10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one r Jer. 34. 18. 19. against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came s Lev. 1. 17. 10. And he took unto him all these, fowls, e. the ravenous birds of prey, and divided them in the midst, &c. as eagles, vultures, kites, &c. which This very solemn form of ratifying a feed upon dead bodies. As the slain covenant is again particularly mention- and divided animals represent the naed in Jer 24. 18. It consisted in cut- tion of Israel, so these birds of prey ting the throat of the victim, and pour- were doubtless emblematic of the Egyping out its blood. The carcass was tians and other enemies who should then divided, lengthwise, as nearly as fall upon, rob, and afflict them with the possible into two equal parts, which utmost rapacity and cruelty. Thus in being placed opposite to each other at a Ezek. 17. 3, 7, 12, the invading kings short distance, the covenanting parties of Babylon and Egypt are compared approached at the opposite ends of the to eagles; in Ezek. 39. 4, 17. Rev. 19. passage thus formed, and meeting in 17, 18, various hostile powers, under the middle took the customary oath. the emblem of ravenous birds, are The practice was by no means pecu- summoned to feast upon the sacrifice liar to the Hebrews. Traces of it may of a devoted and slaughtered people. be found in the Greek and Roman wri-The Jerus. Targ. interprets the passage ters, and in the accounts of travellers. in the same sense, understanding it of On the question of the time, scope, and the idolatrous monarchies which afobject of this transaction symbolically flicted Israel.- - Abram drove them considered, we defer our remarks to away. Heb. puffed them v. 17.-¶ And laid each piece one away; i. e. by swelling his cheeks with against another. Heb. his breath and blowing at them. Ainsworth renders it 'huffed them away.' The expression seems to be employed with a view to denote the ease with which, under a protecting providence, the assaults of their enemies should ་ 179 0873 17 gave every one's part or piece against his fellow; i. e. head against head, shoulder against shoulder, leg against leg, and so of the other parts, with a considerable space between, through which the covenant-be repulsed from the chosen people. ing parties were to pass, v. 17.But the birds divided he not. The same thing was afterwards prescribed in the law, Lev. 1. 17, 'He shall cleave it (the bird) with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder.' Fowls were considered rather as mere appendages to the sacrifice, and their blood was not sprinkled upon the altar. Yet in the present instance it is probable that the birds, like the several parts of the animals, were laid whole even against each other. 11. And when the fowls came down. Heb. the foul, collect. sing. for Targ. Jon. And idolatrous people descended, who are likened to an unclean bird, in order to prey upon the riches of Israel; but the merit of Abraham protected them.' Though Abraham is here represented as the instrument, yet the effect is to be ascribed primarily to the tutelar agency of Omnipotence. Thus Ex. 15. 10, of the Egyptians, Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.' Thus too Ezek. 21. 31, of the Ammonites, 'I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of down upon the carcasses, Abram | going down, a deep sleep fell drove them away. upon Abram; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon 12 And when the sun was t Gen. 2. 21. Job. 4. 13. him. victims be not plundered nor polluted. Thus employed he continues till the going down of the sun, when his eyelids begin to grow heavy, being pressed down by a supernatural impulse. And now we may expect that God will answer him, as he had done before, by vision. But very different, in the circumstances at least, is the revelation now granted him from that which he had previously enjoyed. An horror of great darkness falls upon him, an effect akin to that overpowering influ my wrath.' The following practical suggestion, though doubtless very remote from the primitive drift of the words, and resting moreover on the assumption that the present ceremony was a sacrifice, is yet drawn so naturaily from the incidents that we scruple not to give it. 'Interruptions, we see, attended the father of the faithful in his most solemu approaches to God; and interruptions of a different kind attend believers in this. How often do intruding cares, like unclean birds, seize upon that time and those affec-ence both upon the mind and the body tions which are devoted to God! Happy is it for us, if by prayer and watchfulness, we can drive them away so as to worship him without distraction!' Fuller. 12. And when the sun was going down. Heb. 3 to go in ; i. e. ready to set; the usual form of expression in the original. -¶ A deep sleep fell upon Abraham. Heb. tardamah. Gr. εκστασις, i. e. a supernatural trance or extacy. The Heb. term is the same with that employed respecting the deep sleep into which Adam was cast Gen. 2. 21, upon the creation of Eve. An horror of great darkness fell upon him. Taking the whole narrative together it would seem that the day was entirely dedicated by Abraham to God. His first vision was before daylight, while the stars were yet to be seen. In the morning he is ordered to provide, slay, and arrange the appointed victims, and in these preparations, which must naturally have required considerable time, it is probable the former part of the day was spent till noon or after. Having thus done what was enjoined, he was still required to wait and watch; wait till God should condescend to appear, and watch that the which we elsewhere learn was no unusual accompaniment of prophetic trances. Thus Dan. 10. 8, 'I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned into corruption, and I retained no strength.' Job, 3. 13, 14, 'In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on man, fear came upon me, and trembling which made all my bones to shake.' The visitations of the Almighty are always awful, even those of love and mercy, and no doubt the preternatural gloom now made to rest upon Abraham's spirit, was designed in part to impress him with a profound reverence of God, and to teach him that those that rejoice in him must still rejoice with trembling. But it cannot be questioned that there was yet a farther reach in the purpose of this extraordinary illapse upon the patriarch's mind. Every incident of the transaction appears to have been fraught with emblematic meaning, and this among the rest. The overwhelming darkness, and the accompanying mental emotions, were a striking image of profound distress and affliction, and from what follows in the ensuing verse, 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety "that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that u Ex. 12. 40. Ps. 105. 23. Acts 7. 6. is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; w Ex. 1. 11. Ps. 105, 25, ed in compliance with his request in v. 8.- -T Shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs. The primary and principal reference here is to the land of Egypt, although from the language of Gen. 17. 8. Ps. 105. 9-12, it would seem that even the land of Canaan itself, which though theirs by promise, was not actually made over to them as a possession and inheritance till some generations afterwards, was also intended; and in the meantime was actually the scene of more or less persecution to the patriarchs, as is clear from Gen. 21. 9.–26. 7, 14, 15 et inf. And shall serve them. Heb. we are left in no doubt that such was indeed their real purport. By significant symbols he designed to give him a just conception of the manner in which the great end should be accomplished, and to indicate that it would be against much opposition, through many troubles, and after long delays. This calamitous scene of suffering was to be brought about mainly, though not exclusively, by the oppressive power of Egypt. From this indeed they were afterwards to be signally delivered and planted in the land of promise; but the darkness must precede the light; trial must pave the way for triumph. Egypt indeed is not named, for proph-7737. It is far from clear that our ecy requires to be delivered with some degree of obscurity, or it might tend to defeat its own design; but the grand fact of a series of unparalleled sufferings is clearly disclosed, while it is left to time to develope the various related particulars. The Jerusalem Targum gives the symbol a somewhat more extended scope than most commentators; 'And as the sun was near to setting, a profound slumber seized upon Abraham, and behold four kingdoms stood up with a view to reduce his children into a state of bondage.' These kingdoms, as we elsewhere learn, were the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, of which great account is made, as persecuting powers, by the Jewish writers. 13. Know of a surety, &c. Heb. knowing know. This can be understood only as God's own interpretation of the sign which he had vouchsafed to Abraham in the incidents above recorded. He here explains to him the manner in which he is to understand the sign that was now grant The translation has given the right view of b 14 And also that nation whom | fathers in peace; thou shalt be they shall serve, will I judge: buried in a good old age. and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy x Ex. 6. 6. Deut. 6. 22. y Ex. 12. 36. Ps. 105. 37. Z Job 5. 26. a Acts 13. 36. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again : for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. e d b ch. 25. 8. c Ex. 12. 40. d 1 Kings 21. 26. e Dan. 8. 23. Matt. 23. 32. 1 Thess. 2. 16. ise. The chronology may be stated Ps. 105. 37, 'He brought them forth thus: Abraham enters Canaan and receives the promise B. C. 1921 1891 1491 with silver and gold.' The promise of peace. Shalt die a peaceful death. The consolation hitherto imparted to Abraham was of such a nature as to pertain in common to him and his seed; but here the divine discourse is directed to the patriarch in person for his own individual comfort. It could not but relieve the saddening influence of the above declarations to be assured, that his old age should be happy, and his Isaac mocked by Ishmael Israel departs from Egypt The difference between the first and last of these dates is just 430 years. Of this period 215 years were passed in sojourning in Canaan, and 215 in Egypt. -It may here be remarked that according to the Hebrew accents, which we believe to be as correct indices of the sense as the Hebrew vowel points, the middle clause of this verse and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them,' is to be considered as par-end should be peace. Though he might enthetical, and we should therefore read it, 'Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, four hundred years.' The actual period of their service and affliction was much less. not be favoured in his life-time with the actual possession of Canaan, his promised inheritance, yet he should not be wanting in the grounds of solid hope and joy in view of his departure to the world of spirits. With such an assurance from such a source, he will be content to forego the privilege of seeing all the promises fulfilled. T Thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Heb. in a good hoary-age. 14. That nation whom they shall serve, will 1 judge. That is, will punish by the infliction of such judgments as their sins deserve. These are particularly described Ex. ch. 7-11, and Ps. 78. 43--51.-27. 36. It goes to 16. In the fourth generation they counterbalance the announcement of shall come hither again. Or Heb. 777 grievous suffering to be assured that the fourth generathe eye of God is continually upon the persecutors, and that he will in due time avenge the wrong done to his own glory in the affliction of his unoffending people.- - They shall come out with great substance. Heb. 17, that is, great riches, both of their own and of the Egyptians, whose 'jewels of silver and gold, and garments,' they carried away, Ex. 12, 35, 36, So also tion shall return hither; but the present rendering 'in the fourth,' may be admitted, and in that case the phrase is probably to be understood as denoting the fourth age or century, equivalent to the 400 years in v. 13. It is remarkable, however, that the land of promise was actually entered upon and inherited by the fourth generation of the Israelites who went down into 17 And it came to pass, that | nace, and a burning lamp that when the sun went down, and it passed between those pieces. was dark, behold a smoking fur Egypt, as Caleb was the fourth from Judah, and Moses the fourth from Levi, and so doubtless of many others. f Jer. 34. 18, 19. tinct words promiscuously rendered furnace,' in our common translation; and from this circumstance has arisen For the iniquity of the Amorites is a confusion in the use of the term not yet full. Heb. the Amor- which can only be dispelled by a clear ite, collect. sing. Abraham was now exhibition of the respective meanings of indeed living among the Amorites, each. One of these words-that occurwhich made it natural that that people ring here-is 15 tannoor, which propshould be specified rather than any other; but the term properly includes all erly signifies that kind of cylindrical and portable oven, used by the orienthe other nations of Canaan whose ini-tals for baking and other culinary purquities had marked them out for destruction. The whole of these nations are seldom enumerated together; one or more usually standing for all. Instead of is not yet full,' a more correct version is probably, 'is not till then full.' It is evident from this that there is a certain measure of wickedness beyond which God will not spare a guilty people. See Note on Gen. 6. 3. 17. Behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Heb. lit. an Our oven of smoke, or smoking oven. language does not perhaps afford a more intrinsically suitable word by which to render the original · poses. This is an earthen vessel about three feet high, smeared outside and inside with clay, and placed upon a frame or support. Fire is made within it and when the sides are sufficiently heated, thin layers of dough are spread on the inside, and the top covered, when the process of baking is very quickly completed. This word occurs fifteen times in the Hebrew Bible, and in every instance refers to this kind of oven, and is indeed rendered 'oven' in our translation in all of them except the present and three other passages, viz. Neh. 3. 11.-12. 38. Is. 31. 9. The other term is kor, of which 'furtan-nace' is the legitimate signification, i. e. a place for melting, assaying, and refining metals. Thus Ezek. 22. 18--22, noor than 'furnace;' and yet it is certain that a degree of ambiguity attaches to it in this connection which has led to a very general misapprehension of the real scope of this part of the vision. The phrase here employed has been almost universally considered as parallel to the expression Deut. 4. 20, The Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt' (comp. Jer. 11. 4), and the drift of the symbol has been understood to be nothing more nor less than to point to that well-known scene of the afflictions of Israel, while the 'burning lamp' has been regarded as an emblem of their joyful deliverance thence. But the fact is, the Hebrew has two dis is a place for refining silver, and 5 Prov. 17. 3, is a place for refining gold. In like manner the iron furnace, mentioned in Deut. 4. 20, and from which the Israelites are said to have been brought out, is properly a furnace for melting iron. It is this latter word which is employed wherever a people are said metaphorically to be cast into a furnace as Ezek. 22. 18-22, or delivered out of one, as Deut. 4. 20. 1 Kings, 8. 51. Jer. 11. 4. It occurs nine times, and is uniformly rendered 'furnace.' From this view of the usage |