we are called. The world around us lies in wickedness, and we are forbidden to be of the world, any more than Christ himself was of the world. We are not to love it, or the things that are in it. We are not to be after his example. In like manner every one who, for Christ's sake, will renounce the world, shall be blessed. He may not possess opulence and honour; but 'the little he may possess shall be better to him than all the riches of the ungodly.' In his soul he shall be truly blessed. View him in the conformed to it, or to seek its friend-state least enviable according to human ship. We are rather to come out from apprehension; see him weeping and it, and to be crucified to it. We are to mourning for his sins; yet then is he regard it as a wilderness through which truly blessed. He shall have pardon we are passing to our Father's house, and acceptance with his God. and in our passage through it to con- shall experience the renewing and sancsider ourselves as strangers and pil-tifying influences of the Holy Spirit. grims. If we meet with good accom- He shall have joys and consolations modation and kind treatment we are 'which the stranger intermeddleth not to be thankful. If we meet with briars with.' But this is not all. He shall and thorns in our way, we must con- be a blessing too to all around him. Bole ourselves with the thought that it View him in his family connexions; is the appointed way, and that every step view him as a husband, a parent, a still brings us nearer home. Nothing master, a friend. Who so kind, so begood is to detain us; nothing evil to nevolent, so anxious to promote the He |