10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, P-Cast out this bondwoman, and her son: for the son of this bond-woman shall not

p Gal. 4. 30. ch. 25. 6. & 36. 6, 7,

son of the wife whose family is of the most distinction often obtains the preference over the others. Thus, the late king of Persia, Futteh Ali Shah, overlooked his eldest son (a sort of Persian Ishmael in character), and nominated to the inheritance of the throne his second son Abbas Meerza, merely because the mother of the latter was a highly connected lady of his own tribe. The son of this Abbas Meerza is now king of Persia.' Pict. Bible. From what follows it would 'appear that Sarah had evidence that this rude and insolent conduct was in some measure abetted or countenanced by Hagar; hence the severity of her 'treatment towards her.

be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son.

q ch. 17. 18.

rily involved the disinheriting of the son
of the divorced woman, whose right of
heirship flowed solely from his mother
as a married mother.
Such a step
would, as a matter of course, require
a separation of the parties, and viewed
in this light the affair was not of a
character to subject Abraham justly to
the charge of cruelty in sending away
the Egyptian mother and her child.
In the nature of the case she could not
remain, and Sarah be satisfied; so that
a dismissal was unavoidable, and noth-
ing can be adduced from the narrative
to show that it was not ordered with
as much kindness and generosity as
the circumstances would admit.--Sa-
rah, though right in her judgment re-
specting the means of obtaining do-
mestic peace, seems to have been too
precipitate, and too imperious in her
demands for the expulsion of Hagar'
and her son. The consequence was,
that Abraham demurred about carry-
ing it into execution. He indeed had
different feelings from Sarah. Sarah's
regards were fixed exclusively on Isaac.
She did not consider Ishmael as a son,
but rather as an intruder and a rival.
But Abraham, being the father of both,
felt a paternal affection towards each;
nor was he indifferent towards Hagar,
whom he considered and lived with as
a legitimate wife. Perhaps too he sus-
pected that Sarah's proposal originated

10. She said unto Abraham, Cast out this woman and her son. Expel her from thy house and family, and preclude her son from any participation in the inheritance. This is perhaps the most obvious sense of the words, yet as the Heb. geresh is in several instances applied to the act of divorcing or repudiating a wife, Lev. 21. 7, 14.22. 13. Is 57. 20, we shall probably more correctly understand it here as expressing Sarah's wish that Abraham would divorce Hagar, or at least perform some kind of legal act by which Ishmael might be excluded from all claim to the inheritance. This is a very plausible view of the import of the passage, for the mere fact of his re-in an irritation of temper, and that less maining at home would not of itself severe measures would in a little time entitle him to the inheritance, nor satisfy her mind. As may well be sup. would the mere fact of his present ex- posed, he was exceedingly grieved at pulsion deprive him of such a title in the thought of proceeding to such excase it had existed. A formal or actual tremities, but finding her resolutely divorce was evidently the requisite bent upon it, he committed the matter measure, and such a measure necessa- to God, and sought direction from

12 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond-woman; in all

that Sarah hath said unto thee,
hearken unto her voice: for in
Isaac shall thy seed be called.

r Rom. 9. 7, 8. Heb. 11. 18.

above. The result is stated in the en- gorized;' implying, not that the events
suing verse.
reco ded were originally designed to

12. For in Isaac shall thy seed be shadow out certain other facts or truths,

-but merely that they are capable of be | כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע .called. Heb

Dissert. on Gal. 4th. in his work on the
Epistles). But however this may be,
we are clearly taught by the construc-
tion which the Apostle puts upon it
that the bond-woman represents the
Mosaic covenant entered into at Mount
Sinai, which brought forth children in
a state of bondage; but Sarah, the free
woman, shadowed out the Christian
covenant, which brings forth children
in a state of liberty. The natural seed
of the former represents all who are
born after the flesh; the spiritual seed
of the latter, that is, the child of prom-
ise, represents those who are born af
ter the Spirit.

On this ground we

in Isaac shall seed be called to thee.ing so viewed, and really are so viewed,
This is explained by the Apostle, Rom. by the sacred writer. (See Pierce's
9. 7, 8, Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children,
but in Isaac shall thy seed be called;
that is, they which are the children of
the flesh, these are not the children of
God: but the children of the promise,
these are counted for the seed.' It is,
therefore, a limitation of Abraham's
seed, emphatically so called, to the line
of Isaac and his descendants, to the
exclusion of Ishmael. God does not
require Abraham to acquiesce in Sa-
rah's proposal because he approved the
spirit which prompted it, but because it
accorded with his counsel and his re-
peated declarations that all the bles-
sings of the covenant were to belong
pre-eminently to Isaac. 'We must not
refuse to join in doing what God com-
mands, however, contrary it may be
to our natural feelings, nor on account
of the suspicious motives of some with
whom we are called to act.' Fuller.-
But it is not sufficient to see in the inci-
dent here related merely a domestic oc-
currence. There is a gospel mystery
contained in it, and here as in multi
tudes of other passages we are indebt-
ed to the New Testament for the in-
sight which we possess into the meaning
of the Old Testament. The inspired
Apostle, Gal. 4. 22--30, teaches us to
consider this whole history as an alle-
gory; although it is contended by some
able critics that the words of Paul
(άτινα εστιν αλληγορουμενα) ought rather
to be rendered which things are alle-
gorized,' or, 'which things may be alle-

might have formed a reasonable con-
jecture, that every one who resembled
Ishmael would be hostile to those who
resembled Isaac. But the Scriptures
supersede all conjecture on this point;
for they affirm, in reference to this very
history, that 'as then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was
born after the Spirit, even so it is now.'
There is an innate contrariety between
the two classes; the same things are
grounds of offence to the carnal man in
this day, as were in the days of Ish-
mael; and this our Lord has expressly
confirmed by saying, 'because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you.' It appears, more
over, from the Apostle's interpretation
that we must be children of promise in
order to belong to the church of Christ.
The mere circumstance of having de

31 And also of the son of the bond-won.an will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave

s ver. 18. ch. 16. 10. & 17. 20.

it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and 'sent her away and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

t John 8. 35.

scended from Christian parents, or hav-rection recited above was given in the ing received the seal of the Christian night in a vision or dream. His 'rising covenant, or making a profession of the early in the morning' in this and simiChristian faith, will not constitute uslar instances is a striking proof of the Christians, nor give us a title to share in the heavenly inheritance. The son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman;' which is in effect a sentence of expulsion passed not only on the unbelieving Jewish church, but on the whole collective body of natural and unconverted men, while it is an exclusive grant of heaven and happiness to the children of promise. Others may enjoy church privileges and make religious professions, but they only who in this world rested on the promises as their one ground of hope and joy, shall experience their accomplishment in the world to come. Doubtless it will be grievous, so to speak, to our heavenly Father to disinherit so many of his professed children, for 'he hateth putting away,' and he swears that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but would rather that he would turn from his wickedness and live,' still the decree is gone forth and cannot be reversed; we must be living members of Christ's church below, before we can inherit his kingdom above.

13. Will I make a nation. Heb. 3 will I set or put him to a nation; i. e. a great nation, as the Gr. renders it, 'I will make him for a great nation.' This is but a renewal of the promise made ch. 16. 10, and 17. 20, on which see Notes.

14. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took, &c. From which it is probable that the divine di

readiness and alacrity with which he made haste to obey the heavenly mandate. To part with his son was no doubt like rending away his own bowels, but being accustomed to obedience, he controls the paternal affection which he could not extinguish. And here is unquestionably one of the severest trials of faith and piety, when we are called to subject to the will of God those primary instincts of our nature which are in themselves neither sinful nor harmful. But the children of Abraham are to prepare themselves for such ordeals. -'Bread' is probably here to be understood, as elsewhere, as a general term for all kinds of eatables, of which we may suppose as large a quantity was provided as they could conveniently carry; and so also of the water; so that we know of no sufficient foundation for the remark of Hunter, that 'we are more surprised at the slender provision with which Hagar and Ishmael are dismissed, than at the dismission itself.' It would indeed be surprising if the patriarch had loaded them with more provisions than they could carry, and the text affords no evidence that he furnished them with any less.¶ Bottle; i. e. sack. Heb. See Note on Josh. 9. 4. several Hebrew words which our translation equally renders 'bottle,' but which are not only different from each other but all different from the idea which the word 'bottle' conveys to our minds. We shall endeavour to dis

hemath. 'There are

criminate the different sorts as we pro- | in large or small parties, mounted or on

ceed; but may here observe generally, that the people of Asia, west of the Indus, use the skins of animals, on a journey, for carrying water and other liquids, as well as, in general, other articles of provision which they are obliged to carry with them in their journeys across the deserts or thinly-inhabited plains. The preference of such vessels is well grounded. Earthen or wooden vessels would soon be broken in the rough usage which all luggage receives while conveyed on the backs of camels, horses, or mules: and if metal were used, the contents would be boiled or baked by the glowing heat of the sun. Besides, such skins exclude the encroachments of ants, which swarm in those countries, and also effectually guard against the admission of that fine impalpable dust or sand which forms so great an annoyance to travellers in Asia, defying all ordinary safeguards, and spoiling every necessary of life to which it gains access. The greater portability of such skins is another advantage. The skins of kids and goats are those used for ordinary purposes. The head being cut off, the carcase is extracted without opening the belly, and the neck serves as the mouth of the vessel thus formed. The thighs, which are suffered to remain, serve as its handles, and also to give hold to the straps by which it is fastened to the luggage or saddle of a mounted traveller; or by which, being thrown across the shoulder (see text) and breast, it is slung to the back of a pedestrian. The heat of the climate, and the scarcity of streams and wells, render it indispensable for all travellers to carry water with them. When a party is large, and the prospect of a fresh supply of water distant, large skins of the camel or ox, two of which are a good load for a camel, are used. Goat-skins serve in ordinary circumstances. Individual travellers, whether

foot, usually carry a kid-skin of water,
or else a sort of bottle of prepared leath-
er, shaped something like a powder-
flask. Hagar's bottle was doubtless a
kid-skin, slung across her back from
her shoulder. Some say it was a goat-
skin; not being aware that a goat-skin
of water is a good load for a man, and
is what no one thinks of carrying on
his back to any distance. Others con-
tend that the etymology of the word
and Egyptian usage (Hagar being an
Egyptian) require the bottle to be an
earthen vessel; but the etymology does
not imperatively demand this; and it
is certain that no one ever does, or
probably ever did, personally carry an
earthen vessel of water in a journey
across a desert: what the Egyptians
or others did or do in fetching water
from wells or streams to their homes
is quite another thing.' Pict. Bible.-
¶ And the child. So called, though not
with the strictest propriety, as he was
now at least sixteen years of age, and
old enough to be, if not a protector, at
least a useful attendant to Hagar.
Either 'boy,' 'lad,' or 'stripling' would
answer better to the sense of the term
(3 yeled) in this place. Of course
it is an entirely erroneous construction
to suppose that Abraham put the child,
as well as the provisions, upon his
mother's shoulder. It was only the
latter that she was required thus to
carry. The word 'child' depends upon
the foregoing 'took' or 'gave' and not
upon 'putting.' Let the clause 'put-
ting it on her shoulder' be included in
a parenthesis, and the sense is plain.
So Ex. 29. 3, And thou shalt put them
(i. e. the unleavened cakes) into one
basket, and bring them in the basket
with the bullock and the two rams;'
where the words 'in the basket' must
be made parenthetical or we shall be
obliged to understand that the bullock
and the rams were put into the basket
with the cakes.-T And wandered

in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Beer- | Dictionary, art. 'Desert;' also Gesen

ius on 37. On the proper deserts see Note on v. 21. Whether this 'wilderness of Beer-sheba' was directly in the way to the place of her destination, or whether she went thither in consequence of having' wandered' or lost her way, it is not possible to determine. Nor is it certain that 'wandered' here

·

than that of journeyed. It would seem, however, most probable that she departed with some definite place in view, perhaps Egypt her native country. It may absolve Abraham from the charge of cruelty on this occasion, if we bear in mind not only that the transaction was altogether in accordance with the manners of those times, but also that it was no difficult thing for any person to find a livelihood in this early age of the world.

sheba signifies the 'well of an oath,' or 'the well of seven,' so called afterwards on account of the covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (see 1 v. 31). It was at the extremity, towards the desert, of the subsequent kingdom of Abraham's descendants, and the extent of which was proverbially described by naming the two ex-is to be understood in any other sense treme towns, Dan and Beer-sheba (see Note on ch. 14. 14.) It was twenty miles south of Hebron. The town afterwards built there was given to the tribe of Judah by Joshua (Josh. 15. 28); but the allotment of that tribe being found disproportionately large, it was with other portions of Judah's inheritance, transferred to Simeon (Josh. 19. 12, 9). We know nothing about the town; but it was occupied by a Roman garrison in the time of Eusebius and Jerome. 'The wilderness of Beersheba,' probably denotes the desert country beyond Beer-sheba, towards the Desert of Paran, to which Hagar and Ishmael proceeded after they had recovered from the effects of thirst and exhaustion. As, however, much perplexity arises to the reader from the mention of an immense number of wildernesses and deserts, we may observe that the word midbar, rendered sometimes " wilderness,' and sometimes 'desert,' is of extensive application in Hebrew. It denotes not only the dry, barren, or sandy tracts to which we should restrict the term 'desert,' but generally all uncultivated lands, mountainous tracts, pasturegrounds, and the common lands for wood and pasturage near towns. Thus there was scarcely a town without a 'desert' belonging to it, whence arises the frequent mention of deserts in the very heart of that fertile country. This explains the allusions to the rich pastures, and even the beauty of the wildernesses or deserts. See Ps. 64 13. Jer. 9. 10. Joel 1. 20; and Calmet's

Those who had flocks found ground enough to spare in every country to maintain them; and creatures were so numerous, that a person who had no flocks, might, in the wilderness and in uncultivated places, kill enough of all sorts for his maintenance, without injuring any body: and accordingly we find, that Ishmael chose to reside in the wilderness, where he became an archer. From the sequel it appears, that Hagar met with no great difficulty in providing for herself and son; nor did Ishmael fare any worse than was common for the younger sons to do in those days, when they were dismissed, in order to settle in different parts of the world. Jacob was dismissed in

the same manner by Isaac, without servants, or attendants.

15. And the water was spent, &c. Whatever were her original intentions, she was soon reduced to great distress. The bread might not be exhausted, but the water was; and no spring being to be found in this inhospitable place, she and Ishmael appear to have walked about, till he, overcome of thirst, could walk no longer. She supported