Ishmael. 14 Wherefore the well was | son's name, which Hagar bare, called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bare Abram son: and Abram called his a a y ch. 24. 62. & 25. 11. z Numb. 13. 26. a Gal. 4. 22. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. b ver. 11. lowing variety of versions. Gr. For I well of the living one, my seer. Chal. have openly seen him that appeared the well of the angel of life, who apunto me.' Chal. 'Lo, I begin to see peared there.' According to this renafter that he appeared unto me.' Syr. dering of Onkelos, the active sense of 'Lo, I have beheld a vision, after he be-life-giving or quickening, in allusion to held nie.' Arab. Erp. 'Even here I have her wondrous preservation, is involved seen, after his seeing me.' Arab. Saad. in the epithet living here employed, 'Truly I have here seen thy compas- and this perhaps is not far from the truth. 15. Abram called his son's name Ishmael. Having previously heard from Hagar the various particulars of the divine apparition above recited. He named his son 'according to the prophecy that went before upon him.' sion, after I had seen affliction.' Targ. Jon. Behold, here is revealed the glory of the divine majesty after the vision.' In several of them it will be observed that the leading idea is that of devout wonder on the part of Hagar, that she had been permitted to live to see any thing else, after being favoured with such a glorious vision; and this is strikingly in accordance with the gen-years;' according to the usual idiom of eral belief prevalent in those early days, that such a view would be followed by the immediate extinction of life. See Ex. 24. 11. Judg. 13. 32. But whether this were the real sense of the words we are not prepared to decide. 16. Abram was fourscore and six years old. Heb. Son of eighty-six the original. For this long period had Abraham lived childless, and yet as a trial to his faith, he is required to wait fourteen years longer before the sight of the child of promise gladdens his aged eyes. During thirteen years of 14. The well was called. Heb. that period it would seem that all those he called, i. e. one called, every one delightful personal manifestations of called; this became its general appel- the Almighty which he had hitherto lation. This impersonal kind of phrase enjoyed were suspended: but whether in which the active is used for the pas- this was designed, as some have sugsive voice, is very common both in the gested, as a token of the divine disHeb. of the Old Testament and the pleasure for so easily acquiescing in the Gr. of the New. Thus, Ex. 10. 21, sinful expedient proposed by Sarah, or 'Even darkness which may be felt.' whether it is simply to be referred to Heb. 'which one may feel.' Ps. 9. 6, the sovereign good pleasure of him 'And his name shall be called.' Heb. who giveth not account of any of his 'one shall call his name.' Luke 12. matters, is not for us to say. It is 20, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul certain however as a general fact that be required of thee.' Gr. 'they shall similar conduct is productive of simrequire.' 1 Cor. 15. 27, 'But when heilar results, and that if we find that it saith, all things are put under him;' is not with us as in times past, that i. e. when it is said, &c. - Beer-communion with God is more than lahai-roi, Heb, the usually difficult, that our intercours This was a with heaven is sadly impeded, our ty-nine years,' i. e. going on in his prayers hindered and our praises dead- ninety-ninth year. This was thirteen ened, the cause is to be sought in our- years after the birth of Ishmael. From selves. It is not a mere sovereign the effect produced on Abrahain's mind withdrawal of the light of God's coun- by the annunciation, v. 15—17, that tenance, but a merited rebuke of some he should yet have a son by Sarah, secret offence, some unrestrained tem-it is probable that he had long settled per, some unholy compliance, some down in the belief that Ishmael was unchecked and unchastened desire, the destined seed, and consequently which is suffered to remain undetected had renounced all hopes of farther issue. in the heart and to rob us of the prom-I am the Almighty God. ised blessing.-A single additional re- Heb. El Shaddai, God allmark may close our exposition of the sufficient; able to accomplish with inpresent chapter. We are here impres- finite ease all his purposes, whether of sively taught that we are not to judge judgment or of mercy. of the greatness and importance of truth which he needed to have re-imIt was for the designs of providence, by any pressed upon his mind. worldly marks of distinction. The want of considering this, that he had had recourse to crooked devices in posterity of Ishmael, though later predicted, was earlier brought forward, and order to accomplish the promise. In has been much longer established, and view therefore of the physical impoexisted in a far higher degree of nation-tency of Abraham's body and of Sarah's al dignity and consequence, than the posterity of Isaac. Yet it was not in the line of Ishmael, but in that of Isaac that the promises of life and sal-plication that no obstacles whatever vation were to run. To Isaac, and not to his elder brother, pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises,' and of him 'as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all God bless-Heb. perfect, i. e. upright, sined for ever,' The things which are cere. Gr. 'Walk peasingly be ore me highly esteemed among men, are often and be blameless.' Chal. Serve before See notes on of no price in the sight of Him who me and be perfect.' hath chosen the foolish, the weak, and Gen. 5. 25. & 6. 9. Integrity is true the base things of the world to con- scriptural perfection; and without that found the wise, the mighty, and the every thing in our religion is defectmagnificent. ive, and all profession vain. We may not indeed attain to absolute perfection on earth, but we should study 1. When. Abram was ninety years as nearly as possible to approach it, old and nine. Heb, the son of nine- I which is only to be done by 'walking CHAPTER XVII. womb, the Most High is pleased to announce himself under this august title, which evidently carried with it the im התהלך .Heb could stand in the way of the com- ¶ Be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my cov-| face: and God talked with him, enant between me and thee, and saying, ⚫ will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram f fell on his e ch. 12. 2. & 13. 16. & 22. 17. f ver. 17. 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. g Rom. 4. 11, 12, 16. posture assumed by Abraham on this occasion probably resembles one of the several postures used by the Mohammedans in their worship. It consists in placing the body on the hands and knees or on all fours, as we should say-while the head is bent down, the forehead touching the ground. This posture is highly expressive of the deepest humility and the most profound adoration. It also resembles the kotow usually performed before the emperor of China; and which is so well known to us in consequence of the refusal of Lords Macartney and Amherst to submit to it.' Pict. Bible. 4. Thou shalt be a father of many with God,' by a steady course of prayer and communion with him. Difficulties, to try our faith, may daily occur, and irksome and unpleasant duties will frequently present themselves, but we must walk on, pursue the even tenor of our way, and not turn aside to avoid the one or evade the other. It is probable that the admonition in this case is to be considered as involving a virtual reproof. It was as if he had said, 'Have recourse to no more unbelieving expedients; keep thou the path of uprightness, and leave me to fulfil my promise in the time and manner that seem good to me.' What a lesson is here afforded us against a resort to unlawful or doubtful means under the pre-nations. Heb. 175 for or tence of their being better calculated to promote the cause of God! Our concern is simply to walk before him in uprightness of heart and cleanness of hands, leaving it to him to bring to pass his own designs in his own way. 2. I will make my covenant between me and thee. Heb. n will give, i. e. will fix, appoint, confirm; as we have before explained the term, Gen. 1. 29. It is not of course the annunciation of a new purpose, but simply the renewal, the confirmation, of one of long standing. It is in fact the fifth declaration or utterance of the same gracious design of making Abraham the father of an innumerable seed. The words, however, in this connection probably have reference more particularly to the establishment of that external sign or token of the covenant which the writer goes on to describe in the ensuing verses, and which is afterwards expressly called a covenant, v. 10. 3. Abram fell on his face. to a father of a multitude of nations. This promise was fulfilled both in a literal and a spiritual sense. In the former, not to mention the many tribes which sprang from his children by Keturah, Arabia, Idumea, and Canaan were peopled by the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. But from the language of Paul, Rom. 4. 16, 17, it is evident that a far higher sense is to be assigned to this promise; that it is to be understood not merely of Abraham's natural posterity, but of his spiritual seed also, composed of all true believers of every age and country. They, by the exercise of genuine faith, become heirs of the righteousness of faith, and all its accompanying blessings, and so are rendered adoptively the children of Abraham, the father of the faithful. The promise therefore went to make him the father of the church of God in all future ages, or, as the Apostle calls him, 'the heir of the world.' Accordingly for The all that the Christian world enjoys or ev 5 Neither shall thy name any more he called Abram; but h thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. h Neh. 9. 7. i Rom. 4. 17. er will enjoy, it is indebted instrumentally to Abrahamn and his seed. The high honour then of being the stock from which the Messiah should spring, and on which the church of God should grow, is here conferred upon Abraham. It was this honour that Esau despised when he sold his birthright; and here lay the profaneness of that act, which involved a contempt of the most sacred of all objects, the Messiah and his everlasting kingdom. 5. Thy name shall be called Abraham. The change is greater in sense than in sound. 'Abram' (x), the former name, is composed of ab, father, and ram, high or eminent. 'Abraham' (7) is formed by dropping the last letter of the last member, and inserting the first syllable, of 17 hamon, multitude. The constituent elements of the name, therefore, are Abram-hamon, high fa ther of a multitude, which for convenience' sake is abbreviated to a Abraham. It is proper however to observe that Jerome and some few others suppose the latter name to be formed simply by the insertion of the letter h, one of the letters of ' Jehovah,' into the former. But the mass of critics adopt the formation given above. This change of names, of which Abraham's is the first on record, imported some kind of change in the relative state of the subject, with a renewal or increase 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make * nations of thee; and kings shall come out of thee. k ch. 35. 11. 1 ver. 16. ch. 35. 11. Matt. 1. 6, &c. 'Peter,' Matt. 16. 18, and 'Saul' for 'Paul,' Acts, 13. 9. In like manner the promise to all true believers is, Is. 62 2, 'Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the Lord thy God shall name.' Again, Rev. 3. 12, 'He that overcometh, I will write upon him my new name.' Isaac's name was not changed, because it was given him by God himself before he was born. In allusion to this promise the Apostle says, Rom. 4. 17, God calleth those things which be not as though they were,' i. e. he called or denominated Abraham the father of a multitude, because he should finally become so, though now he had but one child, and he not the child of promise. The custom of changing names still obtains in the East. In Persia, frequent examples of this kind occur. One of the most striking is that of the Persian king Shah Solyman, whose reign commenced in 1667 under his proper name of Suffee. But its first years being marked by public and private calamities, he was persuaded that there was a fatality in the name he bore, and that a change of it was necessary to turn the tide of misfortune. He accordingly assumed, with great solemnity, the name of Solyman. He was crowned anew under that name, and all the seals and coins which bore that of Suffee were broken, as if one king had died and another succeeded. Chardin, who was present, has given a particular account of this coronation. The constant change of name by the popes on their election, is perhaps quite as good an illustration.' Bible.-T Have 1 made thee. of the tokens of the Divine favour towards him. Accordingly the name of 'Jacob' was changed to that of 'Israel' from the circumstance related Gen. 32. 28. The name of 'Cephas' also was authoritatively exchanged for that of have I given thee; i. e. put, ap Pict. Heb. of good to creatures can be set forth. All the privileges of the covenant of mercy, its richest joys and most glorious hopes, are summed up in this assurance. He that comes within its scope, as does every believer, can desire nothing more to make him happy. It is as if he had said, 'Whatever I am or have, or purpose in a way of grace to do, all that will I be to thee and to thy seed; all that shall be employed for thy protection, consolation, and sal 6. Kings shall come out of thee. This has been most signally fulfilled. No one in any age can be compared with Abraham, as far as relates to his numerous progeny of kings. From him were descended the chiefs of the twelve tribes of the Hebrews, and after their separation, the kings of Judah, as well as the kings of Israel. From him sprang the ancient monarchs of Edom, and the Saracen kings in Arabia, Bab-vation.' ylon, and Egypt, trace back their origin to him. If we pass from the literal to the spiritual fulfilment of the predic- land of thy sojournings, or tion, we find the heavenly Messiah, the king of kings, descending from the same stock, and not only so, but all true Christians, his seed by faith, made 'kings and priests unto God,' Rev. 1. 6. 7. For an everlasting covenant. Heb. 8. I will give unto thee-the land wherein thou art a stranger. Heb. præ peregrinations; not of thy permanent abode; the land in which thou hast not a settled but a migratory kind of residence. - For an everlasting possession. Here again the original word olam, everlasting, is to be undercovenant of eternity. The stood in the restricted sense explained phrases 'everlasting,' 'to eternity,' 'for-above, although no precise limitation ever,' &c. it is well known are often to is assigned to it. Indeed it may be adbe taken in a limited sense, implying mitted, that as their enjoyment of the not an absolutely eternal, but an in- promised blessings of the covenant dedefinite duration. Here, however, al-pended on their observance of its conthough the outward sign and adminis-ditions, had they continued in a course tration of the covenant were to be tem- of devout obedience, they might have porary, circumcision being afterwards been in possession of their earthly insuperseded by baptism, Col. 2. 11, 12, heritance at the present day. But they yet the covenant itself, in its spiritual forfeited the blessing by failing to comimport, is rightly termed by the Apos-ply with their stipulated engagements, tle, Heb. 13. 20 'everlasting covenant,' and the consequence has been, that as it secures everlasting blessings to all they are now scattered to the four winds those that by faith become interested of heaven. Yet there are many who in it. - To be a God unto thee, and contend that this covenant grant seto thy seed after thee. The highest ex-cured to the seed of Abraham the right pression by which the communication of a perpetual inheritance of the land |