by Ken Cayce
© Ken Cayce All rights reserved.
Copyright
Genesis is the book of beginnings. It records the beginning of time, life, sin, salvation, the human race, and the Hebrew nation. It begins with primeval history centered in four major events: the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the dispersion of the nations. Genesis then narrates the history of four great patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
Title: The English title, Genesis, comes from the Greek translation (Septuagint, LXX) meaning "origins"; whereas, the Hebrew title is derived from the Bible's very first word, translated "in the beginning." Genesis serves to introduce the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament), and the entire bible.
The influence of Genesis in Scripture is demonstrated by its being quoted over 35 times in the New Testament and hundreds of allusions appearing in both Testaments. The story line of salvation which begins in Genesis 3 is not completed until Revelation chapters 21 and 22, where the eternal kingdom of redeemed believers is gloriously pictured.
The title, Genesis (Greek, "Beginning"), was applied to this book by the Septuagint. The Hebrew title (bereshit) comes from the first word of the book in Hebrew ("In the beginning"). The book is divided by 10 units (toledot) under the rubric: "These are the generations of." Thus, some have suggested that Moses had access to the patriarchal records.
Authorship - Date: With very few exceptions, Jewish and Christian scholars alike believed that Moses wrote Genesis. His authorship is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Palestinian Talmud, the Apocrypha (Ecclus. 45:4; 2 Macc. 7:30), the writings of Philo (Life of Moses 3:39), and Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 4:8:45; Contra Apion I.8.
Moses life extended 120 years (Deut. 34:7). The first 40 years (1525-1485 B.C.) he spent as Pharaoh's son, learning the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). He spent the next 40 years (1485-1445 B.C.) in the desert of Midian as a shepherd (Exodus 2:15; Acts 7:30). The final 40 years (1445-1405 B.C.), he spent wandering in the Sinai wilderness with the children of Israel (Deut. 8:2). He very likely wrote all of the books of the Pentateuch after his call to lead the people out of Egypt, as recounted in Exodus 3. This would have been in his last 40 years of life, during the wilderness wanderings.
Background - Setting: The initial setting for Genesis is eternity past. God then, by willful act and divine Word, spoke all creation into existence, furnished it, and finally breathed life into a lump of dirt which He fashioned in His image to become Adam. God made mankind the crowning point of His creation, i.e., His companions who would enjoy fellowship with Him and bring glory to His name.
The historical background for the early events in Genesis is clearly Mesopotamian. While it is difficult to pinpoint precisely the historical moment for which this book was written, Israel first heard Genesis sometime prior to crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land (ca. 1405 B.C.). Genesis has 3 distinct, sequential geographical settings:
(1) Mesopotamia (chapters 1-22);
(2) The Promised Land (chapters 12-36); and
(3) Egypt (chapters 37-50).
The time frames of these 3 segments are:
(1) Creation to ca 2090 B.C.;
(2) 2090-1897 B.C.; and
(3) 1897-1804 B.C.
Genesis covers more time than the remaining books of the Bible combined.
Historical - Theological Themes: In this book of beginnings, God revealed Himself and a worldview to Israel which contrasted, at times sharply, with the worldview of Israel's neighbors. The author made no attempt to defend the existence of God or to present a systematic discussion of His person and works. Rather, Israel's God distinguished Himself clearly from the alleged gods of her neighbors. Theological foundations are revealed which include God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, man, sin, redemption, covenant, promise, Satan and angels, kingdom, revelation, Israel, judgment and blessing.
Genesis 1-11 (primeval history) reveals the origins of the universe, i.e., the beginnings of time and space and many of the firsts in human experience, such as marriage, family, the Fall, sin, redemption, judgment, and nations. Genesis 12-50 (patriarchal history), explained to Israel how they came into existence as a family whose ancestry could be traced to Eber (hence the "Hebrews"; Gen. 10:24-25), and even more remotely to Shem, the son of Noah (hence the "Semites"; Gen. 10:21). God's people came to understand not only their ancestry and family history, but also the origins of their institutions, customs, languages, and different cultures, especially basic human experiences such as sin and death.
Because they were preparing to enter Canaan and dispossess the Canaanite inhabitants of their homes and properties, God revealed their enemies' background. In addition, they needed to understand the actual basis of the war they were about to declare in light of the immorality of killing, consistent with the other 4 books that Moses was writing (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Ultimately, the Jewish nation would understand a selected portion of preceding world history and the inaugural background of Israel as a basis by which they would live in their new beginnings under Joshua's leadership in the land which had previously been promised to their original patriarchal forefather, Abraham.
Genesis 12:1-3 established a primary focus on God's promises to Abraham. This narrowed their view from the entire world of peoples in Genesis 1-11 to one small nation, Israel, through whom God would progressively accomplish His redemptive plan. This underscored Israel's mission to be "a light to the nations" (Isa. 42:6). God promised land, descendants (seed), and blessing. The 3-fold promise became, in turn, the basis of the covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:1-20). The rest of Scripture bears out the fulfillment of these promises.
On a larger scale, Genesis 1-11 set forth a singular message about the character and works of God. In the sequence of accounts which make up these chapters of Scripture, a pattern emerges which reveals God's abundant grace as He responded to the willful disobedience of mankind. Without exception, man responded in greater sinful rebellion. In biblical words, the more sin abounded the more did God's grace abound (Romans 5:20).
One final theme of both theological and historical significance sets Genesis apart from other books of Scripture, in that the first book of Scripture corresponds closely with the final book. In the book of Revelation, the paradise which was lost in Genesis will be regained. The apostle John clearly presented the events recorded in his book as future resolutions to the problems which began as a result of the curse in Genesis 3. His focus is upon the effects of the Fall in the undoing of creation and the manner in which God rids His creation of the curse effect. In John's own words, "There will no longer be any curse" (Rev. 22:3). Not surprisingly, in the final chapter of God's Word, believers will find themselves back in the Garden of Eden, the eternal paradise of God, eating from the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-14). At that time, they will partake, wearing robes washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 22:14).
Genesis is the foundational book to the rest of the Bible. Its important theological themes include the doctrines of God, Creation, man, sin and salvation. It teaches the importance of substitutionary atonement and of faith in God's revelation of Himself to mankind. It also records the first messianic prophecies of the Bible predicting that the Redeemer would be born of the seed of a woman (3:15); through the line of Seth (4:25); a son of Shem (9:27); the offspring of Abraham (12:3); Isaac (21:12); and Jacob (25:23); and from the tribe of Judah (49:10).
Genesis covers more time than any other book in the Bible. It opens with the words: "In the beginning God created" (1:1), and it ends with "in a coffin in Egypt (50:26). Thus, it covers the whole plight of man, who was created in God's image to live forever, but because of sin became destined for the grave. The book leaves the reader anxiously anticipating the redemptive intervention of God.
Verses 1:1 - 2:3: This description of God creating heaven and earth is understood to be: (1) recent, i.e., thousands not millions of years ago; (2) ex nihilo, i.e., out of nothing; and (3) special, i.e., in 6 consecutive 24 hour periods called "days" and further distinguished as such by this phrase, "the evening and the morning."
"In the beginning": While God exists eternally (Psalm 90:2); this marked the beginning of the universe in time and space. In explaining Israel's identity and purpose to her on the plains of Moab, God wanted His people to know about the origin of the world in which they found themselves.
"God": Elohim is a general term for deity and a name for the True God, though used also at times for pagan gods (31:30), angels (Psalm 8:5), men (Psalm 82:6), and judges (Exodus 21:6). Moses made no attempt to defend the existence of God, which is assumed, or explain what He was like in person and works which is treated elsewhere (Isa. 43:10, 13). Both are to be believed by faith (Heb. 11:3, 6).
"Created": This word is used here of God's creative activity alone, although it occasionally is used elsewhere of matter which already existed (Isa. 65:18). Context demands in no uncertain terms that this was a creation without preexisting material (as does other Scripture: Isa. 40:28; 45:8, 12, 18; 48:13; Jer. 10:16; Acts 17:24).
"The heavens and the earth": All of God's creation is incorporated into this summary statement which includes all 6, consecutive days of creation.
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
"In the beginning": Creation marks the absolute beginning of the temporal and material world. The traditional Jewish and Christian belief is that Geneses 1:1 declares that God created the original heaven and earth from nothing (Lat. "ex nihilo") and that verse 2 clarifies that when it came from the Creator's hand, the mass was "without form, and void," unformed and without any life. The rest of the chapter then explains the process of Creation in detail.
There is no evidence in the Hebrew text for long ages of evolutionary development or a gap of time between verse 1 and verse 2.
"God": (Hebrew Elohim): This form of the divine name occurs 2,570 times in the Old Testament. The plural ending "im" indicates a plural of majesty and takes a singular verb.
"Created": (Hebrew bara): Meaning to create, shape or form. This verb is used exclusively with God as its subject. It refers to the instantaneous and miraculous act of God by which He brought the universe into existence. Thus, the Genesis account of Creation refutes atheism, pantheism, polytheism, and evolution.
This leaves no doubt that God is an eternal being. It also leaves no doubt that God himself created the earth. God, mentioned in Genesis 1:1 is actually Elohim (a plural word). Another Meaning of Elohim is, the highest being to be feared, Elohim indicates more than one involved in the act of creation. "Elohim", (high and mighty).
This high and mighty Eternal One is actually God the Father, God the Word, and God the Holy Spirit. All who is in fact God, a singular verb is used often with the plural word Elohim indicating that there not only is a trinity of beings, but they are one in Spirit.
The three words used in the creation are different, but all translated created (Bara, Yatzar, and Asah). Bara means to create from nothing and is used in Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
"Without form, and void": This means "not finished in its shape and as yet uninhabited by creatures" (Isa. 45:18-19; Jer. 4:23). God would quickly (in 6 days) decorate His initial creation (1:2 - 2:3).
(Hebrew, Tohu wabohu, "unformed and unfilled") describes the condition of earth after the initial act of Creation. It does not describe a chaotic condition as a result of judgment. Thus was (Hebrew "hayetah") is correct and should not be translated "became". How the earth became formed and filled is described (in verses 3-31).
"Darkness" is not always a symbol of evil (Psalm 104:19-24. Here it simply refers to the absence of light.
"Deep" refers to the waters covering the earth, not some primitive evolution. Sometimes referred to as existing waters, this is the term used to describe the earth's water-covered surface before the dry land emerged (1:9-10). Jonah used this word to describe the watery abyss in which he found himself submerged (Jonah 2:5).
"The Spirit of God" Not only did God the Holy Spirit participate in creation, but so did God the Son (1 John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). Here is a clear reference to the creative activity of the Holy Spirit.
John 1:3 indicates that Christ actually created all things for the Father. Thus, all three persons of the Trinity are active in the Creation. This undoubtedly accounts for the plural pronouns "us" and "our" (in verse 26), which take singular verbs in expressing the tri-unity of God.
The first emblem of the Holy Spirit in Scripture is that of the Spirit "moving" or literally "brooding" over the waters, much as a bird broods over her eggs to hatch them. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit the works of creating the world (Psalm 33:6), of brooding over the waters (verse 2), of garnishing the heavens (Job 26:13), of renewing the earth (Psalm 104:30), and of sustaining life (Psalm 104:29).
"The heavens and the earth": All of God's creation is incorporated into this summary statement which includes all 6, consecutive days of creation.
The Holy Spirit's work in Creation results in order (Isa. 40:12, 14; Gen. 1:2); life (Job 33:4); beauty (Job 26:13); and renewal (Psalm 104:30).
The work of the Holy Spirit in Creation is one of the biblical proofs of His deity. The Scriptures also describe the physical body of the Christian as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and suggest He is in the process of recreating us into Christ's image (Phil. 1:6; Gen. 1:2; Luke 4:18).
Genesis 1:3 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
"And God said": God effortlessly spoke light into existence (Psalm 33:6; 148:5). This dispelled the darkness of verse 2.
This is the first of a highly-structured series of succinct and formulaic sentences expressing the creative commands of God. Thus, Creation is accomplished by His word. Each command consists of:
(1) An announcement, "God said";
(2) A creative command, "Let there be";
(3) A summary word of accomplishment, "And it was so";
(4) A descriptive word of accomplishment, "The earth brought forth";
(5) A descriptive blessing, "God blessed";
(6) An evaluative approval, "It was good"; and
(7) A concluding temporal framework, numbering each day.
"Light": The greater and lesser lights (the sun and moon) were created later (1:14-19), on the fourth day. Here, God was the provider of light (2 Cor. 4:6), and will in eternity future be the source of light (Rev. 21:23).
"Verses 1:4-5 "Divided ... called": After the initial creation, God continued to complete His universe. Once God separated certain things, He then named them. Separating and naming were acts of dominion and served as a pattern for man, who would also name a portion of God's creation over which God gave him dominion (2:19-20).
Genesis 1:4 "And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
"Good": Good for the purposes it was intended to serve (1:31). The word contains less an aesthetic judgment than a designation of purpose and correspondence to God's will, indicating the moral goodness of the Creation.
"Light": Not the sun which was created on the fourth day (verse 16), but some fixed light source outside of the earth. The earth passed through a day-and-night cycle in reference to this light.
Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
"God called": This act demonstrates His sovereign dominion over His creation. In the Semitic world, the naming of something or someone was the token of lordship. Reuben changed the names of the cities of the Amorites after he had conquered them (Num. 32:38). Likewise, Pharaoh Necho changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim after he defeated the Judean king (2 Kings 23:34).
"First day": God established the pattern of creation in 7 days which constituted a completed week. "Day" can refer to: (1) the light portion of a 24-hour period (1:5, 14); (2) an extended period of time (2:4); or (3) the 24 hour period which basically refers to a full rotation of the earth on its axis, called evening and morning.
This cannot mean an age, but only a day, reckoned by the Jews from sunset to sunset (verses 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). "Day" with numerical adjectives in Hebrew always refers to a 24-hour period.
Comparing the order of the week in Exodus 20:8-11 with the creation week; confirms this understanding of the time element. Such cycle of light and dark means that the earth was rotating on its axis so that there was a source of light on one side of the earth, though the sun was not yet created (verse 16).
"Day" (Hebrew yom): Apart from the use of the word day in verses 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31, where it describes the days of Creation, it is used in at least four ways in the first two chapters of Genesis:
(1) The 12-hour period of daylight as opposed to night (verses 14, 16, and 18);
(2) A solar day of 24 hours (verse 14);
(3) The period of light that began with the creation of light on the first day (verse 5); and
(4) The entire, six-day creative period (2:4).
Everywhere in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew bible), the word "day" when used (as here) with a definite article or numerical adjective means a solar day or a normally calibrated, 24-hour day. Thus, the biblical account of Creation clearly indicates that God created the world in six literal days (Exodus 20:11).
In verse one, the only indication we have when heaven and earth were created is that it happened in the beginning. We must dwell on Genesis because a true and firm revelation of faith and God's grace begins right here at the beginning.
God's grace in that he wanted fellowship with mankind so much that He would go to the trouble to create the world and everything in it for man's use. Then the faith comes in on our part. We must believe that God's Words are true and that the world was created by Elohim God.
Thus, brings the end of the first day.
Genesis Chapter 1 Questions
1. Who are the three indicated in this word?
2. What is the word translated "God" in Genesis 1:1?
3. What does the word Bara mean?
4. How was the earth described when it was first formed?
5. Who moved on the face of the waters?
6. Is darkness always a symbol of evil?
7. What does "deep" refer to?
8. What is one of the biblical proofs of the deity of the Holy spirit?
9. Where did the light come from in verse 3?
10. What did each command start with when God started His Creation?
11. What was God's evaluative approval (3 words)?
12. What was the purpose of the light in verse 4?
13. What was the light called in verse five?
14. What was the darkness called?
15. Name 2 others mentioned in this lesson, showing their "lordship" by naming or renaming something?
16. How long in hours was the first day?
17. Was this light the sun?
18. How many biblical days did it take God to create the world?
19. What is our part in all of this?
20. In verse 5, which day comes to an end?
Genesis 1:6 "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Firmament or expanse is the portion of God's creation named "heavens," that which man saw when he looked up, i.e., the atmospheric and stellar heaven.
"Firmament" is an "expanse" between the waters suspended by God in vapor form over the earth. Most likely, approximately half of the waters upon the earth were supernaturally elevated above the atmosphere, perhaps in the form of an invisible vapor canopy.
This would have trapped the earth's heat with a "greenhouse effect" and would have provided a uniformly tropical climate everywhere, until it collapsed upon the earth during the universal rainfall at the time of the great Flood (7:11). This might explain the longer life described in Genesis 5, in addition to providing a water source for the Flood of chapters 6 to 9.
I do not believe that God expects us to scientifically figure out how this all came about. He just expects us to have faith that He did it.
Genesis 1:7 "And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so."
"Firmament ... under the firmament": This refers to subterranean reservoirs (7:11).
"Above the firmament": This could possibly have been a canopy of water vapor which acted to make the earth like a hothouse, provided uniform temperature, inhibited mass air movements, caused mist to fall, and filtered out ultraviolet rays, thus extending life.
Genesis 1:8 "And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
"And God called the firmament heaven": Including the starry and airy heavens: it has its name from its height in the Arabic language, it being above the earth, and reaching to the third heaven; though others take the word "shamaim" to be a compound of two words, "sham" and "maim", that is, there are waters, namely, in the clouds of heaven.
At the end of the second day there is no phrase "and God saw that it was good" (verse 10). Anything we might say about this would be just supposition.
Thus, here was the second day.
Verses 9-10 "Dry land": This was caused by a tremendous, cataclysmic upheaval of the earth's surface, and the rising and sinking of the land, which caused the waters to plunge into the low places, forming the seas, the continents, islands, rivers and lakes (Job 38:4-11; Psalm 104:6-9).
Genesis 1:9 "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry [land] appear: and it was so."
Verse 9 - Day three. The distribution of land and water and the production of vegetation on this day engaged the formative energy of the word of Elohim. And God said, Let the waters under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.
To explain the second part of this phenomenon as a consequence of the first, the disclosure of the solid ground by the retirement of the waters from its surface, and not rather vice versa, is to reverse the ordinary processes of nature.
Modern analogy suggests that the breaking up of the hitherto universal ocean into seas, lakes, and rivers was effected by the upheaval of the land through the action of subterranean fires, or the subsidence of the earth's crust in consequence of the cooling and shrinking of the interior mass.
Psalm 104 hints at electric agency in connection with the elevation of the mountains and the sinking of the ocean beds (comments added by author).
Psalm 104:7-8 "At thy rebuke they (the waters) fled: at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away (were scattered). They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them".
The gathering of the waters into one place implies no more than that they were, from this day forward, to be collected into one vast body, and restrained within bounds in a place by themselves, so as to admit of the exposure of the earth's soil.
The "place founded for them" was, of course, the depths and hollows in the earth's crust, into which they were immediately withdrawn, not through direct supernatural agency, but by their own natural gravitation. The configuration of the dry land is not described; but there is reason to believe that the original distribution of land and water was the same, or nearly the same, as it is at present.
Genesis 1:10 "And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good."
"And God called the dry land earth": The whole chaos that was a muddy fluid, a mixture of earth and water, a rude unformed mass of matter. But now that part consisting of, or formed of, land and was separated from the waters, and they from it, is called "earth":
Which has its name in the Arabic language from its being low and depressed; the lighter parts having been elevated, and moved upwards, and formed the atmosphere; the grosser parts subsiding and falling downwards, made the earth, which is low with respect to the firmament, which has its name in the same language from its height, as before observed.
"And the gathering together of the waters called he seas": for though there was but one place into which they were collected, and which is the main ocean, with which all other waters have a communication, and so are one; yet there are different seas, as the Red sea, the Mediterranean, Caspian, Baltic, etc.
Or which are denominated from the shores they wash, as the German, British, etc., and even lakes and pools of water are called seas, as the sea of Galilee and Tiberias, which was no other than the lake of Gennesaret.
"And God saw that it was good": That these two should be separate, that the waters should be in one place, and the dry land appear, and both have the names he gave them. And this is here mentioned, because now the affair of the waters, the division and separation of them, were brought to an end, and to perfection.
Verses 11-12: "After his kind": God set in motion a providential process whereby the vegetable kingdom could reproduce through seeds which would maintain each one's unique characteristics.
The same phrase is used to describe the perpetuating reproduction of animals within their created species (verses 21, 24-25), and indicates that evolution, which proposes reproduction across species lines, is a false explanation of origins.
Genesis 1:11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."
"Whose seed is in itself": The principle of reproduction that marks all life (verses 22, 24, 28).
Contrary to the modern evolutionists (who insist that all plants and animals developed over hundreds of millions of years from a single speck of life in the ocean) and theistic evolutionists (who claim the Bible allows for such processes by the use of such phrases as "Let the earth bring forth)".
Genesis not only dates the creation of marine life (verse 20), as being after the creation of plants and fruit trees, but also reveals that fruit trees were created already bearing fruit "whose seed is in itself."
God produced a functioning and mature Creation. Plants were created full-grown, as mature and adult organisms, with a superficial appearance of age. Similarly, Adam and Eve were created as adults. The phrase "after his' [or their] "kind" is repeated 10 times in this chapter, and demands that adults of each "kind" would have to be created supernaturally to begin the life cycle.
Moses uses the word "kind" 30 out of the 31 times it appears in the Old Testament. The word may not require the separate creation of each species by God, but it does require at least the separate creation of families within orders.
You see God not only created the first plant life, grass, fruit, trees etc., but He also provided the way for it to perpetuate itself. Plant life could not exist without the light acting on the chlorophyll in the plant leaves and causing it to grow.
Notice, the first three words "And God said", and the last four words say it all "and it was so".
Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.
"And the earth brought forth grass": In great abundance at once; the hills and vales were clothed with it, and so a rich provision was made the beasts and cattle of the earth a few days before they were created:
And herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind": wholesome and healthful herbs and plants, and delicious fruit to be meat and food for man, ready prepared for him when created (see Gen. 1:29); on this day, though after related, were made the garden of Eden, and all the trees in it, pleasant for sight, and good for food.
Particularly the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
"And God saw that it was good": Which he had now caused to spring forth, grass, herbs, and fruit trees, which were good for men and beast, and this he foresaw would be so.
Genesis 1:13 "And the evening and the morning were the third day."
And here was the third day.
Genesis 1:14 "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:"
"Lights": Verse 16. For 3 days, there had been light (verse 4), in the day as though there was a sun, and lesser light at night as though there were the moon and stars. God could have left it that way, but did not.
He created the "lights, sun, moon, and stars," not for light, but to serve as markers for signs, seasons, days, and years.
"Signs": Certainly to include:
(1) Weather (Matt. 16:2-3);
(2) Testimony to God (Psalms 8, 19; Rom. 1:14-20);
(3) Divine judgment (Joel 2:30-31; Matt. 24:29);
(4) Navigation (Matt. 2:1-2).
"Seasons": It is the earth's movement in relation to the sun and moon that determines the seasons and the calendar.
The Scripture says they were also to be for telling the seasons, and the days, and the years. In the Jewish calendar a month occurs at every new moon.
"Verses 15-18": "Two great lights ... to divide the light from the darkness": It was God (not some other deity) who created the lights. Israel had originally come from Mesopotamia, where the celestial bodies were worshiped, and more recently from Egypt, where the sun was worshiped as a primary deity.
God was revealing to them that the very stars, moons, and planets which Israel's neighbors had worshiped were the products of His creation. Later, they became worshipers of the "host of heaven", which led to their being taken captive out of the Promised Land.
Genesis 1:15 "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so."
"Lights in the firmament ... give light upon the earth": To continue there as luminous bodies; as enlighteners, as the word signifies. Causing light, or as being the instruments of conveying it, particularly to the earth, as follows: "to give light upon the earth"; and the inhabitants of it, when formed: "and it was so".
These lights were formed and placed in the firmament of the heaven for such uses, and served such purposes as God willed and ordered they should.
Genesis 1:16 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also."
"And God made two great lights" refers to the sun and moon. They did not appear (a different verb and stem), as the dry land did in verse 9, but were actually made (`asah, synonymous with bara'), at this time. God makes it clear that He, not the sun, is the earth's Creator, and that God is not dependent upon the sun either for the earth's material substance or for the sustaining of life.
From the standpoint of astronomy, the sun and the moon are obviously not "the two great lights" of the universe. This is the language of appearance, as seen from man's viewpoint. Genesis is written in geocentric (rather than heliocentric), terms.
"Signs" in verse 14 might refer to unusual sights in the heavens, such as eclipses of the sun, rather than suggest that God designed the celestial bodies to determine the destinies of individual men as modern astrologers proclaim (2 Kings 23:12; Jer. 19:13; Zeph. 1:5), where God condemns such practice.
Genesis 1:17 "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,"
In the fourth day's work, the creation of the sun, moon, and stars is accounted for. All these are the works of God. The stars are spoken of as they appear to our eyes, without telling their number, nature, place, size, or motions; for the Scriptures were written, not to gratify curiosity, or make us astronomers, but to lead us to God, and make us saints.
The lights of heaven are made to serve him; they do it faithfully, and shine in their season without fail. We are set as lights in this world to serve God; but do we in like manner answer the end of our creation? We do not: our light does not shine before God, as his lights shine before us. We burn our Master's candles, but do not mind our Master's work.
Genesis 1:18 "And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good."
And God set (literally, gave), them (i.e. sun, moon, and stars), in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and even the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. An intimation that on this day the astronomical arrangements for the illumination of the globe and the measurement of time were permanently settled. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:19 "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
This was the conclusion of the creation of the sun and moon as fixtures that we might see the light in, thus ending the 4th day.
Genesis Chapter 1 Continued Questions
1. That which man saw when he looked up was called what?
2. The third heaven is where God is, what are the other 2 heavens called?
3. Where were approximately half the waters upon the earth located?
4. What type of an effect would this have on the earth?
5. What might explain the longevity described in Genesis 5?
6. What does under the firmament refer to?
7. What caused the dry land?
8. What day did this happen?
9. What happened on day three?
10. What was the dry land called?
11. What was the one main place where all the water collected?
12. What was unusual about the fruit trees when they were created?
13. What happened on day four?
14. What were some of the signs for in verse 14?
15. What were the 2 great lights?
16. What was their purpose?
Genesis 1:20 "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
"Moving creature": These creatures, including the extraordinarily large ones, included all sorts of fish and mammals, even dinosaurs (see notes on Job 40:15 - 41:1).
"Let the waters bring forth": is better translated and understood as, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures," so as not to misleadingly suggest that the waters themselves produced marine life. This text also implies that aquatic life and fowl appeared simultaneously, denying the evolutionary sequence of reptiles before birds.
God had now provided the habitation for the fish and the atmosphere and dry land for the fowl, so the logical step would be to populate the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and all bodies of waters with fish and all sea life. The dry land had appeared and God had populated the air above and the ground below with fowl.
You see, God was doing all of this in preparation for his greatest creation (man). He needed to prepare food for the man before the creation of man. This whole creative act was God building a home for mankind.
We are told in John chapter 14 that Jesus is in heaven now preparing our eternal home.
John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." "In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also."
You see God's plan from the beginning was to build man a home.
Genesis 1:21 "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good."
"Great whales" is not the best translation; better is the term "great sea creatures" to include the great fish as well as whale. Taninim is used elsewhere to describe the serpent (Exodus 7:9-10, 12), and the dragon (Psalm 148:7: Isa. 51:9; Ezek. 29:3). There is no evidence whatever, either from paleontology or genetics that whales or great sea monsters could have developed from land animals.
The theory of evolution claims that the first animals in the oceans were microscopic, single celled creatures, and that whales (sea cows), had to evolve from four-legged land mammals, which in turn evolved from cold-blooded marine creatures. Thus, they would have devolved!
Just the vastness of the thousands of varieties of fish and birds of all kinds is mind boggling. To think that God in a moment of time (no matter how long), could figure out, all the varieties, and have each one have a useful job to do in God's scheme of things is just beyond comprehension.
God is not only love, but the greatest planner. You see, He figured out the needs of each one and fulfilled it here on day five.
Genesis 1:22 "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."
"Blessed": this is the first occurrence of the word "bless" in Scripture. God's admonition to "be fruitful and multiply" was the substance of the blessing.
Genesis 1:23 "And the evening and the morning were the fifth day."
Here is the end of the fifth day.
Verses 24-25: "Cattle ... beasts": This probably represents all kinds of large, four-legged animals.
Genesis 1:24 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."
"Beast of the earth": Different from and larger than the clan of cattle, this would include dinosaurs like Behemoth (Job 40:15).
"Living creature" is the same Hebrew expression used for man in 2:7, translated "living soul."
Genesis 1:25 "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good."
The Creator's wisdom and power are to be admired as much in an ant as in an elephant. The power of God's providence preserves all things, and fruitfulness is the effect of his blessing.
The creation of the higher animals completed the earth's preparation for the advent of man; to which, doubtless, the Creator's commendation of his finished work had a special reference. Everything was in readiness for the "magnum opus" (the most important work), which was to close his creative labor and crown his completed cosmos.
This most clearly shows and proves that the above creatures were not produced by the mere force of nature, or the powers the earth were possessed of, however the matter of it might be disposed and prepared, but by the omnipotent hand of God.
You see, as I said before, God was preparing this planet for His greatest creation, mankind. All through these Scriptures, please take note that God said, "everything after its own kind".
Verse 26 is the reason all the things were created. Notice the plurality of the Creator as well.
Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
In contrast to animals in verses 20 and 24 where God said, "Let the waters bring forth" and "Let the earth bring forth," He now says, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." All others reproduce after their kind," but man is the only one made in the image of God and reproducing in that image (5:3).
The terms "image" and "likeness" are used synonymously, and refer primarily to man's spiritual resemblance (rationally and morally) to his Maker. God placed a chasm between man and the beast, for only man has the capacity for eternal life, fellowship, moral discernment, self-consciousness, speech, and worship.
"Us ... our": The first clear indication of the triunity of God (3:22; 11:7). The very name of God, Elohim (1:1), is a plural form of El.
"Man": The crowning point of creation, a living human, was made in God's image to rule creation. Even after the Fall, man retains this image of God (9:6; James 3:9), though it has been marred. The plural pronoun "us" is most likely a majestic plural from the standpoint of Hebrew grammar and syntax.
"Our image": This defined man's unique relation to God. Man is a living being capable of embodying God's communicable attributes (9:6; Rom. 8:29; Col. 3:10; James 3:9). In his rational life, he was like God in that he could reason and had intellect, will, and emotion. In the moral sense, he was like God because he was good and sinless.
"Image and likeness of God": Man was created in both the image and likeness of God. An image is a representation or replica of one person or thing by another. An image may be similar but not necessarily identical to its original. The term "likeness" is used as a gauge of comparison, or analogy. When man fell, he retained an impaired image of God (9:6).
Regaining a likeness of God is one of the accomplishments of salvation. Our spiritual likeness is restored in justification. Our character likeness is being continuously developed in the process of sanctification. We will be like Christ physically when we are glorified. God's purpose in our lives today is to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; Gen. 1:26-27; Heb. 4:12).
Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
"Man" is used in a generic sense which is amplified by the phrase "male and female" even though Eve's physical formation is not detailed until 2:18-24.
These words are not the usual Hebrew words for "man" (ish). and "woman" (ishah). The words used here specifically distinguish the sexes, male and female. Sexes are only implied with regard to animals, but not here. The reason is that a completely unique relationship was to develop, namely, holy marriage (2:22-24).
Man was created by God on the sixth day of Creation and is the grand climax of all that God had accomplished in the Creation week of miracles. The final act of Creation was that God joined the material and immaterial parts of man. Man's body was shaped from the dust, but then became a living soul only after God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (2:7).
Our formation; by natural birth is no less noteworthy than Adam's formation from the dust. With David, we need to say, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14; also Genesis 2:7).
The image and likeness of God is SPIRIT. God is SPIRIT. We are a spirit. We are housed in a body and possess a soul. If God is Spirit as the Word says He is, then the image and likeness of us, are spirit as well. As we read in verse 27, both man and woman are spirit.
We will find as we continue this study that woman is just as responsible for the care and nurture of her spirit as man is. This is directly opposite of what some religions teach today. We are individual spirits, but our flesh is one with our spouse.
Between verses 25 and 26 there is a separation. If you will notice after verse 25, God closed that creation with His statement, "And God said that it was good". Man has a preeminence that no other creation has. Mankind, male and female, are made in the image of God. God created all the rest for mankind to rule over.
Man, unlike all of the other creations, was created with a mind and will. Even to the point that God allows man's will to choose God or Satan. Man alone was created with power to make decisions. Man alone was made to commune or fellowship with God.
God is Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He made man ruler of the earth.
Because of man's fallen state from his magnificent beginning (image of God), God the word, Jesus, took on a body and redeemed mankind and restored them to their original state of standing with God. The Bible says that when we get to heaven, we will recognize Jesus because we will be like Him.
We will be restored to the image and likeness of God. We will not be God. We will be a shadow or image of the real thing. Our spirit will be in accord with His Spirit. We will be His servants or subordinates.
You see God gave mankind dominion over this earth. Mankind, through an act of his will, turned this dominion over to Satan, as we will see in a later lesson.
You know our whole country is under a president, and then smaller areas or states are under dominion of a governor, and then even smaller areas under a mayor. However, the mayor is under the governor on important matters; and all are under the president on the most important matters.
You see, God is over all. We are His subordinates. Even though we shall rule and reign with Him, we will not be His equal.
Genesis 1:28 "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
"Dominion over": This defined man's unique relation to creation. Man was God's representative in ruling over the creation. The command to rule separated him from the rest of living creation and defined his relationship as above the rest of creation (Psalm 8:6-8).
Dominion is not the content by the consequence of the divine image (1 Cor. 6:3; 15:27-28; Heb. 2:7-10); James 3:7-8).
"And God blessed them:" To "bless" is not only to bestow a gift, but also to assign a function.
"Replenish" is better translated "fill the earth," indicating the first time. It cannot be used in support of the refashioning of an already judged earth, for it always means to fill something the first time.
"Blessed": This second blessing (1:22), involved reproduction and dominion.
"Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth": God, having just created the universe, created His representative (rule over) and representation (image and likeness). Man would fill the earth and oversee its operation. "Subdue" does not suggest a wild and unruly condition for the creation because God Himself pronounced it "good."
Rather, it speaks of a productive ordering of the earth and its inhabitants to yield its riches and accomplish God's purposes.
In this verse, we see that mankind did not have to take dominion. The dominion was given to him by God.
So many people associate sex of any kind (even the marriage bed), as the sin that caused the fall of man. This verse above proves this is not so. Mankind was commanded of God to be fruitful and multiply long before the sin in the Garden of Eden. The sin in the garden was disobedience to God.
Verses 29-30: "I have given ... for meat": Prior to the curse (3:14-19), both mankind and beasts were vegetarians.
Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
"Meat" meant "food" in the early seventeenth century, when the KJV was translated. No actual animal flesh was condoned until after the Flood in Genesis 9:3.
God provided the means for mankind's needs from the very beginning. Everything that God created here on the earth was directly or indirectly for the use of man. Even the food for the animals would ultimately be of use to man as we read in verse 30.
Genesis 1:30 "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so."
"God saw" is an expression in anthropomorphic terms (human characteristics or behavior), relating His evaluation of His Creation (6:5; 11:5). Now at the end of His Creation work, He says "it was very good," "exceedingly good" and not simply "good" as before in the chapter.
Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
There are several things the spirit must understand in the Scripture above. The number six means man. The verse reiterates again that God made all of it, and that everything was good. It also establishes the six days of work that we will see all through the Bible.
Genesis Chapter 1 Second Continued Questions
1. Why did God create the heavens, the earth, the seas, and populate them?
2. What does the fourteenth chapter of John tell us that Jesus is doing now, in heaven?
3. What was God's plan from the beginning?
4. What did God tell the fowl and fish to do after He blessed them?
5. What was created on day five?
6. Which was made first man or beast?
7. Why?
8. What particular thing should we note in the creation of animals?
9. What one word in verse 26 indicates plural?
10. What things was man to have dominion over? Name five.
11. The image and likeness of God is what?
12. Why?
13. Are women a spirit, or just men?
14. What is directly opposite of what some religions teach about women today?
15. What separates mankind from all other creations?
16. Who was made with power to choose?
17. What was the magnificent beginning of man?
18. Who took on a body and redeemed mankind?
19. Is the teaching that man will become a god correct?
20. What will mankind actually be to God?
21. Who is over all?
22. Did mankind have to take dominion?
23. Was a sex act the sin in the garden?
24. What was the sin in the garden?
25. Everything made was directly or indirectly for what?
26. What did God say about everything that He had created?
Verses 1-3: These words affirm that God had completed His work. Four times it is said that He finished His work, and 3 times it is said that this included all His work. Present processes in the universe reflect God sustaining that completed creation, not more creation (Heb. 1:3).
Genesis 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."
The process of "filling" and "forming" is now "finished" (1:1).
"Host of them" refers to all the things that God created, as opposed to stars in Nehemiah 9:6 and angels in 1 Kings 22:19.
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished": Perfected and completed in the space of six days, gradually, successively, in the manner before related; by the word and power of God they were on the first day created out of nothing, but they were not perfected, beautified, and adorned, and filled, until all the creatures in them were made.
"And all the host of them", (of the heavens and the earth), the host of heavens are the sun, moon, and stars, often so called in Scripture. And the host of the earth are the plants, herbs, and trees, the fowls, fishes, animals, and man, were finished, brought to completion.
No permanent change has ever since been made in the course of the world. No new species of animals been formed, no law of nature repealed or added to. They could have been finished in a moment as well as in six days, but the work of creation was gradual for the instruction of man, as well, perhaps, as of higher creatures (Job 38:7).
And these are like hosts or armies, very numerous, and at the command of God, and are marshaled and kept in order by him; even some of the smallest of creatures are his army, which are at his beck and call, and he can make use of to the annoyance of others, as particularly the locusts are called, Joel 2:11.
Verse 1 of chapter 2 tells us a lot. Heavens is plural meaning more than one. There are three:
(1) Earth's Atmosphere, which is the immediate sky (Genesis 2:19; 7:3, 23; Psalms 8:8, etc.);
(2) Outer Space, the starry heavens (Deuteronomy 17:3; Jeremiah 8:2; Matthew 24:29);
(3) Where God and the holy angels (and creatures), and spirits of just men dwell. It's called "The heaven of heavens, or the third heaven" (Deut. 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalms 115:16; 148:4).
Finished means nothing else remains to be done. Just as Jesus said on the cross "It is finished" the work was and is completed.
Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."
"He rested" employs the root for "sabbath" that later relates to Israel (in Exodus 16:29; 20:10-11; and Deut. 5:15). It implies He stopped or desisted from His creating work. No weariness is suggested. John 5:17 indicates the Father is always at work.
"Ended ... rested": God certainly did not rest due to weariness; rather, establishing the pattern for man's work cycle, He only modeled the need for rest. Later, the Sabbath ordinance of Moses found its basis in the creation week (Exodus 20:8-11).
The Sabbath was God's sacred ordained day in the weekly cycle. Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27), and Genesis 2:3 stated that God "sanctified" or set apart the Sabbath day because He rested in it. Later, it was set aside for a day of worship in the Mosaic Law (see note on Exodus 20:8).
Hebrews 4:4 distinguishes between physical rest and the redemptive rest to which it pointed. Colossians 2:16 makes it clear that the Mosaic "Sabbath" has no symbolic or ritual place in the New Covenant. The church began worshiping on the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of Christ (Acts 20:7).
In verses 1 and 2, God is Elohim. Remember Elohim is a plural word.
This is also the rest that God speaks of for the Christian. Total cessation from the struggles of life.
Genesis 2:3 "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
"Sanctified": that is, He set it apart from the other days (Exodus 20:11).
God blessed that seventh day for mankind, to give mankind rest. Jesus said "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath" (in Mark 2:27). You see, even in the day of rest that God set up; He still had the needs of mankind at heart. He knew our bodies would wear out, if we did not have 1 day in 7 for rest.
"Seven", as we have mentioned over and over again, means spiritually complete.
Sanctified means that God Himself made it holy. He set the seventh day aside and declared it holy. When we are sanctified, it means we have been set aside by God and made holy by Him. We are not made holy by what we have done, but by what He has done.
When we see the example that God did not rest until His work was finished, we see what He expects from us, when He returns. He expects to find us working, trying to get one more saved before the trumpet blows.
In verses 2:4 - 4:26, we see the history of the heavens and the earth (verse 4).
"Verses 4-25": This section fills in the details of man's creation on day six. How did Moses obtain this account, so different from the absurd fictions of the pagans? Not from any human source, for man was not in existence to witness it. Not from the light of reason, for though intellect can know the eternal power of the Godhead (Rom. 1:18-20), and that God made all things, it cannot know how.
None but the Creator Himself could give this data and, therefore, it is through faith that one understands that the worlds were formed by the Word of God (Heb. 11:3). Genesis 5:1 indicates there may have been a "book" (or table) of the histories relating to Adam, to which Moses had access under inspiration.
Verses 4-7 "Generations" is the first of 10 section-headings in Genesis (5:2; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1; 37:2), which may be better understood as narrating the "histories" or "stories" of various people or events. Nowhere in Genesis does the word include the birth of the individual of various people or events. Nowhere in Genesis does the word include the birth of the individual (except in 25:19, where Isaac is mentioned as the son of Abraham).
Genesis 2:4 "These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,"
"In the day" is an expression conveying the idea "when the Lord God made." "Made" is asah, used synonymously with bara (1:1).
"Lord" is likely pronounced "Yahweh." It is the most significant name for God in the Old Testament, appearing 6,823 times. The name refers to God as the self-existent active One, as it is related to the verb "to be" (in Exodus 3:14).
It also indicates Israel's Redeemer (in Exodus 6:6). This name is associated with God's holiness (in Leviticus 11:44-45), His hatred of sin (in Genesis 6:3-7), and His graciousness in providing redemption for all (in Isaiah 53:1, 5-6, and 10).
"God" (Elohim), which is used to the exclusion of other names for God (in chapter 1), indicates His omnipotence (all powerful), whereas this name emphasizes His care and personal concern for His Creation and His intimate and close relationship to it. Beginning with verse 4, there is a change in the narrative's flow as it centers on the garden just before the arrival of "man".
Jehovah Elohim (Lord God), was first used here.
Genesis 2:5 "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground."
"And every plant of the field, before it was in the earth": That is, God made it, even he who made the heavens and the earth; for these words depend upon the preceding, and are in close connection with them; signifying that the plants of the field, which were made out of the earth on the third day.
These were made before any were planted in it, or any seed was sown therein from whence they could proceed, and therefore must be the immediate production of divine power: and every herb of the field before it grew: those at once sprung up in perfection out of the earth, before there were any that budded forth, and grew up by degrees to perfection, as herbs do now.
"For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth": so that the production of plants and herbs in their first formation could not be owing to that, since on the third day when they were made; there was no sun to exhale and draw up the waters into the clouds, in order to be let down again in showers of rain.
"And there was not a man to till the ground": Man was not created till the sixth day, and therefore could have no concern in the cultivation of the earth, and of the plants and herbs in it; but these were the produce of almighty power, without the use of any means.
Can't you see this is an unfolding of the short statement said about the creation in verse 1?
Genesis 2:6 "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."
"A mist from the earth": "Mist" should be translated "flow." It indicates that water came up from beneath the ground as springs and spread over the whole earth in an uninterrupted cycle of water.
After the fall, rain became the primary means of watering the earth and allowed for floods and droughts that did not exist originally. Rains also allowed for God to judge through floods and droughts.
Some relate this word to an Akkadian root meaning "canals," "subterranean waterways," or "floodways," and not "mist," which is mere conjecture. The root verb of verse sixth, "watered" is used in verse 10 for a find of irrigation relating to the four rivers.
The verb "rise up" is used of the Nile River in Amos 8:8 and 9:5. As described in verse 15, keeping the garden well-irrigated and watered for the special types of plants was part of Adam's work.
Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
"Formed man": Many of the words used in this account of the creation of man picture a master craftsman at work shaping a work of art to which he gives life (1 Cor. 15:45). This adds detail to the statement of fact in 1:27 (1 Tim. 2:13). Psalm 139:14. Made from dirt, a man's value is not in the physical components that form his body, but in the quality of life which forms his soul (see Job 33:4).
The verb is used on occasion for the "potter" (Jer. 18:2). It expresses the relation of a craftsman to his material, connoting skill (Psalm 94:9), and a sovereignty which man forgets at his peril (Isa. 29:16; Jer. 18:4). Here is the "potter" par excellence, setting the design and pattern.
The corporeal part (physical human body), was "the dust of the ground" (which is not a symbol of the animal kingdom from which Adam evolved; note its use in 3:19), and the non-corporeal part was "the breathe of life. The word "breath" (Hebrew ruach), is "spirit." "Life" is a plural, but Hebrew frequently uses the plural without meaning a numerical plural.
"Living soul" (Hebrew nepesh chayah) should be translated "living creature" as the same phrase appears in 1:21-24 applied to animals. Here the reference stands for the entire person, and is not used in just the metaphysical, theological sense in which we tend to use the term "soul" today.
In the Old Testament, the word "soul", among other uses, refers to the whole person. It identifies something that cannot be defined materially and that is therefore distinct from the body (Isaiah 10:18). The soul is that part of us that is life. It is incorporeal existence.
At the creation of Adam, man did not have a soul but he became a soul, and the life-principle was the breath or Spirit of God (verse 7). Death is described as the soul's departing from the body (35:18). The fundamental desire of a Christian's soul should be for a deeper fellowship and communion with God (Psalm 25:1) (Gen. 2:7; Gen. 1:26).
So many religious people of our day are confused about this one verse. Somehow they seem to overlook the break between the words "breath of life" and "man became a living soul". You see if that statement had ended at life, man would be alive.
Man, is in fact, that breath of life that God breathed into Him. This breath of life that God breathed into the body is what man is. It is the spirit. The body is the house that the spirit lives in.
Right now, you are probably thinking, "well, where does the sentence (man became a living soul), come in?" If the spirit of man lived in this house called a body and had no soul, there would be no conflict; but you see, there is a conflict. The spirit wants to be in control, and the body wants to be in control. Control of what? The soul which is the will of man.
The Bible says there is a war going on constantly between the flesh and the spirit. Why would that be, unless they were trying to take control of something? That something is the soul or will of mankind. We are a spirit, housed in a body and either the spirit or the flesh (body), controls the soul (will).
Mankind did not just slither into existence by evolution, but was rather created by a loving God in His own likeness. The difference between man and beast is the power to reason and have a will.
Genesis 2:8 "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."
"Garden eastward in Eden": The Babylonians called the lush green land from which water flowed edenu; today, the term "oasis" describes such a place. This was a magnificent garden paradise, unlike any the world has seen since, where God fellowshipped with those He created in His image.
The exact location of Eden is unknown; if "toward the east" was used in relationship to where Moses was when he wrote, then it could have been in the area of Babylon, the Mesopotamian Valley.
The Septuagint has paradeisos, "parkland," hence paradise for garden. It was only a part of Eden (verses 10-14). It was literally "off east," most likely in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), since two of the four rivers are the well-known Tigris and the Euphrates (verse 14).
The word for Eden means "delight enjoyment" and is associated with paradise (in Revelation 2:7). Eden is a symbol of great fertility (in Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 36:35; and Joel 2:3). So here it may indicate a state of unbroken fellowship between God and man. The expulsion from the garden was more than a physical move (3:24).
We see again; Jehovah Elohim here planted a garden. He is always concerned about the needs of man. This garden was a protected place where God could fellowship with man, and where the needs of man would be met, (a heaven on earth).
Some believe this garden was in the Holy Land we know today. It really doesn't matter where it was. Just know it existed and was made by God for man. God has always prepared a special place for mankind so that He might fellowship with his people.
Genesis 2:9 "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
"Pleasant" is the same root as covet in the Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20:17; compare 3:6), where it is "a tree to be desired to make one wise." We tend to covet things that are pleasant to the sight (Joshua 7:21 and Achan's sin).
"Tree of life": A real tree, with special properties to sustain eternal life. It was placed in the center of the garden, where it must have been observed by Adam, and its fruit had it been eaten by him, thus would have sustained his life. Such a tree, symbolic of eternal life, will be in the new heavens and new earth (see note on Rev. 22:2).
"Tree of knowledge" (2:16-17; 3:1-6, 11, 22). It was perhaps given that title because it was a test of obedience by which our first parents were tried, whether they would be good or bad, obey God or disobey His command.
"Tree of life ... and the tree of knowledge of good and evil": These were two literal trees to which God gave some special significance. The tree of life seems to symbolize the fixed moral state (3:22). Thus, partaking of this tree would be a blessing only for those already glorified (Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14).
There are 3 steps for a Christian to take. First when they are initially saved after turning their life over to Christ, they are justified (just as they had never sinned). Second, they are sanctified which means they are set apart by God for His use and; Third, the glorification takes place after a Christian dies as they become perfect like Christ was perfect as they enter God's presence.
Good and evil sometimes serves as an idiom of universality (Num. 24:13; 2 Sam. 13:22), but in this context, it has a moral significance.
God, not only thought of physical needs of mankind, but wanted him to be happy as well. The trees were beautiful as well as functional. Nothing is more beautiful than a peach or apple tree in full bloom. The Garden of Eden became the highest form of heaven on earth. It was beautiful to the eye and took care of all man's needs.
Just as the center of our life must be God for us to have a fulfilling life, the central figure in the garden was the Tree of Life (symbolic of Jesus). The forbidden tree in the garden was the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Even in this beautiful, wonderful garden, man's will was to be perfectly active. As we said before, the thing that separates mankind from the animals is the fact of his will. He can choose to do good, or choose to do evil.
We read in our Bible, that we cannot break the law until there is a law to break. It seems Adam was in a blissful state of no temptation at this point. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil perhaps had something to do with opening our eyes to the law of God, (it made us aware of Him).
It is interesting as we move on down in chapter 2, that Adam had never eaten of the Tree of Life, even though it was in the garden for him. It might be symbolic to make us see that we must partake of Jesus Christ's salvation and eternal life for ourselves. It can be available, but if we do not partake of it for ourselves, we will lose out, too, the same as Adam did.
He was partaking of the fruit on the outer edge, but never partook of the Tree in the center (Jesus), which would give him eternal life. We Christians must be careful not to just nibble around the edges of Christianity. We must get to the center and eat of this Tree of Life to be pleasing to God. Part time religion will not get us into heaven. We must have Jesus as the very center of our lives.
Genesis Chapter 2 Questions
1. What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?
2. What does "sanctified" mean?
3. In what condition does God want to find us when He returns?
4. Where is Jehovah Elohim (Lord God) used first?
5. Where did the earth get the moisture it needed to grow plants?
6. What was man's body formed from?
7. Where did man get his breath of life?
8. And man became what?
9. What is the breath of life?
10. Why do we have a body?
11. What are the spirit and the body fighting for?
12. What is the difference between man and beast?
13. Where was the garden located?
14. The exact location of the garden is not important. What two things are?
15. Where was the Tree of Life located in the garden?
16. What must happen for us to have a fulfilling life?
17. Where do we see Jesus (symbolically) in the garden?
18. What tree had Adam not eaten from, besides the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
Genesis 2:10 "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads."
"Out of": That is to say "the source." And likely refers to some great spring gushing up inside the garden from some subterranean reservoir. There was no rain at that time.
This river spoken of here is in Revelation as well.
Revelation 22:1 "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."
You see, there is a physical river, and there is a spiritual river.
Genesis 2:11 "The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold;"
"Pison ... Havilah": Locations are uncertain. This represents pre-Flood geography, now dramatically altered.
Genesis 2:12 "And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx stone."
"Bdellium": A gum resin. This refers more to appearance than color, i.e., it had the appearance of a pale resin.
Genesis 2:13 "And the name of the second river [is] Gihon: the same [is] it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia."
"Gihon ... Ethiopia": The river location is uncertain. Compared to older days Cush would be modern-day Ethiopia.
Genesis 2:14 "And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is] it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates."
"Hiddelkel ... Assyria": The post-Flood Tigris River runs northwest to southeast east of the city of Babylon through the Mesopotamian Valley.
"Euphrates": A river that runs parallel (northwest to southeast), to the Tigris and empties into the Persian Gulf after joining the Tigris.
The Euphrates is a river still known today, and many people try to locate the Garden of Eden by these few locations mentioned above.
No one has ever decided for sure where Eden was located. Of course, this happened before the continents broke apart in the days of Peleg, so the locations have probably moved somewhat. It really doesn't matter where the garden was, or even is today. The garden that should concern us is in heaven.
Genesis 2:15 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
"Dress it and to keep it": Work was an important and dignified part of representing the image of God and serving Him, even before the Fall (Rev. 22:3).
"Dress" is from the root meaning "to serve, work," translated "till" in verse 5 (Deut. 15:19; Isa. 19:9; Ezek. 48:18).
"Keep" The verb means "take care of, guard," involving tending to or keeping things such as a garden (verse 15), a flock (30:31), or a house (2 Sam. 15:16). In this context, it does not imply to guard from Satan.
The literal translation of "took the man" in the Scripture above, is made him to rest in the garden. We are led into a life of happiness through the liberty we receive through Jesus. Not liberty to do evil, but liberty to do good.
Genesis 2:16 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:"
God's command was "thou mayest freely eat," and this included "every tree" except the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" in the next verse. The Hebrew conveys very emphatically "you may freely eat [strengthened permission construction] to your heart's content," emphasizing the freedom and permission of a loving, gracious God.
Note Satan's subtle assertion in 3:1 as he focused on the "one" tree they could not eat from. In so doing, he excluded the abundance in this verse.
Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
To "die" has the basic idea of separation. It can mean spiritual separation, physical separation, and/or eternal separation. At the moment of their sin, Adam and Eve died spiritually, but because God was merciful they did not die physically until later (5:5). There is no reason given for this prohibition, other than it was a test (see note on verse 9).
There was nothing magical about that tree, but eating from it after it had been forbidden by God would indeed give man the knowledge of evil, since evil can be defined as disobeying God. Man already had the knowledge of good.
"Thou shalt not eat" is in strongest Hebrew form of prohibition.
"Surely die": The construction emphasizes in the strongest way the certainty of death upon eating. (Note 3:4 and Satan's "Ye shall not surely die.")
In the Bible there are three deaths:
(1) Physical death, separation of body and spirit;
(2) Spiritual death, separation of the individual from God; and
(3) Eternal death, the final estate of the lost person in the "lake of fire" (Rev. 20:10, 14; termed the "second death," separation from God forever).
So many false religions base their belief on the few words above. Adam truly brought physical death upon all of mankind when he ate of this Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam's peace died, Adam's hopes died, and Adam's innocence died. His mind was troubled because he now knew that his body would return to the dust.
The error is in believing that the spirit of Adam died. The spirit never died. The spirit never dies. It is eternal. It will live either in heaven or hell. It is eternal. It did not mean that our bodies in their present condition will live forever. It meant Jesus had purchased our eternity for us.
This day, then, that you shall surely die just means that Adam brought physical death to all mankind, and Jesus brought life eternal. The wages of sin is death. Jesus paid the wages and bought everlasting life for each of us if we believe.
Read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 from verse 44 on.
Some people do not believe that God ever threatens punishment, but that is exactly what He did in the Scripture above.
Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him."
"Not good": When God saw His creation as very good (1:31), He viewed it as being to that point the perfect outcome to His creative plan. However, in observing man's state as not good, He was commenting on his incompleteness before the end of the sixth day because the woman, Adam's counterpart, had not yet been created.
The words of this verse emphasize man's need for a companion, a helper and an equal. He was incomplete without someone to complement him in fulfilling the task of filling, multiplying and taking dominion over the earth. This points to Adam's inadequacy, not Eve's insufficiency (1 Cor. 11:9). Woman was made by God to meet man's deficiency (1 Tim. 2:14).
The negative is extremely emphatic. It is not the construction for expressing a mere negative preference. In the context of chapters 1 and 2, it is the only thing "not good." After man and woman are completed, God says (in 1:31), it was "very [exceedingly] good." God's plan for man was less than ideal and not complete without woman, the emphasis being on "alone".
"Help" is a word frequently used in reference to the Lord in the Psalms (10:14; 22:11; 28:7; 46:1; 54:4; 72:12; 86:17; 119:173, 175; 121:1-2). Thus, it is not a degrading position for the woman. The verb form basically means to aid or supply that which the individual cannot provide for himself.
The Septuagint translates it "boethos", a word the New Testament uses in the sense of "physician" (Matt. 15:25; Mark 9:22, 24; Acts 16:9; Rev. 12:16). It conveys the idea of aiding someone in need, such as the oppressed. Certainly, a godly woman meets this need of man.
"Meet" Comes from the Hebrew word meaning "opposite." Literally it is "according to the opposite of him," meaning that she will compliment and correspond to him. The Septuagint has kat auton ("according to him"). This relates to a "norm" or "standard." She is to be equal to and adequate for man and not on the animal level of being.
Notice why God made the woman as a help mate for the man. The wedding vows say, they two shall become one flesh.
You see, they (husband and wife) are one. They are to be in one accord. Notice they are not one spirit; they are one flesh. This order of man and woman is pertaining to the flesh. Woman's flesh was flesh made for man; her spirit is for God, if she wills it.
Genesis 2:19 " And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof."
This was not a new creation of animals. They were created before man on the fifth and sixth days (1:20-25). Here the Lord God was calling attention to the fact that He created them "out of the ground" as He did man. But man, who was a living soul in the image of God was to name them, signifying his rule over them.
"Call": God delegated authority to man, since the act of naming the animals shows lordship or dominion (used of God in chapters 1 and in Psalm 8:4-6). It was also a spiritual exercise to prepare Adam and to make him aware of his aloneness as verse 20 indicates. None of the animals "corresponded to" him.
"Adam" was the first man and the forefather of the entire human race. He lived a total of 930 years (Gen. 5:5). He was created in a state of innocence and in the image of God. He was also created with the appearance of age, with a high level of intelligence, and with the ability to communicate with God.
When he and his wife, Eve, fell into sin (chapter 3), they brought the curse of sin on the entire human race. Adam also appears in nine references in the New Testament in regard to his headship over the human race. (Gen. 1:26; Rom. 5:12-21).
You see, Adam was to rule over all the animals, and he named them for what their usefulness to him would be.
Genesis 2:20 "And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him."
"Adam" (related to Hebrew adamah, "ground"), literally means "earth man." It is applied to mankind in general, and to the first created man specifically. Adam was a historical person and was the Father of mankind.
"Gave names to": Naming is an act of discerning something about the creature so as to appropriately identify it and also an act of leadership or authority over that which was named. There is no kinship with any animal since none was a fitting companion for Adam.
Man cannot communicate with animals. Animals are not on the same level as man. They do not have souls or reasoning power as man does. The man was lonesome.
Genesis 2:21 "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;"
"One of his ribs": This could also be "sides," including surrounding flesh ("flesh of my flesh," verse 23). Divine surgery by the Creator presented no problems. This would also imply the first act of healing in Scripture.
"Ribs": It may mean "rib" or "side" (of the ark, a building, or of leaves of a door). Here it would mean from "his side" or "from his ribs" to convey the plural number. Verse 23 indicates it probably involves flesh and bone.
God operated on Adam under God's anesthetic and removed one of his ribs.
Genesis 2:22 "And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."
"Brought her unto the man": Here a loving Father presents the bride to the man.
Genesis 2:23 "And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
"Bone of my bones": Adam's poem focuses on naming the delight of his heart in this newly found companion. The man (ish) names her "woman" (ishah) because she had her source in him (the root of the word "woman" is "soft"). She truly was made of bone from his bones and flesh from his flesh (1 Cor. 11:8).
The English words man/woman sustain the same relationship as the Hebrew words, hinting at that original creation.
After noticing all of the animals, Adam now at long last (This is now, or "this time"), finds that which "corresponds to" him. The close association of the man and woman is conveyed by their names, since she is "called Woman" [ishah] "because she was taken out of Man" (ish). Adams's act of naming his wife reinforces his leadership and authority over her (God's naming in chapter 1 and 2:19-20).
You see, again the flesh and bones of woman are of man, not the spirit. God took the woman from man's side next to his heart, not from his heel bone for him to walk on, not from his head to rule over, but from his side to walk with him.
A man and woman should walk together side by side, not divided; they two against the whole world, if necessary. Her name was woman (taken from man).
Genesis 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
"Leave ... cleave unto his wife": The marital relationship was established as the first human institution. The responsibility to honor one's parents (Exodus 20:12), does not cease with leaving and the union of husband with wife (Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31), but does represent the inauguration of a new and primary responsibility.
"One flesh" carries the sense of a permanent or indissoluble union, so that divorcee was not considered (2:16). "One flesh" speaks of a complete unity of parts making a whole, e.g., one cluster, many grapes (Num. 13:23), or one God in 3 persons (Deut. 6:4); thus, this marital union was complete and whole with two people.
This also implies their sexual completeness. One man and one woman constitute the pair to reproduce. The "one flesh" is primarily seen in the child born of that union, the one perfect result of the union of two. Use of this (in Matt. 19:5-6; Mark 10:8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31). Permanent monogamy (married to one person), was and continues to be God's design and law for marriage.
"Therefore" indicates a reasoned conclusion in light of Adam's joy at finding a mate.
"Leave": Here the man leaves, but note (Psalm 45:10-15).
"Cleave" is a strong verb, meaning "join, stick to." The two verbs "leave" and "cleave," may be subordinated in the following way: "Let a man forsake, or abandon, his farther and his mother in order that he may cleave unto his wife and in order that they might become one flesh." If he does not leave, he cannot cleave, nor can he become or "be one flesh."
God's ideal plan for marriage is one man for one woman for one lifetime. God's pattern for marital happiness is evident when a man loves and leads his family, with children who obey and reverence their parents (Eph. 6:1-4), with a wife who respects and supports her husband's leadership (Eph. 5:32-33).
A mutually supportive attitude must characterize both husband and wife if they are to succeed in building a harmonious home.
Marriage is so important in the mind of God that it was the first of three divine institutions and was patterned to illustrate Christ's love for the church. Christians should therefore do their part in contributing to the success of the family. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22 - 6:4; Matt. 19:3).
Genesis 2:25 "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
"Both naked ... not ashamed": With no knowledge of evil before the Fall, even nakedness was shameless and innocent. They found their complete gratification in the joy of their one union and their service to God. With no inward principle of evil to work on, the solicitation to sin had to come from without, and it did.
Their outward nakedness was a sign of their integrity. They lived and moved without guilt, shame, or fear of exploitation or threat. Naked in the Hebrew sounds like the word subtile (in 3:1), thus tying the two chapters together. Satan will concentrate his shrewdness on their integrity.
So many problems in young marriages today are caused by interference from parents who are not willing to cut the apron strings and let their children form families of their own. I believe this happened a lot because the parents are disappointed in the lives they have made for themselves, and are trying to live again in their children.
The order we should put our lives in is: God first, husband or wife next, and then other members of the family.
This "nakedness" spoken of here was probably literal and figurative. Adam and Eve were bathed in innocence. They were not aware that they were naked, because they had not eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Husbands and wives even today should be so close that there will be no secrets. We should truly try to walk without deceit.
Genesis Chapter 2 Continued Questions
1. The river that went out of Eden turned into how many heads?
2. What is meant by "became into four heads"?
3. Name the four rivers?
4. Where is the first mention of gold?
5. What was said of the gold?
6. When did the continents break apart?
7. Where is the garden we should be interested in locating?
8. What is our liberty that we have in Jesus?
9. What would happen to man if he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
10. What kind of death did Adam bring?
11. Does the spirit ever die?
12. What 3 types of death are mentioned in the bible?
13. For what purpose did God make woman?
14. Woman's flesh was made for man. Is her spirit the man's also?
15. Who named the animals?
16. What does the name Adam mean?
17. Why were the animals not enough company for man?
18. What was the state of man when God removed his rib?
19. What was the woman made of?
20. Why was she called woman?
21. How were the woman and man dressed at the beginning?
22. What order should be in our lives?
23. Man should __________ his family and __________ to his wife.
24. What is God's plan for an ideal marriage?
25. What was their nakedness a sign of?
Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
"The serpent": The word means "snake." The apostle John identified this creature as Satan (Rev. 12:9; 20:2), as did Paul (2 Cor. 11:3). The serpent, a manifestation of Satan, appears for the first time before the fall of man.
The rebellion of Satan, therefore, had occurred sometime after 1:31 (when everything in creation was good), but before 3:1.
See (Ezek. 28:11-15) for a possible description of Satan's dazzling beauty and (Isaiah 14:13-14), for Satan's motivation to challenge God's authority (1 John 3:8). Satan, being a fallen angel and, thus, a supernatural spirit, had possessed the body of a snake in its pre-Fall form (3:14 for post-Fall form).
The serpent was a creature made by God but used by Satan (John 8:44); 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9; 20:2).
"More subtle" (so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe): Subtlety is a positive virtue when rendered "prudent" (Prov. 12:16, 23; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3). It is negative when rendered "crafty" (2:25; Job 5:12; 15:5). In the prologue of Proverbs (1:4), one of the goals of the book is to "give subtilty [subtlety] to the simple" (Matthew 10:16).
"Unto the woman": She was the object of his attack, being the weaker one and needing the protection of her husband. He found her alone and unprotected by Adam's experience and counsel. 2 Tim. 3:6. Though sinless, she was temptable and seducible.
"Yea, hath God said": In effect Satan said, "is it true that He has restricted you from the delights of this place? This is not like one who is truly good and kind. There must be some mistake." He insinuated doubt as to her understanding of God's will, appearing as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), to lead her to the supposed true interpretation.
She received him without fear or surprise, but as some credible messenger from heaven with the true understanding, because of his cunning.
More contemporarily: "Has God indeed said?" It emphasizes his amazement that God would restrict man's freedom of choice in the garden. Satan centers on a restriction, casting doubt on God's Word, and not emphasizing the fact that God said in 2:16 they might "freely eat" of all the trees.
This temptation, that Eve had, was like many temptations today. You will notice that the serpent did not just come right out and say that God didn't say, or that He did. He just put a question in her mind. You see, God really did not tell Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He told Adam not to eat of the tree.
Eve's information was second hand from Adam, nevertheless, she was aware that they were not to eat of this tree. Most temptation comes in a very tricky way, as Eve's did.
There are some writers that do not believe this was an actual serpent, but the punishment God puts on the serpent would be of no effect if he were not truly a snake.
People who try to do sneaky underhanded things are commonly known as a "snake in the grass", reaching right back to this Scripture where the serpent first got Eve to questioning this statement of God. (Beware of those who are encouraging you to question your relationship with God, or with your church). That is just a clever way to plant doubt.
Verse 2 tells us for sure that the woman knew the restrictions in the garden, even though she did not have firsthand Knowledge.
Verses 2-3: In her answer, Eve extolled the great liberty that they had; with only one exception, they could eat all the fruit.
Genesis 3:2 "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:"
Eve's reply reveals her carelessness with the wording of 2:16, as she belittles the privileges of God by leaving out the word that conveys the sense of "freely eat" and leaves out the word "all".
Genesis 3:3 "But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
"Not ... touch it": An addition to the original prohibition as recorded (Gen. 2:17). Adam may have so instructed her for her protection.
"Neither shall ye touch it": By adding to His command, Eve exaggerates the limitations God had set forth. Or it may just express the idea of consumption, with a parallel phrase used euphemistically of "touching a woman" (in Genesis 20:6; 26:29; Ruth 2:9 and proverbs 6:29).
The "lest ye die" reveals Eve's third error, toning down the penalty and certainty of death for eating. "Lest" expresses a fear of possibly dying when God had already expressed the certainty of it in 2:17 (thou shalt surely die)!
From the above words, we know that Eve knew the location of the tree. She changed (added to), the caution of God (neither shall ye touch it). Her first mistake was listening, and then entering into conversation with him (the serpent).
So many of our problems in our church could be stopped, if we did not enter into conversation with those who are opposed to the church.
The devil has always been sneaky, and his tactics have not changed. The best thing we can do is recognize the enemy and stay away. DO NOT enter into conversation. We have everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Verses 4-5: "Not surly die": Satan, emboldened by her openness to him, spoke this direct lie. This lie actually led her and Adam to spiritual death (separation from God). So Satan, is called a liar and murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).
His lies always promise great benefits (as in verse 5). Eve experienced this result, she and Adam did know good and evil; but by personal corruption, they did not know as God knows in perfect holiness.
Genesis 3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:"
Here Satan blatantly denies God with the same strong Hebrew expression God used (in 2:17).
Once the serpent had her listening, then he called God a liar (indirectly of course). The devil is the liar, and always has been. God is truth.
Genesis 3:5 "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
It was technically true that their "eyes" would be "opened" (verses 7 and 22). But the problem was that their eyes were opened to behold all things in the light of their own sinfulness.
"As gods" is better translated "as God," which was true in that they would have a fixed moral nature like they knew evil, but were unable to resist it. There has always been the temptation to be like God. Here it suggests God is holding something back from Adam and Eve.
Again, he came to Eve with a half-truth. Surely her eyes would will be opened, but how horrible an opening. He was thrown out of heaven himself for wanting to be God. The flesh desires power and authority; the flesh must be controlled by the spirit, so as not to sin. Many false teachers today again are saying that man will become God. This has never been true. God alone is God.
Secular humanism in our schools is teaching our children that they are their own god. Satan is bringing a half-truth through our schools and many of our churches today, and we, like Eve, are falling for it. She looked, she saw, she desired. She had lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and worst of all, a desire to be as God.
Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
"Good ... pleasant ... desired": She decided that Satan was telling the truth and she had misunderstood God, but she didn't know what she was doing. It was not overt rebellion against God, but seduction and deception to make her believe her act was the right thing to do (verse 13). The New Testament confirms that Eve was deceived (2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14; Rev. 12:9).
"Did eat": A direct transgression with deception (see notes on 1 Tim. 2:13-14).
"When the woman saw": This was an evaluation process of the mind, for the tree "was good for food" (an appeal to appetite, or "lust of the flesh"); it was "pleasant to the eyes" (the same root word used in Exodus 20 in the law against coveting, as "lust of the eyes"); and it was "to be desired to make one wise" (the verb for desired is used in the law in Deut. 5 for coveting, and appeals to "pride of life," 1 John 2:16).
"With her" may imply that the man was near all the time.
You see the lust of her eyes when she looked, the lust of appetite, (she ate), the lust for worldly wisdom (make one wise). She was not satisfied to just ruin her standing with God; she included her husband as well.
Isn't that just the way of the sinner today, not satisfied to fall themselves, trying to drag someone else down with them.
Adam had the choice (he did not have to eat the fruit just because his wife did). He knew the prohibition God had made; he ate the fruit anyway.
Genesis 3:7 "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."
"Opened ... knew ...sewed": The innocence noted in 2:25 had been replaced by guilt and shame (verses 8-10), and from then on, they had to rely on their conscience to distinguish between good and their newly acquired capacity to see and know evil.
The sense of guilt is immediate (2:25), and they attempt to make themselves presentable, to cover up their nakedness (verse 21).
As I said before, (part of what the serpent said was true) their eyes were opened to realize the terrible sin they had committed. They suddenly were not innocent (they had sinned). The first awful thing that they discovered, was that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness, as we are about to see.
Genesis 3:8 "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden."
"Voice": Better translated "sound" as it appears in theophanies (a visible manifestation to humankind of God), in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:13; 29:3-9; Jeremiah 25:30; Ezekiel 1:24; Joel 3:16).
God appeared, as before, in tones of goodness and kindness, walking in some visible form (perhaps Shekinah light as He later appeared in Exodus 33:18-23; 34:5-8, 29; 40:34-38). He came not in fury, but in the same condescending way He had walked with Adam and Eve before.
"Cool of the day" may be understood as the "spirit of the day," as the Hebrew word for cool is the same for spirit. The day is a judgment day in the context. No small wonder that as the sound of the Lord God was traversing back and forth in the garden seeking out Adam and Eve, they actively "hid themselves" from His "presence," acknowledging that their intimate fellowship was broken (4:14; Psalm 139:7).
This is the first specific time it is mentioned that Eve heard God's voice. God had come for fellowship. Guilt and shame entered, and man and woman hid from God. Just as it is today, there is no place to hide from God. Be sure, your sin will find you out.
Genesis 3:9 "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou?"
"Where art thou": The question was God's way of bringing man to explain why he was hiding, rather than expressing ignorance about man's location. Shame, remorse, confusion, guilt, and fear all led to their clandestine behavior. There was no place to hide; there never is (see Psalm 139:1-12).
God always seeks out man, in the sense that He solicits a response from His Creation now separated from Him by sin. Thus, God comes asking questions, not making accusations.
Genesis 3:10 "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself."
"Heard thy voice": The sound of 3:8, which probably was God calling for Adam and Eve. Adam responded with the language of fear and sorrow, but not confession.
Adam heard the "sound" of the Lord God and "was afraid" (as most men are afraid of God today), and began the age long process of "hiding himself" from his Maker.
So many times, guilt of sins causes us not to come to God. We feel we have done something so bad, that God will not listen and forgive.
You see, in verse 10, Adam's guilt and sin had caused a separation from God.
Genesis 3:11 "And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?"
Adam's sin was evidenced by his new knowledge of the evil of nakedness, but God still waited for Adam to confess to what God knew they had done. The basic reluctance of sinful people to admit their iniquity is here established. Repentance is still the issue. When sinners refuse to repent, they suffer judgment; when they do repent, they receive forgiveness.
Without knowledge of sin there is no guilt association. Here God reminded Adam that his commandment was not just a request, but if disobeyed would be sin.
Genesis 3:12 "And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
Adam blamed the "woman" and God, since God was the one who brought her to Adam (in 2:22).
"The woman whom thou gavest": Adam pitifully put the responsibility on God for giving him Eve. That only magnified the tragedy in that Adam had knowingly transgressed God's prohibition, but still would not be open and confess his sin, taking full responsibility for his action, which was not made under deception (1 Tim. 2:14).
Adam is half accusing God. He is saying if you hadn't given me this woman, I wouldn't have sinned. He was trying to shift the blame to someone else. He was trying to say he really wasn't to blame himself.
Genesis 3:13 "And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."
"The serpent beguiled me": The woman's desperate effort to pass the blame to the serpent, which was partially true (1 Tim. 2:14), did not absolve her of the responsibility for her distrust and disobedience toward God.
Eve was "beguiled" (as 1 Timothy 2:14 confirms; 2 Cor. 11:3). But she did not take responsibility for eating, either. Blame-shifting is another evasive tactic employed by fallen man.
Now that it is too late, the woman realized the serpent had tricked her. She too, did not want to take the blame and tried to push her guilt to the serpent. The difference between her and the man was that she was tricked; the man sinned with full knowledge.
There was a certain comedian, as part of his act, would say the devil made me do it. Excuses never change. We still try to look for a scapegoat, someone else to take the blame for our sins. It just won't work. Each person is responsible for his or her own acts.
We will see in the following verses that, just as sin is individual and each responsible for his own, so is the punishment for sin.
Genesis 3:14 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"
"Unto the serpent": The cattle and all the rest of creation were cursed (see Rom. 8:20-23; Jer. 12:4), as a result of Adam and Eve's eating. But the serpent was uniquely cursed by being made to slither on its belly.
It probably had legs before this curse. Now snakes represent all that is odious, disgusting, and low. They are branded with infamy and avoided with fear (Isa. 65:25; Mica 7:17).
(Jeremiah 12:4 and Romans 8:20), indicate that the whole animal kingdom was affected by the Fall and the Edenic curse. The serpent's mobilization may have been changed, and figuratively he was to eat "dust," (idiomatic for subservience), which conveys the idea of being cursed. Isaiah 65:25 indicates the effects will remain in the Millennium.
You see, God did not give the serpent a chance to explain. The serpent, the spirit of Lucifer, had already fallen and been cursed. There was an additional curse pronounced here. (Many believe the serpent went upright before this curse was pronounced). He would now crawl on his belly and eat dirt all the days of his life, (lower than all the others in the animal kingdom). Satan as well as the serpent, was to be bound earthly.
Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
After cursing the physical serpent, God turned to the spiritual serpent, the lying seducer, Satan and cursed him.
"Shall bruise thy head ... shall bruise his heal": This "first gospel" is prophetic of the struggle and its outcome between "your seed" (Satan and unbelievers, who are called the Devil's children in John 8:44), and her seed (Christ, a descendant of Eve, and those in Him), which began in the garden.
In the midst of the curse passage, a message of hope shone forth, the woman's offspring "seed" called "it", is Christ, who will one day defeat the Serpent. Satan could only "bruise" Christ's heel (cause Him to suffer), while Christ will bruise Satan's head (destroy him with a fatal blow).
"It" [or He,"] "shall bruise" [literally "crush'] "thy head, but thou shalt bruise his heal" refers to Christ's bruising on the cross, which led to the eventual crushing of Satan and his kingdom.
Paul, in a passage strongly reminiscent of Genesis 3, encouraged the believers in Rome, "And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). Believers should recognize that they participate in the crushing of Satan because, along with their Savior and because of His finished work on the cross, they also are of the woman's seed.
For more on the destruction of Satan (see Heb. 2:14-15; Rev. 20:10).
This verse has long been recognized as the first messianic prophecy of the Bible. Thus, it also contains the first glimpse of the gospel (protoevangelium). It reveals three essential truths:
(1) That Satan is the enemy of the human race, explaining why God put "enmity" [related to the word enemy] "between thee" [Satan] and "the woman";
(2) That He would place a spiritual barrier between "thy seed" (Satan's people), and "her seed" (God's people); and
(3) That the representative seed of the woman (i.e., a human being: Christ), would deliver the deathblow to Satan, but in so doing would be bruised Himself.
Adamic Covenant: The dispensation of conscience was based on Adam's limited experience with good and evil. He should have remembered the positive results of obedience and the disastrous consequences of disobedience. The Adamic covenant was introduced at the beginning of this period.
Under the covenant, the serpent was cursed (verse 14); God promised redemption through the seed of the woman (verse 15); the woman experienced multiplied sorrow and pain in childbearing (verse 16); the earth was cursed (verses 17-18); sorrow, pain, and physical death became part of the experience of life, and labor became burdensome (verse 19).
Man failed under this covenant, degenerating to the point where people did only evil continually (6:5), until God judged them with the Flood (9:12).
This is one of the most important verses in the Bible. This is the promise of Jesus Christ as destroyer of the devil. The very first verse said that the serpent, or Satan, would be the natural enemy of mankind.
This statement truly means Satan is our enemy, but also that the snake is the natural enemy as well. The statement, "between thy seed and her seed" indicated that the enemy of Satan (Jesus), will be of the woman and not of the man. The devil, Satan, or his demons truly do nip at the heels of the Christian, but through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can stomp on his head.
Genesis Chapter 3 Questions
1. How did the serpent approach Eve?
2. Is there a Scripture where God told Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge?
3. Did Eve know not to eat of the tree?
4. What is a common statement called of people who deal trickery or underhanded?
5. What clever way do people get us to doubt our belief in God or our church today?
6. What statement did Eve add to thou shalt not eat?
7. What was Eve's first mistake?
8. What word describes the tactics of Satan?
9. In verse 4 what lie did the serpent tell Eve?
10. The devil is a liar and God is what?
11. What did the serpent say she would be like when she ate of the tree?
12. Why was Lucifer thrown out of heaven?
13. What two things does the flesh desire?
14. What are many false teachers telling the people today?
15. What is secular humanism teaching our children?
16. What 3 things caused Eve to sin?
17. Who did Eve include in her sin?
18. Did Adam have a choice?
19. Why did they sew fig leaves?
20. What part of what the serpent said was true?
21. Where did they hide?
22. When was the first time specifically mentioned that Eve heard God's voice?
23. Where can you hide from God?
24. What 2 things separated Adam from God?
25. Who was Adam trying to blame?
26. Who did Eve blame?
27. Why did God not let the serpent explain?
28. What was the serpent's position in regard to other animals now?
29. Why is chapter 3 verse 15 so important?
30. Who will be the enemy of the serpent?
31. What indicates the virgin birth of Jesus?
Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
"Pain in childbirth": This is a constant reminder that a woman gave birth to sin in the human race and passes it on to all her children. She can be delivered from this curse by raising godly children, as indicated (in 1 Tim. 2:15; see note there).
"Thy sorrow and thy conception": The word for sorrow means "birth pangs" and sounds like the Hebrew word for tree, which is a reminder of the source of this pain in the sin involving the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It also looks forward to the Crucifixion when the curse ultimately will be hung on a tree.
"Thy desire" has been variously interpreted:
(1) A physical desire strong enough to compensate for the pain of childbirth;
(2) Her natural desire to submit to her husband's leadership; or
(3) Perhaps a desire "against" her husband in not being willing to submit to him because of her fallen sinful nature (Eph. 5:22; 1 Tim. 3:4, 11).
"Thy desire ... he shall rule": Just as the woman and her seed will engage in a war with the serpent, i.e., Satan and his seed (verse 15), because of sin and the curse, the man and the woman will face struggles in their own relationship. Sin has turned the harmonious system of God-ordained roles into distasteful struggles of self-will.
Lifelong companions, husbands and wives, will need God's help in getting along as a result. The woman's desire will be to lord it over her husband, but the husband will rule by divine design (Eph. 5:22-25).
This interpretation of the curse is based upon the identical Hebrew words and grammar being used in 4:7 (see note there), to show the conflict man will have with sin as it seeks to rule him.
As we said before, the sin of each one was an individual act, and the punishment also is individual. We too, will be judged individually. We shall stand before Jesus, one at a time. We will stand or fall on our own belief in Him. Not what our parents believe, or not what our husband or wife believe, but on what we believe. God has no grandchildren, just children.
In verse 16, God established the order in the family here on earth. A husband should rule over his wife in the flesh. As I said before, we are all responsible to God for our spirits. this Scripture, (that woman shall suffer in childbirth as her punishment for leading her husband into sin), has to do with the flesh, not the spirit.
God did not curse the woman or the man in the judgment that He spoke on them. He would provide restoration for them through the Savior, Jesus Christ. They would each be allowed to accept that salvation.
Christianity places woman on the same level with man as regarding the gospels.
Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
Also, we read the wife is in subjection to the husband in the flesh.
Ephesians 5:22-23 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body."
These Scriptures are trying to help us understand how Jesus is the husband of the church. He is the groom; we are the bride of Christ, if we are believers in him, both male and female.
Genesis 3:17 "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;"
"Because thou hast hearkened": The reason given for the curse on the ground and human death is that man turned his back on the voice of God, to follow his wife in eating that from which God had ordered him to abstain.
The woman sinned because she acted independently of her husband, disdaining his leadership, counsel and protection. The man sinned because he abandoned his leadership and followed the wishes of his wife. In both cases, God's intended roles were reversed.
Adam "obeyed" the voice of Eve and not God (2:17), which was the first marital role reversal.
"Sorrow" is the same word applied to the woman in verse 16. Thus, they shared equally in their punishment.
God was displeased with Adam because he listened to Eve, instead of Him.
God will not allow us to put anything, or anyone, ahead of His commands to us. The favorite excuse of many women for not coming to church is, "My husband wouldn't bring me". Come without him, if you must. He may soon come, too.
In His punishment for Adam, He cursed the ground (not Adam). The ground even today produces only what man works and gets from it. Before, it voluntarily grew. It produces the amount man puts out in effort to make it produce now.
Genesis 3:18 "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;"
In verse 17 God said" "Cursed is the ground for thy sake": God cursed the object of man's labor and made it reluctantly, yet richly, yield his food through hard work.
Genesis 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return."
"Return unto the ground": I.e. to die (2:7). Man, by sin, became mortal. Although he did not die the moment he ate (by God's mercy), he was changed immediately and became liable to all the sufferings and miseries of life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever.
Adam lived 930 years (Gen. 5:5).
In these verses above, God told man, that through much opposition from the earthly things, shall he earn a living. I believe it also means that the devil will oppose him on every side, trying to alienate him from God.
The story of the thorns and thistles growing together with the wheat until the end showed that a man will be surrounded in this world by people controlled by Satan. We will have to grow with the Lord in spite of their trying to choke off Christianity.
Man's body truly will return to the earth, because it is of the earth. The spirit of man will not return to the earth, but will be with Jesus in heaven (if we choose to believe in Jesus). God has reminded man of his humble beginning. Just through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ can mankind rise above this humble beginning.
Genesis 3:20 "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."
"Eve comes from the verb to live. Here is Adam's act of faith, looking to the future with hope. This word sounds like the word used in this verse, "living." Adam seems not only to believe that God spoke the truth, but also to have faith in the salvation God had promised in verses 15 and 16.
This verse above indicated that there were no other people living (except Adam's family), because Adam said his wife was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."
"Coats of skins": The first physical deaths should have been the man and his wife, but it was an animal, a shadow of the reality that God would someday kill a substitute to redeem sinners.
This is how Yahweh provides clothing for Adam and Eve, after their feeble attempt to cover their nakedness and shame. It is His way of demonstrating that He acknowledges their act of faith in verse 20. The word for skins presupposes the death of an animal and therefore the idea of blood sacrifice is clearly implied.
God loved Adam and Eve. The above Scripture indicates the first animal was sacrificed for man. God, Himself, provided the sacrifice, as He did with Abraham when he was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God provided the sacrifice, as God's concern was still the needs of mankind.
Verses 22-23: "And live for ever" (see note on 2:9). God told man that he would surely die if he ate of the forbidden tree. But God's concern may also have been that man not live forever in his pitifully cursed condition.
Taken in the broader context of Scripture, driving the man and his wife out of the garden was an act of merciful grace to prevent them from being sustained forever by the tree of life.
Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:"
"Man is become as one of us" (see note on 1:26). This was spoken out of compassion for the man and woman, who only in limited ways were like the Trinity, knowing good and evil, not by holy omniscience, but by personal experience (Isa. 6:3; Hab. 1:13; Rev. 4:8).
Satan's promise in 3:5 was technically true (see the discussion there).
Genesis 3:23 "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."
"God sent him forth" as an act of grace as well as judgment.
Genesis 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
"Cherubims": Later in Israel's history, two cherubim or angelic figures guarded the ark of the covenant and the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-22), where God communed with His people.
"Flaming sword": An unexplainable phenomenon perhaps associated directly with the cherubim or the flaming, fiery Shekinah presence of God Himself.
"To keep" was used in 2:15 for the activities of man. The account relates privileges and responsibilities lost. And the way to the tree of life is guarded. Man's way back to life is not easy; it will be by divine intervention.
In verse 22, the word "us" indicated more than one. (Verses 22-24), were not really intended as a punishment for man, but really so that he would not eat of the tree of life, and live forever in his body that suffered and aged.
Jesus is the Tree of Life, and when we eat of that Tree, being pardoned, our spirits will live forever with Him. Our earthly body will be changed into a heavenly body to house our spirits. This heavenly body will be free of pain, and free from the aging process.
Adam and Eve were doomed to a life of toil and pain; yet, they were looking for a better life beyond the grave where they would be restored to a better place than Eden.
The divine presence in the Cherubims and the flaming swords showed the majesty and authority of God. He could exclude whomever He would. Through Jesus Christ, mankind will be able to re-establish his right to the Tree of Life in heaven.
It is interesting to note the symbolism of the swords. The Bible is spoken of as a two-edged sword. God is also spoken of as a consuming fire. The flaming swords, and the Bible, are the only entrance into the Tree of Life. Through the Bible, we learn that Jesus is the Tree of Life, and only belief in Him can purchase our eternal life with Him.
Genesis Chapter 3 Continued Questions
1. Will husbands and wives be judged together?
2. In verse 16 God established the order of what?
3. Who is head of the home?
4. What was woman's punishment for leading her husband into sin?
5. God did not speak a curse, just a punishment on man and woman, why?
6. We read in Gal. 3:28 as pertaining to the gospel there is neither _____ nor _________ in Christ Jesus pertaining to man and woman.
7. Ephesians tells us that in the flesh wives are subject to whom?
8. What are the Scriptures in Galatians, and Ephesians trying to show us?
9. In verse 17 God did not curse Adam, what did He curse?
10. What is the favorite excuse of woman for not coming to church?
11. Is that a legitimate excuse?
12. In the Scripture "dust thou are and unto dust thou shalt return", what will turn to dust?
13. Man will be surrounded by whom in this world?
14. How is the only way man can rise above his humble beginnings?
15. Why did Adam name his wife Eve?
16. When God made coats of skins for Adam and Eve, what religious significance was this?
17. What word in verse 22 indicated more than one?
18. What two things did God place at the east of the garden of Eden?
19. Was this for punishment?
20. Why did God not want mankind to be able to eat of the tree of life at that time?
21. Our earthly bodies will be changed into what to house our spirits in heaven?
22. The divine presence of the Cherubims and the flaming swords showed what two things of God?
23. How can mankind re-establish his right to the Tree of Life in heaven?
24. What is spoken of as a two edged sword?
25. God is spoken of as________________ ______.
26. What teaches us that Jesus is the Tree of Life?
Genesis 4:1 "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD."
"Knew Eve his wife": the act of sexual intercourse was considered the only means by which God Himself gave children. He was acknowledged as the sovereign giver of all life.
"Knew" in this context refers to sexual relations. It is also the connecting link to the whole chapter; note the appearance of the word in connection with the tree of knowledge (in verse 1, 17, and 25). The replacing of a son by "knowing" is antithetical to the murder, which is denied in verse 9 by, "I know not."
Some take "from the Lord" as an accusative: "I have gotten a man from the Lord." But the preposition is better, "I have created, acquired, a man with [the help of] Yahweh!" thus Eve sees her generative power as part of the sharing of divine power: "Yahweh formed man; I have formed the second man."
Genesis 4:2 "And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground."
"She again bare his brother": Some think the boys may have been twins, since no time element intervenes between verses 1 and 2.
"Keeper of sheep ... tiller of the ground": both occupations were respectable; in fact, most people subsisted through a combination of both. God's focus was not on their vocation, but on the nature of their respective offerings.
"Brother": This word appears seven times in this passage. The name "Abel" appears seven times and "Cain" 14 times, which heightens the contrast between the two men. "Abel" means "Keeper" and refers to his occupation as a keeper of sheep.
Tilling the ground and keeping the sheep were both honorable trades. It seems both sons worked.
Genesis 4:3 "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD."
"Fruit of the ground": Produce in general.
Verses 4-5: Abel's offering was acceptable (Heb. 11:4), not just because it was an animal, nor just because it was the very best of what he had, nor even that it was the culmination of a zealous heart for God; but, because it was in every way obediently given according to what God must have revealed (though not recorded in Genesis).
Cain, disdaining the divine instruction, just brought what he wanted to bring: some of his crop.
Genesis 4:4 "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:"
"Firstlings ... fat": The best animals.
"Firstling of his flock" refers to the fact that Abel's offering was accepted because it was a blood sacrifice based upon previous knowledge (3:21). Thus, he acknowledged that his sin deserved death and could be covered only by the death of a guiltless sacrifice (Heb. 9:22).
That his lamb was a "firstling" and "fat" may also imply that he gave the best that he had in contrast to Cain's offering. However, it is obvious from the entire account that Abel's offering was "more excellent" (Heb. 11:4) because it was the right kind of offering as well as being made with the right heart attitude.
God would require a firstling of the flock (lamb), sacrifice connected with forgiveness of sins. God required the blood of a lamb for sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
We do not fully understand why this is necessary, but we do understand that from the beginning this was so. God Himself killed an animal and made aprons for Adam and Eve (sacrificing for them). When the law was given, much detail was given about the necessity of a Lamb sacrifice. Cain's offering was earthly as it had no blood sacrifice.
Genesis 4:5 "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."
Rather than being repentant for his sinful disobedience, he was hostile toward God, whom he could not kill, and jealous of his brother, whom he could kill (1 John 3:12; Jude 11).
It is a very dangerous thing to get angry with God. God does not have to explain the reason for the things He does. We just have to comply with His wishes. He (Cain), was not just angry with God. He was jealous of his brother. His jealousy drove him to commit another more serious sin. It is dangerous to harbor jealousy. It generally leads to additional sin, even now.
Genesis 4:6 "And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen?"
God approached Cain in love and offered him a chance to correct his mistake. Again, God asked convicting questions. He made no accusations.
Genesis 4:7 "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
God gave Cain the opportunity to do "well" that is, to make the right kind of sacrifice with the right heart attitude. He then warned Cain that an offering of good works would not be accepted.
God reminded Cain that if he had obeyed God and offered the animal sacrifices God had required, his sacrifices would have been acceptable. It wasn't personal preference on God's part, or disdain for Cain's vocation, or the quality of his produce that caused God to reject his sacrifice.
"Sin lieth at the door": God told Cain that if he chose not to obey His commands, ever-present sin, crouched and waiting to pounce like a lion, would fulfill its desire to overpower him (3:16).
God judges the heart. He saw that Cain's heart was full of sin, jealousy, and even murder. God would not require something that was impossible to do. Cain was trying to take a short cut.
He offered what was easy to acquire and would cost him very little. Cain brought an offering of his choice, rather than an offering that would please God. So many times, we choose to do what we want to do, and not what God has called us to do.
When we fall on our faces in failure, we want to blame anyone, or anything, except ourselves for our failure. God has a perfect plan. We are not happy until we fit into that plan.
God even mentions to Cain, that Cain was the firstborn and would actually rule over his brother, if Cain would straighten up and do what was right. God reminded him that, even then, he was plotting in his heart a terrible sin.
Genesis 4:8 "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."
The first murder in Scripture (Matt. 23:35; Luke 11:51; Heb. 12:24). Cain rejected the wisdom spoken to him by God Himself, rejected doing well, refused to repent, and thus crouching sin pounced and turned him into a killer. (1 John 3:10-12).
"Cain's anger had already been noted in verses 5 and 6. Now, in a fit of anger, he murders Abel. Thus, begins the long history of human violence and man's inhumanity to his fellowman. This murder also had to be a heartbreaking reminder to Adam and Eve that the consequence of sin is death (2:17; Rom. 6:23).
Cain's jealousy had now come to produce a terrible sin. When they were alone (no arbitrator), Cain killed Abel. This terrible sin is prominent in families even today. Statistics tell us that 25% of the murders or 1 out of 4 murders are committed by members of the family, in fact the immediate family.
Brothers are very seldom alike and jealousy springs up many times when parents show a special love for one over the other. There is never a reason to murder. Killing in war, or to defend yourself, is not murder. Jesus said that when you hate your brother that you have committed murder already in your heart.
Genesis 4:9 "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper?
Cain's insolence and arrogance are evident in his curt response to God's question, "Where is Abel thy brother?" First he lied and then used a play on words to avoid answering the question. "Am I my brother's keeper"; plays on the name Abel, "Keeper."
Cain's sarcasm was a play on words, based on the fact that Abel was the "keeper" of sheep. Lying was the third sin resulting from Cain's attitude of indifference to God's commands. Sin was ruling over him (verse 7).
Cain's answer to God was an angry response. Cain probably thought, if he could get rid of this brother, it would put him in better standing with God (No competition).
How many times today do we hear this cry, "Am I my brother's keeper?" In God's sight, yes, we are our brother's keeper. If we see a brother in need and turn our backs, God will count it against us. The same in reverse is true. If we help others, we will be blessed of God for it. "In as much as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me." (Part of Matt. 25-40)
In Matthew 10, we read in Jesus' own words.
Matthew 10:42 "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
Yes, we are our brother's and sister's keepers. Some people have the wrong impression about wealthy people. Most of them that I know are very generous people, willing to help when they see a need. It is not their wealth that sends them to hell. It is the worship of their money.
I love the Scripture in 1st Timothy 6:17-19, that explains how a person with wealth should handle what God has entrusted to them.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;" "Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
You see, there is not anything wrong with having money. The sin occurs when we put that money ahead of the things of God through greed.
The U.S., as a whole, has one really good thing going for it. It is a charitable nation. We help the suffering of the world. In 1 Peter, it tells it all:
1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
Genesis 4:10 "And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground."
"Voice ... blood": A figure of speech to indicate that Abel's death was well known to God.
"Thy brother's blood" is plural in Hebrew and may refer to his "seeds" who have been cut off and will never be born. Thus, God's judgment is on those who, by whatever means, abort human life. "Crieth" means crying out for vengeance.
This is the first murder in the Bible. Not only had Adam and Eve lost Abel in physical death, but they had lost Cain (he was a murderer).
This is a strange statement that God made here. (Abel's blood cried out to God from the ground).
Our lives are dependent wholly on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Then life, in this sense, is in the throne of God to purchase our salvation for us. Without the shedding of blood there is no life, as we already mentioned from Hebrews 9:22.
Genesis 4:11 "And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;"
"Cursed from the earth": A second curse came from God affecting just the productivity of the soil Cain would till. To a farmer like Cain, this curse was severe, and meant that Cain would all his life be a wanderer, "a vagrant and a wanderer" (verses 12, 14).
Cain was now to be "cursed" (the serpent and the ground, 3:24, 17). This was a special curse making it impossible for Cain to be a farmer, his occupation in verse 2.
Genesis 4:12 "When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth."
He would be a "fugitive" (the root meaning to "wander" or "move"), and "vagabond" (denoting a "going back and forth"), conveying the idea of wandering aimlessly. He dwells in the land of Nod ("Wandering"), a word with the same root as vagabond in Hebrew.
There is a little bit of difference in the curse here for Cain, and the one for Adam. Adam, himself, was not cursed, just the earth. But in this instance of Cain, God had spoken the curse on Cain, as well as the ground. This made it doubly hard for the earth to produce for Cain. Cain would move from place to place looking for a more productive field to plant on, but he would not find one.
His crops would fail wherever he was. The blessings of God had been revoked and now there was a curse instead. Man's sin is the greatest curse of life. It makes him a wanderer (running from sin), and there is no place to hide. (In verse 13), we hear Cain cry out for mercy.
Genesis 4:13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear.
He has just killed his brother and now blames God for being too harsh!
"Punishment" may refer to either (1) the actual punishment for sin; or (2) his "iniquity" or "guilt". It reflects his feeling that either the punishment, or his burden of guilt which he now recognized, was too harsh.
Genesis 4:14 "Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me."
"Every one ... slay me": This shows that the population of the earth was, by then, greatly increased. As a wanderer and scavenger in an agricultural world, Cain would be easy prey for those who wanted his life.
Adam hid from Yahweh in shame and guilt (3:8); now Cain must hide himself.
"From thy face shall I be hid" is a passive verb form ("I must hide myself from your face"), and is part of his curse.
"Every one" is "anyone finding me"; it looks to the idea of blood revenge for this death and anticipates other murders.
Anthropomorphisms: Occasionally the Scriptures use expressions that seem to attribute human, physical features to God (such as fingers, hands, arms, and face). Theologians refer to these as "anthropomorphisms."
Because God is spirit and not a body (John 4:24), we know these expressions do not describe Him physically but are used to help man understand truths concerning God.
Paul used a similar type of expression when he urged Christians to "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). He did not mean Christians should devote time to jogging as they would to prayer and bible study. He used this figure of speech to reemphasize the truth of continuing to live the Christian life. (Gen. 3:8; Gen. 4:14; 1 John 1:5).
No one wants to face his punishment. Everyone looks for a scapegoat, or a way out. Self-pity had entered Cain. No where do we see remorse for what he had done. Instead of improving his position with God, he had caused a terrible rift. His fears of having someone do the same thing to him were overwhelming.
He knew he would be looking out over his shoulder constantly. Never would he be able to find a place of peace and rest. It is as if he blamed God for what had happened to him, instead of realizing his sin and repenting.
Genesis 4:15 "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him."
"The Lord set a mark" While not described here, it involved some sort of identifiable mark that he was under divine protection which was mercifully given to Cain by God. At the same time, the mark that saved him was the lifelong sign of his shame.
"Mark": As another act of His grace and goodness toward Cain. It is best to take it as a personal sign for Cain, like that for Gideon in Judges 6:36-40 and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:9-12. The idea of "vengeance" appears in verse 24 with the taunt song of Lamech.
We see the awful cost of vengeance (7 fold). "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord."
Genesis Chapter 4 Questions
1. What was the name of Eve's first son?
2. What was her second son's name?
3. What were their occupations?
4. What did Cain bring as an offering to God?
5. What did Abel bring as an offering to God?
6. What caused God to accept Abel's sacrifice and reject Cain's?
7. Without the shedding of blood there is no what?
8. When Cain realized that God did not accept his offering, what did Cain do?
9. What drove Cain to commit a more serious crime?
10. In verse 7 God said, "if thou doest not well, _________lieth at the door?"
11. Where did Cain attack Abel?
12. What did Cain do to Abel?
13. What percent of murders are committed by close family members today?
14. When God asked Cain where Abel was, what two replies did Cain make?
15. In Matthew 10:42, what small item does God say He would reward if it is given in the name of a prophet?
16. What wrong impression do we have about rich people?
17. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, what should we be quick to do if God has blessed us with money?
18. What one really good thing does the U.S. have going for it?
19. What does 1st Peter 4:8, tell us that charity will do?
20. What cried to God from the ground?
21. What purchased our salvation?
22. What three judgments did God speak to Cain?
23. What was the difference in the curse for Adam and Cain's curse?
24. What is the greatest curse in life?
25. What was the mark that was placed on Cain?
Genesis 4:16 "And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."
"Nod", an unknown location.
This portrays the direction of fallen and unsaved humanity into exile from God, without hope in the world, "wandering aimlessly" about.
This was the only mention of Nod in the Bible. The Bible is not very informative about Nod. I do know that to be in the presence of God, and be sent forth away from Him would have to be very close to hell. The only physical description we have of this place is that it was on the east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17 "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch."
"Cain knew his wife": Cain's wife obviously was one of Adam's later daughters (5:4). By Moses' time, this kind of close marriage was forbidden (Lev. 18:7-17), because of genetic decay.
"Enoch": His name means "initiation," and was symbolic of the new city where Cain would try to mitigate his curse.
You could relate Cain's being sent away from the presence of God with someone who has been removed from the church; sent out into the world. God had banished Cain to a life of wandering. Cain decides not to wander, but to settle down and build a city.
Cain's wife was there to comfort him. She bore him a son in exile. It seems Cain was interested in making a name for himself here on the earth, since in all probability, he assumed he would have no future in heaven.
There are some very strange similarities in the names of the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth. If you will look with me at the line of names in chapter 4, the genealogy reads thus: Adam, Cain, Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Mathusael, and Lamech.
In chapter 5, the genealogy of Seth is: Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech. These names are so similar, if we are not careful we will confuse the two. The only explanation, that I can find, is that they named their children similar names.
As we look at Cain's children in the verses that follow, it seems none of his ancestors walked closely with God.
Genesis 4:18 "And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech."
This was undoubtedly not the Enoch who was the 7th from Adam through Seth. This Enoch here seemed to be the ancestor of some earthly controlled people, as we will see in the following verses.
Genesis 4:19 "And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah."
"Two wives": No reason is given on Lamech's part for the first recorded instance of bigamy. He led the Cainites in open rebellion against God (2:24), by his violation of marriage law.
Genesis 4:20 "And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and [of such as have] cattle."
"Jabal": He invented tents and the nomadic life of herdsmen so common in the Middle East and elsewhere.
You can see here the wanderer that God told Cain he would be.
Genesis 4:21 "And his brother's name [was] Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."
"Jubal": He invented both stringed and wind instruments.
Many Christians say music should not be played in the church because Jubal was not a good man. We must look to David (who was the beloved of God) to know that music is not only permissible, but desirable in church.
Genesis 4:22 "And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain [was] Naamah."
"Tubal-cain": He invented metallurgy.
As I said before, this family of Cain was turned toward things of the world, and Tubal-cain was no exception. This family, feeling estranged from God, was really caught up in fulfilling life in this world, without looking for an everlasting life in heaven.
The spirit of Cain was a spirit of rebellion against God (worldliness). He was leaving out the spiritual and the divine to please the carnal.
Verses 23-24: Lamech killed someone in self-defense. He told his wives that they need not fear any harm coming to them for the killing because if anyone tried to retaliate, he would retaliate and kill them. He thought that if God promised 7-fold vengeance on anyone killing Cain, He would give 77-fold vengeance on anyone attacking Lamech.
Genesis 4:23 "And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt."
"Lamech said": These verses express the culmination of centuries of ungodly living among the descendants of Cain. Cain had desired to establish a name for himself (6:4; 10:9; 11:4); he built a city and named it after his son. His descendants were involved in polygamy, as well as purely humanitarian pursuits.
Now Lamech had taken the law into his own hands and had killed someone in revenge. The judicial office had degenerated into a vengeful tyranny in this heir of the dynasty's murderous founder.
The song expresses Lamech's overweening pride and his refusal and disdain for customary retribution is skillfully reinforced by the poet through a clever manipulation of poetic convention by which a smaller is placed before a large one in parallel structure for distinct emphasis.
This sets the background for why God sends the flood in chapters 6 to 9, where He says "violence" fills the earth (6:13).
You see. Lamech was following in the footsteps of his ancestor Cain. Selfishness, greed, and worldliness cause a person to commit all types of sin.
Dual marriages, and even murder, as we see here from Lamech, occur when a person is interested in fulfilling lust of the flesh. Not regarding God or the future life, living only for the here and now, could be the basic cause of murder.
Genesis 4:24 "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold."
Lamech was calling his own protection here, not the protection of God.
In all of Cain's descendants, Moses did not go into detail about their lives. It is as if their lives were so selfish and hideous that he wanted to forget them as quickly as possible. In the next chapter, we will read about men with the very same names, who are godly descendants of Adam through Seth.
We will also see in their genealogy that Moses told of their length of days, as well as their pleasing God. A good tree produces good fruit, but an evil tree produces evil fruit, Cain was evil; Seth pleased God.
Genesis 4:25 "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, [said she], hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."
"Seth": With Cain removed as the older brother and heir of the family blessing, and with Abel dead, God graciously gave Adam and Eve a godly son through whom the seed of redemption (3:15), would be passed all the way to Jesus Christ (Luke 3:38).
Against this dark picture of man apart from God, there is a brief testimony that God has a remnant of people who are trusting Him.
"Knew": Compare the use of this word in verse 1 with the meaning of "Appointed." Seth's name in Hebrew is pronounced "shet"; for God "appointed ("shat") him, a play on words. Eve is acknowledging that God has provided a son in the place of the slain Abel.
The name "Seth" means set, placed, or appointed. God had appointed a gift of love to Adam and Eve to soften the hurt of the loss of Abel. Eve recognized God's work in replacing Abel with Seth. Through this son, the promise of the deliver would come. She would believe this was the appointed one given to her from God to comfort her.
Genesis 4:26 "And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD."
"Enos": The word comes from the word for man which means "weak" or "sickly," denoting man's frailty. It is translated "desperately wicked" in reference to the heart of man (Jer. 17:19).
"Call upon the name of the LORD": As men realized their inherent sinfulness with no human means to appease God's righteous indignation and wrath over their multiplied iniquities, they turned to God for mercy and grace in hopes of a restored personal relationship.
This is a testimony that the religious worship of the community of faith was organized from their public worship of God, together (verses 2-4, indicating individual worship too).
And it is significant that they know the name of Yahweh (Lord), before the events of (Exodus 6:3). The liberal interpretation says they learned the name for the first time during the Exodus period.
The nature of mankind is to worship. The nature of mankind tells us there is a supreme being to worship.
Prayer is talking to God. It is natural to look up and try to communicate with the Supreme Being. Everyone has void in their lives until they can fill that void with God. Men try to attain great wealth and power, thinking this will fill their need, but they are just as empty after they have attained wealth or power as they were before.
Mankind has an inner need to worship. You may go to the jungle where the cannibals live, and you will find, that in their own primitive way, they are trying to find God to worship. Even presidents and kings, that seem to have everything anyone could want, are still empty within, until they come to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our society today, our young people are searching for something real. Most of them that fall into the trap of false religion are truly searching for God. They are just looking in the wrong places.
Most of these false religions require great sacrifice (which the young are willing to do in search for the supreme being). If we can just introduce them to Jesus quick enough, they can fill the void in their lives with Jesus Christ. Nothing else will satisfy.
This third generation from Adam was an early beginning for man's search for God and eternal life. God searched for man in Adam's time. This is the first instance of man seeking God.
Genesis Chapter 4 Continued Questions
1. When Cain left the presence of the Lord, where did he dwell?
2. In relation to Eden, where was it?
3. To be out of the presence of God is to be close to where?
4. What was Cain's son's name?
5. What was the name of the city Cain built?
6. In verse 18, who was Enoch's son?
7. Adah bare whom?
8. Jubal did what for a living?
9. Who was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ?
10. Who was the mother of Tubal-cain?
11. The spirit of Cain was a spirit of what?
12. What were the names of Lamech's wives?
13. What sin did Lamech commit that his ancestor Cain committed?
14. What three things cause a person to commit all types of sin?
15. In verse 24, if Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech how many?
16. The wicked descendants started with whom?
17. What was the name of the son, God gave Eve to replace Abel?
18. What was the name of his son?
19. The nature of mankind is to what?
20. Prayer is what?
21. When did man begin to call on the name of the Lord?
In chapter 5, we begin with the genealogy of the patriarchs. In the last lesson, we were looking at the evil ancestors of Adam's family. Now with Seth, we are looking at the Godly line through which the Savior would come.
In the third chapter of Luke, you can follow right back to Adam through his son Seth. Luke 3:38 "Which was [the son] of Enos, which was [the son] of Seth, which was [the son] of Adam, which was [the son] of God."
Verses 1-2: "Called their name Adam": This is the generic use of "Adam", which contrasts with Adam as a proper name in this same context (verse 3)
Genesis 5:1 "This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;"
"The likeness of God" (see notes on 1:26).
Genesis 5:2 "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created."
"Called their name Adam": In naming man, God declared His own dominion over all creation (Matt. 19:4; Mark 10:6).
We are taken back to creation day in the verses above. This line would be carried on until the blessed Savior would become the end to this beginning. We are reminded here that mankind was made in the image of God. In verse 2, it explicitly said that this was not just man, but man and woman.
Adam is a plural name and is here denoted as meaning both Adam and Eve. We touched on this Scripture in a previous lesson.
Verses 5:3-20: "Adam ... begat a son in his own likeness": Man, too, reproduces after his kind (1:11-12, 21, 24-25). This likeness is now sinful, in contrast to 1:26. It is helpful to note that Cain and Abel are not included. Therefore, the list does not include all descendants.
There are 10 patriarchs mentioned in this chapter. The last one, Noah, has three sons listed. This symmetry is the same in chapter 11. In Matthew 1, there are three sets with 14 names to a set, plus obvious omissions. Certainly, no strict chronology can be determined from any of the lists.
"Nine hundred and thirty years": Seven patriarchs lived more than nine hundred years; contrast this fact with the much shorter life span in 11:10-32, an average span of about two hundred years. The purpose of this chapter, and the source of its historical importance, is its testimony to the development of the human race from Adam to Noah, citing the godly line.
It appears to be God's answer to Satan's blasphemous lie: "Ye shall not surely die" (3:4). Death reigned, and God's word was fully vindicated.
Genesis 5:3 "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:"
"In his own likeness, after his image": The human image and likeness in which God created mankind was procreatively passed to the second generation and to all generations which follow.
We must take note that this was not Adam's first son. Adam had Cain and Abel before Seth, but the lineage that would be followed throughout the Bible would be Seth.
Genesis 5:4 "And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:"
You see, in none of these Scriptures did Moses go into detail about how many sons and daughters. My own opinion of the longevity of life for this early humanity was so they could populate the earth.
Genesis 5:5 "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."
"Nine hundred and thirty years": These are literal years marking unusual length of life which are accounted for by the pre-Flood environment provided by the earth being under a canopy of water, filtering out the ultraviolet rays of the sun and producing a much more moderate and healthful condition (see notes on 1:7; 2:6).
"And he died": God told Adam that if he ate of the tree he would surely die (2:17). It included spiritual death immediately and then physical death later.
Genesis 5:6 "And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enos:"
And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enos. Not that this was his firstborn, no doubt but he had other children before this time; but this is only mentioned, because it carried the lineage and descent directly from Adam to Noah, the father of the new world, and from whom the Messiah was to spring; whose genealogy to give is a principal view of this book, or account of generations from Adam to Noah.
He proves Adam's generation by those who came from Seth, to show the true Church, and also what care God had over the same from the beginning, in that he continued his graces toward it by a continual succession.
Genesis 5:7-8 "And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died."
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died", as did his father Adam before him. Seth, according to Josephus, was a very good man, and brought up his children well, who trod in his steps, and who studied the nature of the heavenly bodies; so that the knowledge of these things they had acquired might not be lost.
Remembering a prophecy of Adam, that the world should be destroyed both by fire and by water, they erected two pillars, called Seth's pillars; the one was made of brick, and the other of stone, on which they inscribed their observations, that so if that of brick was destroyed by a flood, that the one of stone might remain; and which the writer says continued in his time in the land of Siriad.
Genesis 5:9-11″And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:" "And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died."
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing observable concerning any of those particularly, though we have reason to think they were men of eminency, both for prudence and piety:
But in general, observe how largely and expressly their generations are recorded. We are told how long they lived, that lived in God's fear, and when they died, that died in his favor; but as for others it is no matter. The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Genesis 5:12-14 "And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:" "And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died."
Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. That which is especially observable, is, that they all lived very long; not one of them died 'till he had seen almost eight hundred years. And some much longer; a great while for an immortal soul to be imprisoned in a house of clay.
The present life surely was not to them such a burden as commonly it is now, else they would have been weary of it; nor was the future life so clearly revealed then, as it is now under the gospel, else they would have been impatient to remove it.
Some natural causes may be assigned for their long life in those first ages. It is very probable that the earth was more fruitful, the products of it more strengthening, the air more healthful, and the influences of the heavenly bodies more benign before the flood than they were after.
Genesis 5:15-17 "And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:" "And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died."
It seems that these genealogies go on and on. We see that these men were men of God and lived long lives. In verse 18 below, we will see the righteous Enoch, not the son of Cain, but rather the seventh from Adam through the line of Seth. Keep in mind "seven" means spiritually complete.
Genesis 5:18-20 "And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:" "And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died."
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared.
Though man was driven out of paradise, yet the earth itself was then paradisiacal; a garden in comparison with its present state: and some think, that their knowledge of the creatures and their usefulness both, for their food and medicine, together with their sobriety and temperance, contributed much to it.
Yet we do not find that those who were intemperate, as many were (Luke 17:27), as short - lived as temperate men generally are now.
Verses 21-24: "Enoch walked with God": The verb employed signifies "to walk about" or "to live," and the preposition denotes intimacy, fellowship (Jude 14-15 reveal his ministry and evidently powerful preaching).
Genesis 5:21-23 "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:" "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:"
Enoch was the seventh from Adam. Godliness is walking with God: which shows reconciliation to God, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). It includes all the parts of a godly, righteous, and sober life. To walk with God, is to set God always before us, to act as always under his eye.
It is constantly to care, in all things to please God, and in nothing to offend him. It is to be followers of him as dear children. The Holy Spirit, instead of saying, Enoch lived, says, Enoch walked with God. This was his constant care and work; while others lived to themselves and the world, he lived to God. It was the joy of his life. Enoch was removed to a better world.
As he did not live like the rest of mankind, so he did not leave the world by death as they did. He was not found, because God had translated him (Heb. 11:5). He had lived but 365 years, which, as men's ages were then, was but the midst of a man's days. God often takes those soonest whom he loves best; the time they lose on earth, is gained in heaven, to their unspeakable advantage.
Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him."
"Walked with God ... was not; for God took him": Enoch is the only break in the chapter from the incessant comment, "and he died" (4:17-18; 1 Chron. 1:3; Luke 3:37; Heb. 11:5; Jude 14). Only one other man is said to have enjoyed this intimacy of relationship in walking with God, Noah (6:9).
Enoch experienced being taken to heaven alive by God, as did Elijah later (2 Kings 2:1-12).
Enoch's translation stands about half way between Adam and the flood, in the 987th year after the creation of Adam. Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared were still alive. His son, Methuselah and his grandson Lamech were also living; the latter being 113 years old. Noah was not yet born, and Adam was dead.
His translation, in consequence of his walking with God, was "an example of repentance to all generations,"
Hebrew 11:5: The same Hebrew word is used for the "translation" of Elijah in (2 Kings 2:3-5). He went to heaven without dying. His bodily translation during the long antediluvian time before the Flood (sway of the curse), was a sign that, ultimately, reconciliation with God includes victory over death.
See how Enoch's removal is expressed: "he was not, for God took him". He was not any longer in this world; he was changed, as the saints shall be, who are alive at Christ's second coming. Those who begin to walk with God when young may expect to walk with him long, comfortably, and usefully.
The true Christian's steady walk in holiness, through many a year, till God takes him, will best recommend that religion which many oppose and many abuse. And walking with God well agrees with the cares, comforts, and duties of life.
In (Jude verse 14), the Scripture says that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied. You see, we find in these Scriptures that God not only walked and communed with Enoch, but he showed him into the future.
Verses 14-15-16 of Jude look right into the future to the end times.
Jude 1:14-16 "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints," "To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." "These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men's persons in admiration because of advantage."
Hebrews tells us how we can be translated to be with God. Enoch was the recipient of this gift.
Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
I like the story that says, one day when Enoch was walking with God, that God invited Enoch to go home with him, and he did. (This exact statement is not in the Bible, but in all essence, was what really happened).
Do not confuse this Enoch with Enoch who was the son of Cain. They were total opposites.
I won't write it down here, but you may read in Luke the 3 rd chapter, beginning with verse 37, the genealogy of Seth to Enoch.
We could go on and on about this being firstfruits of the rapture of the church.
Verse 23 of Genesis says all the days of Enoch were 365. That is an interesting statement. For Enoch is still alive. It means his time on earth was 365 years. Even the number of his years is a peculiarity for there are 365 days in a year.
What a beautiful picture of the rapture of the church. When the trumpet blows in the sky, there will be a large number of people who will walk with God.
Verses 25-27: "Methuselah": The man who lived the longest life on record. He died the year of the flood judgment (7:6).
Genesis 5:25-27 "And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: " "And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died."
The shortest life was followed by the longest, Methuselah begetting, at the advanced age of 187, Lamech, "strong or young man or the powerful", continuing after his son's birth 782 years.
And at last succumbing to the stroke of death in the 969th year of his age, the year of the Flood.
Methuselah signifies, 'he dies, there is a dart,' 'a sending forth,' namely, of the deluge, which came the year that Methuselah died. He lived 969 years, the longest that any man ever lived on earth; but even the longest living person must die at last.
This is a very interesting Scripture, as well. This Methuselah (descendent of Seth), lived longer than anyone else upon the earth.
Some writers believe that Methuselah died the day before the flood. This is pure conjecture taken from some writings other than the Bible. It could easily have happened, but as far as I know, the Bible does not substantiate this statement. We do know that it is a popular saying about someone who is very old, that they are as old as Methuselah.
It is commonly supposed, that Methuselah died a little before the flood; the Jewish writers say, seven days before, referring to (Gen. 7:10), and that he was taken away from the evil to come.
Genesis 5:28-29 "And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:" "And he called his name Noah, saying, This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed."
The oracle of the birth of the son of Lamech involves a wordplay, passing over the obvious etymology (origin of words and their meaning), of the name Noah, meaning "Rest." There is a somewhat similar verb, "nacham", meaning "comfort." The allusion (to 3:17), may be a sign that he treasured the promise (of 3:15).
That the patriarchs of the old world felt the ills of this earthly life in all their severity, was attested by Lamech (Genesis 5:28-29), when he gave his son, who was born 69 years after Enoch's translation, the name of Noah, saying, "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed."
Noah, meaning "rest" or "to bring rest", or "to comfort", in the sense of helpful and remedial consolation. Lamech, by whom the line was carried forward, was similarly far advanced when he begat a son, at the age of 182, (777 years total) and called his name Noah.
"This same shall comfort us": Comfort and rest would come through the godly life of Noah, who is an "heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Heb. 11:7).
"Lamech" means the powerful. It seems as if Lamech looked around him and saw a world with people not following God, but rather living for the here and now. The people around him had so discouraged him that he felt all was lost. Then God gave him this son Noah. Lamech realized that Noah was going to break the chain of endless toil and sin here on the earth. At last, there was hope.
Genesis 5:30-31 "And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:" "And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died."
In Enoch, the seventh from Adam through Seth, godliness attained its highest point; whilst ungodliness culminated in Lamech, the seventh from Adam through Cain, who made his sword his god.
Lamech not only felt the burden of his work upon the ground which God had cursed, but looked forward with a prophetic foreboding to the time when the existing misery and corruption would terminate, and a change for the better, a redemption from the curse, would come.
This foreboding assumed the form of hope when his son was born; he therefore gave expression to it in his name. But his hope was not realized, at least not in the way that he desired. A change did indeed take place in the lifetime of Noah.
By the judgment of the flood the corrupt race was exterminated, and in Noah, who was preserved because of his blameless walk with God, the restoration of the human race was secured.
But the effects of the curse, though mitigated, were not removed, whilst a covenant sign guaranteed the preservation of the human race, and therewith, by implication, his hope of the eventual removal of the curse (Genesis 9:8-17).
You know looking at these two verses really saddens me. Noah had sisters and brothers who did not believe and did not board the ark. Probably Noah's father, Lamech, had died, but what about Noah's sisters and brothers? If I truly understand the Scripture above, then they must have gone the way of the wicked world and been lost with all the others in the flood.
Genesis 5:32 "And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
"Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth": Japheth was the oldest (10:21), Ham the youngest (9:24). Shem is mentioned first because it was through him that God's Messiah would come. This chapter serves at least three purposes in the scheme of Genesis:
(1) It bears witness to man's value to God; by naming individuals and stages in this early human phase, each is known and remembered.
(2) It shows how the line of Seth, "the Appointed," led to Noah, "the Deliverer." And;
(3) It demonstrates both the reign of death by the refrain "and he died," and the standing pledge of death's defeat by the "taking" of Enoch.
This Scripture above does not tell us whether these boys were triplets, or whether it meant around the time Noah was 500 years old, or whether it means shortly after he was 500. It really doesn't matter for our study here.
"Noah" means rest. Certainly, there is a Sabbath of rest for those who enter the ark of safety through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Shem" means shame. "Ham" means hot (from a tropical habitat). "Japheth" means expansion. From these three young men, will spring the three types of people in the world, the Caucasian, the Oriental and the Negroid.
Genesis Chapter 5 Questions
. Chapter 5 is a genealogy of whom?
2. Did Jesus come from Seth's line or Cain's line?
3. In the day Adam and Eve were created, what did God call them?
4. When Adam was 130, what son was born to him?
5. How long did Adam live?
6. Enoch was seventh from whom?
7. Which of Enoch's sons was born when he was 65?
8. How old was Enoch when he went home with God?
9. Who lived the longest on the earth?
10. How long did he live?
11. What testimony did Enoch have?
12. What is a popular statement about someone who is old?
13. What does "Lamech" mean?
14. What probably happened to Noah's sisters and brothers?
15. What age was Noah when it is mentioned that he begat three sons?
16. Name the three sons.
17. What does "Noah" mean?
18. What does "Shem" mean?
19. What does "Ham" mean?
20. What does "Japheth" Mean?
21. Name three types of people that came from these three sons.
Verses 6:1-4: The account that follows records an act of degrading that reveals the end-point of God's patience.
Genesis 6:1 "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,"
Such long lifespans as indicated in the record of chapter 5 caused a massive increase in earth's population.
Genesis 6:2 "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."
Some have argued that the sons of God were the sons of Seth who cohabited with the daughters of Cain; others suggest they were perhaps human kings wanting to build harems.
The New Testament places this account in sequence with other Genesis events and identifies it as involving fallen angels who in-dwelt men (see notes on 2 Pet. 2:4-5; Jude 6). To procreate physically, they had to possess human, male bodies.
"Sons of God": (Hebrew bene Elohim) refers to the godly line of Seth, which intermarried with the daughters of men, the ungodly line of Cain. The result of these spiritually mixed marriages brought the judgment of God upon the primeval world.
While the term "sons of god" refers to angels in some passages (e.g. Job 1:6), this is certainly not the case here. Jesus clearly taught that angels do not "marry or give in marriage" (Matt. 22:30).
It is unimportant where they came from. I will give my opinion, and then go on. The most logical explanation to me is that Seth's descendants (sons of God) married Cain's descendants (daughters of men) and bare children. We had already mentioned that Seth's line was Godly and Cain's worldly.
These people probably had 20 or 30 children each. It wouldn't take long at that rate to multiply into a vast number. We will see 70 go into Egypt and become approximately three million. All we need to know here was that they didn't marry their sisters.
Anytime you see worldly people marry into a family of believers, it is difficult for the believing spouses to stay faithful to God. Evil destroys good.
Genesis 6:3 "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
"My spirit shall not always strive with man" is a reference to the Holy Spirit striving with, in the sense of judging or convicting, mankind for its sinfulness. Man was given 120 years after this warning, before the judgment of the Flood actually came.
God set a specific time limit before any penalty would occur in order to give humans a chance to repent. This principle is used repeatedly, such as when Nineveh was given a period to repent before any judgment was rendered (Jonah 3:9-10). This time span allowed the ways of righteousness to be preached (2 Peter 2:5), to the people while work was ongoing.
The Holy Spirit played a most active role in the Old Testament. The Spirit had been striving to call men to repentance and righteousness, especially as Scripture notes, through the preaching of Enoch and Noah (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5; Jude 14).
"Hundred and twenty years": The span of time until the Flood (1 Peter 3:20), in which man was given opportunity to respond to the warning that God's Spirit would not always be patient.
Genesis 6:4 "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown."
"Giants" or Nephilim": This word is from a root meaning "to fall," indicating that they were strong men who "fell" on others in the sense of over-powering them (the only other use of this term is in Numbers 13:33). They were already in the earth when the "mighty men" and "men of renown" were born. The fallen ones are not the offspring from the union in 6:1-2.
"Giants" (Hebrew Nephilim, perhaps "fallen ones" or "princes"). When the Israelites saw the Anakim they concluded they had seen "the Nephilim" (Num. 13:33).
"Mighty men (giborim, "warriors"): Note (in verse 11), that the earth was filled with violence.
"Men of renown" were literally "men of a name." In 11:4 the "reputation" or "name" is used in a derogatory sense, contrasted with God's giving Abram a good "name" (in 12:2). "Mighty one" is used of Nimrod in a negative sense (in 10:8-10). These giants already existed on earth and were not the offspring of the marriages mentioned.
I am not certain whether these "giants" meant physical stature, or whether it meant men like Enoch and Noah who were giants of faith. Perhaps these people were larger of stature than we are. We do know that years later Saul, who became the first king of Israel, was tall. An even taller man was Goliath.
Looking at the standpoint of giants in character, we do see in the descendants of Seth a group of people whose morals were above others of their day. I really tend to believe, because of the statement "mighty men, which were of old, men of renown", that it was speaking more of character than size.
Genesis 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually."
"Every imagination": The "formations" (2:7 where God "formed" man), is the same word as imagination (yetser).
"His heart was only evil continually": This is one of the strongest and clearest statements about man's sinful nature. Sin begins in the thought-life (see notes on James 1:13-15). The people of Noah's day were exceedingly wicked, from the inside out (Jer. 17:9-10; Matt. 12:34-35; 15:18-19; Mark 7:21; Luke 6:45).
Man's design or purpose was "nothing but evil all the day."
Beautiful women can easily turn the head of a good man and corrupt him, as Solomon was corrupted by his many wives. One sin leads to another. Soon, sin will grow so that it will become a habit, and cause a depraved mind. God judges the heart, and in the Scripture above, more than the deeds, God saw that their heart was stayed upon sin.
Genesis 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."
"Repented ... grieved": Sin sorrowed God who is holy and without blemish (Eph. 4:30; Exodus 32:14; 1 Sam. 15:11; Jer. 26:3).
This does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealings with man, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man. It is "an anthropopathism" (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures.
It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes.
So many parents today are so saddened by the lives of their children that they wish they had never had children. They can bring so much joy when things are right, but so much sorrow when they go bad.
God made man so He might fellowship with them. What a heartbreaking thing for them to turn away from their Creator and desire things of this world over God. I hurt with God in this.
Genesis 6:7 "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."
God promised total destruction when His patience ran out (Eccl. 8:11).
Here God's hurt and disappointment in mankind overflowed. He said He would destroy them. You see the animals, fowls, etc., were made for the use of man. There would be no need for them if Man was destroyed.
Not only had mankind gotten into every type of sin, but also which was worse, man stopped fellowshipping with God. Seth's descendants were now fellowshipping with Cain's descendants. God was about to reverse this whole situation and do away with His creation.
Genesis 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
"But Noah found grace": Lest one believe that Noah was spared because of his good works alone (Heb. 11:7), God makes it clear that Noah was a man who believed in God as Creator, Sovereign, and the only Savior from sin.
He found grace for himself, because he humbled himself and sought it (4:26; see notes on Isaiah 55:6-7). He was obedient, as well (6:22; 7:5; James 4:6-10).
This is the first occurrence of the word grace in Scripture. Its root meaning is "to bend or stoop," implying the condescending or unmerited favor of a superior person to an inferior one. It is often used redemptively (Jer. 31; Zech. 12:10). Mankind, the beasts of the field, and the fowl of the air would be destroyed; but God would call out a remnant for Himself.
"Noah" was the last of the pre-Flood patriarchs and the builder of the ark that survived the great Flood. He was 600 years old when the Flood began and lived to be 950 years of age. He is described in the Bible as a righteous man (verse 9), and a man of obedience (verse 22), and faith (Heb. 11:7).
The New Testament writers refer to him as an actual person (Matt. 24:37-38; Luke 17-26-27), and one who preached righteousness to his generation (2 Peter 2:5). God sealed His covenant with him by the sign of a rainbow (9:9-17). From his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the present world was populated (Gen. 6:8 - 10:1).
God loved Noah and God would take care of Noah. "Where sin doth abound, the grace of God doth much more abound". In the next few verses, we will see that Noah loved and respected God. Noah tried to live as nearly right as he could and still be in the flesh.
So many people do not understand grace, they believe "saved by grace" gives them the license to do anything they want to, and still be saved. Grace has even more requirements than the law.
God not only wants us to have the form of religion, as they did with the law, keeping the ordinances, but God wants us to have pure thoughts coming from a pure heart. He wants us to desire fellowship with Him so much that it is the most important thing in our lives.
Verses 6:9 - 9:29: The generations of Noah.
Genesis 6:9 "These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God."
"Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations ... walked" (Ezek. 14:14, 20; 2 Pet. 2:5). The order is one of increasing spiritual quality before God: "righteous" is to live by God's righteous standards; "blameless" sets him apart by a comparison with those of his day; and that he "walked with God" puts him in a class with Enoch (5:24).
The root for "just", basically means conformity to an ethical or moral standard (it is used of Noah, Daniel, and Job in Ezekiel 14:14, 20).
"Perfect" has the idea of "completeness"; or "that which is entirely in accord with truth and fact." Noah, like his godly ancestor Enoch (5:22, 24) "walked with God." He separated himself from the wickedness of his contemporaries and followed the Lord.
Genesis 6:10 "And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Noah was a just man seeking to please God and was blessed by Him with three sons.
Genesis 6:11 "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence."
"Corrupt ... filled with violence" (6:3, 5). The seed of Satan, the fallen rejecters of God, deceitful and destructive, had dominated the world.
It seems that masses of people were involved in every type of sin. Brother was killing brother. It seemed this Cain group had polluted the Seth descendants and violence and crime was rampant. Except for Noah, it seemed everyone was involved. Verse 12 tells how universal it was.
Genesis 6:12 "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."
We might say that about the earth now. There is crime on every hand. So many abominable things to God, prevail today such as rape, incest, homosexuality, murder, stealing, lying, cheating, adultery, disobeying parents, drugs, alcohol, filthy movies and television are common.
About the only way you can raise children to be Christians in this society today would be to totally isolate them from this evil and corrupt generation. The rock music alone can pervert a child's mind so badly, that he or she may never be able to function as a Christian.
Most who listen to the subliminal messages of this music cannot face reality of any kind, much less make firm decisions as a Christian. Our society has gone mad and God will not tolerate it.
We must realize that God is angry, and unless we repent as a nation, we will see something much worse than the flood, because our sins are more perverted than theirs. It seems there are no modern day Noahs', who have walked uprightly before God.
Genesis 6:13 "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."
"I will destroy them with the earth": Destroy did not mean annihilation, but rather referred to the flood judgment, both of the earth and its inhabitants.
The forces of nature are subject to God. If you will notice here, God was going to destroy them with the very thing that meant more to them than He did. You see, they had their eyes and their hearts caught up in the things of this earth; so, God would destroy them with the earth.
He was telling Noah, I am going to wipe them off the face of the earth. We will see (in verse 14), God provided a way out for all who earnestly seek to please Him.
Genesis 6:14 "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
"Ark": A hollow chest, a box designed to float on water (Exodus 2:3).
"Gopher wood": This may be a reference to cedar or cypress trees, abundant in the mountains of Armenia.
The dimensions of the "ark" given in verse 15 indicate it was more like a barge than a ship. It was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It had about 95,700 square feet on three decks, 1,400,000 cubic feet, and a gross tonnage of 13,960.
It was fully large enough to carry its prescribed cargo. Its carrying capacity equaled that of 522 standard railroad stockcars, which can carry 125,000 sheep. Thus, the ark was about the size of an oil tanker and was of proper seagoing dimensions for an ocean voyage.
"Pitch" refers to tar, which like oil is plentiful in the Near East. This was a resin substance to seal the seams and cracks in the wood.
We have heard so many preachers talk about this ark of safety. I think we should look at the physical and the spiritual implications this ark holds for all of us today.
If we are right with God, there is a way out of every problem that we face. Our ark of safety is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. As this ark saved Noah and his family, Jesus Christ will save us and our families. One thing that really concerns me today is that we are not building our ark as God commanded Noah to do.
Some are being saved, but very few are shoring up the sides and thoroughly preparing for the disaster. Noah was not saved from the flood, he was saved in it. We have a Brill Cream religion, a little dab will do you!
Noah worked continuously preparing. He never questioned whether God had told him the truth or not. He went diligently to work. God had a perfect plan for the ark. He has a perfect plan for us, too. Noah had an attribute that many could take a lesson from today. He took instruction well. When God spoke, he listened.
So many of us will not slow down enough for God to speak, and even if He does, we seldom listen; we are a generation that does not like to be instructed. Our hearing apparatus in the heart is coated over with cares of this world. How many people even bother to read God's word: to fellowship with God, we must get into His Word.
I hear people say "I don't understand the Bible". Get some help, get in a good Bible study and start digging. The best treasures are not on the surface. All is not lost, if we will just heed the Scripture in 2 Chronicles:
7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
We, Christians, are God's people who are called by Christ's name. As such an arrogant generation, how can we humble ourselves? Not many people will even admit to praying at home, and even fewer pray in public. We won't find God's face out playing golf, at football and baseball games, hunting, and all the other places that we put ahead of God.
If our people would read the Bible and pray even half the time that they watch television, it would really get God's attention. It is very plain what God would have us do. Become new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ, put God ahead of everything else and then, He will hear us, forgive us, and save us and our land.
Genesis Chapter 6 Questions
1. In verse 2, when men began to multiply upon the earth, what happened?
2. The most logical explanation of the sons of God and daughters of men, in my opinion, is what?
3. If Seth's line was Godly, what was Cain's?
4. Seventy people went into Egypt and approximately how many came out?
5. What are two opinions of the giants mentioned?
6. Who was the first king of Israel?
7. What causes a depraved mind?
8. In verse 7, name four things God said He would destroy.
9. What was even worse than man sinning?
10. In verse 8, what did Noah find in the eyes of the Lord?
11. Which has more requirements in God's sight, the law or grace?
12. What two descriptions of Noah were in verse 9?
13. What did Noah and Enoch have in common?
14. Name Noah's three sons.
15. What two things were rampant when God decided to destroy the earth?
16. Name ten or more things that are an abomination to God.
17. How could you raise children free of all this?
18. What are the forces of nature subject to?
19. What would God use to destroy them?
20. What kind of wood was used to make the ark?
21. What is our ark of safety?
22. What is a Brill Cream religion?
23. To fellowship with God, we must do what?
24. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us what?
Genesis 6:15 "And this [is the fashion] which thou shalt make it [of]: The length of the ark [shall be] three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits."
While the ark was not designed for beauty or speed, these dimensions provided extraordinary stability in the tumultuous floodwaters. A cubit was about 18 inches long, making the ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. A gigantic box of that size would be very stable in the water, impossible to capsize.
The volume of space in the ark was 1.4 million cubic feet, equal to the capacity of 522 standard railroad box cars, which could carry 125,000 sheep. It had 3 stories, each 15 feet high; each deck was equipped with various rooms (literally "nests").
This ark was to be made by specific directions of God so that it could hold up to the terrible strain of the high water. This boat was to house approximately 45,000 animals, which would cover several of all the species known on the earth today.
God also had specific places for Noah to place the animals, the foodstuff, and for the family of Noah. Noah had to follow every detail of instruction for this ark to be functional for the use God had intended it. The exact number of animals is just an estimate. No one knows for sure how many were aboard.
Genesis 6:16 "A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; [with] lower, second, and third [stories] shalt thou make it."
"A window" may have actually been a low wall around the flat roof to catch water for all on the ark.
This window was cut all the way around the ark under the roofline for light and ventilation. The "door" allowed an entrance for embarkation and debarkation. The three "stories" were to separate animals for safety and cooperation during the voyage.
This was a very precise and complicated ship to build. I assume that this window went the full length of the ship, and was 18 to 21 inches tall. This would give light and air to all inside. This door had to be a tall one to let in animals like giraffes.
The three stories were to separate the different types of animals, and for Noah's family to have separate quarters, as well.
Genesis 6:17 "And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die."
"Flood of waters": Other notable Scriptures on the worldwide flood brought by God include (Job 12:15; 22:16; Psalm 29:10; Isa. 54:9; Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27; Hebrews 11:7 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5; 3:5-6).
God was very specific that this judgment was from Him. This was not something Satan did. It is terrible to fall under Satan's attacks, but we can withstand him with the blood of Jesus. The worst is to fall under the judgment of God. There is no hiding or protection from this.
This judgment was on all except Noah's family, and the few animals chosen to reproduce on the earth. God was angry and would, without repentance, bring judgment.
Genesis 6:18 "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee."
"But with thee will I establish my covenant": In contrast with the rest of the created order which God was to destroy, Noah and his family were not only to be preserved, but they were to enjoy the provision and protection of a covenant relationship with God.
This is the first mention of "covenant" in Scripture. This pledged covenant is actually made and explained (in 9:9-17; see notes there).
God not only saves Noah because of his fellowship with God, but saves his family as well. God establishes His agreement (covenant), with Noah and his family, they alone would be saved. "Eight" means new beginnings, God would begin with Noah's family.
God invites us today to come into His ark of safety. Jesus Christ is the door we enter in by. Again, God was angry with a perverse generation. The Day of Judgment was here. God would not tolerate open and perverted sin.
Genesis 6:19 "And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every [sort] shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep [them] alive with thee; they shall be male and female."
There are less than 18,000 species living on earth today. This number may have been doubled to allow for now extinct creatures. With two of each, a total of 72,000 creatures is reasonable as indicated in the note of 6:15-16; the cubic space could hold 125,000 sheep, and since the average size of land animals is less than a sheep, perhaps less than 60 percent of the space was used.
The very large animals were surely represented by young.
Genesis 6:20 "Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every [sort] shall come unto thee, to keep [them] alive."
There was ample room also for the one million species of insects, as well as food for a year for everyone (verse 21).
God planned to repopulate the whole earth with these couples. The birds would not even have a place to rest, so even they had to be repopulated. There was no specific mention of fish. They would not die in the flood.
If you will notice in the Scriptures above, Noah did not go out to find these pairs of animals. The animals came to Noah ("shall come unto thee"). This was the only way to stay alive.
Genesis 6:21 "And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather [it] to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them."
The one thing that stands out so clearly in all of this is that God did not put the food in the ark for Noah. God told Noah to put it in the ark. Noah had to do the work himself. Truly he was directed by God, but Noah had to prepare.
It reminds me very much of the famine in Egypt in Joseph's time. God revealed the disaster to Joseph, and Joseph had to do the legwork to prepare for the famine. God never changes. He will reveal a problem to us before it happens so we can prepare for it. God will help us, but He will not do it for us.
Genesis 6:22 "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."
Noah recognized the instructions of God. Noah not only said yes sir, but he did something about it. Noah had to be a man of extra-ordinary faith. All this time, it had never rained upon the earth. People had to be laughing at Noah. He never once stopped working on the ark. He never once stopped warning of the impending doom.
The Bible is not very explanatory whether the sons worked to help Noah, or not.
As a quick over-all look again at chapter 6, let us remember that sin covered the earth. God judged everyone lost except Noah's family. Noah's moral life and great faith in God won God's favor, and God showed Noah a way out. Jesus Christ is our ark of safety (our way out). In Chapter 7, we will go into more detail about the flood and Noah's preparation for it.
1. What was the gopher wood probably?
2. How many cubits long was the ark?
3. How many cubits wide was the ark?
4. How many cubits high was the ark?
5. How many stories high was the ark?
6. What is it safe to assume about the windows?
7. What two things would the window furnish?
8. Why were there three stories?
9. Who brought the flood?
10. What was the purpose of the flood?
11. What is worse than an attack from Satan?
12. Who would God establish His covenant with?
13. How many people were saved?
14. What does that number mean?
15. What, or who, is our entrance to our ark of safety?
16. Why were male and female of each put in the ark?
17. Name three types brought into the ark?
18. Why was there no specific mention of fish?
19. Did Noah have to go out and catch the animals?
20. Did God provide food?
21. Who did the work?
22. What, in Joseph's time, reminds us of this?
23. Why does God reveal problems ahead to Christians?
24. Give two words describing Noah's faith.
25. How old was Noah when the flood waters were on the earth?
26. What two things must we remember in this Bible study?
27. In our quick look back at chapter 6, what covered the earth?
28. What two things saved Noah?
29. Who is our way out?
Genesis 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."
"Righteous (6:9; Job 1:1).
In this we see Noah's very difficult task finished. A righteous man or woman should be about winning their entire family to Christ and generally will be able to. The best way to win them is by living a separated life every day. God mentioned again that He was pleased with Noah.
Verses 7:2-3: "Sevens ... sevens": The extra 6 pairs of clean animals and birds would be used for sacrifice (8:20), and food (9:3).
Genesis 7:2 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female."
"Clean ... not clean": The distinction relates to sacrifice (in 8:20). Later, it has to do with eating (in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14).
"By sevens ... by two": Literally, "seven sevens" of every clean beast, which may mean seven pairs or three pairs, plus one, with the extra one being used for sacrifice later on.
Genesis 7:3 "Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."
"Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female". That is, of such as were clean; seven couple of these were to be brought into the ark, for the like use as of the clean beasts, and those under the law; and so at this time, and here meant were turtledoves, and young pigeons that were for sacrifice; and the rest were for food.
The design of bringing both into the ark was to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth; that the species of creatures might be continued, both of beasts and birds, clean and unclean.
Whether of beasts or birds; and the reason was that their rapid multiplication was a matter of the highest importance, when the earth should be renovated, for their utility either as articles of food or as employed in the service of man.
In verse 2 the first separation of clean and unclean animals was made. Clean animals would have to be more abundant to be used as food for Noah's family, and for sacrifice to God. This just goes into more detail. In verse 1, the call came. It is still our call to safety today.
Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."
Noah obeyed God's voice and came into the ark. Just as Noah went into his ark of safety by the door, we must enter into safety through Jesus Christ our Lord. Noah had lived in a very evil time, but stayed in right standing with God. We must live pure lives in this evil generation as well.
Verse 3 tells exactly why God brought the animals into the ark. It was to preserve the seed of every variety. The fowls were in sevens for the same reason. The animals were for food and for sacrifice.
Genesis 7:4 "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth."
God allowed one more week for sinners to repent.
"Rain ... forty days and forty nights": A worldwide rain for this length of time is impossible in post-Flood atmospheric conditions, but not then. The canopy that covered the whole earth (see note on 1:7), a thermal water blanket encircling the earth, was to be condensed and dumped all over the globe (verse 10).
These threatenings were from God; Divine in nature to purify the earth. Forty had always been a time of testing and trial, thus it rained forty days and forty nights. This seven days was an exacting time, again, seven means spiritually complete. The work was over. Divine judgment was here. God would destroy his creation.
In verse 5, we see the unquestioning obedience of Noah when God spoke.
Genesis 7:5 "And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him."
He prepared for his entrance into the ark, and all the creatures with him; got everything ready for them, the rooms for their habitation, and food for their sustenance.
Genesis 7:6 "And Noah [was] six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth."
When it began; he was in his six hundred and first year when it ended (Gen. 8:13).
His eldest son was now a hundred years old, since when Noah was five hundred years old he begat children (Gen. 5:32).
Noah was 500, he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and when the floods came he was 600. It seems approximately 100 years of obedience to God was necessary for Noah to be prepared.
Today the world ridicules the believers, just as they did in the days of Noah. We too, must keep the faith against all odds.
Genesis 7:7 "And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood."
The call to Noah is very kind, like that of a tender father to his children to come in-doors when he sees night or a storm coming. Noah did not go into the ark till God bade him, though he knew it was to be his place of refuge. It is very comfortable to see God going before us in every step we take.
Noah had taken a great deal of pains to build the ark, and now he was himself kept alive in it. What we do in obedience to the command of God, and in faith, we ourselves shall certainly have the comfort of, first or last. This call to Noah reminds us of the call the gospel gives to poor sinners. Christ is an ark, in whom alone we can be safe, when death and judgment approach.
The word says, Come; ministers say, Come; the Spirit says, Come, come into the Ark. Noah was accounted righteous, not for his own righteousness, but as an heir of the righteousness which is by faith (Heb. 11:7).
A very popular reason to come to God is to avoid destruction.
Genesis 7:8 "Of clean beasts, and of beasts that [are] not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,"
In obedience to a Divine impulse. Nothing short of Divine power could have effected such a timely and orderly entrance of the creatures into the huge vessel.
Genesis 7:9 "There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah."
"Went in two and two unto Noah": God compelled them to present themselves to Noah, as they did before to Adam, when he gave them names (Gen. 2:19).
In (Genesis 7:9 and Genesis 7:15), it is stated that "they came two and two," and (in Genesis 7:16), that "the coming ones came male and female of all flesh." In this expression "they came", it is clearly intimated, that the animals collected about Noah and were taken into the ark, without his having to exert himself to collect them.
It seemed as if there were invisible chains pulling the lion and lioness, the tigers, serpents, crocodiles, birds, and every creature. Don't you know it caused quite a stir for these animals and birds to congregate at the ark?
Genesis 7:10 "And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth."
For yet seven days, God spoke these words probably on the seventh or Sabbath day, and the days of the ensuing week were employed in entering the ark, in embarking the mighty troop, for whose reception ample provision had been already made.
As Noah prepared the ark by faith in the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it, by faith in this warning that it would come quickly. And on the day Noah was securely fixed in the ark, the fountains of the great deep were broken up.
The windows of heaven were opened, and the waters which were above the firmament, that is, in the air, were poured out upon the earth. The rain comes down in drops; but such rains fell then, as were never known before or since.
If I understand the above, it seems that Noah was in the ark seven days before the flood began. This would be one really good argument for the Christians being in heaven seven years before the horrors begin. I personally believe the problems will begin while we are still here, as the rain began while Noah was on the earth.
But the above seven days of safety in the ark before the flood came, could possibly be symbolic of the seven years we will be in heaven before the holocaust begins. It really does not say exactly when it started raining, or exactly at what point Noah entered the ark.
Genesis 7:11 "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."
"Month ... day": The calendar system of Noah's day is unknown, although it appears that one month equaled 30 days. If calculated by the Jewish calendar of Moses' day, it would be about May. This period of God's grace was ended (6:3, 8; 7:4).
"All the fountains of the great deep broken up": The subterranean waters sprang up from inside the earth to form the seas and rivers (1:10; 2:10-14), which were not produced by rainfall (since there was none), but by deep fountains in the earth.
"The windows of heaven were opened": The celestial waters in the canopy encircling the globe were dumped on the earth and joined with the terrestrial and the subterranean waters (1:7). This ended the water canopy surrounding the earth and unleashed the water in the earth; together these phenomena began the new system of hydrology that has since characterized the earth (see Job 26:8; Eccl. 1:7; Isa. 55:10; Amos 9:6).
The sequence in this verse, indicating that the earth's crust breaks up first, then the heavens drop their water, is interesting because the volcanic explosions that would have occurred when the earth fractured would have sent magma and dust into the atmosphere, along with gigantic sprays of water, gas, and air, all penetrating the canopy triggering its downpour.
This rain did not just fall from the sky, but it came from springs and openings in the earth as well. Water came from everywhere. It started on May 17 as we think of time.
Genesis 7:12 "And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights."
The windows of heaven were opened, and the waters which were above the firmament, that is, in the air, were poured out upon the earth. The rain comes down in drops; but such rains fell then, as were never known before or since. It rained without stop or abatement, forty days and forty nights, upon the whole earth at once.
Genesis 7:13 "In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;"
"Entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah": Not inconsistent with verses 4 and 5, which do not necessarily imply that the actual entry was made seven days before the Flood; but merely that Noah then began to carry out the Divine instructions.
The threefold recital of the entry: first in connection with the invitation or command (verse 5), and again in the actual process during the seven days (verse 7), and finally on the day when the Flood began (verse 15).
For sure we know that Noah was in the ark before the forty days and nights of rain, the other exact time that they entered the ark is speculation. I really believe verse 13 just means that the family all went in the same day. This warning God had given Noah in verse 4, that in seven days He would start the flood, was probably to give Noah a little more time to get his family into the ark.
Genesis 7:14-15 "They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort." "And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life."
There is a simple grandeur in the threefold description of the entrance of Noah and his retinue into the ark, first in the command, next in the actual process during the seven days, and lastly, in the completed act on the seventh day.
"Every living thing after its kind" is here unaccompanied with the epithet, evil or the qualifying term of the land or of the field, and therefore may, we conceive, be taken in the extent of Gen. 6:20; 7:2-3; 7:6.
At all events the whole of the wild animals did not need to be included in the ark, as their range was greater than that of antediluvian (before the flood), man or of the flood. "And the Lord shut him in." This is a fitting close to the scene. The whole work was manifestly the Lord's doing, from first to last.
Genesis 7:16 "And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in."
"And the Lord shut him in": No small event is spared in the telling of this episode, although the details are sparse.
God preserved Noah and his family.
This verse tells us that safety comes from the Lord. The seal was set by the Lord. He puts his seal of safety on us as well when we decide to follow Him.
Genesis 7:17 "And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth."
The flood of waters is described as a global flood. Universal terms ("all flesh," "everything"), are used 30 times in describing this Flood. The double superlatives ("every living thing of all flesh," and "all the high hills under the whole heaven"), clearly indicate that the author intended to state his case unmistakably.
The Hebrew word mabul ("deluge"), describes only this Flood, as does the New Testament Greek work kataklysmos, "cataclysm" (2 Pet. 3:3-7). The depth of the Flood and its duration indicate that it was no mere local flood. The size of the ark (95,700 square feet of deck space) and its gross tonnage indicate the magnitude of this Flood.
God's promise (9:11), that He would never again send such a flood upon the earth also confirms its uniqueness. Our Lord Jesus referred to both the historicity and universality of this Flood as an example of the worldwide judgment to accompany His second coming (Matt. 24:37-44). The conclusion is inescapable: the universal Flood is presented as a fact of history in the Bible.
As the rain came, the water rose and floated the ark upward. It seems it rained forty days and nights. In the next few verses, we will see that the water did not immediately go down.
Genesis 7:18 "And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters."
"And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth": Still they became greater and more powerful, as to bear up the ark, so to cast down houses, trees, etc. by the continual rains that fell, though perhaps they were not so violent as before, and by the constant eruptions of water out of the earth.
"And the ark went upon the face of the waters": it floated about upon them, in an easy gentle manner; for there were no storms of wind or tempests raised, which might endanger it. (If much of the water came from volcanic activity, and if earthquakes accompanied the breaking forth of the fountains of the deep, many tidal waves would result).
This would completely destroy any remains of the old civilization and as well give the ark a rough sea to drift in. The ark's dimensions would make it almost impossible to upset.
Genesis 7:19 "And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered."
"All the high hills": This describes the extent of the Flood as global. Lest there be any doubt, Moses adds "under the heavens" (2 Pet. 3:5-7). There are over 270 flood stories told in cultures all over the earth, which owe their origin to this one global event.
We understand by this that the mountain tops were covered and the ark floated above it all.
Genesis 7:20 "Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered."
"Fifteen cubits upward": The water level was 15 cubits (or about 22.5 feet) higher than the highest mountain, so that the ark floated freely above the peaks. This would include the highest peak in that area (8:4), which is approximately 17,000 feet high. That depth further proves it was not a local flood, but a global one.
In our studies, we know this would have not meant from the ground. These 15 cubits had to be above the highest mountain. Just as the plagues in Revelation get worse as each vial is poured out, this water and punishment was greater and greater.
Genesis 7:21 "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:"
All the men, women, and children, that were in the world, excepting those in the ark, died. The resulting death of all by drowning is here recounted.
Genesis 7:22 "All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died."
"All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life ... died" This statement refers solely to man, whose higher life is exclusively expressed by the phrase "breath of life" (Gen. 2:7). It affirms the death of the whole of mankind.
Genesis 7:23 "And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained [alive], and they that [were] with him in the ark."
The sum total of animal and vegetable life, with the exception of those in the ark, is here declared to be extinguished.
Here again, over and over, we see God making a difference between the lost sinners and those saved by Him.
Genesis 7:24 "And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days."
"Hundred and fifty days": These days included the 40 day and night period of rain (7:12, 17). The Flood rose to its peak at that point (8:3). It then took over 2-1/2 months before the water receded to reveal other mountain peaks (8:4-5), over 4-1/2 months before the dove could find dry land (8:8-12), and almost 8 months before the occupants could leave the ark (8:14).
This time was a time of security for Noah and his family. When we look back at Noah and the flood, we can see symbolisms of our day. First, sin prevailed as it does now in our land. Second, Noah found favor in God's sight as true Christians have found favor with God. Third, God provided a way out for Noah, Fourth, we are saved in tribulation. Fifth, God called Noah into the ark.
Jesus will blow a trumpet to call us to meet Him in the sky. Sixth, Noah knows rest and security in the ark. We will know peace and rest with Jesus. Seventh, we see Noah return to the earth. Christians will return with Jesus to earth.
Genesis Chapter 7 Questions
1. When God called Noah into the ark, He said because He had found Noah what?
2. What should a Christian man or woman be doing?
3. How many clean beasts should Noah bring into the ark?
4. Name two reasons for more clean than unclean animals.
5. God told Noah how many days ahead the rain would start?
6. How many days and nights was it to rain?
7. This number means what?
8. How old was Noah when the flood was on the earth?
9. What is a very popular reason to come to God?
10. What is one really good argument for seven years being spent in heaven by Christians?
11. What month of the year did the rain begin?
12. What day?
13. In verse 15 he describes what separates these from fish, what is it?
14. Who shut the door?
15. What was covered with the water?
16. How high did the waters prevail?
17. What comparison could be made with the flood and plagues?
18. How many days did the water prevail?
19. What was the first comparison to our day?
20. What was the second comparison to our day?
21. What was the third comparison to our day?
22. What was the fourth comparison to our day?
23. What was the fifth comparison to our day?
24. What was the sixth comparison to our day?
25. What was the seventh comparison to our day?
Genesis 8:1 "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;"
"God remembered Noah": This is not to intimate that during the days of the Flood, God had forgotten His righteous servant; the verb "remembered" refers to the special attention or personal care that God gives to His own.
God's covenant with Noah brought provision and protection in the midst of severe judgment. The remnant was preserved and God initiated steps toward reestablishing the created order on earth.
"The waters assuaged" (lessen or abate): God used the wind to dry the ground; evaporation returned water to the atmosphere.
The verb is used the same way concerning Samson (Judges 16:28); Hannah (1 Sam. 1:11); Abraham, for Lot's benefit (Gen. 19:29); on behalf of Israel (Exodus 2:24); and for the repentant thief on the cross (Luke 23:42).
As we have said many times before, the elements are subject to God's command. When God told the wind to blow, it blew. This word assuaged means the water was made to cease, or was trapped. I believe this water was congregated in lakes and rivers, etc.
Genesis 8:2 "The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;"
The whole race of mankind, except Noah and his family were now dead, so that God's remembering Noah, was the return of his mercy to mankind, of whom he would not make a full end. The demands of Divine justice had been answered by the ruin of sinners.
Genesis 8:3 "And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated."
God sent his wind to dry the earth, and seal up his waters. The same hand that brings the desolation must bring the deliverance; and to that hand, we must ever look. When afflictions have done the work for which they are sent, whether killing work or curing work, they will be taken away.
As the earth was not drowned in a day, so it was not dried in a day. God usually works deliverance for his people gradually, that the day of small things may not be despised, nor the day of great things despaired of.
Genesis 8:4 "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat."
The ark rested. It is stranded on some hill in Ararat. This country forms part of Armenia. As the drying wind most probably came from the east or north, it is likely that the ark was drifted toward Asia Minor, and caught land on some hill in the reaches of the Euphrates.
"Mountains of Ararat": The text says mountains, which indicates a range of mountains and not necessarily one peak. Today, Ararat rises about 17,000 feet above sea level. The ark rested on land 74 days after the end of the 150 days while the water abated.
It cannot be supposed that it rested on either of the peaks now called Ararat, as Ararat was a country, not a mountain, and these peaks do not seem suitable for the purpose. These were in the region of the Caucasus, also known as ancient Urartu, where the elevation exceeded 17,000 feet.
Oct. 17th was the end of the water prevailing; and, at that point, the water began to subside. There are many people who do not believe this flood was universal because it was just for the world of the Bible. It really doesn't matter. We know that it was a judgment of God on a wicked and perverse generation. For our study here, that is all that is necessary.
Many expeditions have been made to find the ark. A number of people have proclaimed seeing the ark. There are bad storms on this mountain and many have lost their lives searching for the ark. God does not want us to believe in the ark because we can see it, but because we know in our hearts the account of the ark was true.
Genesis 8:5 "And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth [month], on the first [day] of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen."
"And the waters decreased continually", literally, were going and decreasing, until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month. The decrease of the waters was for wise reasons exceedingly slow and gradual.
"Were the tops of the mountains seen": "Became distinctly visible" The waters had now been subsiding ten weeks, and as the height of the water above the highest hills was probably determined by the draught of the ark."
The tenth month": The waters ceased to prevail on the first of the ninth month. The ark, though grounded six weeks before, was still deep in the waters. The tops of the hills began to appear a month after. The subsiding of the waters seems to have been very slow.
Their 10th month would be January on our calendar, in fact, January 1st.
Genesis 8:6 "And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:"
Forty days after the appearance of the mountain tops, Noah opened the window of the ark and let a raven fly out (lit., the raven, i.e., the particular raven known from that circumstance), for the purpose of ascertaining the drying up of the waters.
"The window." He seems to have been unable to take any definite observations through the aperture here called a window.
Verses 8:7-12: "A raven ... a dove": Ravens survive on a broad range of food types. If any food was available outside the ark, the raven could survive. In contrast, a dove is much more selective in its food choices. The dove's choice of food would indicate that new life had begun to grow; thus, Noah and his family could also survive outside the ark.
Genesis 8:7 "And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth."
"And he sent forth a raven": That by it he might make his observation, how high or low the waters were upon the earth; so he sent out the raven, a bird of prey, which feeds on carrion, that if the earth had been dry, the smell of the dead carcasses would have invited it to go far off from the ark, and not return; but if not, he would see it again.
"Which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from the earth": Or, "and it went forth, going forth and returning" It went forth out of the ark, and returned, but might not go into it, but went forth again, and then returned; and thus it continued going backwards and forwards, until the waters were dried up, when it returned no more.
Take note of the difference in the raven and the dove. The raven was a dark bird, not trustworthy to do the job. So, Noah sent the dove, symbolic of the Holy Spirit of God.
Genesis 8:8 "Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;"
Noah then sent forth a dove, which returned the first time without good news; but the second time, she brought an olive leaf in her bill, plucked off, plainly showing that trees, fruit trees, began to appear above water.
Genesis 8:9-10 "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters [were] on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark." "And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;"
Noah sent forth the dove the second time, seven days after the first.
The dove has always been a help to mankind. The symbolic meaning of the dove is throughout the Bible. One of the most prominent was the lighting of the dove on Jesus at His baptism. The dove throughout the Bible means the Holy Spirit of God. (Our teacher and guide).
Genesis 8:11-12 "And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth [was] an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth." "And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more."
And the third time was after seven days also; probably on the Sabbath day.
Having kept the Sabbath with his little church, he expected especial blessings from Heaven, and inquired concerning them. The dove is an emblem of a gracious soul, that, finding no solid peace of satisfaction in this deluged, defiling world, returns to Christ as to its ark, as to its Noah, its rest.
The carnal heart, like the raven, takes up with the world, and feeds on the carrion it finds there; but return thou to my rest, O my soul; to thy Noah, so the word is (Psalm 116:7). And as Noah put forth his hand, and took the dove, and pulled her to him, into the ark, so Christ will save, and help, and welcome those that flee to him for rest.
The olive oil is also, symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Isn't it strange that this leaf was an olive leaf? The Holy Spirit is a promise of help to mankind.
There are all kinds of symbolisms here, as well. (The helper had done his work). Noah could take it from there. I could stay on this verse a week, but we are not studying symbols. We are studying from a spiritual standpoint.
Genesis 8:13 "And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], the first [day] of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry."
As the flood commenced on the 17th of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life, and ended on the 27th of the second month of the 601st year, it lasted a year and ten days; but whether a solar year of 360 of 365 days, or a lunar year of 352, is doubtful.
The former is the more probable, as the first five months are said to have consisted of 150 days, which suits the solar year better than the lunar.
The question cannot be decided with certainty, because we neither know the number of days between the 17th of the seventh month and the 1st of the tenth month, nor the interval between the sending out of the dove and the 1st day of the first month of the 601st year.
This occurred on April 1st, almost one year after the flood began. Whether he knocked a hole in the roof, or whether there had already been an observation opening, or not, we are not sure. It really appears, to me, that he removed roofing and went on top from the Scripture above. Again, this is supposition, no one knows for sure.
At first glance, Noah could not see water on the ground, but land that had been soaked with water that long, needed to dry thoroughly before Noah could walk on it without bogging down. God had called Noah into the ark. God would call him out.
I cannot overlook this symbolic message. When God calls us to a place to work, we had better stay there, until God tells us it is okay to leave.
Genesis 8:14 "And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried."
"And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day": From this it appears that Noah was in the ark a complete solar year, or three hundred and sixty-five days; for he entered the ark the 17th day of the second month, in the six hundredth year of his life (Gen. 7:11; 7:13), and continued till the 27th day of the second month, in the six hundredth and first year of his life.
And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
It was over a year since the flood began; a year and ten days to be exact. It began on May 17th and ended on May 27th, one year later. It did not rain a year, but the water was on the earth a year.
Genesis 8:15 "And God spake unto Noah, saying,"
"And God spake unto Noah, saying": Whether in a dream or vision, or by an articulate voice, appearing in a human form, or by an impulse on his mind, is not certain; however, the Lord spoke so to him, that he heard him and understood him: it was, no doubt, very rejoicing to him, since he had not heard his voice for a year or more.
Genesis 8:16 "Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee."
Noah declares his obedience, in that he would not leave the ark without God's express commandment, as he did not enter in without the same: the ark being a figure of the Church, in which nothing must be done outside the word of God.
Verses 17-19: "Be fruitful and multiply": In the process of replenishing the created order that He had judged with destruction, God repeated the words of the blessing which He had put upon non-human creatures (1:22).
Noah faced a new world where longevity of life began to decline immediately; the earth was subject to storms and severe weather, blazing heat, freezing cold, seismic action, and natural disasters.
Genesis 8:17 "Bring forth with thee every living thing that [is]with thee, of all flesh, [both] of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth."
"Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee": There is a various reading of the word for "bring forth"; according to the margin, as Jarchi observes, the sense is, order them to come forth; and according to the Scripture, if they will not, oblige them to come.
"Of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth": For of each of these there were some that went with him into the ark, and continued there. "That they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth": for which end they were preserved in the ark
In other words, turn them loose and let them go to make a home for themselves. These few would repopulate the world.
Genesis 8:18 "And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:"
"And Noah went forth": Being obedient to the divine command, and no doubt with great pleasure in his countenance, and with a heart full of thankfulness for so great a deliverance: and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: in all eight persons, and no more were saved in the ark.
As Peter observes (1 Peter 3:20), and the Arabic writers say: Noah and his sons built a city near the place where they came out of the ark, and called it Themanin, giving this as a reason of the name, we are eight, that is, who have escaped. So Berosus says that the earth being dried of the waters, there were then only eight in Armenia, from whence all mankind sprung.
Genesis 8:19 "Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, [and] whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark."
The command to leave the ark is given and obeyed. "The fowl, the cattle, and the creeper." Here, again, these three classes are specified. They are again to multiply on the earth. "Every living thing" evidently takes the place of the cattle mentioned before. "After their families" this word denotes their tribes. It is usually applied to families or clans.
"Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth": All went out, not one was left, and they went out after their kind; not in a confused disorderly manner, mixing with one another; but as they went in by pairs, male and female of every sort, so they came forth in like manner, or, "according to their families"
"After their kinds" literally, "according to their families," implying that there had been an increase in the ark.
Noah just opened the big door, and out they came. The same way they went in. Noah did not drive them out. It was as if some power, far beyond Noah's, was calling them out. This particular area is rugged and has much bad weather, so they most probably left the area, except for those for Noah's own personal use.
Genesis 8:20 "And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar."
"Noah builded an altar" This was done as an act of worship in response to God's covenant faithfulness in sparing him and his family.
Illustrating his walk with God, the Lord regarded this sacrifice as a "sweet savor," or more literally, "a smell of satisfaction" (Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9; 3:5, 16, all for the voluntary offering of consecration).
Noah's first thought was not of self, but God. Can you imagine the thanksgiving Noah was bringing to God for saving his family? This is firstfruits worship. It really did not matter what day of the week it was. It was Noah's first thought to please God.
God had not yet told His people what was clean and unclean, but Noah was so tuned to God, that he knew what was pleasing to Him. These altars were stones piled upon each other. Noah took no thought of the cost of the loss of animals; he was more interested in pleasing God.
Genesis 8:21 "And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done."
"Smelled a sweet savor": God accepted Noah's sacrifice.
"Curse ... smite": Regardless of how sinful mankind would become in the future, God promised not to engage in global catastrophe by flood again (9:11). See notes on (2 Pet. 3:3-10), for how God will destroy the earth in the future.
He promised never again to curse the ground, that is, to destroy the earth by a flood, and not a reversal of (3:17 or 5:29). Not (9:9-17), in this regard. If the Flood of Noah's day had been merely a local one, the Lord has violated His promise many times over.
This greatly pleased God. Noah had not only won blessings for himself, but for all mankind. The Lord's heart was touched by this unselfish act. God knows that man has an evil heart, until he completely turns to God. This sacrifice that Noah made, reconciled God to man.
The ground would no longer be cursed, but would grow. God said He would never again smite all mankind. A great promise for all mankind was made by God (in verse 22).
Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
"While the earth remaineth": With many alterations from the global flood, God reestablished the cycle of seasons after the catastrophic interruption.
"Shall not cease": This may be considered the basis text for the doctrine of "limited uniformitarianism." The theory of "total uniformitarianism" is refuted (in 2 Peter 3:1-6), for such a theory denies the possibility of a universal flood and a final supernatural judgment for the world.
Genesis 8:22 guarantees that after the Flood, the seasonal cycle will continue uninterrupted "while the earth remaineth", until the end of the Millennium. Thus, the doctrine of "limited uniformitarianism" assures us the world cannot be destroyed by water during our lifetime.
Uniformitarianism: Definition: The concept that the earth's surface was shaped in the past by gradual processes, such as erosion, and by small sudden changes, such as earthquakes. Of the type acting today rather than by the sudden divine acts, such as the flood survived by Noah (Genesis 6-8), demanded by the doctrine of catastrophism.
I cannot let this pass without taking note that this is while the earth remains. There will be a time (after the 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth), when there will be a new heaven and new earth for this one will have passed away.
In verse 22, not only a literal seedtime and harvest was meant. The Bible said one will plant; another water, but God will get the increase. I believe the planting days are about over. Harvest time is here. The fields are white unto the harvest.
God is about to gather us into His barn, and there will be no night there, for we will be in the presence of the Light. Night shall cease then. There will be one eternal day. Not until we are carried home to be with God, will this be so.
Genesis Chapter 8 Questions
1. What did God cause to come over the earth to begin the drying process?
2. Are the elements under God, or Satan?
3. What does assuaged mean?
4. In verse 2, two things were stopped, what were they?
5. After how many days were the waters abated?
6. What mountain did the ark settle on?
7. When?
8. By our time, what month and day is this?
9. Why do many people believe this flood was not universal?
10. What was this flood?
11. What Country is the Mount Ararat located in?
12. Why has it been so difficult to physically prove the ark's existence?
13. The tenth month was actually what month to us?
14. What was the first bird sent out by Noah?
15. Why was it called by that name?
16. What second bird did Noah send out?
17. What is it symbolic of?
18. How many times did Noah send the second bird out?
19. On the second trip out, what did it bring back?
20. Why is the Holy Spirit a promise to mankind?
21. What month of our calendar did Noah remove the covering from the ark and look out?
22. What message for our day do we get from Noah waiting until God called him out of the ark?
23. How long had Noah been in the ark when he came out on dry land?
24. What was the first thing Noah did when he got on dry land?
25. How did Noah know what was clean and unclean?
26. In verse 21, how did this offering effect God?
27. What promises did God make at this time?
28. What are two ways to look at seedtime and harvest?
29. Is there a message for our day in all of this?
30. What is it?
Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
"Blessed Noah ... Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth": God blessed Noah and re-commissioned him to fill the earth (1:28).
Not only did God bless Noah by saving him and his family during the flood, but this was another blessing that God spoke on Noah and his family. God's request was that they produce children and repopulate the earth.
Verses 2-3: "The fear of you": Man's relationship to the animals appears to have changed, in that man is free to eat animals for sustenance (verse 3).
Genesis 9:2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered."
"Fear ... dread" take the place of the previous harmony between man and animals. God now sanctions man to eat animals. However, further revelation (in Leviticus 17:10), prohibits eating blood.
We see by this that man is higher than animal form. You can, also, see how ridiculous it would be to believe that man evolved from a monkey (animal). All animals have a natural (God given), fear of mankind. God made them all for the use of mankind.
Genesis 9:3 "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things."
This statement discounts being a vegetarian. The counterpart of this verse in the New Testament is (1 Timothy 4):
1 Timothy 4:1-3 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" "Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."
You see, God wants us to enjoy the things He has provided for us.
In Luke, we read the account of Jesus telling the parents of the little girl He raised from the dead, to feed her some meat.
Luke 8:55 "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."
Genesis 9:4 "But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."
"Blood": Raw blood was not to be consumed as food. It symbolically represented life. To shed blood symbolically represented death (Lev. 17:11). The blood of animals, representing their life, was not to be eaten. It was, in fact, that blood that God designed to be a covering for sin (Lev. 17:11).
At first glance, you would think that this Scripture contradicts the above Scriptures, but it does not. The word that was translated flesh, above, means the flesh of mankind. What it was saying, is do not eat human flesh. Basar is the word translated "flesh", and it means person, mankind, or man body. You see, God does not make mistakes. Our interpretation sometimes confuses us.
Genesis 9:5 "And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man."
"And surely your blood of your lives will I require": The God-given right of executing murderers involves the establishment of human government following the Flood. This right of capital punishment has not been rescinded during the Christian era (Acts 25:11; Rom. 13:4).
The really terrible thing about murder is that it strikes at the very image of God in man, which makes man of vital importance to God.
"Beast ... man": Capital punishment was invoked upon every animal (Exodus 21:28), or man who took human life unlawfully. See (19:11; Acts 25:11; Rom. 13:4), for clear New Testament support for this punishment.
Genesis 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."
"For in the image of God": The reason man could kill animals, but neither animals nor man could kill man, is because man alone was created in God's image.
Man is a special creation of God, and made in God's image and He will not allow the murder of mankind.
Genesis 9:7 "And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein."
"And you, be ye fruitful and multiply": Instead of taking away the lives of men, the great concern should be to multiply them; and this indeed is one reason of the above law, to prevent the decrease and ruin of mankind; and which was peculiarly needful, when there were so few men in the world as only four, and therefore it is repeated in stronger terms:
"Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein": that the whole earth might be overspread with men, and re-peopled sufficiently, as it was by the sons of Noah.
Verses 9-17: This is the first covenant God made with man, afterwards called the Noahic Covenant.
Genesis 9:8-10 "And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying," "And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;" "And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth."
The covenant made with Noah (Genesis 6:18), is now formally confirmed. The purpose conceived in the heart (Genesis 8:21), now receives significant expression. Not only a new blessing is bestowed, but also a new covenant is formed with Noah. For he that has offered an acceptable sacrifice is not only at peace with God, but renewed in mind after the image of God.
To give Noah and his sons a firm assurance of the prosperous continuance of the human race, God condescended to establish a covenant with them and their descendants, and to confirm this covenant by a visible sign for all generations. In summing up the animals (in Genesis 9:10), the prepositions are accumulated.
First embracing the whole, then to those which went out of the ark, and lastly "with regard to," extending it again to every individual. "With you ... with your seed ... with every living creature": The covenant with Noah included living creatures as was first promised (in 6:18).
Genesis 9:11 "And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."
"By the waters": The specific promise of this covenant, never to destroy the world again by water, was qualified by the means, for God has since promised to destroy the earth with fire one day (2 Peter 3:10-11; Rev. 20:9; 21:1).
We see here, that God had reconciled Himself to man. God Himself established the covenant. Covenant was translated from the word "beright". It means (in the sense of cutting), compact (made by passing between pieces of flesh), or it could mean confederacy or league.
Many serious covenants were made by killing an animal and passing between the two halves of the animal. At any rate, we know that this promise of God to mankind was a very serious promise. It probably was sealed by blood.
Genesis 9:12 "And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations;"
"The token of the covenant": The rainbow is the perpetual, symbolic reminder of this covenant promise, just as circumcision of all males would be for the Abrahamic Covenant (17:10-11).
This covenant involved the dispensation of human government, with humanity governing itself. Man was responsible to govern the world for God. The governing covenant of this era was the Noahic covenant (verse 11).
Under it, man's relationship to the earth and to the order of nature was confirmed (verses 2-11), human government was established, and God promised never again to use a universal flood to judge the world (verses 11-17).
The failure of man under his dispensation culminated in the building of the tower of Babel and resulted in the judgment of the confusion of tongues (11:1-3, 7).
Notice here, that just like salvation, this covenant of God was made by Him alone. Mankind has nothing to offer God as surety. Salvation is a free gift; we have nothing good enough to trade for it. Please also note that this covenant was not just for Noah and his sons, but for all of us, as well. This word that is translated perpetual could mean a number of things.
"Olam" means: Vanishing point, time out of mind, always, eternity, or without end. You see, this promise is still good today.
Genesis 9:13-15 "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." "And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:" "And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh."
The seal of this covenant was the rainbow, which it is likely, was seen in the clouds before, but was never a seal of the covenant till now it was made so. The rainbow appears when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing; God then shows this seal of the promise that it shall not prevail. The thicker the cloud, the brighter the bow in the cloud.
Thus, as threatening afflictions abound, encouraging consolations much more abound. The rainbow is the reflection of the beams of the sun shining upon or through the drops of rain: all the glories of the seals of the covenant are derived from Christ, the Sun of righteousness. And he will shed a glory on the tears of his saints.
A bow speaks terror, but this has neither string nor arrow; and a bow alone will do little hurt. It is a bow, but it is directed upward, not toward the earth; for the seals of the covenant were intended to comfort, not to terrify. As God looks upon the bow, that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we may be mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness.
"I will remember": Not simple recognition, but God's commitment to keep the promise.
Genesis 9:16 "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that [is] upon the earth."
"The everlasting covenant": This covenant with Noah is the first of 5 divinely originated covenants in Scripture explicitly described as "everlasting." The other 4 include;
(1) Abrahamic (Gen. 17:7);
(2) Priestly (Num. 25:10-13);
(3) Davidic (2 Sam. 23:5); and
(4) New (Jer. 32:40).
The term "everlasting" can mean either
(1) To the end of time and/or;
(2) Through eternity future. It never looks back to eternity past.
Of the 6 explicitly mentioned covenants of this kind in Scripture, only the Mosaic or Old Covenant was nullified.
Genesis 9:17 "And God said unto Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth."
"And God said to Noah, this is the token of the covenant": Which is repeated for the greater confirmation and certainty of it, since the fears of men would be apt to run very high, especially while the flood was fresh in memory.
An "everlasting covenant" is a covenant "for perpetual generations," one which shall extend to all ages, even to the end of the world.
The fact that God Himself would look at the bow and remember His covenant, was "a glorious and living expression of the great truth, that God's covenant signs, in which He has put His promises, are real vehicles of His grace, that they have power and essential worth not only with men, but also before God".
We need to realize in all of this that the rainbow has a twofold message in it. When we look at the rainbow, we are assured that God will not destroy the earth and all in it again by a flood. The other promise and the covenant He made with mankind through Noah.
Sometimes, I am sure, God despairs of mankind and their evil ways. God cannot, and will not lie. His covenant with man is good even now.
Genesis 9:18 "And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham [is] the father of Canaan."
"Shem" was thought to be the oldest, and he was in the messianic line (note the order in 5:32; 6:10; 7:13; and 10:1).
"Ham Is the father of Canaan": Canaan's offspring, the idolatrous enemies of Israel whose land Abraham's descendants would later take (15:13-16), became a primary focus in chapter 10. This notation is important since Moses was writing the Pentateuch just before the Israelites took Canaan.
This circumstantial clause actually traces the beginnings of the family of Canaanites and shows that Ham, acting as he did, revealed himself as the true "father" of Canaan, which would recall to the Israelite mind many unfavorable images because of their corrupting influence (12:6; 13:7; 15:16; 18:20-22; 19:38; Lev. 18:2-6).
The word "Canaan" means humiliated. This Canaan, here mentioned, was not a country; it is a man's name.
Genesis 9:19 "These [are] the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread."
"Of them was the whole earth": All men who have ever lived since the Flood came from these 3 sons of Noah (10:32). The "one man" (Acts 17:26), from whom all nations came is Adam through Noah. All physical characteristics of the whole race were present in the genetics of Noah, his sons and their wives.
The word translated earth here, is a very versatile word. It could mean a country, a nation, or in fact, the entire world. If you believe the translation means the entire world, then you must also believe that there were no other living beings except Noah and his family, and that all the nationalities of the world sprang from these few of Noah's family.
Because of the words "whole earth", I believe the above means the entire earth (the whole globe).
Genesis 9:20 "And Noah began [to be] an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:"
"Noah began": The word began brings an ominous note to the early stories in Genesis (10:8; 11:6).
"Husbandman" literally means "man of the soil," perhaps indicating "master of the earth," or "lord of the earth."
The indication of the word "husbandman" is that Noah took on the responsibility of his family, and began to cultivate the earth. His mistake was in growing grapes to make wine. These next few verses we are about to study, just prove that even though a person has walked with God and pleased God in the past, he still can fall back into sin, if he gets careless in his fellowship with God.
Genesis 9:21 "And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent."
"Was drunken": Fermentation, which leads to drunkenness, may have been caused by changed ecological conditions as a result of the Flood. Noah may have taken off his clothes because of the heat or been involuntarily exposed due to his drunkenness.
"And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered" ["uncovered himself"] "within his tent": Noah had been so faithful to God that it is unlikely that he did this deliberately. His drunken condition may have been a totally unexpected result of the changed environment after the Flood.
When a person drinks enough to get drunk, he is not aware of things like being covered up. Drunkenness brings on a lapse of your will. Nothing good can come from this type behavior.
Genesis 9:22 "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without."
"Ham ... saw the nakedness of his father": There is no reasonable support for the notion that some perverse activity in addition to seeing nakedness, occurred. But clearly, the implication is that Ham looked with some sinful thought, if only for a while until he left to inform his brothers.
Perhaps he was glad to see his father's dignity and authority reduced to such weakness. He thought his brothers might share his feelings so he eagerly told them. They did not however, share his attitude (verse 23).
While many explanations have been suggested for this phrase, it is best to take it to mean merely what it says. There is no indication of any gross violation. The phrase is not the same as (in Leviticus 20:17), where it is parallel to another term used exclusively for sexual violations.
The phrase indicates that this violation of privacy was merely the beginning of eventual sexual degradation.
Genesis 9:23 "And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid [it] upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces [were] backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness."
The conduct of Shem and Japheth was such as became pious and affectionate children, who appear to have been in the habit of treating their father with decency, reverence, and obedient respect.
On the one the spirit of prophecy (not the incensed father), pronounces a curse: on the others the same spirit (not parental tenderness), pronounces a blessing. These things had been just as they afterwards occurred had Noah never spoken. God had wise and powerful reasons to induce him to sentence the one to perpetual servitude, and to allot to the others prosperity and dominion.
Besides, the curse pronounced on Canaan neither fell immediately upon himself nor on his worthless father, but upon the Canaanites; and from the history we have of this people (in Lev. 18:6-7; 18:24; 18:29-30; 20:9; 20:22-24; 20:26; Deut. 9:4; 12:31). We may ask, could the curse of God fall more deservedly on any people than on these?
Their profligacy was great, but it was not the effect of the curse; but, being foreseen by the Lord, the curse was the effect of their conduct. But even this curse does not exclude them from the possibility of obtaining salvation; it extends not to the soul and to eternity, but merely to their bodies and to time.
Though, if they continued to abuse their liberty, resist the Holy Ghost, and refuse to be saved on God's terms, then the wrath of Divine justice must come upon them to the uttermost. How many, even of these repented, we cannot tell.
There are several things we need to notice here. Canaan was born before Ham sinned. By revealing his father's nakedness, Ham did the very opposite of honoring his father. He really was making fun of his father in his drunken condition.
Yet Shem and Japheth acted with respect. I believe moral character gets involved here. Ham had poor morals. We have discussed the names of these sons in a previous lesson. We learn through this incident, the three types of people will spring from these three sons, (the Negroid, Caucasian, and Oriental).
Genesis 9:24 "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him."
The writer does not mean to affirm that Noah resumed his agricultural operations after the flood, but that as a husbandman he began to cultivate the vine; because it was this which furnished the occasion for the manifestation of that diversity in the character of his sons, which was so eventful in its consequences in relation to the future history of their descendants.
In ignorance of the fiery nature of wine, Noah drank and was drunken, and uncovered himself in his tent (Genesis 9:21). Although excuse may be made for this drunkenness, the words of Luther are still true: "This trifling fall served to display the hearts of his sons. Ham saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Not content with finding pleasure himself in his father's shame, he just proclaimed his disgraceful pleasure to his brethren, and thus exhibited his shameless sensuality.
The brothers, on the contrary, with reverential modesty covered their father with a garment which was at hand), walking backwards that they might not see his nakedness (Genesis 9:23), and thus manifesting their childlike reverence as truly as their refined purity and modesty.
For this they receive their father's blessing, whereas Ham reaped for his son Canaan the patriarch's curse. In Genesis 9:24 Ham is called "his (Noah's), little son," and it is questionable whether the adjective is to be taken as comparative in the sense of "the younger," or as superlative, meaning "the youngest."
There is an awakening always. What sorrow was brought on this family through this one act!
Verses 25-27: "Cursed be Canaan": The shift from Ham to his son Canaan established the historic legitimacy of Israel's later conquest of the Canaanites. These were the people with whom Israel had to do battle shortly after they first heard Moses' reading of this passage. Here, God gave Israel the theological basis for the conquest of Canaan.
The descendants of Ham had received a sentence of judgment for the sins of their progenitor. (In 10:15-20), the descendants of Canaan are seen to be the earlier inhabitants of the land later promised to Abraham.
Genesis 9:25 "And he said, Cursed [be] Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."
"Cursed be Canaan": The essence of this prophetic curse is that only the Canaanites are cursed, not all of Ham's descendants.
"Servant of servants": literally denotes the most abject slavery. Even when the blessings are declared for the brothers, the theme of Canaan's servitude is repeated both times.
The Canaanites were white. In no way is this to be interpreted as a curse on the black race. The Canaanites inhabited Palestine and were first subjugated by Joshua and later by Solomon (such as Carthage), were finally conquered by the Japhetic Romans.
They practiced ritual prostitution, homosexuality, and various orgiastic rites, and were the center of God's prophecy of judgment (in Genesis 15:16), to be carried out by Israel after their sojourn in Egypt. But the curse did not preclude individual salvation, for Rahab joined Israel and Hiram, king of Tyre, gave materials for the temple.
Genesis 9:26 "And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."
"Blessed be the Lord God of Shem": Shem's blessing is a spiritual one, by virtue of his knowing Yahweh. It looks to his descendants, Israel, who would enter a covenant relationship with Him (in Exodus 19 and 20). By blessing one's God, the man himself is blessed. The Jews are of Semitic origin, from Shem (Semitic are people who speak Hebrew and Arabic).
"And Canaan shall be his servant": Conquered peoples were called servants, even if they were not household or private slaves. Shem, the ancestor of Israel, and the other "Semites" were to be the masters of Ham's descendants, the Canaanites. The latter would give their land to the former.
Genesis 9:27 "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."
"Japheth" is the verb meaning "to enlarge," and Japheth's descendants would receive the temporal blessings along with the prospect of participation with Shem ("dwell in the tents of Shem"). They dominated the great northern frontier from the Aegean Sea to the highlands of Iran and northward to the steppes beyond the shores of the Black Sea.
"Dwell in the tents": This means that spiritual blessings would come to the Japhethites through the God of Shem (verse 26), and the line of Shem from which Messiah would come.
Here, we see the contrast of blessing for respect of the father, through Shem and Japheth, and cursing for disrespect of the father through descendants of Ham. Notice the blessing (in verse 26), "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem". You see, it is the God of Shem who was blessed.
Genesis 9:28-29 "And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years." "And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died."
"And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years": So, that he not only saw the old world and the wickedness of that, and the destruction of it for it, but an increase of wickedness again, the building of the tower of Babel, the confusion of languages, the dispersion of his offspring, and the wars among them in the times of Nimrod, and others.
However, it was a blessing to mankind that he lived so long after the flood in the new world, to transmit to posterity, by tradition, the affairs of the old world; and to give a particular account of the destruction of it, and to instruct them in the doctrines and duties of religion.
The Jews conclude from hence, that he lived to the fifty eighth year of Abraham's life: it may be remarked, that it is not added here as usual to the account of the years of the patriarchs, "and he begat sons and daughters".
From whence it may be concluded, that he had no more children than the three before mentioned, as well as from the silence of the Scriptures elsewhere, and from the old age of himself and his wife, and especially from what is said.
From (9:24-29), Noah declares a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham; perhaps this grandson of his was guiltier than the rest. A servant of servants, that is, the meanest and most despicable servant, shall he be, even to his brethren. This certainly points at the victories in after-times obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were put to the sword, or brought to pay tribute.
The whole continent of Africa was peopled mostly by the descendants of Ham. And for how many ages have the better parts of that country lain under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and now of the Turks! In what wickedness, ignorance, barbarity, slavery, and misery most of the inhabitants live!
And of the poor negroes, how many every year are sold and bought, like beasts in the market, and conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the work of beasts in another!
But this in no way excuses the covetousness and barbarity of those who enrich themselves with the product of their sweat and blood. God has not commanded us to enslave Negroes; and, without doubt, he will severely punish all such cruel wrongs.
Genesis Chapter 9 Questions
1. In verse 1, God told Noah and his sons to do what two things?
2. Into whose hands were the animals delivered?
3. What did verse 2 tell us about man evolving as a monkey?
4. What shall be meat for mankind?
5. In Genesis 9 and in 1 Timothy 4, it speaks against being what?
6. In Luke, what did Jesus tell the parents to give the little girl?
7. In verse 4, what did the word that was translated flesh mean?
8. Was this a contradiction?
9. What will God require for the life of a man?
10. Why?
11. Who did God covenant with?
12. For how long?
13. What does the rainbow tell us?
14. For whom is the rainbow shown? Name two.
15. Who was the father of Canaan?
16. What does Canaan mean?
17. By whom was the whole earth overspread?
18. What did husbandman indicate here?
19. Is it possible to fall back into sin after salvation?
20. What happened to Noah, when he got drunk?
21. Which of the three sons did not show respect to Noah?
22. What happened to him?
23. What are the three basic types of people in the world?
24. How many years after the flood did Noah live?
25. How old was he, when he died?
Verses 10:1 - 11:9: The genealogy of Shem, Ham and Japheth (verse 1).
Genesis 10:1 "Now these [are] the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood."
"Sons of Noah": All the people of the world since the Flood have descended from the three sons of Noah (Acts 17:26).
This Scripture, above, was telling us about the descendants of Noah and his sons, who were born after the flood. There is no record of a birth while they were on the ark.
Genesis 10:2 "The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras."
The historian has not arranged this catalogue according to seniority of birth; for the account begins with the descendants of Japheth, and the line of Ham is given before that of Shem though he is expressly said to be the youngest or younger son of Noah.
"The sons of Japheth": Who though mentioned last, the genealogy begins with him, by a figure which experts in formal rhetoric call a "chiasm". The posterity of Japheth are those whom Hesiod often calls "Iapetionides", and him "Iapetus".
According to Josephus, the sons of Japheth inhabited the earth, beginning from the mountains Taurus and Amanas, and then went on in Asia unto the river Tanis, and in Europe unto Amanas.
Seven of his sons are mentioned, and the first is Gomer; from whom, according to the same writer, came the Gomareans or Gomerites, in his time called by the Greeks Galatians, that is, the Gauls of Asia minor, who inhabited Phrygia.
It is plain from (Ezekiel 38:6), that Gomer and his people lay to the north of Judea, and the posterity of Japheth went first into the northern parts of Asia, and then spread themselves into Europe: six more of his sons follow, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
The first of these, Magog, was the father of a northern people which bore his name (see Ezekiel 38:2), and according to Josephus, who is generally followed, are the same that were called Scythians; from Madai came the Medes, often spoken of in Scripture, along with the Persians.
So Josephus says, from him came the nation of Mandaeans, whom the Greeks call Medes; and very frequently in Scripture the Medes go by the name of Madai, their original ancestor.
The word "Japheth" means expansion, which is a very good example of just what happened. These sons, like Gomer, became the name of a tribe of people. Each son started a tribe with the family name as the name of the tribe. Magog is a name we see throughout the Bible as a tribe of people.
Some believe this to be Libya, others believe that Gog in the land of Magog is referring to Russia. Besides this reference in Genesis, Magog was mentioned strongly in Ezekiel as an enemy of Israel (Ezekiel 38:2 and 39:6).
The Medes sprang from Madai, the third son of Japheth. These sons spread and populated different countries, as God had instructed them to do.
Javan, many believe, was the descendant of Greeks. In (Isaiah 66:19), where this name was mentioned, it is associated with Tarshish, Pul. Lud and "the isles afar off" are probably, the Gentiles of many nations.
For our study here, I believe all of these sons populated a different area and started tribes of people by that name. Tubal, many believe, founded Tibernia near the Black Sea. Meshech was often mentioned together with Tubal, and probably, populated the area of Northern Assyria.
Genesis 10:3 "And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah."
"And the sons of Gomer": Who was the first of the sons of Japheth, three who are mentioned: the first of these seated himself in the lesser Asia, in Pontus and Bithynia; there were some traces of his name in the river Ascanius, and in the Ascanian lake or bay.
And also in the lesser Phrygia or Troas, where was a city called Ascania, and where were the Ascanian isles, and the Euxine Pontus, or Axeine, as it was first called, which is the sea that separates Asia and Europe, and is no other than a corruption of the sea of Ashkenaz.
Ashkenaz, probably, was Assyrian. They were, also, known as the Scythians. The name was associated with barbarians. Riphath was an obscure tribe that seemed to not be mentioned again. The descendants of Togarmah were mentioned (in 1 Chronicles 1:6).
They are mentioned as being traders who trafficked with Tyre in horses, horsemen, and mules (in Ezekiel 27:14).
In (Ezekiel 38), they were named along with Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya as followers of Gog.
Genesis 10:4 "And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim."
As Javan peopled a considerable part of Greece, it is in that region that we must seek for the settlements of his descendants; Elishah probably was the first who settled at Elis, in Peloponnesus.
We know very little about Elishah, except that his descendants were island people who sold purple and scarlet fabric to Tyre. Many people believe these were Cyprus, or Kittim. The Aegean Coast was rich in purple shells. Whether this has a connection, I cannot say.
"Tarshish" is a Phoenician word meaning smelting plant, or refinery. Nearly every time the word Tarshish was mentioned in the Old Testament, it was associated with ships, merchants, and trade. Whatever the area, we do get an indication, here, that these people shipped metals to various places.
Tarshish first inhabited Cilicia, whose capital anciently was the city of Tarsus, where the Apostle Paul was born.
Kittim had no certain area that can be proved by the Bible. It could have been used loosely for the islands of the coast, maybe Cyprus.
Dodanim, the Bible does not explain. Some scholars believe this was Troy. Really, unless the Bible carries the name through the Scriptures, it probably means it is irrelevant to the spiritual teachings.
The Bible leaves no questions about these sons of Javan, because verse 5 told us exactly what happened to them.
Genesis 10:5 "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."
"Divided ... after his tongue": This act describes the situation after the Tower of Babel account (in chapter 11).
In (verse 5), I do want us to take note that the descendants of Japheth did as God instructed, and scattered, and populated the area God has given them. Take note also, that these people spoke different languages. This will be very important to remember as we go on.
We also need to take note, at this point, that all of these people that we have studied in the first part of this lesson today were descendants of Noah through his son Japheth, probably Caucasians.
In verse 6 there was a break from the first five verses. We will now take up the descendants of Noah through Ham.
Verses 10:6-20: The sons of Ham": Many of whom were Israel's enemies.
Genesis 10:6 "And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan."
"And the sons of Ham": Next to the sons of Japheth, the sons of Ham are reckoned. Their territory generally embraced the southern portions of the globe. The most usual ancient name of the country was Kern, the black land.
Scripture speaks of Egypt as the land of Ham (Psalm 78:51; Psalm 105:23; Psalm 106:22), Cush, Ethiopia, including Arabia, and Abyssinia. The original settlement of Cush, however, is believed to have been on the Upper Nile, whence he afterwards spread to Arabia, Babylonia, and India.
We learned in a previous lesson that the name "Ham" means hot. Most people believe that Ham was the father of the Negroid nations. It is impossible to prove this either way, except to note that some of Ham's descendants settled Africa, and Ethiopia, and other black nations.
Cush probably settled Ethiopia too, (this is commonly accepted). Mizraim was commonly accepted as Egypt. "Mizraim" was translated Egypt eighty-seven times in the Bible. Phut was an African country or peoples, probably joining Egypt.
Canaan was, probably, ancient evil Palestine before Joshua, through the help of God, overthrew them and took the land for the children of Israel. We will see (in verse 15), of this chapter, that many races of people were started from Canaan. Jebusite, Amorite, Girgasite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvadite, Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Ham's descendants worshipped false gods.
Genesis 10:7 "And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan."
Cush had five sons and two grandsons, who were reckoned among the founders of nations.
Seba, probably, means the Sabeans. Seba was mentioned in Isaiah and Psalms, as well as in Genesis. (The Sabeans, South west Arabia, and Yemen). The Queen of Sheba was, probably, from this area. Seba, Saba, and Sheba probably are the same word.
Havilah became the Ishmaelites, located somewhere in Arabia. These people were nomads (travelling people). Their name meant sand. They probably roamed the desert. Sabtah has no other mention that I can find.
Raamah's descendants were traders and probably lived in South West Arabia. Sabtechah seems to disappear with this son. Sheba (this particular Sheba), seems to have settled the shores of the Persian Gulf. Dedan seems to be just mentioned once more (in Chronicles), and I could not trace him.
Genesis 10:8 "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth."
"Nimrod": This powerful leader was evidently the force behind the building of Babel (see Genesis 11:1-4).
Nimrod was a great man in his day; he began to be mighty in the earth. Those before him were content to be upon the same level with their neighbors, and though every man bare rule in his own house, yet no man pretended any further. Nimrod was resolved to lord it over his neighbors.
The spirit of the giants before the flood, who became mighty men, and men of renown (Gen. 6:4), revived in him. Nimrod was a great hunter. Hunting then was the method of preventing the hurtful increase of wild beasts. This required great courage and address, and thus gave an opportunity for Nimrod to command others, and gradually attached a number of men to one leader.
From such a beginning, it is likely, that Nimrod began to rule, and to force others to submit. He invaded his neighbor's rights and properties, and persecuted innocent men; endeavoring to make all his own by force and violence. He carried on his oppressions and violence in defiance of God himself.
Genesis 10:9 "He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD."
"Nimrod the mighty hunter" The name of this man means "Let Us Revolt." Arab traditions record ruins named after him at Birs-Nimrud, which is Borsippa, and at the Nimrud of Calah.
His activities centered first in "Shinar" (Babylonia) and included building the Tower of "Babel" (11:1-9).
Then he went to Assyria (Micah 5:6). Some believe that since the context deals with man and not animals, his prowess in hunting deals with man and that his exploits are of a moral and spiritual nature. "Mighty hunter" is from 6:4, and his name relates to the word "marad," meaning "rebel."
Thus, he established a thoroughly autocratic, imperialistic, despotic system of government (of a kind described in Isa. 13, 14), back of which stands Satan in all his rage against God.
He did all of this "before the Lord." What he did was very significant and was a matter of concern to God Himself. God certainly knows what everybody does; but this made a strong impression (just as the "sons of God" did in 6:2).
"Nimrod" means rebel. Nimrod was a powerful worldly man. If you will notice, it was of the earth, not heaven. Hitler was a powerful earthly man, as well. You can easily see that having power on the earth is not necessarily good. He was a direct contrast to Jesus (Shepherd).
A hunter is trying to satisfy his own flesh, and a shepherd is concerned about saving others. At any rate, we will see that Nimrod was of a very earthly nature, not a spiritual nature. There is no doubt about where he settled. Verse 10 tells us that.
Genesis 10:10 "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."
"Babel": The beginning of what later would prove to be Babylon, the destroyer of God's people and His city Jerusalem (605-539 B.C.).
Nimrod had a rebellious spirit. He did not want to heed God's instruction to scatter and populate the earth. He thought that by his own power and might, that he would be able to make his own entrance to heaven without the help of God. He and his ancestors rebelled against God. Even now, we associate the name Babel with evil or evil city.
Babylon the great in Revelation was a very good example of this. Nimrod would take his glory right here on the earth; he would not have any glory in heaven. Erech was near the Euphrates River in southern Babylonia. Accad was thought to be the same area as modern Baghdad. There was very little known of Calneh, except the evil influence of Nimrod.
Shinar was probably southern Babylonia; Assyria as we know it today. (In Isaiah 1:11), we saw Shinar mentioned as one of the places the Jews will be gathered from and brought to the Holy Land in the end days.
In (Zechariah 5:11), the land Shinar was mentioned as a land of godless commercialism. Nebuchadnezzar carried away temple treasures from Jerusalem to Shinar (in Daniel 1:2).
Genesis 10:11 "Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,"
"Out of that land ... builded Nineveh": This was Israel's primary enemy from the East. Nimrod was Israel's prototypical ancient enemy warrior, whose name in Hebrew means "rebel" (Micah 5:6).
This above Scripture was speaking of Assyria. Nineveh was a wicked city, even down to the time of Jonah. This was the city that Jonah thought was too evil for God to save. Jonah went the other way when God told him to warn Nineveh. Nineveh repented in sackcloth, and ashes, and called a fast. God let them live, but you can see that Nineveh was truly an evil city.
Rehoboth was, probably, a suburb of Nineveh to Calah, including Resen, all made up Nineveh proper.
Genesis 10:12 "And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same [is] a great city."
"And Resen, between Nineveh and Calah": This was another city built by Ashur, situated between those two cities mentioned: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call it Talsar, or Telassar (see Isaiah 37:12).
The conjecture of Bochart (is more probable), that it is the Larissa of Xenophon, situated on the Tigris; though Junius thinks it is either Bassora, or Belcina, which Ptolemy places on the Tigris, near Nineveh.
As we can easily see, all the cities and areas that Ham's descendants inhabited were rebellious toward God. They worshipped the god of fertility, and worshipped in high places, which, as we will come to find, is an abomination to God.
Genesis Chapter 10 Questions
1. Did Shem, Ham, and Japheth have sons on the ark?
2. What does "Japheth" mean?
3. What two opinions are presently expressed about Magog?
4. Who did the Medes spring from?
5. Many believe Javan was the father of what country?
6. Why did God want them to scatter?
7. These various grandsons became leaders of what?
8. Why did God want them to scatter?
9. Name seven sons of Japheth.
10. The man often mentioned with Tubal was whom?
11. Togarmah trafficked with Tyre in what?
12. In Ezekiel 38, they were mentioned with what three countries following Gog?
13. Where did the sons of Javan populate?
14. What does "Tarshish" mean?
15. What area do scholars believe was Troy?
16. What did I ask that we take note of about Japheth and his descendants?
17. Were Japheth's descendants, Caucasians, Negroids, or Orientals?
18. List four sons of Ham.
19. What does "Ham" mean?
20. Most people believe Ham was which of the three types of people?
21. Cush settled where?
22. Mizraim was, probably, where?
23. Phut was where?
24. Canaan was where?
25. Name nine races of people started through Canaan.
26. Seba was, probably, whom?
27. Where was it located?
28. Havilah became whom?
29. What was another word for travelling people?
30. What did the word mean?
31. Where can we assume they wandered?
32. Who was the father of Nimrod?
33. What was Nimrod before the Lord?
34. How did this differ from Jesus?
35. Nimrod had what kind of nature?
36. Where was the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom?
37. What did Babel and Erech have in common?
38. What kind of spirit did Nimrod have?
39. Nimrod and his ancestors did what to God?
40. What is the modern city that Accad was thought to be?
41. In Isaiah 11:11 what was one place the Jews will be gathered from?
42. Nebuchadnezzar carried temple treasures where?
43. Who built Nineveh?
44. What did Nineveh, Rehoboth, and Calah have in common?
45. What three things did the people of Nineveh do to keep God from destroying them?
46. What two things did Ham's descendants do that displeased God?
Genesis 10:13-14 "And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim," "And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim."
Mizraim has seven sons, from who are derived eight nations.
"And Mizraim begat Ludim": Mizraim was the second son of Ham. Ludim he is said to beget, the word being plural, is not the name of a man, but of his posterity; and the sense is, that Mizraim begat the father of the Ludim, whose name very probably was Lud, which name is preserved (in Isaiah 66:19).
These Ludim are the same with the Lydians (Jeremiah 46:9), and whose country is called Lydia, (Ezekiel 30:5), but to be distinguished from Lydia in Asia Minor, and the Lydians there who sprung from Lud, a son of Shem (Genesis 10:22), for, as these sprung from Mizraim, the founder of Egypt, they must be somewhere thereabout.
Bochart has proved, by various arguments, that they are the Ethiopians in Africa, now called Abyssines, whose country lies to the south of Egypt. A people formerly famous for archery, as Lud and the Lydians are said to be (Isaiah 66:19).
And whoever reads the accounts Diodorus Siculus gives of the Egyptians and Ethiopians, will easily discern a likeness between them, and that the one sprung from the other; both deifying their kings. Showing a like carefulness about their funerals. Both using hieroglyphics; having the like order of priests, who used shaving; and circumcision was common to them both, as Herodotus observes.
We must remember here, that these were the descendants of Ham. We remember Mizraim was Egypt. Whether all, or a portion, I do not know. Ludim was mentioned in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and several other prophetic books, and seemed to be always at odds with God. Egypt, or one of the African nations, seemed to be home for Ludim.
All that is known for sure about Anamin was right here. There were no other Scriptures that directly connect him. He was probably Egyptian.
The tribe of Lehabim was believed to be the fair-haired, blue-eyed Libyans of Midianite stock. The family of Naphtuhim, just as Lehabim, seemed to just drop out of Bible history. As we have said before, this happened very often in the Bible, when it was not important to the lesson to be learned, or when they were not in the lineage of Jesus.
The only thing known about the Pathrusim name was that the city Pathros, Egypt, probably originated from these people. Nothing is known about Calsuhim and Philistim, unless, Philistim became Philistia. It is too difficult to trace to any degree of accuracy. The names were just similar, and from the same area.
Caphtorim were the inhabitants of Caphtor, or Crete. In Jeremiah, Caphtor was said to be the area the Philistines came from. This, too, makes you believe that Philistia and the Philistines were, probably, the same.
Genesis 10:15-18 "And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth," "And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite," "And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite," "And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad."
A notable shift occurs in this section away from place names to the inhabitants themselves (note the "ite" endings). These are not only the cursed people of Canaan's curse for the scene at Noah's drunkenness, but also they are those who possess the Promised Land which Israel as a nation needed to conquer.
But the Noahic curse alone did not determine their guilt, for God said to Abram that the iniquity of the Amorites must first be complete before his descendants could occupy the Promised Land (15:16).
The verses above were not only telling us the names of the sons of Canaan, but also, the tribes that were started through them. Sidon was also Zidon; the town associated with this was sometimes called Saida located in present day Lebanon. These people were Phoenicians, seafaring people. These people became known as the Sidonians.
1 Kings 11:5 "For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites" (who are the same people).
These Sidonians followed after false Gods and goddesses. It seemed to have been a family trait. Heth was the father of the Hittites. It seems, Heth settled near evil Canaan. In later years, Abraham bought a burial place near Hebron from the Hittites. The Hittites worshipped a large group of Egyptian and Babylonian deities and were in opposition to the Israelites.
One interesting thing to know about the word Heth, it is the 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Jebusites, as their relatives above, were one of the tribes that Joshua ran out of Canaan, but not out of Jerusalem. They lived together there. They, too, had a bad background of false Gods.
"Amorite" means (the high one). The Amorites were one of the seven tribes whose land was given to Israel. They were very prominent in the Bible in opposition to Israel. Sometimes, Amorite and Canaanite are interchangeable. They settled where present day Israel is.
The Girgasite and the Girgashites were the same people. They also, were one of the 7 tribes in Canaan that Joshua took over for Israel. They probably settled west of the Jordan River.
The Hivite, also, was one of the 7 tribes destroyed by Israel. They seemed to be settlers around Lebanon.
The Arkite group settled Lebanon, as well. They were, probably, the same as the Arvad group mentioned (in Ezekiel 27:8-11). It seemed as though they were a maritime group. Very little else is known. This Sinite is the only time this group was mentioned in the Bible.
The Zemarite tribe and the Hamathite tribe were just 2 more of these settlers of Canaan, who were overthrown by the Israelites, and seemed to just drop out of view. This last sentence in verse 18 said it all, when it said the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Genesis 10:19 "And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha."
"And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon": This is to be understood, not of the Canaanites, properly so called, but of them in general; and is a description of the bounds of the land of Canaan, as possessed by the people of Israel.
The northern or north west border of it was Sidon (see Genesis 10:15), and is to be understood of the country which reached from that city towards the east almost as far as Jordan.
"As thou comest from Gerar unto Gaza": Two cities of the Philistines, well known in Scripture. The former for being the place where Abraham and Isaac sometimes sojourned, and the latter for Samson's exploits in it. These were the southern or south west border of the land of Canaan.
"As thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboim": Four cities destroyed by fire from heaven, as is after related in this book; these lay to the south or south east part of the land.
The Samaritan version of this verse is very different from the Hebrew, and is this, "and the border of the Canaanites was from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates, and unto the hinder sea: i.e. the western or Mediterranean.
Genesis 10:20 "These [are] the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, [and] in their nations."
The list of the Hamites is summed up (Genesis 10:20), in the usual form. It appears that Ham occupied Africa and a certain portion of Asia along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, in the south of Arabia, about the lower valley of the Frat and Diljah, and perhaps along the south of Asia.
In extent of territory, Japheth ultimately far exceeded, as he occupied most of Asia and almost all of Europe and the New World. Ham is next to him, as he inherited Africa and a portion of Asia.
Some of his descendants have also been forcibly transplanted to the New Hemisphere. But in point of political contact with Shem, Japheth, in early times, sinks comparatively into the shade, and Ham assumes the prominent place.
Babylon, Kush, Egypt, and Kenaan are the powers which come into contact with Shem, in that central line of human history which is traced in the Bible. Hence, it is that in the table of nations special attention is directed to Kush, Nimrod, Mizraim, and to the tribes and borders of Kenaan.
"These are the sons of Ham after their families": No doubt all these were well known in the days of Moses, and for a long time after.
But at this distance, when it is considered that the political state of the world has been undergoing almost incessant revolutions through all the intermediate portions of time, the impossibility of fixing their residences or marking their descendants must be evident, as both the names of the people and the places of their residences have been changed beyond the possibility of being recognized.
We have already discussed Sidon. It seemed all of these people of Canaan settled around the old evil Canaan that was to be overthrown by the Israelites.
This Gerar mentioned here, was the same as the one mentioned in connection with Abraham and Isaac telling a story about their wives to Abimelech. Abimelech lived in Gerar. Gaza which means stronghold was a border city of Canaan.
The Hebrew name for Gaza is Azzah (mentioned in Deuteronomy, Kings, and Jeremiah). It was the capital of the Philistines. Samson lived there. This was one of the cities Phillip ministered in. Today, this is the center of the Gaza Strip.
Sodom and Gomorrah were near the Dead Sea, out in the desert. They were both well known for being evil cities that God destroyed except for lot's family.
You see, the original people of Canaan were evil, and disobedient to God. It seemed that time only worsened the morals of Sodom and Gomorrah. It seemed Admah was destroyed with Sodom (probably a suburb). Nothing else is known of Admah. Zeboim, also, was destroyed for evil. Lasha has no other mention, but was believed to be near the Dead Sea.
There is a break here between verse 20, the evil sons of Ham, and verse 21, the sons of Shem.
Verses 10:21-31: The sons of Shem, i.e. the; Semitic people.
Genesis 10:21 "Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born."
"Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber": And for the sake of those Shem is particularly said to be the father of, is this genealogy given, and indeed the whole book of Genesis wrote: Eber was the great-grandson of Shem, and is here spoken of by anticipation, and Shem is called not the father of either of his immediate sons, but of the posterity of this man.
Because the Hebrews sprung from him in his line, among whom the church of God and the true religion were preserved, and from whom the Messiah was to come, as he did: the word Eber, Jarchi interprets, "beyond the river, Euphrates" or "Tigris", or both, as describing the seat of the posterity of Shem.
But as this too much narrows them, since they inhabited on both sides, Dr. Hyde has shown that the word used may refer to both, to those beyond these rivers, and to those on this side (see Numbers 24:24).
We must take a very good look at these people (the descendants of Shem), because this was the line Jesus would come from. Eber seems to be Heber (in Luke 3:35). It very well may be that Hebrew came from this Eber, as well.
(I really believe what it was trying to say is that Shem was the father of the Hebrew nation).
The Bible does not always mean child, when it says children. It sometimes means grandchild, or great-grandchild, as is obviously the case with Eber in the above Scripture. Eber, the man, is actually the grandson of Arphaxad, as we will see in the next few verses.
Genesis 10:22 "The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram."
"The children of Shem": Whose names are Elam and Ashur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram; and who, as Josephus says, inhabited Asia, from Euphrates to the Indian Ocean.
His first born, Elam, was the father of the Elymaeans, from who sprung the Persians, as the same writer observes, and his posterity is called Elamites. Their country Elam, and is sometimes mentioned with Media, when the Persians and Medes are intended, Isa. 21:2 (see also Isa. 22:6).
Ashur, the second son of Shem, gives name to Assyria; a country frequently mentioned in Scripture; and which, according to Ptolemy was bounded on the north by part of Armenia the great, and the mountain Niphates, on the west by Mesopotamia and the river Tigris, on the south by Susiane, and on the east by part of Media.
Strabo says they call Babylonia, and great part of the country about it, Assyria, in which was Ninus or Nineveh, the chief city of the Assyrian empire; and which was built by Ashur, as Josephus affirms, and says he gave the name of Assyrians to his subjects.
Arphaxad, the third son of Shem, from him that part of Assyria, which lay northward next to Armenia, Josephus says he gave name to the Arphaxadaeans, whom he ruled over, now called Chaldeans; and indeed, the name of the Chaldeans may as well be derived from the latter part of Arphaxad's name, "Chashad".
As from Chesed, the son of Nahor, and brother of Abraham, as it more commonly is; since the Chaldeans were called Chasdim before Chesed was born, and were a nation when Abraham came out of Ur.
Before Chesed could be old or considerable enough to build towns and found a nation (see Genesis 11:31). Though Bochart treats this as a mere dream, yet he is obliged to have recourse to the usual refuge.
The fourth son of Shem was Lud, from whom sprung the Lydians, a people of Asia minor, and whose country is called Lydia, including Mysia and Caria, which all lay by the river Maeander; and Lud, in the Phoenician language, signifies bending and crooked, as that river was, being full of windings and turnings.
From Aram, the last son of Shem, sprung the Aramaeans, and this is the name they give to themselves to this day.
The country inhabited by them included Mesopotamia and Syria, and particularly all those places that have the name of Aram added to them, as Padan Aram, and Aram Naharaim (which is Mesopotamia), Aram of Damascus, Aram Zobah, Aram Maacha, and Aram Beth Rehob.
Arphaxad, along with Shem, was mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. Elam probably settled Persia (the part that became known as Elam).
"Asshur" means that these people of Asshur went to Assyria. Arphaxad settled in the mountains near Nineveh. This Lud was not the same one mentioned in the line of Ham, but nevertheless, probably settled in Asia. Aram, probably, settled in Armenia. On the mother's side, Jacob's children were, probably, Armenian from this connection.
Genesis 10:23 "And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash."
Uz, the chief of a people having their seat in the north of Arabia Desert, between Palestine and the Euphrates. From this Uz it is possible that the sons of Nahor and of Seir (Genesis 22:21; Genesis 36:28), obtained their name. Job dwelt in this land.
Hul is supposed to have his settlement about the sources of the Jordan in Huleh. Others trace this nation in the Hylatae near Emesa.
Gether is of uncertain position, probably in Arabia.
Mash may have left a trace of his name in Mons Masius, Karajah Dagh, south of Diarbekir, and perhaps also in the Mysians and Moesians, who may have wandered westward from under this mountain.
Uz was mentioned later as the Land that Job lived in somewhere in the Arabian Desert. Probably, Uz and Hul settled in the same area. At any rate, these people were all Hebrews. Gether and Mash did not seem to be prominent in the line of Jesus, and fade away with this mention of them. Mash is called Meshach (in 1 Chronicles).
Genesis 10:24 "And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber."
"And Arphaxad begat Salah": Which signifies "a sending forth"; that is, of waters. It is part of the name of Methuselah, given him by his father, as prophetic of the flood (see Genesis 5:21); and Arphaxad, who was born two years after the flood, gives this name to his first born, as commemorative of it.
And Salah begat Eber; from whom, Josephus says, the Jews were called Hebrews from the beginning; and which, perhaps, is as good a derivation of their name as can be given, and seems to be confirmed by (Numbers 24:24), though some derive it from Abraham's passing over the rivers in his way from Chaldea into Syria.
But be it so, why might not this name be given to Eber, as prophetic of that passage, or of the passage of his posterity over the Euphrates into Canaan, as well as Eber gave to his son Peleg his name, as a prediction of the division of the earth in his time.
Salah is mentioned in one other place, but called Shalah in 1 Chronicles. He is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, as is Eber, which we have already touched on. This mention here of Eber is the man, and not the Hebrew nation.
Genesis 10:25 "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one [was] Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name [was] Joktan."
"Earth divided": This looks ahead to the dispersion of nations at Babel (11:1-9).
The division of the earth (in verses 25 and 32), does not refer to the splitting apart of the continents, but to the dispersion of peoples at the Tower of Babel. The fact that Peleg's ancestors are not mentioned as being alive at this time (Noah, Shem, etc.), implies that they had long since died.
This is another indication that there are gaps in the genealogy (of chapter 11). In (11:16-19), there is a considerable shortening of the life span from Eber to Peleg (from 464 to 239 years), which also suggests a time gap and that Eber may have been a distant ancestor of Peleg.
The word Peleg means division. What an appropriate name this is. The statement, the earth divided, I believe is accurate. The continents did divide (the scientists tell us that they are still moving apart a few inches a year). Peleg also is in the genealogy of Jesus. It should not be so hard for us to believe that the land mass was altogether one time.
In the new heaven and the new earth there will be no sea. Very little is known of Joktan, except that he was the brother of Peleg. You see the Bible does not go into detail on a person, unless it is important later on in the bible.
Genesis 10:26-29 "And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah," "And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah," "And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba," "And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these [were] the sons of Joktan."
The thirteen tribes of the Joctanites or primitive Arabs are enumerated here in Genesis 10:26-29.
The posterity of Canaan were numerous, rich, and pleasantly seated; yet Canaan was under a Divine curse, and not a curse without cause. Those that are under the curse of God, may, perhaps, thrive and prosper in this world; for we cannot know love or hatred, the blessing or the curse, by what is before us, but by what is within us.
The curse of God always works really, and always terribly. Perhaps it is a secret curse, a curse to the soul, and does not work so that others can see it; or a slow curse, and does not work soon; but sinners are reserved by it for a day of wrath. Canaan here has a better land than either Shem or Japheth.
Yet they have a better lot, for they inherited the blessing. Abram and his seed, God's covenant people, descended from Eber and from him were called Hebrews. How much better it is to be like Eber, the father of a family of saints and honest men, than the father of a family of hunters after power, worldly wealth, or vanities. Goodness is true greatness.
All of these sons of Joktan seemed to settle parts of Arabia, and they, as their father, seem to just drop into obscurity. Two of these names with interesting meanings are Hazer-maveth which means (village of death) and Jobab which means (howler or one who calls shrilly). There were 13 of these sons who just disappear in Bible history.
Genesis 10:30 "And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east."
This seems to be in the desert of Arabia.
Genesis 10:31 "These [are] the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations."
From a review of these lands it is evident that Shem occupied a much smaller extent of territory than either of his brothers. The mountains beyond the Tigris, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Levant, the Archipelago, and the Black Sea, bound the countries that were in part peopled by Shem.
Arabia, Syria, and Assyria contained the great bulk of the Shemites, intermingled with some of the Hamites. The Kushites, Kenaanites, and Philistines trench upon their ground. The rest of the Hamites peopled Africa, and such countries as were supplied from it. The Japhethites spread over all the rest of the world.
There are 70 names, exclusive of Nimrod, of heads of families, tribes, or nations descended from the 3 sons of Noah, 14 from Japheth, 30 from Ham, and 26 from Shem. Among the heads of tribes descended from Japheth are 7 grandsons. Among those from Ham are 23 grandsons and 3-great-grandsons.
Among those of Shem are 5 grandsons, one great-grandson, 2 of the fourth generation, and 13 of the fifth. Whence, it appears that the subdivisions are traced further in Ham and much further in Shem than in Japheth, and that they are pursued only in those lines which are of importance for the coming events in the history of Shem.
It is to be observed also, that though the different races are distinguished by the diversity of tongues, yet the different languages are much less numerous than the tribes. The eleven tribes of Kenaanites and the thirteen tribes of Joctanites, making allowance for some tribal peculiarities.
Most probably spoke at first only two dialects of one family of languages, which we have designated the Hebrew, itself a branch of, if not identical with, what is commonly called the Shemitic. Hence, some Hamites spoke the language of Shem. A similar community of language may have occurred in some other instances of diversity of descent.
Genesis 10:32 "These [are] the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood."
God is just explaining again that through Noah's three sons the whole world was populated. The flood left 8 people to begin again. Eight, you remember, means new beginnings.
Genesis Chapter 10 Continued Questions
1. What group seems always to be at odds with God?
2. Where is probably the home of Ludim?
3. Which tribe is believed to be the fair haired, blue eyed Libyans?
4. What 2 things are not present for a family to drop into obscurity?
5. Who are believed to be the Crete?
6. What is another name for Sidon?
7. Where is Saida?
8. Name one of the false gods of the Sidonians.
9. Heth was the father of whom?
10. What tribe did Abraham buy a burial site from?
11. What is the 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet?
12. Name 7 tribes who were later overthrown by Israel.
13. Where did the Arkites settle?
14. What 2 patriarchs were later mentioned in connection with Gerar?
15. What was the capital of the Philistines?
16. What area is it the center of today?
17. What are Sodom and Gomorrah well known for?
18. What other city was destroyed?
19. The word Eber probably means the father of all what?
20. When the Bible says children, what does it mean?
21. Who is the man Eber actually?
22. In the days of what man did the earth separate?
23. What does Hazer-maveth mean?
24. What name means one who calls shrilly?
25. What does 8 Mean?
Genesis 11:1 "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech."
"One language, and of one speech": God, who made man as the one creature with whom He could speak (1:28), was to take the gift of language and use it to divide the race, for the apostate worship at Babel indicated that man had turned against God in pride (11:8-9).
"One language": is literally "one lip," meaning language or dialect. There is a single family in one place speaking one language.
We know that when Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were on the ark, all the people of the earth, eight, truly did speak the same language. As we have said before, the Bible was not written in chronological order.
At what point in history (Chapter 11:1) occurred, is hard to say. This was, probably, an explanation of some of the things we have read in the previous chapter. Details very often overlap in the Bible.
Genesis 11:2 "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there."
"As they journeyed from the east": God had restated His commission for man to "be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth" (9:7). It was in the course of spreading out that the events of this account occurred.
"From the east": An idiom for "off east," indicating direction.
"Shinar" was in the region of Babylon.
This "they" that was spoken of above means the descendants of Ham that we read about in the last lesson. We learned in our last lesson that the descendants of Nimrod settled in Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh, which was in the area of the tower of Babel. This area was in the land of Shinar.
Japheth's children scattered and even went to the islands, we learned in a previous lesson. It seemed the group that did not want to scatter was Ham's descendants. That was the group that built the tower of Babel.
Verses 3-4: "Let us make brick ... let us build us a city and a tower": While dispersing, a portion of the post-Flood group, under the leading of the powerful Nimrod (10:8-10), they decided to stop and establish a city as a monument to their pride and for their reputation. The tower, even though it was a part of the plan, was not the singular act of rebellion.
Human pride was which led these people to defy God. They were refusing to move on, i.e., scattering to fill the earth as they had been instructed. In fact, this was Nimrod's and the people's effort to disobey the command of God (in 9:1), and thus defeat the counsel of heaven. They had to make bricks, since there were few stones on the plain.
Genesis 11:3 "And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar."
"Brick": The irony of the passage is that they did not have the stone or mortar for building and had to use makeshift materials.
Verse 3 was, probably, the first mention in the Bible about people making brick for building. It must have been very similar to the brick we use today. They even baked them, as we do.
Genesis 11:4 "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."
"Let us build us a city and a tower": Their ambition is expressed. They wish to bind their strength with the city and tower. The tower may mean a fortress (Deut. 1:28; 9:1 speaks of cities fortified up to heaven).
"Whose top may reach unto heaven": Not that the tower would actually reach to the abode of God and not that the top would represent the heavens. They wanted it to be a high tower as a monument to their abilities, one that would enhance their fame. In this endeavor, they disobeyed God and attempted to steal His glory.
"Us a name" (goes back to 4:17; 22:24; 6:4; 10:9); all of which are focal points of rebellion against God. Here they do not want to fulfill God's command to Noah and his family after the Flood (9:1).
These people were not interested in following what God told them to do (scatter). They were defiant, doing exactly the opposite. They were seeking worldly fame. Probably, the heaven that they were speaking of was the immediate heaven that they could see with their natural eyes.
Many teachers and historians believe they built a ziggurat (a rectangular stepped tower), like similar structures which were built in adjoining towns. The Bible was not clear on this. It just spoke of a very tall tower.
Jesus is the way to heaven, anyone who tries to get to heaven any other way, but through Jesus, is a thief and a robber.
Genesis 11:5 "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded."
"And the Lord came down": The "coming down" is significant (18:2, 21; 19:1). God was already aware of the program, but being the righteous judge, He wished to examine it closely. No matter how high their tower, He still comes down.
You notice in the Scripture above, that God called them children of men. They were followers of the flesh, and not the spirit. Whatever felt good, they did, following their fleshly lust.
Genesis 11:6 "And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
"Nothing will be restrained": They were so united that they would do all they desired to do.
"They begin to do": This would be only the start!
"Imagined to do": means "they purposed."
These people remind me of little children. One child will not get into much trouble, but when you add the second child, they get into ten times as much.
These people had evil hearts with every evil imagination. The fact that they spoke the same language, made it much easier for them to work together. Working together, people can accomplish more than working as individuals.
Even today, if those of other countries and American common people could sit down and talk together in the same language, we would find that we have many things in common. They love their families, just as we do; they want a peaceful world, just as we do. You see, the heads of government are the ones who have many problems, seeking power.
These people working together were not good, because Nimrod's descendants followed false gods. Whatever they did would be bad, because their hearts were evil.
Genesis 11:7 "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
"Let us go down": Again, the plural does not refer to angels, but is a plural of majesty (1:26; 3:22).
God the Father was speaking to Jesus, probably. Jesus is the doer of the God Head. They were going to make it impossible for the people to understand each other.
Genesis 11:8 "So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
"So the Lord scattered them": God addressed their prideful rebellion at the first act. They had chosen to settle; He forced them to scatter. This account tells how it was that the families of the earth "were separated ... every one according to his language" (10:5), and "were separated on the earth after the flood" (10:32).
What men will not do willingly, God forces them to do as a result of judgment, and today there are more than three thousand languages and dialects. The result of this confusion (verse 9), was the scattering of mankind. The name Babel is linked with the Hebrew verb "balal" (to confuse).
But the ancient Babylonians called the city Bab-ilu, meaning "Gate of God." At any rate, there is a pun in the construction of Babel-balal. In the Bible, this city increasingly came to symbolize the godless society, with its pretensions (chapter 11), persecutions (Daniel 3), pleasures, sins and superstitions (Isaiah 47:8-13), as well as its riches and eventual doom (Revelation chapters 17 and 18).
Certain lessons appear:
(1) Boastful pride in material power is sinful in God's sight. This is the theme behind all sin: pride;
(2) Yahweh's purpose endures forever. Every plan He formulates is inevitably implemented in spite of all efforts and devices of man. The peoples will settle in all the earth;
(3) Unity and peace are not ultimate goals in a sinful world: better division than collective apostasy.
God scattered this wicked group to many countries and changed their language, so they would not be able to cooperate in their evil adventures. What a contrast to the day of Pentecost, when every man heard in his own language the message of God.
Genesis 11:9 "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."
"The name of it called Babel": This is linked to a Hebrew word meaning "to confuse". From this account, Israel first understood not only how so many nations, peoples and languages came about, but also the rebellious origins of their consummate enemy, Babylon (10:5, 20, 31).
"Scattered them": Because they would not fill the earth as God had commanded them, God confused their language so that they had to separate and collect in regions where their own language was spoken.
The word Babel is used today to mean something spoken unintelligibly, something difficult to understand. If they would not scatter on their own, then God would do it for them.
There is a definite break here. We will take up the ancestry of Shem which was another group entirely.
Verses 10-26: "Shem ... Abram": The genealogy of Shem (verse 10). Israel, upon hearing this section read, learned how the generation who survived the Flood related to their own father, Abram (verse 26), later known as Abraham (17:5). The shortening of lifespans was in effect.
Genesis 11:10-11 "These [are] the generations of Shem: Shem [was] a hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:" "And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters."
"These are the generations of Shem": Or a genealogy of the posterity of Shem; not of all of them, only of those of the line which led to Abraham, by which might appear the true line in which the Messiah from Adam through Abraham sprung.
Shem was one hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood; by which it is pretty plain that he was younger than Japheth (see Genesis 10:21).
The new section, opening with the usual formula (compare Gen. 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1), reverts to the main purpose of the inspired narrative, which is to trace the onward development of the line of promise. And this it does by carrying forward the genealogical history of the holy seed through ten generations till it reaches Abram.
Whilst Noah with his 950 years belonged entirely to the old world. Now we see Shem, born before the flood; reached the age of 600, as we see that he "begat Arphaxad two years after the flood", when he was 100 years old.
Here then, we see that the two catastrophes, the flood and the separation of the human race into nations, exerted a powerful influence in shortening the duration of life; the former by altering the climate of the earth, the latter by changing the habits of men. But while the length of life diminished, the children were born proportionally earlier.
The usual phrase, "These are the generations," marks the beginning of the fifth document. Accordingly, we now enter upon a new phase of human development. The nations have gradually departed from the living God. They have not, however, stopped at this negative stage of ungodliness.
They have fallen into polytheism and idolatry. And the knowledge of the one true God, the Maker, Possessor, and Upholder of heaven and earth, is on the verge of being entirely lost.
Nevertheless, the promises, first to the race of Adam, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. And next to the family of Noah, that the Lord should be the God of Shem, were still in force. It is obvious, from the latter promise, that the seed of the woman is to be expected in the line of Shem.
Verse 10 lets us know that Shem was 98 years old, when the flood was over. This too, makes you wonder about the belief that Noah was 120 years building the ark.
Notice here (in verse 11), the apparent dropping of the names of the other children who were not in the lineage of Jesus. Here again, you see the Bible is not written in chronological order. These few verses were going more into detail about those who were mentioned in Jesus' lineage.
Genesis 11:12-13 "And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:" "And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters."
And Arphaxad lived thirty five years, and begat Salah. Arphaxad is the first on record that had a son born to him so early; of Salah (see Genesis 10:24).
Genesis 11:14 "And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:"
"Eber": Progenitor of the Hebrews (i.e., Eber's descendants).
Genesis 11:15-19 "And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters." "And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:" "And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters." "And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:" "And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters."
Have you noticed something here? These years were like our years, because these people were having their first children around the age of thirty. Something else interesting, the life spans were decreasing just a little bit.
Genesis 11:20-22 "And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:" "And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters." "And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:"
I guess it is time to stop and look at a few of these names. "Reu" means friend. In Luke, Reu was called Ragau. Being in the ancestry of Abraham, it is very important to remember these people. Reu's son, Serug, is the great grandfather of Abraham. Serug was the father of Nahor. In Luke, his name was translated in Greek and came out Saruch.
There was a city in Mesopotamia near Haran, which tells us these Hebrews really did come to Haran to live. "Nahor" means snoring. Nahor was the son of Serug, and father of Terah. Nahor would be the grand-father of Abraham.
Later in this lesson, we will realize that one of Abraham's brothers was named Nahor, as well. In Luke, many of these names sound a little different, because they have been translated into Greek.
Genesis 11:23-25 "And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters." "And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:" "And Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters."
Whilst Noah with his 950 years belonged entirely to the old world, and Shem, who was born before the flood, reached the age of 600, Arphaxad lived only 438 years, Salah 433, and Eber 464; and again, with Peleg the duration of life fell to 239 years, Reu also lived only 239 years, Serug 230, and Nahor not more than 148.
Genesis 11:26 "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran."
"Seventy years": The age that Terah began to father children. Abram was born later when Terah was 130 (2165 B.C.; 11:32 with 12:4).
"Begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran": Abram was not the oldest, but is mentioned first since God chose him for the messianic line (5:32 for the same pattern). According to 12:4, Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran; and according to verse 32, Terah died when he was 205, which means that Abram was born when his father was 130.
Abram means "Exalted Father." This signified his honored status as progenitor of God's chosen people. Later, in 17:5, his name would be changed to Abraham, which means "Father of a Great Multitude." He was born in approximately 2165 B.C.
In Genesis 11:26 the genealogy closes, like that in Genesis 5:32, with the names of three sons of Terah, all of whom sustained an important relation to the subsequent history. In other words, Abram as the father of the chosen family, Nahor as the ancestor of Rebekah (compare Genesis 11:29 with Genesis 22:20-23), and Haran as the father of Lot (Genesis 11:27).
Now the reason three sons were mentioned here, specifically, was because all three would enter into the movement of the history of Abraham.
Terah, the father of Abram (Abraham), was an idolater, as we read in Joshua.
Joshua 24:2 "And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods."
We will find later on that they settled in Ur of the Chaldees. The word Abram means high father. We will see the name Abram changed to Abraham in future lessons. The name Haran means road, caravan, or route.
Verses 11:27 - 25:11: The genealogy of Terah (verse 27).
Genesis 11:27-28 "Now these [are] the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot."
"Abram": The name means "exalted father" (17:5).
Genesis 11:28 "And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees."
"Ur of the Chaldees": A prosperous, populous city in Mesopotamia.
Most locate "Ur of the Chaldees" in Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, while others locate it in northern Mesopotamia, at Urfa, Haran. The Sumerian Ur was one of the most spectacular cities of the ancient world. If indeed Abraham migrated from this city to Haran, he left behind an advanced culture, to put his faith in the promises of God.
"Ur" was one of the most significant and prosperous cities of its time. It was located about 10 miles west of the Euphrates River near the Persian Gulf, some two hundred miles southeast of Baghdad.
It is significant in Scripture as the city from which Abraham departed on his pilgrimage to the Promised Land (verse 31). Archaeological excavations were begun there as early as 1854, but the most significant work was done by Sir Charles L. Woolley (1922-34).
Discoveries included a golden helmet, golden daggers and drinking cups, a royal cemetery where kings were buried with an entire retinue of servants, numerous clay tablets, cylinder seals, statues, musical instruments, the elaborate headdress and jewelry of Queen Shubad, and a 70-foot-high ziggurat (a brick, pyramid tower rising in step-like stages).
This Sumerian city had one of the most advanced cultures in all the ancient world.
We see here, that Abram's brother, Haran, died and left Abram with Lot (Abraham's nephew). It seemed that the whole family lived in Ur of the Chaldees at this time.
Genesis 11:29 "And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife [was] Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah."
Milcah was mentioned prominently, here, because she was the grandmother of Rebekah, who later on married Isaac.
Genesis 11:30 "But Sarai was barren; she [had] no child."
"Sarai", probably, means contentious. Later on, God changed her name to "Sarah", which means princess. Later in the Scriptures, Abraham would call Sarah his sister.
Genesis 20:12 "And yet indeed [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." It seems, she was his half-sister. The Scriptures did not go into detail on this. At any rate Sarai had not had children at this point.
Genesis 11:31 "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there."
"Haran": was a commercial center on the main highway linking the Mediterranean coast to the Euphrates River. The city was a center of the Babylonian moon cult and was probably founded by Sumerians from Ur. Haran is identified in Scripture as the city Terah settled in after leaving Ur (verse 31) and the place Abraham departed from to go south into Canaan (12:1).
Later, Abraham's servant went to Haran seeking a bride for Isaac (24:4), and Jacob fled to Haran from Esau. There also Jacob married Leah and Rachel (chapter 29). Excavations were concluded there by D.J. Rice (1951-56), revealing the early culture of the Sumerian city and its later Assyrian influence.
By 1300 B.C. it was fortified by the Assyrian King Adad-nirari I, and thereafter served as an Assyrian provincial capital. Josiah lost his life in battle to keep the Egyptians from going to the aid of the Assyrians in the crucial Battle of Haran (609 B.C.).
"From Ur ... came into Haran" (7:2-4; Heb. 11:8-10). Abram traveled along the Euphrates to Haran, a crossroads trading town in northern Mesopotamia or Syria, the best route from which to come down into Canaan and avoid crossing the great desert with all his people and animals (see 12:4).
The city Haran was named for the man Haran. Abram, at this time, seemed to have already taken the responsibility for Lot, his nephew.
Genesis 11:32 "And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Now, with the death of Abram's father, Terah, this left Abram kind of in charge of the entire family. At any rate from this point on, Abram felt responsible for Lot. Note again here, that the life spans were getting a little shorter.
One thing that I forgot to mention before is that if you begin with Adam and add up all of years to Abram, you will discover that Abram was born 1948 years after Adam. Abram is the promise to the believers. Israel, the promise to the Jews, was born in 1948 our time.
Genesis Chapter 11 Questions
1. We know for sure the language was one at what time?
2. We learned in a previous lesson that what tribe, or descendants settled there in Shinar?
3. What four cities were located in Shinar?
4. Was this the type brick that we know today? Why?
5. Where was the tower to reach?
6. What were they doing in defiance to God?
7. What were they seeking?
8. What is the only way to heaven?
9. Why did God call them children of men?
10. Why was it not good for these people to work together?
11. Did they finish their city and tower?
12. Why did I say there was a break at verse 10?
13. How old was Shem when the flood was over?
14. What makes me think that these are regular years like ours?
15. Why was Reu translated Ragau in Luke?
16. Who was the father of Abram?
17. Why were 2 of Abram's brothers named specifically?
18. Who in Abram's brothers named specifically?
19. Where did they settle?
20. What does the word Abram mean?
21. Name Abram's brothers.
22. Who was Abram's wife?
23. Who was Nahor's wife?
24. What relation was Lot to Abram?
25. Where did Terah die?
26. How many years after Adam was Abram born
27. What relation, besides wife, was Sarai to Abram?
Verses 12:1-10: Genesis 12:1-9 records the call of Abram and his obedience. The first three verses recorded the call and the promises; the rest of the section describes the obedience of Abram. The passage is constructed on two imperatives. The first is the basic call for Abram to leave the land in verse 1:
Verses 12:1-3, 7: When God established a covenant with Abraham; it was another dramatic turning point in human history. Abraham and his heirs (the nation of Israel) received an unconditional promise.
Under this covenant, God promised to make Israel a great nation, to bless the seed of Abraham, to give him a great name, to make him a blessing, to bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, to give him the Promised Land, and through his descendants to bless all the families of the earth with a Redeemer.
Israel's failure in this dispensation was illustrated by their leaving the land to settle in Egypt, and resulted in bondage there. Israel's final testing under this dispensation occurred when God attempted to draw them back to the land. But they refused Him in unbelief at Kadesh-barnea (Exodus 19:5).
Genesis 12:1 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"
"The Lord ... unto Abram": This passage is the promise whose fulfillment extends all through Scripture (either in fact or in expectation), to Rev. 20. The actual Abrahamic Covenant is introduced (in 12:1-3), actually made (in 15:18-21), reaffirmed (in 17:1-21), then renewed also with Isaac (26:2-5), and Jacob (28:10-17). It is an everlasting covenant (17:7-8; 1 Chron. 16:17; Psalm 105:7-12; Isa. 24:5), which contains 4 elements:
(1) Seed (17:2-7; Gal. 3:8, 16; where it referred to Christ);
(2) Land (15:18-21; 17:8);
(3) A nation (12:2; 17:4); plus
(4) Divine blessing and protection (12:3).
"Get thee out": These elements to Abram are mentioned:
(1) Out of his "country";
(2) Away from his "kindred"; and
(3) Away from his "father's house".
Joshua 24:2 states that his family practiced idolatry. He is not told where he is to go, on "unto a land that I will show thee," which requires faith on his part.
This covenant is unconditional in the sense of its ultimate fulfillment of a kingdom and salvation for Israel (see notes on Rom. 11:1-27), but conditional in terms of immediate fulfillment (17:4). Its national importance to Israel is magnified by its repeated references and point of appeal throughout the Old Testament (2 Kings 13:23; 1 Chron. 16:15-22; Neh. 9:7-8).
Its importance spiritually to all believers is expounded by Paul (see notes on Gal. 3-4; Stephen quoted in Acts 7:3).
When God established a covenant with Abraham, it was another dramatic turning point in human history. Abraham and his heirs (the nation of Israel) received an unconditional promise.
"Into a land": Abram was still in Haran (11:31), when the call was repeated (Acts 7:2), to go to Canaan.
In this first line here we see that this was something that God had said in the past to Abram. God had chosen Abram. He first send him away from the sin ridden city of Ur of the Chaldees. He is telling Abram not to be held back by his family. He told Abram to leave this big, fine, beautiful home in Ur of the Chaldees and go into a strange land.
His father and the family went as far as Haran with him. Many of the people in the ministry face this same thing. They were uprooted from family and friends, and sent away from the security of homes. God will not let any of us look back with longing at things as they were. We must ever be looking for the land to which God has sent us.
Genesis 12:2 "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:"
If he leaves, there are three promises that Yahweh makes to him. They might even be translated in each case as a cohortative, "Let me":
(1) "Let me "make of thee a great nation", and
(2) "Let me "bless thee," and
(3) "Let me make thy name great."
The last promise certainly contains some irony. The quest for a name had been the driving ambition of the "sons of God (in Genesis 6:1-4), and of the architects of the Tower of Babel (in 11:1-9).
"Name great": Abram's magnificent reputation and legacy was fulfilled materially (13:2; 24:35), spiritually (21:22), and socially (23:6).
Now God will do for Abram what others had so selfishly sought but failed to attain. The last words in verse 2 may be translated so that you shall "be a blessing." Abraham is to be a great nation, be personally blessed, and receive a great name, so that he may be a blessing. Certainly, this is true for us today (Gal. 3:29).
Genesis 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
"Curse him that curseth thee": Those who "curse" Abram and his descendants are those who treat him lightly, despise him, or treat him with contempt. God's curse for such lack of respect and disdain was to involve the harshest of divine judgments. The opposite was to be true for those who bless him and his people.
"In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed": Paul identified these words as "the gospel beforehand to Abraham" (Gal. 3:8).
To whom and how he was to be a blessing are both answered (in verse 3). It may be translated "and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that cursed thee" in order that in you "all families of the earth be blessed".
The promises of blessings were for Abram, if he left family and home, and went where God sent him. The blessing was not just for Abram, but for all the families of the earth who are faithful like Abram (Christians). God promised Abram that he would be a great nation, and his name would be made great, and through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
There is an offering of blessing to those who bless Abram. The other side of the coin is a curse, if we curse Abram. Abram is really the father of the Israelites and the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He truly is a great nation.
Genesis 12:4 "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."
Abram's first act of obedience is recorded in verse 4 as he "departed out of Haran".
"Haran" (see note on 11:31). They must have been there for some time because they accumulated a group of people (probably servants).
Genesis 12:5 "And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came."
"The land of Canaan they came" (ca. 2090 B.C).
The second is (in verses 5 and 8), as they came "into the land of Canaan "and "builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord" (4:26):
The Book of Genesis is divided into two main sections. The first 11 chapters deal with the history of the human race, and the last 39 with the family of Abraham. Thus, in the twelfth chapter, God turns our attention from a rebellious humanity recently scattered by the judgment of Babel, to this one family through which the Savior of the world would ultimately come.
You see, Abram left Ur with his father, but his father Terah died and was buried in Haran. Abram continued on to the land of Canaan, as God had instructed him to do. Abram and Sarai had no children, but carried a large company of servants and relatives with them.
Lot was the nearest thing to a son that Abram had, and Abram took Lot with him. Abram was 75 years old when they left Haran.
Genesis 12:6 "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite [was] then in the land."
"Sichem": A Canaanite town located in the valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (Deut. 27:4, 12). West of the Jordan about 15 miles and North of Jerusalem about 30 miles. Moreh was most likely a resident of the area for whom the tree was named.
"The Canaanite was then in the land": Moses was writing approximately 700 years after Abram entered the land (ca. 1405 B.C.). The Canaanites, of whom he wrote, were soon to be the opponents of Israel as they entered Canaan.
These were wicked people, and (in Genesis 15:16 and Deuteronomy 7:1-5), they were later to be destroyed because of the abominations they practiced. Right in the locality of God's call for Abram were wicked sinners! It would be hard for him to live for God and be pure.
Sichem was Shechem in other places in the Bible, and was just another spelling of the same word. We will find this city mentioned in the time of Jesus. Jesus fled from the Jews and went to this city. This city was, probably, located on a mountain, since that is what the word means. Some other names for the same place were Sychar and Sychem.
This was located in Palestine. These Canaanites, you remember, were worshipping false gods. God would overthrow them and give this land to Abram's descendants. So many times, promises that God makes are not for the immediate time, but for the future. They will be fulfilled nonetheless. God is true, He keeps His promises.
Genesis 12:7 "And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."
"I will give this land" (13:15; 15:18; 17:7-8; Gal. 3:16). God was dealing with Abram, not in a private promise, but with a view toward high and sacred interests long into the future, i.e., the land which his posterity was to inhabit as a peculiar people.
The seeds of divine truth were to be sown there for the benefit of all mankind. It was chosen as the most appropriate land for the coming of divine revelation and salvation for the world.
"Altar ... unto the Lord": By this act, Abram made an open confession of his religion, established worship of the true God, and declared his faith in God's promise. This was the first true place of worship ever erected in the Promised Land. Isaac would later build an altar also to commemorate the Lord's appearance to him 26:24-25), and Jacob also built one in Shechem (33:18-20).
Not many people have had the Lord to appear to them. When He does, they will build an altar, as well. God promised the land of Canaan to Abram's descendants. Abram did not question how, or when, God would do this, Abram showed his belief, and sincerity, and humbleness by building an altar and worshipping.
Genesis 12:8 "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, [having] Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD."
"Beth-el ... Hai": Beth-el, 7 miles North of Jerusalem, was named later by Abraham (28:19). Hai (also known as Ai), was 2 miles East of Beth-el, where Joshua later fought (Joshua chapters 7 and 8).
The word "Beth-el" means house of God. "Hai" was another name for Ai, which means ruins; we will read about this area a number of times in this study.
Everywhere that Abram went, his first action was to build an altar to the Lord, and this was no exception. He prayed to God here (called upon the name of the Lord). Abram knew that he had to depend on God entirely.
Genesis 12:9 "And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south."
"Toward the south": Abram moved toward the Negev into a less desirable area for raising crops but better for his vocation as a herdsman, perhaps engaging also in merchant activity.
Genesis 12:10 "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine [was] grievous in the land."
"And there was a famine in the land": Famine was not an unusual phenomenon in Canaan; two other major food shortages also occurred during the patriarchal period (26:1; 41:56). The severity and timing of this one forced Abram, soon after his arrival and travel in the Promised Land (verses 5-9), to immigrate to Egypt, where food was usually in abundant supply.
Still holding to God's promise, he did not return to Ur, though matters were extremely difficult (Heb. 11:15).
In addition to the wicked Canaanites, now he was tested by a famine (James 1:2-8 and those in Gen. 26:1; and 41:56).
"Egypt" is the great civilization of northeastern Africa which, when united, included both the upper (southern) and lower (northern) kingdoms. It is identified as Mizraim in Hebrew.
By the time Abraham arrived in Egypt during the First Intermediate Period, the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom Period (2700-2200 B.C.) had already been standing for some five hundred years! The subsequent rise of the Middle Kingdom Period (2040-1786 B.C.) parallels the arrival of Jacob and Joseph.
Extensive archaeological excavations at various sites throughout Egypt reveal an advanced culture expressed in architecture, agriculture, literature, music, military prowess, and religion. The Pharaoh was considered to be a god incarnate whose word was law.
This probably accounts for the complete absence of any law codes in ancient Egypt and supports the uniqueness of the Mosaic Law. Egypt continued to be an important factor to Israel throughout the Old Testament record.
Abram, as many who would follow him, found refuge in Egypt. Later on Joseph (coat of many colors) would find refuge there. Even Jesus, when Herod sought to kill him, was carried to refuge there by Joseph and Mary. Famines often drive people to a strange area to find food. God will use whatever it takes to get His people where He would have them go at a given time.
Genesis 12:11 "And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou [art] a fair woman to look upon:"
"Sarah" was the wife of Abraham and was also his half-sister. She was originally called Sarai and came with Abraham from Ur. Her inability to produce an heir was the major factor in her convincing Abraham to have a child by Hagar, her handmaid. At age 90 Sarah conceived and bore Isaac. Later, at her insistence, Hagar and Ishmael were expelled by Abraham.
"Fair woman": At 65, Sarai was still young and exceptionally attractive, being only half the age she was to be when she died (127). The patriarchs lived long; Abram was 175 when he died.
Sarah lived to be 127 years old. She died at Kirjath-arba (Hebron) and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (23:1-20). The New Testament refers to Sarah as the mother of the children of promise (Rom. 9:9). She is included in the list of the faithful (Heb. 11:11) and is cited as an example of obedience to her husband (1 Pet. 3:6; Gen. 11:29; 17:15-19).
Genesis 12:12-13 "Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This [is] his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive." "Say, I pray thee, thou [art] my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee."
Abram's fear of Sarai's being taken to Pharaoh's harem and his being killed led him to disguise his true relationship to her (20:13). Abram sought on his own initiative to take care of his future, thinking to assist God in fulfilling His promises.
"Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake": According to 20:13, Abram lied about Sarai everywhere he went to save his life, even after he had been saved and called by God. But God's sovereignty overcame Abram's sin.
"Sister": This was a lying half-truth, since Sarai was Abram's half-sister (20:12).
It seemed that Sarai was very beautiful, Abram was afraid that someone would want her for his wife enough, that he would kill Abram to get her. Fear will cause us to do some very foolish things. Abram was so afraid for his life, that he was willing to pass his wife off as his sister. He even asked Sarai to help him with his deception.
Genesis 12:14 "And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she [was] very fair."
The inadequacy of Abram's expedient appears in the issue, which is different from what he expected. Sarai is admired for her beauty, and, being professedly single, is selected as a wife for Pharaoh; while Abram, as her brother, is munificently entertained and rewarded.
Genesis 12:15 "The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house."
"Taken into Pharaoh's house": Egyptian officials did take notice of Sarai and informed their monarch of her beauty. The result was not unexpected; she ended up in Pharaoh's harem!
Genesis 12:16 "And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels."
Abram had now become involved in perplexities, from which he had neither the wisdom nor the power to extricate himself. With what bitterness of spirit he must have kept silence, received these accessions to his wealth which he dared not to refuse, and allowed Sarai to be removed from his temporary abode!
His cunning device had saved his own person for the time; but his beautiful and beloved wife is torn from his bosom.
There is no state on earth free from trials, nor any character free from blemishes. There was famine in Canaan, the glory of all lands, and unbelief, with the evils it ever brings, in Abram the father of the faithful. Perfect happiness and perfect purity dwell only in heaven.
Nothing was too good for Abram (if he was brother to Sarai). Pharaoh showered him with gifts for her sake. She was taken into the home of Pharaoh. God did not like this kind of carrying on. We will see in the next verse, just how displeased He was.
Genesis 12:17 "And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife."
"Plagued Pharaoh and his house": The separation of Abram and Sarai was critical enough to evoke the Lord's personal and dramatic intervention. Abram engineered the ruse to protect himself (verse 13, "that I may live") apparently without too much thought being given to Sarai; but God's reaction focused upon the protection of Sarai ("because of Sarai").
Abram was rebuked by Pharaoh. Sarai was his half-sister (20:12), but his statement was a lie. There Abram dissembled his relation to Sarai, equivocated, and taught his wife and his attendants to do so too. He concealed a truth, so as in effect to deny it, and exposed thereby both his wife and the Egyptians to sin.
God did not tolerate this type of behavior then, and will not tolerate it even today. These plagues descended when Sarai moved in. Pharaoh quickly realized the problem. Truly he laid the problem where it belonged, at Abram's feet. He realized she was Abram's wife, and God was displeased.
Some of the plagues in our society today, I believe, are because of God's displeasure at the sex sins of all kinds present in our land.
Genesis 12:18-19 "And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What [is] this [that] thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she [was] thy wife?" "Why saidst thou, She [is] my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take [her], and go thy way."
Pharaoh's reproof of Abram was very just: What is this that thou hast done? How unbecoming a wise and good man! If those who profess religion do that which is unfair and deceptive, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it; and they have reason to thank those who will tell them of it. The sending away was kind.
Somehow, and it remains unexplained, the plagues uncovered the deceit of Abram for Pharaoh. The monarch of Egypt humiliated Abram with his questions, showing more character than Abram gave him credit for and sending Abram out of his country.
Pharaoh asked Abram "why did you lie to me? You got me into trouble. Hurry up and get out of here, so God will stop this plague."
Genesis 12:20 "And Pharaoh commanded [his] men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had."
"Sent him away": Abram's lie brought him and his extended family to a disgraceful exit from Egypt, one which the servants must have talked about among themselves, with some loss to Abram's integrity and reputation in their eyes (see note on 13:9).
Pharaoh was so far from any design to kill Abram, as he feared, that he took particular care of him. We often perplex ourselves with fears which are altogether groundless. Many a time we fear where no fear is. Pharaoh charged his men not to hurt Abram in anything.
It is not enough for those in authority, that they do not hurt themselves; they must keep their servants and those about them from doing hurt.
Pharaoh realized this man was protected by God, so he did not punish him. He was in such a hurry for him to leave, that Pharaoh sent his men to make sure he left. Pharaoh did not take the gifts back. He sent them with Abram.
Our lesson to be learned in all of this is two-fold.
(1) We should not lie to protect ourselves; and
(2) God will be with us to help us out of whatever mess we get ourselves into, if we are His.
Genesis Chapter 12 Questions
1. Where was the first city God sent Abram out from?
2. What was the city's name where God told Abram to leave his kindred?
3. What three promises did God make to Abram?
4. The promises were not just for Abram, but for whom?
5. What was the name of Abram's nephew who went with him?
6. How old was Abram, when he departed from Haran?
7. Where were they going?
8. Where did Abram go near the plain of Moreh?
9. Who inhabited the land there?
10. Sichem was located in what land?
11. What was the first thing that Abram did?
12. When he left the plain of Moreh, where did he go?
13. What does the city's name mean?
14. This city was 12 miles from?
15. Hai means what?
16. Why did Abram go to Egypt?
17. What was Egypt a land of?
18. Why did Abram tell Sarai to tell them she was his sister?
19. What drives us to do things we would not ordinarily do?
20. What were some of the gifts Pharaoh gave Abram?
21. What did God do to straighten out this mess?
22. Where should the blame be placed?
23. Did Pharaoh take her to wife?
24. What did Pharaoh do to make it right?
25. What two things should we learn in all this?
Verses 1-4: Significantly, after the disastrous situation in Egypt, Abram journeyed back to where he had erected an altar and there he again worshiped (see 12:8).
Genesis 13:1 "And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south."
"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife": A special mercy that either of them returned, considering the sin they had committed and the peril in which they had been placed.
"And all that he had": Referring principally to the souls acquired in Haran (Genesis 12:5, 16), his material wealth being mentioned afterwards.
"And Lot with him": Lot accompanied him into Egypt, because he comes with him out of it. (Lot who does not appear in the preceding paragraph, no part of which relates to him, but is now reintroduced into the narrative, the present portion of the story being connected with his fortunes) with him into the south.
"Into the south": is so called in respect, not to Egypt, but to the land of promise. It acquired this title before the times of the patriarch, among the Hebrew-speaking tribes inhabiting it. The great riches of Abram consist of cattle and precious metals. The cattle are the chief form of wealth in the East.
Abram's flocks are mentioned in preparation for the following occurrence. He advances north to the place between Beth-el and Ai, and perhaps still further, according to (Genesis 13:4), to the place of Sichem, where he built the first altar in the land.
Last lesson, we learned that Pharaoh had sent Abram out of Egypt, when he discovered that God had plagued him because of Sarai, Abram's wife. We notice, here, that Abram left nothing behind but took even the gifts that Pharaoh had given him.
Genesis 13:2 "And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold."
"And Abram was very rich": He was rich in spiritual things, in faith, and in all other graces, and was an heir of the kingdom of heaven. Also in temporal things, as it sometimes is the lot of good men to be, though but rarely, at least to be exceeding rich, as Abram was. Or "very heavy" as the word signifies, he was loaded with wealth and riches.
Abram's riches lay in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Cattle are mentioned first, as being the principal part of the riches of men in those days, such as sheep and oxen, he and she asses and camels (see Genesis 12:16). Besides these he had great quantities of silver and gold.
The Jews say he coined money in his own name, and that his coin had on one side an old man and an old woman, and on the other side a young man and a young woman. His riches no doubt was greatly increased by the gifts and presents he received from the king of Egypt during his stay there.
I really believe that cattle were symbolic for all food. It is interesting that God did not include land, or jewels as wealth. God's people, many times, are wealthy. It is not the riches that are sin. It is the love of riches.
Genesis 13:3 "And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai;"
Abram advances north to the place between Beth-el and Hai, and perhaps still further, according to (Genesis 13:4), to the place of Sichem, where he built the first altar in the land.
The sense of acceptance with God, which he had before experienced in these places of meeting with God, he has now recovered. The spirit of adoption, therefore, speaks within him.
Genesis 13:4 "Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD."
"Called on the name of the Lord": (12:8). The process of contrition in a new heart has come to its right issue in confession and supplication.
In this, I believe Abram saw that he had sinned, and went back to find God, to get forgiveness, and begin again. That is where so many people fail. When a Christian realizes he has sinned, he should repent, and go back to his first love of God, and begin again.
Genesis 13:5-6 "And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents." "And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together."
Not unexpectedly, conflict occurred because of crowded conditions and limited grazing space. Both uncle and nephew had accrued much on the slow trip from Ur via Haran and Egypt to the Beth-el/Ai region.
"Flocks and herds": Wealth in the ancient world was measured, not by land owned, but by the size of one's herds and the possession of silver, gold and jewels (verse 2; Job 1:1-3).
When a man has great wealth, as Abram did, his family as well usually has wealth. Abram loved Lot as a son (which he did not have), and probably helped Lot get these things to help him get started.
Lot was now grown. It was time for him to go out on his own. He had acquired great wealth along with Abram. They had so many animals; there was not enough grazing for them all.
Genesis 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
"Perizzite": A Canaanite tribe (34:30; Deut. 7:1; Judges 1:4; 3:5-6; 1 Kings 9:20-21; Ezra 9:1).
It was safer to dwell together, in case someone attacked them, but the land was not able to sustain both large herds, and their servants were fighting over the best grazing spots. So many times, large groups of people cannot dwell together without strife. It is even difficult for two families to live in the same house without fighting, and these were large groups of people.
Genesis 13:8 "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren."
"We be brethren": Abram's whole reaction in resolving the strife between the two households and their personnel portrayed a different Abram than that seen in Egypt; one whose attitude was not self-centered. Waving his right to seniority, he gave the choice to his nephew, Lot.
Abram did not want to fight with Lot. So many times, when a young man becomes of age, there is strife in the home. Both the father and his son, who is of age, want to be the authority. Neither wants to be under the other, and conflict arises. The only way to solve the problem is for this adult son to move out and establish his own home. Such was the case of Abram and Lot.
Genesis 13:9 "[Is] not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left."
"Is not the whole land before thee": Abram gladly called on Lot to select for himself (verses 10-11), what he desired for his household and flocks. After Lot's choice had been exercised, then Abram would accept what was left from him. Perhaps this did much to restore, in the eyes of the servants, Abram's integrity and reputation (see note on 12:20).
The material wealth occasioned a shortage of available grazing land and caused strife between Lot's shepherds and Abram's. Abram condescended to the younger man, Lot, and gave him the first choice of all the land.
Abram was telling Lot to choose first, and he would take the land Lot did not want.
Genesis 13:10 "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [even] as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."
"Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah": When Moses was writing (700 years after Abram came to Canaan), the devastation of that region had long before occurred by divinely initiated catastrophe (19:23-29), totally obliterating any evidence of its agricultural richness.
"As the garden of the Lord, like ... Egypt": This 2-fold appraisal of the Jordan Valley, with its meadows on either side of the river to which Lot was so strongly attracted, highlighted its lush and fertile nature. Moses, reading this to the Jews about to enter Canaan and likening it to the Garden of Eden, referred hearer and reader to God's revelatory description of it (Gen. 2:8-15).
Liking it to an obviously well-known and well irrigated region of Egypt referred them to a place the Jews had likely known well in their sojourn in Egypt.
"Zoar": 4:2. A town located at the South end of the Dead Sea, whose name means "small place" (see 19:22).
"Sodom" is identified in Scripture with Gomorrah and the cities of the plain (13:10-14:12). Sodom was known for its moral wickedness. The ancient site has not yet been clearly identified but is thought to be possibly submerged under the waters of the Dead Sea south of the El-Lisan peninsula, in what was originally the vale of Siddim (14:3).
Jebel Usdum ("Mount of Sodom"), a salt mountain at the southwestern end of the Dead Sea, seems to preserve the ancient name. Excavations at nearby Bab edh-Dhra were begun by William F. Albright in 1924, and were completed by Paul Lapp for the American Schools of Oriental Research (1965-1967).
They revealed an enormous cemetery with over 20,000 tombs and several hundred thousand burials. Evidence of an extensive population in this area totally ceased after the twenty-first century B.C. (about the time of Abraham). Historical references to Sodom have been cited among the clay tablets from Ebla found at Tell Mardikh in Syria.
There can be no doubt that a flourishing civilization once existed in the area and came to an abrupt halt at the end of the Middle Bronze Age.
Verses 11-12: An excellent yet selfish choice, from a worldly point of view, but disastrous spiritually because it drew him into the wickedness of Sodom (verse 13).
Genesis 13:11 "Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other."
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.
Lot accepts the offer of his noble-hearted kinsman. He cannot do otherwise, as he is the companion, while his uncle is the principal. He willingly concedes to Abram his present position, and, after a lingering attendance on his kinsman, retires to take the ground of self-dependence. Outward and earthly motives prevail with him in the selection of his new abode.
He beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered, etc.; 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.
He is charmed by the well-watered lowlands bordering on the Jordan and its effluents. He is here less liable to a periodical famine, and he roams with his serfs and herds in the direction of Sodom. This town and Amorah (Gomorrah), were still flourishing at the time of Lot's arrival. The country in which they stood was of extraordinary beauty and fertility.
Lot chose what he thought was the best for himself. This land had plenty of water and was very fertile land. Lot was looking at the physical, and not the spiritual. He had not taken into consideration the evil lifestyle of the people. Abram was satisfied with the land Lot did not choose. Abram's unselfishness would be rewarded.
Genesis 13:12 "Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent toward Sodom."
Lot dwelled "in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom": Later he dwelt there (14:12), and subsequently served on the town council (19:1).
Genesis 13:13 "But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly."
"The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners": Lot's decisions put him in dangerous proximity to those cities whose names would become a byword for perversion and unbridled wickedness. Their evil is the theme of chapter 19.
Whether Lot knew that the men of Sodom were evil or not at this time, was not mentioned in the Bible. Lot should have checked this out before moving in with them. Notice the Scripture above, it was not enough to just say they were wicked and sinners. God considers homosexuality a terrible sin (exceedingly).
Verses 14-17: With Lot gone, the Lord reaffirmed His covenant promise with Abram (Genesis 12:1-3). Strikingly and unmistakably, the Lord deeded the Land (verse 14, look in all directions; and verse 17, walk in all directions), in perpetuity to Abram and his descendants. Whom He declared would be innumerable (verse 16), as the dust.
Genesis 13:14 "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:"
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him": indicates that God gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him, for He reaffirmed His promise to give the land of Canaan to Abram and his "seed" [descendants]" "forever" (verse 15).
Genesis 13:15 "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."
"To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever": This land was given to Abram, that it might be given legally by an unbroken line of descent 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.
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.
God showed Abram the Promised Land, which his descendants will receive as part of God's promise to Abram. This was not for Lot's descendants, only Abram's.
Genesis 13:16 "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered."
God announces that He will make his seed "as the dust of the earth." This multitude of seed, even when we take the ordinary sense which the form of expression bears in popular use, far transcends the productive powers of the Promised Land in its utmost extent.
Yet to Abram, who was accustomed to the petty tribes that then roved over the pastures of Mesopotamia and Palestine, this disproportion would not be apparent.
A people who should fill the land of Canaan, would seem to him innumerable. But we see that the promise begins already to enlarge itself beyond the bounds of the natural seed of Abram. He is again enjoined to walk over his inheritance, and contemplate it in all its length and breadth, with the reiterated assurance that it will be his.
Here again, God told Abram (even though he was very old), I will make so many descendants of you, that they will be impossible to number. God felt He needed to reassure Abram that he would have children and grandchildren. Abram, by this time thought, that the only descendants he would have would be through his nephew Lot.
Genesis 13:17 "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."
God set the boundaries of Israel right there that day. The Israelites still claim this territory today.
Genesis 13:18 "Then Abram removed [his] tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which [is] in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD."
"The plain of Mamre": A distinctively large grove of trees owned by Mamre the Amorite (14:13), located 19 miles southwest of Jerusalem at Hebron whose elevation exceeds 3,000 feet.
"Built there an altar": 12:7-8; 13:4. Again it is noted he "built there an altar unto the Lord." He was devoted to the worship of God.
Wherever Abram was, he built an altar. Hebron is an area still with the same name. "Hebron" means community and alliance.
Genesis Chapter 13 Questions
1. What three things did God classify as wealth?
2. What two things that we classify as wealth, does God not count as wealth?
3. What pertaining to wealth is sin?
4. We read that Beth-el is the place of what?
5. Why do you think Abram went back to Beth-el?
6. What should Christians do when they discover they have sinned?
7. What three things did Lot have with Him?
8. Where do you suppose Lot acquired them?
9. Why was the land unable to sustain them?
10. Who was the strife between?
11. What makes us realize that Abram was a peacemaker?
12. What plan did Abram offer Lot?
13. What area did Lot choose?
14. Why?
15. What town was Lot's tent near?
16. How should Lot have judged which area he should take?
17. What was the sin in this area?
18. What area did this land compare with physically?
19. How long did God promise to give the Promised Land to Abram?
20. How many descendants would Abram have?
21. Why had Abram just about given up having natural children?
22. Where did Abram come to in this land?
23. What was the first thing Abram did here?
24. What does Hebron mean?
Verses 1-12: Raiding, conquering, and making other kings and city-states subservient vassals were all part of the world of the Fertile Crescent in Abraham's day. These locations mentioned range from Shinar in the east (the region south of the Salt Sea; Dead Sea), to the Jordan Valley, to the land of Moab, Southwest of the Dead Sea to Mt. Seir (later Edom).
Amalekites (see note on Exodus 17:8), did not yet exist in Abram's time (36:12), but they did when Moses wrote. Amorites scattered throughout Palestine became Canaanites. Vassal states, when they thought they could throw off the yoke of their suzerain with impunity, rebelled by not paying the assessed tribute and waited for any military response.
This time rebellion evoked a major military excursion by the offended suzerain Chedorlaomer and his allies (verses 5-7). In the ensuing confrontation with Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies (verses 8-10), the vassals miscalculated and they lost. Lot, by then a resident of Sodom, was taken captive.
Genesis 14:1 "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;"
Fourteen years previous to the time of the incident narrated here (verse 5), "Chedorlaomer" (not Hammurabi), had control of the plain of Jordan. At this time, Abram was possibly still in Haran. Five cities of the plain revolted; and Chedorlaomer, with three allies, marched against them.
The reason for the allies' presence is only a guess, but they certainly came a long distance to control this area. So, they may have come to control the copper mines south and southwest of the Dead Sea. The Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions reveal that the mines were worked for centuries. Later, Solomon worked them.
Genesis 14:2 "[That these] made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar."
The spirit of despotism had descended from Nimrod to the present potentates of the East, and prompted them to aim at universal empire. The five kings are the petty sovereigns, each of a single town and its neighborhood. The area in which these towns lay was very circumscribed.
With the exception of the territory of Bela it was afterward submerged and formed part of the basin of the Salt Sea. Hence, Siddim is said to be the Salt Sea. The dale is the deep valley or glen in which these kings dwelt on the banks of the Jordan, or the Salt Lake into which it flowed.
Of the five cities, Sodom was the chief in power, luxury, and wickedness; whence it is mentioned first. Bela is also called Zoar, "the little," and, hence, is placed last; even the name of its king is not given. "All these joined together."
Genesis 14:3 "All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea."
Those mentioned in verse 1 formed a league in self-defense, and marched out to meet the enemy in the dale of Siddim. These made war with Bera, etc.
There are just a few things in this to note.
(1) Elam is modern Iran;
(2) Vale of Siddim and Salt Sea are the same as the Dead Sea; and
(3) Remember that Lot had settled at, or near, Sodom.
Genesis 14:4 "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."
It appears that these five Canaanitish kings had been subdued by Chedorlaomer, and were obliged to pay him tribute; and that, having been enslaved by him twelve years, wishing to recover their liberty, they revolted in the thirteenth.
In consequence of which Chedorlaomer, the following year, summoned to his assistance three of his vassals, invaded Canaan, fought with and discomfited the kings of the Pentapolis or five cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, Zoar, and Admab, which were situated in the fruitful plain of Siddim, having previously overrun the whole land.
Genesis 14:5 "And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that [were] with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim,"
The narrative here reverts to the previous circumstances which gave occasion to the present raid. "Twelve years had they served Chedorlaomer." These years' date probably from the commencement of his reign. They may have been previously dependent on the dominant power in Shinar, and connected with it by national descent.
If Chedorlaomer had wrested the supremacy from the king of Shinar, and so was regarded as an alien by the princes of Siddim, their coolness might gradually ripen into disaffection. In the thirteenth year, they rebelled, and in the fourteenth Chedorlaomer came to quell the revolt. This military expedition embraced far loftier objects than the mere control of the Pentapolis in the dale of Siddim.
Genesis 14:6 "And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which [is] by the wilderness."
"And the Horites in their Mount Seir": Or the Horim who dwelt in Mount Seir, so called from Seir the Horite, who continued here till they were drove out by the sons of Esau or Edom, from whom their country was afterwards called Edom or Idumea (see Genesis 36:20; Deuteronomy 2:12), unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
So far, these Horites inhabited, and the four kings smote all they met with unto this place. Which was either the plain or oak of Paran, near a wilderness of the same name. The wilderness of Arabia, through which the Israelites travelled forty years, in their way to Canaan.
The Horites were perhaps a Shemite tribe, the aboriginal inhabitants of Mount Seir, where they dwelt in caves; such as are still to be seen in Petra and other places around. They were afterward absorbed into the Edomites. Mount Seir stretches between the Salt Sea and the Elanitic Gulf.
The Horites: A people that dwelt in Mount Seir, till Esau and his sons drove them from there (Deuteronomy 2:22).
El-paran: The plain or oak of Paran, which was a city in the wilderness of Paran (Genesis 21:21).
Genesis 14:7 "And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which [is] Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar."
"And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh": Pursuing their victories as far as Elparan by the wilderness, they had passed by the country of the Amalekites; wherefore they "returned", or came back to fall upon them, and they came to a place called En-mishpat, or the "fountain of judgment"; which was not its future name.
It was there Moses and Aaron were to be judged concerning the business of that fountain, even the waters of Meribah, with which agrees the "Targum of Jonathan;" and they returned and came to the place where the judgment of Moses the prophet was determined by the fountain of the waters of contention.
It seems to have been the ancient name of the place, and by which it was called at this time, as Kadesh was the name of it at the time of Moses writing this; and therefore he adds: which is now called Kadesh, because there the Lord was sanctified, when the rock at that place was smitten, and waters gushed out.
"And smote all the country of the Amalekites": Which, according to Josephus reached from Pelusium in Egypt to the Red sea.
They inhabited Arabia Petraea, for he says, the inhabitants of Gobolitis and Petra are called Amalekites; which name is generally supposed to have been given them here by way of anticipation, since the commonly received opinion is, that they were the descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau, who was not born when this war was waged (see Genesis 36:12).
It seems more probable that the Amalekites were of the posterity of Ham, since Chedorlaomer, a descendant of Shem, falls upon them, and kills them. They being confederate with the Canaanites, and Amorites, Philistines, and other Canaanitish nations, always mentioned, seem a more ancient nation than what could proceed from Amalek the son of Eliphaz.
Since Amalek is said to be the first of the nations (Numbers 24:20); nor does there ever appear to be any harmony and friendship between them and the Edomites, as it might be thought there would, if they were a branch of Esau's family. Nor did they give them any assistance, when destroyed by Saul, so that they seem rather to be a tribe of the Canaanitish nations. And they are, by Philo the Jew, expressly called Phoenicians.
Genesis 14:8 "And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same [is] Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;"
We have now arrived again at the point we had reached (in Genesis 14:3). The five kings came out and joined battle with the four in the dale of Siddim. This dale abounded in pits of mineral pitch, or asphalt.
"And there went out the king of Sodom": With his armed men to meet the four kings, and give them battle, being so near him, and in so much danger from them, that if they could not stand their ground, they might flee to the mountains, and not perish in the city.
And the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the King of Zeboiim; whose names are before given (Genesis 14:2), and the king of Bela, the same is Zoar (as in Genesis 14:2). And they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim.
The invaders were from Chaldea and Persia, then only small kingdoms. They took Lot among the rest, and his goods. Though he was righteous, and Abram's brother's son, yet he was with the rest in this trouble.
Neither our own reverence, nor relation to the favorites of Heaven, will be our security when God's judgments are abroad. Many an honest man fares the worse for his wicked neighbors. It is our wisdom to separate, or at least to distinguish ourselves from them (2 Cor. 6:17).
Genesis 14:9 "With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five."
And it came to pass. This chapter presents Abram in the unexpected character of a warrior. The occasion was this: The king of Sodom and the kings of the adjoining cities, after having been tributaries for twelve years to the king of Elam, combined to throw off his yoke.
To punish their rebellion, as he deemed it, Chedorlaomer, with the aid of three allies, invaded the territories of the refractory princes, and defeated them in a pitched battle where the nature of the ground favored his army (Gen. 14:10). And hastened in triumph on his homeward march, with many captives and booty, though merely a stranger.
I think that what we must see in all of this is that there was unrest in the land for over 14 years. This land was broken into small areas and each one had a king. Any time a group of people start a fight with someone else, it is the desire for power and wealth that makes them do it. I am just sure that such was the case here, as well. All these kings wanted to be the top king.
Genesis 14:10 "And the vale of Siddim [was full of] slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain."
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled toward these pits, and seem to have fallen into them and perished. The others betook themselves to the mountain, probably the heights on the cast of the dale.
Perhaps this was the large peninsula that comes out into the Dead Sea from the eastern shore. In Abram's time, it may have come all the way across to the western shore (near Masada), so the bottom third of the current Dead Sea formed this dry valley.
"Slimepits": These pits provided sealants for all sorts of uses.
This area of the slimepits was an area where oil deposits had come to the surface. Some of the modern Bibles call the slimepits (asphalt). At any rate, this would be of great use to them.
Genesis 14:11 "And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way."
The provisions and other movable property of the vanquished are carried away from Sodom and Gomorrah. Among the prisoners is Lot, the son of Abram's brother. This designation prepares us for what is to follow. It is added that he was "dwelling in Sodom," to explain why he was among the captives.
"Went their way": The invaders were now laden with booty. Their first concern was to transfer this to their native country, and deposit it in a place of safety. It was not prudent to delay while they were encumbered with so much valuable property. The terms on which the conquered tribes were to "serve" them could be settled by negotiation.
If these terms were not accepted, they would be quite ready for another predatory incursion.
Genesis 14:12 "And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed."
"They took Lot ... and his goods, and departed": How would the conscience of that young man now upbraid him for his selfish folly and ingratitude in withdrawing from his kind and pious relative? Whenever we go out of the path of duty, we put ourselves away from God's protection, and cannot expect that the choice we make will be for our lasting good (see Genesis 13:12.
So being a neighbor of the men of Sodom, and a sojourner among them, he partakes of their punishment.
The people, being exceedingly wicked, had provoked God to afflict them by means of those marauding kings; and Lot also suffered, being found in company with the workers of iniquity.
This was a just correction of him for choosing to dwell among such a people. And they took his goods, and departed; as him and his family, so all his substance, his cattle, wealth, and riches of every sort, and went off with it.
This is where they got into trouble. Abram would not have joined into this confusion, if they had left Lot alone. Why they did not just take Lot's possessions was not clear. Possibly, he and his family would have become slaves to these barbaric people.
The people who are modern Iran are the same people who took Lot. They have not changed their tactics. They are still kidnapping people.
Genesis 14:13 "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these [were] confederate with Abram."
"There came one": One of the survivors who had fled from the invaders to the mountains (verse 10), went further and located Lot's uncle (the people knew who was related to whom). One as wealthy as Abram would not be hard to find, and was obviously thought to be one who could do something about the crisis which had affected his own close relatives.
"The Hebrew": For the first time in the biblical record, this ethnic appellation, "descended from Eber" (11:15-17), is accorded to Abram. Foreigners used it of Israelites and Israelites used it of themselves in the presence of foreigners (34:14; 40:15; 43:32).
"Plain of Mamre" (see note on 13:18).
Genesis 14:14 "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained [servants], born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued [them] unto Dan."
"Trained servants": Abram's private militia, members of his extended family ("born in his house"), totaling 318, were highly skilled bodyguards and the protective force for his possessions.
These, together with the trained men of his allies (verses 13, 24), were mustered and set off in pursuit of the military kidnappers, lest their captives be taken away to the east, to Shinar (the early name for Mesopotamia), or further east, to Elam.
"Trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen": The term indicates the might of Abram, especially the size and strength of his entourage. He actually had combat troops at his disposal.
The Ebla Tablets refer to an Ebrum, which was a dynastic title a few centuries before Abram. He is called a "mighty prince" (in 23:6), and thus is recognized by the inhabitants of the land as an influential person, possibly a ruler of a section of the land.
Our leaders could take instruction from Abram. He took immediate action. He gathered a few allies who had relatives captured. He took well trained (very loyal), servants to catch these kidnappers, who had run off with his nephew, Lot.
The word "brother", above, was a loose use of the word. A better translation would have been relative, just as people might call Dr. Pepper, a Coke. When you say you want a Coke now, people ask what kind? They use the word Coke to mean all soda pops. So it is, with the use of "brother". It could mean any relative.
Genesis 14:15-16 "And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which [is] on the left hand of Damascus." "And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people."
"Divided ... smote them ... pursued ... brought back": Abram and his confederates found the enemy secure and at their ease, not expecting pursuit. They attack them on two quarters; Abram, probably, on the one, and his allies on the other; by night, defeat and pursue them unto "Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus."
A battle-wise Abram, no stranger to military strategy, had pursued the enemy for over 150 miles (north of Damascus), and defeated the marauding consortium, being totally successful in his objective. Abram seems to have understood the art of war, and the use of maneuvers; and, as it might be night before he could come up to them.
He took the advantage of that, and fell upon them unawares, when some were asleep in their beds, and others drunk, as Josephus relates; and who also says, it was on the fifth night after Abram had knowledge of what had happened at Sodom.
And he divided himself against them. It required both considerable courage in Abram to lead him to attack the victorious armies of these four kings with so small a number of troops, and on this occasion both his skill and his courage are exercised.
His affection for Lot appears to have been his chief motive; he readily risks his life for that nephew who had lately chosen the best part of the land, and left his uncle to live as he might, on what he did not think worthy his own acceptance.
You have heard the slogan (don't mess with Texas). You certainly do not mess with the anointed of God. Abram was chosen of God. Lot did get an overflow of blessings through Abram.
It seemed that Abram and his servants had no trouble at all rescuing Lot, and all Lot's earthly possessions. Not only did Abram bring Lot's possessions back, but Abram took all their possessions.
Genesis 14:17 "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that [were] with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which [is] the king's dale."
"The valley of Shaveh" (see note on 2 Sam. 18:18). The liberated king of Sodom went to meet Abram near Jerusalem.
"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him": While Abram was in pursuit of the four kings, the king of Sodom came down from the mountain whither he and those that escaped with him fled, and came to Sodom.
From there he went out, not alone, but accompanied with his retinue, to meet Abram: after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him; to congratulate him upon the victory he had obtained over them.
This meeting was at the valley of Shaveh; a most plain and even valley, as the word signifies, clear of trees and everything that obstructs sight or passage, as Jarchi observes. And so, a proper place to have an interview in, which is the king's dale.
It seemed this king's dale, or Shaveh, was actually the Kidron valley right out of Jerusalem.
I am sure the king of Sodom was happy to see that someone could whip this evil group and return with what was taken.
Genesis 14:18 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God."
"And he was priest to the most high God": From this we are assured that the bread and wine refreshed not only the body, but the soul of Abram. In close connection with the preceding sentence, it seems to intimate that the bringing forth of bread and wine was a priestly act, and, accordingly, the crowning part of a sacred feast.
The priest, who is here mentioned for the first time in Scripture, was one who acted in sacred things on the part of others. He was a mediator between God and man, representing God holding out the hand of mercy, and man reaching forth the hand of faith.
The necessity of such an orifice grew out of the distance between God and man produced by sin. The business of the priest was to offer sacrifice and to intercede; in the former making amends to the law, in the latter appealing to the mercy of God.
In (verses 14:17-20), Melchizedek is spoken of as a king of Salem, supposed to be the place afterwards called Jerusalem, and it is generally thought that he was only a man.
The words of (Heb. 7:3), state only, that the sacred history has said nothing of his ancestors. The silence of the Scriptures on this is to raise our thoughts to Him, whose generation cannot be declared. Let us read on, in chapter 7 of Hebrews we see the resemblance of Melchizedec and Jesus, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bread and wine were suitable refreshment for the weary followers of Abram; and it is remarkable that Christ appointed the same as the memorials of his body and blood, which are meat and drink indeed to the soul. Melchizedek blessed Abram from God. He blessed God from Abram.
"Melchizedek king of Salem" The lack of biographical and genealogical particulars for this ruler, whose name meant righteous king" and who was a king-priest over ancient Jerusalem, allowed for later revelation to use him as a type of Christ (Psalm 110:4; Heb. 7:17, 21). His superior status in Abram's day is witnessed.
(1) By the king of Sodom, the first to meet Abram returning in victory, deferring to Melchizedek before continuing with his request (verses 17, 21); and
(2) By Abram, without demur, both accepting a blessing from and also giving a tithe to this priest-king (verses 19-20; Hebrews 7:1-2).
This was probably not a theophany, but an actual king of Jerusalem or Salem (Psalm 76:2). He typifies Christ and His priesthood according to (Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7).
He is a "Priest of the most high God": The use of El Elyon (Sovereign Lord), for God's name indicated that Melchizedek, who used this title two times (verses 18-19), worshiped, served and represented no Canaanite deity, but the same one whom Abram also called Yahweh El Elyon (verse 22).
That this was so confirmed by the added description, "Possessor of heaven and earth," being used by both Abram and Melchizedek (verses 19, 22).
It is interesting to note believers besides Abram and his descendants in this limited account (chapters 12-50).
"Salem": is generally thought to refer to the ancient Canaanite site of Jerusalem on the hill of Ophel. There is ample archaeological evidence of a Canaanite and Jebusite settlement during the Early and Middle Bronze Age periods, during which the first water shaft was dug to ensure an ample supply of water for the city.
Ancient evidence for the name of the city can be found in the Ebla Tablets (U-ru-sa-li-ma), the later Egyptian Execration Texts (Urushalimma), and the Amarna Letters ( Urusalim or Beth-Shalem). Some scholars argue that Salem refers, not to Jerusalem, but to the fertile region of Salim near the Dead Sea.
This argument rests on the proximity of 'Salim to Sodom and the reference to Abraham meeting the king of Sodom in the valley of Shaveh, rather than in the central hill country (verse 17).
Very few ministers will even touch this Scripture above, but being brave, we will give it a try. Who is this Melchizedek? Let's look up the other Scriptures in the Bible that pertain to Him.
Psalms 110:4 "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
This Scripture in Psalms was talking about Jesus being a high priest forever. It indicated that Melchizedek was also, a priest forever. It is a prophetic Scripture saying, Jesus would also be a priest forever.
Hebrews 5:6 "As he saith also in another [place], Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec."
This Scripture was saying that Jesus was not like Aaron and the earthly priests, who received priesthood, because of the tribe they were born into. It was saying that Jesus (like Melchizedec), was always high priest.
Hebrews 5:10 "Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedec."
Then, again, in Hebrews:
6:20 "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec."
You see, God showed the Israelites back in the Old Testament a high priest of His making. Then, He said here is your example of one to come. Jesus did not come through the Levitical tribe. He was ordained of God himself. He came from the tribe of Judah, but really was from God Himself.
Genesis 14:19 "And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:"
"And he blessed him": Here it comes out clearly that Melchizedec acts not only in a civil but in a sacred capacity. He blesses Abram. In the form of benediction employed we have two parts: the former of which is strictly a blessing or asking of good things for the person in question.
"Blessed be Abram": It is the part of the father to bless the child, of the patriarch or superior to bless the subject or inferior, and of the priest to bless the people (Hebrews 7:7). Here, accordingly, Melchizedec assumes and Abram concedes to him the superiority.
"The Most High God" is here further designated as the Founder of heaven and earth, the great Architect or Builder, and, therefore, Possessor of all things. There is here no indistinct allusion to the creation of "heaven and earth," mentioned in the opening of the Book of God.
This is a manifest identification of the God of Melchizedec with the one Creator and Upholder of all things. We have here no mere local or national deity, with limited power and province, but the sole and supreme God of the universe and of man.
We ought to give thanks for other's mercies as for our own. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is the Mediator both of our prayers and praises, and not only offers up ours, but his own for us.
Genesis 14:20 "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."
"Which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand": Credit for victory over a superior military coalition correctly went to the sovereign Lord (El Elyon), and not to Abram's prowess (see note at verses 15-16). To Melchizedek and to Abram too, this amounted to true worship of a true God.
"He gave him tithes of all": Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek, indicating Melchizedek's superior priesthood, since Levi was considered to be in the body (seminally), of Abram when he paid tithes to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:9-10).
Abram gave him the tenth of the spoils. When we have received some great mercy from God, it is very fit we should express our thankfulness by some special act of pious charity. Jesus Christ, our great Melchizedec, is to have homage done him, and to be humbly acknowledged as our King and Priest; not only the tithe of all, but all we have, must be given up to him.
Hebrews 7:4 "Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils."
Note: The King James Bible does not say a tenth as do most of the other bible versions. However, in the book of Hebrews shown above, it does confirm that Abram gave Melchizedec a tenth of the spoils (even in the KJV).
Hebrews 7:1-6, "For this Melchizedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;" "To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;" "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." "Now consider how great this man [was], unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils." "And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:" "But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises."
Let's stop here from the Scriptures for just a moment, and discuss a few revelations. Who is the King of righteousness? Who is the King of peace? Who is the One who has no beginning and no end? Who was made Son of God? Who is a priest forever?
We know Him as Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. We call Him Lord. We will call Him King, when he comes to reign. In heaven, one of His names is the Word of God.
Are you seeing what this is?
Melchizedek in the Hebrew and Melchizedec in the Greek could easily be another time when the Word of God took on the form of flesh and visited the earth.
Another point to ponder is that this Priest of God made His appearance here about 2000 years after Adam was born. The baby Jesus was born approximately 2000 years after Melchizedek appeared on the earth. Jesus, the King, will return about 2000 years after his manifestation as our Savior.
I do not believe this is coincidence. Abraham, the father of all believers, was the only one who saw Him. For Abraham to be the father of all the believers through our faith, he had to believe in the One we call Jesus. God has revealed something to us here.
The reason the Word of God took on the name, Jesus, was to show us He was our Savior. He took the name, Christ, so that we would know that He was the Anointed One. He had many names; Messiah, Jehovah, Mighty God, Immanuel, Bright and morning Star, and so many others.
I believe this Melchizedek was the Word of God (Jesus as we know Him).
Hebrews 7:7-24, "And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better." "And here men that die receive tithes; but there he [receiveth them], of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." "And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham." "For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedec met him." "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need [was there] that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?" "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." "For he of whom these things are spoken pertained to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar." "For [it is] evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood." "And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedec there ariseth another priest," "Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." "For he testifieth, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec." "For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof." "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God." "And inasmuch as not without an oath [he was made priest]:" "(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec:)" "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:" "But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood."
You see, what this is saying is that Jesus and Melchizedec are not at all like the other priests, who just serve for a short time during their lives, but are a Priest forever; on earth and in heaven. No one could truly be forgiven forever through the work of the priest here on the earth, but Jesus fulfilled the law and purchased our salvation. His power was shown in the endless life.
Hebrews 7:25-28, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." "For such a high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself." "For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore."
Just as Jesus fed the disciples bread and wine (the Passover), we see Melchizedek fed Abram bread and wine. He blessed Abram. Only God can bless, really. All these things show me Jesus.
Genesis 14:21-24 "And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself." "And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth," "That I will not [take] from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that [is] thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:" "Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
If Abram acceded to the king of Sodom's request, he would have allowed that wicked king to attribute Abram's wealth to the king's generosity, thus destroying the clear testimony of the Lord's blessings on his life. To accept such payment would belie his trust in God! Such a personal commitment would not be foisted upon his allies, who could make their own decisions.
As for his own servants, their meals taken from the spoils were sufficient compensation. Undoubtedly, the servants remembered their master's reaction and testimony; it overcame much of the negative aspects in the memory of the earlier exit from Egypt (see 12:20).
"Lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich": Abram refused to take anything, so as not to be obligated to the king of Sodom, and also to demonstrate his total allegiance to the Lord. He took only food for his men and gave his allies the liberty to accept the spoils that were due them.
Abram did not want to be obligated to this king of Sodom. His intent was to rescue his nephew, Lot. He knew that God had won the battle for him. The only payment was wages for the men that went with him.
Genesis Chapter 14 Questions
1. What are two other names for the Salt Sea?
2. What country is Elam today?
3. How many years of unrest was in the land?
4. What two things caused the war?
5. What were the slimepits?
6. In Genesis 14:13, what is Abram called?
7. What did he do, when he found Lot was taken?
8. What did Abram bring back?
9. Where was the king's dale?
10. When Abram met Melchizedec, what did Melchizedek bring forth?
11. What was different about Jesus and Melchizedec from Aaron?
12. Did Jesus or Melchizedec come through the Levitical tribe?
13. How long did Melchizedek live?
14. Who were his father and mother?
15. What does Salem mean?
16. What did Abram give Melchizedek?
17. Who is the King of Righteousness?
18. Who is the King of Peace?
19. Who has no beginning and no end?
20. Who is the Son of God?
21. What is Jesus' most used name in heaven?
22. When did He acquire the name Jesus?
23. What does "Jesus" mean?
24. Give at least six more names of Jesus?
25. Who is made in the power of an endless life?
26. What did the law make perfect?
27. How many offerings of sacrifice did Jesus make?
28. What did the king of Sodom ask for?
29. What did he get?
30. What do you personally think about Melchizedek?
Genesis 15:1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward."
"After these things": The battle of the kings, the captivity of Lot, the rescue of him and his goods, and of those of Sodom and Gomorrah by Abram, and the conversation that passed between him, and the kings of Sodom and Salem.
"The word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision": Christ, the essential Word, appeared to Abram in a human form, visible to him, and with an articulate voice spoke unto him: saying, "fear not, Abram", calling him by his name.
Not only to encourage him, but to dissipate his fears to which might be, the nations that belonged to the four kings he had conquered and slain should recruit their armies, and come against him with greater force; and the brethren and relations of those he had slain should avenge themselves on him.
"I am thy shield" to protect him against all his enemies, be they ever so strong and numerous; as Christ is the shield of his people against all their spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, and the world. Which being held up in the hand of faith, called therefore the shield of faith, is a security against them. "I am thy shield": God served Abram as his divine protector (Psalms 7:10; 84:9).
"And thy exceeding great reward"; though he had generously refused taking any reward for the service he had done in pursuing the kings, and slaughtering them, and bringing back the persons and goods they had took away. Yet he should be no loser by it, the Lord would reward him in a way of grace with greater and better things.
God himself would be his reward, and which must be a great one, an exceeding great one; as Christ is to his people in his person, offices, and grace.
God came and spoke to Abram in this vision, because Abram had about given up on having a family and the promises of God coming true. God's first statement to Abram, as it is to us today, is "fear not." Fear is not faith. It is the opposite of faith.
He told Abram, here, (I didn't say that you could do this by yourself). God said, I am your protector, and this thing that I will give you is not of your own doing. It is a reward to you, because you believe me, for no other reason.
Genesis 15:2 "And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus?"
"I go Childless": In response to God's encouragement and admonition (verse 1), Abram showed what nagged at him. How could God's promise of many descendants (13:16), and of being a great nation (12:2), come about when he had no children?
"Eliezer of Damascus": To Abram, God's promise had stalled; so adoption of a servant as the male heir, a well-known contemporary Mesopotamian custom, was the best officially recognizable arrangement to make it come to pass, humanly speaking.
Ten years have passed and Abram is still without an heir. Following the custom of the day, he suggests that perhaps he ought to adopt his "Steward ... Eliezer of Damascus" as his legal "heir."
However, God refuses this offer and clearly promises that Abram will have a child "out of thine own bowels" (i.e., physically procreated).
Verses 3-5: The question, "What will You give me?" (Verse 2) became an accusation, "You have given no offspring to me!" (verse 3). The Lord's rejection of Abram's solution (verse 4), preceded God's reiterated promise of innumerable descendants (verse 5; Romans 4:18).
Genesis 15:3 "And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir."
Notwithstanding the unbounded grandeur and preciousness of the promise, or rather assurance, now given, Abram is still childless and landless; and the Lord has made as yet no sign of action in regard to these objects of special promise.
"To me thou hast given no seed." This was the present shield mentioned also in former words of promise. There is something strikingly human in all this. Abram is no enthusiast or fanatic. He fastens on the substantive blessings which the Lord had expressly named.
Abram was telling God: I don't have any children for these promises to be carried out through, what good will it do to give me anything? It will die with me, and this servant will inherit my goods for lack of a son to leave it to. Abram was really feeling sorry for himself.
Genesis 15:4 "And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir."
Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him; and to state all our grievances. It is ease to a burdened spirit, to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend. Abram's complaint is that he had no child; that he was never likely to have any; that the want of a son was so great a trouble to him, that it took away all his comfort.
If we suppose that Abram looked no further than outward comfort, this complaint was to be blamed. But if we suppose that Abram herein had reference to the promised Seed, his desire was very commendable.
Till we have evidence of our interest in Christ, we should not rest satisfied; what will all avail me, if I go Christless? If we continue instant in prayer, yet pray with humble submission to the Divine will, we shall not seek in vain. God gave Abram an express promise of a son.
God sees our broken hearts and encourages us. He corrected this gloominess in Abram. He re-issued His promises to Abram.
Genesis 15:5 "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."
The Lord reiterates the promise concerning the seed. As he had commanded him to view the land, and see in its dust the emblem of the multitude that would spring from him, so now, with a sublime simplicity of practical illustration, he brings him forth to contemplate the stars, and challenges him to tell their number, if he can; adding, "So shall thy seed be."
He that made all these out of nothing, by the word of his power, is able to fulfill his promise, and multiply the seed of Abram and Sarai. Here, we perceive, the vision does not interfere with the notice of the sensible world, so far as is necessary (Daniel 10:7; John 12:29).
"Tell" means "count."
He had already promised Abram about the numerous seed, but now He showed him visually the promise. Abram spiritually saw all the stars of heaven, and truly they are innumerable.
Genesis 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
"Believed ... counted ... for righteousness": The Apostle Paul quoted these words as an illustration of faith over and against works (Rom. 4:3, 9, 22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23). Abram was justified by faith! (see notes on Rom. 4 and Gal. 3), for a fuller discussion of justification by faith.
"He believed in the Lord": This was not his original act of faith, but a further evidence of his confidence in God. In light of (Hebrews 11:8-10), clearly Abram had already experienced saving faith at the time of his original call.
(Romans 4:6 and 22), cite instances of God imputing righteousness to the account of those who were already believers. (Romans 4:18), refers to Abram's believing God's promise that he would have a posterity. Thus, the doctrine of imputation is based upon man's faith.
The fact that Abram was justified by God 14 years before he was circumcised is the basis for Paul's argument (in Romans 4:9-12), that faith, not works (e.g., circumcision), is the means of our justification. Therefore, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament teaches salvation by faith, not works.
Isn't this an interesting statement? The Scripture above did not say that Abram believed what God said, it says Abram believed in the LORD. LORD is capitalized meaning Lord Jesus Christ.
To be the father of the believers in Christ, Abraham had to believe also. I believe the encounter of Abram with Melchizedec was recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ. His belief in the Lord made him righteous.
Genesis 15:7 "And he said unto him, I [am] the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it."
"To give thee this land to inherit it": That a specifically identifiable land (see verses 18-21), was intimately linked with Abram's having many descendants in God's purpose and in the Abrahamic Covenant was clearly revealed and, in a formal ceremony (verses 9-21), would be placed irrevocably beyond dispute.
He said to Abram here, you didn't leave Ur just to find a better place to make a living. I brought you out so that I might give you this land as an inheritance.
Genesis 15:8 "And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?"
Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" A question, not of veiled accusation at the delayed fulfillment, but of genuine request for information and assurance. In response, God affirmed His covenant with Abram in a remarkable ceremony (verses 9-21).
Just like so many in our day, which hear God's voice and want to know for sure that this is God, so did Abram.
Genesis 15:9-10 "And he said unto him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon." "And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."
"Divided them in the midst": The sign of ancient covenants often involved the cutting in half of animals, so that the pledging parties could walk between them, affirming that the same should happen to them if they broke the covenant (see Jer. 34:18-19).
"Cutting" Ancient covenants were sometimes confirmed by the halving of the sacrificial victims and the two parties to the covenant passing between them (Mari Tablets and Jer. 34:18-19).
In this case, however, God alone passes between the animal pieces, in the form of a smoking furnace from which torch-like flames shoot out (Exodus19:18), because this covenant with Abram is unconditional, and can be carried out only by God Himself.
In other words, I will make a covenant with you. The animals being 3 years old could be symbolic of the three years of Jesus' ministry here on the earth, or it could mean that these animals had grown to maturity and were something of value to sacrifice.
The fact that the pigeon and turtledove were not separated could, possibly, mean the unity that the Holy Ghost (dove), brings to believers. Most of these animals and birds would become sacrifice for sins in later ceremonies. A covenant of lasting value includes shed blood. It seals the covenant.
Genesis 15:11 "And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away."
And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses": (birds of prey), to devour them, Abram, who stood by his sacrifice waiting for the manifestation of God, who had ordered him to prepare for the ratification of the covenant, drove them away. That they might neither pollute nor devour what had been thus consecrated to God.
Upon the birds, as Aben Ezra and Ben Melech interpret it, whose carcasses were whole or rather upon the divided carcasses of the animals, and indeed on both. This is to be understood of birds of prey, as eagles, vultures, kites, crows, etc.
Who are an emblem of the Egyptians chiefly, and other enemies of Israel, who came upon them to devour them; so, the Targum of Jonathan,"and the idolatrous nations descended, who were like to an unclean fowl, to spoil the goods of the Israelites;" and likewise the Targum of Jerusalem, "this unclean fowl are the idolatrous kingdoms of the earth."
Here, the symbolism really takes over; vultures were descending on these offerings to God. The devil descends on the Jews and on believers in Christ today, but the covenant with Abram still wards off the enemy. Our faith, as Abram's faith, puts the old devil to flight even now.
Genesis 15:12 "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him."
"Sleep": God put him to sleep, because the covenant did not involve any promise on his part. He would not walk through the pieces as a pledge (see verse 17).
Darkness is an absence of the light. This darkness that fell meant that there would be a falling away of the descendants of Abram, and a curse would fall. Similar to what happened in the dark ages. Faith in God was very weak at this time.
Verses 13-14: The words of God in the covenant ceremony assured Abram that his descendants would definitely be in the land, although a painful detour into Egypt would delay fulfillment until long after his demise (Acts 7:6-7).
Genesis 15:13 "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"
"Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs": This is a prophecy of Israel's sojourn in Egypt, predicted to take place some three hundred years later and lasting about "four hundred years" (Exodus 12:40; and 430 to be exact).
Genesis 15:14 "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance."
Then God would judge "that nation" (Egypt in Exodus 15), and bring Israel out "with great substance" (Exodus 12:34-36), and use them as a means of judgment upon the inhabitants of Canaan, when "the iniquity of the Amorites" would be "full".
God was telling Abram, here, what God's foreknowledge told Him about the descendants of Abram in Egypt. They would be servants of the Pharaoh for 400 years.
God told Abram, but there would come a day when He would punish Egypt for mistreating His people, and they would spoil the Egyptians, and bring out great wealth. We will learn in a later lesson that 70 go into Egypt, and nearly 3 million came out of Egypt.
Genesis 15:15 "And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age."
"Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace": This verse strongly implies the immortality of the soul, and a state of separate existence. He was gathered to his fathers, introduced into the place where separate spirits are kept, waiting for the general resurrection. Two things seem to be distinctly marked here:
(1) The soul of Abram should be introduced among the assembly of the first-born; Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace;
(2) His body should be buried after a long life, one hundred and seventy-five years (Genesis 25:7). The body was buried; the soul went to the spiritual world, to dwell among the fathers, the patriarchs, who had lived and died in the Lord (see note on Genesis 25:8).
This Scripture, above, pretty well defines what happens when we die. There is a separation between the spirit and the body, here. He first said you will be at peace with your ancestors. The spirit leaves the body and goes to heaven, if you are a Christian. God told him that his body would rest in the grave, until it is resurrected and reunited with the spirit.
Genesis 15:16 "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full."
"The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full": A delay in judgment occasioned the delay in covenant fulfillment. Judgment on Egypt (verse 14), would mark the departure of Abram's descendants for their Land, and judgment on the Canaanites (broadly defined ethnically as Amorites), would mark their entrance to the Land.
God gave these Amorites an opportunity to repent (they did not). A generation here, was 100 years.
Genesis 15:17 "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces."
"Smoking furnace ... burning lamp" (Exodus 13:21). These items symbolized the presence of God, who solemnly promised by divine oath to fulfill His promises to Abram by alone passing through the animal pieces (verses 9-11).
Genesis 15:18 "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"
"River of Egypt unto ... Euphrates": Scripture records both general (Exodus 23:31; Num. 13:21; Deut. 11:24; 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Kings 14:25; Isa. 27:12), and specific (Num. 34:1-12; Jos. 15:1-2; Ezek. 47:15-20; 48:1, 28), descriptions of the Promised Land. Centering on the ancient land of Canaan.
Such precise geographic demarcation will not allow for any redefinitions which would emasculate God's promise of its specificity. The river of Egypt was most probably what became known as the Wadi El Arish, the southern border of Judah.
The Bible says that God is a consuming fire. This presence of the smoke and fire here, was some form of a Godly appearance to make covenant with Abram. There had to be shed blood to seal the covenant. Abram's part of the covenant was to believe that God would truly keep covenant with him.
Even though this land did not belong to Abram's descendants until much later, God drew off the lines right then what would belong to Abram's descendants. They are still fighting about this very thing even today in Israel.
Verses 19-21: Kenites ... Jebusites": The various peoples who inhabited the land are named. Such precise detailing of the nations in the land of Canaan attests again to the specificity of the Promised Land in God's promises.
Genesis 15:19 "The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,"
"The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites": In this and the following verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at this time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the times of Moses and Joshua; and these three are not among them.
Aben Ezra thinks these people had two names, and Jarchi interprets them of the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, who shall be the inheritance of the children of Israel in future times, according to (Isaiah 11:14).
Some are of opinion that the Midianites are meant by the Kenites, since Jethro, Moses's father in law, who was of Midian, is called the Kenite, as was also Heber, who was of the same race (Judges 1:16).
There were Kenites near to the Amalekites in the times of Balaam, and who dwelt among them in the times of Saul (Numbers 24:20).
Genesis 15:20 "And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,"
"And the Hittites": Who had their name from Heth, a son of Canaan (see Genesis 10:15); they dwelt about Hebron, in the south of the land of Canaan.
"And the Perizzites": these dwelt in the wood country of the land (Joshua 17:15); and seem to have their name from dwelling in villages, and at a distance from towns and cities, and were a boorish and uncivilized people (see Genesis 13:7).
"And the Rephaims": or "giants", as the Targums of Onkelos, and Jonathan; they dwelt near the Perizzites (Joshua 17:15); of these see (Genesis 14:5).
Genesis 15:21 "And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
"And the Amorites": The same with the Amorite (Genesis 10:16); they inhabited both on this and the other side Jordan.
"And the Canaanites": Which were a particular tribe or nation that bore the name of their great ancestor Canaan (see Genesis 13:7).
"And the Girgashites": The same with the Gergesenes (in Matthew 8:28); of these (see Genesis 10:16).
"And the Jebusites": Who inhabited Jerusalem and about it, which was first called Jebus, from the founder of this nation (see Genesis 10:16).
There were 10 peoples mentioned here. This was God dealing against world government. These people did not follow after God. Their land would be taken from them, and given to the descendants of Abram, when Moses led them to the Promised Land.
Genesis Chapter 15 Questions
1. What was God's first statement to Abram?
2. What was Abram complaining about?
3. What was the name of Abram's steward?
4. What did God show Abram to show him the number of descendants he would have?
5. In verse 6, what was counted as righteousness?
6. Why did God bring Abram out of Ur?
7. Just as we do, Abram asked God for what?
8. What 3 things did Abram bring for sacrifice that was 3 years old?
9. What 2 other things did he bring?
10. What did Abram do with them?
11. What 2 things could the 3 years old mean?
12. Why were the turtledove and pigeon not separated?
13. A lasting covenant involves what?
14. What were the vultures symbolic of?
15. What warded off the vultures?
16. What was the darkness in verse 12 symbolic of?
17. How long would Abram's descendants be afflicted?
18. What does 430 mean?
19. What would happen to the nation that persecuted them?
20. Would God's people come out empty handed?
21. What 2 things does verse 15 tell us about death?
22. In verse 16, how long is a generation?
23. What 2 things, in verse 17, symbolized God?
24. Where were the boundaries set for Israel that day?
25. What did the Bible call God that we see here, and in the burning bush?
26. What did the fact that there were 10 peoples that would be overthrown mean?
Genesis 16:1 "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Hagar."
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children": She is before said to be barren, and he to be childless (Genesis 11:30); God had promised him a seed, but as yet he had none, which was a trial of his faith.
Abram had been married many years to Sarai his wife, who was his wife when they came out of Ur of the Chaldees, and how long before is unknown. They stayed and dwelt some time at Haran, the Jews say five years, and they had been now ten years in the land of Canaan (Gen. 16:3).
Sarai had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar; no doubt but she had many, but this was a principal one, that might be over others, and was chiefly entrusted with the care and management of family affairs under her mistress.
She might be the daughter of an Egyptian, born in Abram's house, as Eliezer was the son of a Syrian of Damascus, born there also. Or she might be one of the maidservants Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave to Abram.
See (Galatians 4:21-31), where Paul uses Hagar as an illustration.
Genesis 16:2 "And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai."
Sarai, no longer expecting to have children herself, proposed to Abram to take another wife, her slave Hagar, whose children would be her property. This was done without asking counsel of the Lord. Unbelief worked, God's almighty power was forgotten. It was a bad example, and a source of manifold uneasiness.
"Go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her": This was according to legal customs as witnessed in legal codes and marriage contracts of the time.
Ten years had elapsed since God's original promise of an heir (16:3), and Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands (see note on Gen. 30:3). The negative commentary concerning this episode is written by Paul in Galatians 4 and contrasts the "work of the flesh" and the product of the "Spirit of God" in verse 29.
This scheme that Sarai came up with caused nothing but trouble. First of all, this would not be Sarai's child. Sarai had lost faith that she would ever have a child, and decided to help God out. Anytime you get ahead of God and start figuring out the details yourself, you wind up with a mess. This was no exception.
Even mixing the blood of Abram with an Egyptian, was not pleasing to God. Egypt is a type of the world. This union between Hagar and Abram could be nothing but worldly (opposed to God's plan). Any child from this union would have to be of the flesh.
The poor maid was caught in a trap not of her making. Abram could have said no. He did not have to obey Sarai. In doing what she said, he got all of them in a mess.
Genesis 16:3 "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife."
"Gave her to her husband": After 10 childless years (12:4), Sarai resorted to the custom of the day by which a barren wife could get a child through one of her own maidservants (verse 2, "I will obtain children through her").
Abram ignoring divine reaction and assurance in response to his earlier attempt to appoint a heir (15:2-5), sinfully yielded to Sarai's insistence, and Ismael was born (verse 15).
The only thing to add here is we should look at the worldly aspect of this, even the 10 in the number of years. Abram was allowing his flesh to rule him.
Genesis 16:4 "And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes."
"And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived": The formality of the marriage being over, he enjoyed her as his wife, and she immediately conceived by him. And when she saw that she had conceived; when she perceived that she was with child: her mistress was despised in her eyes.
She thought herself above her, and treated her as her inferior, with contempt, and reproached her for her barrenness, as Peninnah did Hannah, (1 Sam. 1:6) and it was the more ungrateful, as it was at the motion of her mistress that she was given to Abram for wife.
She (Hagar) suddenly felt her importance. Her affair with Abram had resulted in pregnancy. She was angry and jealous of Sarai. Two women cannot share one man. In Genesis, when God made Adam and Eve, He said they two shall become one flesh.
Marriage where more than two people are involved cannot work. It is not compatible with the plan God made from the beginning. Jealousy between these two women reigned in this household.
Genesis 16:5 "And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong [be] upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee."
"Wrong be upon thee ... I was despised": Sarai, not anticipating contemptuous disregard by Hagar (verse 4), as the result of her solution for barrenness, blamed Abram for her trouble and demanded judgment to rectify the broken mistress-servant relationship.
Sarai had given her maid to Abram, yet she cries out, "my wrong be upon thee". That is never said wisely, which pride and anger put into our mouths. Those are not always in the right, who are most loud and forward in appealing to God: such rash and bold imprecations commonly speak guilt and a bad cause.
Abram transferred his responsibility to Sarai, giving her freedom to react as she wished (verse 6), "your maid is in your power".
At least in this verse, Sarai was admitting that she was wrong. Just like so many people who do wrong, Sarai did not want to take the blame. She tried to shift her blame to Abram. With Hebrew women, it was a disgrace, not to have children, and they were looked down on. Children were considered a blessing from God. Not having children was considered a curse.
Whether this was what Hagar was feeling for Sarai, or not, was not evident. Perhaps, Hagar had in her mind to take the place of Sarai with Abram. Sarai, in the last sentence, was asking God to decide whether she was at blame, or whether it was Abram's fault that all of this happened.
Genesis 16:6 "But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid [is] in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face."
Abram's unhappy marriage to Hagar very soon made a great deal of mischief. We may thank ourselves for the guilt and grief that follow us, when we go out of the way of our duty. See it in this case, Passionate people often quarrel with others, for things of which they themselves must bear the blame.
Hagar forgot that she herself had first given the provocation, by despising her mistress. Those that suffer for their faults, ought to bear it patiently (1 Pet. 2:20).
"But Abram said unto Sarai": In a meek, mild and gentle manner: behold, thy maid is in thine hand; though Hagar was Abram's secondary wife he still considers her as Sarai's maid, and as subject to her, allows her to exercise authority over her; for he still retained the same love and affection for Sarai, his first and lawful wife.
He showed the same respect he ever did, and supported her in her honor and dignity.
"Do to her as it pleaseth thee": not giving her liberty to take away her life, nor even to use her cruelly, but to deal with her as a mistress might lawfully do with a servant, or however exercise that power which a first wife had over a second. Perhaps Abram, in complaisance to Sarai, gave her too large a commission, and left it too much in her power to distress Hagar.
It might have been more correct to have heard both sides, and judged between them, and used his own authority, by reproving and correcting as he saw fit. Had she been only Sarai's maid and not his wife, it would have been less exceptionable; however, for peace sake, he gave leave to Sarai to do as she would.
Abram just backed away here. This is Sarai's maid. Sarai punished Hagar some way for her attitude. Whatever the punishment, it was severe enough that Hagar fled in fear.
Genesis 16:7 "And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur."
"The angel of the Lord": This special individual spoke as though He were distinct from Yahweh, yet also spoke in the first person as though He were indeed to be identified as Yahweh Himself, with Hagar recognizing that in seeing this Angel, she had seen God (verse 13).
Others had the same experience and came to the same conclusion (22:11-18; 31:11-13; Exodus 3:2-5; Num. 22:22-35; Judges 6:11-23; 13:2-5; 1 King 19:5-7). The Angel of the Lord, who does not appear after the birth of Christ, is often identified as the pre-incarnate Christ (see note on Exodus 3:2).
This was likely the preincarnate appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity as the angel's character, deeds, and power confirm this interpretation (17:1-22; 22:11-18; 31:11, 13; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Sam. 24:16; Zech. 1:12; 3:1; 12:8).
"Shur": south of Palestine and east of Egypt, which meant that Hagar attempted to return home to Egypt.
In the Old Testament, an angel identified as the "angel of the Lord", the "angel of God" (21:17), the "angel of his presence" (Isa. 63:9), and the "messenger of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1), appeared to individuals.
A closer look at the context of His appearances reveals that He is more than another angel, He is God. The expression usually signifies a preincarnate appearance of Christ, and is sometimes called a "Christophany," meaning the visible and bodily manifestation of God the Son before His incarnation.
That He is not merely another angel is evident in those appearances where He is called God. This was recognized by Hagar (verse 13), Abraham (22:14), Moses (Exodus 3:14), Gideon (Judges 6:22), and Manoah (Judges 13:18, 22). The expression is also used of men, but on such occasions, is translated "the Lord's messenger" (Hag. 1:13).
The Angel of the Lord no longer appears to men today, since God has commissioned Christians to be His messengers to the world.
Genesis 16:8 "And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai."
"And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid": He calls her by her name, which might surprise her, and describes her by her character and condition, in order to check her pride, and put her in mind of her duty to her mistress; and to suggest to her, that she ought to have been not where she was, but in the house of her mistress, and doing her service.
It seems that Hagar had fled out in a deserted place. She probably, knew there was water there, and came to get a drink. She had run from the only home she had known. She was pregnant, and nowhere to go. The father of the child had turned his irate wife on her. The nearest thing she had as a benefactor was Sarai, and she had misbehaved toward her mistress and had been punished.
What would she do? Where could she go? She was out here all alone feeling sorry for herself. And then, who appeared but the angel (ministering Spirit of God). This word that was here translated angel, in other places it is translated prophet, priest, teacher, ambassador, king or messenger. This did not say an angel. It said the angel.
It seems that God had seen her predicament and sent help. As if he did not know, he asked where did you come from, and where are you going? Here was the first time, since she conceived, that she admitted who Sarai was (her mistress).
Genesis 16:9 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands."
The angel of the Lord found her by a fountain (verse 8). This well, pointed out by tradition, lay on the side of the caravan road, in the midst of Shur, a sandy desert on the west of Arabia, to the extent of a hundred fifty miles, between Palestine and Egypt.
By going that direction, she seems to have intended to return to her relatives in that country. Nothing but pride, passion, and sullen obstinacy, could have driven any solitary person to brave the dangers of such an inhospitable wild; and she would have died, had not the timely appearance and words of the angel recalled her to reflection and duty.
"Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself": The verb here employed is the same as that, which the historian uses to describe Sarah's conduct towards her (verse 6); its meaning obviously is that she should meekly resign herself to the ungracious and oppressive treatment of her mistress - under her hands.
Both the salutation and the instruction given by the Angel and the response by Hagar treated the mistress-servant relationship as if it were still intact. Rebelling and leaving was not the solution.
In short, he said, go back and apologize for your behavior.
Genesis 16:10 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude."
"I will multiply thy seed exceedingly": A servant she might have been, but mother of many she would also become thus making Abram the father of two groups of innumerable descendants (see 13:16; 15:5).
Genesis 16:11 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou [art] with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction."
Ishmael": The name means "God Hears" and was intended to remind Hagar of God's special intervention on her behalf. This is the first time that the Angel of the Lord appears in the Old Testament.
Ishmael was the eldest son of Abram by Hagar; Sarah's Egyptian handmaid (verses 15-16). He was later guilty of taunting his half-brother Isaac (21:9), and he and his mother were expelled by Abraham at Sarah's insistence.
God promised that Ishmael would be "a wild man" (verse 12). His life was spared by God. He married an Egyptian and became the father of 12 princes; he was the forefather of the Arabs (Gen. 16:15-16; 17:20-27; 21:9-21).
God promised Hagar that she also, would have a multitude of descendants. She now knew that she was to have a boy child. She was to name him Ishmael, which means (God hears). His name was this because God heard Hagar's cries, not Ishmael's. In a way, she was innocent in this mess.
Genesis 16:12 "And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
Hagar's son will be a "wild man" and "shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren". The Hebrew actually means "in defiance/disregard of" as shown in Genesis 25:18; and Deut. 21:16. The language and context denote a hostility on the part of Ishmael (and his descendants), toward his brethren (Isaac and his descendants), and even among Ishmael's own people.
The untamable desert onager (wild donkey), best described the fiercely aggressive and independent nature Ishmael would exhibit, along with his Arabic descendants.
Thus, began the Jewish and Arab conflict, due to an act of the flesh on the part of Abram. When Hagar gave birth, Abram was 86 years old. Eleven years had passed since God first promised an heir, and His promise was still unfulfilled.
This wild man's descendants live in the midst of their Israelite brethren even today, and truly they do hate each other. They battle continuously, and it has been going on ever since Genesis in the Bible.
Genesis 16:13 "And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?"
"Thou God seeth me": Recognizing the angel as God and ascribing this new name to Him arose from Hagar's astonishment at having been the object of God's gracious attention. The theophany and revelation led her to call Him also "The One Who Lives and Sees me".
Genesis 16:14 "Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, [it is] between Kadesh and Bered."
Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It appears, from (Genesis 16:7), that Hagar had sat down by a fountain or well of water in the wilderness of Shur, at which the Angel of the Lord found her; and, to commemorate the wonderful discovery which God had made of himself, she called the name of the well Beer-lahai-roi "A well to the Living One who seeth me."
Two things seem implied here:
(1) A dedication of the well to Him who had appeared to her; and
(2) Faith in the promise: for He who is the Living One, existing in all generations, must have it ever in his power to accomplish promises which are to be fulfilled through the whole lapse of time.
Hagar realized that God provided the well, and that this was God (El), who was instructing her to go back to Sarai. I believe this means she was aware that she did not get God's permission to leave. The name that was given the well means (well of the living One). Wells are very valuable in this area and Jewish people of today use the Bible to find these old wells.
Genesis 16:15 "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael."
"And Hagar bare Abram a son": It appears, therefore, that Hagar returned at the command of the angel, believing the promise that God had made to her. Being returned to his house, and received by him, and reconciled to Sarai, she brought forth a son to Abram, according to the prediction of the angel.
"Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael": And this name Jarchi suggests he gave by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that dwelt in him: but it is highly reasonable to suppose, that Hagar upon her return reported to Abram the whole of the conversation she had with the angel; wherefore Abram believing what she said, in obedience to the order and command of the angel, gave him this name.
"His Son ... Ishmael" (2079 B.C).
Remember, Ishmael means (God will hear). This son is of the flesh, not of the promise.
Genesis 16:16 "And Abram [was] fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."
"And Abram was eighty years old when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram": Which is easily reckoned, for he was seventy five years of age when he left Haran (Genesis 12:4). And he had been ten years in Canaan when Hagar was given him by Sarai for his wife (Genesis 16:3). And so must be then eighty five years of age, and of course must be eighty six when Ishmael was born.
Genesis Chapter 16 Questions
1. What was the name of Sarai's servant girl?
2. What nationality was she?
3. Why did Sarai send Abram to Hagar?
4. What happens when we run ahead of God and start figuring things out for ourselves?
5. What is Egypt a type of?
6. When Abram did what Sarai suggested, what were the results?
7. How many years had Abram dwelt in Canaan when this happened?
8. The minute Hagar discovered she was expecting. how did she feel about her mistress?
9. What sentence in Genesis lets you know one man cannot peacefully live with 2 women?
10. With what women was it a disgrace not to bare children?
11. Did Abram take up for Hagar?
12. When Sarai punished Hagar, what happened?
13. Who found Hagar at the well?
14. This well was on the way to where?
15. What 2 questions did he ask Hagar?
16. Who was the nearest thing to a benefactor?
17. What did the angel of the LORD speak to Hagar?
18. What blessing did the angel of the LORD speak to Hagar?
19. What was Hagar to name her son?
20. What does his name mean?
21. What kind of a man would this son be?
22. Where will he live?
23. What did Hagar call the Angel of the LORD?
24. What was the name of the well?
25. What does it mean?
26. Where was it located?
27. Who named the child?
28. How old was Abram, when the child was born?
Genesis 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
"Almighty God": (Hebrew El Shaday): El denotes "power" and "shaddai" may be derived from the Akkadian shadadu, to "overpower," portraying God as the overpowering, almighty One who will supernaturally provide descendants for Abram when all other means fail.
This statement, above, did not say that an angel appeared. It said the LORD appeared to Abram.
When this personality met Abram, He explained to Abram how He is Almighty God. This is a plural word meaning most majestic supreme God. This all powerful God gave Abram a charge to live a holy life. We cannot be perfect in our flesh, but God wants us to try to be perfect.
Genesis 17:2 "And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."
"My covenant between me and thee": Another reaffirmation of His unilateral covenant with Abram, which did not mean that there would be no responsibilities falling upon its recipients (See notes on verses 7-9 below and on 12:1-3; 15:13-21).
God again, was renewing His covenant with Abram. This time it was a blood covenant. He, again, promised to multiply Abram's seed.
Genesis 17:3 "And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,"
"And Abram fell on his face": At the sight of so glorious a Person that appeared to him, and in reverence of his majesty, and as sensible of his unworthiness of such a visit, and of having such favors bestowed upon him.
This is the lowliest form of reverence, in which the worshipper leans on his knees and elbows, and his forehead approaches the ground. Prostration is still customary in the East. Abram has attained to loftier notions of God.
"God talked with him." Yahweh, El Shaddai, is here called God. The Supreme appears as the Author of existence, the Irresistible and Everlasting, in this stage of the covenant relation.
After he was raised up, and was strengthened and encouraged to stand up before God, and hear what he had to say to him; for after this we read of his falling on his face again (Genesis 17:17); which shows that he had been erect, after he first fell on his face
Genesis 17:4 "As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations."
"Father of many nations": The 3-fold reaffirmation of the divine promise of many descendants, perhaps including Isaac's and Ishmael's, brackets the change of name (verses 4-6), giving it significant emphasis.
The only place any person can be in the presence of God is on his face, in total reverence to God. This voice of God is unmistakable; there is no question who this is, when you hear this voice. You see, Abram did not decide to make a covenant with God. God chose to make a covenant with Abram. He promised one more time that Abram would be a father of many nations.
Genesis 17:5 "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee."
"Thy name shall be Abraham" (11:27). The name meaning "father of many nations" reflected Abraham's new relationship to God as well as his new identity based on God's promise of seed (Rom. 4:17).
Abram means "High Father," but he is now to be called Abraham, suggesting he will become the father of a multitude.
His name was now being changed from Abram (high father), to Abraham (father of a multitude). Notice that this statement above, is past tense. God had decided long ago to make Abraham father of many nations.
Genesis 17:6 "And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee."
"Kings shall come out of thee": This promise highlights the reality of more than one people group, or nation in its own right, coming from Abraham.
Here, God was just reassuring Abraham that he would have many descendants, even though he was now 99 years old.
Genesis 17:7-8 "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." "And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
"I will establish my covenant": This relationship was set up at God's initiative and also designated as an "everlasting covenant" (verse 7), thus applying to Abraham's posterity with equal force and bringing forth the declaration "I will be their God" (verse 8). This pledge became the dictum of the covenant relationship between Yahweh, i.e., Jehovah and Israel.
"Everlasting covenant ... I will give ... the land": Since the covenant is "everlasting" and includes possession of "Canaan," it guarantees Israel the right of possession as an earthly inheritance forever. God is the Landlord who gives the title deed to Israel, His son. Thus, the Jews have a rightful claim to this land as long as the earth shall stand.
"All the land of Canaan": God's reaffirmation of His covenant promises to Abraham did not occur without mention of the land being deeded by divine right to him and his descendants as "an everlasting possession" (Acts 7:5).
This was an everlasting blood covenant that God, Himself, established. He told Abraham that this covenant was not just with him, but this covenant would extend to all of his ancestors for all of eternity. When Abraham lived here in Canaan, this land was occupied by evil Canaanite men. The only provision was that God be worshipped by Abraham and his descendants.
Verses 9-14: Abraham's part in the covenant-making process was circumcision, which God established as a sign of the covenant to indicate that this offspring were uniquely dedicated to God (Exodus 4:24-26; Rom. 4:11).
A Hebrew who failed to observe this rite would be cut off from the covenant community. Circumcision was to serve as an outward sign of inward dedication to God. In itself, it was neither effective nor unique to Israel.
Genesis 17:9 "And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations."
"Thou shalt keep my covenant": Despite repeated disobedience by the patriarchs and the nation, God's faithfulness to His covenant commitment never wavered (e.g., Deut. 4:25-31; 30:1-9; 1 Chron. 16:15-18; Jer. 30:11; 46:27-28; Amos 9:8; Luke 1:67-75; Heb. 6:13-18).
Divine witnesses of Abraham's obedience (22:16-18; 26:3-5) were pronounced years after the formal establishment of His covenant (12:1-3; 15:12-18). Though the nation was apostate, there was always an obedient remnant of faithful Israelites (see Zeph. 3:12-13).
Genesis 17:10 "This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised."
"This is my covenant": The other party to the covenant now learns his obligation. "Every male of you shall be circumcised."
Circumcision, as the rainbow covenant, might have been in existence before it was adopted as the token of a covenant. The sign of the covenant with Noah was a purely natural phenomenon, and therefore entirely independent of man. That of the Abrahamic covenant was an artificial process, and therefore, though prescribed by God, was dependent on the voluntary agency of man.
The former marked the sovereignty of God in ratifying the covenant and insuring its fulfillment, notwithstanding the mutability of man; the latter indicates the responsibility of man, the trust he places in the word of promise, and the agreement he gives to the terms of the divine mercy.
As the former covenant conveys a common natural blessing to all mankind and contemplates a common spiritual blessing, so the latter conveys a special spiritual blessing and contemplates its universal acceptance.
The rainbow was the appropriate natural emblem of preservation from a flood; and the removal of the foreskin was the fit symbol of that removal of the old man and renewal of nature, which qualified Abraham to be the parent of a holy seed.
And as the former sign foreshadows an incorruptible inheritance, so the latter prepares the way for a holy seed, by which the holiness and the heritage will at length be universally extended.
Not only Abraham and Isaac, and his posterity by Isaac, were to be circumcised, but also Ishmael and the bond-servants.
Genesis 17:11 "And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you."
"Token of the covenant": Circumcision (cutting away the male foreskin), was not entirely new in this period of history, but the special religious and theocratic significance then applied to it was entirely new, thus identifying the circumcised as belonging to the physical and ethnical lineage of Abraham (Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11).
Every man child among you shall be circumcised": This was the sign in the Old Testament Church as baptism is in the New, and hence the covenant is called "covenant of circumcision" (Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11).
The terms of the covenant were these: on the one hand Abraham and his seed were to observe the right of circumcision. On the other, God promised, in the event of such observance, to give them Canaan for a perpetual possession. To be a God to him and his posterity, and that in him and his seed all nations should be blessed.
The covenant of grace is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it. The token of the covenant was circumcision. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep. Those who will have the Lord to be to them a God, must resolve to be to him a people.
It sealed not only the covenant of the land of Canaan to Isaac's posterity, but of heaven, through Christ, to the whole church of God. The outward sign is for the visible church; the inward seal of the Spirit is peculiar to those whom God knows to be believers, and he alone can know them.
The religious observance of this institution was required, under a very severe penalty. It is dangerous to make light of Divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them. The covenant in question was one that involved great blessings for the world in all future ages.
Even the blessedness of Abraham himself, and all the rewards conferred upon him, were for Christ's sake. Abraham was justified, as we have seen, not by his own righteousness, but by faith in the promised Messiah.
Genesis 17:12-13 "And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which [is] not of thy seed." "He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."
The time of circumcision is the eighth day. At this stage, accordingly, the sign of sanctification is made on the child, betokening the consecration of the heart to God, when its rational powers have come into noticeable activity.
To be "cut off from his people" is to be excluded from any part in the covenant, and treated simply as a Gentile or alien, some of whom seem to have dwelt among the Israelites
"Eight days old": This same time frame was repeated (in Lev. 12:3).
He that is born in thine house, and he that is bought with thy money, "must needs be circumcised": this is repeated to denote the necessity of it, and what care should be taken that this be done, because there was to be no uncircumcised male among them (Genesis 17:10); nor any conversation and communion to be had among them, especially in a religious way.
"And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant": Circumcision was to be seen in their flesh, and no methods were to be taken to draw over the foreskin again, but it was to continue as long as they lived; and so in their posterity, in all succeeding ages, as a sign of the covenant and promise which should remain until the Messiah's coming.
This seems like a strange request from God, but these were the physical descendants of Abraham that were mentioned here. This separated the Hebrew men from the men of the world. This sealed the blood covenant. Remember, Abraham was 99 and his son Ishmael 13 when they were circumcised, so this was no small sacrifice they made to seal the covenant.
Genesis 17:14 "And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."
"Shall be cut off from his people": Being cut off from the covenant community meant loss of temporal benefits stemming from being part of the special, chosen and theocratic (a country ruled by religious leaders), nation, even to the point of death by divine judgment.
In verse 14, we see covenant breakers would not receive blessings from God.
Genesis 17:15 "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [shall] her name [be]."
"Sarai ... Sarah": Fittingly, since Sarai ("my princess"), would be the ancestress of the promised nations and kings. God changed her name to Sarah, taking away the limiting personal pronoun "my," and calling her "princess" (verse 16).
God really did not regard Hagar as Abraham's wife. The wife that God recognized was Sarah. God's promises would come through her.
Genesis 17:16 "And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be [a mother] of nations; kings of people shall be of her."
"And I will bless her": The Targum of Jonathan adds, "in her body", with fruitfulness, who before was barren, and in her soul with spiritual blessings, and in both with the blessing of eternal life.
"And give thee a son also of her" as he had given him one of Hagar. God had before promised Abraham a son that should be his heir, but he had not until now told him that he should be born of Sarah his wife.
"Yea, I will bless her" which is repeated for the confirmation of it, "and for the greater strengthening Abraham's faith in it". And she shall be a "mother of nations" of the twelve tribes of Israel; of the two nations of Israel and Judah. Kings of people shall be of her; as David, Solomon, and others, and especially the King Messiah. "Mother of nations" (17:5).
He told Abraham, again, you will have a son by Sarah, and I will bless you through this wife. These descendants through the spirit would be a more noble heritage.
Genesis 17:17 "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?"
"Fell upon his face and laughed, and said in his heart": A proper reaction of adoration over God's promises was marred by the incredulity of Abraham. He knew he was to be a father (12:2; 15:4), but this was the first mention that his barren, old wife was to be the mother.
"Then Abraham ... laughed": It seems strange that Abraham laughs at the idea of a hundred-year-old man begetting a son, when his own father was 130 at the time of his birth.
Sarah would die when he was 137, but he was able to beget sons long after that (25:1-6). Paul states that when he was 100, "He considered not his own body now dead" (Rom. 4:19). This laughter is one of doubt as verse 18 reveals.
Abraham could not believe that it was possible for him and Sarah to have a child, as old as they were. In the flesh, it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. As I said before, the Hebrews thought it a great blessing to have children, and if they didn't, they felt God was angry with them for some reason.
Genesis 17:18 "And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!"
Abraham's pleas, "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" indicates his wish to adopt him as his heir (15:2-3; Psalm 2:7). And the law code of Hammurabi for the legal statement of adoption expressed by "thou art my child," and when God declared officially that Jesus was His Son, at the Resurrection (Rom. 1:4).
Quite a bit of time had lapsed from the birth of Ishmael to now, thirteen years, Ishmael was now a teenager.
Abraham's plea for a living son to be the designated beneficiary of God's promises betrayed just how impossible it was for him and Sarah to have children (Rom. 4:17).
Abraham still just could not believe that he and Sarah could have a son, and he was saying to God, bless me through Ishmael. However, God had other plans.
Verses 19-21: Again, patiently but firmly rejecting Abraham's alternative solution, God emphatically settled the matter by bracketing His gracious bestowal of much posterity to Ishmael (see 25:12-18). With affirmations that indeed Sarah's son would be the heir of the "everlasting covenant." For the first time, God named the son.
Genesis 17:19 "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him."
"Thou shalt call his name Isaac": The name means He Laughs" and was to serve as a reminder to Abraham of the unlikely means by which he was brought into the world. And his response in (17:17), and Sarah's reaction (in 18:12).
Genesis 17:20 "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation."
Abraham seems up to this time to have regarded Ishmael as the promised seed. Hence, a feeling of anxiety instantly penetrates his breast. It finds utterance in the prayer, "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee" (verse 18).
He asks "life" for his beloved son, that is, a share in the divine favor. And that "before God" that is, a life of holiness and communion with God. But God declares positively his purpose of giving him a son by Sarah. This son is to be called Isaac, he that laughs or he shall laugh, in reference to the various emotions of surprise and delight with which his parents regarded his birth.
Abram's prayer for Ishmael, however, is not unanswered. He is to be fruitful, beget twelve princes, and become a great nation. But Isaac is to be the heir of promise. At the present season next year, he is to be born. The communication being completed, "God went" up from Abram.
The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael. And though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits.
Genesis 17:21 "But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."
"My covenant will I establish with Isaac": All temporal good things are promised to Ishmael and his posterity, but the establishment of the Lord's covenant is to be with Isaac. Hence it is fully evident that this covenant referred chiefly to spiritual things. To the Messiah, and the salvation which should be brought to both Jews and Gentiles by his incarnation, death, and glorification.
But the covenant, God repeated, should be established with Isaac, whom Sarah was to bear to him at that very time in the following year.
Since Ishmael therefore was excluded from participating in the covenant grace, which was ensured to Isaac alone; and yet Abraham was to become a multitude of nations, and that through Sarah, who was to become "nations" through the son she was to bear (Gen. 17:16).
The "multitude of nations" could not include either the Ishmaelites or the tribes descended from the sons of Keturah (Genesis 25:2.), but the descendants of Isaac alone.
And as one of Isaac's two sons received no part of the covenant promise, but the descendants of Jacob alone. But the whole of the twelve sons of Jacob founded only the one nation of Israel, with which Jehovah established the covenant made with Abraham (Exodus 6 and 20-24). So that Abraham became through Israel the lineal father of one nation only.
Abraham, being a loving father, wanted God to bless his son, Ishmael. God heard and blessed him, but it was a physical earthly blessing. The things God promised Ishmael were not spiritual blessings. These two sons represented the flesh and the spirit. "Isaac" means laughs.
Genesis 17:22 "And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham."
"God went up from Abraham": Ascended evidently before him, so that he had the fullest proof that it was no human being, no earthly angel or messenger, that talked with him.
And the promise of a son in the course of a single year, at this set time in the next year (Gen. 17:21). Which had every human probability against it, was to be the sure token of the truth of all that had hitherto taken place, and the proof that all that was farther promised should be fulfilled in its due time.
Was it not in nearly the same way in which the Lord went up from Abraham, that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven in the presence of his disciples? (Luke 24:51).
Verses 23-27: "The selfsame day": Without delay, Abraham fully carried out God's command on himself, on "every male," and on "all the men of this household".
Genesis 17:23 "And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him."
"And Abraham took Ishmael his son": To circumcise him; he took his son first, to set an example to his servants, and that they might the more readily comply when they saw that Abraham's son, and at that time his only son, was circumcised before their eyes.
"Then all that were born in his house" which were three hundred and eighteen when he rescued Lot from the kings (Gen. 14:14); and perhaps they might be now increased.
"And all that were bought with his money": how many those were, it is not easy to say, no doubt they were many.
"Every male among the men of Abraham's house": whether children or servants, and those little or grown up.
"And circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him": he performed this operation in the manner God directed him, the same day he spoke to him of it. He was not disobedient, nor slow to obey the command of God, but at once complied with it, not consulting flesh and blood, not regarding the pain he and his should endure.
Or considered the shame or danger they should be exposed unto through the Heathens about them; but trusting in God, and committing himself to him, and having his fear before his eyes, he hesitated not, but cheerfully did the will of God.
Genesis 17:24 "And Abraham [was] ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
"And Abraham was ninety years old and nine" (see Gen. 17:1). This circumstance of his age is observed the more to commend his faith and obedience, that though he was an old man, he did not consider his age, or make that an objection. That he was unable to bear the pain, or it would be shameful for a man of his years to be uncovered before his servants.
He did it because God bade him. It was a speedy obedience; in the self-same day. Sincere obedience makes no delay. Not only the doctrines of Revelation, but the seals of God's covenant, remind us that we are guilty, polluted sinners. They show us our need of the blood of atonement; they point to the promised Savior, and teach us to exercise faith in him.
They show us that without regeneration, and sanctification by his Spirit, and the mortification of our corrupt and carnal inclinations, we cannot be in covenant with God. But let us remember that the true circumcision is that of the heart, by the Spirit (Rom. 2:28-29).
Both under the old and new dispensation, many have had the outward profession, and the outward seal, who were never sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.
Genesis 17:25 "And Ishmael his son [was] thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
In the same day. In this passage, we have the prompt and punctual fulfillment of the command concerning circumcision detailed with all the minuteness due to its importance. Ishmael was thirteen years of age when he was circumcised.
Genesis 17:26 "In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son."
"In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son": This is repeated, that it might be taken notice of that both were circumcised according to the command of God.
And on the very day in which it was given. Jarchi observes, it was in the day, and not in the night; showing, says he, Abraham was not afraid of the Heathen, or of mockers. And that his enemies and the men of that generation, might not say; if we had seen him, we would not have suffered him to be circumcised, and keep the commandment of God.
Genesis 17:27 "And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him."
"And all the men of his house": All the males, whether children or adult: born in the house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him; by their will, and with their consent.
They were not forced into it, as Aben Ezra rightly observes. And these being before trained up by him in religious exercises, were more easily prevailed upon by him to follow his example. This also is repeated, that it might be served, and be an example to follow in after generations.
One thing we must take note of here, Abraham carried out his covenant with God to the utmost.
Genesis Chapter 17 Questions
1. Whom did God call Himself to Abraham?
2. How old was Ishmael, when God visited Abraham here?
3. What does Almighty God mean?
4. What effect did God's presence have on Abraham?
5. What does "Abraham" mean?
6. In verse 6, what 3 things did God promise?
7. What land did God promise to give Abraham's descendants?
8. What was the sign of the covenant?
9. How old was a baby boy to be when this happened to him?
10. Who, besides the immediate family, did this involve?
11. What separated Hebrew men from other men?
12. Any Hebrew man refusing to be circumcised hath done what?
13. What was Sarai's name changed to?
14. What does it mean?
15. What kind of blessing did God speak on Sarah?
16. When Abraham was told by God that he would have a son by Sarah, what did he do?
17. In verse 18, what was Abraham asking God for?
18. What was Abraham's and Sarah's son to be named?
19. What does it mean?
20. To what extent did Abraham keep the covenant?
Genesis 18:1 "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;"
"The LORD appeared": Another instance of a theophany (a visible manifestation of God). Although Abraham perhaps did not recognize at first that one of his visitors, whom he humbly greeted and entertained (verses 2-8), and properly sent on their way.
"Plains of Mamre" (See note on 13:18).
Genesis 18:2 "And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,"
The "three men" who appeared to Abraham were the preincarnate Christ and two angels (verse 22; 19:1). Here we find an example, not only of "entertaining angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2), but also of God becoming the guest of one of His saints (John 14:23; Rev. 3:20).
This him was Abraham. These three were in the form of men. These were messengers from God. These three were associated with the Spirit of God. The statement "the Lord appeared", lets you know that at least one of these beings was the Spirit of the Lord.
I believe the reason three appeared was to show that God the Father, God the Word, and God the Holy Ghost were in agreement with the message that was brought. Abraham realized who this was, even from a distance, and he ran out, and kneeled, and worshipped. Abraham humbled himself before these three.
Genesis 18:3 "And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:"
"My Lord": Although perhaps first used as the customary respectful address of a host to a visit, later in their interchange it was used knowingly by Abraham of his true and sovereign Lord, whom he addressed as "Master" (verses 22:30-32), and whom he must have recognized when the visitor spoke of Himself as "LORD" (verse 14).
Here again, Abraham called him Lord. He said, if you have judged and found me okay, don't leave. Abraham realized he was God's servant.
Genesis 18:4 "Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:"
"Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet": Which was very refreshing to travelers in hot countries, who walked barefoot or in sandals; and this he proposes to be done by one of his servants, whose business it was, only desires they would give him leave to order it (1 Samuel 25:41).
In these verses, we find a delightful picture of primitive hospitality. In those ancient times shoes, such as ours were not in use; and the foot was protected only by sandals or soles, which fastened round the foot with straps. It was therefore a great refreshment in so hot a country to get the feet washed at the end of a day's journey. And this is the first thing that Abraham proposes.
Genesis 18:5 "And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said."
The narrative affords a pleasing instance of the primitive manners of the East. The hospitality of the pastoral tribes was spontaneous and unreserved. The washing of the feet, which were partly at least uncovered in walking, the reclining under the tree, and the offer of refreshment, are indicative of an unchanging rural simplicity.
"For therefore are ye come to your servant": not that he thought they came this way on purpose to take some refreshment with him, but so it was ordered by the providence of God; and since it was, he desires that they would accept of his invitation: and they said, "so do as thou hast said." They agreed to it, that water should be fetched to wash their feet, and food for them to eat.
Abraham wanted to serve these. He humbled himself and washed their feet. He was offering food and whatever they needed. Then he asked is there something I am doing wrong?
Genesis 18:6 "And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth."
"And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah": In order to acquaint her with his guests, and to give proper instructions for providing food for them; and this he hastened to do, being hearty in the entertainment of them, and that he might not keep them too long from their journey.
"Make cakes upon the hearth": Bread is baked daily, no more than is required for family use, and always by the women, commonly the wife. It is a short process.
Flour mixed with water is made into dough, and being rolled out into cakes, it is placed on the earthen floor, previously heated by a fire. The fire being removed, the cakes are laid on the ground, and being covered over with hot embers, are soon baked, and eaten the moment they are taken off.
Genesis 18:7 "And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave [it] unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
"And Abraham ran unto the herd": While Sarah and her maids were kneading the dough, and making the cakes, Abraham fetched a calf; a fine fat calf which was reckoned very delicious food. Much in use with the ancients and generally made a part in any grand entertainment, and was accounted fit for a king (see 1 Sam. 28:24).
"Gave it unto a young man": One of his servants, to kill and dress as soon as possible. Jarchi says this was Ishmael, whom he trained up to such service, "and he hasted to dress it". The young man made all the haste he could to get it ready, according to the orders of Abraham.
Genesis 18:8 "And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set [it] before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat."
Abraham had a numerous household, and plentifulness was the character of primitive hospitality. "Hearth cakes," baked among the coals. "Butter": Seemingly any preparation of milk, cream, curds, or butter, all of which are used in the East.
"And the calf which he had dressed": Either the whole of it, or some principal parts of it, reckoned the finest and choicest. Though by what follows it seems to be Abraham himself, who may be said to dress the calf, or it being done by his orders.
"And set it before them": A table being placed under the tree. He set, or ordered to be set, all those provisions before the three men, to feed upon. The cakes and butter, the milk and fatted calf.
"And he stood by them under the tree": Not only to bid them welcome, but to minister to them.
Abraham was like an excited school boy. He gave them the very best he had (like a sacrifice).
Verses 9-13: Despite a promise clearly reminiscent of God's words to Abraham, Sarah reacted with similar unwillingness to believe as her husband had done (17:17). She was not thinking of divine miracle but of divine providence working only within the normal course of life, being convinced that, at their age, bearing children was just not naturally possible.
Genesis 18:9 "And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent."
The men now enter upon the business of their visit. "Where is Sarah thy wife?" The jealousy and seclusion of later times had not yet rendered such an inquiry uncourteous. Sarah is within hearing of the conversation (verse 10, 14: Romans 9:9).
Genesis 18:10 "And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him."
"I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life;" Literally the living time, seemingly the time of birth, when the child comes to manifest life.
"Sarah thy wife shall have a son." Sarah hears this with unbelieving surprise, and laughs with mingled doubt and delight. She knows that in the nature of things she is past child-bearing. "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Sarah laughed within herself, within the tent and behind the speaker; yet to her surprise her internal feelings are known to him.
Genesis 18:11 "Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] well stricken in age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women."
"Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age": The one being ninety nine years of age, and the other eighty nine; and which is observed to make it the more surprising that they should have a son at such an age; and what follows still makes it more so.
"And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women": Her monthly visitors (periods), had left her, so that she was unfit for conception, and there could be no hope of it in a natural way.
Genesis 18:12 "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
"Sarah laughed within herself" either because she did not know of the promise of (17:19), or because she was unconvinced it would be fulfilled. In either case, one of the three men was now clearly identified as Yahweh, who knew Sarah's thoughts.
These three brought unusual blessing to Abraham. Now, that Abraham was old and Sarah had already gone through the change of life she was to have a son. Sarah was very well aware that changes in her body had made it impossible in the natural to have a child. She laughed, because it was so unbelievable.
With man, it was impossible. But through God, all things are possible. Take note that Sarah called Abraham, lord, but it was not capitalized. He was ruler over her body, not her spirit.
Genesis 18:13 "And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?"
She finds there is One present who rises above the sphere of nature. In her confusion and terror, she denies that she laughed. But He, who sees what is within, insists that she did laugh; at least in the thoughts of her heart. There is a beautiful simplicity in the whole scene. Sarah now doubtless received faith and strength to conceive.
Verses 14-15: A rhetorical question ("Is any thing too hard?) A divine declaration ("At the time appointed"), coupled with obvious knowledge of her thoughts ("laughed to herself"), made Sarah fearfully perceive her total misperception of God's working.
Genesis 18:14 "Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Whose power is infinite; or "too wonderful"? So wonderful and beyond all belief, that it can never be thought it will be done by him; and why then should it be thought incredible or impossible that Sarah should have a child? Can anything be too great a miracle for him to effect?
God has full sway, and by his own power works all things after the counsel of his own will. Is there an effect to be produced? God can produce it as well with or without means. He produced nature, the whole system of causes and effects, when in the whole compass of his own eternity there was neither means nor being. He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
How great and wonderful is God!
"At the time appointed will I return to thee": According to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son; which words are repeated not merely for the confirmation of Abraham's faith, which staggered not, but to remove Sarah's unbelief, and to encourage her faith in the divine promise.
Genesis 18:15 "Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh."
"For she was afraid": Then Sarah (who had overheard the conversation, and the charge preferred against her, and who probably now appeared before the stranger denied), saying "I laughed not". Sarah's conduct will admit of no other explanation than that which the sacred narrative itself gives.
The knowledge that her secret thoughts had been deciphered must have kindled in her breast the suspicion that her visitor was none other than Jehovah. With this a sense of guilt would immediately assail her conscience for having cherished even a moment, any doubt of the Divine word.
In the consequent confusion of soul, she tries whatever seems to be the first impulse of detected transgressions, deception (Gen. 3:12-13).
And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. With a directness similar to that which he employed in dealing with the first culprits in the garden, not contending in a multiplicity of words, but solemnly announcing that what she said was false. The silence of Sarah was an evidence of her conviction; her subsequent conception was a proof of her repentance and forgiveness.
The LORD wanted to know why Sarah laughed. He made her body, and He could restore her youth long enough for her to have a child. He was disappointed in her doubt. Then Sarah became afraid when she realized that this was the LORD of heaven. She denied laughing, but she (as we), could not hide anything from the LORD (He knows everything).
Verses 16-33: This section gives the basis for Abraham's being called the friend of God (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23). Because he was the friend of God and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him, he was allowed the high privilege of learning something about God's principles of dealing with those nations.
Genesis 18:16 "And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way."
"And the men rose up from thence": From their seats at Abraham's table under the tree, all three of them.
"And looked toward Sodom": set their faces and steered their course that way, by which it appeared they intended to go thither.
"And Abraham went with them, to bring them on the way; which was another piece of civility to strangers used in those early times, as well as in later ones (Acts 20:38).
Genesis 18:17-18 "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;" "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?"
"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do": The Lord's reason for permitting Abraham to know of judgment in advance underscored his special role in the plan of God and the certain outcome of His covenant with Abraham, many offspring and great blessing.
Genesis 18:19 "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."
"For I know him, that he will command his children": An expression of divine confidence, i.e., a tribute to faithfulness, obedience, and consistency.
Here, the LORD decided to tell Abraham what He was about to do to Sodom. He spoke the blessing again, that Abraham would be a mighty nation. He knew that Abraham would teach his children and grandchildren the ways of the LORD. He knew, because of the blood covenant Abraham had already kept (The circumcision of the men).
Genesis 18:20 "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;"
"The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great": The iniquity of the two cities, by then complete (15:16), had reached the point of no return before the Lord, who demonstrated before Abraham how justly He assessed the time for judgment (verse 21).
Their sins cried out for punishment (4:10; Hosea 7:2; Jonah 1:2).
Genesis 18:21 "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
"I will go down" (11:7), indicates that God's justice moved Him to demonstrate that He had full possession of the facts. Actually, the two angels went to Sodom and the Angel of the Lord stayed with Abraham. Abraham expressed concern for the people (13:8-9).
The LORD was going to investigate this terrible situation which was going on. We will find out a little later that this city's iniquity was homosexuality. The LORD was explaining to Abraham about the sin and its consequences.
Genesis 18:22 "And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD."
"And the men turned their faces": That is, the two angels who accompanied Jehovah were now sent towards Sodom; while the third, who is called the Lord, remained with Abraham for the purpose of teaching him the great usefulness and importance of faith and prayer.
I guess it is time to deal with the two that were with the LORD when He first came to Abraham. My own personal opinion (I have no Scripture to back this up), is that the two with the LORD were two very important angels (ministering spirits carrying out their orders from the throne).
These could even have been Gabriel, and some other angel of great importance. The word men was loosely used, because they were in that form. The LORD remained with Abraham to discuss the problem, and sent the two angel men on to Sodom.
Genesis 18:23 "And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?"
"Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" The intercession for the two wicked cities began with a question that portrayed Abraham's acute awareness of God's mercy toward the righteous and the distinction He made between the good and the bad (verse 25).
Genesis 18:24 "Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that [are] therein?"
Here is the first solemn prayer upon record in the Bible; and it is a prayer for the sparing of Sodom. Abraham prayed earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if but a few righteous persons should be found in it. Learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them.
We see here that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Abraham, indeed, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously delivered. Be encouraged then to expect, by earnest prayer, the blessing of God upon your families, your friends, your neighborhood. To this end, you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham.
He knew the Judge of all the earth would do right. He does not plead that the wicked may be spared for their own sake, or because it would be severe to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who might be found among them. And righteousness only can be made a plea before God.
How then did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not by blaming the Divine law, nor by alleging aught in extenuation or excuse of human guilt; but by pleading HIS OWN obedience unto death.
This was very presumptuous of Abraham to question the LORD. The number 50 pertains to jubilee. This number indicates setting the captives free. Abraham was pleading for this city. This LORD, spoken of here in the next verse, is the Judge of all the earth. This indicated that this was the same Spirit as the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the LORD of all the earth.
Genesis 18:25 "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Abraham's clear understanding of God's character being able only to do what is good and totally above reproach was affirmed with this rhetorical question.
Abraham was saying, LORD, You are righteous; this is not like You as You are a perfect Judge. Notice, in the Scripture above, that Judge was capitalized. This also tells us that this was the LORD, not an angel. I would be absolutely scared to death to speak to the LORD like this. Abraham was almost scolding the LORD.
Genesis 18:26 "And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."
"If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city": Sodom is particularly mentioned because Lot dwelt there, and being the metropolis, and the city of greatest note, as Jarchi observes, it is put for the rest; and the sense is, if fifty righteous persons could be found in all the five cities, mercy should be shown them.
Then will I spare all the place for their sakes; not Sodom only, but the whole country, of which Sodom was the chief; the LORD takes up and agrees to the number Abraham pitched upon, and grants the request he makes.
You see, just a very few righteous people can be a blessing to the masses.
Genesis 18:27 "And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which [am but] dust and ashes:"
"Which am but dust and ashes": Abraham's negotiation, far from being crassly or selfishly manipulative, humbly and compassionately expressed his concern for people (13:8-9), and particularly interceded for the place where his nephew Lot and his family lived. Neither did he intend to anger the Lord by his repeated requests (verses 28, 30, 32).
Genesis 18:28-32 "Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for [lack of] five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy [it]." "And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do [it] for forty's sake." "And he said [unto him], Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do [it], if I find thirty there." "And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for twenty's sake." "And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for ten's sake."
Abraham intercedes for Sodom. His spiritual character is unfolded and exalted more and more. He employs the language of a free-born son with his heavenly Father. He puts forward the plea of justice to the righteous in behalf of the city.
He ventures to repeat his intervention six times, every time diminishing the number of the righteous whom he supposes to be in it. The patience of the Lord is no less remarkable than the perseverance of Abraham. In every case, he grants his petition.
"For ten's sake": That the number of righteous people necessary to forestall judgment had been reduced from 50 to 10 may have reflected Abraham's awareness both of the intense wickedness of the cities as well as Lot's ineffective witness there. Abraham probably had the whole of Lot's family in mind.
Genesis 18:33 "And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place."
"The LORD went his way ... Abraham return unto his place": Nothing more could be done; the judgment was inevitable!
This was an interesting conversation between Abraham and the LORD. One thing that really stood out in this was the patience of the LORD. At least, Abraham humbled himself, and admitted he was but dust and ashes.
Another thing so notable to me, God was so gracious that if even ten (represents world government) were righteous, He would spare the thousands who lived there. The terrible thing in our society today, is that in our large cities, God would be hard pressed to find even 10 (by His standard), righteous people.
The idea of ten satisfied Abraham, because Abraham's nephew, Lot, and his family were there, and Abraham figured God would spare the city from destruction for them. Then the LORD and Abraham went back to their respective homes. We will see in the next lesson, that not even all of Lot's family was righteous. God would destroy the city.
Genesis Chapter 18 Questions
Genesis 19:1 "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;"
"Two angels": These were the angels who, with God, had visited Abraham (18:22). They had taken human form (verse 10); called "men".
"Lot sat in the gate": Since city officials and other prominent citizens conducted the community's affairs at the gate, Lot was a leader in the city, possibly a judge (verse 9; 34:20).
Genesis 19:2 "And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night."
"Turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house": Lot's invitation to the two angels (verses 1-3), to partake themselves of his hospitality was most likely not just courtesy, but an effort to protect them from the known perversity of the Sodomites.
One thing we need to note right here, is that even today, perverted sex of any kind is called sodomy (taken from Sodom). In this passage above, they were spoken of as angels. I believe these were heavenly messengers sent of God. Lot must have realized they were messengers.
Lot wanted to get them safely in his home and out of town, before evil came their way. When lot called them lords, it was not capitalized meaning they were not the Lord. They were sent to see if the evil was as bad as had been reported, so they wanted to stay out in the street.
Genesis 19:3 "And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat."
"Pressed upon them greatly": Such was Lot's concern for these strangers that their stated preference to pass the night in the town square could not be permitted. Lot knew what might happen to them if they did not stay with him.
I believe in this unleavened bread that Lot fed them, he was saying, I am free of sin. "Leaven" means sin.
Genesis 19:4 "But before they lay down, the men of the city, [even] the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:"
"The men of the city ... all the people": Both the size of the lustful mob of men boisterously milling around Lot's house and the widespread nature of Sodom's moral perversion received emphasis both from the additional qualifiers used ("all the people from ever quarter"; and both old and young"), and the request made (verse 5), "that we may know them".
Even acknowledging legitimate exaggeration in this use of "all", would not detract from this emphasis, this was indeed a wicked city!
Genesis 19:5 "And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them."
"That we may know them": The word "know" is to be interpreted in the light of (Genesis 4:1), as carnal or sexual knowledge, here referring to homosexuality. We are given a glimpse of the unspeakable possibilities of human depravity.
They sought homosexual relations with the visitors. God's attitude toward this vile behavior became clear when He destroyed the city (see verses 23-29).
See (Lev. 18:22, 29; 20:13; Romans 1:26; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10), where all homosexual behavior is prohibited and condemned by God.
The Scripture clearly denounces homosexuality as an abomination, "sin". Later, the law would make homosexuality a capital offense, grouped with incest and bestiality.
You see, this city was so evil and perverted that they participated in group sex. God was showing these two angels that all of this city was involved in this lasciviousness, except perhaps Lot's immediate family. This "know", in the verse above, means to participate in an abominable act with them. Male rape, if you will believe it.
Lot's response betrayed tension in his ethics; his offer to gratify their sexual lust contradicted his plea not to act "wickedly." Such contradiction made clear also the vexation of spirit under which he lived in wicked Sodom (2 Pet. 2:6-7).
Genesis 19:6 "And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,"
"And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him": The door of the passage to his house, the courtyard door, for another word is here used; unless the one was properly the door, and the other a hatch.
However, this precaution of shutting it was used to prevent the men of Sodom rushing in, and taking away the men by violence; and that Lot might have some opportunity of trying what he could do by arguments, to prevail upon them to desist from their attempt.
Genesis 19:7 "And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly."
The wicked violence of the citizens displays itself. They compass the house, and demand the men for the vilest ends. How familiar Lot had become with vice, when any necessity whatever could induce him to offer his daughters to the lust of these Sodomites (in Gen. 19:8)!
We may suppose it was spoken rashly, in the heat of the moment, and with the expectation that he would not be taken at his word. So it turned out. "Stand back." This seems to be a menace to frighten Lot out of the way of their perverse will.
This account justifies the character given of this depraved people in the preceding chapter (Gen. 18:20, and Gen. 23:13). As their crime was the deepest disgrace to human nature, so it is too bad to be described; in the sacred text, it is sufficiently marked; and the iniquity which, from these most abominable wretches, has been called Sodomy.
Lot hoped to win his neighbors, and to persuade them from pursuing their unlawful measures, for which purpose and that alone he used it, saying to them: do not so wickedly; as to use ill a man's guests, to abuse strangers, to break the laws and rules of hospitality, and especially to commit that unnatural sin they were bent upon.
Genesis 19:8 "Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as [is] good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof."
"I have two daughters" was an absolutely amazing alternative to be offered by a believer.
"Do ye to them as is good in your eyes": The constraints of Eastern hospitality and the very purpose for which Lot had invited the visitors in verses 2-3, compelled Lot of offer his daughters for a less deviant (see notes on Rom. 1:24-27), kind of wickedness, so as to protect his guests.
This foolish effort shows that while Lot was right with God (2 Pet. 7-8), he had contented himself with some sins and weak faith, rather than leaving Sodom. But God was gracious to him because he was righteous, by faith, before God.
Why Lot had not moved out of this evil city before now baffles me. He knew how perverted they were. I really believe the reason Lot offered his daughters to these men in this Scripture was to show that sex sin between a man and woman (even though it is very bad), is not as bad as it is between two men.
God calls it an abomination. I believe that is very mild word for what it is truly. Just the fact that these girls were still virgins, showed just how perverted this city really was. Lot called these evil men brethren, which means a pretty bad thing.
He was either overlooking their sins and fellowshipping with them or he was involved himself. Either way, it was terrible. For a dad to offer his daughters to this evil bunch didn't speak too highly of Lot.
Genesis 19:9 "And they said, Stand back. And they said [again], This one [fellow] came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, [even] Lot, and came near to break the door."
"Be a judge": Their accusation suggests Lot had made moral pronouncements before, but his evaluation was no longer tolerable.
"Pressed sore": Homosexual deviation carries an uncontrollable lust that defies restraint. Even when blinded, they tried to fulfill their lust (verse 11).
These men filled with lust would not listen to Lot. They even called him an outsider. One sin leads to another. They were about to break and enter Lot's home to get the men.
Verses 10-11: Lot was now being protected by those whom he had earlier sought to protect!
Genesis 19:10 "But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door."
"But the men put forth their hand": They came to the door, and opened it, and put out their hands, one on one side the door, and the other on the other.
"And pulled Lot into the house to them and shut to the door": and thus, they rescued Lot from the fury and rage of the men of Sodom, and prevented his daughters being exposed unto them, as he had offered.
This action showed them to be more than men, that they should open the door, take in Lot, and shut it so suddenly, that the men of Sodom could take no advantage of it, could neither retain Lot, nor enter the door when opened, and especially what follows.
Genesis 19:11 "And they smote the men that [were] at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door."
"And they smote the men ... with blindness": This has been understood two ways.
(1) The angels, by the power which God had given them, deprived these wicked men of a proper and regular use of their sight, so as either totally to deprive them of it, or render it so confused that they could no longer distinguish objects; or
(2) They caused such a deep darkness to take place, that they could not find Lot's door. The author of the book of The Wisdom of Solomon was evidently of this latter opinion, for he says they were compassed about with horrible great darkness (Genesis 19:17). See a similar case of Elisha and the Syrians (2 Kings 6:18).
The men, spoken of here, were the angels who pulled Lot into the house. Just as punishment has fallen today on people who commit this terrible sin, God punished these with blindness.
Just as people today involved in this sin are not turning from their sins, neither did these men of Sodom. Lot's big mistake was in staying in this evil place. Separate yourself from people who are involved in this evil.
Genesis 19:12 "And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring [them] out of this place:"
The visitors now take steps for the deliverance of Lot and his kindred before the destruction of the cities. All that are related to him are included in the offer of deliverance. There is a blessing in being connected with the righteous, if men will but avail themselves of it. The mercy of the Lord prevails. The angels use a little violence to hasten their escape.
"And the men said unto Lot": When they had got him into the house again, they began to make themselves known unto him, and to acquaint him with the business they came to do. "Hast thou here any besides?" Which they ask not as being ignorant, though angels don't know everything relative to men, but to show their great regard to Lot.
"Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters": It should be rendered either "son-in-law, or thy sons, or thy daughters". If thou hast any son-in-law that has married a daughter of thine, or any sons of thine own that live from thee; or grandsons, the sons of thy married daughters, as Jarchi interprets it; or any other daughters besides those two we here see.
And whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place. That is, whatsoever relations he had, whether more near or remote. For as for his goods, whether in his own house, or in any other part of the city, there was no time for saving them.
Genesis 19:13 "For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it."
"The Lord hath sent us to destroy it": With the wickedness of the city so graphically confirmed (verses 4-11), divine judgment was the only outcome, but Lot's family could escape it (verses 12-13. Jude 7).
Sudden destruction was to fall on this city. God would not put up with this sin. These angels had orders from God to call down fire from heaven. These angels were warning Lot and his family to get out.
Genesis 19:14 "And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law."
"Seemed as one that mocked": Lot's warning of imminent judgment fell within the category of jesting, so concluded his sons-in-law (or perhaps his daughters' fiancés).
Evidently Lot's testimony had degenerated to the point where even his family did not believe he was serious.
His sons-in-law had reprobate minds. They were so caught up in these sins themselves that they had never slept with their wives. (They were virgins). They did not know God, so why would they believe a warning from God? When this city of men was struck blind, it was not only physical blindness, but spiritual, too.
Genesis 19:15 "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
"And when the morning arose": When it was break of day, for as yet the sun was not yet risen, nor did it rise until Lot got to Zoar (Genesis 19:23). He had now returned from his sons-in-law, and by this time it began to be light.
"Then the angels hastened Lot": urged him to get out of his house as fast as he could.
"Saying, arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here": Aben Ezra, and others, have concluded, it has been observed, that he had other daughters elsewhere, which they suppose were married to men of Sodom. But the phrase, "which are here", or "are found", or "are present" relates to his wife, as well as his daughters, and only signifies, that he should take all his relations that were present.
Genesis 19:16 "And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city."
"The Lord being merciful unto him": This reason, elsewhere described as God having remembered Abraham (verse 29), is why, in the face of Lot's seeming reluctance to leave ("hesitated"), the angels personally and forcefully escorted him and his family beyond the city's precincts.
I cannot believe that Lot and his family were slow to leave, and had to be led away from this evil city by these two angels. The girls went without their husbands. They were better off without them, if they were caught up in homosexuality.
I do not find where Lot had made a stand for God in this city; the Lord showed mercy to him probably because of Abraham, and also, because he befriended the angels.
Verses 17-21: An urbanized lifestyle was apparently superior to a lonely one in the mountains and might be why Lot, playing upon the mercy already shown him, negotiated for an alternative escape destination, another city! The angels rely (verse 21), indicated that this city was included in the original judgment plan, but would be spared for Lot's sake.
Genesis 19:17 "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."
When they had brought them forth, etc. Every word here is emphatic, "Escape for thy Life"; thou art in the most imminent danger of perishing; thy life and thy soul are both at stake. "Look not behind thee". Thou hast but barely time enough to escape from the judgment that is now descending; no lingering, or thou art lost! One look back may prove fatal to thee, and God commands thee to avoid it.
"Neither stay thou in all the plain", because God will destroy that as well as the city. "Escape to the mountain", on which these judgments shall not light, and which God has appointed thee for a place of refuge; "lest thou be consumed".
It is not an ordinary judgment that is coming; a fire from heaven shall burn up the cities, the plain, and all that remain in the cities and in the plain. Both the beginning and end of this exhortation are addressed to his personal feelings. "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life;" and self-preservation is the first law of nature, to which every other consideration is minor and unimportant.
Lot and his family had to leave their home and their belongings, but they should have been very thankful to get out with their lives. In fact, the destruction was to be so widespread, that they were to run to the mountain for safety. The angel warned them not to look back.
Genesis 19:18 "And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:"
"Lot said ... Oh, not so, my Lord": I cannot escape to the mountain. What a strange want of faith and fortitude, as if He who had interfered for his rescue would not have protected Lot in the mountain solitude.
Supposing three present, not observing that the two angels had left him that had brought him thither; though it is but to one of them he addresses himself, even to him who had bid him make the best of his way to the mountain, as appears by what follows: let me not be obliged to go so far as to the mountain.
Genesis 19:19 "Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:"
"Behold, now thy servant hath found grace in thy sight": In sending two of his angels to him, to inform him of the approaching destruction of Sodom. To pluck him out of it as a coal out of the burning and then to place him outside the city. And in directing and encouraging him to escape for his life.
"And thou hast magnified thy mercy which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life": He owns it was owing to the mercy of this illustrious Person, whom he knew and acknowledges, by what he says, to be a divine one, that his life was saved.
And that this appeared exceeding great in it, that he should spare him and his family, when such multitudes of souls would perish; and he might have perished with the rest, if he had not had timely notice in such a gracious manner.
"And I cannot": Or, "but now, I cannot"
"Escape to the mountain": It is too far for me; he signifies that his strength would not hold out through the fatigues of the night past, and want of sleep and rest. But this was owing more to the infirmity of his mind than of his body, for he could go to this same mountain afterwards.
"Lest some evil take me, and I die": Or "that evil", the burning of Sodom, and the cities of the plain, lest that should overtake him before he got to the mountain. Thus, he began to distrust the power of God to strengthen him to go thither, who had appeared so wonderfully for him in his present deliverance.
And he might have assured himself, that he that brought him out of Sodom would never suffer him to perish in the destruction of it.
Genesis 19:20 "Behold now, this city [is] near to flee unto, and it [is] a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, ([is] it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
The mountain was preserved by its elevation from the flood of rain, sulfur, and fire which descended on the low ground on which the cities were built. Lot begs for a small town to which he may retreat, as he shrinks from the perils of a mountain dwelling, and his request is mercifully granted.
This was a prayer of Lot to the Lord. Can you even believe that Lot would question God on this? He realized God had been merciful, but still wanted to alter the plans that God had made for his safety. It seemed, Lot did not want to live in the country where you have to work with your hands, he was a city dweller. Let's read on, and see if the Lord answered his prayer.
Genesis 19:21 "And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken."
"I will not overthrow this city ": That God not only spared Sodom until Lot was safe, but also spared another city (Bela), permanently because of his prayer, is one of the strongest Old Testament illustrations of eternal security of backslidden believers.
In spite of Lot's deep apostasy, the New Testament assures us that he was a "righteous man" (redeemed), and that his "righteous soul" was daily vexed with the unlawful deeds of his sodomite neighbors (2 Pet. 2:8). Doubtless, Lot will be among those who "shall suffer loss" but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Cor. 3:15).
Genesis 19:22 "Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar."
"Haste thee, escape thither": Seeing he had granted him his request, he is urgent upon him to be gone, and not to delay upon any account, or make other excuses.
"I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither". So, these heavenly messengers had the strictest commission to take care of Lot and his family. And even the purposes of Divine justice could not be accomplished on the rebellious, till this righteous man and his family had escaped from the place.
Consistent with the decree of God, that Lot and his family should be delivered and preserved, and with his promise made to him, that he would not overthrow that city; and therefore, the catastrophe which would befall all the cities at once could not begin until he was safely arrived there.
Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar. In later times, and probably first by Lot, from his use of the word "little", which was his request, which Zoar signifies; it before was called Bela (see Genesis 14:2).
God answered Lot's prayer. It seemed this city, as well, had been set for destruction, but the Lord spared it for lot to dwell in. The name "Zoar" means little. The angel told him to hurry, so that he could carry out the destruction.
Genesis 19:23 "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar."
"And the sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar": Which is observed partly to point at the time of his entrance into the city, and of the burning of Sodom, which began at the same time; and partly to show what a fine morning it was, and what little appearance there was of such a tempest rising as quickly did.
So that the inhabitants of Sodom, who were up so early, little thought of so sudden a catastrophe, and those that were in their beds were at once surprised with it: it was a morning of light and joy to Lot, who was so wonderfully delivered, but a dreadful one to the men of Sodom and the rest of the cities of the plain, with whom the scene was soon altered.
Lot, instead of cheerfully obeying the commandment of the Lord, appealed to the great mercy shown to him in the preservation of his life, and to the impossibility of his escaping to the mountains, without the evil overtaking him, and entreated therefore that he might be allowed to take refuge in the small and neighboring city, Bela, which received the name of Zoar (Gen. 14:2).
Genesis 19:24 "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;"
Here the Lord is represented as present in the skies, whence the storm of desolation comes, and on the earth where it falls.
"Brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven": When morning came (verse 23), judgment fell. Any natural explanation, about how the Lord used combustible sulfur deposits to destroy that locale, falters on the emphatic indication of miraculous judgment.
"Brimstone" could refer to any inflammable substance; perhaps a volcanic eruption and an earthquake with a violent electrical storm "overthrew" (verse 25), the area. That area is now believed to be under the south end of the Dead Sea. Burning gases, sulfur and magma blown into the air all fell to bury the region.
It may even refer to a meteorite shower that literally burned up the whole area or a combination of actions simultaneously.
G enesis 19:25 "And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."
"And he overthrew those cities": The Lord rained brimstone and fire down from the skies."
You see, this was like an atomic blast, but it came from the LORD Himself. This was judgment. Sometimes, God uses people and nations to bring judgment, but in this case, He took care of it Himself. He explained that not only the cities were destroyed, but the people, and the trees, and all living things.
Genesis 19:26 "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."
"His wife looked back": Lot's wife paid the price of disregarding the angelic warning to flee without a backward glance (verse 17).
In doing so, she became not only encased in salt, but a poignant example of disobedience producing unwanted reaction at judgment day (Luke 17:29-32), even as her home cities became by-words of God's judgment on sin (Isa. 1:9; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:5-6).
"She became a pillar of salt": Jesus used this incident as a warning to others not to look back (Luke 17:21-33). Lot's wife apparently lingered behind, continually and longingly looking back on her beloved possessions, and was buried by the explosion that resulted from the destruction of the city.
Disobedience to God can bring instant, sudden destruction, as it did to Lot's wife, The Bible says, even now when you put your hand to the plow, do not look back.
Genesis 19:27 "And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:"
"And Abraham got up early in the morning": Perhaps he had had but little sleep the whole night, his thoughts being taken up with what was to befall the cities of the plain; and especially being in great concern for Lot and his family.
"To the place where he stood before the Lord": Genesis 18:22; to the very spot of ground where he had stood the day before in the presence of the Lord, and had conversed with him, and prayed unto him.
Here he came and stood waiting for an answer to his prayers; and perhaps this place was an eminence, from whence he could have a view of the plain of Jordan and the cities on it; and so it appears from (Genesis 19:28).
Genesis 19:28 "And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace."
"And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain": To see how it fared with them. Very probably the Lord had hinted it to him, that the destruction would be that morning, and therefore he rose early, got to the place early, and being on an eminence, looked to see if he could observe any sign of it.
"And beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace": After the fiery shower was over, and the cities burnt down, the smoke ascended toward heaven, as the smoke of mystical Babylon will do (Rev. 19:3). Like the reek of a boiling cauldron; or, as Jarchi stated, like the smoke of a lime kiln always burning.
Genesis 19:29 "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt."
"The cities of the plain": The best archeological evidence locates Sodom and Gomorrah at the south of the Dead Sea region, i.e., in the area south of the Lisan Peninsula that juts out on the east (see note on 14:10).
"God remembered Abraham": 18:23-33.
You can see in all of this, that God remembered Abraham and saved Lot, his nephew. I do not see, in any of this, that it was from righteous living of Lot that saved him. It was by grace, and in remembrance of Abraham. The description of this great destruction would be very similar to hell. The only difference is this happened and was over. Hell is continuous.
Genesis Chapter 19 Questions
1. Who went to Sodom and saw Lot at the gate?
2. What did Lot invite them to do?
3. What is a word used today for perverted sex?
4. Why did they want to stay in the street?
5. What did Lot serve them?
6. What does "unleavened" stand for?
7. Who surrounded Lot's house that night?
8. Why?
9. What did Lot offer them, instead of the angels?
10. What did "know" mean in verse 5?
11. Where did Lot talk to the men of the city?
12. What word did Lot call them, that indicated he fellowshipped with them?
13. What does God call homosexuality?
14. Why would the men not listen to Lot?
15. The angels saved Lot how?
16. What happened to the men trying to break into the house?
17. Did Lot have other members of his family, besides his wife and two daughters?
18. When Lot tried to get them to leave, how did they react?
19. What two kinds of blindness are meant?
20. When did the men tell Lot to leave?
21. Did he leave immediately? Explain.
22. What 2 reasons were probably why God saved Lot?
23. Did Lot go where God sent him?
24. Where did he go?
25. What was the name of the place where Lot went?
26. What does the name mean?
27. How did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?
28. This was like what?
29. What 3 ways does God bring judgment?
30. What, besides the cities, were destroyed?
31. What did Lot's wife do wrong?
32. What happened to her?
33. Disobedience brings what?
34. When Abraham looked, what did it look like toward Sodom?
35. Who did God remember in all of this?
36. This destruction reminds us of what?
Genesis 19:30 "And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters."
"Feared to dwell in Zoar": Perhaps because the people there felt he was responsible for all the devastation, or he feared more judgment on the region might hit the city (verses 17-23).
There are several things we must be reminded of here. The angels of God had told Lot, from the beginning, to go up to the mountains, but Lot wanted to go to this town. Lot had a stubborn nature wanting to do his own thing, rather than obey God's command.
In verse 29 of the last lesson, we saw that God remembered Abraham and saved Lot. It was not Lot's doing that he was saved, but rather because he was Abraham's nephew. "Zoar" means littleness or smallness, and was one of the five cities which were in the Jordan valley. Zoar was a very close distance to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Verses 31-36: the immoral philosophy of Sodom and Gomorrah had so corrupted the thinking of Lot's daughters that they unhesitatingly contrived to be impregnated by their own father! They were virgins (verse 8), the married daughters were dead (verse 14), and there were no men left for husbands (verse 25). In fearing they would have not children, they conceived the gross iniquity.
Genesis 19:31 "And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father [is] old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:"
No excuse can be made for the daughters, or for Lot. Scarcely any account can be given of the affair but this; the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? From the silence of the Scripture concerning Lot henceforward, we learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes them to be forgotten.
"And there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth": to marry them, cohabit with them, and procreate children of them. Which was the common way of the propagation of mankind in the earth; they thought the whole world was destroyed by fire, as it had been by a flood.
They understood it would be no more consumed by water, but they had been told it would be by fire, and they imagined the time was now come, and this was the case. That not only Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire, and that by this time the fire had reached to Zoar, and had consumed that, but that the whole earth was destroyed, and not a man left but their father.
And therefore, thought it could be excusable in them, and lawful for them to take the following method to repopulate the world; or else they supposed there were none in the land, the land of Canaan, not of any of their kindred and relations, for they might be ignorant of Abraham and his family, or however of any good man that they knew of, that they could be joined to in marriage.
For as for the inhabitants of Zoar, they had just left, they were as wicked as any, and therefore could not think of living with them in such a near relation. But all this is not a sufficient excuse for contriving and executing what is after related; for they should have inquired of their father, who could have informed them better.
Genesis 19:32 "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father."
Bewildered by the narrowness of his escape, and the awful death of his wife, Lot seems to have left Zoar, and taken to the mountain west of the Salt Sea, in terror of impending ruin. It is not improbable that all the inhabitants of Zoar, panic-struck, may have fled from the region of danger, and dispersed themselves for a time through the adjacent mountains.
"Come, let us make our father drink wine": On their flight from Zoar it is probable they had brought with them certain provisions to serve them for the time being, and the wine here mentioned among the rest.
After considering all that has been said to criminate both Lot and his daughters in this business, I cannot help thinking that the transaction itself will bear a more favorable construction than that which has been generally put on it.
(1) It does not appear that it was through any base or sensual desires that the daughters of Lot wished to deceive their father. Lot's daughters might seem to have been led to this unnatural project, because they thought the human race extinct with the exception of themselves, in which case their conduct may have seemed a work of justifiable necessity.
(2) They might have thought that it would have been criminal to have married into any other family, and they knew that their husbands elect, who were probably of the same kindred, had perished in the overthrow of Sodom.
(3) They might have supposed that there was no other way left to preserve the family, and consequently that righteousness for which it had been remarkable, but the way which they now took.
(4) They appear to have supposed that their father would not come into the measure, because he would have considered it as profane; yet, judging the measure to be expedient and necessary, they endeavored to sanctify the improper means used, by the goodness of the end at which they aimed. A doctrine which, though resorted to by many, should be reprobated by all.
Acting on this bad principle they caused their father to drink wine (see note on Genesis 19:38).
This plan these girls had figured out to do was a very evil sin in the sight of God. Incest, such as this, is prevalent in our society today. Most incest is started by the father. This was even worse, because it was initiated by the girls. At any rate, this was a very evil plot.
Genesis 19:33 "And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose."
"And they made their father drink wine that night": They persuaded him to drink liberally, urged him to it again, in order to make him drunk, and so complete their design; and Lot might be the more prevailed upon to drink freely, in order to remove his sorrow, and refresh his spirits over the loss of his wife.
And also, his daughters, if he had any married in Sodom, as some suppose. Including his sons-in-law. And of all his goods and substance; though this will not excuse his drinking to excess, nor can ignorance of the strength of wine be pleaded. Since he must know it as well as his daughters, who, it is plain, did, and therefore plied him with it.
"And the firstborn went in and lay with her father": Went to his bed, and lay down by him, which she would not have dared to have done, but that she knew he was drunk and insensible.
"And he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose": Never heard her come to bed nor get up, so dead drunk and fast asleep was he; but finding a woman in bed with him, lay with her, taking her to be his wife, forgetting, through the force of liquor, that she was dead.
Genesis 19:34 "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, [and] lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father."
"And it came to pass on the morrow": The day following the night, in which the above was transacted.
"That the firstborn said to the younger, behold, I lay yesternight with my father" informed her, that what they had contrived succeeded according to their wish, and therefore, for her encouragement to go on, proposes to take the same method again. And again, he perceived not when she lay down, or when, or know who it was that had lain with him.
"let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father": May have children by him, and so our family be kept up, from whence it may be hoped the Messiah will spring.
In this transaction, Lot appears to me to be in many respects excusable. A small portion would be sufficient to overcome him; sound sleep would soon, at his time of life, be the effect of taking the liquor to which he was unaccustomed, and cause him to forget the effects of his intoxication.
The one thing that is so evident, here, is that their dad got drunk. He had to be willing to drink this wine. Drunkenness is the cause of so many other sins; a person who is drunk (whether on drugs, or alcohol) is not in control of his own will. Alcohol causes many child abuse cases, wife beatings, and even unintended homicide.
A person needs to stay in control of his own will at all times. God does not excuse drunkenness as an excuse to sin.
Genesis 19:35 "And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose."
"And they made their father drink wine that night also": Until he was drunk; which is an aggravation of his sin, that he should be overtaken a second time, and that so soon as the next night, when he ought to have been upon his guard, knowing how he had fallen into it the night before. And again "he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose".
Genesis 19:36 "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father."
"Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father": We learn from hence what the best of men are when left to themselves; a good man, a righteous Lot, is guilty of crimes the most shocking; he exposed the chastity of his daughters to the men of Sodom, and now his daughters attacked him, and succeeded, being both with child by him.
And this brought about by excessive drinking, a sin which often leads on to the foulest crimes, and therefore to be carefully avoided. These sins Lot fell into when as it were alone, on a mountain, in a cave, none but his family with him, and these only his two daughters.
He that had stood his ground in the midst of Sodom, notwithstanding all the excesses of that place, the impurities in it, and the temptations that every day offered, now falls when seemingly out of the way of all.
These sins and failings of good men are recorded for our admonition and caution, that we may shun all appearance of evil, and be careful lest we fall, and neither be presumptuous not self-confident (see 1 Corinthians 10:12).
These daughters had committed a terrible sin. Not only is this sin such a spiritual disgrace, but close relatives having children can cause birth defects when they're born. Many times, children of this type relation can be born with other problems as well. God considers this type of behavior as an abomination. Nothing good could come of this.
The word "Lot" means pebble. Surely, he was an earthly man. This type of sin goes along with the sin prevalent in Sodom and Gomorrah. All those sins are spoken of as an abomination to God.
Verses 37-38: The two sons born of incest became the progenitors of Moab and Ammon, Israel's longstanding enemies.
Genesis 19:37 "And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same [is] the father of the Moabites unto this day."
"And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab": As if it was "Meab", (from the father, alluding to his incestuous origin), as Aben Ezra, and so Josephus, that is, which she had by her father. And she was so far from being ashamed that it might be known in time to come, she gave him this name.
Hillerus makes it to be a compound of "and" to signify "going into", or "lying with a father", which still more notoriously points to her own action. Drusius has another derivation of the word, at least proposes it, and renders it "aqua patris". "Mo" in the Egyptian language signifying "water", which is sometimes used for seed (see Isaiah 48:1).
"The same is the father of the Moabites unto this day": A people that lived on the borders of the land of Canaan, often troublesome to the Israelites, and frequently spoken of in the Old Testament. This phrase, indicating a variable period from a few years to a few centuries.
Who originally inhabited the country northeast of the Dead Sea, between the Jabbok and the Arnon (Deuteronomy 2:20), but were afterwards driven by the Amorites south of the Arnon.
The word "Moab" means from father. Of course, he would be looked down on, because of his manner of birth. He became the father of the Moabites. The Moabites ancestry goes back to Terah, Father of Abraham, but it seemed they fell from grace and actually warred against their Hebrew relatives from time to time.
They got into idolatry and worshipped the false god Chemosh. The Moabites became known as children of Chemosh. They actually sacrificed their children to this false god. You see just how far perversion and evil sex sin can carry a person who is caught up in it. This sin carried on for generations, and just got worse and worse.
In Deuteronomy, these Moabites were excluded from the congregation for ten generations, because of their sins. We will see much more of the Moabites. One good thing happened in Ruth. She was a Moabite. She was, also, in the physical ancestry of Jesus.
Genesis 19:38 "And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same [is] the father of the children of Ammon unto this day."
"And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi": That is, "the son of my people", being the son of her father; which though it does not so manifestly appear in this name, as in the other, yet there is some trace of it; and she would have it be known by this, that he was not the son of a stranger, but of a relation of her own.
Some attribute this to her being more modest than her elder sister; but it looks as if neither of them were sensible of any crime they had been guilty of, but rather thought it a commendable action, at least that it was excusable.
"The same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day": A people that lived near their brethren the Moabites, and were both enemies to the people of God; they quickly falling into idolatry, and whose names we often meet with in the sacred writings; and of these two sons, Josephus says the one begat the Moabites, being still a great nation, and the other the Ammonites, and both inhabit Coelesyria.
They are both called the children of Lot (Psalm 83:8). After this we hear no more of Lot in this history. It is remarkable, that there never was, as we know of, any town or city that had in it any, trace of his name; but we are not from hence to conclude that he was a wicked man, whose memory perished with him; for mention is made of him in the New Testament, where he has a very honorable character, and is called "just Lot" (2 Peter 2:7).
Here again, this son named Ben-ammi, had very little to be proud of. His mother had conceived him of his grandfather. The Hebrews, as Christians today, considered this a grave sin. "Ben-ammi" means son of my kindred. This Ben-ammi was the beginning of the Ammonites.
These people were nomads. They were so intertwined with the Moabites that they were both called by both names from time to time. The Israelites were forbidden to molest these Ammonites, even though the Ammonites sometimes sided against Israel. Their false god was Molech. They made their children walk through the fire.
Cruelty was very much of their worship. God completely destroyed these people, and there is no known connection with them today. None of their cities exist today.
Genesis Chapter 19 Continued Questions
1. What city did Lot leave to go to the mountains?
2. Why did he leave there?
3. What had Lot's rebellious spirit caused him to do?
4. Who did God remember when he saved Lot?
5. What does "Zoar" mean?
6. What evil scheme did Lot's daughters come up with?
7. What is the name of the sin they committed?
8. What does the Bible call this?
9. What did they make their father do, so that he would not know what he was doing?
10. What reason did they give for committing this awful sin?
11. What was the father guilty of knowingly?
12. What do we lose control of when we are drunk?
13. Name three things alcohol causes in homes today?
14. What was produced by the sins of these two daughters?
15. Besides being a disgrace, what in the physical can be caused by this sin?
16. What does "Lot" mean?
17. What was the name of the son of the 1st born daughter?
18. What race started from him?
19. What does his name mean?
20. What type relation did they have to their Israelite brothers?
21. What was the name of their false god?
22. What did they practice?
23. How many generations were the Moabites not able to worship in the temple?
24. Who was the Moabite woman in the ancestry of Jesus?
25. What was the name of the 2nd daughter's son?
26. What were his ancestors called?
27. What does "Ben-ammi" mean?
28. What lifestyle did they have?
29. What was the name of their false god?
30. What did they cause their children to do for this false god?
31. Who visited Lot to warn him?
32. What happened to the men of the city who attacked them?
33. Who escaped the city?
34. Who were left behind?
35. What was Lot's sin?
36. What was Lot's wife's sin?
37. Whose pleading saved Lot?
Genesis 20:1 "And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar."
"Gerar" was an ancient trading post located halfway between Beer-Sheba and Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. A Philistine city on the border between Palestine and Egypt, about 10 miles south of Gaza.
Its exact location has been debated. W.J. Phythian-Adams (1922). and W.F. Flinders Petrie (1927). suggested Tell Jemmeh as the original site, but the excavations of D. Alon at Tell Abu Hureirah, revealed the latter site as more likely to be ancient Gerar.
A flourishing Middle Bronze Age community was discovered there which parallels the time of the patriarchs. Here Mycenaean (proto-Philistine), traders like Abimelech made contact with wealthy desert sheiks like Abraham.
Genesis 20:2 "And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She [is] my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah."
"She is my sister": The same thing had happened in Egypt with Pharaoh (chapter 12). Now it occurred again in Gerar with Abimelech. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream, revealing Abraham's deception, and expressed His sovereignty in withholding "thee from sinning against me".
"Abimelech": This king who took Sarah into his harem was most likely the father or grandfather of the Abimelech encountered by Isaac (see note on 26:1).
He preached to Abraham in the morning and asked him why he had done such a thing. Abraham had forgotten that God was his shield (15:1).
As terrible as this story is, this was the second time Abraham had told a ruler that Sarah was his sister. Abraham left out the very important statement that Sarah was his wife. The last time the deception was to Pharaoh of Egypt. This time it happened to Abimelech, King of Gerar, in the land we know as the Holy Land.
Genesis 20:3 "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife."
"God came ...in a dream": Again, Abraham's Lord intervened to protect Sarah, who had joined in the lie of her husband (verse 5), deceiving a king who earnestly protested his innocence and integrity before God (verses 4-6), and who, together with his aides, demonstrated proper submission to the warning of God (verse 8).
God warned Abimelech, before he committed a sin that was worthy of death. Adultery was a terrible sin, and in God's sight, it still is. Abimelech had been deceived, he had not been aware that she was married. God kept him from sinning, until He could warn him.
Genesis 20:4 "But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?"
"But Abimelech had not come near her": Sarah had been put into an apartment in his palace, and she had not yet been admitted into his company, and not at least to his bed. He had not lain with her, which is the purpose of the expression. The Septuagint version is, "had not touched her", as (in Genesis 20:6); which is another phrase expressive of the same thing.
Abimelech said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Meaning either his family, the greater part of which were not accessory to this affair; or rather his kingdom (Gen. 20:9); which though not a nation of righteous men, in a strict sense (see Gen. 20:11).
Yet with regard to this business of Sarah was in no way criminal: Either God had threatened to destroy his people, as well as Abimelech, if he did not return Sarah to her husband, or committed iniquity with her. Or he knew that this had been usual for people to suffer for the crimes of their governors.
And like a true father of his country shows an affectionate concern for their welfare in the first place; for this may be the sense of the word "also", on which an emphasis is put; wilt thou not only slay me, but also a whole nation for my sake, a nation free from all fault and blame in this matter?
God is just. He would not destroy a people who were innocent. It is amazing to me, at her age, that she was still desirable to men. When God restored her reproductive ability, He restored her youth, as well.
Genesis 20:5 "Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this."
"Said he not unto me, she is my sister?" By this it appears that Abimelech had a personal conversation with Abraham, and inquired of him about Sarah, who she was, and what relation she was to him. Who told him that she was his sister; and for the truth of this he appeals to the omniscient God, who knew that Abraham had told him this.
"And she, even she herself said, he is my brother": When Sarah was asked what relation she was to Abraham, and what he was to her, she declared he was her brother; so that Abimelech had reason to conclude, from what both of them had said, that this was the truth of the matter.
And especially from what Sarah said, who he thought might be depended on, and would speak out the whole truth on such an occasion.
"In the integrity of my heart, and innocency of my hands, have I done this": Hereby declaring, that his design was not to defile the woman, and to gratify his lust, but to take her to be his wife.
This he thought to be no evil, though he had a wife (Genesis 20:17); polygamy not being reckoned a sin in those times. And that he had used no violence in taking her, they both seemingly agreeing to it.
Abimelech had been deceived by Abraham and Sarah. He was saying I am innocent, and that was a true statement.
Genesis 20:6 "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her."
"And God said unto him in a dream" God communicates with Abimelech in a dream saying:
"I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart": not only thou knowest, but I, who know all things, know and acknowledge that this was so done by thee. Abimelech's plea is admitted, and a very great testimony borne to his integrity in this matter. Throughout the whole account, he appears to be a man of great honor and uprightness, especially in this affair, if not a good man.
"for I also withheld thee from sinning against me": for had he committed adultery with her, it had been not only a sin against her, and against her husband, but against God being contrary to his will revealed in the minds of men by the law and light of nature. Before the law of Moses was given and indeed all sin against the neighbor is ultimately against God (see Psalm 51:4).
And now from the commission of this sin God restrained Abimelech, either by some impulse upon his mind not to take her to be his wife as yet, or by throwing some thing or other in the way of it, in his providence. Or by inflicting some disease upon him, which rendered him incapable of it (Gen. 20:17).
"Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her": That is, to have carnal knowledge of her (see 1 Cor. 7:1). As there is nothing done but what is done by divine permission, so many more evils would be committed than there are, were it not that men are restrained from them by the power and providence of God, not suffering them to do them.
And in particular, this sin was prevented, that it might not in any respect be a doubtful point whether Isaac, whom Sarah had now conceived, was a legitimate son of Abraham. And these expressions of Abimelech not coming near her (Gen. 20:4); and not touching her as here, are used for that purpose.
"Withheld thee from sinning": Notwithstanding God's restraint of Abimelech, he was still required to restore Sarah to forestall judgment.
God kept Abimelech from sinning. God realized that it was not Abimelech's fault. He did not know she was married.
Genesis 20:7 "Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore [her] not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that [are] thine."
"He is a prophet": Abraham, in spite of his lie, still served as God's intermediary and intercessor for Abimelech (verses 17 and 18). This is the first time the Hebrew term for "prophet" is used in Scripture.
Here it identified Abraham as recognized by God to speak to Him on behalf of Abimelech. Usually it is used to describe, not one who speaks to God on behalf of someone, but one who speaks to someone on behalf of God.
God was giving Abimelech a chance to make this right, because of his innocence. The same way He gives us a chance to repent, and we must, before His anger is kindled and punishment begins.
You see here, that it is not wrong for some ministers to pray for you. He told him to let the prophet pray for him, also. Notice, that if Abimelech continued in the sin and did not heed the warning, he would die.
Genesis 20:8 "Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid."
"Abimelech rose early in the morning": etc. God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and we find as the day broke he arose, assembled his servants, (what we would call his courtiers), and communicated to them what he had received from God. They were all struck with astonishment, and discerned the hand of God in this business.
Abimelech shared with his servants the terrible thing that almost happened, and the warnings, and they rightly feared God.
Genesis 20:9 "Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done."
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said ... What hast thou done onto us"? In what a humiliating plight does the patriarch now appear, he, a servant of the true God, rebuked by a heathen prince. Who would not rather be in the place of Abimelech than of the honored but sadly offending patriarch!
In a most respectful and pious manner the king expresses strong disapproval with him for bringing him and his people under the Divine displeasure, by withholding from him the information that Sarah was his wife; when, by taking her, he sought only an honorable alliance with his family.
"Deeds unto me that ought not to be done": The confrontation between prophet and king attested the grievous nature of Abraham's actions. How humiliating for the prophet of God to be so rebuked by a heathen king.
Genesis 20:10 "And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?"
What a dignified attitude is that of the king, calmly and justly reproving the sin of the patriarch, but respecting his person and heaping coals of fire on his head by the liberal presentation made to him.
It is about time that someone placed the blame where it belonged, at Abraham's feet. Abraham could have caused this King and his people great problems. He demanded Abraham to tell him why he did this.
Verses 11-13: Abraham offered 3 reasons for his lie:
(1) His perception from the horrible vices in Sodom that all other cities had no fear of God, including Gerar;
(2) His fear of death as a mitigating factor for what he had done; and
(3) His wife actually being his half-sister as justification for lying and hiding their marital status.
Abraham didn't need fraud to protect himself. God was able to provide safety for him.
Genesis 20:11 "And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake."
"And Abraham said": Abraham now replies with great simplicity and honesty. He had said within himself, that there was no true religion or godliness in Gerar: that the inhabitants of it were without any fear of God before their eyes, or in their hearts; and he knew, where this is the case, there is nothing to restrain from the commission of the grossest sins.
"The fear of God is not in this place." This is another indication that polytheism (worship of many gods), was setting in. He concluded that his life would be in danger on account of his wife, and resorted to this hope for safety.
He had learned to trust in the Lord in all things; but he did not think this inconsistent with using all lawful means for personal security, and he was not yet fully alive to the unlawfulness of his usual pretense. He pleads an attempt using a less serious offense, that she is in reality his sister (see Gen. 12:19-20).
"And they will slay me for my wife's sake": that they might marry her (see Genesis 12:12).
This was just a very limp excuse. Abraham, first of all, had no right to judge them. Judgment belongs to God.
Genesis 20:12 "And yet indeed [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife."
"She is my sister": I have not told a lie; I have suppressed only a part of the truth. In this place, it may be proper to ask, what is a lie? It is any action done or word spoken, whether true or false in itself, which the doer or speaker wishes the observer or hearer to take in a contrary sense to that which he knows to be true.
It is, in a word, any action done or speech delivered with the intention to deceive, though both may be absolutely true and right in themselves (see note on Genesis 12:13).
"The daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother": Ebn Batrick in his annals, among other ancient traditions has preserved the following: "Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abraham; afterwards he married Tehevita, by whom he had Sarah." Thus, she was the sister of Abraham, being the daughter of the same father by a different mother.
He was trying to say he did not lie. Well, maybe he didn't technically, but he did bring a deception to Abimelech. She actually was his half-sister and his wife.
Genesis 20:13 "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This [is] thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He [is] my brother."
"And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house": In Ur of the Chaldees, from whence God called him to go forth; which laid him under an obligation to depart from there, and move from place to place, and go he knew not where (as in Hebrews 11:8).
Or "the Gods", as it is in the plural number, and so the verb in construction with it; not the idol gods, but the Gods of the Gentiles.
As the Targum of Jonathan, who interprets the words thus, "and it was when the worshippers of idols sought to cause men to err, and I went from my father's house." But the true God, as Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Melech acknowledge, and is by many Christian interpreters understood of the three Persons in the Godhead.
"That I said unto her": this is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; this I shall take as a favor done me, as an instance of tender affection unto me: at every place, whither we shall come, say of me; or for the sake of me. In order to save me from the hands of wicked men, whom he feared would slay him for her sake.
"He is my brother": And so he hoped, instead of being ill-used, he should meet with favor and friendship on her account, being thus nearly related to her. This he observes to Abimelech, to show that this was an old agreement, near thirty years ago, when they first set out on their travels.
And was no new device and scheme which they pursued on account of him and his people in particular; but what they had formerly agreed upon should be said in all places wherever they came. Therefore, there was no intention to affront Abimelech; only it supposed they might come into places where wicked men dwelt.
Abraham's wife, Sarah, was very beautiful, and he was afraid that someone would want her badly enough to kill him. Abraham made up this little scheme to save his life, and Sarah obeyed her husband.
Genesis 20:14 "And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women servants, and gave [them] unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife."
"And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women servants, and gave them unto Abraham": In a good measure satisfied with what Abraham had said to excuse himself; and these gifts he gave unto him, that he might, as Jarchi observes, pray and intercede for him, that he and his family might be healed.
Having understood by the divine oracle that he was a prophet, and if he prayed for him he would be restored to health: and these were not given to bribe him to give his consent that Sarah might be continued with him.
"Restored him Sarah his wife": Untouched by him, as he was directed by God to do.
Abimelech was doing everything within his power to make this thing right. He did not want the wrath of God to be upon him.
Genesis 20:15 "And Abimelech said, Behold, my land [is] before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee."
"And Abimelech said, behold, my whole land is before thee": Instead of bidding him be gone, and sending him away in haste out of his country, as the king of Egypt did in a like case, he solicits his stay in it. And to encourage him to it, makes an offer of his whole kingdom to him, to choose which part of it he would to dwell in.
"Dwell where it pleaseth thee": if there was anyone part of it better than another, or more convenient for him, his family and his flocks, he was welcome to it.
He not only gave Abraham gifts, but offered him land to dwell on. I am sure that he thought God would bless Abraham; and in the overflow, he would be blessed, also.
Genesis 20:16 "And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand [pieces] of silver: behold, he [is] to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that [are] with thee, and with all [other]: thus she was reproved."
"Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes": Literally, "It is a covering for the eyes," apparently a method for diverting or forestalling suspicion. The phrase "thus she was reproved" conveys the idea that she was vindicated. Several passages convey the idea of a similar legal or disciplinary connotation (21:25; 31:42).
"Reproved": This is better translated "justified."
Abimelech's large gift of a "thousand pieces of silver" (since no coins existed at this time, pieces is not accurate; everything was weighed) was proof of his high esteem for Abraham and Sarah, and would serve to stop any scoffing on the part of her household. God referred to Abraham as a "prophet" (in verse 7).
"Silver" means redemption. I am sure that had to do with this gift of silver given. This was the custom of countries in the east to cover their wives' heads with veils. This sin was her husbands, more than hers.
Genesis 20:17 "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare [children]."
Abraham said he would pray for Abimelech (an absolutely amazing statement under the circumstances), and when he did so, "God healed Abimelech":
Abraham's intercession (18:23-33), saved Abimelech's life and removed the barrenness of his household. "For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech" (12:17).
Genesis 20:18 "For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife."
With large tumors probably, so that they could not cohabit with their husbands and conceive. Nor could those that had conceived bring forth: and this disorder they were smitten with.
"Because of Sarah Abraham's wife": Who was taken into the house of Abimelech, in order to be his; to rebuke and punish for which, and to convince of the evil of it, and cause to abstain from it, this disorder was inflicted on them.
God left nothing to chance. He had stricken all the women barren who were in Abimelech's house. When Abraham (the man of God), prayed for Abimelech, God healed everyone. The women were able to conceive again. In this area of the country, it was a curse when you could not have children.
Genesis Chapter 20 Questions
1. Where did Abraham sojourn?
2. What was the name of the king who took Sarah?
3. What had Abraham told that made it seem alright for the king to have Sarah?
4. Who was the ruler Abraham told this to the first time?
5. What present day country did this king live in?
6. How did God contact Abimelech?
7. What message did God bring?
8. What was the sin God was warning about?
9. What was Abimelech's statement to God?
10. When God made it possible for Sarah to bear children in her old age, what else did He restore to her?
11. What would happen to Abimelech, if he did not heed the warning?
12. Who did Abimelech confess to?
13. Who was really to blame in all of this?
14. What excuse did Abraham give Abimelech?
15. Who is Judge of all?
16. What relation, besides wife, was Sarah to Abraham?
17. What had Abraham asked Sarah to say wherever they went?
18. Why did Abraham do this?
19. What four gifts did Abimelech give Abraham, when he restored Sarah?
20. What was Abraham to Sarah?
21. What happened, when Abraham prayed for Abimelech?
Verses 1-8: "Abraham circumcised his son Isaac" as a sign of the covenant (17:9-14).
Genesis 21:1 "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken."
The Lord visited Sarah" To the aged couple (verses 2, 5, 7), exactly as promised, a son was born and the 25 year suspense was finally over with the laughter of derision turning to rejoicing (verse 6). The barrenness of Sarah (11:26), had ended.
Genesis 21:2 "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."
The Lord had been faithful to his gracious promise to Sarah. "He did as he had spoken." The object of the visit was accomplished. In due time, she bears a son, whom Abraham; in accordance with the divine command, calls Isaac.
God's word is true. He never fails to do what He has promised to do. He had promised Sarah and Abraham a son.
Genesis 21:3 "And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
"Isaac" was the miraculously born son of Abraham and Sarah and was the forefather of the Jews. Both Abraham (17:17), and Sarah (18:12), laughed at the promise of a son in their old age, but later laughed for joy at his birth (verses 1-8). He represented the ancestral line of the promised Messiah. God tested Abraham's faith by His command to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah.
Isaac's obedience also anticipates Christ as the only begotten Son willing to be bound on the altar of sacrifice by His Father. In Isaac's marriage to Rebekah the faith of Abraham was again tested for 20 years as he awaited a son. Isaac lived 180 years and fathered both Esau and Jacob. (Gen 17:19; 26:1-5)
This son, Isaac, was the son of promise, the son of the spirit, not the son of flesh, like his half-brother, Ishmael. "Isaac" means laughter. This was the son through whom the promises to Abraham would be fulfilled.
Genesis 21:4 "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him."
"God had commanded him" (Genesis 17:12), and was the first that we read of that was circumcised on that day, according to the divine precept, which Abraham strictly observed. For though this was the son of the promise, and of his old age for whom he had the most affectionate regard; yet he administered this bloody ordinance on him (see note on 17:11).
Nor did he defer it beyond the time, and was himself the operator, as it seems. All which shows his strict regard, and ready and cheerful obedience to the command of God.
The blood covenant that Abraham made with God, he fulfilled in his son, Isaac, as God had commanded, when the child was eight days old. "Eight" means new beginnings.
Genesis 21:5 "And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him."
"Isaac ... born unto him" (2065 B.C.). God fulfilled His promise to Abraham (12:2; 15:4-5; 17:7).
In the flesh, a hundred year old man could not father a child; but in the spirit, anything is possible.
Genesis 21:6 "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me."
When Sarah received the promise, she laughed with distrust and doubt.
Sarah expressed her grateful wonder in two somewhat poetic strains.
The first, consisting of two sentences, turns on the word laugh. This is no longer the laugh of delight mingled with doubt, but that of wonder and joy at the power of the Lord overcoming the impotence of the aged mother. The second strain of three sentences turns upon the object of this admiring joy.
As I said, Isaac means laughter. His mother was rejoicing, because she had been blessed by God, and had this baby in her old age. This had taken her reproach away. Hebrew women were looked down upon, if they didn't have children. Her friends were rejoicing with her.
Genesis 21:7 "And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born [him] a son in his old age."
The event that nobody ever expected to hear announced to Abraham, has nevertheless taken place; "for I have born him a son in his old age." The time of weaning, the second step of the child to individual existence, at length arrives, and the household of Abraham make merry, as was the custom on the festive occasion.
Abraham had undoubtedly been embarrassed in front of his friends that he and Sarah had no children. No one believed he would ever have a child by Sarah. In fact, they did not believe themselves, until God sent them hope and a promise. She could hardly believe it herself, that she had given Abraham a son.
Genesis 21:8 "And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the [same] day that Isaac was weaned."
"And the child grew, and was weaned": He thrived under the nursing of his mother, and through the blessing of God upon him; and being healthy and robust, and capable of digesting stronger food, and living upon it, he was weaned from the breast.
What age Isaac was when weaned is not certain, there being no fixed time for such an affair, but it was at the discretion of parents, and as they liked it.
"Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned": Because he had now escaped the dangers of infancy, and had gone through or got over those disorders infants are exposed to, and had his health confirmed, there was great likelihood of his living and becoming a man.
Since now he could eat and digest solid and substantial food, this was great joy to Abraham.
A little boy cannot get too far away from mother, until he is weaned. Now, Abraham would be able to be with his son. This was a very special time in this very special little boy's life. This was reason for celebration with Abraham. For a man of this age to have a child would make the child everything in the father's eyes.
Genesis 21:9 "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking."
"Son of Hagar ... mocking": The celebration of Isaac's passage from infancy to childhood witnessed the laughter of ridicule (an intensive form of the Hebrew for laughing), and offended Sarah, causing her to demand the expulsion of Ishmael and his mother from the encampment (verse 10).
"Mocking" is an intensive form of the verb for Isaac's name, "He Laughs." It was used (in 19:14 and again in 39:14-17).
In Isaac, Ishmael saw all his hopes for an inheritance shattered. The discord may have seemed trivial at first glance, but with time it became a fundamental rift, on the background of which the New Testament would expound the incompatibility of the natural man and the spiritual man (Gal. 4:29).
Genesis 21:10 "Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, [even] with Isaac."
"Cast out ... not be heir": Legal codes of Abraham's day, e.g., of Nuzi and of Hammurabi, forbade the putting out of a handmaiden's son if a rightful, natural heir was born. Sarah's request, thus, offended social law, Abraham's sensibilities, and his love for Ishmael (verse 11).
Abraham, however, was given divine approval and assurances to overcome his scruples before sending Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness (verses 12-15; Gal 4:22-31).
"Cast out this bondwoman and her son" is cited (in Galatians 4:30), as an inspired demand.
Sarah did not care for this teenage son of the slave girl (and especially his making fun of her beloved Isaac). Jealousy arose. Ishmael was surely jealous, because Abraham was giving too much attention to Isaac. He had all of Abraham's attention for so long.
This new baby had taken his place with his father. Sarah was jealous, as well. She wanted to make sure that her son inherited everything Abraham had. Her request to Abraham was to throw them out.
Genesis 21:11 "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son."
"And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight": The motion that Sarah made to turn out of his house Hagar and Ishmael was not agreeable to him, but the reverse; it seemed an ill thing to him. It was greatly displeasing to him, and he was unwilling to come into it.
Sarah cannot stand the insolence of Ishmael, and demands his dismissal. This was painful to Abraham. Nevertheless, God encourages it as reasonable, on the ground that in Isaac was his seed to be called. This means not only that Isaac was to be called his seed, but in Isaac as the progenitor was included the seed of Abraham in the highest and utmost sense of the phrase.
Abraham proceeds with all singleness of heart and denial of self to dismiss the mother and the son. This separation from the family of Abraham was, no doubt, distressing to the feelings of the parties concerned.
Abraham loved Ishmael. Ishmael was the only son Abraham had for all these years. To just turn his own flesh and blood out was very hurtful to him.
Genesis 21:12 "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."
"And God said unto Abraham": Either by an articulate voice, or by an impulse on his mind, suggesting to him what he should do, being no doubt in great perplexity how to conduct between his wife and his son, but God determines the case for him, and makes him easy.
"Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of the bondwoman": That is, let not the suggestion displease thee, which Sarah has made, to turn out the bondwoman and her son; let not thine affection to the one and to the other hinder compliance with it.
Do not look upon it as an ill thing, or as a hard thing; it is but what is right and proper to be done, and leave the bondwoman and her son to me. I will take care of them, be under no concern for them and their welfare.
"For in Isaac shall thy seed be called": See Abraham's previous wish (17:18). Here is a case where the chronologically firstborn son did not receive the firstborn status (Romans 9:7; Hebrews 11:18).
Genesis 21:13 "And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he [is] thy seed."
"And also of the son of the bond-woman will I make a nation": (Hagar). A promise already given (Genesis 17:20), but here repeated to render Ishmael's dismissal easier, "Because he is thy seed". Thy son according to the flesh, though not after the promise; as Isaac was (see Genesis 4:25).
(Verse 18; see notes on 16:11-12). Ishmael was about 17 years old, a customary time for sons to go out to set up their own lives.
God, in essence, was saying to Abraham, you and Sarah schemed and created a problem with this boy that was not part of my plan for you. The blessings that I (God), promised you are through the spirit, not through the flesh.
God would bless Ishmael, just because he belonged to Abraham, but the real blessing was to come through Isaac and his ancestors. Isaac would be known as the son of promise. Through him shall all the nations be blessed. God told Abraham to do what your wife asked; He would take care of Ishmael, wherever he was.
Genesis 21:14 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave [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."
Wilderness of Beer-sheba": A wide, extensive desert on the southern border of Palestine.
"Beer-sheba" is located 48 miles southwest of Jerusalem and midway between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It was the gateway to the Negev desert to the south. Abraham and Isaac both settled there (verses 31-34; 26:23-33). Archaeological excavations were begun in 1969 by Yohanan Aharoni for the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University.
The Early Bronze Age site was quite small, but several wells from the period have been found. Permanent settlement of the site began in the twelfth century B.C., and it was fortified in the tenth century B.C. The city suffered massive destruction during the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib in the eight century B.C.
The site was reoccupied in the Persian period and is mentioned among the villages of Judah (Neh. 11:27). The present thriving metropolis is located about one mile west of the mound (tell), which marks the ancient location of the city.
This had to be hard for Abraham to do, but he had the promise of God that He would take care of the child. Hagar was responsible for Ishmael now (he was on her shoulder as he was her responsibility).
Genesis 21:15 "And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs."
"And the water was spent in the bottle": It was all drank up by them, being thirsty, having wandered about some time in a wilderness, where they could not replenish their bottle.
"And she cast the child under one of the shrubs": Not from off her shoulder, but out of her hand or bosom. Being faint through thirst, he was not able to walk, and she, being weary in dragging him along in her hand, perhaps sat down and held him in her lap, and laid him in her bosom.
But, imagining he was near his end, she laid him under one of the shrubs in the wilderness, to screen him from the scorching sun, and there left him. Some make this to be Ishmael's own act, and say, that, being fatigued with thirst; he went and threw himself under the nettles of the wilderness.
Ishmael was now, no doubt, thoroughly humbled as well as wearied, and therefore passive under his mother's guidance. She led him to a sheltering bush, and caused him to lie down in its shade, resigning herself to despair.
Genesis 21:16 "And she went, and sat her down over against [him] a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against [him], and lift up her voice, and wept."
"And she went and sat her down over against him, a good way off": Not being able to bear the sight of her child in his agonies, and, she apprehended, was ready to die. She went from the place where she had laid him, and sat down under one of the shrubs or trees to shade herself, right over against that where her child was, though at some distance.
"As it were a bowshot": About as far off from him as an arrow can be shot, or is usually shot out of a bow; according to the Jews this was about half a mile, for they say two bowshots make a mile.
Here she sat waiting for what would be the issue, whether life or death, which the last she expected. For she said, "let me not see the death of the child" as she could not bear to hear his dying groans, and see him in his dying agonies.
"And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice and wept": On account of her desolate and forlorn condition, being in a wilderness, where she could get no water, and her child, as she thought, dying with thirst.
Any mother would be disturbed to be cast out with no provisions, and to watch her only child die. She could not bear to watch him starve for water and food. She moved away from him, but not so far that she could not run to him, if he cried out. She cried for help, not for herself, but for her son.
Genesis 21:17 "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he [is]."
"God hear the voice of the lad": When desperation turned the lad's voice of scoffing into a cry of anguish at probable death from thirst (verses 15-16), God heard him whose name had been given years before when God had heard Hagar's cries (16:11). It reminded the mother of the promise made to Abraham about her son (17:20).
This is saying, we never wander so far away from God that He will not hear our cry for help. He, too, heard the lad. The angel (ministering spirit), called to Hagar in her distress, and told her not to fear. God had sent help.
Genesis 21:18 "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation."
"For I will make him a great nation": The promise assured Hagar that God would take care of Ishmael (see note on verse 13).
Genesis 21:19 "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink."
"God also opened her eyes that she saw a well of water": from which the bottle was replenished, and she and the lad are ready for their further journey. It is unnecessary to determine how far this well of water was, the opening of the eyes was miraculous. It may refer to the clearing of her mind and the sharpening of her attention.
These words appear to me to mean no more than that God directed her to a well, which probably was at no great distance from the place where she sat; and therefore, she is commanded to support the lad, literally, to make her hand strong in his behalf. In other words, that he might reach the well and quench his thirst.
God encouraged Hagar that He would take care of her and Ishmael. He repeated the blessing on Ishmael. The difference in Ishmael's blessing was that his was a fleshly, worldly, blessing. Isaac's was a spiritual blessing. She immediately saw a well of water.
Genesis 21:20 "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."
"And God was with the lad": To confirm his health, to provide for him the necessaries of life, to protect him from danger in the wilderness where he was, and to prosper and succeed him in worldly things; all which is owing to the providential goodness of God.
"And he grew": He increased in bodily stature, and arrived to manhood; or, "he became great", in riches and in substance, as Ben Melech interprets it.
"And dwelt in the wilderness": Of Beer-sheba, where he now was, or of Paran after mentioned, a fit place for a wild man to dwell in, as it was said he should be; and by this means the prophecy was fulfilled (Genesis 16:12).
"And became an archer": Skillful in the use of the bow and arrow, both for hunting and slaying of wild beasts, on whose flesh he lived, and for fighting with men, against whom his hand would be.
Ishmael was a teenager, when he first came to the wilderness. God blessed him and provided for his needs. He, probably, hunted for a living.
Genesis 21:21 "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."
"And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran": So called from Paran, a city in Arabia Petraea; it reached from the wilderness of Shur to Mount Sinai. This land was very large, desolate, impassable and without water. From Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea it is a journey of eleven days. Located in the northeast section of the Sinai Peninsula, the area called Arabia.
"And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt": her own country, for she was an Egyptian (Genesis 16:1); and where they dwelt was not far from it. According to the Jewish writers, he had two wives; the first he divorced, and then married the Egyptian.
Egypt has been worldly throughout the Bible. So he took a worldly wife. His ancestors were the modern Arabs.
Verses 22-34: A parity treaty formally struck between Abimelech and Abraham guaranteed the proper control and sharing of the region's limited water resources and also assured the king of the patriarch's fair and equitable treatment for years to come.
Genesis 21:22 "And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God [is] with thee in all that thou doest:"
"God is with thee": Others saw God's hand of blessing upon Abraham and they desired to make a covenant with him (in verse 24).
Genesis 21:23 "Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: [but] according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned."
"Now therefore swear unto me here by God": By the true and living God, by whom only an oath is to be taken, who was Abraham's God, and whom Abimelech seems to have known and to have been a worshipper of. Therefore, moves for an oath to be taken by him, which he knew would be sacred and binding to Abraham, could he prevail upon him to swear.
"That thou wilt not deal falsely with me, or with my son, or with my son's son": Perhaps he had heard that God had promised to give the whole land of Canaan to him and his posterity and among the rest his kingdom, which was a part of it.
Seeing him grow great and powerful, he could not tell how soon it might be or else he would be put in the possession of it, whether in his own time, or his son's, or his grandson's. Therefore, he desires Abraham that he would swear to do no hurt to them whenever it should be.
"But according to the kindness I have done unto thee": Thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned; that, as he had given him full liberty to sojourn in any part of his kingdom where he pleased.
So when the whole country should come into his possession that he, or his son, or his grandson, in whatsoever time it should be, might quietly enjoy their own land, and all the inhabitants of it. At least that they might not be driven out of it, but live in it as he had done.
Abimelech had lived near Abraham, and had observed that God had abundantly blessed him. Abimelech wanted to make a treaty of peace with Abraham reaching three generations. Abimelech reminded Abraham that he had been good to him.
Genesis 21:24 "And Abraham said, I will swear."
Sensible of the many favors he had received from Abimelech in times past, and was still indulged with, he very readily agreed to his proposal; and the rather, as he knew by the vision between the pieces, that it would be four hundred years before his posterity should be put into the possession of the land of Canaan.
And therefore, could take an oath that neither he, nor his son, nor his grandson, should be injured or dispossessed.
Genesis 21:25 "And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away."
"And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water": Before he swore and entered into covenant with him, he thought it advisable to inform him of an affair that had happened concerning a well of water, which in those hot and dry countries, as the southern parts of the land of Canaan were, was an affair of great importance.
And to make complaint of the ill usage of Abimelech's servants with respect to it, and to reason with him about it, that the thing might be adjusted to mutual satisfaction, and so a firm basis and foundation be laid for the continuance of friendship for the future. Which was wisely done before their alliance and covenant was ratified.
"Which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away": (Abimelech who was, until informed, entirely unacquainted with the action of his servants). That is, had by force taken the use of it to themselves for their cattle, and had deprived Abraham of it, though it was of his own digging (See Genesis 26:15).
Genesis 21:26 "And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I [of it], but to day."
"And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing": He pleads ignorance; he knew nothing of it before, nor now which of his servants had done it. Intimating that if he could know who it was, he should severely reprimand him for it.
"Neither didst thou tell me": Signifying that he was to blame as he did not complain of it sooner. Or at least he had no reason to blame him, since he had never informed him before of it, and therefore could not expect to be redressed.
"Neither yet heard of it but today": He had not heard of it from others, as the Targum of Jonathan rightly adds, by way of explanation. But that very day, and very probably not till the moment he heard it from Abraham himself.
Abraham agreed to make the peace treaty with Abimelech. Abraham brought up a very sore subject about a well that Abimelech's men had taken violently. Abimelech said I only found out about this today; I didn't know about this. He was trying hard to agree with Abraham.
Genesis 21:27 "And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant."
"And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech": In gratitude for former favors he had received from him, in token of the friendship that subsisted between them, and for the confirmation of it.
And to show that he was fully satisfied with Abimelech's answer to his complaint, as well as willing to enter into covenant by sacrifice, when such creatures were divided, and the covenanters passed between the pieces, for so it follows.
"And both of them made a covenant": Or, "cut or struck a covenant". Cut the sacrifice in pieces and passed between them, in token of the compact and agreement they entered into with each other; signifying that whoever broke it deserved to be cut in pieces as those creatures were.
Genesis 21:28 "And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves."
After the settlement of this dispute the treaty was concluded, and Abraham presented the king with sheep and oxen, as a material pledge that he would reciprocate the kindness shown, and live in friendship with the king and his descendants.
Out of this present he selected seven lambs and set them by themselves.
Genesis 21:29 "And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What [mean] these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?"
When Abimelech inquired what they were, he told him to take them from his hand that they might be to him (Abraham), for a witness that he had digged the well.
Genesis 21:30 "And he said, For [these] seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well."
It was not to redeem the well, but to secure the well as his property against any fresh claims on the part of the Philistines, that the present was given; and by the acceptance of it, Abraham's right of possession was practically and solemnly acknowledged.
A well was very valuable in this dry land. God had shown His people where to dig wells. This particular well was in dispute. Abraham gave the seven ewe lambs to prove the well belonged to him. They sealed the agreement between them with the gift of animals.
Genesis 21:31 "Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them."
"Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba": Either Abraham or Abimelech, or both, called it so; or it may be read impersonally, "therefore the place was called Beer-sheba", for two reasons, one implied, the other expressed.
One was, because of the seven lambs before mentioned; so the Targum of Jonathan,"and therefore he called the well the well of seven lambs.
"Beer" signifying a well, and "sheba" seven.
The other, and which is more certain, being expressed, is as follows:
"Because there they sware both of them": By the living God, to keep the covenant inviolably they had made between them.
"Beer-sheba": Was a city, famous in the book of Genesis as the residence of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob (Gen. 22:19; 28:10; 46:1).
Genesis 21:32 "Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines."
"The land of the Philistines" Abraham had contact with early migrations of Aegean traders who settled along the southwest coastal regions of Canaan and who were the predecessors of the 12th century B.C. influx of Philistines, the future oppressors of Israel.
Referring to the coastal plain which was later occupied by the Philistines from 1200 B.C. onward. The reference here clearly identifies Abimelech with the Philistines ("Sea Peoples").
There is ample evidence of Aegean contact with the coast of Canaan during the time of Abraham. While the term "Philistine" may be used in anticipation, it is not to be taken as a thing belonging to a period other than that in which it exists. Mycenaean and Minoan traders from the Greek islands have left pottery remains in this area.
Thus, primitive Philistines, like Abimelech, are correctly identified as belonging to this people grouping. It would also stand to reason that Abraham, being a foreigner himself, would seek a trading alliance with these outsiders who would later come in great enough numbers to threaten Israel's security.
They both agreed to the treaty at Beer-sheba. Abimelech and his chief captain, Phichol, returned home confident in the treaty. "Beer-sheba" means well of the oath.
Genesis 21:33 "And [Abraham] planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God."
"Planted a grove": A tamarisk tree which functioned as a reminder of the treaty concluded between two well know contemporaries, and also as a marker of one of Abraham's worship sites.
"The everlasting God": A divine name appropriately signifying to Abraham the unbreakable and everlasting nature of the covenant God had made with him, notwithstanding his being only a resident alien and a sojourner in the Land (23:4).
"The everlasting God" would be a logical epithet of a deity called upon to support a formal treaty expected to be valid for all time. The name is one of a series, including El Elyon (14:18), El Roi (16:13), El Shaddai (17:1), El-elohe-Israel (33:20), El-beth-el (35:7). Each one expresses an aspect of God's self-disclosure.
Genesis 21:34 "And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days."
"And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days": Even many years, days being sometimes put for years; having entered into covenant with Abimelech, the king of the country.
And having settled a good correspondence with him, and having his friendship and good will, which commanded respect from his subjects; Abraham sojourned very quietly and comfortably for many years, chiefly at Beer-sheba. The Jewish writers say he sojourned here twenty six years.
This land had not yet been received by Abraham as the land of promise. It would be the Holy Land of promise, when Moses led the ancestors of Abraham from Egypt, and God fulfilled His promise.
Abraham was a man after God's own heart. He prayed to God, very often.
Genesis Chapter 21 Questions
1. Sarah bare Abraham a son in his ________ _________.
2. Sarah and Abraham named their son what?
3. What does the name mean?
4. Which son would the spiritual promises come through?
5. How old was Isaac, when he was circumcised?
6. "Eight" means what?
7. How old was Abraham, when Isaac was born?
8. Why did Sarah laugh?
9. Why was Abraham embarrassed?
10. When Isaac was weaned, what did Abraham do?
11. What did Sarah see Ishmael doing?
12. What did Sarah ask Abraham to do with Hagar and Ishmael?
13. Whose side did God take?
14. Why would God make a nation of Ishmael?
15. What did Abraham give Hagar, when he sent her away?
16. Why did Hagar sit a good way away from Ishmael?
17. Whose cries did God hear?
18. Who came to Hagar?
19. When Hagar's eyes were opened, what did she see?
20. What was the difference in Isaac's blessing and Ishmael's blessing?
21. What trade did Ishmael take up?
22. What was the name of the place where he lived?
23. The peace treaty from Abraham to Abimelech was to be good for how many generations?
24. Why did Abimelech want a treaty?
25. What was the controversy over the well?
26. How was it settled?
27. What was the name of Abimelech's captain?
28. What does "Beer-sheba" mean?
Genesis 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am]."
"God did tempt Abraham": the verb "tempt" is better rendered as "proved" or "tested." God does not tempt anyone with evil (James 1:13); but in certain instances, he does test, try, or prove us (James 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). Therefore, we must assume that the command to sacrifice Isaac was not evil. God knew what He would do in the end. He had no intention to permit the murder of Isaac.
The reason God prohibited the Israelites from following the example of Gentiles who offered their own children as sacrifices to their gods (Deut. 12:31), was that such monstrous deeds were in contradiction to the character of the true God. Abraham's faith was being tried. This was the entire purpose of the episode.
One thing about Abraham, he knew God's voice and was always willing to obey God.
Genesis 22:2 "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
"Take ... thy son ... and offer him": These startling commands activated a special testing ordeal for Abraham, i.e., to sacrifice his "only son" (repeated 3 times by God, verses 2, 12, 16). This would mean killing the son (over 20 years old), and with that, ending the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. Such action would seem irrational, yet Abraham obeyed (verse 3).
"Moriah" was in the general area that included the hills on which Solomon later built his temple in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 3:1), the journey was about 50 miles.
You must remember what this son meant to Abraham. There was a very close to worship situation. Abraham had lost his son of the flesh. Notice here, that in God's sight, Isaac was his only son. God knew how much Abraham loved this son. That was the very reason this son was what he had to give up.
Whatever, or whomever, we put ahead of God has to be sacrificed (given up), if we are to truly be in right fellowship with God.
This spot, Moriah, is in Jerusalem today. The custom of the false gods in the area was to do human sacrifice on the mountains. God would allow this greatest of all temptations to Abraham to see, if in the face of the worst odds possible, Abraham would still worship Him. This is almost beyond comprehension to us.
Genesis 22:3 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him."
There are a number of symbolisms we need to see in this Scripture above.
God sacrificing His only son. Abraham sacrificing his son.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass. The provisions for this sacrifice were carried on an ass.
Jesus died between two men on the cross. Abraham took two men with them.
Jesus carried a wooden cross. Isaac carried wood for the sacrifice (wood means worldliness).
Jesus went to Golgotha on orders from God. Abraham and Isaac went to Moriah in Jerusalem on orders from God.
Jesus obeyed His Father and said "nevertheless not my will, but thine." Isaac obeyed Abraham without question.
Genesis 22:4 "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off."
"Third day": With no appearance of reluctance or delay, Abraham rose early (verse 3), for the two day trip from Beer-sheba to Moriah, one of the hills around Jerusalem.
There are all kinds of implications, here. Isaac was as good as dead these three days. His dad, Abraham, grieved for him as the disciples grieved for Jesus three days. Jesus' body, of course, was in the grave three days. Resurrection was on its way.
Genesis 22:5 "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."
"I and the lad will go ... and worship ... and come again": The 3-day journey (verse 4), afforded much time of reflection upon God's commands but, without wavering or questioning the morality of human sacrifice or the purposes of God, Abraham confidently assured his servants of his and Isaac's return and went ahead with arrangements for the sacrifice (verse 6).
(Hebrews 11:17-19), reveals that he was so confident in the permanence of God's promise, that he believed if Isaac were to be killed, God would raise him from the dead (see notes there), or God would provide a substitute for Isaac (verse 8).
"Come again to you": This was no empty phrase; it was his full conviction based on "in Isaac shall thy seed by called" (21:12). (Hebrews 11:17-19), reveals he was expecting Isaac to be resurrected; thus he would regard him as given back from the dead.
Jesus said I will come again, just as this Scripture says the same thing. All of this is a parallel to the cross. At one point, Jesus left the two on the cross, just as Abraham left these two behind. At some point, Isaac had to realize something strange was going on. Where was the sacrifice?
Genesis 22:6 "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together."
"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering": Which Josephus says was laid upon the ass, and carried by that. And if so, he took it from thence. But it is probable it was carried by his two servants, since it was not more than Isaac himself afterwards who carried it.
"And laid it upon Isaac his son": who was a grown man, and able to carry it. In this also he was a type of Christ, on whom the wood of his cross was laid, and which he bore when he went to be crucified (John 19:17).
And this wood may be also a figure of our sins laid on him by his Father, and which he bore in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). And which were like wood to fire, fuel for the wrath of God, which came down upon him for them.
"And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife": A vessel in one hand, in which fire was to kindle the wood with, and a knife in the other hand to slay the sacrifice with. The one to slay his son with, and the other to burn him with. To carry these for such purposes must be very trying. This is the first time we read in Scripture of fire for use, or of a knife.
"And they went both of them together": from the place where they left the young men, to the place where the sacrifice was to be offered.
Genesis 22:7 "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering?"
"And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father": As they were walking together and said, "My father": A cutting word to Abraham, who knew what he was going to do with him which was so contrary to the relation and affection of a parent.
"And he said, here am I, my son": What hast thou to say to me? I am ready to answer thee. He owns the situation that stood in front of him, a sense of which he had not put off. And holds his emotions, which must be inwardly moving towards him. And he showed great strength of faith to grapple with such a trying exercise.
"And he said, behold the fire and the wood": The fire which his father had in his hand, and the wood which was upon his own shoulders.
"But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" he perceived by the preparation made, by the fire and the wood, that it was to be a burnt offering which they were going to offer. But there being no creature provided for the sacrifice, so he puts this question.
It appears that as yet he was quite ignorant of the true design of this journey, and little thought that he was to be the sacrifice: however, from what he said, it's plain he had been used to sacrifices. That he had been trained up in them, and had seen them performed, and knew the nature of them, and what were requisite unto them.
Here, it appears that Isaac had become aware, as Jesus did at Gethsemane. Both were a little reluctant to go through with this, but still obedient. The lamb, as always, stood for the innocence.
Genesis 22:8 "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together."
Then Abraham, where he meant not, prophesies: "My son, God will provide himself a lamb": The Holy Spirit, by his mouth, seems to predict the Lamb of God, which he has provided, and which taketh away the sin of the world.
Verses 9-10: Abraham's preparations to kill his only son could not have placed his trust in God in sharper focus (Heb. 11:17-19.
Genesis 22:9 "And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood."
Abraham lays the wood in order for his Isaac's funeral pile, and now tells him the amazing news. Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided! Abraham, no doubt, comforting him with the same hopes with which he himself by faith was comforted. The great Sacrifice, which, in the fullness of time, was to be offered up, must be bound, and so must Isaac.
After Jesus had carried the cross to the hill, they laid it down, and Jesus was nailed to the cross. Jesus was on the altar of sacrifice for us. Isaac, also, was bound to this wood and laid on the altar.
Genesis 22:10 "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son."
This being done, Abraham takes the knife, and stretches out his hand to give the fatal blow.
Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. God, by his providence, calls us to part with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with cheerful submission to his holy will (1 Sam. 3:18). "God will provide" is a phrase that would be immortalized in the name of the place (in verse 14).
Genesis 22:11 "And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I."
"And the Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven": Not a created angel, but the eternal one, the Son of God, who perhaps appeared in a human form, and spoke with an articulate voice.
"And said, Abraham, Abraham": the repeating his name denotes haste to prevent the slaughter of his son, which was just to the point of doing, and in which Abraham was not slow in doing, but ready to make quick dispatch. Therefore, with the greater eagerness and vehemence the angel calls him by name, and doubles it, to raise a quick and immediate attention to him, which it did.
"Angel of the Lord" (see note on Exodus 3:2).
This is where all similarity ends. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, there was Someone higher to say don't do this. He had passed the test. He was willing to sacrifice the one thing (his son), that meant everything here on this earth to him. He had withheld nothing from God. God was satisfied. When Jesus was sacrificed, there was no higher power than His Father.
Genesis 22:12 "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me."
"Now I know that thou fearest God": Abraham passed the test (verse 1). He demonstrated faith that God responds to with justification (see note on James 2:21).
This verse indicates that God was certain that Abraham feared (reverenced), Him more than anyone else, since he was willing to offer Him his son. So, God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac (John 1:29).
This was a grievous test that Abraham went through. We can understand better the grief that Father God went through at the sacrifice of His Son. The sun darkened and the earth quaked in sorrow.
Genesis 22:13 "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."
"In the stead of his son": The idea of substitutionary atonement is introduced, which would find its fulfillment in the death of Christ (Isa. 53:4-6; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21).
This is the greatest symbolism of Jesus' sacrifice of all. Jesus is our substitute. We should have suffered and died on that cross, but Jesus, God's Son, took our place. God has always provided a substitute.
Genesis 22:14 "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."
"Jehovah-jireh", the Lord will provide, is a deeply significant name. He who provided the ram caught in the thicket will later provide the atoning victim, Christ Jesus, of which the ram was the type. In this event, we can imagine Abraham seeing the day of that pre-eminent seed who should in the fullness of time actually take away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
"In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen": This proverb remained as a monument of this transaction in the time of the sacred writer. The mount of the Lord here means the very height of the trial into which he brings his saints. There he will certainly appear in due time for their deliverance.
Verses 15-18: In this formal reaffirmation of His Abrahamic Covenant, the Lord mentioned the 3 elements of land, seed, and blessing, but with attention directed graphically to the conquest of the Land promised (verse 17), "shall possess the gate of their enemies".
Genesis 22:15 "And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,"
"And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time": The Angel having restrained him from slaying his son, and having provided another sacrifice, which he offered, calls to him again; having something more to say to him, which was to renew the covenant he had made with him, and confirm it by an oath (verses 16-17: 12:1-3; 15:13-18; 17:2, 7-9; Heb. 6:13-14).
Genesis 22:16 "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]:"
"And said, by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord": Which Aben Ezra observes is a great oath, and abides forever; because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, his own nature, perfections, and life (Heb. 6:13). Hence it appears that the Angel that called to Abraham was a divine Person, the true Jehovah.
"For because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son": Thine only son; that is, from the Lord (as in Genesis 22:12). And is here repeated as being a most marvelous thing; a wonderful instance of faith in God, and fear of him, and of love and obedience to him.
For, with respect to the will of Abraham, and as far as he was suffered to go, it was as much done as it was possible for him to do, and was looked upon as if it was actually done.
Yet this is not observed as meritorious of what follows: The promise of which had been made before, but is now repeated to show what notice God took of, and how well pleased he was with what had been done.
And therefore renews the promise, which of his own grace and good will he had made, for the strengthening of Abraham's faith, and to encourage others to obey the Lord in whatsoever he commands them.
Genesis 22:17 "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;"
"That in blessing I will bless thee": With temporal and spiritual blessings; with the Spirit and all his graces; with Christ and redemption, justification, and salvation by him. And with eternal life, as the gift of God, through him.
"And in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore": Both his natural seed, descending from him in the line of Isaac, and his spiritual seed, both among Jews and Gentiles, that tread in his steps (see Genesis 13:15).
"And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies": "Gate" for "gates", where courts of justice were held, and which are the security of cities and put for them, and which also include the whole country round about.
So that this phrase is expressive of an entire jurisdiction and dominion over them. And was literally fulfilled in the times of Joshua, David, and Solomon; and spiritually in Christ, Abraham's principal seed, when he destroyed Satan and his principalities and powers.
Who overcame the world; made an end of sin and abolished death. And delivered his people out the hands of all their enemies; and in all Abraham's spiritual seed, who are made more than conquerors over them, through Christ that has loved them.
Genesis 22:18 "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."
"And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed": That is, in his one and principal seed, the Messiah, that should spring from him (Galatians 3:16), in whom all the elect of God, of all nations under the heavens, are blessed with all spiritual blessings, with peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life, with grace here and glory hereafter (see Acts 3:25).
"Because thou hast obeyed my voice": in taking his son and offering him up unto Him, as much as he was permitted to do. And thus, honoring God by his obedience to Him, he of his grace and goodness honors him with the promise of being the father of multitudes, both in a literal and spiritual sense. And with being the ancestor of the Messiah, in whom all the blessings of grace and goodness meet.
The ministering spirit of the Lord, Himself, spoke to Abraham. And the Lord swore by Himself, because there was no greater. He reiterated the blessing again on Abraham. Abraham had passed the test. All believers, throughout the ages, would be blessed, because of the faithfulness of Abraham.
Genesis 22:19 "So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba."
"So Abraham returned to his young men": He had left at a certain place with the ass, while he and Isaac went to the mount to worship; and who stayed there till he came to them, according to his order (Genesis 22:5). No mention is made of Isaac, but there is no doubt that he returned with Abraham, since we hear of him afterwards in his house.
"And they rose up, and went together to Beer-sheba": that is, when Abraham and Isaac came to the place where the young men were, they got up and proceeded on in their journey along with them to Beer-sheba, from where Abraham came, and where he had for some time lived.
"And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba": There he continued for some time afterwards, and but for a time, for in the next chapter we hear of him at Hebron (Genesis 23:2).
Verses 20-24: "It was told". This is clear indication that, despite geographical separation, information about family genealogies flowed back and forth in the Fertile Crescent region. This update advised most notably of a daughter, Rebekah, born to Isaac's cousin, Bethuel (verse 23).
It also reminds the readers that Abraham and Sarah had not lost all ties with their original home. Abraham's brother, Nahor, still lived back in Mesopotamia, though he had not seen him for about 60 years.
Genesis 22:20 "And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;"
"And it came to pass, after these things": Abraham's taking his son Isaac to the land of Moriah, building an altar on one of the mountains there, and laying him on it with an intention to sacrifice him. And the offering of a ram in his stead, and the return of them both to Beer-sheba.
"That it was told Abraham": by some person very probably who was lately come from those parts where the following persons lived. Though Jarchi suggests this was told him by the Lord himself and while he was thinking of taking a wife for Isaac of the daughters at Aner, or Eshcol, or Mamre. And to prevent which the following narration was given him.
"Behold Milcah, she hath also borne children unto thy brother Nahor": As Sarah, supposed to be the same with Iscah, a daughter of Haran, had borne a son to him, and whom he had received again as from the dead.
So Milcah, another daughter of Harsh, had borne children to his brother Nahor, whom he had left in Ur of the Chaldees, when he departed from thence. And who afterwards came and dwelt in Haran of Mesopotamia (see Genesis 11:27).
Genesis 22:21 "Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,"
The first of these gave name to the land of Uz, where Job dwelt, and who seems to be a descendant of this man (Job 1:1). And from whom sprung the Ausitae of Ptolemy, who dwelt near Babylon and by the Euphrates. The latter, was the father of the Buzites, of which family Elihu was, that interposed between Job and his friends (Job 32:2).
"And Kemuel the father of Aram": Not that Aram from whom the Syrians are denominated Arameans, he was the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22). But one who perhaps was so called from dwelling among them, as Jacob is, called a Syrian (Deut. 26:5). Or he had this name given him in memory and honor of the more ancient Aram. From this Kemuel might come the Camelites, of which there were two sorts mentioned by Strabo, and who dwelt to the right of the river Euphrates, about three days' journey from it.
Genesis 22:22 "And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
"And Chesed": From whom it is generally thought sprung the Chaldees, who are commonly called Chasdim; but mention is made of the Chaldees before this man was born, unless they are called so by anticipation.
"And Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel": of these men and their posterity we hear no more, excepting: the last, for whose sake the rest are mentioned. Hazo or Chazo settled in Elymais, a country belonging to Persia, where is now a city called Chuz after his name, and from whence the whole country is called Chuzistan.
And the inhabitants of it are by the Assyrians called Huzoye or Huzaeans, the same which Strabo makes mention of under the name of Cossaeans, who are described as a warlike people, inhabiting a barren and mountainous country, and given to spoil and robbery.
Genesis 22:23 "And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother."
"And Bethuel begat Rebekah": Who was to be and was the wife of Isaac; and, for the sake of her genealogy, the above account is given, as Aben Ezra observes, and so Jarchi; and this is observed to pave the way for the history of the chapter; for no notice is taken of any other of Bethuel's children but her, not even of Laban her brother:
"These eight Milcah did bear, to Nahor, Abraham's brother": this is observed, and the exact number given, as well as their names, to distinguish them from other children of Nahor he had by another woman.
Genesis 22:24 "And his concubine, whose name [was] Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah."
"And his concubine, whose name was Reumah": Not a harlot, but a secondary wife, who was under the proper and lawful wife, and a sort of a head servant in the family, and chiefly kept for the procreation of children; which was not thought either unlawful or dishonorable in those times such as was Hagar in Abraham's family.
"She bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah": of whom we have no account elsewhere; only it may be observed, that here Maachah is the name of a man, which sometimes is given to a woman (1 Kings 15:13).
"Kemuel" means assembly of God. "Bethuel" means the abode of God. Rebekah was actually what all the above was about, because she would become the wife of Isaac. She was a cousin actually, but in those days (as now), it was very important not to marry a heathen.
Genesis Chapter 22 Questions
1. Who tempted Abraham?
2. When God called, what did Abraham say?
3. Who did God ask Abraham to sacrifice?
4. Where?
5. Did God count Ishmael as Abraham's son?
6. What kind of an offering was Isaac to be?
7. What do we have to give up to follow Jesus?
8. What type of worship service did the false gods require in this area?
9. Where were their services held?
10. Who went with Abraham and Isaac?
11. What did they carry to use on the altar?
12. How does this symbolize the cross?
13. Moriah is where?
14. What stands out clearly in both Jesus and Isaac toward God and Abraham?
15. How many days were they on the trip?
16. What was Isaac for these days?
17. What is all of this paralleled to?
18. Isaac carrying the wood to Mt. Moriah symbolized what?
19. What has the lamb always stood for?
20. What symbolized Jesus being nailed to the cross?
21. When did all similarity end?
22. What is the greatest symbolism of all in this?
23. What does "Jehovah-jireh" mean?
24. Why did the Lord swear by himself?
25. Through whose seed shall all the earth be blessed?
26. What does "Kemuel" mean?
27. What does "Bethuel" mean?
28. Why was Rebekah so important in this?
Verses 1-2: Although Sarah's age, the only woman's age at death recorded in Scripture, might suggest her importance in God's plan. It more importantly reminds of the birth of her only son well beyond childbearing age (at 90 years of age, 17:17), and of God's intervention to bring about the fulfillment of His word to her and Abraham. Sarah's death occurred 2028 B.C.
Genesis 23:1 "And Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah."
"And Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old": This following immediately upon the account of the offering up of Isaac, led many of the Jewish writers to conclude, that Isaac was then thirty seven years of age, as he must be when Sarah his mother was one hundred and twenty seven, for he was born when she was ninety years of age.
But this seems not to be observed on that account, but to give the sum of her age at her death, since it follows: these were the years of the life of Sarah. Who, as it is remarked by many interpreters, is the only woman the years of whose life are reckoned up in Scripture.
After the flood, God reduced the time of life to 120 years, and so Sarah, Abraham's wife, lived a few more years.
Genesis 23:2 "And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her."
"Kirjath-arba": This older name for Hebron (Josh. 14:15; Judges 1:10), means "City of Four." Actually, it commemorates a hero of the Anakim (see note on 13:18).
It is a very natural thing to weep at the loss of a loved one. It is even more stressful to lose your spouse. It is as if some of you have been torn away, and truly it has, because they two are one flesh. Hebron is approximately 20 miles out of Jerusalem.
Genesis 23:3 "And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,"
"The sons of Heth": A settlement of Hittites whose original home was in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), who had already been established in Canaan far from their homeland.
It is debatable whether the "Sons of Heth" were real Hittites or simply those who spoke their language. But such an encounter is illuminated by a knowledge of Hittite customs illustrated by their laws. Hittite law required that the owner of a complete unit of land continue performing the king's ilku (feudal services).
Genesis 23:4 "I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."
"Give me a possession of a burying place": Negotiations for the purchase ("give" signifies here "sell") of Hittite property was properly conducted in accordance with contemporary Hittite custom, with Abraham wanting to pay the market value for it (verse 9).
Even though this was the land that God had promised to Abraham, he did not own even one acre of this land at that time. He really was saying to them (allow me to buy a burying place from you for my dead wife). This land someday would all belong to the descendants of Abraham, and Abraham wanted his wife buried there in the Promised Land.
Genesis 23:5-6 "And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him," "Hear us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead."
"And the children of Heth answered Abraham": In a very civil and respectful manner: "saying unto him", as follows:
"Hear us, my lord": One of them spake in the name of the rest, who calls Abraham not "our lord", but "my lord"; addressing him very honorably, and desires he would hear what he had to say on the behalf of others with himself.
"A mighty prince among us": Rank and reputation accorded Abraham a place of leadership and respect, leading his neighbors (the Hittites), to freely offer their best sepulchers to him. They went on and arranged for Abraham to purchase a cave that belonged to a wealthy neighbor called Ephron (verses 7-9), unknown to Abraham.
"Mighty prince" as it appears (in verse 6), is a term generally translated "prince of God;" or "mighty prince." The term "nasi" (17:20) designates an official who has been elevated in or by the assembly, hence elected. Here, it is an honorific epithet. The Hittites were acknowledging that God (Elohim), had played a mighty part in Abraham's life.
This was after Abraham had lived in the area for 62 years (12:4; 17:17; 23:1). This term is similarly used in early texts of the chiefs of the Midianites (Josh. 13:21; Num. 25:18), and Shechem (Gen. 34:2). The title is later applied to David and Solomon (1 Kings 11:34).
These children of Heth were aware that the blessings of God were upon Abraham. They were excited to think that some of that blessing might be theirs, if they were cooperative with Abraham. These sons of Heth were Hittites and descendants of Ham. Any one of them would gladly have given a place of burying to this man of God.
Genesis 23:7 "And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, [even] to the children of Heth."
"And Abraham stood up": For, having made his speech to the children of Heth, he sat down waiting for an answer; or rather perhaps they obliged him to sit down, out of reverence to so great a personage; and when they had done speaking, he rose up.
"And bowed himself to the people of the land": The principal of them, in token of the grateful sense he had of the honor they had done him, and of the great civility with which they had used him.
"Even to the children of Heth": This seems to be added to distinguish them from the common people, and as an explanation of the preceding clause (see Genesis 23:3).
Genesis 23:8 "And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar"
"And he communed with them": Entered into a discourse and conversation with them upon the following subject.
"Saying, if it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight": That is, in some place belonging to them; otherwise they could have no objection to the burying of his wife anywhere else. If now what they had said were not spoken in a satisfactory way, but it was their real mind and will, and they were sincere and hearty in it, and very desirous of obliging him with a place among them for the interment of his dead. Then he had this favor to ask of them.
"Hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar": A principal man among the Hittites, who had a field with a cave in it, near where Abraham dwelt, and very convenient for him, and for this purpose of his now under consideration. This man seems to be present at this time, as appears from (Genesis 23:10); but Abraham did not think fit to address him directly himself, lest he should not so well and so easily succeed.
And therefore, entreats the princes of Heth to unite in a request to Ephron for the favor after mentioned, which he supposed they would not be opposed to, if they were hearty in this affair. And, if Ephron was present, as he seems to be, it was a very handsome, honorable, and modest address to him through his brethren, which he could not with any politeness well withstand.
Abraham was humbled by their generosity and thus bowed. Then he said, if it is your wish that I bury my dead here, please talk to Ephron for me. "Ephron" means fawn-like, so he had to be a very congenial man. His father, "Zohar", means whiteness. Abraham had chosen the cave he wanted.
Genesis 23:9 "That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which [is] in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you."
"The cave of the field of Machpelah" became the burial spot for Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob. Rachel is a notable exception (35:19).
Abraham would avoid transfer of these obligations to himself by purchasing only the cave "which is in the end of his field."
You see, Abraham intended all along to pay for the burying place.
Genesis 23:10 "And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, [even] of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,"
"Dwelt": Ephron was probably sitting at the city gate where business was usually transacted.
Genesis 23:11 "Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that [is] therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead."
"The field give I thee": This suggests not that Ephron felt generous, but that he was constrained by Hittite feudal policy, which tied ownership of land with service to the ruler. Passing the land to Abraham would pass also dual responsibilities to Abraham, making him liable for all taxes and duties. This Ephron was apparently anxious to do, thus the offer to give the land.
Ephron wanted to give this area to Abraham. He offered to give it to Abraham in front of witnesses. Abraham wanted to pay. This was a running struggle to see who would weaken.
Genesis 23:12 "And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land."
"And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land": Showing hereby great respect, and giving much honor both to them and Ephron; and signifying that he had something to say, and desired audience of them, and humbly submitted to them what he should say.
Genesis 23:13 "And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou [wilt give it], I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take [it] of me, and I will bury my dead there."
"And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land": He addressed himself to Ephron who spoke last, with an audible voice, so that all could hear him: saying:
"But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me": The words are very concise, and in the original text are only "if thou", and differently supplied; by some, "if thou art he".
Ephron, whom it is supposed Abraham knew not by face, or that he was present; which is not likely, since Abraham had lived in those parts now so as to be well known himself, and must know his neighbors; and had lived formerly here, and could not but know so great a prince as Ephron, whose city he dwelt in.
The Targum of Jonathan says, "If thou art willing to do me a kindness, hear me;" it will be taken as a favor to admit me to speak once more, and to grant what shall be desired.
"I will give thee the money for the field": Abraham did not choose to receive it as a free gift, but to make a purchase of it, that it might be sure to him and his posterity; for though Ephron was now in this generous mood, he might change his mind, or hereafter reprimand Abraham with it, should he fall out with him, or his posterity might claim it again, and dispute his right to it.
"Take it of me": the purchase money, the full worth of the field.
"And I will bury my dead there": or "then will I bury", and not before.
Abraham wanted the piece of land, but he wanted to pay for it, so that he would not be obligated to this people.
Genesis 23:14 "And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,"
"And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him": The following words:
Genesis 23:15 "My lord, hearken unto me: the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver; what [is] that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead."
"My lord, hearken unto me": Since it is your mind to buy the field, and not receive it as a gift, then hear what I have to say as to the value of it.
"The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver": which, reckoning a shekel at two shillings and sixpence, comes to fifty pounds.
"What is that betwixt thee and me?" Between two persons so rich, the sum was trifling and inconsiderable, whether the one paid it, and the other received it, or not; or between two such friends it was not worth speaking of, it was no matter whether it was paid or not.
Or else the sense is, between us both it is honestly worth so much; it is a good bargain, and must be owned to be so, what is it? The sum is so small, and it is so clearly the worth of it, that there needs no more to be said about it.
"Bury therefore thy dead": In it, and give thyself no more trouble and concern about it.
They had finally come to a price, 400 shekels of silver. The symbolism is great. Again, silver means redemption. He tried once more to tell Abraham that this small amount of money was unimportant, but Abraham wanted to pay.
Genesis 23:16 "And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant."
"Shekels of silver, current money": Precious metals were not made into coins for exchange until centuries later. Merchants maintained the shekel as the standard weight of value for business transactions. A shekel weighed less than one half ounce.
The deal was finally settled. Abraham paid in front of witnesses. He would not be obligated.
With the words of the transaction, the careful description of the property, and the payment of the stated price all done before witnesses and at the proper place of business, ownership of the land officially passed to Abraham. It was still binding years later in the time of Jacob (49:29-32, 50, 12-13).
Genesis 23:17 "And the field of Ephron, which [was] in Machpelah, which [was] before Mamre, the field, and the cave which [was] therein, and all the trees that [were] in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure"
However, Ephron insisted on selling the entire unit, "the field, and the cave", as the conclusion repeatedly notes (verses 17, 19-20; 49:29-32, especially note verse 32). The prominent mention of trees in the final agreement was another characteristic of the Hittite business documents (verse 17).
Since the Hittites were destroyed about 1200 B.C., the liberal critics' assertion of a late date for the composition of Genesis is rejected at this point.
Genesis 23:18 "Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city."
"Unto Abraham for a possession": To be enjoyed by him and his forever, as his own property, being purchased by his money.
"In the presence of the children of Heth": they being witnesses of the bargain, and of the payment of the money by Abraham, and of the surrender of the field unto him, for his own use.
"Before all that went in at the gates of his city": Not of Abraham's city, for he had none, but of Ephron's city, which was Hebron (see Genesis 23:10). These are either the same with the children of Heth, and so the clause is added by way of explanation, and including all the inhabitants of the place.
Or else different from them, they intending the princes of the people that composed the assembly Abraham addressed, and these are the common people, the inhabitants of the place.
Aben Ezra takes them to be the travelers that passed and re-passed through the gates of the city. However, the design of the expression is to show in what a public manner this affair was transacted, and that the field was made as firm and as sure to Abraham as it could well be, no writings on such occasion being used so early.
This was very similar to us putting a fence around our property to secure it from the world around us. This was showing Abraham's possession in the midst of a strange land.
Genesis 23:19 "And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan."
"After this": Once the purchase had been made, Abraham buried Sarah. Moses notes the place is Hebron in Canaan, to which his initial readers were soon headed.
Many of the prominent Old Testament people were buried in this area. Hebron is still in existence today in the Holy Land.
Genesis 23:20 "And the field, and the cave that [is] therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth."
"And the field, and the cave that is therein, was made sure to Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace, by the sons of Heth": Who were witnesses of the transaction between Abraham and Ephron; and this was further made sure by Sarah's being buried in it, which was taking possession of it, for the use for which it was bought.
"And was a pledge and earnest of the future possession of the land of Canaan by the seed of Abraham. This was the first piece of ground in it possessed by Abraham and his seed; and it being called the possession of a buryingplace, shows that there is no contradiction between this and what Stephen says (Acts 7:5).
He had a possession to bury in, but not to live upon; not any ground of his own to till and sow, or build upon.
This is the last credit given to the sons of Heth for being willing to sell this burying place to Abraham.
Genesis Chapter 23 Questions
1. How old was Sarah, when she died?
2. Where did she die?
3. When you lose a loved one, it is natural to _________.
4. Where was Hebron located?
5. Who did Abraham speak to about a burial place?
6. What did Abraham call himself?
7. How much of this land, that God had promised Abraham, belonged to him at that time?
8. What was Abraham trying to do?
9. What did these sons call Abraham?
10. Which of the sepulchers did they offer?
11. For what price?
12. Why did they like the idea of burying Sarah in their sepulchers?
13. Why did Abraham bow to them?
14. What does "Ephron" mean?
15. Whose cave did Abraham want?
16. What tribe was Ephron from?
17. Why did Abraham not want the land free?
18. What price did they agree upon?
19. This field was before where?
20. What is Hebron also called?
Genesis 24:1 "And Abraham was old, [and] well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things."
"And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age": Being now one hundred and forty years of age, for as he was a hundred years old when Isaac was born, and Isaac was forty years of age when he married Rebekah, which was at this time, Abraham must be of the age mentioned( see Genesis 21:5),
"And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things": With all kind of blessings, with temporal and spiritual blessings; the former seems chiefly designed here, because of what follows. God had blessed him, as Aben Ezra observes, with long life, and riches, and honor, and children, things desirable by men.
Verses 2-4: "Put ... thy hand under my thigh ... swear" (see note on verse 9). A solemn pledge mentioning the Lord's name and formalized by an acceptable customary gesture indicated just how serious an undertaking this was in Abraham's eyes.
At his age (verse 1), Abraham was concerned to perpetuate his people and God's promise through the next generation, so he covenanted with his servant to return to Mesopotamia and bring back a wife for Isaac.
Genesis 24:2 "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:"
"Eldest servant" may have been Eliezer (of 15:2-3). He worshiped God (verses 26-27, 52); he was devoted to Abraham (verses 12b, 14b, 27); and dedicated to finishing the task (verses 33, 56). If he was this Eliezer, then his loyalty in serving the heir who had displaced him is all the greater.
Eliezer, at 85 years of age, had risen to steward, or "chief of staff," a position of substantial authority (indicated in verse 10). He would have received all Abraham's wealth if he had no son (see 15:1-2), yet when Isaac was born the inheritance became Isaac's.
So, not only had he loyally served his master despite having been displaced by another heir (15:2-4), but he also faithfully served that heir (verse 67).
Verses 3-4: Matrimonial arrangements were made by parents, and chosen partners were to come from one's own tribe. It was apparently customary to marry one's first cousin. But Abraham's higher motive was to prevent Isaac from marrying a Canaanite pagan after Abraham's death, thus possibly leading the people away from the true God.
Genesis 24:3 "And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:"
"Daughters of the Canaanites": The command to marry only within God's redeemed community was given latter through Moses, but here is an example of the godly Abraham desiring to be separate from the pagans surrounding him (Deut. 7:3-4; 1 Kings 11:4; Ezra 9); and Paul's "only in the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39).
Abraham realized that he was growing old. His son, Isaac, was at the age where young men seek a wife. This servant that Abraham had entrusted all to, has certainly been a man of integrity who loved and feared God, or else Abraham would not have had the servant to swear by Him.
Abraham realized that the people around him were a heathen people; he did not want his son, Isaac, unequally yoked to these women of the world. Canaan, at this time, was not living for God. Abraham recognized God for being God of earth and heaven, when he made the servant take the oath.
Genesis 24:4 "But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."
"But thou shalt go unto my country": Not Canaan, which though his by promise, yet not in possession, but Mesopotamia, as appears from (Genesis 24:10); which taken largely included the Chaldea (see Acts 7:2), the country where Abraham was born, and from whence he came.
"And to my kindred": the family of Nahor his brother, which now dwelt at Haran in Mesopotamia, called the city of Nahor (Genesis 24:10; see Genesis 29:4); of the increase of whose family Abraham had heard a few years ago (Genesis 22:20).
"And take a wife to my son Isaac": He did not want his son to marry out of the godly family: for the problems that come from marrying the ungodly are set forth in various places throughout the scriptures.
And the reason this family was chosen, not only because related to Abraham, but because it had sprung from Shem, who was blessed of God, and whose God the Lord was; nearness of kin was no objection and hindrance to such a marriage, the laws relating to marriage not being given till the time of Moses.
Even today children would be much better off, if they would seek someone of their own faith to marry. We should not even consider people of the world for a lifetime mate. Abraham was sure this family was believers.
Genesis 24:5 "And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?"
"And the servant said unto him": Before he would take the oath, being cautious of it, and desirous of knowing how far it reached, and what it would or would not oblige him to, which was prudently done said:
"Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me into this land": Supposing this should be the case, as it is not unlikely that the woman would object to coming along with him to the land of Canaan, and insist upon Isaac's coming into her country, and dwelling there, what must then be done?
"Must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?" that is, must I agree with the woman on these terms, and promise that Isaac shall come and dwell with her in Mesopotamia? Now there was good reason for the servant's putting this question, since he was neither ignorant of the call of Abraham out of that land, no more to return to it, nor of the promise of the land of Canaan to him and his posterity.
As for bringing Isaac "again", where he never had been in person, this may be accounted for by his being in the loins of Abraham when he was there, and came from thence, as Levi is said to be in his loins when he paid tithes to Melchizedek, and to pay them in him (Hebrews 7:9).
This servant was not as sure as Abraham that he would be able to find the right wife for Isaac. Even if he found her, he was not confident that she would believe, and follow him into a strange land. His question was a reasonable one, if you were not taking in to account Abraham's standing with God.
Verses 6-7: "That thou bring not my son thither again": Should the expected scenario not materialize (verse 5), then the dictates of the oath were lifted (verse 8), but the option of Isaac going was summarily rejected because it suggested a nullification of God's promise and calling for the land of promise (verse 7).
Genesis 24:6 "And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again."
"And Abraham said unto him": Not blaming him for putting such a question, nor charging him with impertinence, but plainly seeing the propriety of it: and in order to clear up this matter to him, gives the following instructions.
"Beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again": for the command to come out of the land of Chaldea, never to return more, and to come into the land of Canaan, and there abide, respected both Abraham and his posterity.
Besides, it was dangerous for Isaac to go into a family, where, though there was some knowledge of the true God. Yet there was much superstition and idolatry in it, as appears by various hints in the sequel of this history, lest he should be corrupted, and degenerate from the true religion.
Genesis 24:7 "The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence."
"He shall send his angel before thee": A statement of Abraham's faith that the 450 mile expedition to Mesopotamia was clearly under divine oversight.
You see, God had spoken to Abraham and he was sure that the girl, that God Himself had chosen for Isaac a wife, would gladly come with the servant. He felt that she would be such a lady that the Lord would already have prepared her for just this. Abraham's confidence in God was so strong; there was no chance for failure.
Genesis 24:8 "And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again."
"And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee": Or, "but" if, which is said by Abraham, not as doubting she would be willing, of which he was satisfied, being persuaded that God who had made him willing to leave his own country, and his father's house, would make her willing to do the same, and come and settle with his son in the land that God had given him.
But this, and what follows, he said to make the mind of his servant easy, who had some doubt about it, or however was desirous of knowing how he must act should that be the case; and what it was he was to take an oath to do, and how far, and how far not, that would oblige him.
"Then thou shalt be clear from this my oath": Which he enjoined his servant to take; the sense is, when he had done all he could to get the consent of the damsel, and her friends, to go with him and marry his master's son. After all, if she could not be prevailed upon to come with him, then he was free from his oath, having done all that he had obliged him to.
"Only bring not my son thither again": Neither agree with the damsel and her parents, that he shall come to them, nor persuade him to comply with such terms.
Again, there was no question in Abraham's mind. If God tells you to go, then there can be no results except good results. Then he told the servant, but if by some unusual circumstance this did not happen, I would not hold you to the oath.
Genesis 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
"Thy hand under my thigh": Thigh is a euphemism for the procreative organ. This act either symbolized that the yet-unborn children would avenge any violation of the oath, or solemnized the oath in the name of the God who gave circumcision as the sign of the covenant (47:29 for the only other instance).
An ancient Near Eastern custom by which an intimate touch affirmed an oath (47:29).
After the servant realized that things beyond his control would not be charged to his account, then he swore as Abraham had asked him.
Genesis 24:10 "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master [were] in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor."
"And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed": To bear the presents for the bride, to enhance the dignity of his mission, and to serve as a means of transport for the bride and her companions on the return journey.
"For all the goods of his master were in his hand": which agrees with what is before said, that he was the steward of his house, and ruled over all that he had; this in our version, and others, is put in a parenthesis, and given as a reason why the servant took, as it may seem of himself, so many camels as he did, and then set forward on his journey.
"And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia; or Aram Naharaim, Syria of the rivers, which lay between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates, called therefore by the Greeks Mesopotamia. The three Targums render it Aram or Syria, which is by the Euphrates.
"Unto the city of Nahor": This was the brother of Abraham, and his city was Haran, whither he came, either with his father, or with Abraham, out of Ur of the Chaldees, or followed them there, and where he and his family stayed and settled.
This servant had to be a very trusted servant, because all of Abraham's goods were in his care. In these times, until the son became of age, the father would trust an old faithful servant over the child. This was an obedient servant, going where his master sent him to bring a wife for Isaac.
Note the ten camels. We have learned before that the number ten has to do with the world. This was a close relative where the servant was going.
Genesis 24:11 "And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, [even] the time that women go out to draw [water]."
"And he made his camels to kneel down": Which these creatures are used to doing when they are loaded and unloaded, also when they take rest, and it was for the sake of the latter they were now made to kneel. It seems that this is what is not natural to them, but what they are learned to do.
"Without the city": the city of Nahor, Haran, near to which the servant was now come.
"And it was by a well of water": Which place was chosen for the refreshment of his camels, as well as of himself and his men.
"At the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water": which was the custom for women to do, for the necessary uses for their families; as it was especially in the eastern countries: and the Arabian women to this time, after they have been hard at work all day.
Weaving, or grinding, or making bread, at evening they set out with a pitcher or a goat's skin, and, tying their sucking children behind them, trudge it in this manner two or three miles to fetch water.
Verses 12-14: The steward's prayer manifest not only his trust in God to direct affairs but also the selflessness with which he served Abraham. His patience after prayer (verse 21), his worship at answered prayer (verse 26), and his acknowledgment of divine guidance (verse 27), also portrayed his faith.
Genesis 24:12 "And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham."
"Kindness unto my master Abraham": The word kindness is "chesed" (20:13): he is earnestly asking God to be faithful to His servant Abraham. God had promised Abraham a seed, and He had given him one; now Abraham wants to get a bride for the promised "seed" in accordance with God's standards of separation.
He asks God to be faithful to His servant Abraham and provide for him. Then (in verses 14, 27 and 49), he testifies that God did show chesed, covenant-faithfulness.
Genesis 24:13 "Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:"
"Behold, I stand here by the well of water": Wishing, hoping, and expecting that something would turn out that would direct and instruct what further to do, and that would lead on to the business he came about.
"And the daughters of the men of the city came out to draw water": which was the usual custom in those parts about that time. And this was a principal reason why Abraham's servant stopped at the well, not only to refresh himself, his men, and his animals, but in hopes he should meet with the damsel there he was come for.
Or at least should hear of her, or meet with some one or another that would direct him to her. Or something would fall out there that would be a means in God's spiritual power of bringing about what he was sent to do.
Genesis 24:14 "And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master."
"I will give thy camels drink also": Hospitality required giving water to a thirsty stranger, but not to animals. A woman who would do that was unusually kind and served beyond the call of duty. Rebekah's servant attitude was revealed (verses 15-20), as was her beauty and purity (verse 16).
This servant, like so many of us today, was entering very strange territory. He had no idea, on his own, how to seek Isaac a wife. He asked God for His help. His plan was a good one, because all the women of the city came to this well for water.
Camels drink tremendous amounts of water, so the girl who offered to draw water for them would, first of all, be very industrious, and also have a great concern for people and animals in need. This humble spirit in this girl would be just right for Isaac's wife.
Notice that this servant spoke of God as Abraham's God. This servant was intelligent to be able to figure this little plan out and lay it before God.
Genesis 24:15 "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder."
"And it came to pass, before he had done speaking": In his heart (Genesis 24:45); for his prayer was mental; while the last words were dropping from him, that very moment, as the Targum of Jonathan; so soon were his prayers heard and answered (Isaiah 65:24).
"That behold Rebekah came out": Out of Haran, the city of Nahor Who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother. A daughter of Bethuel, which Bethuel was the eighth and last son of Milcah, and who was the daughter of Haran and the wife of Nahor, both brothers to Abraham.
This is the genealogy of Rebekah, and for the sake of her is the account of Nahor's family given (Genesis 22:20),
"With her pitcher upon her shoulder": To fetch water from the well for the use of the family; which, though the daughter of a wealthy person, she did not disdain to do; an instance of diligence and humility.
Genesis 24:16 "And the damsel [was] very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up."
"And the damsel was very fair to look upon": Of a good countenance and beautiful aspect.
"A virgin: neither had any man known her": Not only was reckoned a virgin, but was really one, pure and incorrupt.
"And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher, and came up": By which it appears the well lay low, there was a descent unto it, and an ascent from it. Rebekah was very diligent and speedy in doing her work, she did not stay to look at strangers, or hold an idle conversation with other damsels that came there on the same account.
This beautiful young maiden was not only beautiful on the exterior, but was a virgin, as well, pure in every way. She was Isaac's 2nd cousin. She was at the very well where Abraham's servant waited.
Genesis 24:17 "And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher."
"And the servant ran to meet her": He did not stop her as she went to the well, but stayed till she had been there and filled her pitcher, and then he made all the haste he could to meet her, in order to have the sign and token answered he had requested, which could not be done until she returned.
"And said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher": Or taste a little of it, (as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan states); or suffer me to swallow a little of it. For it was not so much to quench his thirst that he asked for this, for he could have got, and perhaps had water out of the well before this time, or however could easily have supplied himself.
Genesis 24:18 "And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink."
"And she said, drink, my lord": Signifying at once that he was welcome to drink what he would, giving him a very honorable title, observing that he had a pretty large retinue with him of men and camels; so that she took him for some considerable personage.
"And she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand": from off her shoulder, and let it rest upon her hand or arm, and gave him drink; let him drink what he would of it.
Genesis 24:19 "And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels also, until they have done drinking."
"And when she had done giving him drink": Whatever he pleased to have.
"She said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking": She proposed to go back to the well, and did, and fill her pitcher, and repeat it as often as was necessary, until the camels had enough; and this now was the sign or token the servant had desired might be, by which he would know who was the person intended for the wife of his master's son.
And this was granted him, which shows that it was not a rash and ill thing which he asked, but what was agreeable to the will of God, and to which he was directed by an impulse of his.
As we can easily see, the Lord quickly answered his prayer; this maiden was beautiful, courteous, tender-hearted, and not lazy. The servant's search was over, but now, there was the task of convincing her and her family.
Genesis 24:20 "And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw [water], and drew for all his camels."
"All his camels": A single camel can hold up to 25 gallons and he had 10 of them. Serving them was a great task as she filled them all (verse 22).
Genesis 24:21 "And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not."
"And the man wondering at her": At her friendliness and courteousness to a stranger and at her humility and condescension to take upon her such a service; at her readiness, diligence, and the extended effort in it; and the quick dispatch she made; and at her expressions and conduct being so exactly agreeable to the sign he desired to have.
And at the spiritual power of God in bringing him to this place so timely; and at the damsel, that she should come just at this time, and every way answer his expectations and desires.
"Held his peace, to wit": or to know, to think and consider further with himself: whether, or "if":
"The Lord had made his journey prosperous or not": or if not; he was reflecting and saying within himself, surely God had made his journey prosperous; or if not, how was it that such strange surprising circumstances should occur? Or what else must be done by him? Or what methods must be taken for the future.
Isn't that just like we do? She did everything he had prayed about, and yet, it seemed so easy to him, that he started doubting. God gives us a sign, and we are too blind to see it.
Genesis 24:22 "And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels] weight of gold;"
"And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking": Having had enough to quince their thirst and satisfy them, by means of Rebekah's drawing water for them.
"Then the man took a golden earring": Out of his pocket or out of a box or parcel that was upon the camels.
"Of half a shekel weight": Which were eighty barley corns, for a whole shekel weighed one hundred and sixty. The Targum of Jonathan says, "the weight of a drachma", which was the half of a didrachma or common shekel.
"And two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels' weight of gold": A handsome present this was, and suitable to a virgin.
"Shekels" (see note on 23:14, 16).
Genesis 24:23 "And said, Whose daughter [art] thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room [in] thy father's house for us to lodge in?"
"And said": After he had given her the earring and the bracelets, he put the following question, as it is related (in Genesis 24:47); the question was put before those were given.
"Whose daughter art thou?" The reason of this question is, because by her answer to it he would know whether she was of the family related to Abraham or not; from whom only, according to his oath, he was to take a wife for Isaac, and which would in a good measure satisfy him as to what he had been thinking about, whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
"Tell me, I pray thee, is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?" By her answer to this he would know whether her family was wealthy, and so fit to be in connection with his master's; and besides, if she appeared to be the person he hoped she was, he desired lodging in her father's house, that he might have better opportunity of managing the affair he came about.
Genesis 24:24 "And she said unto him, I [am] the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor."
"I am the daughter of": In formal introductions, an abbreviated genealogy provided for specific identification (22-23). She was Isaac's cousin.
Genesis 24:25 "She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
"She said moreover unto him": In answer to the second question.
"We have both straw and provender enough": For the camels, straw for their litter, and provender for their food, as hay, barley, etc.
"And room to lodge in": For him and his men; this she could venture to say, and invite him to come and take up his quarters in her father's house, without going home to relate the question put to her, and to have leave to give the invitation, knowing full well the generosity, liberality, and hospitable spirit of her father.
This surely would convince the servant. God had sent him to this family where he would find Isaac's wife. These gifts that he gave Rebekah were very valuable. They were made of pure gold. Since the gifts were made of gold, we can be assured of his intentions. More than looking for a place to rest, he was looking for a way to meet and talk to her parents.
Genesis 24:26 "And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD."
"And the man bowed down his head": To show what a deep sense he had of the divine goodness, and in humble acknowledgment of the favors he received in being thus providentially directed.
"And worshipped the Lord": Gave thanks unto him, that he had thus far prospered him, hoping and believing that things were in good forwardness, according to his master's mind and will.
Genesis 24:27 "And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren."
"And he said, blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham" (see Genesis 24:12).
"Who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and truth": Or hath not withdrawn his mercy, grace and goodness, truth and faithfulness; for his loving kindness, he does not take away from his people, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. His mercy and grace in making kind and gracious promises continue, and his truth in performing them sooner or later appear, and both in this case.
As Abraham believed in the grace and goodness of God, that he would send his angel and direct his servant, and make his way prosperous, here was now an appearance of his truth and faithfulness, in making good the promise or prophecy on which Abraham's faith was built (see Genesis 24:7).
"I being in the way": By the way of the well; in the right way (as Jarchi), in which he was directed; in the way of his duty, following the steps of divine Providence, and observing them. It is good to be in the way which God directs to and prescribes, especially in religious things, where the blessing and presence of God may be expected.
"The Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren": Nahor, whose granddaughter Rebekah was, was Abraham's brother, and Bethuel her father might be called so, as Lot was, who stood in the same relation to Abraham as he did (Genesis 14:16). Though the servant was not as yet come to the house where they lived, he had met with one of the family, and had got an invitation to it, and was on his way there and near it.
This servant suddenly had realized that God was able to do mighty things to work things out according to His plans. Even though he had spoken of God as Abraham's God, he, too, bows and worships God himself. He knew that it was not by accident that he was led to this well and met this Rebekah.
Genesis 24:28 "And the damsel ran, and told [them of] her mother's house these things."
"And the damsel ran": Having invited him to come and lodge at her father's house, that he might not be brought in abruptly, she ran before to acquaint the family of what had passed.
"And told them of her mother's house these things": She did not go to her father to inform him of it; rather the reason was, because her mother had a house, tent, or an apartment to herself, as women in those times and places used to have (see Genesis 24:67).
Possibly because daughters are generally more free to converse with their mothers and impart things to them than to their fathers, which may be the true reason of Rebekah's conduct.
Verses 29-31: "Laban": From what is revealed about his character (chapter 29), there is reason to believe that his sight of all the presents and the camels generated the welcome.
Genesis 24:29 "And Rebekah had a brother, and his name [was] Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well."
"And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban": Perhaps he was her only brother, or however the elder brother, the principal in the family, her father Bethuel being old:
And Laban ran out: out of his house, and out of the city of Haran.
"Unto the man unto the well": This was after Rebekah had got home, and had related to the family whom she had met with at the well, and what had passed between them.
Just like any little young girl would do, she ran home to tell all. Rebekah's brother seemed to be the nearest thing to a man in the home. Laban rushed out to meet this man that his sister was telling about. "Laban" means white. So this was a fair skinned tribe.
Genesis 24:30 "And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well."
"And it came to pass, when he saw the earring, and bracelets upon his sister's hands": From whence he concluded that he was a rich and generous man she had met with, and might hope to receive a gift also upon giving him an invitation to his house; and ran to him to bring him in; for that Laban was of a covetous disposition, appears from the whole story of him.
"And when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, thus spake the man unto me": inquiring whose daughter she was, and whether there was any room in her father's house for him and those that were with him to lodge in.
"That he came unto the man": Made haste and ran till he came to him.
"And, behold, he stood by the camels at the well": he did not follow Rebekah, but kept still at the well, expecting somebody would come out of the house and give him an invitation into it, upon Rebekah's representation of him.
Rebekah told her brother about the gifts, and about what the man said unto her. Laban went to check it out, and make sure his sister was telling him the way it really was. The servant was still waiting at the well, now knowing that his mission was about to be accomplished.
Genesis 24:31 "And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels."
"And he said, come in, thou blessed of the Lord": Both with temporal and spiritual blessings; he concluded he was blessed with the former by the presents he had made to his sister, and by the men that attended him, and the number of camels that were with him. His worshipping of God and thankfulness to him which Rebekah had observed and related.
"Wherefore standest thou without?" this he said either as rebuking him that he did not follow his sister upon her invitation, or rather as pressing him to make no more delay.
"For I have prepared the house": Swept it clean, or ordered it to be so and had fitted and furnished it with everything convenient for him and those with him.
"And room for the camels": He had ordered the stable to be cleansed also, and everything provided there fit for the camels; so that some time elapsed between Rebekah's return home and Laban's coming to the well, though no doubt everything was done with as much haste as possible.
Laban invited the servant in. He even called him blessed. Laban could obviously see the ten camels laden with goods, and he knew this was a man of means, else why would he give Rebekah these expensive gifts? Laban had undoubtedly had his servants to prepare a place for this guest and put out provender for his camels, as we see (in verse 32).
Genesis 24:32 "And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that [were] with him."
"And the man came into the house": Upon the pressing instance made unto him; for so it may be rendered, "wherefore the man came".
"And he ungirded his camels": took off their bridles, which hindered them from eating, or as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi state; or loosed their girts and took off their burdens, that they might have rest.
This may be interpreted either of the servant and of his men by his order doing this, it being the first thing that travelers do when they come to an inn to take care of their cattle; or rather of Laban, as what follows must be interpreted of him.
"And gave straw and provender for the camels": Straw for their litter, and provender to eat; this Laban did, or ordered to be done. The Targum of Jonathan expresses his name, and no doubt he is intended, for who should give these but he?
"And water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him": Which was usually done to strangers and travelers in those hot countries (see Genesis 18:4).
Genesis 24:33 "And there was set [meat] before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on."
"I will not eat until": The first order of business was to identify his master and to explain his assignment, but not without stressing the blessings of God upon his master and upon his trip (verses 34-48), and also not without immediately seeking to conclude his task and return home (verses 49:54-56). This is the portrait of a committed, faithful, and selfless servant!
Genesis 24:34 "And he said, I [am] Abraham's servant."
"And he said, I am Abraham's servant": Not Abraham himself, as this put Laban at ease, if he so thought, but a servant of his; which was enough to introduce his purpose. His master being a near relation of theirs, and well known to them by name, if not in person.
Genesis 24:35 "And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses."
"And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly": With temporal blessings, after specifying, which are of God, and are here ascribed to him, the Father, fountain, author, and giver of all such mercies.
"And he is become great": In the world, and highly honored and esteemed among men.
"And he hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses": Though many of them were obtained in the diligent use of means, yet with the blessing of God.
Others were the gifts of princes to him, as of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Abimelech king of Gerar. Yet, as it was the Lord that put it into their hearts to be so liberal to him, they are here called his gifts (see Genesis 12:16).
Genesis 24:36 "And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath."
"And Sarah, my master's wife": Who must be well known to this family, by name at least, being, as is generally supposed, the sister of Milcah, Nahor's wife, and Bethuel's mother.
"Bare a son to my master when she was old": even when ninety years of age, (Genesis 17:17). This is mentioned because it was an extraordinary thing, and an instance of divine power and of the favor of God. And this son of their old age must be very dear unto Abraham, as it follows.
"And unto him hath he given all that he hath": By his will.
There was great hospitality being shown Abraham's servant and those that were with them. The desert was dry and dusty. It was a very pleasant custom to wash one's feet after many hours in the hot sand in sandals. The servant was so excited in finding the right family that he would not eat, until he explained who he was, and why he was there.
He brought good news to Abraham's relatives about him. Abraham had left home at the request of God, and probably, they had not heard from him since he left. They were happy to know he was alive, and of all his blessings.
Genesis 24:37 "And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:"
"And my master made me swear" (see Genesis 24:3).
In (Genesis 24:37), the servant relates the oath his master made him take, and the charge he gave him, much in the same language as (in Genesis 24:3).
Genesis 24:38 "But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son."
(See notes on Genesis 24:4). Now, he has told all. The main thing was that Isaac was not to marry a heathen.
Genesis 24:39 "And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me."
(See notes on Genesis 24:5).
Genesis 24:40 "And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:"
(See notes on Genesis 24:7).
Genesis 24:41 "Then shalt thou be clear from [this] my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee [one], thou shalt be clear from my oath."
(See notes on Genesis 24:8).
Genesis 24:42 "And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
"And I came this day unto the well": There he was come at length by several days' journey, not on the same day he came from Abraham, as the Jewish writers say, by means of a miracle.
"And said, O Lord God of my master Abraham": Being come to the well, he prayed as follows.
"If now thou do prosper the way which I go": His meaning is, that if it was the pleasure of God that he should succeed in what he was come about, that he would let him know it by a token (sign). In (Genesis 24:42), he relates the token he desired, which was granted him, and his success, as before recorded (from Genesis 24:21).
Genesis 24:43 "Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw [water], and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;"
(See notes on Genesis 24:14).
Genesis 24:44 "And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: [let] the same [be] the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son."
(See notes on Genesis 24:14).
Genesis 24:45 "And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee."
And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder" (see notes on Genesis 24:15).
"And she went down unto the well, and drew water" (see notes on Genesis 24:16).
"And I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee" (see notes on Genesis 24:17).
Genesis 24:46 "And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her [shoulder], and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also."
(See notes on Genesis 24:18).
Genesis 24:47 "And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter [art] thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands."
"And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou?" (see notes on Genesis 24:23).
"And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him" (see notes on Genesis 24:24).
"And I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands" (see Notes on Genesis 24:22).
Genesis 24:48 "And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son."
(See notes on Genesis 24:26).
Genesis 24:49 "And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."
"And now, if you deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me": The servant directs himself to more than one, to the whole family, especially to Laban and Bethuel. If you will do my master a kindness, and grant him the favor he requests, that a damsel of this family may be given for a wife to his son; and, if you are hearty and sincere in granting this, tell me at once.
"And if not, tell me": If you do not choose to gratify my master, and are not hearty in this matter, let me know.
"That I may turn to the right hand or to the left": Look out elsewhere among the daughters of some of the other sons of Nahor; for he had seven more which Milcah bare to him besides Bethuel, as well as four others by a concubine (Genesis 22:20).
The servant had given the family the whole story, and then awaited their answer.
Verses 50-51: The servant's conviction and focus was obvious and intense, precluding anything but immediate acknowledgment of God's leading and anything less than a full compliance with his request from Rebekah's father and brother.
Genesis 24:50 "Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good."
"Then Laban and Bethuel answered": The order of the words in the original is, "then answered Laban and Bethuel"; the word for "answered" is in the singular number, from whence it may be concluded, that Laban gave the answer in the name of Bethuel, he consenting to it, who might be an old man, and left the management of his family affairs to his son.
"And said, the thing proceedeth from the Lord": That Rebekah should be given to Isaac, as the Targum of Jonathan adds: this matter appears to be according to his will and pleasure, he seems to have appointed it in his decree, and to be bringing it about by his providence.
For these men, though they were in part idol worshippers yet had some good notions of the true God, and of his government of the world, and of his ordering all things in it according to the counsel of his will.
"We cannot speak unto thee good or bad": Cannot deny the request; the thing was so plain that they had not anything to object to it.
Genesis 24:51 "Behold, Rebekah [is] before thee, take [her], and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken."
"Behold, Rebekah is before thee": Not only was present, but she was delivered to him, or his request was granted.
"Take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife": Not that they meant he should go away directly with her; for they afterwards solicit her stay with them some time; but they agreed that he should bare her and conduct her to Isaac, to be taken by him for his wife.
"As the Lord hath spoken": For so they understood the sign given to the servant to know her by, as the determination of God.
The family agreed, because they believed it to be the will of God.
Genesis Chapter 24 Questions
1. How had God blessed Abraham?
2. Who ruled Abraham's house?
3. What did Abraham make the servant do to insure he would follow orders?
4. Where is the Lord God of?
5. Who was Isaac not to marry?
6. Why did Abraham send the servant away to find a wife for Isaac?
7. Where was the servant sent?
8. What would happen, if she wouldn't come?
9. Who shall go before the servant and prepare the way?
10. What, in Abraham, left no chance for failure?
11. What would the servant be clear of, if the girl would not come?
12. How did they seal the promise?
13. How many camels did the servants take?
14. Where did he go? What city?
15. What did the servant make the camels do? Where?
16. What time was it?
17. What did the servant do?
18. Who came to the well?
19. What would the servant ask one of the girls?
20. What would show this girl was thoughtful, and not lazy?
21. What was the name of the girl the servant chose to ask?
22. Describe her.
23. What relation was she to Isaac?
24. What did the servant give her?
25. What did he ask her?
26. Who was her grandfather?
27. What was her brother's name?
28. When the servant realized God had answered his prayer, what did he do?
29. Why did the servant call Him Abraham's God?
30. What had to happen before the servant would eat?
31. What was the family's answer after hearing the whole story?
32. Why did they answer this way
Genesis 24:52″ And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, [bowing himself] to the earth."
And it came to pass, that when Abraham's servant heard these "words": That Laban and Bethuel said; and no doubt but the mother of Rebekah, and she herself consented that she should be the wife of Isaac, believing it was agreeable to the will of God.
"He worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth": in the humblest manner he prostrated himself before the Lord, acknowledging his kindness, and goodness, his faithfulness and truth, his power and his providence in this affair.
In the last lesson, we read that the servant had found a wife for Isaac. The family consented to the marriage, and then the servant bowed down and thanked God.
Genesis 24:53 "And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things."
"And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold": Ornaments for women, which he had brought along with him for presents, and which were a proof of the riches of his master, and of his generosity and liberality, who had furnished him with such an abundance of rich things to bestow on the person that should be got for his son's wife.
"And raiment, and gave them to Rebekah": costly suits of clothes such as in those times were given to persons at their marriage.
"And he gave also to her brother, and to her mother, precious things": things of worth and value, which were part of the good things he brought with him from Abraham (Genesis 24:10); as gold, silver, etc.
By this dowry, Rebekah was betrothed to Isaac.
It was the custom in those days for the father of the groom to give things of value to the family of the bride, but this was much more than the ordinary, mainly because of the great wealth of Abraham. The gifts to Rebekah, partly, were to make her appearance befitting someone of such stature in their area. Isaac's bride should be properly attired.
Genesis 24:54 "And they did eat and drink, he and the men that [were] with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master."
"Send me away unto my master": Protocol and courtesy demanded a messenger be dismissed by the addressee.
His mission was accomplished and after celebrating the victory, the servant was anxious to go back and show his master the beautiful maiden for Isaac. You can imagine the shock to Rebekah. The question was, was she ready to go?
Genesis 24:55 "And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us [a few] days, at the least ten; after that she shall go."
"And her brother and her mother said": Here her brother Laban is set before his mother, as above before his father, being the chief speaker and the principal manager of business.
"Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten": which was but a reasonable request; and if no more time is intended, it is much the servant should object, and not readily agree. It was the usual custom of those times for virgins espoused to continue in their father's house a considerable time before the marriage was consummated,
"After that she shall go": When that time is elapsed, but cannot think of her leaving before.
This request seemed to be not too much to ask, in the face of the fact that Rebekah just heard of these people the day before. I am sure her mother wanted to help her prepare, and they would miss her, so they wanted to savor just a few more days with her.
Genesis 24:56 "And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master."
"And he said unto them, hinder me not": Do not detain me; let me set forward on my journey.
"Seeing, the Lord hath prospered my way": Succeeded him in what he came about; and by his being succeeded so well, and so soon, it seemed to be the mind of the Lord that he should hasten his journey homeward.
"Send me away, that I may go to my master": And carry him the good news of his success, and attend his domestic affairs, over which he was set.
We can see his side, as well. He was anxious to share the good news with his master.
Verses 57-58: "Wilt thou go with this man?" Commendably, Rebekah concurred with an immediate departure, and showed her confident acceptance of what was providentially coming about in her life.
Genesis 24:57 "And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth."
"And they said, we will call the damsel": Who perhaps through modesty had withdrawn herself to her own apartment, while the man and her friends were discoursing on this subject.
"And inquire at her mouth; what she says to it, whether willing to go directly or not": The matter in question was referred to her, and left to her decision.
As was the custom in those days, her parents had decided for her who she would marry. Finally, she was included, then.
Genesis 24:58 "And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go."
"And they called Rebekah": Or ordered her to be called by one of the servants.
"And said unto her, wilt thou go with this man?" That is, directly; the question was not about her marriage of Isaac that was agreed upon and she had doubtless given her consent, and which she inferred by accepting of the presents, but about taking the journey immediately.
"And she said, I will go": This must be interpreted consistent with her decent and modest behavior, and as expressive of her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind to it.
But on the contrary found a strong inclination to it, and was determined on it; and perhaps was under a divine impulse, which strongly worked upon her, and caused her to be so willing to leave her own people, and her father's house.
This seemed so unusual to send your daughter with an unknown man into a strange country, but they all believed that this was by God's request.
Genesis 24:59 "And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men."
This is the only free choice in the matter that seems to be given to Rebekah. Her consent may have been modestly indicated, before her family ratified the contract. It is plain, however, that it was thought proper that the parents should receive and decide upon a proposal of marriage.
The extent to which the maiden's inclinations would be consulted would depend very much on the custom of the country, and the intelligence and good feeling of the parents. In later times the custom became very arbitrary. Rebekah's decision shows that she concurred in the consent of her relatives.
"And her nurse:" Her name, we learn afterward (Genesis 35:8), was Deborah. The nurse accompanied the bride as her confidential adviser and faithful attendant, and died in her service; a beautiful trait of ancient manners. The blessing consists in a boundless offspring and the upper hand over their enemies.
This was the first indication that Rebekah had been from a well-to-do family, as well. They sent her nurse.
Genesis 24:60 "And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."
"They blessed Rebekah and said" Little did they realize that their conventional prayer wishing numerous offspring to Rebekah fitted in nicely with God's promises of many descendants to Abraham through Sarah and Isaac. They also wished for her offspring to be victorious over their enemies ("possess their gates"), perhaps echoing God's promises of possession of the land of the Canaanites (13:17; 15:7, 16; 17:8).
The more children you had, if you were a Hebrew, the more blessed you were. This blessing, unknowingly of them, spoke of the 1000's of millions (Christians), who truly are descendants through Abraham.
Genesis 24:61 "And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way."
"And Rebekah arose, and her damsels": Her maids that were given her by her parents to wait upon her, as was usual in those times and countries.
"And they rode upon the camels": That Abraham's servant had brought with him.
"And followed the man": Who rode before and directed the way; the sense is only, that she went along with him.
"And the servant took Rebekah, and went his way": Took her under his care, and to be the wife of his master's son, at the hands of her friends, and then set forward on his journey.
Rebekah took some of her servant girls with her. This was the custom in those days. The ten camels came in handy, so the girls did not have to walk. Separation from family is always difficult, but going into a strange country away from family would have been extremely difficult.
Genesis 24:62 "And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the south country."
"Lahai-roi" (see 16:14). Located on the Palestine-Egypt border, about 25 miles northwest of Kadesh-barnea. Isaac lived there after Abraham's death (25:11).
The meaning of the name of this well was the well of him that liveth and seeth me, or the well for the vision of life. Undoubtedly Isaac had prayed there, from the meaning of the well's name.
Genesis 24:63 "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels [were] coming."
"To meditate": How God drew Isaac from home to where Hagar encountered the Angel of the Lord (16:14), remains unknown, but he was in the right place to meet the caravan returning with his fiancée.
Perhaps he was prayerfully contemplating the circumstances of his life and the void left by his mother's death (verse 67), as well as thinking about and hoping the steward would not return from a failed mission.
Genesis 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
"And Rebekah lifted up her eyes": And looked about.
"And when she saw Isaac": Whom she suspected him to be, and therefore inquired of the servant, who told her who he was.
"She lighted off the camel": Or "fell" from it, not accidentally, or through surprise, but willingly, and in honor to Isaac, as was customary; for had she sat on her camel when she met him, it would not have seemed respectful enough to him.
Genesis 24:65 "For she [had] said unto the servant, What man [is] this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant [had] said, It [is] my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself."
"She took a vail and covered herself": Convention demanded the designated bride veil her face in the presence of her betrothed until the wedding day.
Rebekah did not want her first meeting with Isaac to be while she was on the back of a camel. She really knew in her heart who this man was, but she just wanted confirmation. It was the custom in that country, for the lady to be covered with a vail until after the wedding. In many Arab countries today, women wear vails in public, even if they are married.
Their dresses cover even their ankles. This is modesty carried to the extreme. In most countries of the world, women do not wear slacks. It is just popular in the United States.
Genesis 24:66 "And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done."
"And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done": By what means he found out the person designed for his wife, and got knowledge of her father's house, to which he was introduced, and where he was made welcome; and what agreement he had made with the parents and relations of Rebekah to be his wife, whom he had brought with him.
Just as the servant told Rebekah's brother how he had prayed, and how Rebekah came to the well and gave drink to him and his camels, he, also, related the story in detail to Isaac. He wanted Isaac to realize that God had chosen his bride for him. After all these details, there should be no doubt.
Genesis 24:67 "And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's [death]."
"His mother Sarah's tent": He thus established his acceptance of her as his wife before he had seen her beauty. When he did see her, "he loved her."
It seemed as though Isaac and Rebekah moved into his mother's tent from the statement above. Sarah was already dead when Isaac and Rebekah married. The Scripture did not say how long it has been since Sarah had died, but it does say that Isaac was comforted by Rebekah.
Being her only child, you know that Sarah had given Isaac her undivided attention. Their bond had to be great. Even Abraham had loved Isaac so much that he had left all of his wealth to him, as we read in our last lesson. Even though Rebekah was chosen without Isaac's approval, he had a great love for her.
Genesis Chapter 24 Continued Questions
1. When Abraham's servant heard the answer from Rebekah's family, what did he do?
2. What was the servant thankful for?
3. What three things did the servant give Rebekah?
4. What did he give her mother and brother?
5. What was the custom in those days?
6. Why were these gifts greater than usual?
7. Besides making her happy, what was the raiment for?
8. When did they eat and drink?
9. What did the servant say the next morning?
10. What did the mother and brother ask the servant to do?
11. Why did he say not to hinder him?
12. Who made the final decision?
13. What was her answer?
14. Why were they all willing for Rebekah to go with this stranger from a strange land?
15. Who went with Rebekah?
16. What blessing did they speak over Rebekah?
17. Where do Christians fit into this?
18. What were the camels used for on the way home?
19. What well was Isaac by?
20. What does it mean?
21. What did Isaac see?
22. When Rebekah saw Isaac, what two things did she do?
23. What did the servant tell Isaac?
24. Where did Isaac take Rebekah?
25. Who comforted Isaac after his mother's death
Verses 1-4: Abraham's sons through Keturah (a concubine, verse 6; 1 Chron. 1:32), a wife of lower status than Sarah, became the progenitors of various Arab tribes to the east of Canaan.
Genesis 25:1 "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name [was] Keturah."
"Abraham took a wife": Rather, "had taken"; for Keturah is called Abraham's concubine, or secondary wife. As for her bearing six sons to him, it is improbable that he married after Sarah's death; and also, as he sent them all out to seek their own independence, during his lifetime.
It is clear that this marriage is related here out of its chronological order, merely to form a proper winding up of the patriarch's history.
"Keturah": She was a concubine and this suggests that she was alive when Sarah was living. Many of the names listed have already been identified with Arab tribes, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (17:4).
"Keturah" means incense. I cannot believe that a man over 100 years old would even want to marry.
Genesis 25:2 "And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah."
"And she bare him Zimran": That Keturah should bear children who probably, was a young woman, is not strange; but that Abraham, whose body forty years before this was dead should now have any bore to him, may seem difficult to account for, and only can be attributed to the fresh vigor his body was endowed with at the generation of Isaac.
And which still continued for the fulfillment of the promise to him of the multiplication of his seed.
"And Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah": Some think that the first of these is the same with Cahtan, whom the Arabs call the father of their nation; but that Cahtan rather seems to be Joktan the son of Eber (see Genesis 10:25).
Can you believe that Abraham, after the age of 100 had six children?
"Zimran" means antelope. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. They started the Sabaeans and Dedanites (Arabs). "Midian" means strife or contention. The Midianites were, probably, his descendants. "Ishbak" means abandon or set free. He was the father of some of the northern Arab tribes.
Genesis 25:3 "And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim."
"And Jokshan begat Sheba and Dedan": Bochart is of opinion, that the posterity of this Sheba are the same with the Sabeans who inhabited at the entrance of Arabia Felix, not far from the Nabathaeans; and who, by Strabo, are mentioned together as near to Syria, and used to make excursions on their neighbors. Thought to be the same that plundered Job of his cattle, Job 1:15.
From Dedan came the Dedanim or Dedanites, spoken of with the Arabians in (Isaiah 21:13); Junius thinks Adada in Palmyrene of Syria had its name from this man, and in which country is the mountain Aladan or Alladadan.
"And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim": these names being plural are thought not to be proper names of men, but classifications, descriptive of their places of abode, or of their business.
Hence the Targum of Onkelos represents them as such that dwelt in camps, in tents, and in islands; and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call them merchants, artificers and heads of the people.
"Letushim" means oppressed. "Leummim" means nations or peoples.
It seemed all three of these sons of Dedan probably were the fathers of Arab nations.
Genesis 25:4 "And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these [were] the children of Keturah."
"Ephah" means gloom.
"Epher" means gazelle.
"Hanoch" means initiated.
"Abidah" means father of knowledge.
"Eldaah" means God of knowledge.
You can easily see from this, these were races of people that God had established through Abraham. Here again, these were children of the flesh, and not of promise. These were the fathers of various Arab countries.
Verses 5-6: Conferring gifts upon these other sons, then sending them away and also conferring the estate upon Isaac ensured that Isaac would be considered as the rightful heir without competition or threat from his half-brothers. The steward, Eliezer, had informed Rebekah's relatives that all of Abraham's estate was Isaac's (24:36).
Genesis 25:5 "And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac."
The fact that "Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac" indicates that Isaac was the principal heir (21:10). "Cast out this bondwoman and her son" for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac" (17:18; Gal. 4:28-31). Only if he had legally adopted the sons of the concubine by pronouncing "my son, child" would they have inherited his wealth.
Genesis 25:6 "But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country."
"But unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had": These were Hagar and Keturah, though they are both called his wives (Genesis 16:3); yet they were concubines; so Keturah (1 Chronicles 1:32); they were, as some render the word, "concubine wives" they were half wives or secondary ones.
The Jewish writers say that they were espoused, but not by writing, as wives were; they were under the lawful wife, when there were any, and a kind of head servants in the family, and their children did not inherit. The sons of the concubines of Abraham were Ishmael by Hagar, and the six above mentioned by Keturah.
"Abraham gave gifts": Money, gold and silver, of which he had much. The Targum of Jonathan calls them substance and movable goods. By this it appears that though he had sent Ishmael away without anything, yet he afterwards remembered him, and gave him a portion with the rest of the children of his.
"And sent them away from Isaac his son": That they might not be troublesome to him and his family; and that there, might be no contention among them about inheriting the land of Canaan given to him and his seed.
"While he yet lived": Or otherwise after his death a separation would not have been easily made; but his authority had weight with them.
"Eastward": Into the east country; into Arabia, and the parts thereabout, which lay east from the place where Abraham was. These are the children of the east, mentioned along with the Midianites, who sprung from Keturah (Judges 6:3).
You can easily see preferential treatment to the son of promise. Even in the spirit, it seems preferential, because the only thing that can get anyone into heaven is through faith in Jesus the Christ.
These sons of the flesh, the same as sons of the flesh today, would be sent away. Abraham did give them gifts to get them started, but his real blessing was to Isaac. It is interesting, that he sent them to the eastern countries. Much of the fallen condition of the churches today is because eastern countries' influence has infiltrated the church.
The flesh and the spirit cannot live together in peace. These half-brothers of Isaac were sent away so no feuding would occur when Abraham died. Isaac was not to associate with fleshly people.
Genesis 25:7 "And these [are] the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, a hundred three score and fifteen years."
"And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life, which he lived": Being about to die, an account is given of his age, which was a hundred threescore and fifteen years (one hundred and seventy five years). Isaac was now seventy five years of age, for he was born when Abraham was a hundred years old.
Jacob and Esau must now be fifteen years of age at this time, since they were born when Isaac was sixty years of age (Genesis 25:26). Ishmael must be eighty nine years old. It may be observed that as Abraham was seventy five years old when he went from Haran into the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:4). He had been just an hundred years a sojourner in this country.
Genesis 25:8 "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full [of years]; and was gathered to his people."
Abraham was then "gathered to his people," which has been interpreted as (1) a euphemism for death; (2) a reference to a multiple burial; or (3) as the majority of commentators assert, a reference to immortality, a witness to life after death.
Also, an expression of personal continuance beyond death, which denoted a reunion with previously departed friends (1900 B.C.; Matt. 8:11; Luke 16:22-23).
Verses 9-10: "His sons ... buried him": Abraham's funeral brought together two sons who would perhaps otherwise have remained somewhat estranged from each other (35:29). He was buried in the place which he had purchased at Hebron (chapter 23).
Genesis 25:9 "And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which [is] before Mamre;"
"And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah": Isaac, though the younger brother, is shown first, because he was born of the lawful wife of Abraham, the free woman, whereas Ishmael was born of a concubine and a bondwoman. Isaac was heir not only to Abraham's temporal estate, but of the promise made concerning the Messiah (not so Ishmael), and was on all accounts the greater man.
It appears from hence, that, though there had been a quarrel between Ishmael and Isaac, and the latter had been persecuted by the former, yet the difference was now made up, and they were reconciled, at least they agreed in this act of showing their last respect to their father.
Though Ishmael had been expelled from his father's house, yet he was not at any great distance from him, and there was a correspondence between him and his father. Nor was he forgotten by him, as is clear from (Genesis 25:6); and he retained a devoted affection for him.
"In the field of Ephron": the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre (see Genesis 23:8). Wherefore very false is the tradition of the Mahometans, that Abraham's sepulcher is at Mecca, which they, now show, and stands about twelve paces from the temple there, enclosed with iron rails.
Abraham lived to the ripe old age of 175. Because of his great faith and strength, God extended his life. Most people lived to be 120 years old then.
It is interesting to me, that Isaac and Ishmael buried their father. You remember in a previous lesson, that it said Ishmael would dwell around Isaac. The other half-brothers had been sent away.
They buried Abraham in the same cave with Sarah. The cave which Abraham had bought for a burial place, as we read in verse ten.
Genesis 25:10 "The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife."
"The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth": Of one of them, Ephron, the rest being witnesses of it (Genesis 23:16).
"There was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife": Sarah had been buried there thirty eight years before, which was the reason why his sons buried him there. If he died in Beer-sheba, as seems probable (see Genesis 24:62); from thence to Hebron was sixteen miles.
Genesis 25:11 "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi."
"And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac": Yet more and more, both with spiritual and temporal blessings. Showing that though Abraham was dead, he was not unmindful of his covenant which should be established with Isaac (Genesis 17:19).
"And Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi": Which was near the wilderness of Beersheba and Paran, where Ishmael dwelt. So that they were not far from one another (see Genesis 16:14).
This was the same well discussed in a previous lesson. "Lahai-roi" means the well of Him that liveth and seeth me, or the well of the vision of life.
You see, Isaac would be blessed, because of Abraham, and because of his own life, too. This made it a double blessing. Isaac was the second of the great Patriarchs, (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).
Verses 12-18: This gives the account of the sons of Ishmael. He had been the subject of particular divine promises made to Hagar (16:10-12), and Abraham (17:20; 21:13). The fulfillment of his descendants is noted before the history of the Abrahamic kingdom proceeds.
"The generations of Ishmael": With the death of Abraham and the focus shifting to Isaac, the record confirms God's promise of 12 princes to Ishmael (17:20-21).
Genesis 25:12 "Now these [are] the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:"
"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son": Or the genealogy of his posterity; and which is given to show that the Lord was not unmindful of his promise made to Abraham, concerning the multiplication of his seed (Genesis 16:10).
"Whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham" (see Genesis 16:1).
Verses 13-16: Arab tradition has it that these are their earliest ancestors.
Genesis 25:13 "And these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,"
"And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, After mentioned: by their names, according to their generations": which were imposed upon them at their birth, and are recited according to the order in which they were born.
"The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth": Mentioned (in Isaiah 60:7); and from whence a people of the Arabs are called Nabathaeans, and their country Nabataea. Josephus says that all the country from Euphrates to the Red sea is called the Nabatean country. The posterity of this man inhabited part of Arabia Desert and of Arabia Petraea, even to the entrance of Arabia Felix.
"And Kedar is the second son of Ishmael": And the posterity of this man and their country are reckoned in Arabia by Isaiah (Isa. 21:13). They are so well known to be Arabians that the Arabic language is most frequently, in Jewish writings, called the language of Kedar.
These are the people whom Pliny names Cedrei, and mentions them along with the Nabathaeans, as near unto them, and indeed they dwelt in the same country, Arabia Petraea, and in tents, living by pasturage, hence they are sometimes called Scenites; and mention is made of the tents of Kedar; these are the Scenite Arabs, called Saracens by Ammianus Marcellinus.
"And Adbeel and Mibsam": Of whom no mention is made elsewhere, nor are there any traces of their names, unless the Agubeni, placed by Ptolemy near Arabia Felix.
Genesis 25:14 "And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,"
"And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa": Of Mishma and Massa, and of their posterity, there is not anything said elsewhere, unless the Masani, Ptolemy places near Arabia Felix, came from Massa.
Dumah seems to be the same Isaiah speaks of in Genesis 21:11; and in Arabia Desert, where some of Ishmael's posterity settled, is a place called Dumaetha, by Ptolemy, which perhaps had its name from this son of his.
The Targum of Jonathan translates these three names "hearing, silence, and patience", which the Jews use as a proverb, when they would signify that there are some things to be heard and not spoken of and to be patiently borne. If Ishmael had in view to teach such lessons by the names he gave his children, he will seem to be a better man than he is usually thought to be.
Genesis 25:15 "Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:"
"Hadar and Tema": From the first of these the city Adra in Arabia Petraea, and from the other the city Themma in Arabia Desert, both mentioned by Ptolemy, may be thought to have their names. Or the city Adari and the Athritae in Arabia Felix, and the inhabitants of the land of Tema are mentioned as Arabians (Isaiah 21:13).
Pliny speaks of a people called Thimaneans, whom he says the ancients joined to the Nabathaeans. The troops of Tema mentioned in Job were of this people (Job 6:19); and Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11), is thought by some not to be the descendant of Teman the grandson of Esau, but to be of this man's people and country.
"The two first of these are reckoned among the Hagarites, as the Ishmaelites were sometimes called (1 Chronicles 5:19).
From "Jetur" came the Itureans, whom Pliny places in Coelesyria; and their country Iturea is reckoned by Strabo along with Arabia; and the Ithyreans with Virgil are famous for their bows, as Ishmael and his posterity were for archery in all ages, and still are (see notes on Gen. 21:20).
"Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah": we have no account elsewhere, nor any traces of their names, unless those of the latter should be meant by the men of the east, or the men of Kedem (Jeremiah 49:28), which is not improbable, since they are mentioned with the posterity of Kedar the second son of Ishmael; and the Nubaeans by Lebanon may be from Naphish.
Genesis 25:16 "These [are] the sons of Ishmael, and these [are] their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations."
"By their towns ... by their castles": In addition to serving as a testimony to God's promises (17:20), information such as this genealogy helped Israel to understand the origins of their neighbors in central and northern Arabia.
You can easily see by this, Ishmael and his descendants were blessed here on this earth in the flesh. The twelve sons were twelve princes, and even had castles. They were wealthy and had much prestige among their nations. In contrast, Isaac's blessing was spiritual.
These sons had Egyptian ancestry and were Arabs.
"Egypt" means of the world.
"Kedar" means to be dark, or to be able, mighty.
"Adbeel" means servant of God.
"Mibsam" means balsom, or sweet odor.
"Mishma" means hearing.
"Dumah" means silence.
"Massa" means burden.
"Hadar" means chamber.
Some sons are not traceable; they seem to just drop from Bible history.
Genesis 25:17 "And these [are] the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people."
"And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years": one hundred and thirty seven years old. So that he lived forty eight years after the death of Abraham (Genesis 25:8); and, though he did not live to be so old as he, yet it was a considerable age he attained unto (see note on Genesis 25:7).
"And he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people": some of the same expressions being used of him as of his father (Gen. 25:8), have led some to conclude that he was a penitent and died a good man, and was gathered to the same people. But these phrases are used both of good and bad men.
Genesis 25:18 "And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that [is] before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: [and] he died in the presence of all his brethren."
"And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur": That is, the posterity of Ishmael, whose country reached from one place to the other; not from India to Chaluza, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem. But the extent is that vast desert of Arabia, which eastward was called the wilderness of Havilah, and westward the wilderness of Shur. So that they inhabited it from east to west.
"That is before Egypt, as thou goest to Assyria": which last place was over against Egypt, and bordered on that part where the way to the land of Assyria lies.
"And he died in the presence of all his brethren": they being present when he died, or in peace with them, in all prosperity along with them.
As we said before, these were Arabs living in all the Arab countries surrounding Israel.
Verses 25:19 - 35:29: The genealogy of Isaac.
Genesis 25:19 "And these [are] the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:"
"And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son": Moses, having given the genealogy of Ishmael and his posterity, returns to Isaac, the other son of Abraham, with whom and his children the following part of his history is chiefly, if not altogether concerned.
Abraham begat Isaac; for the further confirmation of his being his proper legitimate son this clause is added.
Genesis 25:20 "And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian."
"Padan-aram": The "plain of Aram" in upper Mesopotamia near Haran to the north northeast of Canaan.
"The Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian": The word Syrian is translated best by "Armenia" and does not refer to the Syria of which Damascus was the capital. It was called Mesopotamia (in 24:10), and lay north and east of Palestine. Its chief city was Haran.
Genesis 25:21 "And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she [was] barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived."
"She was barren": Confronted by 20 years of his wife's barrenness (verses 19, 26), Isaac rose to the test and earnestly turned to God in prayer, obviously acknowledging thereby God's involvement and timing in the seed-promise.
Here we understand that Isaac was forty years old before he married. He wanted children the same as his parents wanted him. With Hebrews, it is very important to have a family to carry on the family heritage. We see here, what prayer can do. God answers prayers. God changed her not being able to have children, and she was with child.
Genesis 25:22 "And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If [it be] so, why [am] I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD."
"And the children struggled together within her" (womb): The very uncomfortable condition of her pregnancy ("why then am I this way?") prompted Rebekah, undoubtedly following the example of her husband, to turn earnestly to God in prayer.
She learned directly from the Lord that the sever jostling in her womb prefigured the future antagonism between the two nations to arise from her twin sons (verse 23).
The struggle was typical of the years to follow. Also, "the elder shall serve the younger" was a startling revelation; for it went contrary to ancient Near Eastern custom. This forms the basis for our understanding of the New Testament application of the term firstborn to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It refers to rank, not origin. Normally, the eldest son was given preferential treatment. He assumed more responsibility and was rewarded with honor and given two shares in the family inheritance, instead of the single share that each of his younger brothers received.
Occasionally, the eldest fell out of favor and was replaced by a younger son, a brother. Notice some examples: Jacob replaced Esau; Ephraim replaced Adonijah (in 1 Kings 5-53). Thus, the younger became the "firstborn," that is, he attained to first rank. This term is applied in this sense to the nation of Israel (Exodus 4:22; Amos 3:1-2).
Here again, we see a problem that seems too hard to understand. It had to be bad for her to realize there was a conflict in her womb.
Genesis 25:23 "And the LORD said unto her, Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger."
"The elder shall serve the younger": This was contrary to the custom in patriarchal times when the elder son enjoyed the privileges of precedence in the household and at the father's death received a double share of the inheritance and became the recognized head of the family (Exodus 22;29; Num. 8:14-17; Deut. 21:17).
Grave offenses could annul such first born rights (Gen. 35:22; 49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1), or the birthright could be sacrificed or legally transferred to another in the family, as in this case (verses 29-34). In this case, God declared otherwise since His sovereign elective purposes did not necessarily have to follow custom (Rom. 9:10-14; "Especially verse 12").
Genesis 25:24 "And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, [there were] twins in her womb."
"And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled": The nine months were up from the time of her conception; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, when the two hundred and seventy days she went with child were completed.
"Behold, there were twins in her womb": As was perceived by the midwife; a double mercy was granted, more given than asked for; probably only one child was asked for, but two given.
"Days ... were fulfilled": Esau and Jacob were born, 2005 B.C.
Genesis 25:25 "And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau."
"Red": This would be the linguistic basis for calling Esau's country "Edom" (verse 30).
"Esau" was Jacob's twin brother and the father of the Edomites. Though he was the firstborn and his father's favorite, he lost both his birthright and blessing to Jacob (verses 24-34; 27:1-29). The later animosity between the descendants of Esau (Edomites), and the descendants of Jacob (Israelites), is well documented in the Old Testament (Num. 20:18-21).
Esau is later used in Scripture as an illustration of the non-elect of God (Rom. 9:13). The New Testament refers to him as a "profane person" (Heb. 12:16-17). The Old Testament states that Esau "despised his birthright" (verse 34; see Gen. 25:25-28; Gen. 27:30-40).
Genesis 25:26 "And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac [was] threescore years old when she bare them."
"Jacob" was born clutching the heel of his twin brother, Esau, who was born first. Jacob eventually obtained Esau's birthright by taking advantage of his hunger (verses 29-34); and Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, into giving him Esau's blessing as well (27:1-29).
Jacob fled for his life to Haran, where he married both Leah and Rachel and became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob's name was changed to Israel when he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord (32:24-32).
He eventually settled in Hebron. In his old age, he moved his entire family to Egypt at Joseph's invitation. Jacob died at over 130 years of age and was buried in the cave of Machpelah near Hebron. (Gen 25:26-28; Gen. 28:10-22).
This is very interesting. Even before their birth, these two sons were warring in Rebekah's womb. These two boys truly would be opposite, one a wild man, a hunter, and the other a quiet man who stayed home and helped his mother. The Lord told her of the future, when He said the older shall serve the younger.
These twin boys were opposites. They did not even look alike. One was hairy, even from birth. "Esau" means hairy. "Jacob" means trickster. Both names well suited the boys. Isaac was 60 years old when these boys were born.
Verses 27-28: The difference between the two sons manifested itself in several areas: (1) As progenitors, Esau of Edom and Jacob of Israel; (2) In disposition, Esau a rugged, headstrong hunter preferring the outdoors and Jacob a plain, amiable man preferring the comforts of home; and (3) In parental favoritism, Esau by his father and Jacob by his mother.
These were the ingredients for conflict and heartache!
Genesis 25:27 "And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in tents."
"And the boys grew": In stature, became strong and fit for business, and devoted themselves to different employments.
"And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field": whose business lay in tilling and sowing it, which his father Isaac followed sometimes; or rather he chose to range about the field and hunt after beasts and birds, in which he was very expert, and contrived traps and snares to catch them.
This course of life was most agreeable to his temper and disposition, being active, fierce, and cruel; according to the Targum of Jonathan, he was also a hunter and slayer of men, as were Nimrod and Henoch his son.
"And Jacob was a plain man": an honest plain hearted man, whose heart and tongue went together. A quiet man, that gave no disturbance to others. A godly man, sincere, upright, and perfect, that had the truth of grace and holiness in him. As well as having the perfect righteousness of his Redeemer on him.
"Dwelling in tents": Keeping at home and attending the business of the family, as we afterwards find him boiling pottage (Genesis 25:29). Or rather this denotes his pastoral life, being a shepherd; he dwelt in tents, which could be removed from place to place for the convenience of pasturage.
Jarchi's note is "in the tent of Shem and in the tent of Eber. Agreeably to the Targum of Jonathan; "a minister in the school of Shem, seeking doctrine from the Lord. He was a student there, where he resided awhile in order to be instructed in the doctrines of truth and righteousness.
Genesis 25:28 "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [his] venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob."
"And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison": Better than Jacob, not only because he was his firstborn, but because he brought him of the flesh of creatures, which he took in hunting, and being dressed, were savory food to him. It is in the original, "because venison (or what he hunted), was in his mouth", into which he put it, and was very grateful to his taste.
"But Rebekah loved Jacob": More than Esau, being more at home with her, and of a milder disposition; and more especially being a good man, a partaker of the grace of God, and to whom she knew by the prophecy, the blessing and promise belonged.
This was a very unhealthy situation. Parents should never pick a favorite and love that child more than the other. This causes jealousy, and bad things can spring from that. You can understand the daddy appreciating the outdoor young man. Men like their boys to be tough, able to withstand problems, not sissies. Esau killed fresh game, and brought it to Isaac, also.
Genesis 25:29 "And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:"
"And Jacob sod pottage": Or boiled broth; this he did at a certain time, for this was not his usual employment. This pottage was made of lentiles, as appears from (Genesis 25:34).
"And Esau came from the field, and he was faint": For want of food, and weary with hunting, and perhaps more so, having toiled and got nothing.
Genesis 25:30 "And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom."
"Edom": In a play upon words to forever recall that Esau was born red and hairy (verse 25), and had sold his birthright for red stew, he was also named Edom, i.e., "Red."
Jacob had a garden. Esau had been out hunting, he was tired, and very hungry. He begged food of his brother, Jacob. This had to be something like beef stew. At any rate, it had the red color. Esau was to become the father of the Edomites.
Genesis 25:31 "And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright."
"Birthright": A double portion of the inheritance (Deut. 21:17) and the right to be family chief and priest (Exodus 4:22).
Genesis 25:32 "And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?"
"And Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die": Or, "going to die", going the way of all flesh; which he might say on account of the common frailty and mortality of man. And the brevity of life at most, or by reason of the danger of life he was always exposed to in hunting of wild beasts.
"And what profit shall this birthright do to me": A dying man, or when dead? In such a case, all the privileges of it in course would transfer to Jacob. As for the promises of the Messiah, and of the land of Canaan made to Abraham and his seed, these seemed to be at a great distance, and if he died, might never enjoy them.
Therefore, he judged it most advisable to consult his present interest, and have something in hand, than to trust to future; and by thus saying, he signified an entire willingness to part with his birthright on the terms proposed.
Genesis 25:33 "And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob."
"And he sold his birthright unto Jacob": He considered the responsibilities and honors unimportant, or he was totally uninterested in them. The agreement was set by a formal oath (in verse 33).
(Hebrews 12:16), refers to Esau as a "profane person," which implied something unhallowed, something sacred made common.
He took what God considered sacred and made it common. Being so totally concerned with his temporary and material needs, he gave them priority over his rights as the firstborn son and his responsibilities as heir to the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant. Every Christian must beware lest he count as unimportant what God considers sacred.
Genesis 25:34 "Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised [his] birthright."
"Despised his birthright": The final evaluation of the verbal tussle and bartering which took place between the twins; all of which was indicative of prior discussions or arguments sufficient for Jacob to conclude how little Esau valued it. He became, therefore, known as irreligious, i.e., "a godless person" (Heb. 12:16).
This transaction would come back to haunt Esau. This was a place where things of this earth cost him his eternity. He was so hungry that he actually gave his inheritance for a bowl of soup. God would frown on this, because Esau did not respect his inheritance at all.
Genesis Chapter 25 Questions
1. After Sarah, what was Abraham's wife's name?
2. How many children did she have by him?
3. What does her name mean?
4. "Zimran" means what?
5. Who was Jokshan the father of?
6. "Midian" means what?
7. "Ishbak" means what?
8. They were, probably, what tribes?
9. Who were the sons of Dedan?
10. What does "Ephah" mean?
11. What does "Epher" mean?
12. All of these children and grandchildren were of what?
13. Who received all of Abraham's wealth?
14. What did Abraham give his other children?
15. What happened to the sons of the flesh?
16. What two things cannot live together in peace?
17. How long did Abraham live?
18. Who buried him?
19. Where was he buried?
20. Where did Isaac dwell after Abraham died?
21. Why was Isaac doubly blessed?
22. Name three great Bible Patriarchs?
23. How many sons did Ishmael have?
24. What were they called?
25. What was the difference in Ishmael's blessing and Isaac's?
26. What is Egypt symbolic of?
27. How long did Ishmael live?
28. How old was Isaac, when he married Rebekah?
29. How old was he, when Jacob and Esau were born?
30. What did Rebekah do, when she did not understand the struggle going on in her womb?
31. What did God say was wrong?
32. What physical difference was there about the first son?
33. What does "Esau" mean?
34. What does "Jacob" mean?
35. Which son was Isaac's favorite? Why?
36. What bargain did Jacob make with Esau, that Esau lived to regret?
37. What angered God about this transaction?
Genesis 26:1 "And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar."
"A famine in the land": Once again the land of promise forced the beneficiaries of the covenant to move so as to escape the effects of a famine.
There had been a famine in Abraham's day (12:10). He had not been forbidden to go down to Egypt as Isaac was now being directed by God (in verse 2). God forced Isaac to trust in His ability to provide, and not to do the natural thing that everybody else would be doing (42:5).
Besides, this was God's promised land for Abraham and his descendants (verses 3-4).
"Abimelech": Most probably a Philistine dynastic title, with this being a different king from the one who had met Abraham (chapter 20; see note on 20:2).
"Philistines": This tribe of people who originally sailed the Mediterranean Sea became fierce enemies of Israel when they settled along the southwest coast of Palestine. Friendly to Isaac, they were forerunners of hostile descendant enemies.
Verses 2-11: Obedience and deceit were in "juxtaposition" (the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect). Obeying God to dwell in the land (verses 2-3, 6), yet lying about his wife to the people of the land (verses 7-11), reflected familiar shades of Abraham's strategy for survival (see 12:10-14; 20:1-4).
Genesis 26:2 "And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:"
"And the Lord appeared unto him": In a vision or dream, when he was at Gerar.
"Go not down into Egypt": As his father had done in the like case, and where Isaac thought to have gone, and the rather, as that was a fruitful country.
The Targum of Jonathan, "And it was in the heart of Isaac to go down into Egypt". And the Lord appeared unto him and charged him not to go there; partly to try his faith in him, and dependence on his providence for support in this time of famine, and partly lest he should think of continuing there, and be unmindful of the promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham's seed.
"Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of": Even the land of Canaan, which he was now about to give him on account of the promise of it to Abraham and his seed, and to renew it to him and to his seed.
Verses 3-5: God confirmed the Abrahamic Covenant with Isaac, stressing the same 3 elements as before: land, seed, and blessing. He appended specific honorable mention of Abrahams's obedient response to all of God's words (see notes on 12:1-3; 15:13:21; 17:2, 7-9).
Although Abraham was commended for his deeds, the Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant grounded in God's sovereign will (Lev. 26:44-45).
Genesis 26:3 "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;"
"Sojourn in this land": The land of Canaan, where he now was. Either in Gerar, which though in the land of the Philistines was a part of Canaan, the place of his present residence; or in any other part of it he should be directed to. However, by this it appears it was the pleasure of God that he should not go out of that land, and which Abraham his father was careful of, that he should not while he lived (see Genesis 24:6).
"And I will be with thee, and I will bless thee": With his presence and with protection from all enemies; with a supply of all the necessaries of life; and with all spiritual blessings, and with eternal life and happiness.
"For unto thee, and to thy seed, will I give these countries": Inhabited at that time by the Philistines, Canaanites, and the several tribes of them.
"And I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father": Concerning the promise of the Messiah from him and his seed, the gift of the land of Canaan to them, and the multiplication of them (Genesis 22:16).
You see, God wants all of us to depend on Him in a crisis, and Isaac was no exception. These few verses above were just saying; do not compromise with the world (Egypt); to stay away from the famine. God was telling him, just depend on me; I will see you through it, if you will just trust me. God told Isaac, I have sworn to give you all of this land for your ancestors.
Genesis 26:4 "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;"
"And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven": Meaning in the line of Jacob especially, if not only. From who sprung twelve patriarchs, the heads of so many tribes, which in process of time became very numerous, even as the stars of heaven.
"And I will give unto thy seed all these countries": Which is repeated from (Genesis 26:3), for the greater confirmation of it.
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed": Meaning in the Messiah that should spring from him (see Genesis 22:18; see Acts 3:25).
Here was God's promise, all over again, to Isaac that he had promised Abraham. This was an eternal promise to physical Israel and spiritual Israel.
Genesis 26:5 "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice": In all things, and particularly in offering up his son at his command.
"And kept my charge": Whatever was given him in charge to observe; this, as Aben Ezra thinks, is the general, of which the particulars follow.
"My commandments, my statutes, and my laws": Whether moral, ceremonial, or civil and judicial; all and everyone which God commanded him, he was careful to observe. Here seems to be something wanting, for the words are not to be joined with the preceding.
As if Abraham's obedience was the cause of the above promises made to Isaac, or to himself. But this is mentioned rather as an example to Isaac, and to stir him up to do the like, as if it was said, because or seeing that Abraham thy father did so and so, do thou likewise.
You see, when Abraham first became acquainted with God, he was not already a believer. God charged him to get up and leave Ur of the Chaldees, and go where He sent him. Abraham did it. God commanded Abraham in the way he should live. Abraham obeyed. He followed God's statutes to the letter on circumcision, and kept God's laws. Abraham pleased God.
Verses 6-9: Unlike his ancestor to whom God sovereignly revealed the relationship between Abraham and Saran (20:3), this king providentially discovered Rebekah's relationship to Isaac by just happening to look out of a window and witnessing caresses indicative of marriage and intimacy.
Genesis 26:6 "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:"
"And Isaac dwelt in Gerar": Continued there, and in this he was obedient to the command and will of God.
Genesis 26:7 "And the men of the place asked [him] of his wife; and he said, She [is] my sister: for he feared to say, [She is] my wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon."
"And the men of the place asked him of his wife": The inhabitants of Gerar inquired of Isaac who she was, whether she was his wife or not, or in what relation she stood in to him; this was not a mere civil inquiry, but what arose from the prevalence of lust in them towards her.
And yet it was under some restraint, they being not so abandoned to their lusts as to exercise them upon any; not upon a man's wife, the sin of adultery being detestable to them, though that of fornication was made no account of by them.
"And he said, she is my sister": Herein imitating his father Abraham in his infirmity and unbelief, who in the same place had made such an answer to a like question concerning Sarah (Genesis 20:1). Which if Isaac knew of, as probably he did, one would wonder that he should fall into the same evil, and especially when he had not so much to say to support his assertion as Abraham had.
"For he feared to say, she is my wife": Which was the real truth; but the fear of men, which brings a snare, led him to this, and from which good men are not always free.
"Lest, said he": That is, within himself, in his own mind; and so the Targum of Jonathan, he thought in his heart.
"The men of the place should kill me for Rebekah": That they might marry her, one or other of them; for it seems, they had not so great a sense of the sin of murder, as of adultery.
"Because she was fair to look upon": Which he feared would be a temptation to them, and stir up their impure desires after her, in order to gratify themselves. Which he was afraid that they would kill him. Rebekah retaining her beauty still, though she had been married in all probability forty years or more (see Genesis 24:16).
"She is my sister" is the very same expression Abraham had used (12:13 and 20:12-13).
This was just a repeat of the same thing his father had said. The only difference was that Sarah was Abraham's half-sister. Rebekah was actually a second cousin to Isaac. Fear is not of God.
Genesis 26:8 "And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting with Rebekah his wife."
"Abimelech" was evidently a philistine dynastic title. This was not the same Abimelech that Abraham had encountered some 97 years earlier.
Abimelech looked out at a window in his palace, near to which, in all likelihood, were the apartments that Isaac and Rebekah dwelt in. This he did accidentally, and not out of curiosity, or with any intention to observe or pry into the behavior and conduct of these two persons one towards the other.
He saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah. Laughing and joking with her, which by his motions and gestures, and the airs and freedoms he took, Abimelech could perceive were such as were not usual between brothers and sisters. Though was honest and lawful between man and wife. Such as embracing her in his arms, frequently kissing her, and the like.
Be sure your sins will find you out. This type thing cannot be covered, and sure enough, Abimelech caught them and found out that they were husband and wife.
Genesis 26:9 "And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she [is] thy wife: and how saidst thou, She [is] my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her."
"And Abimelech called Isaac": Sent a messenger to desire him to come to him.
"And said, behold, of a surety she is thy wife": And then perhaps told him of what he had observed that passed between them; which was a clear proof that they must be man and wife, or he would never have taken such liberties with her.
"And how saidst thou, she is my sister?": What reason had thou for it? What could induce thee to say so?
"And Isaac said unto him": Not alleging, as Abraham did, any relation that was between them before marriage.
"Because I said": That is, within himself, for he did not speak it out to others.
"Lest I die for her": For her sake, that another might have and enjoy her": It was fear of losing his life that led him to take such a step, and give out that she was his sister.
Genesis 26:10 "And Abimelech said, What [is] this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us."
"And Abimelech said, what is this thou hast done unto us": By entertaining suspicions and jealousies of us as bad men, and by exposing us to the temptation of committing iniquity. Why hast thou dealt thus with us, and what have we done, or is in our character, that thou should act after this manner?
"One of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife": It is much one or other had not before this time, not looking upon it criminal to have to do with a single woman, when they would not have meddled with another man's wife.
Jarchi interprets this of Abimelech himself; and so the Targum of Jonathan, who perhaps had been thinking of Abimelech taking her to his bed.
"And thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us": Been the occasion of their committing the sin of adultery, which was heinous in the eyes of Heathens, and of bringing on them the punishment due thereunto.
Genesis 26:11 "And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
"Charged all is people ... be put to death": A pagan king imposing the death penalty on anyone troubling Isaac or Rebekah suggests God was at work to preserve His chosen seed (verses 28-29; Psalms 105:14-15).
Abimelech recognized quickly that this was Isaac's wife. Abimelech was angry with Isaac, because had anyone slept with Rebekah, it would have caused serious trouble in the land. God would have punished them severely. Abimelech was afraid of God, and warned his people not to harm these two, who were in God's protection.
Verses 12-14: Isaac was content to stay in that place and farm some land. His efforts were blessed by God, but envied by the Philistines!
Genesis 26:12 "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him."
Isaac "sowed" in the land and received "a hundredfold" in spite of the famine and persecution because he obeyed God and was the promised seed.
This was a bountiful crop from God. This was an over-abundant blessing in this crop. Hundredfold is a tremendous return. Isaac had to plant the seed, before God could bless the harvest.
Genesis 26:13 "And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:"
"And the man waxed great": In substance, as well as in honor and glory, among men.
"And went forward": In the world, and in the increase of worldly things.
"And grew until he became very great": As he must needs be, since Abraham his father left him all that he had, who was very rich in cattle, in gold and silver, and had been increasing ever since.
Especially since he came to Gerar, where he was gradually increasing, until he became to be exceeding great indeed, even the greatest man in all the country, yea, greater than King Abimelech himself, as it seems from (Genesis 26:16).
Genesis 26:14 "For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him."
"For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds": Many flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle, oxen, asses and camels, which the riches of men in those times and countries chiefly lay.
"And great store of servants": To look after his flocks and herds, and fields; or "much farming". Jarchi interprets it much tillage; as much land, many farms, fields, vineyards and the like. To cultivate which required many servants.
"And the Philistines envied him": For his prosperity and success, that his land should bring forth so plentifully, and that he should have such an increase of flocks, and herds, and servants, which made him so very significant great, and honorable.
God blessed Isaac abundantly, and not once, but God continued blessing him, until he was extremely wealthy. He had large flocks, and herds, and many servants. He was so wealthy that his Philistine neighbors were jealous of his wealth. This was not a healthy situation.
Genesis 26:15 "For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth."
"All the wells ... Stopped them": Water was so precious in that desert land that wells were essential.
Plugging someone's well was ruinous to them and constituted serious aggression, often leading to war. Isaac could have retaliated, but he did not; rather he dug new wells (verses 16-19).
Jealousy causes men to do strange things. The wells could have helped everyone. Filling a well was destruction without a purpose. It could do no one any good. Even today in Israel, they are re-digging some of the old wells.
Genesis 26:16 "And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we."
"And Abimelech said unto Isaac, go from us": Which was either said by way of advice, consulting Isaac's good, and the peace of his own kingdom; or else by way of command, enjoining him to depart, having a secret envy to him himself, or at least was jealous of his growing power and wealth.
"For thou art much mightier than we": In riches or goods, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; or in number; his family being greatly increased, his servants numerous, many being born of them in his house; Abraham had three hundred and eighteen trained servants in his house (Genesis 14:14).
How many Isaac had is not certain; they must be a large number for Abimelech to fear anything from them. Some choose to interpret the words, thou hast increased, or thou hast got much from us, and by us; and therefore, it is high time for thee to be gone from us.
The Philistines had asked Isaac to leave, so he did.
Isaac was not mightier in number. He just had God on his side. He was mightier in wealth and blessings of God.
Genesis 26:17 "And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there."
"And Isaac departed thence": At once, peaceably and quietly, though to his loss and disadvantage, without taking himself either to argument or arms, in favor of himself. He departed immediately, as soon as he perceived his abode was disagreeable to the king and his people; which gives us a very agreeable idea of the calm and peaceable disposition of Isaac.
"And pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there": At some distance from the city of Gerar, as Jarchi observes. Josephus says it was not far from it; but how far is not certain; very probably it was not out of the country, though on the borders of it.
Some render it, "the brook of Gerar". And interpret it, that he pitched his tent, and dwelt by it. The word used does signify a brook as well as a valley; and there was a brook of Gerar, which Solomon makes mention of.
Genesis 26:18 "And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them."
"And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father": This seems to refer to the same wells made mention of (in Genesis 26:15).
"For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham": These were what Abraham's servants had dug, when he lived at Gerar, and which the Philistines did not stop during his life. But when he was dead and particularly out of envy to Isaac his son, whom they observed to prosper much, they stopped them up so that he might have no benefit of them.
"And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them": Which he did out of respect to his father, to preserve the memory of his name, as well as to make his title and claim to them the more dear and certain.
Genesis 26:19 "And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water."
"And Isaac's servants digged in the valley": In the valley of Gerar, as the Septuagint version expresses it.
"And found there a well of springing water": Or "living water", which continually flows, as Aben Ezra rightly interprets it. Hence this phrase is used of the perpetual and ever living graces of the Spirit of God (John 4:10).
Isaac left to keep from having trouble with these jealous-hearted people. He did not go far, just to the valley. Years before, his father's servants had digged wells and got abundant water here. In this area, a good well of water was as valuable as gold nuggets. The land was fertile, only very dry. Water made it like a Garden of Eden.
For spite, these wells had been plugged. How foolish, because they could have used the much-needed water. Isaac knew right where the good wells were, and had them dug anew. Not only did they find water in the well, but a flowing spring. With water, they would produce profusely.
Genesis 26:20 "And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him."
"And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen": About the well which was dug in the valley; and this shows it was near Gerar or at least was upon the border of the country, and so it was a disputable point to whom it belonged.
"Saying, the water is ours": Though the well was dug by Isaac's servants, yet they laid claim to the water, pretending it was their ground, being on their borders.
"And he called the name of the well Esek": which signifies "contention": the reason of the name follows: because they strove with him; wrangled, contended, and disputed with him about whose right it was.
The encampments such as "Esek" ("Contention"), and "Sitnah ("Enmity"); led to the spacious and fruitful place of Rehoboth ("Plenty of Room"). He had many struggles, but we can identify with him and hopefully see how God worked in the life of an average man.
You see these herdsmen of Gerar had this place all to themselves before Isaac came. They could have dug for water, but they did not. They waited until after Isaac's herdsmen dug the wells, and then claimed them. Had they been able to take them from Isaac's herdsmen, they would have probably, dried up.
Genesis 26:21″And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah."
"And they digged another well": That is, Isaac's servants.
"And strove for that also": The herdsmen of Gerar disputed their right to that also, and strove to get it from them.
"And he called the name of it Sitnah": which signifies "hatred", it being out of hatred and malice to him that they gave him so much trouble. From this word, Satan has his name, and these men were of a diabolical spirit, envious, spiteful, and malicious.
Isaac was a man of God. He voluntarily moves to another spot, as we will see in the next verse. This reminds us of the Lord's teaching "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" (Matthew chapter 5:40).
Genesis 26:22 "And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
"Rehoboth": The word means "room enough." Finally, a well was dug without a quarrel erupting (verses 20-21). Now that they were no longer perceived as encroaching upon another's territory, Isaac selected an appropriate place-name which reflected how he saw God providentially working out their situation.
Isaac's patience paid off. God blessed him with another well. These other herdsmen had water now, so they left Isaac alone. Isaac gave God credit for finding the well. He realized wherever he went, God would bless him.
Genesis Chapter 26 Questions
1. What problem was in the land?
2. To whom did Isaac go?
3. Where?
4. God told Isaac not to go where?
5. What land had God promised Abraham?
6. What were these verses telling Isaac, that we could take heed of today?
7. What was his seed compared to for number?
8. What was a promise to the earth through Isaac? Why?
9. What was the first thing God told Abraham to do?
10. Where did Isaac dwell?
11. When the men of the city asked, what did he say about Rebekah?
12. Why did he not tell the truth?
13. What relation was Rebekah to Isaac, besides his wife?
14. What did Abimelech see to make him know Rebekah was Isaac's wife?
15. What would have brought guiltiness on the Philistines unknowingly?
16. What threat did Abimelech make to anyone who touched Rebekah or Isaac?
17. What did Isaac do to reap a hundred fold?
18. What three things did Isaac have that made him great in the sight of the Philistines?
19. What attitude did the Philistines have?
20. What happened to the wells Isaac's father's servants dug?
21. Why did Abimelech ask him to leave?
22. Where did he go?
23. What happened there twice?
24. What was as valuable as gold?
25. What was the name of the first two wells he dug?
26. What was the name of the third well?
27. What does it mean?
Genesis 26:23″And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba."
In Beer-sheba God appeared to him and again confirmed the Abrahamic covenant. So he worshiped there by building an altar (12:7-8; 13:4, 18).
I must lay a little ground work for this lesson. In the last lesson, Abimelech had asked Isaac to leave, and he had gone to the valley Gerar. There his herdsman and the herdsman of the land had trouble over two of the wells. They finally dug the third well over which there was no dispute.
The third well was named Rehoboth. Now, it appears Isaac had gone up to Beer-sheba. "Beer-sheba" means well of the oath, or of seven.
Verses 24-25: This abbreviated reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant was designed to relieve Isaac's anxiety at facing envy, quarrels, and hostility (verses 14, 20, 27), and to assure Isaac that he had reasoned right, fruitfulness in posterity would prevail.
That it was a significant reminder to Isaac is seen in a response reminiscent of his father, he built an altar of worship to mark the spot of God's appearance to him (12:7).
Genesis 26:24 "And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I [am] the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I [am] with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake."
"And the Lord appeared to him in the same night": The first night he came to Beer-sheba, in a dream or vision, in which the Lord was represented as speaking to him.
"And said, I am the God of Abraham thy father": Though he was dead, he remembered the covenant he made with him, and the promises he made unto him: and besides, though Abraham was dead as to his body, yet alive in his soul. For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32).
"Fear not": Any future famine, or want of any good things, nor any enemies. The Philistines his neighbors, who had driven him from their country, and had harassed him from place to place.
"For I am with thee, and will bless thee": If God is with his people, they have nothing to fear from men; and if he blesses them, they are blessed, and no curse can light upon them.
"And multiply thy seed, for my servant Abraham's sake": Who was a faithful, diligent, servant of his; whose service was, not forgotten by him, but would be rewarded in a way of grace, though not of debt.
God reassured Isaac that he was not only with his father, but that he was with Isaac also. This reconfirmed God's oath to Abraham. This was a three-fold blessing. "... I am with thee, will bless thee, will multiply thy seed..."
Genesis 26:25 "And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well."
"And he builded an altar there": At Beer-sheba, where his father Abraham had planted a grove before. Very probably had built an altar also, though it might not be now standing (Gen. 21:33).
"And called upon the name of the Lord": And gave him thanks for all his mercies to him; for the care he had taken of him, and provision he had made for him and his during the time of famine; and for the protection and preservation of him in Gerar.
And for his deliverance of him out of the hands of envious, malicious, and unreasonable men; as well as prayed unto him for present and future mercies, for providential care of him and his. And for communications of special grace, and for suitability for eternal glory; all which every good man daily prays to God for.
"And pitched his tent there": Intending to take up his abode and settle there.
"And there Isaac's servants digged a well": In order to find water for the family, and for the flocks and herds; and which was necessary to be done, as they perceived their master desired to fix his habitation here. Wells of water being of great importance and consequence in those hot and desert countries, as the above struggles about them abundantly show.
Isaac was a believer also. The first thing he did was build an altar, and worship God. He settled there where he met God. Again, Isaac had his servants to dig a well. Isaac could have digged a well anywhere, and there would have been water.
Genesis 26:26 "Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army."
"Abimelech ... and Phichol": Because 90 years had passed since Abraham was visited by men with the same names, they must have been titles rather than proper names (21:22; see note on verse 1).
Genesis 26:27 "And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?"
"And Isaac said unto them, wherefore come ye to me": What is the meaning of this visit? What has brought you here? It cannot be from affection and friendship to me.
"Seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?" The latter he mentions as a proof of the former; they envied his prosperity, and hated him on that account, and therefore expelled him from their country, or at least would not suffer him to dwell among them.
Still more glaring proofs were given of the hatred of the men of Gerar to him, not only by stopping up his father's wells, but by striving and contending with him about those he dug in the valley after he was gone from them; one of which he called "Sitnah", from their hatred of him.
Isaac was confused; Abimelech was the one who told him to leave. Now, here, he was and with two of his men. Isaac could not understand why they would follow him. Isaac even felt that they hated him, but I believe it was closer to jealousy.
Genesis 26:28 "And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, [even] betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;"
"An oath ... a covenant": In a mirror image of a former occasion (21:22-32), Abimelech in the company of a friend and the highest ranking officer in his army (verse 26), sought after a treaty with one they estimated to be superior and stronger than themselves and a possible threat (verse 29). Isaac, on the other hand, perceived them as hostile (verse 27).
The outcome was most desirable for both, peace between them (verse 31).
It was no secret that God was with Isaac. His crop that produced a hundred fold was one witness. The four wells that he dug, that produced in such a dry land, was another. Even someone looking on, who was not acquainted with God, could easily see that Isaac was blessed above other men.
Abimelech wanted an agreement that there would be no trouble between them. He knew which one God will help in a battle, and it would not be him. God and one is a majority. There was no question who would win.
Genesis 26:29 "That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou [art] now the blessed of the LORD."
"That thou wilt do us no hurt": Neither to our persons nor properties, to our kingdom and subjects, by invading our land, and seizing on our kingdom, all which was feared from Isaac's growing wealth and power.
"As we have not touched thee": Not done the least injury to him, to his person, family, and substance, but suffered him to go away with all he had untouched.
"And as we have done unto thee, nothing but good": By royal authority, or by the command and direction of the king and his nobles; for as for the stopping up the wells his father's servants had dug, and the controversy that was about those in the vale, and the trouble Isaac had on that account, these things were not by the order of the king and council, and perhaps without their knowledge.
"And have sent thee away in peace": No one being suffered to do any injury to him, or molest him in carrying off everything that belonged unto him.
"Thou art now blessed of the Lord": So, it appeared by the prosperity he was attended with, and by the Lord's protection of him, and the constant and continual favors he was bestowing on him; and this induced Abimelech and his nobles to seek to cultivate friendship, and be on good terms with him.
Abimelech was reminding Isaac that he did not harm him in any way. I do not believe it was out of the goodness of his heart that this was so. Abimelech knew that God was with Isaac, and he feared to do him any harm, because of the reprisal from God.
He forgot his men gave Isaac a hard time about the first two wells, and Isaac just moved on to keep from having trouble with them.
Genesis 26:30 "And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink."
"And he made them a feast": Made a feast for a king and those of eminence or high rank; he treated them in a generous way, according to their dignity, and agreeable to his own disposition and substance.
"And they did eat and drink": Freely, cheerfully, and in a friendly manner; for both having spoken their minds, they agreed to bury all former things, and live in peace and friendship. Though this feast was not on account of the covenant made between them, as is observed by some interpreters; but as a hospitable act, and a token of good will.
Genesis 26:31 "And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace."
"And they rose up betimes in the morning": Abimelech and his friends, in order to return home. Isaac to take his leave of them, and both to make the covenant between them in form, and confirm it by an oath, for which the morning was the fitter time. A transaction should be performed with the utmost attention and seriousness.
"and swore one to another": To live in harmony and friendship, and not distress and disturb each other.
"And Isaac sent them away": and they departed from him in peace. He took his leave of them in a friendly manner, and they departed well pleased with the reception they had met with, and the success they had had, having agreed on and settled articles of peace to each's mutual satisfaction.
Isaac was a good host. He made them a feast and they ate, drink, and fellowshipped together. They got up the next morning and agreed on a peace treaty between them. They sealed this agreement with an oath. I do not believe that the statement "Isaac sent them away" meant "forcefully". He just let them go in peace.
Genesis 26:32 "And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water."
"And it came to pass the same day": That the above things were transacted.
"That Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged": They had dug it before Abimelech came to Isaac, but they had not had an opportunity of acquainting him with it until he was gone, and then they came to give him an account of it.
What sort of a well it was, and how it answered their expectations and wishes; and which in those countries was a very great blessing, serving very much to recommend a place to dwell in.
"We have found water": Not only had they dug a well, but they had found plenty of water, and that which was good. Otherwise it would not have been worthwhile to have troubled Isaac with the account of it.
You know, it was a well like this where Jesus talked to the woman at the well. It was spoken of that Abraham had dug the well. These wells that God blesses never go dry. They flow generation after generation. At any rate, this well that Isaac's men dug like all the others, found water.
Water symbolically can mean so many things (the Word, the Holy Spirit). Without water (spiritual and physical), it would be next to impossible to live.
Genesis 26:33 "And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city [is] Beer-sheba unto this day."
"And he called it Sheba": Which, according to Jerome, signifies "fullness", as if it had its name from the abundance of water in it. But rather it signifies an "oath", and was so called from the oath, which he and Abimelech had just taken to one another.
This well he calls Sheba, "an oath," and hence the town is called Beer-sheba, "the well of the oath." It had been so called by Abraham a hundred years ago or more; but now upon this occasion it was renewed and confirmed, and so continued until the times of Moses, and many ages after.
This was the very place where his father Abraham had made an oath with another Abimelech and Phicol (see note on verse 26), and which Abraham had named Beer-sheba (21:32).
This city was located in the southern part of Palestine, about half way between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.
Genesis 26:34 "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:"
"And Esau was forty years old": The same age his father was of when he married (Genesis 25:20).
"When he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite": Josephus makes her to be the same with Aholibamah; but her father's name was Zibeon, and a Hivite, and must therefore be another person, not only the name being different, but the tribe (Genesis 36:2).
"And Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite": Whom Aben Ezra takes to be the same with Adah, and so does Josephus; and in this they may be right, since the name of her father, and his nation or tribe agree (Genesis 36:2).
The fathers of these two women are represented by Josephus as men of great power and authority among the Canaanites, as very probably they were. Esau had another wife of the same name with this last, but she was daughter of Ishmael, and sister of Nebajoth (Genesis 36:3).
He had more wives than those but these were his two first, who very probably were not taken together, but one after another, though it may be but at a short distance from each other.
Genesis 26:35 "Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah."
"Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac, and to Rebekah": The marriage of them itself was a trouble to them, it being contrary to their will that any of their children should marry with the Canaanites, and those the worst sort of them, the Hittites.
It having been the care of Abraham, the father of Isaac that his son should not marry with them, laid a strict injunction on his servant not to take a wife for his son from among them. This was an example to be followed in later times, and which Esau very likely was not ignorant of.
Besides this, the women themselves he took for wives were very disagreeable on all accounts, partly because of their religion, being idolaters, and partly by reason of their temper and behavior, being proud, haughty, and disobedient. His action had deliberately ignored the standard set by Abraham for Isaac (24:3; 27:46).
Esau married two heathen women, providing additional evidence of his spiritual dullness (24:3).
This sorrow that Esau brought on his family had several facets to it. Hebrew men were not to marry out of their faith. These two women were from the Hittites. God had forbidden Hebrew men to intermarry with them. To marry two of them made it doubly bad. This son was of marrying age (40). He broke the custom of the Hebrews.
Esau went out on his own and sought wives of his own choosing, not the one his father and mother had chosen for him. Esau was a rebellious son, who did not like authority. He would be nothing but grief to his mother.
He was attempting to satisfy his lustful flesh, rather than to wait and marry someone God had chosen for him. His children would be worldly. He didn't regard spiritual things very highly, or he would not have sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. We are looking at a very selfish man, who thought only of himself.
Genesis Chapter 26 Continued Questions
1. When Isaac left Abimelech, where did he go?
2. What does Beer-sheba mean?
3. When did the Lord appear to him?
4. Who did God say He was?
5. What three promises did God make to Isaac?
6. What was this encounter with God for Isaac?
7. What did Isaac do to honor God?
8. What did Isaac move to another location?
9. Who did Abimelech bring with him to meet Isaac?
10. Why was Isaac surprised at their visit?
11. Why did they want an agreement with Isaac?
12. What was Abimelech quick to remind Isaac of?
13. What did Isaac do to show his hospitality?
14. How do they seal the agreement?
15. Name two things water can mean symbolically?
16. Where is Beer-sheba located?
17. How old was Esau, when he took a wife?
18. Who did he marry?
19. What nationality were they?
20. How did this effect Isaac and Rebekah?
21. What was a Hebrew man not to do pertaining to marriage?
22. What custom did Esau break?
23. What would his children be from this type marriage?
24. What did he trade his birthright for?
Genesis 26:1 "And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar."
"A famine in the land": Once again the land of promise forced the beneficiaries of the covenant to move so as to escape the effects of a famine.
There had been a famine in Abraham's day (12:10). He had not been forbidden to go down to Egypt as Isaac was now being directed by God (in verse 2). God forced Isaac to trust in His ability to provide, and not to do the natural thing that everybody else would be doing (42:5).
Besides, this was God's promised land for Abraham and his descendants (verses 3-4).
"Abimelech": Most probably a Philistine dynastic title, with this being a different king from the one who had met Abraham (chapter 20; see note on 20:2).
"Philistines": This tribe of people who originally sailed the Mediterranean Sea became fierce enemies of Israel when they settled along the southwest coast of Palestine. Friendly to Isaac, they were forerunners of hostile descendant enemies.
Verses 2-11: Obedience and deceit were in "juxtaposition" (the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect). Obeying God to dwell in the land (verses 2-3, 6), yet lying about his wife to the people of the land (verses 7-11), reflected familiar shades of Abraham's strategy for survival (see 12:10-14; 20:1-4).
Genesis 26:2 "And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:"
"And the Lord appeared unto him": In a vision or dream, when he was at Gerar.
"Go not down into Egypt": As his father had done in the like case, and where Isaac thought to have gone, and the rather, as that was a fruitful country.
The Targum of Jonathan, "And it was in the heart of Isaac to go down into Egypt". And the Lord appeared unto him and charged him not to go there; partly to try his faith in him, and dependence on his providence for support in this time of famine, and partly lest he should think of continuing there, and be unmindful of the promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham's seed.
"Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of": Even the land of Canaan, which he was now about to give him on account of the promise of it to Abraham and his seed, and to renew it to him and to his seed.
Verses 3-5: God confirmed the Abrahamic Covenant with Isaac, stressing the same 3 elements as before: land, seed, and blessing. He appended specific honorable mention of Abrahams's obedient response to all of God's words (see notes on 12:1-3; 15:13:21; 17:2, 7-9).
Although Abraham was commended for his deeds, the Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant grounded in God's sovereign will (Lev. 26:44-45).
Genesis 26:3 "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;"
"Sojourn in this land": The land of Canaan, where he now was. Either in Gerar, which though in the land of the Philistines was a part of Canaan, the place of his present residence; or in any other part of it he should be directed to. However, by this it appears it was the pleasure of God that he should not go out of that land, and which Abraham his father was careful of, that he should not while he lived (see Genesis 24:6).
"And I will be with thee, and I will bless thee": With his presence and with protection from all enemies; with a supply of all the necessaries of life; and with all spiritual blessings, and with eternal life and happiness.
"For unto thee, and to thy seed, will I give these countries": Inhabited at that time by the Philistines, Canaanites, and the several tribes of them.
"And I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father": Concerning the promise of the Messiah from him and his seed, the gift of the land of Canaan to them, and the multiplication of them (Genesis 22:16).
You see, God wants all of us to depend on Him in a crisis, and Isaac was no exception. These few verses above were just saying; do not compromise with the world (Egypt); to stay away from the famine. God was telling him, just depend on me; I will see you through it, if you will just trust me. God told Isaac, I have sworn to give you all of this land for your ancestors.
Genesis 26:4 "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;"
"And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven": Meaning in the line of Jacob especially, if not only. From who sprung twelve patriarchs, the heads of so many tribes, which in process of time became very numerous, even as the stars of heaven.
"And I will give unto thy seed all these countries": Which is repeated from (Genesis 26:3), for the greater confirmation of it.
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed": Meaning in the Messiah that should spring from him (see Genesis 22:18; see Acts 3:25).
Here was God's promise, all over again, to Isaac that he had promised Abraham. This was an eternal promise to physical Israel and spiritual Israel.
Genesis 26:5 "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice": In all things, and particularly in offering up his son at his command.
"And kept my charge": Whatever was given him in charge to observe; this, as Aben Ezra thinks, is the general, of which the particulars follow.
"My commandments, my statutes, and my laws": Whether moral, ceremonial, or civil and judicial; all and everyone which God commanded him, he was careful to observe. Here seems to be something wanting, for the words are not to be joined with the preceding.
As if Abraham's obedience was the cause of the above promises made to Isaac, or to himself. But this is mentioned rather as an example to Isaac, and to stir him up to do the like, as if it was said, because or seeing that Abraham thy father did so and so, do thou likewise.
You see, when Abraham first became acquainted with God, he was not already a believer. God charged him to get up and leave Ur of the Chaldees, and go where He sent him. Abraham did it. God commanded Abraham in the way he should live. Abraham obeyed. He followed God's statutes to the letter on circumcision, and kept God's laws. Abraham pleased God.
Verses 6-9: Unlike his ancestor to whom God sovereignly revealed the relationship between Abraham and Saran (20:3), this king providentially discovered Rebekah's relationship to Isaac by just happening to look out of a window and witnessing caresses indicative of marriage and intimacy.
Genesis 26:6 "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:"
"And Isaac dwelt in Gerar": Continued there, and in this he was obedient to the command and will of God.
Genesis 26:7 "And the men of the place asked [him] of his wife; and he said, She [is] my sister: for he feared to say, [She is] my wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon."
"And the men of the place asked him of his wife": The inhabitants of Gerar inquired of Isaac who she was, whether she was his wife or not, or in what relation she stood in to him; this was not a mere civil inquiry, but what arose from the prevalence of lust in them towards her.
And yet it was under some restraint, they being not so abandoned to their lusts as to exercise them upon any; not upon a man's wife, the sin of adultery being detestable to them, though that of fornication was made no account of by them.
"And he said, she is my sister": Herein imitating his father Abraham in his infirmity and unbelief, who in the same place had made such an answer to a like question concerning Sarah (Genesis 20:1). Which if Isaac knew of, as probably he did, one would wonder that he should fall into the same evil, and especially when he had not so much to say to support his assertion as Abraham had.
"For he feared to say, she is my wife": Which was the real truth; but the fear of men, which brings a snare, led him to this, and from which good men are not always free.
"Lest, said he": That is, within himself, in his own mind; and so the Targum of Jonathan, he thought in his heart.
"The men of the place should kill me for Rebekah": That they might marry her, one or other of them; for it seems, they had not so great a sense of the sin of murder, as of adultery.
"Because she was fair to look upon": Which he feared would be a temptation to them, and stir up their impure desires after her, in order to gratify themselves. Which he was afraid that they would kill him. Rebekah retaining her beauty still, though she had been married in all probability forty years or more (see Genesis 24:16).
"She is my sister" is the very same expression Abraham had used (12:13 and 20:12-13).
This was just a repeat of the same thing his father had said. The only difference was that Sarah was Abraham's half-sister. Rebekah was actually a second cousin to Isaac. Fear is not of God.
Genesis 26:8 "And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting with Rebekah his wife."
"Abimelech" was evidently a philistine dynastic title. This was not the same Abimelech that Abraham had encountered some 97 years earlier.
Abimelech looked out at a window in his palace, near to which, in all likelihood, were the apartments that Isaac and Rebekah dwelt in. This he did accidentally, and not out of curiosity, or with any intention to observe or pry into the behavior and conduct of these two persons one towards the other.
He saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah. Laughing and joking with her, which by his motions and gestures, and the airs and freedoms he took, Abimelech could perceive were such as were not usual between brothers and sisters. Though was honest and lawful between man and wife. Such as embracing her in his arms, frequently kissing her, and the like.
Be sure your sins will find you out. This type thing cannot be covered, and sure enough, Abimelech caught them and found out that they were husband and wife.
Genesis 26:9 "And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she [is] thy wife: and how saidst thou, She [is] my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her."
"And Abimelech called Isaac": Sent a messenger to desire him to come to him.
"And said, behold, of a surety she is thy wife": And then perhaps told him of what he had observed that passed between them; which was a clear proof that they must be man and wife, or he would never have taken such liberties with her.
"And how saidst thou, she is my sister?": What reason had thou for it? What could induce thee to say so?
"And Isaac said unto him": Not alleging, as Abraham did, any relation that was between them before marriage.
"Because I said": That is, within himself, for he did not speak it out to others.
"Lest I die for her": For her sake, that another might have and enjoy her": It was fear of losing his life that led him to take such a step, and give out that she was his sister.
Genesis 26:10 "And Abimelech said, What [is] this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us."
"And Abimelech said, what is this thou hast done unto us": By entertaining suspicions and jealousies of us as bad men, and by exposing us to the temptation of committing iniquity. Why hast thou dealt thus with us, and what have we done, or is in our character, that thou should act after this manner?
"One of the people might lightly have lain with thy wife": It is much one or other had not before this time, not looking upon it criminal to have to do with a single woman, when they would not have meddled with another man's wife.
Jarchi interprets this of Abimelech himself; and so the Targum of Jonathan, who perhaps had been thinking of Abimelech taking her to his bed.
"And thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us": Been the occasion of their committing the sin of adultery, which was heinous in the eyes of Heathens, and of bringing on them the punishment due thereunto.
Genesis 26:11 "And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
"Charged all is people ... be put to death": A pagan king imposing the death penalty on anyone troubling Isaac or Rebekah suggests God was at work to preserve His chosen seed (verses 28-29; Psalms 105:14-15).
Abimelech recognized quickly that this was Isaac's wife. Abimelech was angry with Isaac, because had anyone slept with Rebekah, it would have caused serious trouble in the land. God would have punished them severely. Abimelech was afraid of God, and warned his people not to harm these two, who were in God's protection.
Verses 12-14: Isaac was content to stay in that place and farm some land. His efforts were blessed by God, but envied by the Philistines!
Genesis 26:12 "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him."
Isaac "sowed" in the land and received "a hundredfold" in spite of the famine and persecution because he obeyed God and was the promised seed.
This was a bountiful crop from God. This was an over-abundant blessing in this crop. Hundredfold is a tremendous return. Isaac had to plant the seed, before God could bless the harvest.
Genesis 26:13 "And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:"
"And the man waxed great": In substance, as well as in honor and glory, among men.
"And went forward": In the world, and in the increase of worldly things.
"And grew until he became very great": As he must needs be, since Abraham his father left him all that he had, who was very rich in cattle, in gold and silver, and had been increasing ever since.
Especially since he came to Gerar, where he was gradually increasing, until he became to be exceeding great indeed, even the greatest man in all the country, yea, greater than King Abimelech himself, as it seems from (Genesis 26:16).
Genesis 26:14 "For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him."
"For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds": Many flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle, oxen, asses and camels, which the riches of men in those times and countries chiefly lay.
"And great store of servants": To look after his flocks and herds, and fields; or "much farming". Jarchi interprets it much tillage; as much land, many farms, fields, vineyards and the like. To cultivate which required many servants.
"And the Philistines envied him": For his prosperity and success, that his land should bring forth so plentifully, and that he should have such an increase of flocks, and herds, and servants, which made him so very significant great, and honorable.
God blessed Isaac abundantly, and not once, but God continued blessing him, until he was extremely wealthy. He had large flocks, and herds, and many servants. He was so wealthy that his Philistine neighbors were jealous of his wealth. This was not a healthy situation.
Genesis 26:15 "For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth."
"All the wells ... Stopped them": Water was so precious in that desert land that wells were essential.
Plugging someone's well was ruinous to them and constituted serious aggression, often leading to war. Isaac could have retaliated, but he did not; rather he dug new wells (verses 16-19).
Jealousy causes men to do strange things. The wells could have helped everyone. Filling a well was destruction without a purpose. It could do no one any good. Even today in Israel, they are re-digging some of the old wells.
Genesis 26:16 "And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we."
"And Abimelech said unto Isaac, go from us": Which was either said by way of advice, consulting Isaac's good, and the peace of his own kingdom; or else by way of command, enjoining him to depart, having a secret envy to him himself, or at least was jealous of his growing power and wealth.
"For thou art much mightier than we": In riches or goods, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; or in number; his family being greatly increased, his servants numerous, many being born of them in his house; Abraham had three hundred and eighteen trained servants in his house (Genesis 14:14).
How many Isaac had is not certain; they must be a large number for Abimelech to fear anything from them. Some choose to interpret the words, thou hast increased, or thou hast got much from us, and by us; and therefore, it is high time for thee to be gone from us.
The Philistines had asked Isaac to leave, so he did.
Isaac was not mightier in number. He just had God on his side. He was mightier in wealth and blessings of God.
Genesis 26:17 "And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there."
"And Isaac departed thence": At once, peaceably and quietly, though to his loss and disadvantage, without taking himself either to argument or arms, in favor of himself. He departed immediately, as soon as he perceived his abode was disagreeable to the king and his people; which gives us a very agreeable idea of the calm and peaceable disposition of Isaac.
"And pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there": At some distance from the city of Gerar, as Jarchi observes. Josephus says it was not far from it; but how far is not certain; very probably it was not out of the country, though on the borders of it.
Some render it, "the brook of Gerar". And interpret it, that he pitched his tent, and dwelt by it. The word used does signify a brook as well as a valley; and there was a brook of Gerar, which Solomon makes mention of.
Genesis 26:18 "And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them."
"And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father": This seems to refer to the same wells made mention of (in Genesis 26:15).
"For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham": These were what Abraham's servants had dug, when he lived at Gerar, and which the Philistines did not stop during his life. But when he was dead and particularly out of envy to Isaac his son, whom they observed to prosper much, they stopped them up so that he might have no benefit of them.
"And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them": Which he did out of respect to his father, to preserve the memory of his name, as well as to make his title and claim to them the more dear and certain.
Genesis 26:19 "And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water."
"And Isaac's servants digged in the valley": In the valley of Gerar, as the Septuagint version expresses it.
"And found there a well of springing water": Or "living water", which continually flows, as Aben Ezra rightly interprets it. Hence this phrase is used of the perpetual and ever living graces of the Spirit of God (John 4:10).
Isaac left to keep from having trouble with these jealous-hearted people. He did not go far, just to the valley. Years before, his father's servants had digged wells and got abundant water here. In this area, a good well of water was as valuable as gold nuggets. The land was fertile, only very dry. Water made it like a Garden of Eden.
For spite, these wells had been plugged. How foolish, because they could have used the much-needed water. Isaac knew right where the good wells were, and had them dug anew. Not only did they find water in the well, but a flowing spring. With water, they would produce profusely.
Genesis 26:20 "And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him."
"And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen": About the well which was dug in the valley; and this shows it was near Gerar or at least was upon the border of the country, and so it was a disputable point to whom it belonged.
"Saying, the water is ours": Though the well was dug by Isaac's servants, yet they laid claim to the water, pretending it was their ground, being on their borders.
"And he called the name of the well Esek": which signifies "contention": the reason of the name follows: because they strove with him; wrangled, contended, and disputed with him about whose right it was.
The encampments such as "Esek" ("Contention"), and "Sitnah ("Enmity"); led to the spacious and fruitful place of Rehoboth ("Plenty of Room"). He had many struggles, but we can identify with him and hopefully see how God worked in the life of an average man.
You see these herdsmen of Gerar had this place all to themselves before Isaac came. They could have dug for water, but they did not. They waited until after Isaac's herdsmen dug the wells, and then claimed them. Had they been able to take them from Isaac's herdsmen, they would have probably, dried up.
Genesis 26:21″And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah."
"And they digged another well": That is, Isaac's servants.
"And strove for that also": The herdsmen of Gerar disputed their right to that also, and strove to get it from them.
"And he called the name of it Sitnah": which signifies "hatred", it being out of hatred and malice to him that they gave him so much trouble. From this word, Satan has his name, and these men were of a diabolical spirit, envious, spiteful, and malicious.
Isaac was a man of God. He voluntarily moves to another spot, as we will see in the next verse. This reminds us of the Lord's teaching "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" (Matthew chapter 5:40).
Genesis 26:22 "And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
"Rehoboth": The word means "room enough." Finally, a well was dug without a quarrel erupting (verses 20-21). Now that they were no longer perceived as encroaching upon another's territory, Isaac selected an appropriate place-name which reflected how he saw God providentially working out their situation.
Isaac's patience paid off. God blessed him with another well. These other herdsmen had water now, so they left Isaac alone. Isaac gave God credit for finding the well. He realized wherever he went, God would bless him.
Genesis Chapter 26 Questions
1. What problem was in the land?
2. To whom did Isaac go?
3. Where?
4. God told Isaac not to go where?
5. What land had God promised Abraham?
6. What were these verses telling Isaac, that we could take heed of today?
7. What was his seed compared to for number?
8. What was a promise to the earth through Isaac? Why?
9. What was the first thing God told Abraham to do?
10. Where did Isaac dwell?
11. When the men of the city asked, what did he say about Rebekah?
12. Why did he not tell the truth?
13. What relation was Rebekah to Isaac, besides his wife?
14. What did Abimelech see to make him know Rebekah was Isaac's wife?
15. What would have brought guiltiness on the Philistines unknowingly?
16. What threat did Abimelech make to anyone who touched Rebekah or Isaac?
17. What did Isaac do to reap a hundred fold?
18. What three things did Isaac have that made him great in the sight of the Philistines?
19. What attitude did the Philistines have?
20. What happened to the wells Isaac's father's servants dug?
21. Why did Abimelech ask him to leave?
22. Where did he go?
23. What happened there twice?
24. What was as valuable as gold?
25. What was the name of the first two wells he dug?
26. What was the name of the third well?
27. What does it mean?
Genesis 26:23″And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba."
In Beer-sheba God appeared to him and again confirmed the Abrahamic covenant. So he worshiped there by building an altar (12:7-8; 13:4, 18).
I must lay a little ground work for this lesson. In the last lesson, Abimelech had asked Isaac to leave, and he had gone to the valley Gerar. There his herdsman and the herdsman of the land had trouble over two of the wells. They finally dug the third well over which there was no dispute.
The third well was named Rehoboth. Now, it appears Isaac had gone up to Beer-sheba. "Beer-sheba" means well of the oath, or of seven.
Verses 24-25: This abbreviated reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant was designed to relieve Isaac's anxiety at facing envy, quarrels, and hostility (verses 14, 20, 27), and to assure Isaac that he had reasoned right, fruitfulness in posterity would prevail.
That it was a significant reminder to Isaac is seen in a response reminiscent of his father, he built an altar of worship to mark the spot of God's appearance to him (12:7).
Genesis 26:24 "And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I [am] the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I [am] with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake."
"And the Lord appeared to him in the same night": The first night he came to Beer-sheba, in a dream or vision, in which the Lord was represented as speaking to him.
"And said, I am the God of Abraham thy father": Though he was dead, he remembered the covenant he made with him, and the promises he made unto him: and besides, though Abraham was dead as to his body, yet alive in his soul. For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32).
"Fear not": Any future famine, or want of any good things, nor any enemies. The Philistines his neighbors, who had driven him from their country, and had harassed him from place to place.
"For I am with thee, and will bless thee": If God is with his people, they have nothing to fear from men; and if he blesses them, they are blessed, and no curse can light upon them.
"And multiply thy seed, for my servant Abraham's sake": Who was a faithful, diligent, servant of his; whose service was, not forgotten by him, but would be rewarded in a way of grace, though not of debt.
God reassured Isaac that he was not only with his father, but that he was with Isaac also. This reconfirmed God's oath to Abraham. This was a three-fold blessing. "... I am with thee, will bless thee, will multiply thy seed..."
Genesis 26:25 "And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well."
"And he builded an altar there": At Beer-sheba, where his father Abraham had planted a grove before. Very probably had built an altar also, though it might not be now standing (Gen. 21:33).
"And called upon the name of the Lord": And gave him thanks for all his mercies to him; for the care he had taken of him, and provision he had made for him and his during the time of famine; and for the protection and preservation of him in Gerar.
And for his deliverance of him out of the hands of envious, malicious, and unreasonable men; as well as prayed unto him for present and future mercies, for providential care of him and his. And for communications of special grace, and for suitability for eternal glory; all which every good man daily prays to God for.
"And pitched his tent there": Intending to take up his abode and settle there.
"And there Isaac's servants digged a well": In order to find water for the family, and for the flocks and herds; and which was necessary to be done, as they perceived their master desired to fix his habitation here. Wells of water being of great importance and consequence in those hot and desert countries, as the above struggles about them abundantly show.
Isaac was a believer also. The first thing he did was build an altar, and worship God. He settled there where he met God. Again, Isaac had his servants to dig a well. Isaac could have digged a well anywhere, and there would have been water.
Genesis 26:26 "Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army."
"Abimelech ... and Phichol": Because 90 years had passed since Abraham was visited by men with the same names, they must have been titles rather than proper names (21:22; see note on verse 1).
Genesis 26:27 "And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?"
"And Isaac said unto them, wherefore come ye to me": What is the meaning of this visit? What has brought you here? It cannot be from affection and friendship to me.
"Seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?" The latter he mentions as a proof of the former; they envied his prosperity, and hated him on that account, and therefore expelled him from their country, or at least would not suffer him to dwell among them.
Still more glaring proofs were given of the hatred of the men of Gerar to him, not only by stopping up his father's wells, but by striving and contending with him about those he dug in the valley after he was gone from them; one of which he called "Sitnah", from their hatred of him.
Isaac was confused; Abimelech was the one who told him to leave. Now, here, he was and with two of his men. Isaac could not understand why they would follow him. Isaac even felt that they hated him, but I believe it was closer to jealousy.
Genesis 26:28 "And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, [even] betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;"
"An oath ... a covenant": In a mirror image of a former occasion (21:22-32), Abimelech in the company of a friend and the highest ranking officer in his army (verse 26), sought after a treaty with one they estimated to be superior and stronger than themselves and a possible threat (verse 29). Isaac, on the other hand, perceived them as hostile (verse 27).
The outcome was most desirable for both, peace between them (verse 31).
It was no secret that God was with Isaac. His crop that produced a hundred fold was one witness. The four wells that he dug, that produced in such a dry land, was another. Even someone looking on, who was not acquainted with God, could easily see that Isaac was blessed above other men.
Abimelech wanted an agreement that there would be no trouble between them. He knew which one God will help in a battle, and it would not be him. God and one is a majority. There was no question who would win.
Genesis 26:29 "That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou [art] now the blessed of the LORD."
"That thou wilt do us no hurt": Neither to our persons nor properties, to our kingdom and subjects, by invading our land, and seizing on our kingdom, all which was feared from Isaac's growing wealth and power.
"As we have not touched thee": Not done the least injury to him, to his person, family, and substance, but suffered him to go away with all he had untouched.
"And as we have done unto thee, nothing but good": By royal authority, or by the command and direction of the king and his nobles; for as for the stopping up the wells his father's servants had dug, and the controversy that was about those in the vale, and the trouble Isaac had on that account, these things were not by the order of the king and council, and perhaps without their knowledge.
"And have sent thee away in peace": No one being suffered to do any injury to him, or molest him in carrying off everything that belonged unto him.
"Thou art now blessed of the Lord": So, it appeared by the prosperity he was attended with, and by the Lord's protection of him, and the constant and continual favors he was bestowing on him; and this induced Abimelech and his nobles to seek to cultivate friendship, and be on good terms with him.
Abimelech was reminding Isaac that he did not harm him in any way. I do not believe it was out of the goodness of his heart that this was so. Abimelech knew that God was with Isaac, and he feared to do him any harm, because of the reprisal from God.
He forgot his men gave Isaac a hard time about the first two wells, and Isaac just moved on to keep from having trouble with them.
Genesis 26:30 "And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink."
"And he made them a feast": Made a feast for a king and those of eminence or high rank; he treated them in a generous way, according to their dignity, and agreeable to his own disposition and substance.
"And they did eat and drink": Freely, cheerfully, and in a friendly manner; for both having spoken their minds, they agreed to bury all former things, and live in peace and friendship. Though this feast was not on account of the covenant made between them, as is observed by some interpreters; but as a hospitable act, and a token of good will.
Genesis 26:31 "And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace."
"And they rose up betimes in the morning": Abimelech and his friends, in order to return home. Isaac to take his leave of them, and both to make the covenant between them in form, and confirm it by an oath, for which the morning was the fitter time. A transaction should be performed with the utmost attention and seriousness.
"and swore one to another": To live in harmony and friendship, and not distress and disturb each other.
"And Isaac sent them away": and they departed from him in peace. He took his leave of them in a friendly manner, and they departed well pleased with the reception they had met with, and the success they had had, having agreed on and settled articles of peace to each's mutual satisfaction.
Isaac was a good host. He made them a feast and they ate, drink, and fellowshipped together. They got up the next morning and agreed on a peace treaty between them. They sealed this agreement with an oath. I do not believe that the statement "Isaac sent them away" meant "forcefully". He just let them go in peace.
Genesis 26:32 "And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water."
"And it came to pass the same day": That the above things were transacted.
"That Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged": They had dug it before Abimelech came to Isaac, but they had not had an opportunity of acquainting him with it until he was gone, and then they came to give him an account of it.
What sort of a well it was, and how it answered their expectations and wishes; and which in those countries was a very great blessing, serving very much to recommend a place to dwell in.
"We have found water": Not only had they dug a well, but they had found plenty of water, and that which was good. Otherwise it would not have been worthwhile to have troubled Isaac with the account of it.
You know, it was a well like this where Jesus talked to the woman at the well. It was spoken of that Abraham had dug the well. These wells that God blesses never go dry. They flow generation after generation. At any rate, this well that Isaac's men dug like all the others, found water.
Water symbolically can mean so many things (the Word, the Holy Spirit). Without water (spiritual and physical), it would be next to impossible to live.
Genesis 26:33 "And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city [is] Beer-sheba unto this day."
"And he called it Sheba": Which, according to Jerome, signifies "fullness", as if it had its name from the abundance of water in it. But rather it signifies an "oath", and was so called from the oath, which he and Abimelech had just taken to one another.
This well he calls Sheba, "an oath," and hence the town is called Beer-sheba, "the well of the oath." It had been so called by Abraham a hundred years ago or more; but now upon this occasion it was renewed and confirmed, and so continued until the times of Moses, and many ages after.
This was the very place where his father Abraham had made an oath with another Abimelech and Phicol (see note on verse 26), and which Abraham had named Beer-sheba (21:32).
This city was located in the southern part of Palestine, about half way between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.
Genesis 26:34 "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:"
"And Esau was forty years old": The same age his father was of when he married (Genesis 25:20).
"When he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite": Josephus makes her to be the same with Aholibamah; but her father's name was Zibeon, and a Hivite, and must therefore be another person, not only the name being different, but the tribe (Genesis 36:2).
"And Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite": Whom Aben Ezra takes to be the same with Adah, and so does Josephus; and in this they may be right, since the name of her father, and his nation or tribe agree (Genesis 36:2).
The fathers of these two women are represented by Josephus as men of great power and authority among the Canaanites, as very probably they were. Esau had another wife of the same name with this last, but she was daughter of Ishmael, and sister of Nebajoth (Genesis 36:3).
He had more wives than those but these were his two first, who very probably were not taken together, but one after another, though it may be but at a short distance from each other.
Genesis 26:35 "Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah."
"Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac, and to Rebekah": The marriage of them itself was a trouble to them, it being contrary to their will that any of their children should marry with the Canaanites, and those the worst sort of them, the Hittites.
It having been the care of Abraham, the father of Isaac that his son should not marry with them, laid a strict injunction on his servant not to take a wife for his son from among them. This was an example to be followed in later times, and which Esau very likely was not ignorant of.
Besides this, the women themselves he took for wives were very disagreeable on all accounts, partly because of their religion, being idolaters, and partly by reason of their temper and behavior, being proud, haughty, and disobedient. His action had deliberately ignored the standard set by Abraham for Isaac (24:3; 27:46).
Esau married two heathen women, providing additional evidence of his spiritual dullness (24:3).
This sorrow that Esau brought on his family had several facets to it. Hebrew men were not to marry out of their faith. These two women were from the Hittites. God had forbidden Hebrew men to intermarry with them. To marry two of them made it doubly bad. This son was of marrying age (40). He broke the custom of the Hebrews.
Esau went out on his own and sought wives of his own choosing, not the one his father and mother had chosen for him. Esau was a rebellious son, who did not like authority. He would be nothing but grief to his mother.
He was attempting to satisfy his lustful flesh, rather than to wait and marry someone God had chosen for him. His children would be worldly. He didn't regard spiritual things very highly, or he would not have sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. We are looking at a very selfish man, who thought only of himself.
Genesis Chapter 26 Continued Questions
1. When Isaac left Abimelech, where did he go?
2. What does Beer-sheba mean?
3. When did the Lord appear to him?
4. Who did God say He was?
5. What three promises did God make to Isaac?
6. What was this encounter with God for Isaac?
7. What did Isaac do to honor God?
8. What did Isaac move to another location?
9. Who did Abimelech bring with him to meet Isaac?
10. Why was Isaac surprised at their visit?
11. Why did they want an agreement with Isaac?
12. What was Abimelech quick to remind Isaac of?
13. What did Isaac do to show his hospitality?
14. How do they seal the agreement?
15. Name two things water can mean symbolically?
16. Where is Beer-sheba located?
17. How old was Esau, when he took a wife?
18. Who did he marry?
19. What nationality were they?
20. How did this effect Isaac and Rebekah?
21. What was a Hebrew man not to do pertaining to marriage?
22. What custom did Esau break?
23. What would his children be from this type marriage?
24. What did he trade his birthright for?
Genesis 27:1 "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, [here am] I."
"Isaac was old": Blind Isaac evidently thought he was near death (verse 2) and would not live much beyond his current 137 years, which was the age of Ishmael when he died (25:17). He certainly did not expect to live another 43 years as he did (35:28; 30:24-25; 31:41; 41:46-47; 45:6; 47:9 to calculate Isaac's age at 137 and his twin sons' ages at 77 years old).
We learned before that Isaac's favorite was Esau. When Isaac called Esau, he was right there to answer his father.
Genesis 27:2 "And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:"
"I am old": Isaac lived still another 43 years (35:28), and he was 137 at this time.
Genesis 27:3 "Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me [some] venison;"
"Now therefore, take, I pray thee, thy weapons": Or "thy vessels", or "instruments", his instruments of hunting.
"Thy quiver and thy bow": The former is the vessel or instrument, in which arrows were put and carried, and has its name in the Hebrew language from its being hung at the girdle, though another word is more commonly used for a quiver.
Onkelos and Jarchi interpret this of a sword; and which is not disapproved of by Aben Ezra and Ben Melech, who explain it either a quiver or a sword; and the latter was as necessary for hunting as the former (see Genesis 27:40).
"And go out to the field, and take me some venison": This does not necessarily intend what we commonly call so, but anything hunted in the field, as hares, wild goats, etc. And indeed, the latter seems to be what Isaac loved, by the preparation Rebekah afterwards made.
Genesis 27:4 "And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die."
"That my soul may bless thee": Ignoring the words of God to Rebekah (25:23), forgetting Esau's bartered birthright (25:33), and overlooking Esau's grievous marriages (26:35), Isaac was still intent on treating Esau as the eldest and granting him the blessing of birthright, and so arranged for his favorite meal before bestowing final fatherly blessing on his favorite son.
Isaac still favored Esau (25:28). He was apparently ignoring the fact that Esau had bartered his birthright (25:34), and had married heathen women (26:34). This is quite remarkable in light of the pains his father Abraham had taken to get a wife for him (in chapter 24).
Here was a father's request of his favorite son as a last request. Isaac knew he could not live very long, and he wanted to speak a blessing on his son before his departure. His son, also, was aware that his father could not live very long. He desired to get the right hand blessing (the best blessing), from his father before he died.
The son thought, if I would bring him food he loved, while he was still feeling good, he would give me the best blessings he had. The father said, go kill a deer and bring it to me.
Verses 5-29: Rebekah favored Jacob (25:28), and instigated the deception in verses 6-29. Jacob had to resort to lying (verses 19, 24); and Isaac allowed his senses of touch (verse 22), taste (verse 25), and smell (verse 27), to overrule what he heard (verse 22). The blessing included both benediction (verse 28), and prediction (verse 29).
Genesis 27:5 "And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt [for] venison, [and] to bring [it]."
"Rebekah heard": Desperation to secure patriarchal blessing for Jacob bred deception and trickery, with Rebekah believing her culinary skills could make goat's meat taste and smell like choice venison (verses 8-10), and make Jacob seem like Esau (verses 15-17).
"And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it": As his father directed and enjoined him; and thus, it was ordered by divine Providence, that there might be time and opportunity for Jacob to get the blessing before his brother.
Genesis 27:6 "And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,"
"And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son": Who was in the tent with her, and for whom she had the strongest affection.
"Saying, behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother": She heard the conversation that passed between them, and particularly what Isaac had given in charge to Esau.
Genesis 27:7 "Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death."
"Bring me venison, and make me savory meat ": Fetch him venison out of the field, and dress it in a savory manner, and bring it to him.
"That I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death": The phrase "before the Lord" is here added, which yet perhaps might be expressed by Isaac, though before omitted by the historian, and has a very considerable emphasis in it.
For this solemn blessing was given not only in the presence of the Lord, and before him as a witness, but by calling upon him. And praying for direction in it, and then pronouncing it in his name and by his authority, he approving of it, so that it was ever after irrevocable.
Rebekah had been eavesdropping, and she had heard that Isaac was about to bless his favorite son over her favorite son. She now, was starting this whole thing with Jacob.
Genesis 27:8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee."
"Now therefore, my son, obey my voice": Hearken to what I am about to say, and do it.
"According to that which I command thee": in every point; she required of him respectful obedience to all that she enjoined him; which, though not difficult to be performed.
She was aware Jacob would make objections to, as he did. And therefore, she is so pressing and commanding in her instructions, as well knowing it was respecting an affair of the greatest moment and importance.
Mama had come up with a scheme to change these plans of Isaac. She reminded Jacob that he was to obey her. Let us see what plan she had.
Genesis 27:9 "Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth:"
"Go now to the flock": To the flock he had the care of, and that immediately, for the case required haste.
"And fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats": Two young kids that were fat, as Jonathan and Ben Melech interpret it; and, though two may seem to be too much to be dressed for Isaac only. It may be observed, that Rebekah intended only to take out some of the choicest and most tender and delicate parts of them, and which would best suit her purpose.
And which she would make most like to venison and the rest could be disposed of for the use of the family. And, if it should be questioned whether Rebekah had a right to do this without her husband's leave, the Jewish writers have an answer ready. That, in her dowry or matrimonial contract, Isaac had allowed her to take two kids of the goats every day.
"And I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth": Such as would pass with him for venison. Jarchi says that the taste of a kid is like the taste of a young roe or fawn. However, by seasoning, the natural taste might be altered so as not to be distinguished, as we find it was. And such as have the best skill in venison may be imposed upon and deceived by more ways than one, as Isaac was.
Genesis 27:10 "And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death."
"And thou shall bring it to thy father": For venison; and as if he was Esau that brought it.
"That he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death": To whom she knew by the divine oracle the blessing belonged (Genesis 25:23), as well as by virtue of the sale of the birthright to him by his brother (Genesis 25:33), and through Esau's forfeiting of it by marrying with the Canaanites (Genesis 26:34).
In these her sentiments she was right, but wrong in the ways and means she took to get it for him.
You can see what mama had figured out. Isaac was blind, and he would mistake Jacob for Esau. Mamma knew that it would take Esau a little while to locate a deer, and while he was hunting, Rebekah could fix that goat to taste like venison and trick Isaac into blessing Jacob.
Genesis 27:11 "And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man:"
"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother": Being nervous lest he should do an ill thing, and be accounted a deceiver, and bring a curse upon himself.
"Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man": covered all over with hair; as with a hairy garment; so he was born, and so he continued, and no doubt his hair increased (Genesis 25:25).
"And I am a smooth man": without hair, excepting in those parts where it is common for all men to have it.
Genesis 27:12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing."
"As a deceiver": To his credit, Jacob at first objected. The differences between him and Esau would surely not fool his father and might result in blessing being replaced with a curse as a fitting punishment for deception.
At least, Jacob realized that he would be responsible for the curse being spoken, and not anyone else. His father was blind, but he still could feel. He knew Isaac would be able to tell the difference.
Genesis 27:13 "And his mother said unto him, Upon me [be] thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them]."
"Upon me be thy curse": With his mother accepting full responsibility for the scheme and bearing the curse should it occur, Jacob reluctantly followed Rebekah's instructions.
Genesis 27:14 "And he went, and fetched, and brought [them] to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved."
"And he went and fetched and brought them to his mother": Being satisfied with what his mother had said, he went to the field where the flock was, and took out of it two young kids, and brought them to his mother; and thus far he did right to obey her commands.
"And his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved": By picking out proper pieces, and seasoning them well, it was as appreciative to him as if it had really been venison, such as he loved.
Genesis 27:15 "And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which [were] with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:"
"Goodly raiment ... her eldest son": Esau, having been married for 37 years (Gen. 26:35), would have had his own tents and his own wives to do for him; so how and why Rebekah came by some of his best clothes in her tent is unknown.
Perhaps these garments were the official robes associated with the priestly functions of the head of the house, kept in her house until passed on to the oldest son. Perhaps Esau had, on occasion, worn them, thus their smell of the field (verse 27).
Genesis 27:16 "And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:"
"And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands": Upon both his hands, and the whole of them that was bare, that he might appear to be like Esau.
"And upon the smooth of his neck": Which his neck was covered with hair as his hands; and Hiscuni, a Jewish writer, observes, that the skins of goats are rough, and like the skin of a hairy man. Bochart remarks, that goats' hair in the eastern countries is not much unlike human hair (see 1 Samuel 19:13).
Right here, we need to deal with Rebekah. Was she a deceiving woman, or was she remembering the thing God told her about her two sons before their birth? God told her that the older would serve the younger. You know, Esau really did not deserve the birthright. He sold it to Jacob for a bowl of soup.
Did God give Rebekah this plan? Did she scheme this up herself, or did God give her this plan to save this blessing for Jacob? Jacob was God's choice from the beginning, but Hebrews gave the best blessing to their oldest son. It was the custom.
Was this Rebekah's plan, or God's plan? God was not happy with Esau when he sold the birthright, and also married two earthly women.
Genesis 27:17 "And she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob."
"And she gave the savory meat": Seasoned and dressed in such a manner as might be taken for venison.
"And the bread which she had prepared": To eat with it.
"Into the hand of her son Jacob": The dish of meat in one hand, and the bread in the other.
Genesis 27:18 "And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I; who [art] thou, my son?"
"And he came unto his father": Into the tent and apartment where he was.
"And said, my father": To try whether he was awake, and to let him know that he was come, since he could not see him.
"And he said, here am I": What hast thou to say to me?
"Who art thou, my son?" For, from the voice and the quick dispatch made, he suspected it was not his son Esau.
Genesis 27:19 "And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me."
"And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn": Had he only said that he was his firstborn, he might have been excused from lying, because he had bought the birthright of Esau. But when he says, I am Esau, he can by no means be excused. For to say he impersonated Esau will not do; besides, he afterwards says he was his very son Esau (Genesis 27:24).
"I have done according as thou badest me": Which is another lie, for Isaac had not bid him bring him any venison, nor go into the field for it, and take it and dress it for him. Nor indeed had Jacob done either of these.
"Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison": Or "hunting", what he had hunted. Another untruth, for it was not venison he brought him or anything that was hunted by him. By this it seems that Isaac lay upon a bed or couch through infirmity therefore is bid to arise and put himself in a proper posture for eating; which in those times and countries was usually sitting.
"That thy soul may bless me": As this was the thing in view, so speaking of it as soon as he came in, and which he desired might be done after his father had eaten and drank, might serve to take off the suspicion of his being another person. Since this was what Isaac himself proposed to Esau to do, and this he said when there were none else present.
Genesis 27:20 And Isaac said unto his son, How [is it] that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought [it] to me."
Isaac's perfectly legitimate question in verse 20 (hunting took time and Jacob had come so quickly with goats from the pen), afforded Jacob an escape route, confess and stop the deceit!
"And he said, because the Lord thy God brought it to me": Which was another falsehood; for it was not the Lord, but his mother brought it to him. And this seems to be the most marvelous of all, that so good a man should dare to bring the name of the Lord God into this affair.
Instead, Jacob, with consummate ease, knowing he needed Isaac's irrevocable confirmation even though he had bought the birthright, ascribed success in the hunt to God's providence. A lie had to sustain a lie, and a tangled web had begun to be woven (verses 21-24). Although Jacob received Isaac's blessing that day, the deceit caused severe consequences:
(1) He never saw his mother after that;
(2) Esau wanted him dead;
(3) Laban, his uncle, deceived him;
(4) His family life was full of conflict; and
(5) He was exiled for years from his family.
Indeed, he does not say the Lord my God, or our God, but thy God; which some think was done on purpose, the more to cover the deceit. Because they suppose that Esau, whom Jacob impersonated, was an idolater, but this is not so evident; rather it looks as if Jacob had not the confidence to call the Lord his God with a lie in his mouth.
By the promise of God, he would have received the birthright (25:23). He didn't need to scheme this deception with his mother.
Genesis 27:21 "And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not."
"And Isaac said unto Jacob, come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son": Still suspecting some fraud in the case; and whereas he knew that Esau was a hairy man, and Jacob smooth, he thought by feeling he could discover the impostor, if there were any.
"Whether thou be my very son Esau, or not": Which he still pretty much questioned.
Genesis 27:22 "And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice [is] Jacob's voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau."
"And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father": Boldly and without trembling; which he could the better do, as his father could not see him, and so not capable of discerning any change in his countenance or outward behavior.
"And he felt him": Some parts of his body, especially his hands.
"And said, the voice is Jacob's voice": Very like it, as if it was the same, as indeed it was.
"But the hands are the hands of Esau": Are like them, being hairy as they; or as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem," the feeling of the hands is as the feeling of the hands of Esau; they feel like them.
Genesis 27:23 "And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him."
"And he discerned him not": As he could not see, he could make no judgment by that sense and though he had his hearing, thought the voice was like Jacob's. He might imagine there might be an alteration in Esau's voice, coming in haste and weary from the fields. Yet, as there could not be any deception in his feeling, he thought it safest to trust to that.
"Because his hands were hairy as his brother Esau's hands": Which could not in a short time become so naturally. It was more reasonable to think that Esau's voice should be altered and become like Jacob's, than that Jacob's hands should become like Esau's.
"So he blessed him": Or intended and determined within himself to bless him, for the blessing was not given till afterwards. Unless this is to be understood of a common blessing, congratulating him on the quick dispatch he made, and the great success he met with.
After this gave him the patriarchal blessing, which as yet he had not, being not thoroughly satisfied of him, as appears by what follows.
The plan had worked. Goat, if it is fixed correctly, tastes like venison, so Isaac would not be able to tell the difference in taste. He was amazed how fast it was prepared, but his son, Jacob, had learned early from his father that it was ok to lie to save yourself, so he said; God helped him find the deer.
He also lied when he told his father he was Esau. His father could not understand, if he was Esau, why he had Jacob's voice. The hairy hands, and probably the odor from Esau's clothes, convinced the father that this was truly Esau. So, he blessed Jacob.
Genesis 27:24 "And he said, [Art] thou my very son Esau? And he said, I [am]."
"And said, art thou my very son Esau?" Still having some doubt on his mind whether he really was so or not, because of his voice.
"And he said, I am": As for the observation of Jarchi upon this, in order to excuse Jacob from lying, that he does not say, "I am Esau", only "I", it will not do, since it is an answer to Isaac's question, with a design to deceive him. And he intended by it that he should understand him as he did, that he was really Esau.
He (Jacob), told a lie one more time to save himself.
Genesis 27:25 "And he said, Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank."
"And he said, bring it near to me": Being in a good measure satisfied that it must be Esau that was with him, he agreed that he should set his savory meat before him he had prepared and brought to him.
"And I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee": This showed that as yet he had not blessed him, at least that the main and principal blessing was yet to come.
"And he brought it near to him, and he did eat": Set it on a table before him, and guided his hands to it, or fed him with it, and he made a meal of it.
"And he brought him wine, and he drank": And so was comfortably refreshed, and in a good temper and disposition of mind to confer the blessing.
Genesis 27:26 "And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son."
"And his father Isaac said unto him": After he had eaten and drank, and the repast was over, and all were taken away.
"Come near now, and kiss me, my son": Which was desired either out of affection to him, excited by this instance of preparing such savory and agreeable food. Or else having some suspicion still, and willing to have more satisfaction before he proceeded further to bless, from the smell of his breath, and of his garments.
Verses 27-29: Finally, with all lingering doubts removed, Isaac pronounced the blessing upon Jacob, although the opening words show he thought the one receiving it was Esau, the man of the field. His prayer-wish called for prosperity and superiority and ended with a repeat of God's words to Abraham (verse 29; 12:1-3).
The words indicated that Isaac thought the covenantal line should have continued through his eldest son, Esau.
Genesis 27:27 "And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son [is] as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:"
"And he came near, and kissed him": Jacob came near and kissed Isaac his father.
"And he smelled the smell of his raiment": Which being not like the smell of a sheep coat, but of a field, might give him more full satisfaction that it was truly Esau.
"And he blessed him": With his patriarchal and prophetic blessing.
"And said, see, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed": Like a field full of fragrant herbs, flowers, and spices, watered with the dews and rain of heaven. And so made fruitful, emitting a most, delightful odor. This may duplicate the scent of Esau's clothes, now on Jacob's back, which they received from the fields, which Esau continually frequented.
Whose garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia (Psalm 45:8), even Isaac's principal son, that should be of his seed, of whom Jacob his present son was a type, and who was to spring from him.
Genesis 27:28 "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:"
"Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven": Or "shall" or "will give thee", seeing he was blessed of God and the blessed seed should spring from him, as well as his posterity should inherit the land of Canaan. For this is said rather by way of prophecy than wish.
And the dew of heaven is the rather mentioned, not only because that makes the earth fruitful on which it plentifully falls, but likewise because the land of Canaan, the portion of Jacob's posterity, much needed it, and had it, for rain fell there but seldom. Only twice a year, in spring and autumn; and between these two rains, the one called the former, the other the latter rain.
The land was impregnated and made fruitful by plentiful dews; and these signified figuratively both the doctrines and blessings of grace.
Which all Jacob's spiritual offspring, such as are Israelites indeed, are partakers of, and especially under the Gospel dispensation (see Deuteronomy 32:2).
"And the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine": And such the land of Canaan was, a fat and fertile land, abounding with all good things (see Deuteronomy 8:8); by which are figured the plenty of Gospel provisions, the word and ordinances, which God has given to his Jacob and Israel in all ages, as he has not given to other people.
And especially in the times of the Messiah, Jacob's eminent seed and son (see Psalm 147:19).
Genesis 27:29 "Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed [be] every one that curseth thee, and blessed [be] he that blesseth thee."
Jacob would be the head over Isaac's household: "Let people serve thee ... let thy mother's sons bow down to thee".
The blessing that Isaac blessed Jacob with had been his ever since the day that Esau sold it. This blessing was the preferential right hand blessing. A blessing that a patriarch spoke was as an oracle of God. He was God's agent speaking this blessing.
It was without repentance. God would not change it. It would be done to the utmost. This blessing was that even nature itself would bless Jacob. He would rule over nations, and even his brother would bow down unto him. God's curse would be on anyone who cursed, and would bless anyone who blessed Him.
Even though he received the message through trickery, it would not be reversed. This was God's doing, as well as Rebekah's and Jacob's, or it would not have gone so well. Sometimes God uses things that, in our mind, do not appear the right way, to perform the results he wants.
Genesis Chapter 27 Questions
1. What was wrong with Isaac's eyes?
2. Who was Isaac's favorite?
3. Why was Isaac about to bless Esau?
4. What did he ask Esau to do? Why?
5. What did Esau know about Isaac?
6. In essence, what did Isaac tell Esau?
7. Who overheard this conversation of Isaac and Esau?
8. Was this pleasing to her?
9. What did she tell Jacob to do?
10. What did she remind him about parents?
11. Jacob told Rebekah that Isaac would know the difference between the son's, because of what?
12. If there was a curse, who would it be on?
13. Who cooked the meat?
14. What did she put on Jacob's hands?
15. What choices were brought up about Rebekah?
16. What had God told her about the two boys?
17. Why did Esau not deserve the blessing.
18. Who was God's choice for the blessing?
19. Was this Rebekah's plan, or God's plan?
20. What question did Isaac ask Jacob when he carried the meat to his father?
21. Did Jacob explain why he got the meat so fast?
22. What did Isaac say about the voice and the hands?
23. Who did Jacob learn to lie from?
24. What two things convinced Isaac that Jacob was Esau?
25. Name several ways he blessed Jacob.
26. Who would be cursed?
27. When a patriarch blessed, he was representing whom?
28. Could this blessing on Jacob ever be reversed?
29. Name three who were actually part of this?
Genesis 27:30 "And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting."
"And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob": So that he had the whole entire blessing, and nothing wanting. And takes in blessings of all sorts, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, of which the land of Canaan, and the fruits of it, were typical.
"And Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father": Which no doubt he made haste to do, as soon as he had got the blessing. Partly to avoid his brother, whom he might expect to come in any moment, and partly to relate to his mother the success he had met with.
"That Esau his brother came in from his hunting": And not only was come out of the field from hunting, but had been at home some time, and had dressed what he had caught in hunting, and was just coming in with it to his father, as appears from (Genesis 27:31).
Genesis 27:31 "And he also had made savory meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me."
"And he also made savory meat, and brought it unto his father": Which was made of real venison, or of creatures taken in hunting, and not like Jacob's, made of other flesh, in imitation of it.
"And said unto his father, let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me": This address is made by Esau to his father in a very respectful manner, as became a dutiful son to an aged and honored parent.
Who in obedience to his command had prepared agreeable food for him, and now brought it to him, in order to receive his blessing, which he had himself proposed to give him upon it.
There are many things in all of this to see. We must still remember that God told Rebekah at the beginning; the younger would rule over the older. We, also, must remember that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup.
God had to help Rebekah and Jacob in this, or Esau would have returned earlier, before Isaac blessed Jacob. You see, Jacob had just shortly before, left the presence of Isaac. It is difficult to understand the seemingly underhanded scheme that Rebekah and Jacob performed to get the birthright, but it seemed God allowed them to complete it before the return of Esau.
We must remember, God was angry with Esau for taking his birthright so lightly.
This incident gets into the old argument of predestination, or foreknowledge. I believe foreknowledge, or else we would not have the opportunity to exercise our free will.
At any rate, here was Esau back from the hunt with the food, standing before his father with the meat prepared. Why did Esau, by his own words, go after the venison and prepare it? It was so Isaac would bless him, not because he wanted to see to the needs of Isaac, his father. He had a very selfish reason.
Genesis 27:32 "And Isaac his father said unto him, Who [art] thou? And he said, I [am] thy son, thy firstborn Esau."
"And Isaac his father said unto him, who art thou? "Hearing another voice more like Esau's than what he had heard before surprised him, and therefore in haste puts this question.
"And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau": All which was true in a sense. He was his son, and he was Esau. And he was his firstborn by nature, but not by right, for he had sold his birthright.
You see Esau here, reminded Isaac that he was the first-born.
Genesis 27:33 "And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where [is] he that hath taken venison, and brought [it] me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, [and] he shall be blessed."
"Isaac trembled very exceedingly": Visibly shocked when the scandal was uncovered by the entrance of Esau, the father, remembering the Lord's words to Rebekah (25:23), refused to withdraw the blessing and emphatically affirmed its validity.
"Yes, and he shall be blessed", and a little later "behold, I have made him your master". And also "your brother you shall serve" (verses 37-40).
Sudden realization at having opposed God's will all those years likely made the shock more severe.
You remember that Jacob was Rebekah's favorite, and Esau was Isaac's favorite. Isaac was saying here, I have blessed him and there is no taking it back. "Jacob", which means the trickster, had the blessing.
Isaac trembled because he realized he blessed the one he had not intended to bless with an oath. The best blessings were gone. Isaac was telling this son, I was not aware that it wasn't you, and I gave your blessing to someone else.
Somewhere in here, Esau had to be remembering back to the terrible thing that he did, when he traded his birthright to Jacob.
Genesis 27:34 "And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, [even] me also, O my father."
"Bless me, even me also": Esau fully expected to receive the blessing, for he had identified himself to his father as the firstborn (verse 32).
Anguished at losing this important paternal blessing and bitterly acting as the innocent victim (verse 36), Esau shifted the blame for the loss of birthright and blessing to Jacob and pleaded for some compensating word of blessing from his father (verses 36, 38).
There was no repentance seen here, by Esau. He was bitter at someone else for his own sins. He knew his father loved him best. He wanted what did not belong to him. He pled for his father to bless him. Suddenly, the birthright (blessing), was important to him. Not the obligation of the birthright was important, only the blessing.
Genesis 27:35 "And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing."
"And he said, thy brother came with subtilty": The word signifies fraud and deceit, as must be understood here. Though it may be Isaac that says this, not so as much to blame Jacob for what he had done, but to excuse himself to Esau. That he did not intend to get the blessing from him, but that he was imposed upon by the craft and subtlety of his brother, who pretended to be Esau.
Pretending he had been hunting, and had had wonderful success, and had gotten venison, and had prepared it. Then came with goat skins upon his hands and neck, so that he might seem to be hairy as Esau was, and by these artful tricks he had deceived him. Therefore, Esau could not blame him for what he had done.
"And hath taken away thy blessing": Which belonged to him as the firstborn, and he expected to have, and Isaac intended to have given it to him.
Genesis 27:36 "And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?"
"For he hath supplanted me": the root of supplant is aqab, meaning "to take by the heel." Esau was distressed and saw the event as a repetition of the birthright exchange, a fulfillment of the birth prophecy, and an explanation for Jacob's name, which forms a pun with supplanter, and is pronounced ya aqob.
There is another pun with the words for "birthright" ( bekor) and "blessing" (berakah). The cursed and "blessed" terminology reminds one of (12:3).
Esau was feeling sorry for himself. He even began to call Jacob names. "Supplanter" means take by the heel, or restrain, or an extended word, "trick".
You see, Esau, as I said, was trying to blame someone else for his downfall. He was not tricked; he knew full well what he was doing, when he sold his birthright. The blessing he missed was an extension of the birthright. He was still petitioning his father to bless him, in spite of what he had done.
Genesis 27:37 "And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?"
"And Isaac answered and said unto Esau": Giving an account of the blessing he had bestowed upon his brother.
"Behold, I have made him thy lord": The lord of his posterity, who would be subdued and become tributary to his seed.
"And all his brethren have I given to him for servants": The Edomites, who sprung from his brother Esau. Who, according to this prophetic blessing, became servants to David, who was a son of Jacob's (see Genesis 27:29).
"And with corn and wine have I sustained him": Promised him a fruitful country, the land of Canaan, abounding with all good things, particularly with corn and wine, which are put for all the rest.
"And what shall I do now unto thee, my son?" What is there remains? What can be bestowed upon thee? There is nothing left; dominion over others, even over all nations. Yea, over thyself and thy posterity, and plenty of all good things, are given already to Jacob; what is there to be done for thee, or thou canst expect?
It is very important to see all of this. Had Isaac not been blind, Esau would have obtained the best blessing. In the flesh, he was his father's favorite. The blessing was his until he refused it by counting it as nothing when he traded it to Jacob.
We can see here, symbolisms of God having a favorite (the Israelites). They also took their heritage too lightly, and refused the blessing that would come through Jesus Christ. The firstborn refused to accept, and the Gentiles got the blessing. Note though, that after the fact, Esau wanted to be blessed.
Genesis 27:38 "And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, [even] me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept."
"And Esau said unto his father, hast thou but one blessing, my father?" He seems to speak diminutively of what had been given to Jacob, calling it one blessing. Whereas there were many, and of different sorts, both temporal and spiritual.
But it may be Esau had not so clear and comprehensive a view of what was contained in Jacob's blessing. Or at least was willing to think and hope that there was not so much given, but there might be some left behind for him. And that his father had a greater stock than to be drained of all at once.
"Bless me, even me also, O my father": With another blessing, with one equal to what has been given my brother.
"And Esau lift up his voice, and wept": In order to move the affections of his father, and to prevail upon him to reverse the blessing he had bestowed on Jacob, and give it to him. But he could not bring his father to repentance, to change his mind, and revoke the blessing. And give it to him, with all his crying and tears, as the apostle observes (Hebrews 12:17).
Never, in all of this, did Esau say, I am sorry I traded my birthright away, and I deserve this punishment. His tears were for himself, feeling sorry for self, not repentant tears.
Verses 39-40: The prayer-wish called for prosperity and inferiority, i.e., maintaining the validity of the words to Jacob and replacing "be master of your brother" with "your brother you shall serve" (verses 29, 40). This secondary blessing would not and could not undo the first one.
Genesis 27:39 "And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;"
"Thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth" should actually be rendered "away from the fatness." Edom (Esau), is doomed to privations; yet his day will come.
Genesis 27:40 "And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck."
"It shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck": Esau's descendants (the Edomites), would occupy a territory less fertile than that of Jacob's descendants (Israel). But from time to time they would break loose and assert their independence (see Chron. 21:8-10).
"Thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck": In later history, the Edomites, who descended from the line of Esau, fought time and again with Israel and shook off Israelite control on several occasions (2 Kings 8:20; 2 Chron. 21:8-10; 28:16-17).
You see, Esau's blessing had to do with the flesh. God would prosper his work. In the spirit realm, he would be subject to his brother. He did say that sometime later this yoke would be removed, but for then he was subject to his brother.
Genesis 27:41 "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."
So "Esau hated Jacob ... Esau said in his heart ... then will I slay my brother": The sins of all concerned in the matter of the blessing at once began to take their toll.
"The days of mourning for my father": Evidently Esau also thought his father was on the verge of death (27:1), and so, out of respect for his aged father, he postponed murder. Isaac lived another 43 years (see note on 27:1).
Esau had murder in his heart. Esau knew that Isaac would not approve of him killing his brother. Esau was assuming a quick death for Isaac. And then he would seek Jacob and kill him.
Genesis 27:42 "And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee."
"And these words of Esau her eldest son were told to Rebekah": Jarchi and Jonathan say, by the Holy Ghost; but Aben Ezra thinks, by one of Esau's friends and confidants, to whom out of the abundance of his heart he had revealed this secret, which is not at all unlikely.
"And she sent and called Jacob her younger son": Who might be in another tent or apartment, or with the flocks in the field.
"And said unto him, behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee": He has determined on it, and has laid a scheme for it, and comforts himself with the thought of it. That he shall be able to accomplish it, and so be the heir of the promise, and get the blessing.
And such is his nature, that thy death will be a comfort to him under the loss of his blessing, though he gets nothing by it, so sweet is revenge unto him.
Genesis 27:43 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;"
"Now therefore, my son, obey my voice": Hearken to what I say, and do according to it, as he had already in many instances. Particularly in a recent one, in which he had succeeded; and therefore had good reason to attend to her advice and direction (see Genesis 27:13).
"And arise, flee thou to Laban my brother, to Haran": Where Laban her brother, dwelt.
Genesis 27:44 "And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;"
"And tarry with him a few days": Which Aben Ezra interprets a few years; rather, as Hiscuni, one year. Perhaps it may be better should it be said one or two years. But instead of so short a time Jacob stayed there twenty years. And perhaps Rebekah never saw him anymore, being dead before he returned. After this account, no more mention is made of her.
"Until thy brother's fury turn away": Which she hoped would abate, subside, and be entirely gone in process of time. Especially when the object of it was out of sight, and so it might be thought would be out of mind.
Genesis 27:45 "Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget [that] which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?"
"Deprived also of you both in one day": Rebekah understood she stood to lose both her sons since, after the murder of Jacob, the avenger of blood, i.e., the next nearest relative, would track down and execute Esau.
This mother had one thing in mind. She wanted to save her son's life and to keep her other son from committing a terrible crime. She knew he would be safe in her family home. After a long while Esau's anger would be gone, and Jacob could return safely.
Genesis 27:46 "And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?"
"The daughters of Heth": Local Hittite women (see note on 26:35).
To deliver Jacob from Esau's vengeance, Rebekah was obliged to deliver her favorite over to their brother Laban, and disguised her intentions with a lie: "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth"
God did not want His people to marry heathens.
Rebekah needed a very good reason for Jacob to leave home to avoid being killed by his brother. The father, Isaac, knew that his father, Abraham, had sent to another land for a wife. Isaac was aware that God would not be pleased with the boys marrying heathen women. This plan would certainly be acceptable to Isaac.
Genesis Chapter 27 Continued Questions
1. When did Esau come in from the hunt?
2. What did he bring his father?
3. Why?
4. What three things must we remember in all of this?
5. It seemed as if, who helped Jacob and Rebekah?
6. Why was God angry with Esau?
7. What two ways of thought arise in this?
8. What question did Isaac ask Esau?
9. What did Esau remind Isaac of?
10. What effect did this news have on Isaac?
11. What was one meaning of Jacob?
12. Why could Isaac not change the blessing?
13. What emotion came over Esau when he heard Isaac had blessed Jacob?
14. What, about the blessing, was not important to Esau?
15. What did Esau claim that Jacob did to him twice?
16. Give several meanings of Supplanter.
17. Who would be Jacob's servants?
18. What else would he be blessed with?
19. How does all this relate to Christianity?
20. As a last effort to get blessed, what emotion did Esau show?
21. Did Esau ever repent?
22. What type of blessing did Esau get?
23. What evil thing did Esau plan in his heart to do to Jacob?
24. When this word came to Rebekah, what did she tell Jacob to do?
25. Where did she want him to go?
26. When did she promise to send for Jacob?
27. What two reasons did Rebekah do this?
Verses 1-2: "Take thee a wife from thence" Anxious for the safety of her son, Rebekah easily convinced her husband that the time had come for him to seek a non-Canaanite wife back in their homeland and preferably from near kinsmen (verses 2, 5), just as Rebekah had been sought for Isaac (see 24:1-4).
Genesis 28:1 "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan."
"And Isaac called Jacob": Or therefore, because of what Rebekah had said to him, related in the latter part of the preceding chapter, he sent for Jacob to come to him from his tent or apartment where he was, or from the field where he was keeping the flocks; thus paying a great regard to what his wife Rebekah had suggested to him which appeared to him very right and reasonable.
"And blessed him": He did not send for him to scold and criticize him for his fraudulent dealings with him to get the blessing from his brother, much less to revoke it, but to confirm it. Which was necessary to prevent doubts that might arise in the mind of Jacob about it, and to strengthen him against the temptations of Satan.
Since he was about to be sent away from his father's house, alone and needy to go into another country where he was to be for a while in a state of servitude. All which might seem to contradict the blessing and promises he had received, and would be a trial of his faith in them. As well as a chastisement on him for the fraudulent manner in which he obtained them.
"And charged him, and said unto him, thou shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan": It was time that he was married; for he was now, as the Jewish writers say, seventy seven, years of age.
Being now declared the heir of the Promised Land, it was proper he should marry, but not with any of the Canaanites, who were to be dispossessed of the land of Canaan, and therefore their seed, and Abraham's, to whom it was given, must not be mixed. Isaac takes the same care, and gives the same charge concerning the marriage of his son Jacob, on whom the entail of the land was settled, as his father Abraham did concerning his (Genesis 24:3).
Isaac knew that this son, whom the blessings of God would flow through, should not be unequally yoked with these worldly women.
Abraham had sent a trusted servant away to find a wife, so Isaac would not marry one of these women. Isaac wanted the same for his son, whom the promise of God would come through. This plan of Rebekah's to get Jacob away was working fine, because it fit into Isaac's plans as well.
Genesis 28:2 "Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother."
"Arise, go to Padan-aram": Of this place (see Genesis 25:20). He is bid to go directly, in haste and alone. Perhaps by this time Rebekah had given Isaac some hint of the ill design of Esau against him, making Isaac the more urgent upon him to be gone. As well as it was high time he had took to himself a wife.
"To the house of Bethuel thy mother's father": Who though may be dead in all probability, yet the house and family went by his name.
"And take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother": who had unmarried daughters of which no doubt Isaac and Rebekah had knowledge, a correspondence being kept up between the two families, though at a great distance.
These girls would be a first cousin to Jacob. This family would be acceptable to God.
Verses 3-4: This extra patriarchal blessing unveiled where Isaac was in his thinking. He had come to understand that the divine blessings would go through Jacob, to whom the Abrahamic Covenant promises of posterity and land also applied - quite the reversal of prior wishes and understanding (27:27-29).
The lack of land possession at that time, described by the phrase "the land of your sojourning," did not deter at all from the certainty of God's promise.
Genesis 28:3 "And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;"
"God Almighty" Significantly, El Shaddai was the name Isaac chose to employ when blessing Jacob. It was the name of sovereign power with which God had identified Himself to Abraham in covenant reaffirmation (17:1), which must have been an encouraging factor to both him and his son.
Jacob would certainly need the help of a powerful tower of strength. Verse 4 explains that the land promised to Abraham (in 15:18-21), is now guaranteed to Jacob and his descendants (28:1-9).
Genesis 28:4 "And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham."
"And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee": Which was promised to Abraham, and was demanded upon Isaac and his seed, and now upon Jacob and his seed, which follows.
"That thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave to Abraham": The land of Canaan, which was given to Abraham by promise, but not in possession. He was a sojourner and stranger in it, and so Isaac had been all his days, and now Jacob, who through the blessing was become heir of it.
But as yet neither he nor his posterity must enjoy it, but be strangers and sojourners in it. For the exercise of faith, and for the leading of their minds off of all earthly enjoyments, to the better and heavenly country God has provided for his people (see Hebrews 11:9).
Here again, was the patriarchal blessing passed from Isaac to Jacob. The blessings are listed all over again. Remember, this was the spiritual line of Abraham who would be blessed even unto our time.
Genesis 28:5 "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother."
"And Isaac sent away Jacob": From Beer-sheba; not in anger, or in a dishonorable way, but took his leave of him no doubt in an affectionate manner. As it is clear he went with his blessing, and had his good wishes for a prosperous journey.
"And he went to Padan-aram": Which from Beer-sheba, according to some, was four hundred and eighty miles. Unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian. Some versions make Laban to be the Syrian, others Bethuel. It is a matter of no great moment which is here so called, since they were both called Syrians (see Genesis 25:20).
"The brother of Rebekah": This refers to Laban, for Bethuel was her father.
"Jacob's and Esau's mother": Jacob is set first, not only as being most beloved by his mother, but as now having the birthright and the blessing.
Genesis 28:6 "When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;"
"And when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob": Had conferred the blessing before given, or had wished him a good journey; which perhaps may be all that Esau understood by it, and so was not so much offended with it.
"And sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence": Which likewise might not be displeasing to him, partly as he understood it to be only on account of taking a wife, and not on account of his ill design upon him.
Which he might imagine his parents knew nothing of and partly as he would now be out of the way. And he might find means the easier to bring himself into his father's favor. And then get him to revoke the blessing, and settle the inheritance upon him.
"And that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan": Or of the Canaanites, of any of the tribes or nations that belonged to that people, whether Hittites or others.
Genesis 28:7 "And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram;"
"And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother": As it became him and as it becomes all children to be obedient to their parents in all things lawful they command them. And it would have been well if Esau had been obedient to them also in a like case, the case of his marriage.
"And was gone to Padan-aram": As they had urged him, to take a wife from thence.
Genesis 28:8 "And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;"
"And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father": Who he perceived was displeased with the daughters of Canaan, or that they were "evil in his eyes", offensive to him, and disapproved of by him, because of their ill manners. Rebekah is not mentioned, whose displeasure he cared not for.
Genesis 28:9 "Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife."
"Then went Esau unto Ishmael": Marrying back into the line of Abraham through the family of Ishmael seemed to have been a ploy to gain favor with his father (verses 6, 8), and show an obedience similar to his brother's (verse 7).
He hoped by such gratifying of his parents to atone from past delinquencies, and maybe have his father change the will. He actually increased iniquity by adding to his pagan wives (26:34-35), a wife from a family God had rejected.
In the Scriptures above, we see Jacob (the spirit child), pleasing his father and mother by taking a wife, who was from a family of similar belief. The other son, Esau, was a rebellious son.
Anything that displeased his parents was what he was interested in doing. He followed the desires of the flesh and married Ishmael's daughter. This tribe was of the flesh. Here, we see dual marriage practiced, as well.
"Mahalath" means sickness. "Nebajoth" means fruitfulness. This rebellion in Esau was a very bad sin in a Hebrew family. Rebellion was thought of as witchcraft, and a rebellious child was to be stoned to death. Such was not the fate of Esau, because Isaac loved him so much.
Verses 10-15: For the first time, and significantly while Jacob was on his way out of the land of Canaan, God revealed Himself to Jacob and confirmed the Abrahamic Covenant with him in all its 3 elements of land, seed, and blessing (verses 13-14).
Later, God would remind Jacob of this event when He instructed him to return to the land (31:13), and Jacob would remind his household of it when he instructed them to cleanse their homes before they could return to Beth-el (35:3).
Genesis 28:10 "And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran."
"And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba": Where Isaac and Rebekah now lived. From there he went alone, without any servants to attend him, though perhaps not without letters of recommendation from his parents, testifying their affection to him, and that he came with their knowledge and consent, and was their heir, as Isaac had been to Abraham.
Nor without provisions, at least not without money to purchase them by the way, as appears by the oil he had, Genesis 28:18,
"And went toward Haran": For thither he could not get in one day, being many days' journey (see note on 11:31; Gen. 28:5).
Genesis 28:11 "And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep."
"And he lighted upon a certain place": Without any design to take up there, but as it were casually to him, though very providentially, after he had travelled forty eight miles; for so far it seems it was from Beer-sheba to Luz or Beth-el, as this place was called.
This place identified (in verse 19), as Beth-el, about 50 miles north of Beer-sheba, and about 6 miles north of Jerusalem. There he spent the night in an open field.
"And tarried there all night, because the sun was set": Which hindered his pursuing his journey any further that day and therefore took a night's lodging here.
"And he took of the stones of that place": One of the stones that lay there, as Aben Ezra and Ben Melech rightly interpret it, as appears from (Genesis 28:13).
"And put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place and slept": Being weary with his journey though he had no other bed than the earth, and for his pillow a stone, and for his canopy or curtain the open heaven. A different lodging this from what he had been used to in his father's house, and under the indulgence of his mother.
Genesis 28:12 "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
"A ladder ... angels of God ascending and descending": A graphic portrayal of the heavenly Lord's personal involvement in the affairs of earth, and here especially as they related to divine covenant promises in Jacob's life (verses 13-15).
This dream was to encourage the lonely traveler. God's own appointed angelic messengers ensured the carrying out of His will and plans. More than likely, the angels traversed a stairway rather than a ladder.
"A ladder set up on the earth": This would be better understood as a ramp or staircase. It is related to the mound thrown up against a walled city (2 Sam. 20:15). The streams of God's angels "ascending and descending on it" indicate the appropriateness of this depiction.
Jesus took this figure of a means of access between heaven and earth as a picture of Himself (John 1:51). Jacobs response to this vision (verses 16-17), suggests that he may have become a true believer on this occasion.
Genesis 28:13 "And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;"
"And behold, the Lord stood above it": Ordering, directing, and overruling all things in Providence, for the glory of his name and the good of his people.
And may signify, as the ladder may be a figure of Christ, that Jehovah the Father, is above him, as man and Mediator, and makes himself known in and by him, and delivers out all his blessings and promises through him, both temporal and spiritual, and such as follow.
"And said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac": Their covenant God and Father in Christ, who had made promises unto them, and bestowed blessings upon them; and the same was and would continue to be the God of Jacob, which is strongly intimated.
"The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed": Meaning not that small pittance of land only on which his body then lay, and which it covered, but all the land of which it was a part, even the whole land of Canaan.
Hereby entailing it on him and his seed, and so explaining and confirming the blessing of his father Isaac. And by which it appears, that all that had been done was under a divine direction, and according to the will of God.
Genesis 28:14 "And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
"And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth": Innumerable (see Genesis 13:16).
"And thou shalt spread abroad to the west": Or "the sea", the Mediterranean Sea, which was west of the land of Canaan.
"And to the east, and to the north, and to the south": Not of the whole world, but of the land of Canaan. The meaning is, that his posterity should be numerous, and break out and spread themselves like a flood of water, and reach to the utmost bounds of the land on all sides.
"And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed": That is, in that eminent and principal seed that should spring from him, the Messiah. In whom some of all nations should, as they have been, be blessed with all spiritual blessings, as redemption, peace, pardon, justification, adoption, and eternal life. The same promise had been made to Abraham, was renewed to Isaac, and now confirmed to Jacob (see Genesis 22:18).
This was a special place, a place of meeting God. God spoke to many of His people in dreams, not only in the past, but even now, speaks to us, if we will listen. Dreams are just another way to know God's will in our lives. Take note here that: Jacob had been obedient to his parents, He was alone.
He had left his family and friends behind. He had an unknown future going into strange lands. He had no idea whether they would receive him well, or not. These are the times that God comes and helps us, when we cannot help ourselves.
The angels are going and coming all the time as God sends them to minister to us here on this earth. Each of us has angels helping us along the way.
When God makes a promise, it is forever. He reiterates these promises He made to Abraham, then Isaac, and now Jacob. God never changes His plan.
Genesis 28:15 "And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of."
"Will keep thee ... will bring thee again into this land": A most timely, comforting, and assuring promise which remained engraved on Jacob's heart during his sojourn in Haran (30:25). His forced departure from Canaan did not and would not rescind any of God's promises to him.
It does not matter how far from home a Christian goes, God is with him. He will never leave us, or forsake us.
Psalms 46:1 "God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
You see, God is with us wherever we are, for He is in us. He knows the end from the beginning. He was telling Jacob he was with him, and would bring him back to the land of promise. Even though Jacob had problems, God was present to help him. He says that to the Christians, as well. He is with us. He will help us. We must trust Him to do just that.
Genesis 28:16 "And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew [it] not."
"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep": Which had been sweet unto him, and out of his dream, it being now over. Having left such a weight upon his mind, and such an awe upon his spirits, it might tend the sooner to awaken him. What time it was is not said, perhaps it was in the middle of the night or towards morning, since after this it is said that he rose early in the morning.
"And he said, surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not": God is everywhere, in a general way, upholding all things by his power, as he is immense and omnipresent. But here he was in a special sense, by some signal token of his presence; by a stream of light and glory darting from the heavens.
Hence Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it, "the glory of the Lord, and the glory of the majesty of the Lord.
A mind and will, and grace to Jacob, and that communion he had with him in his dream, of which he was very sensible: for when he says, "I knew it not", the meaning is, he did not think or expect to meet with God in such a place. He did not know that God ever appeared anywhere but in the houses of his people, such as his father's house.
Or in the congregation of the faithful, or where the saints met for public worship, or where an altar was erected for God: though sometimes God is present with his people, and they are not sensible of it; as the church (in Isaiah 41:10); and as Mary, when Christ was at her elbow, and she knew him not (John 20:13).
Genesis 28:17 "And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven."
"And he was afraid": Not with a humble but respectful fear. Not with a fear of the wrath and displeasure of God, but with a fear of his grace and goodness. Not with a fear of distrust of it, of which he had just had such a comfortable assurance; but with an awe of the greatness and glory of God, being conscious of his own unworthiness to receive such favors from him.
"And said, how dreadful is this place!" Not terrible and horrible, being not like Mount Sinai, but like Zion. Not as the suburbs of hell, but as the gate of heaven majestic and distinguished, because of the glory of God that appeared in it, whose name is holy and reverend and because of the holy angels here present.
And so the church, of which this was an emblem, is a solemn assembly, awful and respected; a city of solemnities, (defined as the state or quality of being serious and dignified) because of the worship of God in it, and his presence there.
Who is to be feared in the assembly of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are about him; and where persons should behave in a serious and solemn manner.
"This is none other but the house of God": Wherefore he afterwards called it Beth-el, which signifies the house of God; and so the church of God is often called (Psalm 23:6). Which is of God's building, where he dwells, and his family is, of which he is the master and governor; which he beautifies and adorns, fills, repairs, and defends.
"And this is the gate of heaven": Mr. Mede renders it "the court of heaven", because of the angels. Since in gates justice was administered by kings, attended with their staff; but royal courts were not kept there, only courts of justice. This place seems to be so called, because the heavens were opened and the glory of God was seen, attended by his angels, who were passing and repassing, as people through the streets of a city.
And was an emblem of the church of Christ, who is figured by the ladder set on earth, whose top reached to heaven, the door, the gate, the way of ascent to it; here he is preached in the word as the way of salvation, the way to heaven and eternal happiness.
Here He is held forth in the ordinances; here He grants his presence to his people, and indulges them with communion with him, which makes it like and next to heaven unto them. And, generally speaking, though not always, God brings his people to heaven this way, through a Gospel church state.
And by means of the word and commands; and here angels also attend (1 Corinthians 11:10).
This word "dreadful", above, has to do with reverence. I am sure Jacob felt as Moses did, that this is a very Holy place. Anywhere God is, is Holy. This was in the same area where many followers of God encountered this presence of God.
Genesis 28:18 "And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it."
"A pillar" Marking a particular site as of special religious significance by means of a stone pillar was known practice. A drink offering, a change of place-name, and a vow of allegiance to the Lord in exchange for promised protection and blessing completed Jacob's ceremonial consecration of Beth-el, i.e., "House of God."
"Pillar" and "oil" are the symbols normally used for a memorial (Deut. 27:2-4; Isa. 19:19), and consecration (Lev. 8:10-11). The pillars that were later forbidden were related to Baal worship (Deut. 12:3), and objects of that worship (Mica 5:13).
Genesis 28:19 "And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first."
"Beth-el" means House of God." It was the name given by Jacob to the place where he met God. It was also called Luz. The city itself was on the boundary between Benjamin and Ephraim in the time of ancient Israel. Its location was identified in the nineteenth century by E. Robinson as Tell Beitin, 12 miles north of Jerusalem.
The site was later excavated by William F. Albright and others, revealing a Canaanite settlement dating from 2000 B.C. Toward the end the Middle Bronze Age the city was fortified by a wall 11 feet thick.
Beth-el later became a prominent Hyksos fortress about 1600 B.C. the burning of the city during the Israelite conquest (Joshua 12:7-16), has been verified by a level of charred debris as much as five feet thick. It was later rebuilt and served as a royal sanctuary for Jeroboam's cult worship in the early monarchy (1 Kings 12:26-33; 2 Chron. 13:8-9).
Just as his father and grandfather before him, Jacob built an altar to God. Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. He is the Rock that we must build our faith upon. This oil represents the Holy Spirit. "Beth-el", as we mentioned before, means house of God. "Luz" means almond tree. This city was near, not at the exact spot.
Genesis 28:20 "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,"
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying": Which is the first vow we read of in Scripture.
"If God will be with me": The word if is not a sign of doubting, but is either an adverb of time, and may be rendered, "when God shall be with me"; or as a supposition, expressive of an inference or conclusion drawn, "seeing God will be with me".
Which he had the utmost reason to believe he would, since he had not only promised it, but had so lately granted him his presence in a very singular and remarkable manner, referring to the promise of God (Genesis 28:15).
"And will keep me in this way that I go": As he had said he would, and as hitherto he had, and for the future he had reason to believe he still would.
"And will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on": Which is included in that clause, "I will not leave thee", etc. (Genesis 28:15), even not without food and raiment; which is all men can desire or use, and therefore with them should be content.
Genesis 28:21 "So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:"
"So that I come again to my father's house in peace": In safety from Esau, and all other enemies, as God promised him he should.
"Then the Lord shall be my God": Not as if he should not be his God if he did not do all this for him; which would savor not only of a mercenary spirit, but of great lack of reverence; neither of which were to be found in Jacob.
Meaning that he should not only continue to own him as his God, and to worship him, but having fresh obligations upon him, should be stirred up more eagerly and devoutly to serve him in a very singular way and manner, and particularly by doing what is expressed (in Genesis 28:22).
Some think he has respect to the Messiah, owning him to be the true God with the Father and the blessed Spirit, who had appeared to Abraham, and was the fear of Isaac, and whom Jacob now owned as his God. This receives some confirmation from Targum of Jonathan, which begins the paragraph thus, "if the Word of the Lord will be my help, etc., then the Lord shall be my God.
Genesis 28:22 "And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."
"I will surely give the tenth": Tithing, though not commanded by God, was obviously already known and voluntarily practiced, and served to acknowledge God's providential beneficence in the donor's life (see note on 14:20).
Jacob may have been bargaining with God, as if to buy His favor rather than purely worshiping God with his gift, but it is best to translate the "if" (verse 20), as "since" and see Jacob's vow and offering as genuine worship based on confidence in God's promise (verses 13-15).
This was voluntary on Jacob's part; God had not commanded it (14:20, where Abram's "tenth" to Melchizedek was also voluntary).
It was not a requirement until the Law was given to Israel; and then two tithes were to be given, not one, as many assume (the annual tithe for the maintenance of the Levites in Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:21; and one for the lord's feast in Deut. 14:22).
It may be that every third year the second tithe was not brought to the sanctuary, but was kept at home and used to feed the Levites and the poor according to (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). If not, then there was a third tithe every third year. Thus, a consistent Israelite might give 23-1/3 percent annually, plus offering for sin, and so forth.
Jacob did not ask for his wants, he asked for his needs. He had already recognized God by building the altar.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you".
This is what Jacob had done. He pleased God.
Tithing pleases God, as well. Even now, God will bless those who give 10% of their income, or more to Him. The tithe is important because most people worship money, and God wants us to give up the things we worship. This was Jacob making an agreement with God. The other was God establishing His agreement with Jacob; the blessings passed on from Abraham.
Genesis Chapter 28 Questions
1. When Isaac blessed Jacob, what did he tell him not to do?
2. What had Abraham done for Isaac that Isaac now wanted for Jacob?
3. Where did Isaac send Jacob?
4. Who was Bethuel?
5. Whose daughter was Jacob to choose a wife from?
6. What relation would they be to Jacob?
7. What was the blessing passed on from Isaac? Three things
8. Which line of Abraham was Jacob in?
9. What nationality was Laban?
10. Why did Esau choose Ishmael's daughter to marry?
11. What was her name?
12. What punishment was the custom for this sin?
13. What was rebellion called?
14. Who was Haran named for?
15. What did Jacob use for a pillow?
16. What did Jacob dream about?
17. Who was going up and down?
18. Who was waiting at the top?
19. Does God speak to His people in dreams now?
20. Name four things about Jacob when he had the dream.
21. How long does God's promises last?
22. Tell us what Psalms 46:1 says.
23. When Jacob woke, how did he feel?
24. What does dreadful mean here?
25. What did Jacob do with his pillow?
26. What is the oil symbolic of?
27. What means house of God?
28. What did Jacob ask God for?
Verses 1-4: Conveniently meeting at his destination, shepherds who knew both Laban and Rachel reflected the directing hand of God upon his life, just as promised (28:15).
Genesis 29:1 "Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east."
"Then Jacob went on his journey": After the above vow at Bethel, and having had some intimation that what he desired would be granted him; or "he lift up his feet", which not only shows that he walked afoot, but that he went on his journey with great cheerfulness.
For having such gracious promises made him, that God would be with him. And keep him, and supply him with all necessaries, and return him again to the land of Canaan, which made his heart glad. His heart, as the Jewish writers say: lifted up his legs and he walked swiftly, and with great eagerness.
"And came into the land of the people of the east": The land of Mesopotamia or Syria, which lay to the east of the land of Canaan (see Isaiah 9:11). So, he came by several days journey.
Verse 2-3: "Great stone": Perhaps due to the fact that this well of precious stored water could evaporate rapidly in the sun, or be filled with blowing dust, or used indiscriminately, it had been covered and its use regulated (verses 7-8).
Genesis 29:2 "And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there [were] three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone [was] upon the well's mouth."
"And he looked, and behold a well in the field": Near Haran; he might purposely look out for a well, as knowing that there, people frequently came for water for their families, or shepherds to water their flocks. Of whom he might get intelligence concerning Laban's family, and where they dwelt.
Or he might lookout for this particular well, where his grandfather's servant had met with his mother Rebekah. Of which he had been informed, and very probably had some directions how to find it. Of this well (see Genesis 24:11).
To which may be added what another traveler says, there is in this city (Orpha, the same with Haran), a fountain, which both Jews, Armenians, and Turks, reported unto us was Jacob's well, and that here he served his uncle Laban. Near Alexandretta is a fine well, called Jacob's well, and its water is excellent; not far from which the Greeks say are the remains of Laban's house.
"And, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it": In order to be watered, when it should be opened.
"For out of that well they watered the flocks": The shepherds.
"And a great stone was upon the well's mouth": So that until that was rolled off, they could not be watered, which was the reason of their lying by it. This stone was laid upon it, partly to keep the water from flowing out, and being wasted, that there might be a sufficiency for the flocks.
And partly to keep the water pure and clean, that it might be wholesome for the flocks, as well as entire for the use of those that had a property in it.
Genesis 29:3 "And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place."
"And thither were all the flocks gathered": The three above mentioned (Genesis 29:2).
"And they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep": That is, when they watered the sheep, they would roll away the stone from the mouth of the well in order to do it; for as yet the flocks, now lying by it, had not been watered, as appears from (Genesis 29:7).
"And put a stone upon the well's mouth in this place;" This they were accustomed to do every time they watered the flocks.
In this dry barren land, the gathering place was at the well of water. The well was a valuable commodity. The sheep would die without the water. They were careful to put the stone back to keep filth from filtering into the well.
Genesis 29:4 "And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence [be] ye? And they said, Of Haran [are] we."
"And Jacob said unto them": To the shepherds, though not expressly mentioned; it cannot be imagined he spoke to the flocks, but to the keepers of them.
"My brethren, whence be ye?" A kind and friendly way of speaking, used even to strangers, since all men are brethren by nature. Or might be used by Jacob, because they were of the same occupation with himself. Shepherds asking them of what city they were and from and whence they came? And which being answered, would lead on to a conversation, which was what he wanted.
"And they said, of Haran are we": The very place he was bound, and was sent unto (Gen. 27:43).
Genesis 29:5 "And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know [him]."
"Laban the son of Nahor": Genealogical fluidity in the use of "son," meaning male descendant, occurred in Jacob's inquiry after Laban, for he was actually Nahor's grandson (22:20-23).
Jacob had found the right place and his mother's people, as well. God had truly been with him.
Verses 6-8: It appears that Jacob was trying to get these men to water their sheep immediately and leave, so he could be alone with Rachel for the meeting.
Genesis 29:6 "And he said unto them, [Is] he well? And they said, [He is] well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep."
"And he said unto them, is he well": In good health, he and his family, or "is peace unto him". Does he enjoy prosperity and happiness? For this word was used in the eastern nations, and still is, for all kind of contentedness.
"And they said, he is well": Or has peace; he and his family are in good health, enjoying all the comforts and blessings of life.
"And, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep": At that very instant she was coming out of the city with her father's flock of sheep, to water them at the well; an instance of great humility, diligence, and simplicity. This was very well-timed to Jacob.
This was Jacob's first glimpse of Rachel. Rachel herded the family's sheep.
Genesis 29:7 "And he said, Lo, [it is] yet high day, neither [is it] time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go [and] feed [them]."
"And he said, lo, it is yet high day": Noonday, when the sun is highest; at which time in those hot countries flocks used to be made to lie down in shady places, and by still waters, to which the allusion is (in Psalm 23:2). Or the sun was still up very high, and there was a great deal of the day yet to come; for so the phrase is, "yet the day is great" or "much", a long time still till tonight.
"Neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together": Off of the pastures, to be had home, and put into folds, which was usually done in the evening.
"Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them": Give them water out of the well to drink, and then lead them out to the pastures, and let them feed until the night which is coming on. This he said not in an authoritative way, or in a surly ill-natured manner, and as reproving them for their slothfulness.
But kindly and gently giving his advice, who being a shepherd himself, and knew what was proper to be done. This appears by the shepherds taking in good part what he said, and returning a civil answer.
Genesis 29:8 "And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and [till] they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep."
"And they said, we cannot": That is, water the sheep; either because the stone was a great one, as Jarchi observes, and therefore used to be removed by the joint strength of all the shepherds when they came together, though Jacob rolled it away of himself afterwards.
But this is imputed to his great strength: or rather it was a custom that obtained among them, or an agreement made between them, that the stone should not be removed from the mouth of the well.
"Until all the flocks be gathered together": And therefore, they could not fairly and rightly do it, without violating the law and custom among them.
"And till they roll the stone from the well's mouth": That is, the shepherds of the several flocks. Then we water the sheep; and not till then.
It seems at a certain time of day, they rolled back the stone and everyone watered their stock at that time. This seemed to be about noontime when she came, and watering time, was usually much later in the day.
Genesis 29:9 "And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them."
"While he yet spake with them": The language of Haran was Aramaic or Chaldee and evidently was known by Abraham and his sons. There is no comment on how these patriarchs spoke with the Canaanites and Egyptians in their travels, but it is reasonable to assume they had become skilled linguists, knowing more than Hebrew and Aramaic.
Verses 10-14: Customary greetings and personal introductions ended 97 years of absence since Rebekah had left (see notes on 25:21; 27:1), and Laban's nephew was welcomed home.
Genesis 29:10 "And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother."
"And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother": Coming with her flock towards the well, and for whom and whose flock only the shepherds might be waiting.
"And the sheep of Laban his mother's brother": Wherefore out of respect to him and his, he being so nearly allied to him, it was:
"That Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth": Either with the help of the shepherds, or of himself by his own strength.
Which the Jewish writers say amazed the shepherds, that he should do that himself, which required their united strength. The Targum of Jonathan says, he did it with one of his arms. Jarchi, that he removed it as easily as a man takes off the lid cover of a pot.
"And watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother": This he did partly out of respect to his relations, and partly that he might be taken notice of by Rachel.
Genesis 29:11 "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept."
"And Jacob kissed Rachel": Which he did in a way of courtesy and civility; this was done after he had acquainted her with his relation to her; he saluted her upon that.
"And lifted up his voice, and wept": For joy at the providence of God that had brought him at such a suitable time to the place and at the sight of a person so nearly related to him; and who he hoped would be his wife, and was the person designed of God for him.
Jacob, suddenly, became the gentleman of the hour, and rolled back the stone, and watered the sheep for Rachel. He even kissed her. He was so happy, that he wept.
Genesis 29:12 "And Jacob told Rachel that he [was] her father's brother, and that he [was] Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father."
"And Jacob told Rachel": Or "had told" her; before he kissed her, and lift up his voice and wept, as Aben Ezra observes.
"That he was her father's brother": His nephew by his sister, for such was sometimes called brethren, as Lot, Abraham's brother's son, is called his brother (Genesis 14:12).
"And that he was Rebekah's son": Sister to her father, and aunt to her, and whose name and relation she doubtless knew full well.
"And she ran and told her father": Leaving the care of her flock with Jacob. Rebekah, in a like case, ran and told her mother (Genesis 24:28). Which is most usual for daughters to do; but here Rachel runs and tells her father, her mother very probably being dead, as say the Jewish writers.
This statement did not mean that Jacob was Laban's brother, it meant, near kinsman. He was actually Laban's nephew. This was the only account of any contact between Rebekah and her family, since she left to marry Isaac. The excitement had to be great.
Genesis 29:13 "And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things."
"And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son": That there was such a man at the well, thus related to him, and what he had done there, that he had rolled away the stone, and watered his flock. The Jewish writers make this report chiefly to respect his great strength showed in the above instance, with other things.
"That he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house": Jarchi and other interpreters represent this as done with greedy views, and that he expected Jacob had brought presents with him, as pieces of gold, pearls and jewels, and such like precious things Abraham's servant brought and gave him when he came for Rebekah (Genesis 24:53).
But I don't see why we may not take all this to be a hearty, sincere, and affectionate greeting, arising from nearness of relation, and a sense of it.
"And he told Laban all these things": How he was sent by his parents on account of the hatred of his brother Esau, because he had got the birthright and blessing from him. And how God had appeared to him at Luz, and the promises he had made him; how providentially he had met with Rachel at the well. And perhaps, if he did not declare before, his coming there for a wife.
There was a great deal of catching up to do. Laban was excited to hear from his sister. He was anxious to meet her son. He showed great emotion by running to meet him, hugging him, kissing him, and taking him home with him.
Genesis 29:14 "And Laban said to him, Surely thou [art] my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month."
"A month": Tradition in that ancient area allowed a stranger to be cared for 3 days. On the fourth he was to tell his name and mission. After that he could remain, if he worked in some agreed upon way (verse 15).
Genesis 29:15 "And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou [art] my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what [shall] thy wages [be]?"
"And Laban said unto Jacob, because thou art my brother": Or nephew, his sister's son (see Genesis 29:12).
"Shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought?" Nearness of kin was no reason why he should serve him freely, or for nothing, but rather why he should be more kind to him than to a stranger, and give him better wages.
"Tell me, what shall thy wages be?" By the day, or month, or year; signifying he was willing to give him anything that was just and reasonable, which was very well spoken. This gave Jacob a fair opportunity of opening his mind more freely to him, and for answering a principal end for which he came.
From this Scripture, above, it seems Jacob had been working and helping Laban, his uncle. Laban realized he cannot work forever without wages, and asked Jacob what he would work for.
Genesis 29:16 "And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder [was] Leah, and the name of the younger [was] Rachel."
"Leah" and "Rachel" were the daughters of Laban. Both of them were married to Jacob at Haran. They and their handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, were the mothers of the 12 tribes of Israel. Leah was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and Dinah.
Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who were Jacob's favorite sons. She was also the ancestral mother of Ephraim and Manasseh. Rachel was Jacob's favorite wife. She died while delivering Benjamin at Ramah, near Bethlehem.
Jacob lived most of his life with Leah, who was eventually buried with him at Machpelah in Hebron (49:31). She was the mother of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, the ancestral mother of the Davidic line, and ultimately the ancestress of Christ Himself. (Gen 29:9-18; 29:31-35; 30:22-24; Ruth 4:11).
"Leah" means weary. "Rachel" means ewe, a female sheep.
Genesis 29:17 "Leah [was] tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored."
"Tender eyed": Probably means that they were a pale color rather than the dark and sparkling eyes most common. Such paleness was viewed as a blemish.
Verses 18-30: Love and working to provide his service as a dowry (verses 18-20), combined to make Jacob happily remain during the first 7 years in Laban's household, almost as an adopted son rather than a mere employee.
But Jacob, the deceiver (27:1-29), was about to be deceived (verses 22-25). Local marriage customs (verse 26), love for Rachel, and more dowry desired by Laban (verses 27-30), all conspired to give Jacob, not only 7 more years of labor under Laban, but two wives who were to become caught up in jealous childbearing competition (30:1-21).
Genesis 29:18 "And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter."
"And Jacob loved Rachel": As he seems to have done from the moment he saw her at the well, being beautiful, modest, humble, friendly/good natured, diligent, and industrious.
"And he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter": Signifying, that he desired no other wages for his service than that, that he might have her for his wife, at the end of seven years' servitude. Which he was very willing to oblige himself to, on that condition; for having no money to give as a dowry, as was customary in those times, he proposed servitude instead of it.
Though Schmidt thinks this was contrary to custom, and that Laban treated his daughters like bondmaids, and such as are taken captives or strangers, and sold them, of which they complained (Genesis 31:15).
Jacob had found what he wanted. This beautiful girl had won his heart. We know, of course, "seven" means spiritually complete.
Genesis 29:19 "And Laban said, [It is] better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me."
"And Laban said": Deceitfully, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, pretending great respect for Jacob, and that what he had proposed was very agreeable to him, when he meant to impose upon him.
"It is better that I should give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man": By which he not only intimates that he preferred him, a relation, to another man, a stranger. But as if he did not insist upon the servitude for her, but would give her to him; unless he means upon the terms proposed, and so it should seem by what follows.
"Abide with me": The term of seven years, and serve me; suggesting, that then he agreed Rachel should be his wife; and so Jacob, a plain hearted man, understood him. But he designed no such thing.
Laban struck a deal with Jacob. Laban did not want Jacob to leave. He said he preferred for her to marry Jacob over any other man. It was, also, the custom for the father to choose the groom for his daughter. It also is a custom of the groom to pay the father.
Genesis 29:20 "And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him [but] a few days, for the love he had to her."
"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel": The whole term of time, diligently, faithfully, and patiently. Reference to this (is in Hosea 11:12).
"And they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her": For though to lovers, time seems long as they enjoy the object beloved. Yet Jacob here respects not so much the time as the toil and labor of service he endured in it. He thought that seven years' service was a trifle, like the service of so many days, in comparison of the lovely and worthy person he obtained thereby.
All that he endured was nothing in comparison of her, and through the love he bore to her. Besides, the many pleasant hours he spent in conversation with her made the time fly by very fast, so that it seemed to be quickly gone; which shows that his love was pure and constant.
Genesis 29:21 "And Jacob said unto Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her."
"And Jacob said unto Laban, give me my wife": Meaning Rachel, who was his wife by contract; the conditions of her being his wife were now fulfilled by him, and therefore he might demand her as his wife.
"For my days are now fulfilled": The seven years were up he agreed to serve him for his daughter; and therefore, it was but just and right she should be given him.
"That I may go in unto her": as his lawful wife, and it was high time Jacob had her. For he was now, as the Jewish writers generally say, eighty four years of age; and from him were to spring twelve princes, the heads of twelve tribes, which should inhabit the land of Canaan.
Jacob's love for Rachel is great. He fulfilled his agreement with Laban. Now, he wanted his wife. Seven years is a long time to wait for someone you love.
Genesis 29:22 "And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast."
"And Laban gathered together all the men of the place": Of the city of Haran, which may be understood of the chief and principal of them, to make the marriage of his daughter public and authentic.
"And made a feast": A marriage or marriage feast, as the Septuagint version (see Matthew 22:2). Which was usual; when a marriage was performed expressing joy on that account.
Genesis 29:23 "And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her."
The deception was possible because of the custom of veiling the bride and the dark of the night (verse 24).
"Went unto her": This is a euphemism for consummating marriage in this 23rd verse and also in verse 30 below.
Jacob, the trickster, had been tricked himself. Whatever we reap we sow. This was not Rachel, but Leah who was brought to him. He was unaware of the change of girls. Jacob slept with Leah.
Genesis 29:24 "And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid [for] a handmaid."
"And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid, for a handmaid": It was usual to have many given them at this time, as Rebekah seems to have had (Genesis 24:59). But Leah had but one, and this was all the portion Jacob had with her.
The Targum of Jonathan is, "and Laban gave her Zilpah his daughter, whom his concubine bore unto him:" Hence the Jews say, that the daughters of a man by his concubines are called maids.
The servant girl, Zilpah, was given to Leah for a wedding present.
Genesis 29:25 "And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it [was] Leah: and he said to Laban, What [is] this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?"
"And it came to pass, that, in the morning, behold, it was Leah": The morning light discovered her, and her veil being off, her tender eyes showed who she was. It is that her voice had not betrayed her; as perhaps there might be a likeness of voice in her and her sister; or she might have kept silence, and so not be discovered.
But to excuse her from sin is not easy, even the sin of adultery and incest. Many things may be said indeed in her favor, as obedience to her father, and, being the eldest daughter, might be desirous of having a husband first. And especially of having the promised seed, which God promised to Abraham, and was to be in the line of Jacob.
"And he said to Laban": When he arose in the morning, and at first meeting with him. What is this that thou hast done unto me? What a wicked thing is it? As it was, to put another woman to bed to him that was not his wife, and in the room of his lawful wife; or why hast thou done this to me? What reason was there for it? What have I done, that could induce thee to do me such an injury?
For Jacob knew what he had done, of that he does not inquire, but of the reason of it, and to take issue against him about the crime, as it was a sin against God, and an injury to him.
"Did I not serve thee, for Rachel?" Even seven years, according to agreement? Was not this the covenant I made with thee, that she should be my wife at the end of them?
"Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?" By giving Leah instead of her: Though Laban is not to be justified in this action, yet here appears in Providence a righteous retaliation of Jacob. He beguiled his own father, pretending he was his brother Esau; and now his father-in-law deceives him, giving him blear (dim, dull, or filmy), eyed Leah instead of beautiful Rachel.
You see, Leah was wearing a veil, and it was dark in the tent. Much drinking at these weddings left them not fully aware of their behavior. It was easy to have been given the wrong girl. Jacob felt as if he had been wronged.
Genesis 29:26 "And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn."
"And Laban said, it must not be so done in, our country": Or "in our place", in this our city it is not usual and customary to do so. He does not deny what he had done in tricking him, nor the agreement he had made with him, but pleads the custom of the place as contrary to it.
"To give the younger": That is, in marriage.
"Before the firstborn": But it does not appear there was any such custom, and it was a mere evasion; or otherwise, why did not he inform him of this when he asked for Rachel? And why did he enter into a contract with him, contrary to such a known custom? And besides; how could he have the nerve to call the men of the city, and make a feast for the marriage of his younger daughter, if this was the case?
Verses 27 and 30: It appears that Laban agreed to give Jacob Rachel after the week of wedding celebration for Leah's marriage to him, and before the 7 years of labor.
Genesis 29:27 "Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years."
"Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also": Indicates that Jacob had to complete the wedding week with Leah (Judges 14:12, 17) so he could then marry Rachel for whom he would have to serve another seven years.
Thus, he accepts both wives without asking God's direction in the matter. Jacob was now being treated as he had treated his own brother and father. The deceiver had been out-deceived at last!
Genesis 29:28 "And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also."
"Rachel his daughter to wife" Such sharing of common ancestors was not God's will (see note on Gen. 2:24), and the Mosaic code later forbade it (Lev. 18:18). Polygamy always brought grief, as in the life of Jacob.
This too, was the custom of the land. Seven days the groom would take the bride away and return after seven days. (Many thinks this is symbolic of the seven years the Christians will be with Christ in heaven, before he comes back to set up His reign on the earth for 1000 years).
Now, Jacob had two wives. He had to work seven more years, but he now had his beloved Rachel with him.
Genesis 29:29 "And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid."
"And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid": As he had given Leah a handmaid he gave Rachel another; and this in the Targum of Jonathan is said to be a daughter of Laban by a concubine also, as the former.
These women were from a family of some affluence, and both girls had a maid for a wedding gift.
Genesis 29:30 "And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years."
"And he loved also Rachel more than Leah": His parents had made this mistake, they had played favorites. This is part of the reason that Jacob was in this dreadful position now.
He not only had two wives (bigamy), which was practiced by Cain's descendants, and marrying two sisters concurrently, which was later forbidden by Mosaic Law (in Lev. 18:18). But he reaped the many years of agony this situation produced.
Rachel was his choice from the beginning. Leah was his wife, but not by choice. It was circumstances beyond his control that made her his wife. He was a husband to her in every way, as we will see in the next verse.
Genesis 29:31 "And when the LORD saw that Leah [was] hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel [was] barren."
"Leah was hated ... Rachel was barren": There was quite a contrast when the one dearly beloved (verses 18, 20, 30), had no children, whereas the one rejected did.
Jacob might have demoted Leah, but God took action of her behalf. Leah had also prayed about her husband's rejection (verse 33), and had been troubled by it, as seen in the names given to her first 4 sons (verse 32-35).
Genesis 29:32 "And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me."
"And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben": That is, "see the son", as if she by this name called upon her husband, her friends, and all about her, to look at him, and view him. Perhaps hoping and imagining he might be the famous son, the promised seed, the Messiah that was to spring to Abraham, in the line of Jacob.
But if she so thought, she was greatly mistaken; for this son of hers proved unstable, and did not excel. Or rather God hath seen or provided a son, as Hillerus gives the significance of the name, which seems better to agree with what follows.
"For she said, surely the Lord hath looked on my affliction": Being deceived by her father, not so much loved by her husband as her sister was, and perhaps slighted by her.
"Now therefore my husband will love me": More than he has done, and equally as my sister, having bore him a son.
It seems Leah, as well as Rachel, loved Jacob. When Leah had this child, she thought the child would pull Jacob closer to her than Rachel. God had pitied her and blessed her with a child. As we have said already, it was a curse not to have a child in those days. "Reuben" means, behold a son.
Genesis 29:33 "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I [was] hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also: and she called his name Simeon."
"And she conceived again, and bare a son": As soon as she well could.
"And said, because the Lord hath heard that I was hated": or less loved than her sister.
"He hath therefore given me this son also": To comfort her under the trial and exercise, and engage her husband's love the more unto her.
"And she called his name Simeon": Which signifies "hearing", and answers to the reason of her having him as she concluded.
Genesis 29:34 "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi."
"And she conceived again, and bare a son": A third time, as soon as she well could after the former birth.
"And said, now this time will my husband be joined to me": In greater affection and stronger ties of love, and cleave unto her.
"Because I have born him three sons": Which she considered as a threefold cord, binding his affections to her, which could not be easily broke.
"And therefore was his name called Levi": Which signifies "joined"; from him the Levites sprung, and had their name.
Leah believed if she had children for Jacob, that he would love her more than Rachel. Jacob fulfilled all the husbandly duties, or else she would not have had children. He didn't hate her; he just loved Rachel more. "Simeon" means hearing. "Levi" means joining.
Genesis 29:35 "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing."
"And she conceived again, and bare a son": A fourth son, a son in whose line, and from whose tribe, the Messiah was to spring.
"And she said, now will I praise the Lord": She had praised him before for looking on her affliction, and hearing her cries, and giving her one son after another. But now she determines to praise him more than ever, having a fresh instance of his goodness to her.
The Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason, "because from this my son shall come forth kings, and from him shall come forth David the king, who shall praise the Lord". And why may it not be as well supposed that she had knowledge of the Messiah springing from him, which would greatly heighten and increase her joy and praise?
"And therefore she called his name Judah": Which signifies "praise". A further improvement is made of this name, and the signification of it (in Genesis 49:8).
According to the Jewish writers, these four sons of Jacob were born, Reuben on the fourteenth day of Chisleu, or November, and lived one hundred and twenty four years; Simeon on the twenty first of Tebeth, or December, and lived one hundred and twenty years; Levi on the sixteenth of Nisan, or March, and lived one hundred and thirty seven years.
And Judah on the fifteenth of Sivan, or May; and lived one hundred and nineteen years. And all these names being of the Hebrew language, and derived from words in it, show that this language or what was much the same with it, was spoken in Laban's family, and had been continued from Nahor, as it had been in Isaac's family from Abraham.
"And left bearing": That is, for a while, for after this she bore two sons and a daughter (see Genesis 30:17).
These sons were four of the twelve who would be fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. "Judah" means God be praised. The Hebrew of Judah is Yehudah. We will see these sons turn against the children of Rachel in a later lesson. Remember, these are the beginning of tribes by these names.
Genesis Chapter 29 Questions
1. What two things did Jacob see in the land of the east?
2. What covered the well?
3. Where was the gathering place? Why?
4. What did Jacob call these strangers?
5. What place were these men from?
6. Who did Jacob ask these men at the well about?
7. What was Laban's daughter's name?
8. What was she doing?
9. Why could they not water the sheep?
10. What did Jacob do to help?
11. How did he greet Rachel?
12. What did Rachel do when Jacob told her who he was?
13. What did Laban do when he heard his relative was there?
14. How long had Jacob been with them, before he had an agreement for wages?
15. What were the names of Laban's daughters?
16. How was the older described?
17. How was the younger described?
18. What was the deal that Jacob made?
19. What happened after Jacob fulfilled his end of the bargain?
20. Who was Jacob's first wife?
21. What was her maid's name?
22. What do many people think the seven day honeymoon is symbolic of?
23. How long will Jesus reign on this earth?
24. What blessings did Leah get from God?
25. Name her four sons.
26. What do the names mean?
27. These four sons are part of a larger group? What is it named?
Verses 1-21: The competition between the two sister/wives is demonstrated in using their maids as surrogate mothers (verses 3, 7, 9, 12). In declaring God had judged the case in favor of the plaintiff (verse 6), in bartering for time with the husband (verses 14-16), in accusing one of stealing her husband's favor (verse 15), and in the name given to one son, "wrestled with my sister" (Naphtali; in verse 8).
The race for children was also accompanied by prayers to the Lord or by acknowledgment of His providence (verses 6, 17, 20, 22; also 29:32-33, 35).
This bitter and intense rivalry, all the fiercer though they were sisters, and even though they occupied different dwellings with their children as customary, shows the evil lay in the system itself (bigamy). Which as a violation of God's ordinance (Gen. 2:24), could not yield happiness.
Genesis 30:1 "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die."
When the Lord saw that Rachel was loved and Leah hated, He closed the womb of Rachel and this produced the envy (in verse 1).
"Or else I die": A childless woman in ancient Near Eastern culture was no better than a dead wife and became a severe embarrassment to her husband (see verse 23).
This is a hard thing to understand. In our society, if a man had more than one wife, it is called bigamy. When God created man and woman, He said they two shall become one flesh. Any arrangement aside from this brings trouble. Jealousy and strife had entered Rachel in this case.
There is no grief like a married woman who is not able to bear children. Women do not feel fulfilled, until they have children. This is the case even more so with Rachel, because her sister had four children. Rachel blamed Jacob.
Genesis 30:2 "And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, [Am] I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?"
"Am I in God's stead": Although spoken in a moment of frustration with Rachel's pleading for children and the envy with which it was expressed, Jacob's words do indicate an understanding that ultimately God opened and closed the womb.
Even when you love someone as Jacob loved Rachel; you cannot bear being blamed for something you had nothing to do with. He reminded Rachel, that God had refused the blessing of children to her.
Genesis 30:3 "And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her."
"Bear upon my knees" does not indicate an adoption rite (48:12; 50:23). It is a welcoming-in at birth of a new child. In the Hurrian tales, the event is associated with birth, the naming of the child, the welcoming into the family, and the handling by the parents.
When the surrogate gave birth while actually sitting on the knees of the wife, it symbolized the wife providing a child for her husband.
Genesis 30:4 "And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her."
"And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid": To be enjoyed as a wife, though she was no other than a concubine; yet such were sometimes called wives, and were secondary ones, and were under the proper lawful wife, nor did their children inherit. But those which Jacob had by his wives' maids did inherit with the rest.
"And Jacob went in unto her": Consenting to what Rachel his wife proposed to him: having concubines, as well as more wives than one. This was not thought criminal in those times; and was tolerated of God, and in this case for the multiplication of Jacob's seed.
Perhaps he might the more readily comply with the motion of his wife, from the example of his grandfather Abraham, who took Hagar to wife at the insistence of Sarah.
Genesis 30:5 "And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son."
"And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son": This was so far acceptable by the Lord, that he blessed her with conception and Jacob with a son by her.
How these women ever thought that their maid's children would be theirs, I cannot imagine. This plan would cause more confusion, not less. Now, instead of being jealous of Leah, Rachel will have Bilhah to be jealous of also.
Genesis 30:6 "And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan."
"And Rachel said": As soon as she heard that Bilhah had bore a son.
"God hath judged me": And hereby testified his acceptance, as she understood it, of the step she had took in giving her maid to her husband, and she was justified in what she had done.
"And hath also heard my voice": Of prayer; she had prayed to God that her maid might have a child, or she have one by her.
"And hath given me a son": Whom she reckoned her own, Bilhah being her servant, and so her children born of her, to be hers. Or whom she adopted and called her own, and therefore took upon her to give it a name.
Here let it be observed, that she looked upon this child as a gift of God, as the fruit of prayer, and as in mercy to her, God dealing graciously with her, and taking her part, and judging righteous judgment.
"Therefore called she his name Dan": Which signifies "judgment"; The reason of it lies in the first clause of the verse.
Now, this was really a strange situation. The mother was not even allowed to name her baby. Rachel named him Dan and even claimed him for her own. It reminds me of the surrogate mothers of our day.
The mother who bears the child has no rights at all to the child.
"Dan" means judge.
Genesis 30:7 "And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son."
"And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again": Soon after the birth of her first child.
"And bare Jacob a second son": This was his sixth son, but the second by Bilhah.
Genesis 30:8 "And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali."
"And Rachel said, with great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister": Or, "with the wrestlings of God". Wrestling and striving in prayer with God, being vehement and persistent in her petitions to him, that she might have children as well as her sister. Some render it, "I used the craftiness of God", or "great craftiness with my sisters"; by giving her maid Bilhah to her husband, and having children by her.
"And I have prevailed": As she strove in her desires and prayers to have another child before her sister had; in that she prevailed, or she was succeeded in her desires. She had children as she wished to have.
"And she called his name Naphtali": Which signifies "my wrestling", being a child she had been striving and wrestling for. These two sons of Bilhah were born, as say the Jews, Dan on the twenty ninth day of Elul or August, and lived one hundred and twenty seven years; Naphtali on the fifth of Tisri or September, and lived one hundred and thirty three years.
This was so ridiculous. It had become a contest to see who God would allow to have the most children.
Genesis 30:9 "When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife."
"When Leah saw that she had left bearing": For a little while, for she afterwards bore again, and observing also what her sister had done.
"She took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife": In this she was less excusable than Rachel, since she had four children of her own, and therefore might have been content without desiring others by her maid; nor had she long left off bearing, and therefore had no reason to give up hope of having any more.
Genesis 30:10 "And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son."
"And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bore Jacob a son": For it seems he consented to take her to wife at the motion of Leah, as he had took Bilhah at the instance of Rachel. And having gratified the one, he could not well deny the other; and went in to her, and she conceived, though neither of these things are mentioned, but are all necessarily supposed.
This seems as if Jacob had no say so about who his bed partner would be, but we know this was not true. God had planned to start twelve tribes of very different people. This was God's plan being unwittingly carried out by these jealous women. God arranges things to fit His plans, not for our convenience.
Genesis 30:11 "And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad."
"And Leah said, a troop cometh": A troop of children, having bore four herself, and now her maid another, and more she expected; or the commander of a troop cometh, one that shall head an army and overcome his enemies; which agrees with the prophecy of Jacob (Genesis 49:19).
"And she called his name Gad": Which signifies a "troop", glorying in the multitude of her children that she had or hoped to have.
"Gad" means fortune.
Genesis 30:12 "And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son."
"And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a second son": As well as Bilhah, and no more.
Genesis 30:13 "And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher."
"And Leah said": Upon the birth of the second son by her maid.
"Happy am I": Or, "in my happiness"; or, "for my happiness". That is, this child is an addition to my happiness, and will serve to increase it. For the daughters will call me blessed; the women of the place where she lived would speak of her as a happy person, that had so many children of her own, and others by her maid (see Psalm 127:5).
"And she called his name Asher": Which signifies "happy" or "blessed". These two sons of Zilpah, according to the Jewish writers, were born, Gad on the tenth day of Marchesvan or October, and lived one hundred and twenty five years; and Asher on the twenty second day of Shebet or January, and lived one hundred and twenty three years.
"Asher" means happiness. Asher was the eighth son of Jacob. Blessings from God, many times, come in the form of children. Leah knew God had abundantly blessed her.
Genesis 30:14 "And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes."
"Mandrakes": This is an herb of the belladonna family, considered to be an aphrodisiac. It has a yellow fruit the size of a small apple. Peoples of the ancient Near East attributed sensual desire to this plant and thought it would aid conception.
Jacob had 8 sons by then from 3 women and about 6 years had elapsed since his marriages. The oldest son, Reuben, was about 5. Playing in the field during wheat harvest, he found this small, orange-colored fruit and "brought them to his mother Leah." These were superstitiously viewed in the ancient world as "love-apples", an aphrodisiac or fertility-inducing narcotic.
Verses 15-16: This odd and desperate bargain by Rachel was an attempt to become pregnant with the aid of the mandrakes, a folk remedy which failed to understand that God gives children (verses 6, 17, 20, 22).
Genesis 30:15 "And she said unto her, [Is it] a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes."
"And she said unto her": Leah to Rachel, taking this opportunity to bring out a thing which had some time lain with uneasiness upon her mind.
"Is it a small thing that thou hast taken away my husband?" Got the greatest share of his affections, and had most of his company; which last was very probably the case, and more so, since Leah had left off bearing. And this she could not well stomach, and therefore upon this trifling occasion blurts out with it.
"And wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?" Which were poor things to be mentioned along with a husband; and besides, Rachel did not offer to take them away from the child without her leave, which she in very humble manner asked of her.
"And Rachel said, therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes": Which showed no great affection to her husband, and a slight of his company, to be willing to part with it for such a trifle. It seems by this as if they took their turns to lie with Jacob, and this night being Rachel's turn; she agrees to give it to Leah for the sake of the mandrakes.
Or however, if she had his attention of him to herself very much of late, as seems by the words of Leah above, she was willing to give him up to her this night. On the consideration; which Leah agreed she should have, as appears by what follows.
It seems as if these mandrakes were similar to fertility drugs of our day. Rachel wanted a child and would go to any length to get one. It seems a great deal of time had elapsed since Rachel married Jacob, or else Reuben would not be old enough to go to the field alone.
Ungers says that the mandrake plant is a narcotic and could kill if taken in quantity. The Bible did not indicate that at all. It indicated life, not death.
Genesis 30:16 "And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night."
"And Jacob came out of the field in the evening": From feeding his flocks.
"And Leah went out to meet him": Knowing full well the time he used to come home.
"And said, thou must come in unto me": Into her tent, for the women had separate tents from the men; as Sarah from Abraham; and so, these wives of Jacob had not only tents separate from his, but from one another.
"For surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes": That is, she had hired that night's lodging with him from Rachel, with the mandrakes her son Reuben had brought out of the field. Jacob made no objection to it; but consented, being willing to please both his wives, who he perceived had made this agreement between them.
"And he lay with her that night": And that only, for the present: for, by the way of speaking, it looks as if he did not continue with her more nights together at that time, but went, as before that evening, to Rachel's tent.
Genesis 30:17 "And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son."
"And God hearkened unto Leah": To the prayer of Leah, as the Targum of Jonathan, for more children. The desire of these good women for the company of their husband was not from lust, or an amorous desire in them, but for the sake of having many children, as appears by giving their maids to him.
And the reason of this was, as Bishop Patrick well observes, that the promise made to Abraham of the multiplication of his seed, and of the Messiah springing from thence, might be fulfilled. And is the true reason of Moses's taking such particular notice of those things, which might seem below the dignity of such a sacred history.
"And she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son": The fifth he had by her, but the ninth in all, that were born unto him.
This was a strange situation, as we said before. It seems Jacob did whatever Rachael wanted him to do, even to sleeping with her sister. In God's sight, Leah had got the worst of this deal, and He blessed her and made her fruitful.
Genesis 30:18 "And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar."
Note that while Rachel got the mandrakes, Leah received another son! His name was "Issachar," meaning "Reward."
Genesis 30:19 "And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son."
"And Leah conceived again": For bearing children Jacob took more to her, and more frequently attended her apartment and bed.
"And bare Jacob a sixth son": The sixth by her, but the tenth by her and his two maids.
Genesis 30:20 "And Leah said, God hath endued me [with] a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
"Now will my husband dwell with me": The plaintive cry of one still unloved (29:31), as confirmed by Jacob's frequent absence from her home. She hoped that having 6 children for Jacob would win his permanent residence with her.
"Zebulun": The name means "dwelling," signifying her hope of Jacob's dwelling with her.
From all of this, it seems that even though Leah had blessed Jacob with six sons, that he did not really live with her. It seems Jacob lived with Rachel and visited Leah.
Genesis 30:21 "And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah."
"Dinah": Although not the only daughter to be born to Jacob (37:35; 46:7), her name is mentioned in anticipation of the tragedy at Shechem (chapter 34).
"Dinah" means justice. Daughters were not ordinarily mentioned, unless they play a prominent role of some kind. Such was the case here, as we will see as we go on with the lesson.
Genesis 30:22 "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb."
"And God remembered Rachel" All the desperate waiting (see 30:1), and pleading climaxed at the end of 7 years with God's response. Then Rachel properly ascribed her delivery from barrenness to the Lord, whom she also trusted for another son (verses 23-24).
Genesis 30:23 "And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:"
"And she conceived and bare a son": Through the goodness of God unto her, and for which she was greatly thankful.
"And said, God hath taken away my reproach": The reproach of barrenness with which she was reproached among her neighbors; and perhaps by her sister Leah, and indeed it was a general reproach in those times.
Especially, it was the more grievous to good women in the family of Abraham, because they were not the means of multiplying his seed according to the promise, and could have no hope of the Messiah springing from them.
Genesis 30:24 "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son."
"Joseph": 1914 B.C. His name means "he will add" or "may he add," indicating both her thanks and her faith that God would give her another son.
Either God had removed the reproach of her childlessness or would give her another son. God did give Benjamin much later.
Verse 22 indicates that Rachel had been praying to God, when it said ..." harkened to her". The fervent prayer will not go unanswered. Sometimes, the answer is a long time in coming, but God hears and answers prayers. As we have said before, these people believe being barren was a punishment from God. To bear children was an honor.
Joseph was not to be like the others. This son was from a love union of the spirit. These other sons had to do with flesh and worldliness. He would be Jacob's favorite.
This was the son whom God would send the blessings through. Joseph would be God's man. We must watch him carefully. Through him we will see a type and shadow of Jesus. Joseph was the eleventh child of Jacob.
In future lessons, we will find Jacob loved Joseph more than the others. This will cause trouble in the family. We will watch the miraculous protection provided Joseph in the worst of circumstances. This son was called of God for a time and a purpose.
There would be one more son born to Rachel which would round out the twelve tribes of Israel. For the time being Joseph was the youngest, and the favorite, born of Jacob's beloved Rachel.
Genesis Chapter 30 Questions
1. What threat did Rachel make to Jacob?
2. What is it called today when men have more than one wife?
3. How did God establish the first marriage?
4. Why was Rachel jealous of Leah?
5. Who had kept Rachel from bearing children?
6. Who did Rachel give Jacob so that she could have children?
7. Who named the child?
8. What was his name?
9. What does it mean?
10. What was Bilhah's second son named?
11. What was Zilpah's child named? Why?
12. What was her second son named?
13. What does the name mean?
14. Who found the mandrakes?
15. What were mandrakes?
16. How had Leah hired Jacob to come to her?
17. What does "Issachar" mean?
18. What made Leah feel that she had finally won Jacob?
19. Why was the birth of Dinah mentioned?
20. What does Dinah mean?
21. When Rachel finally conceived, what did she say?
22. What was her son named?
23. What did the word "harkened" indicate?
24. How was this son different from the others?
25. We will see what in Joseph?
26. In the worst circumstances, what did God do for Joseph?
27. Joseph was the ________ son of Jacob? (number)
28. Give two words that indicate Joseph's position with Jacob?
Genesis 30:25 "And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country."
"And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph": At which time his fourteen years of servitude were ended; for Jacob was in Laban's house twenty years, fourteen were spent in serving for his wives, and the other six for his cattle, which begun from this time, as the context clearly shows (see Genesis 31:41).
So that, as the Jewish writers truly observe, in seven years' time Jacob had twelve children born to him, eleven sons and one daughter. He had served seven years before he had either of his wives.
"That Jacob said unto Laban, send me away": Give me leave to depart thy house: he had a right to demand his liberty and to insist upon it, since the time of his servitude was up; but he chose to have leave, and part in a friendly manner.
"That I may go unto mine own place, and to my own country": To Beer-sheba, where his father and mother lived, and whom, no doubt, he longed to see; and to the land of Canaan, in which that place was, which was his native country and was given him by promise, and was to be the inheritance of his seed. Jacob's wish to return to Canaan was not hidden from Laban (verse 30).
Genesis 30:26 "Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee."
"Give me my wives": His two wives, Leah and Rachel, and the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, which he had given him for wives also; he desires to leave and take them with him.
"And my children": His twelve children. He did not desire his father-in-law to take any of them, and keep them for him, but was desirous of having them with him. No doubt for the sake of their education, though he had nothing of his own wherewith to support them. Not doubting that God would make good his promise in giving him food and raiment, and returning him to his country; and which his faith applied to his family as well as to himself.
"For whom I have served thee": Not for his children, but for his wives, his two wives.
"And let me go": Free from thy service, and to my own country.
"For thou knowest my service which I have done thee": How much and great it is, and with what diligence and faithfulness it has been performed, and that the time of it fixed and agreed upon was at an end.
Many years had passed since Jacob left his home. He came to this strange land and lived and took two wives. He did not know whether his parents were still alive, or not. His brother's anger had probably cooled by now. You might say, he was homesick. Jacob had fulfilled his side of the bargain with Laban.
Genesis 30:27 "And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake."
"And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry": One would think he could not expect to have much from him, by his treatment of him. But he craftily coaxing him in this fawning, flattering way, in order to gain a point. He begs of him, in a very humble and pleading manner.
If he had any love for him that he would not depart from him, but stay with him, which he should take as a great favor. But he could not insist upon it, as bound in duty or as a point of justice.
"For I have learned by experience": By the observations made in the fourteen years past.
"That the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake": Laban had so much religion as to ascribe the blessings, the good things he had, to the Lord, as the author and giver of them. And so much honor, or however, thought it was more in his interest to own it, that it was for Jacob's sake that he was thus blessed.
The word translated is used sometimes of divination (seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means), and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it, "I have used divinations". And according to Jarchi and Aben Ezra, Laban was a diviner and soothsayer; and by the teraphim he had in his house (Genesis 31:19).
Laban divined, and knew thereby that he was blessed for the sake of Jacob. But, as Schmidt observes, it is not credible that the devil should give so famous a testimony to Laban of Jehovah and Jacob.
"I have found" (see note on Deut. 18:9-12).
This was the first time we really hear any praise going from Laban to Jacob. He was, in a roundabout way, reminding Jacob that he took him in. Experience is the best teacher. This was no exception.
Laban realized that Jacob was a man of God. He also realized, that the blessings God had poured out were because of Jacob, and not anything that he had done. When God pours a blessing, it is so big it will extend to those in close association.
Genesis 30:28 "And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it]."
"Appoint me thy wages": On the two occasions that Laban asked this of Jacob it was to urge him to stay. The first time (29:15), Laban had sought to reward a relative, but this time it was because he had been rewarded since "the Lord has blessed me on your account" (verse 27).
Jacob readily confirmed Laban's evaluation in that "little" had indeed become "a multitude" (verse 3), since he had come on the scene. Laban's superficial generosity should not be mistaken for genuine goodness (see 31:7). He was attempting to deceive Jacob into staying because it was potentially profitable for him.
Laban was just making a deal with Jacob to work for him. He knew Jacob was fair, so he said whatever you want I will pay.
Genesis 30:29 "And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me."
"And he said unto him": Jacob to Laban.
"Thou knowest that I have served thee": Not only diligently and faithfully, without any salary, excepting for his wives. Otherwise he had no wages for his service all this time, which therefore should be considered for the future.
"And how thy cattle was with me": Always under his care, and he ever watchful of them; spent all his time and labor with them, and had no opportunity of getting anything for himself.
Genesis 30:30 "For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?"
"For it was little which thou hadst before I came": Perhaps but a single flock, and that not a very large one, since Rachel, his youngest daughter, had the care of it.
"And it is now increased unto a multitude": Or "broke forth", spread itself over the fields and plains, hills and mountains adjacent, so that they were covered with his sheep, these bringing forth thousands and ten thousands (Psalm 144:13).
"And the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming": Or "at my foot"; ever since he set foot in his house. Aben Ezra observes it as a proverbial saying, such a one has a good foot, a lucky one, wherever he comes a blessing or success goes with him. Or the meaning may be, wherever Jacob went or led his flock, and fed it, it prospered, the blessing of God going with him.
"And now, when shall I provide for mine own house?" suggesting it was his duty to do it, and it was high time he did it, since he had a large family to provide for (see 1 Timothy 5:8).
Jacob was just telling Laban here, that he, with God's help, had built Laban a huge herd of cattle. He saw his family growing and desired to have something for them. It was time to have his own herd. Soon he would need to help his children get started on their own.
Genesis 30:31 "And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock."
"What shall I give thee": Laban wanted Jacob to stay and asked what it would take for him to do so. Jacob wanted nothing except to be in a position for God to bless him. He was willing to stay, but not be further indebted to the scheming and selfish Laban.
Jacob was not asking for a hand out. He was willing to work for Laban, to build himself a herd.
Genesis 30:32 "I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire."
He offered Laban a plan that could bless him while costing Laban nothing. He would continue to care for Laban's animals, as he had been doing. His pay would consist of animals not yet born, animals which would seem the less desirable to Laban because of their markings and color.
"Removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle; and all the brown": Evidently, Jacob relied on a superstition that the offspring would be influenced by the fears or expectations of the mother during pregnancy (verses 37-38). Tests have shown that spotting gives way to solid color in the breeding of goats.
Modern genetic studies on dominance and development have supported Jacob's method, which at one time seemed to link the Bible with groundless supposition. Jacob's success was also attributed to selective breeding (verses 40-42), in addition to divine help (31:10-12).
Genesis 30:33 "So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that [is] not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me."
None of the solid color animals would be taken by Jacob, and if any were born into Jacob's flocks, Laban could take them (they were considered as stolen).
Only those animals born speckled, spotted, striped, or abnormally colored would belong to Jacob. Evidently, most of the animals were white (sheep), black (goats), and brown (cattle).
Few were in the category of Jacob's request. Further, Jacob would not even use the living speckled or abnormally colored animals to breed more like them. He would separate them into a flock of their own kind, apart from the normally colored animals. Only the spotted and abnormally colored offspring born in the future to the normally colored would be his.
Here was an easy way to tell their animals apart. Very few sheep are brown. Most are white, so Jacob was trying to take a large quantity of animals. Really, he was taking the odd and unusual animals of the flock. Jacob spoke of his righteousness speaking for him. He knew God would abundantly bless his flock.
Genesis 30:34 "And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word."
Since it seemed to Laban that the birth of such abnormally marked animals was unlikely to occur in any significant volume from the normally colored, he agreed.
Laban was just saying it was a deal.
Genesis 30:35 "And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, [and] every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons."
He believed this a small and favorable concession on his part to maintain the skills of Jacob to further enlarge his herd and flocks. Jacob, by this, put himself entirely in God's hands. Only the Lord could determine what animals would be Jacob's to make sure Jacob didn't cheat on his good deal.
Laban separated the abnormally marked from the normal animals in Jacob's care.
The children worked in those days alongside their parents. Jacob was more or less overseer of all, his and Laban's, but his boys would specifically take care of his animals. So the two groups of animals would not get mixed up and interbred, we see in the next Scripture what Jacob did.
Genesis 30:36 "And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks."
"And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob": Not three days' journey for a man, but for cattle. This distance there was between the place where Laban and his sons kept the spotted, speckled, and brown cattle, and that in which Jacob kept the flock only consisting of white sheep.
And this was done, that the flocks might not be mixed, and that there might be no opportunity to take any of the spotted ones, and that they might not stray into Jacob's flock. Lest any of his seeing them might bring forth the like, such precaution was used.
"And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock": Those that remained after the spotted, speckled, and brown were taken out. And Jacob having none but white sheep, there was no great likelihood, according to the course of nature, of his having much for his hire.
Since he was only to have the spotted, speckled and brown sheep that came from them, the chances were very low for his increase as generally like begets like.
This had to be a huge area to be room for three days between them. Probably, over twenty miles were between the two groups of animals.
"Rods": Jacob was knowledgeable about sheep, goats, and cattle, having kept his father's animals for most of this 90 years, and Laban's for the last 14 years. He knew that when one uncommonly marked animal was born (with a recessive gene); he could then begin to breed that gene selectively to produce flocks and herds of abnormally marked animals, which were in no way inferior physically to the normally marked.
Once he began this breeding process, he sought to stimulate it by some methods that may appear superstitious and foolish to us (as the mandrakes in verse 14). But it is most likely that he had learned that, when the bark was peeled, there was some stimulant released into the water that stimulated the animals to sexual activity.
In (verse 38), the word "conceive" (mated) is literally, in Hebrew "to be hot," or as is said of animals "to be in heat." His plan was successful (verse 39), and kept his own flock separate from the abnormally colored ones of Laban.
His system worked to his own advantage, not that of Laban (verse 42), who had for years taken advantage of him. Jacob gave God the credit for the success of his efforts (31:7, 9).
Genesis 30:37 "And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods."
"And Jacob took him rods of green poplar": Of the white poplar tree, called green, not from the color, but from the moisture, being such as were cut off of the tree.
"And of the hazel and chestnut tree": The former some take to be the almond tree, as Saadiah Gaon, and others; and the latter to be the plantain or plane tree, so Ainsworth, and others say.
"And pilled white strakes in them": Took off the bark of them in some places, and left it on in others, which made white strakes.
"And made the white appear which was in the rods": That part of the rods which was stripped of the bark appeared white; and it appeared the whiter for the bark that was left on in other parts. And both made the rods to appear to have various colors, which was the design of Jacob in pilling them.
Genesis 30:38 "And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink."
"And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks": Opposite them, in the view of them.
"In the gutters in the watering troughs, when the flocks came to drink": That is, in places of water, where troughs or vessels were made, into which the water ran convenient for the cattle to drink out of; and here he placed his party colored rods right over against the flocks.
"That they should conceive when they came to drink": As it was most likely they should when they were together at the water, and had refreshed themselves with it; and being "heated", as the word signifies, with a desire of copulation, might conceive in sight of the above rods which were set to move upon their imagination at the time of their conception.
In order to produce cattle of different colors, to which no doubt he was directed of God. and it had, through his blessing, the wished for success, as follows:
Genesis 30:39 "And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted."
"And the flocks conceived before the rods" At them, and in sight of them; which had such influence upon them through the force of imagination, and a divine power and providence so directing and succeeding this device, that they:
"Brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted": Such as Jacob was to have for his hire; and, though there was no doubt a more than ordinary assembly of divine Providence attending this affair. Yet there have been many strange things brought about in a natural way by the strength of imagination.
And the Apis, or Egyptian ox, which had peculiar spots in it, was produced in like manner, so that there was always in succession one of the same form and color, as Austin asserts; and it may be observed, what is affirmed by some writers, that sheep will change their colors according to the different waters they drink of at the time of their being covered.
And that some rivers drunk from will make white sheep black, and black white, and others red and yellow. But as Jacob was directed of God to take this method, this is sufficient to justify him, and upon his blessing and providence the success depended, whatever there may be in nature to bring about such an effect.
And as it was to do himself justice, who had been greatly injured by Laban, it was equally as just and righteous a thing to take this course, as it was for the Israelites by a divine direction to borrow jewels, etc. of the Egyptians, whereby they were repaid for their hard service.
(This was written over one hundred years before the laws of genetics were discovered). We know that the result was from God not of Jacob's schemes.
Here it seems Jacob had a plan to get back at Laban for tricking him about Leah and Rachel. He was causing all the new born to be spotted, ringstraked, and speckled; adding to his stock and not Laban's. Perhaps, he believed Laban already had enough.
Genesis 30:40 "And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle."
"And Jacob did separate the lambs": The ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
"And set the faces of the flocks": That were all white.
"Towards the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban": Either to go before those that were all white, that they by looking at them might conceive and bring forth such, which was another device of Jacob's to increase his own sheep. Or else he set at the water troughs the white sheep on one side of them, and on the opposite side the speckled ones, etc. that the same effect might also be produced the more successfully both by the rods and by the speckled lambs.
"And he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto "Laban's cattle": Partly that they might not be mixed together, but kept distinct, that what was his property might be discerned from Laban's. And partly, lest his spotted ones, being mixed with Laban's white sheep, by continual looking at them, should conceive and bring forth such likewise, and so his flocks be lessened.
Genesis 30:41 "And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods."
"And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive": Whose limbs were well compact, and were strong and healthy.
"That Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods": And bring forth partly colored ones, and such as were robust and strong like themselves. This was another device of Jacob's to get the best of the flock.
Aben Ezra thinks this refers to the two seasons of the year, when the flocks conceived; the one was in Nisan, in the spring, and such as were brought on that conception were strong, and therefore Jacob chose to lay the rods in the gutters at that time, that he might have the best cattle.
And so, the Targum of Jonathan calls these here the forward ones, as it does those (in Genesis 30:42). We render feeble, the latter ones; which, according to Aben Ezra, conceived in Tisri or September, and what they brought were weak and feeble. (Based on the laws of genetics), Jacob's breeding of the best of the flock would produce higher quality offspring.
Genesis 30:42 "But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's."
"And when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in": Or "when covered", as Menachem, that is, with wool, and so not so desirous of copulation with the males, nor so fit and strong for generation. And therefore, he put not in the rods into the gutters, partly that he might have none feeble in his flock, and partly that he might not spoil Laban of his whole flock, strong and weak.
"So the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's": Not only his flocks became more numerous than Laban's, but were a better quality.
Genesis 30:43 "And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses."
"And the man increased exceedingly": Jacob grew very rich.
"And had much cattle": The greater part of Laban's flocks brought forth speckled, spotted, and brown cattle, which, according to agreement, were Jacob's.
"And maidservants, and menservants": Which he got to take care of his household affairs, and to assist him in keeping his flocks.
"And camels, and asses": For his flocks increasing so very much, he sold many of his sheep at a good price, as Jarchi observes, and with it bought camels and asses. These were very fit for his use, when he should be obliged or think fit to remove into his own country, and which he was meditating, and had a direction from the Lord for, as in the following chapter.
In all of this, we must remember that Jacob, trickster, was still his name. Even though God had already promised to bless him, He had not changed all of his ways yet.
Genesis Chapter 30 Continued Questions
1. When did Jacob decide to leave Laban?
2. Where did he want to go?
3. Was there any documented evidence of Jacob hearing from his family while he was with Laban?
4. What had Laban learned from experience about Jacob?
5. What is a selfish reason to associate with the chosen of God?
6. What offer did Laban make Jacob for wages?
7. What happened to Laban's flock in the over 14 years that Jacob had worked for him?
8. Why did Jacob want his own flock?
9. What does Laban give Jacob?
10. What did Jacob offer Laban in work?
11. How would they separate the animals?
12. What remarks did Jacob make about his relation to God?
13. How far apart did they place the animals?
14. Who herded Jacob's flock?
15. Who fed Laban's flock?
16. What did Jacob do to make Laban's new born animals belong to him?
17. Who got the feeble?
18. Why did Jacob do this to Laban?
19. The increase of Jacob covered five things. Name them.
20. What must we remember about Jacob that helps us to understand what he did?
Verses 1-24: Laban became openly hostile to Jacob. Therefore, God told Jacob to return to the land of Canaan, "And I will be with thee". His wives agreed. They said, "Whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do." Laban had changed Jacob's wages "ten times", even though "God suffered him not to hurt me."
"Images" Many have supposed that the theft of the images secured an inheritance for Jacob. In the ancient Nuzi texts the gods were given as part of an inheritance. However, heirs who did not receive the gods also participated in the division normally granted to the eldest son. The possession of such gods did not represent an automatic claim to an inheritance.
Possibly Rachel took them as an extra precaution, since she was leaving her homeland and would have little other legal claim to her father's inheritance.
Verses 1-2: Of materialistic bent and envious at Jacob's success, Laban's sons grumbled at what they saw as the depleting of their father's assets, thus hurting their own inheritance. If Jacob heard of this, so did Laban, and that knowledge rankled him to the point of uncontrolled anger toward his son-in-law (31:20). Which was one thing, but seeing only Jacob blessed was quite another matter and elicited no praise or gratitude to God from Laban.
Genesis 31:1 "And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that [was] our father's; and of [that] which [was] our father's hath he gotten all this glory."
"And he heard the words of Laban's sons": That is, Jacob, as is expressed in the Septuagint and Syriac versions, either with his own ears, overhearing their discourse in their tents, or in the field.
Or from the report of others, his wives or some of his friends, who thought proper to make him aware of it. These were the sons of Laban, who had the care of the cattle committed to them, separated by the direction of Jacob, and with the consent of Laban (Gen. 30:35).
"Saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's": Meaning not precisely all that their father had, for that would have been a downright lie; for what was become of them that were committed to their care?
Besides, we read afterwards of Laban's shearing his sheep (Gen. 31:19). But that all that Jacob had was their father's, and he had taken it away from him, if not by force and stealth, yet by fraud. So, Jacob might fear he would treat him in an ill manner, and therefore began to think it was high time for him to be gone.
"And of that which was our father's hath he gotten all the glory": His many servants, numerous cattle, sheep, camels and asses, in which carnal men place all their happiness, or those riches, as the Targum of Jonathan, by which he got the name and glory of a rich man among men.
And it was so far true what they say, that it was out of their father's flock that Jacob got all his increase; but then it was according to a covenant that Laban and he entered into, and therefore was obtained in a just and lawful manner.
The sons of Laban were not thankful for the great wealth they had acquired through Jacob, but had become jealous after the separating of the animals, because God abundantly blessed Jacob. Now, these ungrateful boys were saying that Jacob had no legal right to them, that he had taken them from Laban.
Genesis 31:2 "And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it [was] not toward him as before."
"And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban": Upon this he observed Laban's looks that he might gather from thence how he took his prosperity. What were his thoughts about it, and what he might expect from him on that account?
"And, behold, it was not towards him as before": He said nothing to Jacob, nor charged him with robbing of him, or any false dealing with him, yet was uneasy at his growing prosperity. He put on sour looks, and an envious facial expression, sad, and surly, and let down, so that Jacob saw it foreboded no good to him, and therefore thought it most advisable to depart as soon as he could.
Perhaps he first sought the Lord about it who spoke to him as (in Genesis 31:3).
Genesis 31:3 "And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee."
"And the Lord said unto Jacob": In answer to a prayer of his; or seeing what difficulties and discouragements Jacob labored under, he appeared unto him for his encouragement and instruction how to proceed.
"Return unto the land": The land of Canaan, given to Abraham and Isaac by promise. When Jacob sought to leave at the end of his contract (30:25), God's timing was not right. Now it was, so God directed Jacob's departure, and in confirmation assured him of His presence. So, after another 6 years, it was time to go (verses 38-41).
"And to thy kindred": His father and mother, and brother, who all dwelt in the land of Canaan at this time, or as many as were living: or "to thy nativity", the place where he was born, and to which he must have a natural desire to return.
"I will be with thee": To protect him from any injury that might be attempted to be done unto him, either by Laban or Esau.
Here, we see Laban had turned against Jacob. God told Jacob to pull up stakes and go home to his family. Again, God promised to bless Jacob.
Genesis 31:4 "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,"
"And Jacob sent": Having this encouragement and direction from the Lord, which seems to have been given him in the field, while he was attending his flocks, he dispatched a messenger home to his wives, by one of his servants or under shepherds.
"And called Rachel and Leah": Rachel is mentioned first, as being his proper and lawful wife, and is only called so (Gen. 46:19). It was for her sake Jacob had Leah. Jacob, a prudent man and an affectionate husband, thought proper to acquaint his wives with his case, and advise them, and neither leave them nor take them away suddenly by force; and therefore, sent for them.
"To the field unto his flock": Where he was feeding his flock: this he might do for different reasons. He might not judge it so proper and convenient to go home to them, since it might be difficult to get one of them to come to the apartment of the other. It was proper they should be together, and that might cause some suspicion in Laban's family, who might listen to overhear what passed between them.
Besides, he might be afraid of Laban and his sons, that being in such an ill temper they would lay violent hands on him, and do him harm. And therefore he sent for his wives to him in the field, where they could more privately and freely converse together, without being overheard or interrupted, and the flock in the meanwhile, were not neglected.
Genesis 31:5 "And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it [is] not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me."
"Your father's ... my father":
"And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not towards me as before" (see Genesis 31:2). A contrast, perhaps not intentional: but nevertheless noticeable since their father signaled rejection toward him, whereas the God of his father had accepted him. No notice is taken of what their brethren, the sons of Laban, had said.
"But the God of my father hath been with me": Not only by affording him his gracious presence with him, which supported him under all his troubles; but by his good providence prospering and succeeding him in his outward affairs, as well as he had lately appeared to him, and encouraged him to return to his own country.
Verses 6-9: As Jacob explained it, his unstinting service to their father had been met by Laban with wage changes intended to cripple his son-in-law's enterprise, but God had intervened by blocking the intended hurt (verse 7), and overriding wage changes with great prosperity (verse 9).
Genesis 31:6 "And ye know that with all my power I have served your father."
"And ye know, that with all my power I have served your father": With all faithfulness and uprightness; with all diligence and industry. With all wisdom and prudence; with all my might and contriving the best methods, and sparing no pains by day or night to take care of his flocks, and increase his substance.
This his wives had been witnesses for twenty years past, and to them he appeals for the truth of it; so that there was no just reason for their father's behavior towards him.
God had made Jacob aware that all was not well with him and Laban. Jacob could not privately speak to his wives, when Laban was there. He has called them away from the house to explain to them what he had to do, and why it was necessary.
Jacob had seen the look on Laban's face and realized they were about to have trouble. He realized this was the father of his two wives. He did not want to lose their love over this. He was explaining in detail that he had kept his side of the bargain, even though Laban had tricked him over and over.
Genesis 31:7 "And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me."
"And your father hath deceived me": In the bargain he had made with him about his wages for keeping his cattle the six years past, after the fourteen years' servitude were ended.
"And changed my wages ten times": That is, either very often, many times, as the number ten is sometimes used for many (see Leviticus 26:26). Or precisely ten times, since he repeats it afterwards in the same form to Laban's face (Genesis 31:41).
He had now served him six years upon a new bargain; that he should have all that were of such and such different colors, which were produced out of his flock of white sheep. Laban was at first highly pleased with it, as judging it would be a very good one to him, as he might reasonably think indeed.
It is highly probable he did not attempt any alteration the first year, but observing Jacob's cattle of the speckled sort, immensely increasing, he did not choose to abide by the agreement any longer. Now it must be observed, that the sheep in Mesopotamia, as in Italy, brought forth the young twice a year.
So that every bearing time, which was ten times in five years, Laban made an alteration in Jacob's wages; one time he would let him have only the speckled, and not the ringstraked; another time the ringstraked, and not the speckled; and so changed every time, according as he observed the prevailing color was, as may be concluded from (Genesis 31:8).
But God suffered him not to hurt me; to hinder his prosperity, or having justice done him for his service. For whatsoever color Laban chose for Jacob to have the next season of producing, there was always the greatest number of them, or all of them were of that color, whether speckled or ringstraked.
Genesis 31:8 "If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked."
"If he said thus, the speckled shall be thy wages": Sometimes Laban would say to Jacob, only the speckled lambs which the ewes shall bring forth shall be thine hire, and not the spotted; or the ringstraked, or the brown, which according to the bargain should have been his, the one and the other.
"Then all the cattle bare speckled": That season, God ordering it so in his providence, that Laban might be disappointed, and Jacob might have his full hire; that is, the greatest part of the cattle bore such, as Ben Melech observes.
"And if he said thus, the ringstraked shall be thine hire": Observing the cattle to bring forth only speckled, or the greatest part such, then he changed his hire, and would have it be not the speckled, nor the brown, only the ringstraked, there being none or few of that color the last bearing time.
"Then bare all the cattle ringstraked": Or the greatest part of them were such; so that let Laban fix on what color he would as Jacob's wages, there were sure to be the greatest part of that color; which shows the hand of God in it, as is next observed by Jacob.
Genesis 31:9 "Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given [them] to me."
"Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father": Not all of them (see Gen. 31:19). But a great part of them; his flock was much lessened by those means, and more were taken away, and came to Jacob's share, than if Laban had abode by the original agreement.
"And gave them to me": Who has the disposing of all things in the world, owns the world, and all in it, are, and gives of it to the sons of men as he pleases? Jacob takes no notice of any artifice of his, or of any means and methods he made use of, but wholly ascribes all to the providence of God. He points to his wives to the hand of God only.
It seems to be by his direction that he took the method he did, as appears (from Genesis 31:11).
All of these statements were true to a certain extent. Jacob had withheld a few of the details about the watering arrangements. Truly if God had not put this plan into Jacob's mind, he would not have been able to do this. We do know that God promised Jacob that He would bless him, and certainly He did.
As we said before, even Laban was blessed in the overflow. Truly, only God could arrange for these animals to be born with these markings. So in these areas, this statement was true. Jacob was trying to justify his actions to his wives as well.
Verses 10-12 (see notes on 30:37-42).
Genesis 31:10 "And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle [were] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled."
"And it came to pass, at the time that the cattle conceived": Whether in spring or in autumn cannot be said, for it seems this was twice a year; this probably was at the beginning of the six years' servitude, or just before the agreement was made between Laban and Jacob, and was an instruction to the latter how to make his bargain with the former.
"That I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream": In a vision of the night, so things were represented to his fancy and imagination.
"And, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled": From whence he might conclude, that the cattle they leaped upon would bring forth the like, and so be a direction to him to make his agreement with Laban to have such for his hire. Not that the rams in the flock were really of those colors, for they were all white.
But so they were represented to Jacob in the vision, to suggest to him, that such would be produced by them; and it is not improbable by the artifice Jacob was directed to, and took, that the ewes, when they came to the watering troughs to drink, upon seeing the party colored rods in the water, these made such an impression upon their imaginations, that they fancied the rams that leaped upon them were of those colors, and so conceived and brought forth the like.
Here is another color mentioned, not taken notice of before, at least by this name, "grisled"; it stands in the place of "spotted", and seems to be the same with that, and signified such as had spots on them like hailstones, and distinguishes them from the speckled: the speckled were such as were white with black spots, these such as were black, and had white spots like hail.
Genesis 31:11 "And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, [saying], Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I."
And the Angel of God spake unto me in a dream": In the same dream before related, and to direct him to observe what was presented to him, and to confirm what he saw, and lead him to the design and use of it. (21:17). The same as the Angel of the Lord (16:11; 22:11, 15; see note on Exodus 3:2).
This was not a created angel, but the eternal one, the Son of God, and who is afterwards called God, and to whom Jacob had made a vow, which he would never have done to an angel; but to God only, as Ben Melech observes.
"Saying, Jacob; and I said, here am I": The Angel called him by his name, to which he answered, and signified that he was ready to attend to whatsoever he should say to him.
Genesis 31:12 "And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle [are] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee."
"And he said, lift up now thine eyes, and see": This was all visionary, Jacob was still in a dream; but it was so impressed upon his mind, that he was spoke to, and bid to observe, and take notice, as follows.
"All the rams that leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled": Thereby assuring him, that such would be those the ewes would bring forth, which would be right in him to agree with Laban for as his hire; and it is probable that there was some distance of time, at least a night, between the first motion of Laban's to Jacob to settle his wages (Genesis 30:28).
His repeating that, and being urgent to have it done (Genesis 31:31); and in this interval of time might be the night Jacob had this dream and vision in, for his direction. Or if it was after the bargain made, since it is said to be at the time the cattle conceived, he had it to assure him of God's endorsement of it, and of his success in it.
For I have seen all that Laban doeth to thee": Had took notice how he had made him serve fourteen years for his wives, and had given him nothing for his service. How he now was taking advantage of Jacob's modesty to get him to fix his own wages, which he supposed would be lower than he could have the face to offer him.
Genesis 31:13 "I [am] the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, [and] where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred."
"I am the God of Beth-el": The Angel of God (verse 11), clearly identified Himself as the Lord, pointing back as He did so to the earlier critical encounter with God in Jacob's life (28:10-22).
The same Angel that appeared to Jacob in a dream, at the beginning of his six years' servitude, now appeared to him at the close of it, declaring himself to be the God of Beth-el; or that God that manifested himself to him at Beth-el, as Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words.
For this is a distinct vision from that in the preceding verses, concerning the rams of different colors, and are both put together for the sake of brevity, and because they belong to the same affair.
"Where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me" (see Gen. 28:19-20). Hereby signifying the divine approval of the name Jacob gave to that place, and of what he did in it, and to put him in mind of his promise there made.
"Now arise, get thee out from this land": Of Mesopotamia, or Syria, and out of Haran, a city there, where Jacob now was, and Laban lived.
"And return unto the land of thy kindred": To the land of Canaan, the place of his birth, and where his relations dwelt. This shows, that this appearance of God to him, as the God of Beth-el, was at the close of his six years' service.
Finally it is out, Jacob had been instructed of God to leave this land and return to the land of his family. God had shown Jacob in a dream how to increase his flock. God was angry with Laban. God reminded Jacob of the oath he had made at Bethel. Jacob was explaining to his wives, so there would be no trouble about them leaving their homeland.
Verses 14-16: The two wives concurred that, in the context of severely strained family relationships, their inheritance might be in question since the ties that bind no longer held them there. They also agreed that God's intervention had, in effect, returned what their father had wrongfully withheld and spent.
Genesis 31:14 "And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, [Is there] yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?"
"And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him": One after another, and their answers agreeing, are both put together. It may be Rachel answered in the name of Leah, and for herself, since she is mentioned first, and the verb is singular. The Targum of Jonathan says, Rachel answered with the consent of Leah.
"Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?" It was what might have been justly expected, as they were his children that they should have been used as such, and have had children's portions given them.
But by the whole of Laban's attitude towards them, both at their marriage, and ever since, it was plain he never intended to give them anything; but kept all he had to himself. Or designed it for his sons, and therefore it was in vain for them to hope for anything.
Signifying to Jacob hereby, that they were willing to leave their father's house, and go with him when he pleased, since they could expect nothing by their stay here.
Genesis 31:15 "Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money."
"Are we not accounted of him strangers?" He had not treated them as children, nor even as freeborn persons; but as if they were foreigners that he had taken in war, or bought of others. Or at least, that they were born bondmaids in his house, and so had a right to sell them as he had.
"For he hath sold us": He had sold them to Jacob for fourteen years' service, as if they had been his slaves, instead of giving dowries with them as his children.
"And hath quite devoured also our money": That which he got by the servitude of Jacob, instead of giving it to them as their portion; he spent it on himself and his sons, and there was nothing left for them.
Genesis 31:16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that [is] ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do."
"For all the riches which God hath taken from our father": And given to Jacob for his labor.
"That is ours, and our children's": it belonged to us by the law of nature, before it came into thine hands; and our right unto it is still more manifest, and is confirmed by the service thou hast done for it, by which means it came into thy possession. Therefore, it is no point of conscience with us, nor need it be any with thee especially, to go off with it.
"Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do": For that must be right. This was well spoken indeed; they meant that he should leave their father's house, and go into the land of Canaan, as God had directed him; and they signified that they were willing to go along with him.
Here his wives were giving Jacob 100% support. They explained that their father had sold them to Jacob. They belonged to Jacob. Their father had taken for himself everything that he had acquired through them. He had not shared at all with them.
They even went so far as to say, that the riches did not belong to their father Laban, but to them. They believed that it was correct that God had taken their worth from their father and gave it to their husband.
Genesis 31:17 "Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;"
"Then Jacob rose up": And went with them to Laban's house, where his children were, as is plain from Rachel's theft (Genesis 31:19).
"And set his sons and his wives upon camels": Which were his own (see Genesis 30:43); creatures fit for travelling; on these he set his wives, Rachel and Leah, and his concubine wives, Bilhah and Zilpah; for these went with him, as appears from (Genesis 33:6).
And "his sons", or rather "his children": for they were not all sons, there was one daughter, and they were all young; his eldest son Reuben could not be much more than twelve years of age, and his youngest son Joseph about six.
Genesis 31:18 "And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan."
"And he carried away all his cattle": His sheep, camels, and asses: the Jews say he had 5,500 head of cattle.
"And all the goods which he had gotten": All the rest besides his cattle; his menservants, and maidservants, and all his gold and his silver, and whatsoever else he had.
"The cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram": Or Mesopotamia: this seems to be purposely observed, to show that he took nothing but what was his own, not anything that belonged to Laban.
"For to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan": But it was some years before he got to his father's house, staying at several places by the way. No mention is made of his mother Rebekah, she perhaps being dead by now.
He slipped away unknowingly to Laban. He probably thought Laban would give him some trouble about leaving, or would try to talk him out of leaving. There might have been a fight, and Jacob did not want to fight the father of his wives.
He just slipped away to keep down trouble. Canaan always had a call on men of God. This would someday be inhabited by their ancestors. It was the Promised Land.
Genesis 31:19 "And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that [were] her father's."
"And Laban went to shear his sheep": Which were under the care of his sons, and were three days' distance from Jacob's flocks; this gave Jacob a fair opportunity to depart with his family and substance, since Laban and his sons were at such a distance, and their servants with them also.
"And Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's": Afterwards called gods, which he made use of in an idolatrous and superstitious manner, one way or other: they seem to be a kind of "penates", or household gods. In the Hebrew they are called "teraphim" (see 2 Kings 23:24; Ezek. 21:21).
These images or figurines of varying sizes, usually of nude goddesses with accentuated sexual features, either signaled special protection for, inheritance rights for, or guaranteed fertility for the bearer.
One would think she had been better instructed by Jacob during his twenty years' conversation with her. Besides, had she been filled with such sort of superstition and idolatry, she would never have used them so indecently, as to have sat upon them in the circumstances in which she was (Genesis 31:34).
It is more to her credit and character to say with Jarchi, that she did this to wean her father from the idolatrous worship of them, and to convince him that they were not gods.
Or, perhaps possession by Rachel would call for Jacob to the recognized as head of the household at Laban's death (see notes on verses 30, 44).
It is a terrible sin to steal, but worse than that was the fact that Rachel had brought a false god along. This was the first mention that Laban was an idolater. It's no wonder God allowed him to lose so many animals to Jacob. Here again though, this would kindle God's anger at Rachel.
Genesis 31:20 "And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled."
"Jacob stole away unawares to Laban": Went away without his knowledge, or giving him any notice of it. He was too cunning for Laban the Syrian; notwithstanding his astrology and superstitious arts, which the Syrians are addicted to, he had no foresight of this matter.
Or he "stole away the heart of Laban", that which his heart was set upon. Not his gods, these Rachel stole away; nor his daughters, for whom he does not appear to have had any great affection and respect.
But rather the cattle and goods Jacob took with him, which Laban's eye and heart were upon, and hoped to get into his possession by one means or another. But the former sense, that he "stole from" his heart, or stole away without his knowledge, seems best to agree with what follows.
"In that he told him not that he fled": Or that he designed to go away, and was about to do it.
Because of fear at what Laban might do (verse 31), Jacob dispensed with the expected courtesy he had not forgotten before (30:25), and quietly slipped away at an appropriate time (verse 19).
With all his entourage, this was not a simple exit. Laban's gruffness (verses 1-2), displayed enough hostility for Jacob to suspect forceful retaliation and to react by escaping what danger he could not know for sure.
Genesis 31:21 "So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face [toward] the mount Gilead."
"So he fled with all that he had": His wives, his children, cattle and all his possessions.
"And he rose up, and passed over the river": The River Euphrates, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, which lay between Mesopotamia and Canaan. The area that is south of Galilee to the east of the Jordan River respectively.
"And set his face toward the mount Gilead": He travelled and bent his course that way: this, was a mountain on the border of the land of Canaan, adjoining to Lebanon, near which was a very fruitful country, which had its name from it.
It is so called here by way of anticipation; for this name was afterwards given it from the heap of stones here laid, as a witness of the agreement between Laban and Jacob (Genesis 31:45).
This mount was the way home to Canaan. It's near the Sea of Galilee on one side near Jordon.
Genesis 31:22 "And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled."
"And it was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob was fled": Three days after Jacob was gone he had the report of it, by some means or another. By some of his neighbors, or servants left at home. Sooner he could not have known it, since the flock he went to shear was three days' distance from Jacob's (Genesis 30:36).
You remember in our last study, how vast an area this was that they lived in. Jacob wasn't missed sooner, because his cattle were set a great distance away from Laban's. They had a good head start.
Genesis 31:23 "And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead."
"Seven days' journey": That it took so long for Laban's band to catch up with a much larger group burdened with possessions and animals indicates a forced march was undertaken by Jacob's people, probably motivated by Jacob's fear.
Figured, not from Jacob's departure from Haran, but from Laban's. For Laban being three days' journey from thence, whither he had to return, after he received the news of Jacob being gone.
Jacob must have travelled six days before Laban set out with his brethren from Haran; so that this was, as Ben Gerson conjectures, the thirteenth day of Jacob's travel; for Laban not having cattle to drive as Jacob, could travel as fast again as he, and do that in seven days which took Jacob thirteen. And they overtook him in the mount Gilead; said to be three hundred and eighty miles from Haran
Laban wasn't accompanied by animals that he had to wait for, so he caught them at the mountain.
Genesis 31:24 "And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad."
"Take heed ... either good or bad": God again sovereignly protected, as He had done for Abraham and Isaac (12:17-20; 20:3-7; 26:8-11), to prevent harm coming to His man.
In a proverbial expression (Gen. 24:50; 2 Sam. 13:22), Laban is cautioned not to use anything in the full range of options open to him, "from the good to the bad," to alter the existing situation and bring Jacob back.
This answered the question; does God ever speak to the unsaved? Yes, he does. His speaking to Laban was to save Jacob.
Genesis 31:25 "Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead."
"Then Laban overtook Jacob": He was come to the mount the overnight, but now in the morning he came nearer to him, so as to hold a conversation with him.
"Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead": Both on the same mount; One perhaps at the bottom, and the other at the top; or one on one hill of it, and the other on another, or right over against one another.
Genesis 31:26 "And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives [taken] with the sword?"
"And Laban said unto Jacob": Upon their meeting together; perhaps in some middle place between their two tents.
"What hast thou done?" What evil hast thou committed? What folly art thou guilty of? And what could induce thee to take such a step as this? Suggesting that he could see no necessity for it and as if he had done nothing that should occasion it, that Jacob had done a very ill thing.
"That thou hast stolen away unawares to me" (see Gen. 31:20).
"My daughter, as captives": Laban evidently did not believe that his daughters could have possibly agreed with the departure and must have left under duress.
"And carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?" as were commonly done by a band of robbers that made incursions upon their neighbors, and plundered them of their substance, and carried away by force their wives and daughters.
And such a one Laban represents Jacob to be, both a thief and a robber; who had not only stolen away from him, but had stolen away his goods, and even his gods, and carried away his daughters against their will. All which were false, and particularly the latter, since they went along with him with their free and full consent.
Verses 27-29: Laban's questions protested his right to have arranged a proper send-off for his family and functioned as a rebuke of Jacob's thoughtlessness toward him.
Genesis 31:27 "Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?"
"Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me?": Intimating as if he should not have been against his departure, if he had but acquainted him with it, and the reasons of it. So that he had no need to have used such privacy, and go away like a thief by stealth, as if he had done something he had reason to be ashamed of.
"And didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret and with harp": pretending that he would have given him leave to depart.
And not only have dismissed him from his house and service in an honorable way, but very cheerfully and pleasantly. He would have got a band of music, men singers and women singers, and others to play on musical instruments, as the tabret and harp.
And so had a concert of vocal and instrumental music, which would have shown that they parted by consent, and as good friends: whether this was an usual custom in this country, of parting with friends, I cannot say, but it seems to be very odd; for usually relations and friends, that have a cordial affection for each other, part with grief and tears.
By this Laban appears to be a carnal man, and had but little sense of religion, as well as acted the hypocritical part.
Laban had forgotten that he sold his daughters to Jacob. He had no rights to them anymore. He said he would have thrown a big party for their leaving, if they had only let him know. Would he really, or would he have tried to stop them?
Genesis 31:28 "And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in [so] doing."
"And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters?" Did not give him an opportunity of taking his farewell, which used to be done with a kiss, as it is with us at this day. By his sons he means his grandsons, and so the Targum of Jonathan, my daughters' sons; and by his daughters Rachel and Leah, and Dinah his granddaughter.
"Thou hast done foolishly in so doing": Since, as he would have him believe that he was both a loser by this step he took, and exposed himself to danger, seeing it was in the power of Laban to do him hurt (as in Genesis 31:29). But Jacob knew what he did, and that it was the wisest part to follow the direction of God.
Genesis 31:29 "It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad."
"It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt": Jacob and his family, wives, children, and servants, who were not able to stand against Laban and the men he brought with him; and so the Jerusalem Targum paraphrases it, "I have an army and a multitude; a large force, which Jacob could not withstand.
Or, "my hand could have been for a god", you could have no more escaped it, or got out of it, or withstood me, than you could God himself: such an opinion had he of his superior power and strength, and that this would have been the case.
"But the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight": The night past, or the other night, some very little time ago, since he came from home at least: by his father he means either his father Isaac, or his grandfather Abraham, whose God the Lord was, and who came to Laban and told him who he was.
This serves to strengthen the opinion that Laban was an idolater, and adhered to the gods of his grandfather Terah, from whom Abraham departed, and which Laban may have respect to; intimating that he abode by the religion of his ancestors more so than Jacob's.
However, though he does not call him his God, he had some awe and reverence of him, and was influenced by his speech to him.
"Saying, take heed that thou spake not to Jacob either good or bad": This, though greatly to Jacob's honor, and against Laban's interest, yet his conscience would not allow him to keep it a secret; though, doubtless, his view was to show his superior power to Jacob, had he not been restrained by Jacob's God.
Genesis 31:30 "And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?"
"Wherefore hast thou stolen my gods": Longing to return to Canaan (30:25), might excuse his leaving without notice, but it could not excuse the theft of his teraphim (31:19). Laban's thorough search for these idols (verses 33-35), also marked how important they were to him as a pagan worshiper (see notes on verses 19, 44).
Laban was putting up a good argument. He was telling the truth that he would have harmed Jacob, If God had never intervened. Notice, he called God, Jacob's God, not his. Laban worshipped idols made with hands. Laban said, even if you have to go, why did you steal my gods? A good question. Jacob had no need for this; his God was not made by human hands.
Genesis 31:31 "And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me."
"And Jacob answered and said to Laban, because I was afraid": That he would have done all he could to have hindered him from going away himself; and not only so, but would have prevented his taking his daughters with him; and especially would have detained his cattle; but of this last Jacob makes no mention, only of the former.
A reasonable fear is experienced by Jacob, who had come to find a wife and stayed for at least 20 years (verse 38), under the selfish compulsions of Laban.
"For I said": Either within himself, or to his wives.
"Peradventure thou would take by force thy daughters from me": Which of right belonged to him; for though they were Laban's daughters, they were Jacob's wives; and being given in marriage to him, he had a right unto them, and to take them with him.
Nor had Laban any right to detain them, which Jacob feared he would have attempted to have done had he known his design. And this must have been done by force if done at all; for neither Jacob nor his wives would have agreed that they should stay with Laban upon his departure.
What Laban charges Jacob with, in going away with his wives; he himself would have done, namely, using force to them. Laban's charge was false, but there was much reason for Jacob's suspicion.
Jacob realized the treachery of Laban. He knew even though Laban had been fully paid for his daughters, Laban would try to take them back and all the goods with them. Laban was not an honorable man.
Genesis Chapter 31 Questions
1. Who did Jacob overhear talking about him?
2. What are they saying?
3. What sin had overcome them?
4. Were they grateful for the blessings God had given Laban, because of Jacob?
5. What did Jacob see about Laban that worried him?
6. What did the lord tell Jacob to do?
7. Who did Jacob call to the field?
8. Why?
9. What did Jacob remind his two wives of, concerning Laban?
10. Why did Jacob explain in detail to his wives?
11. Jacob told them their father had done what to him?
12. What had God done to their father?
13. How had God given Jacob the plan?
14. God told Jacob he was the God of where?
15. What had Jacob done at this place?
16. What had Jacob been instructed of God to do?
17. What did Rachel and Leah say about their father's treatment?
18. Who did Laban's riches really belong to?
19. What did the wives ride on to leave?
20. What else did Jacob take besides his family?
21. Where was he to go?
22. What was this land really?
23. What evil thing did Rachel do?
24. What was worse than this?
25. What country was Laban from?
26. Jacob set his face toward what mount?
27. When was Laban told that they were gone?
28. How many days did Laban follow?
29. How did God appear to Laban?
30. What did God tell him?
31. What did Laban tell Jacob?
32. What would he have done to Jacob, if God had not warned him?
33. What did Laban accuse Jacob of stealing?
34. Why had Jacob fled?
Verses 25-55" "Jegar-sahadutha" and "Galeed" mean "Heap of Witness," in Aramaic and Hebrew, respectively. The expression in verse 49 is not meant to convey a benediction, as Christians usually cite it. Rather, it is a spoken curse: "May God destroy you if you cross this boundary!"
There is no more mention of Laban in Genesis, and this records the last contact the patriarchs had with their homeland and relatives.
Genesis 31:32 "With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what [is] thine with me, and take [it] to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them."
"With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live": This is the answer to his last question, as what goes before is to his first: Jacob knew nothing of their being taken away by any, and thought himself safe in saying what he did, being confident that no one with him could ever take them.
But it was too rashly spoken by him, giving leave to Laban to put to death the person with whom they should be found, or expressing death on him by the hand of God; "may he not live", but die, die immediately or before his time, as the Targum of Jonathan.
"Before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee": Not only his gods, but any of his goods or cattle, whatsoever he could find in his tents, or in his flocks, that were his property, he was welcome to take; and this he declared before the men that Laban brought with him, whom he also calls his brethren, being his kinsfolks and neighbors.
And these he appeals to as witnesses of his honesty, integrity, and fair dealing; being conscious to himself that he had took nothing but what was his own.
"For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them": The images or gods; or he would have been more careful of his expression, in love and tenderness to his most beloved wife.
Jacob made this statement, before he realized that his precious Rachel was the one who took the false Gods.
Genesis 31:33 "And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found [them] not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent."
"And Laban went into Jacob's tent": Into that first where he most suspected they were, being taken not out of value for them, but contempt of them.
"And into Leah's tent": And not Leah's tent next, whom next to Jacob he might suspect of taking them, out of veneration to them, because her tent lay next.
"And into the two maidservant's' tents": Bilhah and Zilpah; or "the" tent of them; for the word is singular, and perhaps they had but one tent for them both, which distinguished them from the principal wives.
"But he found them not": In either of these tents.
"Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent": Which he went into last of all, as least suspecting her, being less addicted to the superstition and idolatry of his family than Leah and the maidservants.
Aben Ezra thinks that he was twice in Leah's tent, and at the last time came out of that into Rachel's; and that Jacob's tent lay between Leah's and Rachel's. From this account, it more clearly appears that men and their wives had separate tents or apartments (see Gen. 24:67).
Verses 34-35: One dishonest deed needed further dishonesty and trickery to cover it up.
Genesis 31:34 "Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found [them] not."
"Now Rachel had taken the images": Hearing her father inquire about them, and her husband having given leave to search for them, and to put to death whoever should be found to have them, took them from the place where she had before laid them.
"And put them into the camel's furniture": Perhaps the camel's furniture she rode on, and therefore it was in her tent, which some understand of the saddle on which she rode; rather, it seems to be the saddle cloth or housing, in which she might wrap the images and put them under her clothes.
"And sat upon them": The images, which, if she had the respect for, as some suggest, she would never have used in such a manner. And Laban searched the entire tent, but found them not; excepting the place where Rachel sat.
Genesis 31:35 "And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women [is] upon me. And he searched, but found not the images."
"And she said to her father": As he approached nearer to her, having searched her tent all over.
"Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee": She addresses him with great honor and respect; calling him her lord, being her father, though an unkind one, and entreats him not to be displeased that she did not rise up and yield that obeisance to him which was due from her to a father.
"For the custom of women is upon me": Her menstrual cycle; which before the law of Moses were reckoned a pollution, and such persons were not to be touched or come near unto, and everything they sat upon was unclean, and not to be touched also (Lev. 15:19).
"And he searched": All about her, and around her; but did not oblige her to get up, nor could he imagine that the images could be under her in such circumstances.
"But found not the images": And so he quit searching; nor do we find that he searched the flock for any of his cattle there, knowing full well Jacob's honesty and integrity.
It seems that these false gods were more important to Laban than the lives of his daughters. Had he found them, they would have been killed. Rachel now committed another sin. She lied to cover up the fact that she stole the images.
Jacob had already spoken death to anyone who was found with the images. Whether Rachel worshipped these, or she wanted them for their monetary value, or she did it to provoke her father, we are not certain. We will find out it not only provoked Laban, but angered God, as well.
Genesis 31:36 "And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What [is] my trespass? what [is] my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?"
"And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban": Having answered Laban's questions to the silencing of him, and nothing of his upon search, being found with him, Jacob took heart, and was of good courage and in high spirits, and in his turn, was heated also. And perhaps might carry his passion a little too far, and is not to be excused from some degree of sin and weakness.
However, his reasoning is strong and nervous, and his reasoning very just and pathetic; whatever may be said for the temper he was in, and the wrath and resentment he showed.
"And Jacob answered and said to Laban": That whereas he had suggested that he had done a very bad thing, he asks him.
"What is my trespass? What is my sin?" What heinous offence have I committed? What law of God or man have I broke?
"That thou hast so hotly pursued after me?" With so much haste and swiftness, and with such a number of men, as if he came to take a thief, a robber, or a murderer.
Genesis 31:37 "Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set [it] here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both."
"Judge betwixt us both": Rachel's theft and dishonest cover-up had precipitated a major conflict between her father and her husband which could only be resolved by judicial inquiry before witnesses.
Jacob had become very put out with Laban. In modern day language, he said show us if you have found any sin in our camp, if not I don't want to hear about. Jacob told him to let their servants judge who was in error.
Verses 38-42: Jacob registered his complaint that he had unfairly borne the losses normally carried by the owner and had endured much discomfort in fulfilling his responsibility. Jacob also delivered his conclusion that except for the oversight of God, Laban may very well have fleeced him totally.
Genesis 31:38 "This twenty years [have] I [been] with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten."
"This twenty years have I been with thee": So that he now must have been ninety seven years of age.
"Thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young": or very few of them: it was a rare case for any to be abortive, if ever: this, though owing to the blessing of God, was for Jacob's sake, and, under God, to be ascribed to his care and diligence in watching and keeping the flock, and doing everything needful for them.
"And the rams of the flock have I not eaten": Being content with meaner food, as lentil pottage and the like; see the contrary of this in shepherds (Ezek. 34:3).
Genesis 31:39 "That which was torn [of beasts] I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, [whether] stolen by day, or stolen by night."
Jacob was telling Laban that Laban was blessed. His flocks increased, because Jacob had done over and above what was expected of him. God blessed the young, as well. Laban had gotten more than was expected of any worker.
Jacob had even taken all the losses on his herd destroyed by wild animals. Jacob did not even kill and eat animals from Laban's flock. Laban had no reason to complain.
Genesis 31:40 "[Thus] I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes."
"Thus I was": In such a situation, as well as in the following uncomfortable plight and condition.
"In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night": The violent heat in the daytime scorched him, and the severe frosts in the night pinched him. That is, in the different seasons of the year, the heat of the day in the summertime, and the cold of the night in the wintertime.
For it cannot well be thought that there should be excessive heat in the day and sharp frosts in the night, in the same season of the year. It looks as if Laban did not allow Jacob the proper conveniences of clothes, and of tents to secure him from the inclemency of the weather, which other shepherds usually had.
"And my sleep departed from mine eyes": Through diligent care and watchfulness of the flocks in the night season, which on some occasions were necessary (see Luke 2:8).
Jacob told Laban that day and night in all kinds of weather, he saw to the flock even to the point of punishing his own body.
Genesis 31:41 "Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times."
"Thus have I been twenty years in thy house": Attended with these difficulties, inconveniencies, and hardships.
"I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters": Rachel and Leah; first seven years for Rachel; and having Leah imposed upon him instead of her, was obliged to serve seven years more, which he did for her sake. Whereas he ought to have given them, and a dowry with them, to one who was heir to the land of Canaan, and not have exacted servitude of him.
"And six years for thy cattle": to have as many of them for his hire, as were produced from a flock of white sheep, that were speckled, spotted, or ringstraked, or brown.
"And thou hast changed my wages ten times" (see Gen. 31:7).
Here was the first mention of the exact time that Jacob labored for Laban. Twenty years was a very long time. Jacob reminded Laban that Leah and Rachel were no longer Laban's, and neither were the cattle. Jacob owed Laban nothing. Jacob fulfilled his part of the bargain, now Laban wanted to back out of the deal.
Genesis 31:42 "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked [thee] yesternight."
"Fear of Isaac": Also see "the fear of his father Isaac" (verse 53). This was another divine name, signifying Jacob's identification of the God who caused Isaac to reverence Him.
Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of "Isaac, had been with me" (verse 53). One and the same God is meant, who was the God of his father Isaac, and before him the God of Abraham, and now the fear of Isaac, whom he feared and served with reverence and Godly fear, being at this present time a worshipper of him.
Now Jacob suggests that unless his father's God had been on his side, and had protected and preserved him, as well as before blessed and prospered him that:
"Surely thou hadst sent me away now empty": coming with such force upon him, he would have stripped him of all he had, of his wives and children, and servants and cattle.
"God hath seen my affliction, and the labor of my hands": What hardships he endured in Laban's service, and what pains he took in feeding his flocks.
Jacob was telling Laban that if God had not intervened and given Laban a dream, Laban would have come into camp with a large group of men, and would have taken his daughters and all of Jacob's animals and things by force. God protects His own, and this was no exception. Jacob was divinely protected by God Himself.
Genesis 31:43 "And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, [These] daughters [are] my daughters, and [these] children [are] my children, and [these] cattle [are] my cattle, and all that thou seest [is] mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?"
"And Laban answered and said unto Jacob": Not denying the truth of what he had said, nor acknowledging any fault he had been guilty of, or asking forgiveness for it, though he seemed to be convicted in his own conscience of it. Laban pled his case, amounting to nothing more than the manifestation of his grasping character, by claiming everything was his.
"These daughters are my daughters": Though thy wives, they are my own flesh and blood, and must be dear to me; so pretending strong natural affections for them.
"And these children are my children": His grandchildren, for whom also he professed great love and affection.
"And these cattle are my cattle": Or of my cattle, as the Targum of Jonathan, sprung from them, as indeed they did.
"And all that thou seest is mine": All this he observed in a bragging way, that it might be thought that he was generous in not insisting upon having it, but giving all back to Jacob again.
"And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?" I cannot find in my heart to do them any hurt, or wrong them of anything, and am therefore willing all should be theirs.
You can easily see from this above Scripture that Laban claimed everything and everyone that Jacob had worked for. Laban said the reason that he would not take it by force was that he loved Rachel and Leah and the children. The real reason was because God intervened, and he was afraid of Jacob's God.
Genesis 31:44 "Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee."
"Let us make a covenant": Although Laban did regard all in Jacob's hands as his, after all Jacob had arrived 20 years before with nothing, nevertheless, the matter was clearly ruled in Jacob's favor, since Laban left with nothing.
A treaty was struck in the customary fashion (verses 45-51), in which they covenanted not to harm one another again (verse 52).
With heaps of stones as testaments to the treaty named and in place (verses 47-49), with the consecration meals having been eaten (verses 46, 54), and with the appropriate oaths and statements made in the name of their God (verses 50, 53), the agreement was properly sanctioned and concluded and thus they parted company.
All contact between Abrahams's kin in Canaan and Mesopotamia appears to have ended at this point.
Laban decided he would like a peace agreement between him and Jacob. He knew if Jacob were to mount an army and come against him, that he would be destroyed. He knew full well that God was with Jacob. Laban knew he was no match for God, so he asked Jacob for a treaty.
Genesis 31:45 "And Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar."
"And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar": To show his readiness to agree to the motion, he immediately took a large stone that lie upon the mount, and set it up on one end, to be a standing monument or memorial of the agreement now about to be made between them.
Genesis 31:46 "And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap: and they did eat there upon the heap."
"And Jacob said unto his brethren, gather stones": Not to his sons, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi state; these would not be called brethren, and were not fit, being too young to be employed in gathering large stones, as these must be, to erect a monument with.
Rather his servants, whom he employed in keeping his sheep under him, and might so call them, as he did the shepherds of Haran (Genesis 29:4).
And whom he could command to such service, and were most proper to be made use of in it; unless it can be thought the men Laban brought with him, whom Jacob before calls his brethren (Genesis 31:37), are meant. Then the words must be understood as spoken, not in an authoritative way, but as a request or direction, which was complied with.
"And they took stones, and made a heap": They fetched stones that lay about here and there, and laid them in order one upon another, and so made a heap of them.
"And they did eat there upon the heap": They made it like a table, and set their food on it, and ate off of it; or they "ate by", it being usual in making covenants to make a feast. At least to eat and drink together, in token of friendship and good will.
The Chinese call friendship that is most firm and stable, and not to be rescinded, "stony friendship": whether from a like custom with this does not appear.
They built a monument to remind them of their peace treaty. They broke bread together to seal their friendship.
Verses 47-49: Jegar-sahadutha ... Galeed ... Mizpah": The first two words mean in Aramaic and also in Hebrew, "heap of witnesses." The third word means "watchtower".
Genesis 31:47 "And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed."
"And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha": Which in the Syriac and Chaldee languages signifies "a heap of witness"; it being, as after observed, a witness of the covenant between Laban and Jacob.
"But Jacob called it Galeed": Which in the Hebrew tongue signifies the same, "a heap of witness"; or "a heap, the witness", for the same reason. Laban was a Syrian, as he sometimes is called (Genesis 25:20), wherefore he used the Syrian language.
Jacob was a descendant of Abraham the Hebrew, and he used the Hebrew language; and both that their respective posterity might understand the meaning of the name; though these two are not so very different but Laban and Jacob could very well understand each other, as appears by their discourse together, these being but dialects of the same tongue.
Genesis 31:48 "And Laban said, This heap [is] a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;"
"And Laban said, this heap is a witness between me and thee this day": A witness of the covenant now about to be made between them that day, and a witness against them should they break it.
"Therefore was the name of it called Galeed": By Jacob, as before observed (see Gen. 31:47).
Genesis 31:49 "And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another."
"And Mizpah": Which being a Hebrew word, it looks as if the heap had also this name given it by Jacob, which signifies a "watch" or "watchtower"; though, by what follows, it seems to be given by Laban, who could speak Hebrew as well, as Syriac, or Chaldee.
"For he said, the Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another": Or "hid one from another"; when being at a distance, they could not see each other, or what one another did in agreement or disagreement with their present covenant.
But he intimates, that the Lord sees and knows all things, and therefore imprecates that God would watch over them both, them and their actions, and bring upon them the evil or the good, according as their actions were, or as they broke or kept this covenant.
Genesis 31:50 "If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take [other] wives beside my daughters, no man [is] with us; see, God [is] witness betwixt me and thee."
"If thou shall afflict my daughters": In body or mind, by giving them hard blows, or ill words, and by withholding from them the necessaries of life, food and raiment, and the like.
"Or if thou shall take other wives besides my daughters": Which also would be an affliction and vexation to them (see Lev. 18:18).
Laban, though he had led Jacob into polygamy, and even obliged him to it, did not choose he should go further into it, for the sake of his daughters, to whom he professes now much kindness and affection, though he had shown but little to them before. As well as talks in a more religious strain than he had been used to doing.
"No man is with us": The sense is not that there were none with them at the present time, for the men or brethren that Laban brought with him were present. Or that there were none fit to be witnesses, because these were kinsmen, for they are appealed to by Jacob as judges between them (Genesis 31:33).
But this refers to time to come, and may be supplied thus, "when no man be with us"; when there is none to observe what is done by either of us, contrary to mutual agreement, and to report it to one or other: then see, take notice, and observe.
"God is witness betwixt me and thee": Who is omniscient and omnipresent, sees and observes all the actions of men, and deals with them accordingly. And so will be a witness for or against each of us, as we shall behave in observing, or not observing, the terms of our covenant.
Genesis 31:51 "And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold [this] pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;"
"And Laban said to Jacob": Continued speaking to him, as follows:
"Behold this heap, and behold this pillar which I have cast betwixt me and thee": The heap of stones seems to be gathered and laid together by the brethren, and the pillar to be erected by Jacob; and yet Laban says of them both, that he cast them, or erected them, they being done by his order, or with his consent, as well as Jacob's.
Unless the pillar can be thought to design another beside that which Jacob set up, and was like that, a single stone at some little distance from the heap. But the Samaritan and Arabic versions read, "which thou hast seen or set" etc., agreeably to (Genesis 31:45).
Genesis 31:52 "This heap [be] witness, and [this] pillar [be] witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm."
"This heap be witness": Agreeably to its name, which both he and Jacob gave unto it.
"And this pillar be witness": Which was set up for the same purpose.
"That I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm": Not that these were to be the boundaries of their respective countries; for neither of them at present were possessed of lands that reached hither, if of any at all.
Nor that it would be a breach of covenant to pass over or by those, from one country into another, but so as to do, or with intent to do hurt to each other.
Laban warned Jacob, that if he mistreated his daughters in any way the deal was off. They set up a boundary and neither one was to cross over that boundary to war with the other. God was the witness to the agreement they made with each other.
Genesis 31:53 "The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac."
"God of Nahor": Laban's probable reconciliation or integration of differing systems of belief, paralleling of the God of Abraham with that of Nahor and Terah, his brother and father respectively, elicited Jacob again using "the fear of Isaac," a reference to the true God (verse 42), for he certainly could not give credence to any of Laban's religious allusions.
These men sware by the one they worshipped. We know who the God of Abraham was, but Abraham's father was an idolater. It was not known who Nahor worshipped. Jacob swore by his father, Isaac.
Genesis 31:54 "Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount."
"Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount": On Mount Gilead, not in a religious way, in which he could not join with Laban, or admit him to it; but in a civil way he "slew a slaughter", or rather made one. That is, as Jarchi explains it, he slew cattle for a feast, as it was usual to make feasts for the several parties concerned in covenant (see Gen. 26:30).
"And called his brethren, to eat bread": The, men that came with Laban and him also, these he invited to his feast, for all sorts of food are called bread.
"And they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount": This affair between Laban and Jacob had taken up the whole day, at evening they feasted together upon the covenant being made, and then tarried all night to take their rest.
Jacob gave thanks to God for protecting him in all of this. We should always remember and thank God for His goodness.
Genesis 31:55 "And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place."
"And early in the morning Laban rose up": In order to prepare for, and set forward on his journey home.
"And kissed his sons and his daughters": Jacob and his sons, who were his grandsons, and his daughters Rachel and Leah, with Dinah his granddaughter, as was the custom of relations and friends in those countries and times, at parting.
"And blessed them": wished all happiness to them.
"And Laban departed, and returned unto his place": To the city of Haran, where he dwelt; and after this we hear no more of him, nor of any transaction of his in life, or when and where he died, only his name is once mentioned by Jacob (Genesis 32:4).
Laban was finally satisfied, after kissing his children and grandchildren, he returned home.
Genesis Chapter 31 Continued Questions
1. What did Jacob say was to happen to the one the images were found with?
2. Was Jacob aware who had them?
3. Where did Laban search?
4. Where had Rachel hidden them?
5. What excuse did Rachel give for not rising?
6. What additional sin did Rachel commit?
7. What reasons might she have taken them for?
8. Besides provoking Laban, who was angered?
9. What question did Jacob ask Laban?
10. Who did Jacob say should judge between him and Laban?
11. In our modern English, what did Jacob say to Laban?
12. How many years had Jacob been with Laban?
13. How many years had he worked to get Leah and Rachel?
14. Who took the loss, when a wild animal tore one of the flock?
15. Why was Laban blessed?
16. Was Jacob an eight hour a day worker? Explain.
17. Who did Jacob give credit for saving him?
18. Why did God protect Jacob?
19. What did Laban claim as his own that was Jacob's?
20. Laban said because of Leah and Rachel he would not harm Jacob, but what was the real reason?
21. How did Jacob and Laban settle this?
22. What did the two men build?
23. What did they do to seal the friendship?
24. "Galeed" Means What?
25. What was another name for the place?
26. What does "Mizpah" mean?
27. What was the heap and pillar to remind them of?
28. Who was their witness?
29. Who did they swear by?
30. What did Jacob do after all the treaty was over?
31. What was the last thing Laban did before he went home?
Verses 1-23: "Mahanaim" was the name given to the place, meaning "Double Camp," possibly a reference to the two camps or bands of angels, or his camp and the angels' camp. The "Jabbok" was a tributary of the Jordan, about 24 miles north of the Dead Sea. The name is related to the Hebrew word for "wrestled" (in verse 24), yaboq for "Jabbok," and ye abeq for "wrestled."
Genesis 32:1 "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him."
"And Jacob went on his way": From Gilead towards the land of Canaan.
"The angels of God": To comfort and help him, to protect and defend him, to keep him in all his ways, that nothing hurt him (Psalm 91:11). These are ministering spirits sent forth by God to minister to his people, the heirs of salvation; and such a one Jacob was.
With one crisis behind him and before him the suspense of having to face Esau, Jacob was first met by an angelic host, who must have reminded him of Beth-el, which served also as a timely reminder and encouragement of God's will being done on earth (28:11-15).
Genesis 32:2 "And when Jacob saw them, he said, This [is] God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim."
"And when Jacob saw them": These appeared in a visible form, most probably human, and in the habit, and with the dress of soldiers, and therefore afterwards called a host or army. Aben Ezra thinks that Jacob alone saw them, as Elisha first saw the host of angels before the young man did that was with him (2 Kings 6:17).
"He said, this is God's host": Or army, hence he is often called the Lord of hosts; angels have this name from their number, order, strength, and military exploits they perform.
"And he called the name of the place Mahanaim": Meaning "double camp," i.e., one being God's and one being his own. It was located east of the Jordan River in Gilead near the River Jabbok.
Which signifies two hosts or armies; either his own family and company making one, and the angels another, as Aben Ezra observes. or they were the angels, who very probably appeared in two companies, or as two armies, and one went on one side of Jacob and his family, and the other on the other side; or the one went before him, and the other behind him.
The latter to secure him from any insult of Laban, should he pursue after him, and distress him in the rear, and the former to protect him from Esau, near whose country Jacob now was, and of whom he was in some fear and danger. Thus, seasonably did God appear for him.
In the previous lesson, the last thing Jacob did was to build an altar and worship. God is pleased by this kind of action. We see here, angels, ministering spirits, meeting Jacob. Jacob recognized who they were.
Genesis 32:3 "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom."
"And Jacob sent messengers before him unto Esau his brother": Or "angels": not angels simply, as Jarchi, for these were not under the command, and in the power of Jacob to send, nor would they have needed any instruction from him afterwards given, but these were some of his own servants.
Esau it seems, was removed from his father's house, and was possessed of a country after mentioned, called from his name; and which Aben Ezra says lay between Haran and the land of Israel. But if it did not directly lie in the road of Jacob, yet, as it was near him, he did not choose to pass by without seeing his brother.
"Seir ... Edom": The territory of Esau south of the Dead Sea. Which had its first name from Seir the Horite; and Esau having married into his family came into the possession of it, by virtue of that marriage. Or rather he and his sons drove out the Horites, the ancient possessors of it, and took it to themselves.
From whom it was afterwards called Edom, a name of Esau, which he had from the red pottage he sold his birthright for to his brother Jacob (Genesis 25:30).
Genesis 32:4 "And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:"
"And he commanded them": Being his servants.
"Saying, thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau": Being not only a lord of a country, but his eldest brother, he chose to show in this manner, to soften his mind, and incline it to him; and that he might see he did not pride himself upon the birthright and blessing he had obtained. And as if these were forgotten by him, though hereby he does not give up his right in them.
"Thy servant Jacob saith thus": Expressing great humility and modesty; for though his father Isaac by his blessing had made him lord over Esau, the time was not come for this to take place, his father not being yet dead. And besides, was to have its accomplishment not in his own person, but in his posterity.
"I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now": Had been a sojourner and a servant in Laban's family for twenty years past, and had had a hard master, and therefore could not be the object of his brother's envy, but rather of his pity and compassion.
Genesis 32:5 "And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight."
"And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants": This he would have said, lest he should think he was come to ask anything of him, and put himself and his family upon him; and lest he should treat him with contempt, as a poor mean beggarly creature, and be ashamed of the relation he stood in to him.
"And I have sent to tell my lord": Of his coming, and of his state and circumstances.
"That I may find grace in thy sight": Share in his good will, which was all he wanted, and that friendship, harmony, and brotherly love, might subsist between them, which he was very desirous of.
As you remember, Esau had threatened to kill Jacob and he had fled. Twenty years was a long time. Many hurts have gone away in that period of time. Jacob humbled himself before his brother and even called him lord (not capitalized).
He quickly told his brother that he would not be dependent on him for a living, that God had abundantly blessed him while he was gone. He was asking Esau to forgive and forget. Grace means unmerited favor. That was what he was asking for. Jacob, in all of this, is being very humble.
Genesis 32:6 "And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him."
"And the messengers returned to Jacob": After they had delivered their message, with the answer they brought back.
"Saying, we came to thy brother Esau": Which, though not expressed, is implied in these words, and is still more manifest by what follows.
"And also he cometh to meet thee": And pay a friendly visit, as they supposed.
"And four hundred men with him": partly to show his grandeur, and partly out of respect to Jacob, and to do honor to him. Though some think this was done with an ill design upon him, and which indeed seems probable; and it is certain Jacob so understood it, as is evident by the distress it gave him.
And by the methods he took for his safety, and by the gracious appearance of God unto him, and the strength he gave him on this occasion, not only to pray to and wrestle with him, but to prevail both with God and men, as the following account shows.
Genesis 32:7 "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that [was] with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;"
"Greatly afraid and distressed": Knowing what he had done to his brother in getting the birthright and blessing from him, and what an enmity he had conceived in his mind against him on that account, and remembering what he had said he would do to him.
Therefore, might fear that all his professions of respect to him were craftily and cunningly made to take him off of his guard, and that he might the more easily fall into his hands.
He sought reconciliation with Esau (verses 4-5), but the report of the returning envoys (verse 6), only confirmed his deepest suspicions that Esau's old threat against him (27:41-42), had not abated over the years. And his coming with force indicated only disaster (verses 8, 11).
Especially when he heard there were four hundred men with him. This struck a terror into him, and made him suspicious of an ill design against him; though herein Jacob betrayed much weakness and lack of faith. When God has promised again and again that he would be with him, and keep him, and protect him, and return him safe to the land of Canaan.
He prepared for the attack by dividing his company of people and animals.
"And he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two bands": Some of his servants and shepherds with a part of the flocks and herds, in one band or company; and some with the rest of them, and the camels, and his wives, and his children, in the other.
Genesis 32:8 "And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape."
"And said, if Esau come to the one company, and smite it": The first, which perhaps consisted only of some servants, with a part of his cattle; so that if Esau should come in a hostile manner, and fall upon that, and slay the servants, and take the cattle as booty.
"Then the other company which is left shall escape": By flight, in which most probably were he himself, his wives and children, and the camels to carry them off who would have notice by what should happen to the first band. But one would think, that, notwithstanding all this precaution and wise methods taken, there could be little expectation of escaping the hands of Esau.
If he came out on such an ill design; for whither could they flee? or how could they hope to get out of the reach of four hundred men pursuing after them, unless it could be thought, or might be hoped, that the first company falling into his hands, and the revenge on them, and the plunder of them, would satisfy him, and he would proceed no further?
But Jacob did not trust to these methods he concerted, but takes himself to God in prayers.
Jacob felt near panic when he found that Esau and 400 of his men were coming out to meet them. Jacob felt that this was an army coming to destroy him and his family. He prepared a battle plan, and knew that his little group was no match for Esau and four hundred of his men. Jacob had a plan of retreat.
Verses 9-12: Commendably, notwithstanding the plans to appease his brother (verses 13-21), Jacob prayed for deliverance, rehearsing God's own commands and covenant promise (verse 12; see 28:13-15). Acknowledging his own anxiety, and confessing his own unworthiness before the Lord.
This was Jacob's first recorded prayer since his encounter with God at Beth-el on the way to Laban (28:20-22).
Genesis 32:9 "And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:"
"And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac": In this distress, he does not consult the teraphim Rachel had taken from her father; nor does he call upon the hosts of angels that had just appeared to him, to help, protect, and guard him; but to God only.
The God of his fathers, who had promised great things to them, and had done great things for them. Who was their God in covenant, as He was his also, though he makes no mention of it. And who was heir of the promises made to them, the birthright and blessing being entailed upon him.
"The Lord which saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred": The same God had appeared to him, when in Laban's house, and bid him return to his own country, and father's house. In obedience to which command he was now on his journey there, and being in the way of his duty, and acting according to the will of God.
Though he had no dependence on, nor put any confidence in anything done by him, as appears by what follows. Yet he hoped God of his grace and goodness would have a regard unto him, as he was doing what he was directed to by him. And especially since he had made the following gracious promise:
"And I will deal well with thee": Bestow good things on thee, both temporal and spiritual, and among the former, preservation from evils and dangers is included.
Genesis 32:10 "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands."
"I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies": Or of any of them, according to his humble sense of things his mind was now impressed with. He was not worthy of the least mercy and favor that had been bestowed upon him; not even of any temporal mercy, much less of any spiritual one. And therefore did not expect any from the hands of God, on account of any merit of his own.
Or "I am less than all thy mercies"; Jacob had had many mercies and favors bestowed upon him by the Lord, which he was aware of, and thankful for. Notwithstanding all the ill usage and hard treatment he had met with in Laban's house, those being great ones. He was not worthy of all or any of them; nor deserving of the least of them, as our version truly gives the sense of the words.
"And of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant": In performing promises made to him; grace, mercy, and goodness are seen making promises, and truth and faithfulness in the performance of them. Jacob had had a rich experience of both, and was deeply affected therewith, and which made him humble before God.
"For with my staff I passed over this Jordan": The river Jordan, near to which he now was, or at least had it in view, either with the eyes of his body, or his mind; this river he passed over when he went to Haran with his staff in his hand, and that only, which was either a shepherd's staff, or a travelling one, the latter most likely.
"And now I am become two bands": into which he had now divided his wives, children, servants, and cattle; this he mentions, to observe the great goodness of God to him, and the large increase he had made him, and how different his circumstances now were to what they were when he was upon this spot, or thereabout, twenty years ago.
The best thing to do when a person has this kind of problem is to call on God, and that was what Jacob did. Jacob reminded God of his ancestry through Abraham and Isaac. He thinks they might have more influence with God than he would. Then he reminded God that it was He who told him to come back home.
Jacob humbled himself and reminded God that when he left his homeland, the only thing he had was a staff. Now he had been so blessed, that he had two bands of people and all this wealth God had blessed him with. He was not ungrateful. Now we see the prayer Jacob prayed to God.
Genesis 32:11 "Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, [and] the mother with the children."
"Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau": For though his brother, it was his brother Esau, that had formerly vowed revenge upon him, and had determined to kill him (Genesis 27:41).
He knew not but that he was still of the same mind; and now having an opportunity, and in his power to do it, being accompanied with four hundred men, he feared he would attempt it. Therefore, entreats the Lord, who was greater than he, to deliver him from falling into his hands, and being destroyed by him.
"For I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children": For whom Jacob seems to be more concerned than for himself. The phrase denotes the utter destruction of his family, and the cruelty and inhumanity that would be exercised therein; which shows what an opinion he had of his brother, and of his savage disposition.
Genesis 32:12 "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
"And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good": All kind of good, most certainly and constantly; so Jacob rightly interpreted the promise, "I will be with thee" (Genesis 31:3); for the promise of God's presence includes and secures all needful good to his people.
And from this general promise Jacob draws an argument for a special and particular good, the preservation of him and his family, he was now pleading for; and the rather he might hope to succeed, since the following promise was also made him.
"And make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude": Which could not be fulfilled, if he and his family were cut off at once, as he feared; but God is faithful who has promised.
Jacob realized his only chance was with God's help. He remembered that God spared him from Laban, and he knew God could do this, also. Jacob was not only concerned for himself, but for his family as well. God likes for us to remind Him of His Word. Jacob reminded God of His promise to make his seed so innumerable as the sands of the sea.
Verses 13-21: The logistics of Jacob's careful appeasement strategy (550 animals Esau would prize), may highlight his ability to plan, but it highlights even more, given the goal statement at the end (verse 20). His failure to pray and believe that God would change Esau's heart.
Genesis 32:13 "And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;"
"And he lodged there that same night": At Mahanaim, or some place near it.
"And took of that which came to his hand": Not what came next to hand, for what he did was with great deliberation, judgment, and prudence. Wherefore the phrase signifies what he was possessed of, or was in his power, as Jarchi rightly interprets it.
"A present for Esau his brother": In order to pacify him, gain his good will, and avert his wrath and displeasure (see Prov. 18:16). Though Jacob had prayed to God, committed himself and family to him, and left all with him, yet he thought it proper to make use of all prudential means and methods for his safety: God frequently works in and by means made use of.
Genesis 32:14 "Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,"
"Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams": And it seems this proportion of one he goat to ten she goats, and of one ram to ten ewes, is a proper one, and what has been so judged in other times and countries.
Genesis 32:15 "Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals."
"Thirty milch camels with their colts": Milch camels were in great esteem in the eastern countries; their milk being, as Aristotle and Pliny say, the sweetest of all milk.
"Forty kine and ten bulls": One bull to ten cows; the same proportion as in the goats and rams.
"Twenty she asses and ten foals": and supposing thirty colts belonging to the camels; the present consisted of five hundred and eighty head of cattle: a large number to spare out of his flocks and herds, that he had acquired in six years' time; and showed a generous disposition as well as prudence, to part with so much in order to secure the rest.
Jacob had chosen a large gift of animals for his brother. Perhaps, to soften him up before he got to the family. You can see, just from this gift, how wealthy Jacob had become.
Genesis 32:16 "And he delivered [them] into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove."
"And he delivered them into the hand of his servants": To present them to Esau as from him.
"Every drove by themselves": There seems to have been three droves (see Genesis 32:19); very probably the two hundred and twenty goats, male and female, were in the first drove; and the two hundred and twenty sheep, ewes, and rams, were in the second drove. And the thirty camels, with their colts, and the fifty cows and bulls, with the twenty she asses and ten foals, which made in all one hundred and forty, were in the third drove.
"And saith unto his servants, pass over before me": Over the brook Jabbok (Gen. 32:22), a day's journey or less before him, as Jarchi observes, rather a night's journey, as seems by the context; for these were sent out at evening, and Jacob stayed behind all night, as appears by what follows:
"And put a space betwixt drove and drove": his meaning is, that they should not follow each other closely; but that there should be a considerable distance between them, and which he would have them careful to keep. His view in this was; partly to prolong time, Esau stopping, as he supposed he would, at each drove, and asking questions of the men.
And partly that he might the better and more distinctly observe the largeness of his present, and his generosity in it.
And so, both by the present, and by the frequent repetition of his submission to him as his servant, his wrath, if he came out in it, would be gradually abated, and before he came to him he would be in a disposition to receive him with some marks of affection and kindness, as he did.
Genesis 32:17 "And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose [art] thou? and whither goest thou? and whose [are] these before thee?"
"And he commanded the foremost": He that had the care of the first drove, which consisted of goats, male and female.
"Saying, when Esau my brother meeteth thee": as there was reason to believe he would, being on the road, and him first of all, being the foremost.
"And asketh thee, saying, what art thou?" that is, whose servant art thou? To whom dost thou belong? "What place art thou travelling to?"
"And whose are these before thee?" Whose are these goats? To whom do they belong thou art driving? For in driving and travelling on the road, sheep and goats went before those that had the care of them. Whereas, in leading out to pastures, the shepherds went before, and the flocks followed (John 10:4).
Genesis 32:18 "Then thou shalt say, [They be] thy servant Jacob's; it [is] a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he [is] behind us."
"Then thou shall say, they be thy servant Jacob's": Both the goats before them, and they themselves that had the care of them, belonged to Jacob, who directed them to speak of him to Esau as his "servant".
"It is a present sent unto my lord Esau": which is the answer to the second question.
"And behold also he is behind us": that is, Jacob: this they were bid to tell, lest he should think that Jacob was afraid of him, and was gone another way. But that he was coming to pay a visit to him, and might expect shortly to see him, which would prepare his mind how to behave towards him.
Genesis 32:19 "And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him."
"And so commanded he the second and third": Those who had the care of the second and third droves, he ordered them to say the same things, and in the same words as he had the first.
"And all that followed the droves": Either all that were with the principal driver; that if any of them should happen to be interrogated first, they might know what to answer; or those that followed the other droves.
"Saying, on this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him": That is, when they met him and perceived it was he that put questions to them.
Genesis 32:20 "And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob [is] behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me."
"And say ye moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us": This is repeated to impress it upon their minds, that they might be careful of all things, not to forget that, it being a point of great importance; for the present would have signified nothing, if Jacob had not appeared in person.
Esau would have thought himself, at best, slighted; as if he was unworthy of a visit from him, and of conversation with him.
"For he said": That is, Jacob, or "had said" in his heart, within himself, as might be supposed from the whole of his conduct. For what follows are the words of Moses the historian, as Aben Ezra observes, and not of Jacob to his servants, nor of them to Esau.
I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face": He hoped the present would produce the desired effect; that it would turn away his wrath from him, and pacify him; and then he should be able to appear before him, and see his face with pleasure.
Or, "I will expiate his face" as some render the words, or make him optimistic and favorable. Or cover his face, as Aben Ezra interprets it, that is, cause him to hide his wrath and resentment, that it shall not appear; or cause his fury to cease. Jarchi; remove his anger, wrath, and displeasure. As Ben Melech; all which our version takes in, by rendering it, "appease him"; and then:
"Peradventure he will accept of me": Receive him with marks of tenderness and affection, and in a very honorable and respectable manner.
Genesis 32:21 "So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company."
"So went the present over before him": Over the brook Jabbok, after mentioned, the night before Jacob did.
"And himself lodged that night in the company": Or "in the camp", either in the place called Mahanaim, from the hosts or crowds of angels seen there; or rather in his own camp, his family and servants.
Or, as Aben Ezra distinguishes: In the camp with his servants, and not in his tent, lest his brother should come and smite him. And so says Nachmanides (medieval Jewish scholar).
Notice, Jacob did not send the gifts, until after he had heard that Esau and four hundred men were coming toward him. Jacob planned this scheme to soften up Esau. He gave him one group at a time, rather than all at once, so that each gift would make Esau a little more tender hearted toward Jacob. He felt that, perhaps, by the time Esau had received all these gifts, he would accept him.
Verses 22-32: This unique, nightlong wrestling match at Peniel ends with the 97 year old Jacob having a change of name (verse 28), and the place having a new name assigned to it (verse 30), in order to memorialize it for Jacob and later generations. The limp with which he emerged from the match (verses 25, 31), also served to memorialize this event.
Genesis 32:22 "And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok."
"And he rose up that night": In the middle of it, for it was long before break of day, as appears from (Genesis 32:24).
"And took his two wives": Rachel and Leah.
"And his two womenservants": Bilhah and Zilpah, or, "his two concubines", as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which distinguishes them from other womenservants or maidservants, of which, no doubt, he had many.
"And his eleven sons": together with Dinah his daughter, though not mentioned, being the only female child, and a little one.
"And passed over the ford Jabbok": Over that river, at a place of it where it was fordable, or where there was a ford or passage. This was a river that took its rise from the mountains of Arabia, was the border of the Ammonites, washed the city Rabba, and ran between Philadelphia and Gerasa, and came into the river Jordan.
"Jabbok": A stream 60 to 65 miles long, east of the Jordan River which flows into that river midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea (ca. 45 miles south of the Sea of Galilee).
Genesis 32:23 "And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had."
"And he took them, and sent them over the brook": His wives and children, under the care of some of his servants.
"And sent over that he had": All that belonged to him, his servants and his cattle or goods.
Jacob sent his family over the river, and he stayed behind alone. He was afraid his brother was coming to destroy all of them. Jabbok was half way up the Jordan River. This Scripture does not say, but we may assume that he was crying out to God. God was the only one that can help him now.
Verses 24-32: "And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day:" The man is identified by some as the preincarnate Christ, and by others as an angel, a special messenger from God. Some even cite (Hosea 12:4), to support both views! The context seems to favor the angel being the preincarnate Christ (verse 30 and the phrase "for I have seen God face to face").
If we assume the deity of the messenger, God allowed Himself to be overcome; and Jacob was crippled; his "thigh was out of joint." The blessing constituted the changing of his name from Jacob, "Heel Catcher," "supplanter," or Deceiver," to "Israel," meaning "May God Prevail [for him]." Thus, he was now recognized as "Prince with God."
Genesis 32:24 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day."
"Wrestled a man": The site name, Peniel, or "face of God," given by Jacob (verse 30), and the commentary given by Hosea (Hos. 12:4), identifies this man with whom Jacob wrestled as the Angel of the Lord who is also identified as God, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ (see note on Exodus 3:2).
This was an interesting statement. How can you be alone and wrestle with someone at the same time? This man that Jacob wrestled with had to be a spirit. We heard earlier that angels had met Jacob on the road. It was certainly possible that they never left. In fact, even now, Christians have angels who minister to them daily. At any rate this man spoken of here, was either the Spirit of God, or an angel representing God to Jacob.
Genesis 32:25 "And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him."
"And when he saw that he prevailed not against him": That he, the man, or the Son of God in the form of man, prevailed not against Jacob, by casting him to the ground, or causing him to desist and leave off wrestling with him. Not because he could not, but because he would not, being willing to encourage the faith of Jacob against future trials and exercises. And especially under his present one.
Besides, such were the promises that this divine Person knew were made to Jacob, and so strong was Jacob's faith at this time in pleading those promises in prayer to God, that he could not do otherwise, consistent with the purposes and promises of God, than suffer himself to be prevailed over by him.
"He touched the hollow of his thigh": The hollow part of the thigh or the groin, or the hollow place in which the thigh bone moves, and is said to have the form of the hollow of a man's hand bent backwards.
"And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him": That is, the hip bone, or the thigh bone, was moved out of the hollow place in which it was. This was done to let Jacob know that the person he wrestled with was superior to him, and could easily have overcome him, and obliged him to cease wrestling with him if he would.
And that the victory he got over him was not by his own strength, but by divine assistance, and by the sufferance of the one he wrestled with; so that he had nothing to boast of. And this shows the truth and reality of this conflict. That it was not visionary, but a real fact, as well as it teaches the weakness and infirmities of the saints, that attend them in their spiritual conflicts.
Have you ever been in prayer all night and wrestled with God? Sometimes, when we need an answer to a prayer, we will keep on praying, just like Jacob did here, even unto the breaking of day. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. When we pray in earnest without doubt, our prayers will be answered.
Jacob needed God desperately. He felt that all was lost, Unless God intervened. He just would not give up. He had to have God's help. This touch would affect the walk of Jacob. Jacob would never be the same again.
Genesis 32:26 "And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."
"And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh": This was said that he might seem to be a man that was desirous of going about his business, as men do early in the morning. Though the true reason perhaps was, that his form might not be more distinctly seen by Jacob, and much less by any other person.
"And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me": for by his touching his thigh, and the effect of that, he perceived he was more than a man, even a divine Person, and therefore insisted upon being blessed by him.
Thus, faith in prayer lays hold on God, and will not let him go without leaving the blessing it is pleading for. Which shows the great strength of faith, and the desired result of the prayer of faith with God (see Exodus 32:10).
Again, this was prayer that would not be stopped without an answer from God.
Genesis 32:27 "And he said unto him, What [is] thy name? And he said, Jacob."
"And he said unto him, what is thy name?" Which question is put, not as being ignorant of it, but in order to take occasion from it, and the change of it, to show that he had granted his request, and had blessed him, and would yet more and more.
"And he said, Jacob": the name given him at his birth and by which he had always been called, and therefore tells it him at once, not staying to ask the reason of the question.
Genesis 32:28 "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
"No more Jacob, but Israel": Jacob's personal name changed from one meaning "heel-catcher" or "deceiver" to one meaning "God's fighter" or "he struggles with God" (35:10).
"With God and with men": An amazing evaluation of what Jacob had accomplished, i.e., emerging victorious from the struggle. In the record of his life, "struggle" did indeed dominate:
(1) With his brother Esau (chapters 25-27);
(2) With his father (chapter 27);
(3) With his father-in-law (chapters 29-31);
(4) With his wives (chapter 30); and;
(5) With God at Peniel (verse 28).
"For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed": This is given as a reason of his name Israel, which signifies a prince of God, or one who as a prince prevails with God. Which confutes all other meanings of the name, as the upright one of God, the man that sees God, or any other.
He now prevailed with God in prayer, and by faith got the blessing, as he had prevailed before with Esau and Laban, and got the better of them, and so would again of the former. Hence some render the word, "and shall prevail"; and indeed, this transaction was designed to fortify Jacob against the fear of his brother Esau.
And from whence he might reasonably conclude that if he had power with God, and prevailed to obtain what he desired of him, he would much more be able to prevail over his brother, and even over all that should rise up against him, and oppose him.
And this may not only be prophetic of what should hereafter be fulfilled in the person of Jacob, but in his posterity in future times, who should prevail over their enemies, and enjoy all good things by the favor of God. For it may be rendered, "thou hast behaved like a prince with God, and with men", or, "over men thou shalt prevail".
These Scriptures convince me, even though I cannot prove it, that this "man" he wrestled with, was the Spirit of the Lord. Only God can pronounce blessings. Only God can change our name to suit the job He has ordained us for. He will no longer be a trickster, but father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jacob's tenacity, or hanging on to God in the face of all odds, had won him favor with God. All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are spiritual Israel (God's fighters). We also, will be princes and princesses, when we reign with the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Genesis 32:29 "And Jacob asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore [is] it [that] thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there."
"And Jacob asked him, and said, tell me, I pray thee, thy name": Being asked his own name, and told it, and having another given him more significant and expressive, he is emboldened to ask the person that wrestled with him what was his name (Exodus 3:13).
For Jacob knew that he was God, as appears by his earnest desire to be blessed by him; and he knew it by the declaration just made, that he had power with God as a prince.
But he hoped to have some name, taken by him from the place or circumstance of things in which he was, whereby he might the better remember this affair; as he was pleased to call himself the God of Beth-el, from his appearance to Jacob there (Genesis 31:13).
Therefore, since he did not choose to give him his name, Jacob himself imposed one on the place afterwards, as a memorial of God being seen by him there.
"And he said, wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?" Which is both a reproof of his curiosity, and a denial of his request; signifying that he had no need to put that question, it was enough for him that he had got the blessing, and which he confirms.
"And he blessed him there": In the same place, as the Vulgate Latin version, where he had been wrestling with him, as he was taking his leave of him; for this was a farewell blessing, and a confirmation of that he had received, through the name of Israel being given him.
Genesis 32:30 "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel": In (Genesis 32:31), Penuel, which signifies the face of God, or God hath looked upon me, or hath had respect to me: there was afterwards a city built here, called by the same name (see Judges 8:8). It is said to be four miles from Mahanaim; the reason of it follows:
"For I have seen God face to face": It may be observed, that in wrestling, men are face to face, and in this position were Jacob and the man that wrestled with him; which he seems to have respect unto, as well as to the familiarity and intimate communion he was admitted to.
"And my life is preserved": Though he had wrestled with one so vastly superior to himself, who could have easily crushed this worm Jacob to pieces, as he is sometimes called; and though he had had such a sight of God as face to face, referring as is thought, to a notion that obtained early, even among good men, that upon sight of God a man instantly died.
Though we have no example of that kind: but perhaps he observed this for his encouragement. That whereas he had met with God himself, and wrestled with him in the form of a man, and yet was preserved. He doubted not that, when he should meet with his brother and debate matters with him, he should be safe and unhurt.
"Penile" (see note on verse 24).
No one can look upon the face of God the Father and live. This truly was an appearance of God. I say again, probably, the Lord, God the Word, or some form of His Spirit. The second one of the Trinity is the doer of God. I believe this struggle was a prayer struggle, and Jacob prayed through and reached God.
Many times, we will find in the Scriptures that God changed the name of those who were chosen by Him to do a specific job, as God changed Abram to Abraham. The name would correspond with the job. "Peniel" means face of God.
Genesis 32:31 "And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh."
"And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him": It was break of day when the angel desired to be let go, and by that time the parley held between them ceased, and they parted. The sun was rising; and as Jacob went on it shone upon him, as a token of the good will and favor of God to him, and as an emblem of the sun of righteousness arising on him with healing in his wings (Mal. 4:2).
"And he halted upon his thigh": It being out of joint, of which he became more sensible when he came to walk upon it. Besides, his attention to the angel that was with him caused him not so much to perceive it until he had departed from him.
The thing that stands out in this to me is that, the darkest hour is just before dawn. This was the case here, with Jacob. Just as God allowed Paul to have a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble, this limp of Jacob's would remind him of this encounter with God. He would realize without God, there was no victory.
Genesis 32:32 "Therefore the children of Israel eat not [of] the sinew which shrank, which [is] upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."
"Eat not of the sinew ... hollow of the thigh": Which was contracted by the touch of the angel, and by which it was weakened and benumbed; or the sinew of the part that was out of joint, the sinew or tendon that keeps the thigh bone in the socket.
This might refer to the sciatic muscle or tendon. The observation that up to Moses' time ("to this day"), the nation of Israel did not eat this part of a hindquarter intrigues because it bears no mention elsewhere in the Old Testament, nor is it enshrined in the Mosaic Law. It does find mention in the Jewish Talmud as a sacred law.
This abstaining from eating the sinew is a reminder, even now, to Jacob's descendants of his encounter with God.
Genesis Chapter 32 Questions
1. Who met Jacob?
2. When Jacob saw them, what did he call them?
3. What did Jacob name this place?
4. What means double camp?
5. Who did Jacob send messengers ahead to?
6. What country was this place in?
7. What message did Jacob send?
8. What helps anger to subside?
9. What did Jacob call Esau?
10. What did Jacob ask Esau to do?
11. What does grace mean?
12. What frightened Jacob about Esau coming?
13. Why did Jacob separate into two companies?
14. What did Jacob feel Esau was coming for?
15. When Jacob was so afraid, what two names did he call God?
16. What had God told Jacob to do?
17. What was the only thing Jacob had when he went to work for Laban?
18. How did Jacob's prayer begin?
19. Who, besides himself, was Jacob concerned about?
20. How does God feel about us reminding Him of his Word?
21. Where were the gifts Jacob sent Esau?
22. Why did he send them?
23. When Esau asked them, what were they to say about the animals?
24. When did Jacob send the gifts?
25. Who did Jacob send over the ford Jabbok?
26. Who did Jacob wrestle with?
27. Who did this actually have to be?
28. What happened to Jacob, when this being did not prevail?
29. What type of prayers brings answers?
30. When will Jacob be willing to stop?
31. What did this being ask Jacob?
32. What was Jacob's name changed to?
33. Why?
34. Who do I believe this is?
35. What does "Israel" mean?
36. When Jesus takes over power as King of the earth, who will the Christians be?
37. What does "Peniel" mean?
38. Which one of the Trinity is the doer God?
39. When is it the darkest?
40. What would remind Jacob of his encounter with God?
Verses 1-2: "Esau came": Jacob hastily divided his family into 3 groups (31:7), and went ahead of them to meet his brother. The division and relative location of his family in relationship to the perceived danger gives tremendous insight into whom Jacob favored.
Genesis 33:1 "And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids."
"And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked": After he had passed over the brook, and was come to his wives and children; which were done either accidentally or on purpose, to see if he could see his brother coming. Some think this denotes his cheerfulness and courage, and that he was now not distressed and dejected, as he had been before.
"And, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men" (see Gen. 32:6).
"And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids": Some think he made four divisions of them; Leah and her children, Rachel and her son, Bilhah and hers, and Zilpah and hers: but others are of opinion there were but three.
The two handmaids and their children in one division, Leah and her children in another, and Rachel and her son in the third; which seems to be confirmed (in Genesis 33:2).
Genesis 33:2 "And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost."
"And he put the handmaids and their children foremost": In the first division, as being less honorable and less beloved by him.
"And Leah and her children after; still according to the degree of honor and affection due unto them": Leah being a wife that was imposed and forced upon him by Laban.
"And Rachel and Joseph hindermost": Being most beloved by him, and therefore most careful of them; Rachel being his principal and lawful wife, and who had the greatest share in his affection, and Joseph his only child by her.
You can quickly see who Jacob loved the most. The handmaids and their children were put in the greatest jeopardy, then Leah and her children, but Jacob kept Rachel and Joseph most protected at the very back. Jacob was assuming the worst.
Verses 3-4: Fearfully and deferentially, Jacob approached his brother as an inferior would a highly-honored patron, while gladly and eagerly, Esau ran out to greet his brother without restraint of emotion.
"They wept" because, after 20 years of troubling separation, old memories were wiped away and murderous threats belonged to the distant past. Hearts had been changed and brothers reconciled (see verse 10).
Genesis 33:3 "And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother."
"And he passed over before them": At the head of them, as the master of the family, exposing himself to the greatest danger for them, and in order to protect and defend them in the best manner he could, or to endeavor to soften the mind of his brother by an address, should there be any occasion for it.
Jacob took no chances when he saw Esau as he "bowed himself to the ground seven times," an action reserved as a sign of homage. Usually before kings, as the Amarna Tablets relate: "At the two feet of my lord, the king, seven times and seven times I fall."
Jacob bowed himself to the ground seven times; in a civil way, as was the manner in the eastern countries towards great personages. This he did to Esau as being his elder brother, and as superior to him in grandeur and wealth, being lord of a considerable country. And at the same time religious adoration might be made to God.
Jacob wanted to make sure that Esau knew he was humble before him. Of course, "seven" means spiritually complete.
Genesis 33:4 "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept."
"And Esau ran to meet him": If he rode on any creature, which is likely, he alighted from it on sight of his brother Jacob. And to express his joy on that occasion, and affection for him, made all the haste he could to meet him, as did the father of the prodigal (Luke 15:20).
"And embraced him": In his arms, with the greatest respect and tenderness.
"And fell on his neck": Laid his head on his neck, where it remained for a while, not being able to lift it up, and speak unto him. The word is in the dual number, and signifies, as Ben Melech thinks, the two sides of the neck, the right and the left. And he might lay his head first on one side, and then on the other, to show the greatness of his affection.
"And kissed him": To Jacob's humble submission to him, obedience to divine protective care as a means. And thus as he before had power with God in prayer on this same account, the effect of which he now perceived, so he had power with men, with his brother, as it was intimated to him he should.
"And they wept": They "both" wept, as the Septuagint version adds, both Jacob and Esau, for joy at the sight of each other, and both seriously. Especially there can be no doubt of Jacob, who must be glad of this reconciliation, if it was only outward, since hereby his life, and the lives of his wives and children, would be spared.
You must remember, it had been twenty years since they had seen each other. Esau, probably, did not even know whether Jacob was alive during this time. You can imagine the joy, as these two brothers were reunited. These were tears of Joy, and in Jacob's case, relief. Our worst fears, seldom ever happen. Jacob had worried for nothing. Esau was not going to harm him, or his family.
Genesis 33:5 "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant."
"And he lift up his eyes, and saw the women and children": After the salutation had passed between him and his brother Jacob, he looked, and saw behind him women and children, Jacob's two wives and his two handmaids, and twelve children (Benjamin was still to come), he had by them.
"And said, who are those with thee?" who do those women and children belong to that follow thee? for Jacob had made no mention of his wives and children, when he sent his messengers to him, (Gen. 32:5). And therefore Esau might very well ask this question, which Jacob replied to.
"And he said, the children which God hath graciously given thy servant": He speaks of his children as gifts of God, and as instances and pledges of his favor and good will to him, which he thankfully acknowledges. And at the same time speaks very respectfully to his brother, and in great condescension and humility owns himself his servant, but says nothing of his wives.
Not that he was ashamed, as Abarbinel suggests, that he should have four wives, when his brother, who had less regard for religion, had but three; but he mentions his children as being near kin to Esau. And by whom he might conclude who the women were, and of whom also he might give a particular account, though the Scripture is silent about it.
Since Leah and Rachel were his own first cousins (Genesis 29:10); and who they were no doubt he told him, as they came to pay their respects to him, as follows in the next verse.
Remember, Esau knew nothing of Jacob's marriages, or his family. These two brothers would have a lot to tell each other. So much had happened to both in the last twenty years. Notice how Jacob gave God thanks for everything.
Genesis 33:6 "Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves."
"Then the handmaids came near, they and their children": Being foremost, and next to, Jacob, as Bilhah and her two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah and her two sons, Gad and Asher.
"And they bowed themselves": In token of respect to Esau, as Jacob had done before them, and set them an example, and no doubt instructed them to do it.
Genesis 33:7 "And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves."
"And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves": Who were in the next division or company; their children were seven, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah, six sons and one daughter.
"And after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves": It is observed that Joseph is mentioned before his mother; it may be, because they might put him before her in the procession, for greater safety. Or she might present him to Esau, being a child of little more than six years of age, and teach him how to make his obeisance to him, which she also did herself.
These were four women and eleven sons, quite a large family.
Genesis 33:8 "And he said, What [meanest] thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, [These are] to find grace in the sight of my lord."
"And he said, what meanest thou by all this drove which I met?" Not as being ignorant of the design of it; for no doubt the several drovers, according to their instructions from Jacob, had acquainted him with it. But he chose not to take the present on what they said, but was willing to have it from Jacob's own mouth, and that he might have the opportunity of refusing it.
"And he said, these are to find grace in the sight of my lord": To gain his favor and good will; and which, as it was a token of Jacob's good will to him, so, by his acceptance of it, he would know that he bore the same to him also.
It was usual in the eastern countries to carry presents to friends, and especially to great men, whenever visits were paid, as all travelers in general testify to be still the usage in those parts, to this day.
Genesis 33:9 "And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself."
"And Esau said, I have enough, my brother": Or "I have much", and stand in no need of this present, or have much more than thou hast.
"Keep that thou hast unto thyself": For the use of himself and family, which is large; in this Esau showed himself not only not a covetous man, but that he was truly reconciled to his brother, and needed not anything from him, to make up the difference between them.
Esau could not believe the vastness of the gifts Jacob had sent him. He asked Jacob why he sent them. Jacob told him, so he would not be angry with him. Esau had been blessed of God the same as Jacob, and he told Jacob to keep the gifts, that he had plenty already.
Genesis 33:10 "And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me."
"And Jacob said, nay, I pray thee": Do not say so, as the Targum of Jonathan supplies it, or do not refuse my present.
"If now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand": Signifying, that the acceptance of his present would be a sign to him, and give him full satisfaction that he bore a good will to him, and did not retain anger and resentment against him.
"Thy face ... the face of God": Jacob acknowledged how God had so obviously changed Esau, as indicated by his facial expression which was not one of sullen hate but of brotherly love divinely shaped and restored.
He observed the love and favor of God to him, in working upon the heart of Esau, and causing him to carry it so lovingly to him; wherefore for this reason receive it, because I have had such an agreeable sight of thee.
"And thou wast pleased with me": Accepted of me, and kindly received me.
Jacob was so pleased that Esau was not angry with him. He told him to keep the gifts. Jacob felt that God had forgiven him, and made things right with Esau. These two brothers could find no fault with each other, now.
Genesis 33:11 "Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took [it]."
"Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee": The present he had sent him, now being carried home to his house, was a part of what God had blessed Jacob with; which he from a benevolent generous spirit gave his brother, wishing the blessing of God to go along with it; it was an insinuation, so he would have it taken, that he wished him all happiness and prosperity.
"Because God hath dealt graciously with me": In giving him so much substance and now in giving him so much favor in the sight of Esau, whom he had dreaded.
"And because I have enough": A sufficiency of all good things, being thoroughly contented with his state and circumstance; or "I have all things", all kind of good things, everything that was necessary for him; the expression is stronger than Esau's; and indeed Jacob had besides a large share of temporal mercies, all spiritual ones.
God was his covenant God and Father, Christ was his Redeemer, the Spirit his sanctifier; he had all grace bestowed on him, and was an heir of glory.
"And he urged him, and he took it": Being pressing on him, or persistent with him, he accepted his present.
Jacob, again, tells Esau that God has blessed him abundantly. He pled with Esau to allow him to give him the gifts, and Esau finally accepted.
Genesis 33:12 "And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee."
"And he said, let us take our journey, and let us go": To Seir, where Esau lived, and whither he invited Jacob to stop a while, and refresh himself and his family.
"And I will go before thee": To show him the way to his palace, and to protect him on the road from all dangers; or "besides thee", alongside of him, keeping equal pace with him, thereby showing great honor and respect, as well as in order to converse with him as they travelled.
Genesis 33:13 "And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children [are] tender, and the flocks and herds with young [are] with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die."
"And he said unto him, my lord knoweth the children are tender": The eldest being but thirteen years of age, and the youngest about six; and Esau might easily perceive by their stature that they were young and tender, and not able to bear either riding or walking very fast.
"And the flocks and herds with young are with me": Or "upon me"; the charge of them was upon him, it was incumbent on him to take care of them, and especially in the circumstances in which they were, being big with young, both sheep and kine; or "suckling", giving milk to their young.
As the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and so having lambs and calves, some of them perhaps just giving birth, they required more attendance and greater care in driving them, not being able to travel far in a day.
"And if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die": If he, and the servants under him, should push them on too fast, beyond their strength, even but one day, all in the above circumstances would be in danger of being lost through overmuch fatigue and weariness.
Esau wanted Jacob to follow him back to his home, but Jacob told him if he drove the animals hard, they would die. There was peace between the brothers, and Jacob had to take his time with this great company. We will see Jacob requesting this very thing from Esau in the next verse.
Genesis 33:14 "Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir."
"Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant": He desired in a very respectable manner that he would not keep his pace, keeping up to him. But proceed on in his journey, and go on with his men, while he with his family and flocks would follow after as fast as he could, and their circumstances would allow.
"And I will lead on softly": slowly, gently, easily, step by step.
"According as the cattle that goeth before me, and the children be able to endure": Or "according to the foot" of them; of the cattle, whom he calls the "work", because his business lay in the care of them, and these were the chief of his substance.
And of the children, as the feet of each of them were able to travel; or because of them, for the sake of them, as Aben Ezra, consulting their strength, he proposed to move on gently, like both a wise, careful, and tender father of his family, and shepherd of his flock.
"Until I come unto my lord unto Seir": whither, no doubt, he intended to come when he parted with Esau; but for reasons which after appeared to him he didn't.
For that he should tell a lie is not likely, nor does he seem to be under any temptation to it. And besides, it would have been dangerous to have disobliged his brother when on his borders, who could easily have come upon him again with four hundred men, and picked a quarrel with him for breach of promise, and destroyed him and his at once.
Jacob wanted to take his time and move as the cattle grazed and not make the trip too hard on the little ones. He told Esau to just go on ahead.
Genesis 33:15 "And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee [some] of the folk that [are] with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord."
"And Esau said, let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me": To show him the way, and guard him on the road, and he appear the more honorable when he entered into Seir.
"And he said, what needeth it?" Jacob saw not the necessity of it; for he knew the direct way very probably; he thought himself in no danger, since he was at peace with Esau.
"Let me find grace in the sight of my lord": having his favor and good will, that was enough for him; and among the rest of the favors he received from him, he begged this might be added, that he might be excused leaving any of his escort with him.
Jacob did not want to have Esau's people loaned to him for fear something might happen to again fracture their relationship.
Verses 16-17: "Unto Seir ... to Succoth": With Esau's planned escort courteously dismissed, they parted company. Jacob's expressed intention to meet again in Seir (see note on 32:3), for whatever reason, did not materialize.
Instead, Jacob halted his journey first at Succoth, then at Shechem (verse 18). Succoth is east of the Jordan River, 10 miles east of Shechem, which is 65 miles north of Jerusalem, located between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim.
Genesis 33:16 "So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir."
"So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir": Took his leave of Jacob the same day he met him, and proceeded on in his journey towards Seir. Whether he arrived there the same day is not certain, probably it was more than a day's journey.
Esau went to "Seir" (i.e. Edom; compare Obadiah), and Jacob to "Succoth" ("Booths"), located east of the Jordan and just north of the Jabbok (32:22).
Esau offered to leave some of his men to help Jacob with the trip, but Jacob said there was no need. Jacob told Esau, one more time, that he was pleased that Esau had forgiven him.
Genesis 33:17 "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth."
"And Jacob journeyed to Succoth": Perhaps after he had been at Seir, and stayed there some little time. Succoth was on the other side of Jordan, so called by anticipation, for it had its name from what follows.
As yet there was no city built here, or at least of this name; afterwards there was, it lay in a valley, and belonged to Sihon king of Heshbon, and was given to the tribe of Gad (Josh. 13:27).
It is mentioned along with Penuel, and was not far from it (Judges 8:8). It is said to be but two miles distant from it, but one would think it should be more.
"And built him a house, and made booths for his cattle": A house for himself and family, and booths or tents for his servants or shepherds. And for the cattle they had the care of, some for one, and some for the other.
This he did with an intention to stay some time here, as it should seem. And the Targum of Jonathan says he continued here a whole year, and Jarchi eighteen months, a winter and two summers; but this is all uncertain.
"Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth": From the booths or tents built here, which this word signifies.
"Succoth" means booth. These booths are like our barns.
Genesis 33:18 "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which [is] in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city."
And then he came to "Shalem," which some take adverbially in the sense of "and then Jacob came safely to "Shechem." Approximately 10 years may have elapsed in Succoth before Jacob went to Shechem. Recognizing that he had returned to fulfill the covenant promise (28:15), he erected an altar as Abraham had on his arrival (12:7).
1908 B.C. A reference to the fulfillment of Jacobs vow made at Beth-el when, upon departure from Canaan, he looked to God for a safe return. Upon arrival in Canaan, he would tithe of his possessions (28:20-22). Presumably Jacob fulfilled his pledge at Shechem or later at Beth-el (35:1).
The plot of ground he bought at Shechem was the second "foothold" of Abrahams's family in the Promised Land. Just before he died in Egypt 50 years later, Jacob gave this land to Joseph (48:22), whose bones were buried there four hundred years later (Joshua 24:32).
Here also Jacob dug a well that became the scene of an important episode in the ministry of Jesus 1,900 years later (John 4:5-6).
"Shechem" has been identified as Tell Balata situated at the eastern end of the pass between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. The town was strategically located to control all the roads through the hill country in ancient times. The site has been excavated most extensively by G.E. Wright (1956-62).
These excavations revealed small permanent settlements prior to 1800 B.C., when the Hyksos built a large fortress there. This would readily explain why Hamor, also a seminomad, was so anxious to form an alliance with Jacob.
In later times a Canaanite fortress-temple of Baal-berith was built there (Judges 9:4), and was eventually destroyed by Gideon's son Abimelech (Judges 9:46-49).
"Shalem" means peaceful, or secure. In many of the translations, Shalem is not capitalized, meaning that he came in peace to Shechem.
I believe that this paragraph precedes (verse 17), and both these were descriptions of the same thing. When Jacob first came from Padan-aram, he pitched his tent, bought land, built barns, and a home. Buying land and building a home usually means settling down.
Genesis 33:19 "And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money."
"Bought a parcel of a field": This purchase became only the second piece of real estate legally belonging to Abraham's line in the Promised Land (23:17-18; 25:9-10). However, the land was not Abraham's and his descendants simply because they bought it, but rather because God owned it all (Lev. 25:23), and gave it to them for their exclusive domain (see notes on 12:1-3).
Genesis 33:20 "And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel."
"And he erected there an altar": In the place where Abraham had first built an altar (12:6-7), Jacob similarly marked the spot with a new name, incorporating his own new name (32:28), "God, the God of Israel," declaring that he worshiped the "Mighty One".
"Israel" perhaps foreshadowed its use for the nation with which it rapidly became associated, even when it consisted of not much more than Jacob's extended household (34:7).
The name "El-elohe-Israel" indicates that Jacob was confessing, using his new name Israel, that El was his God, "a Mighty God is the God of Israel," in preserving his life as he confronted Esau.
Jacob in raising the altar was recognizing this Mighty God that protected him and blessed him throughout this chapter.
Genesis Chapter 33 Questions
1. When Jacob lifted his eyes, what did he see?
2. What did he immediately do?
3. In what order did he put them?
4. Why?
5. How many times did he bow to Esau?
6. What did Esau do?
7. How long had the separation been?
8. What did Esau see that amazed him?
9. Where did Jacob say they came from?
10. What did the handmaids, Leah, Rachel, and the children do to show their respect to Esau?
11. When Esau asked Jacob why he sent all the animals, what was his reply?
12. What was Esau's reply to that?
13. What did Jacob compare Esau's forgiving spirit with?
14. What two reasons did Jacob give that caused Esau to finally accept the gifts?
15. Why could Jacob not go back with his brother, Esau?
16. What did Esau offer to do to help Jacob?
17. What two things did Jacob build at Succoth?
18. "Shalem" means what?
19. Where was Shechem located?
20. What does build a home indicate?
21. Who did Jacob buy the land from?
22. How much did he pay?
23. The altar that Jacob built and named, recognized what?
24. We have called Jacob by that name throughout this lesson, but what is his name really?
Verses 1-31: The tawdry details of the abuse of Dinah and the revenge of Levi and Simeon are recounted in full. Perhaps in order to highlight for the readers about to enter Canaan how easily Abraham's descendants might intermingle and marry with Canaanites, contrary to patriarchal desires (24:3; 27:46; 28:1). And God's will (Exodus 34:6; Deut. 7:3; Josh. 23:12-13; Nehemiah 13:26-27).
Genesis 34:1 "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."
"And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob": She is observed to be the daughter of Leah, partly that the following miscarriage might bring to mind her forwardness to intrude herself into Jacob's bed, and be a rebuke unto her. And partly to account for Simeon and Levi being so active in revenging her abuse, they being Leah's sons.
"Went out to see the daughters of the land": Of the land of Canaan, to visit them, and contract an acquaintance with them. And she having no sisters to converse with at home, it might be a temptation to her to go abroad.
According to the Targum of Jonathan, she went to see the manners, customs, and fashions of the women of that country. To learn them, as the Septuagint version renders the word; or to see their habit and dress, and how they ornamented themselves, as Josephus observes.
And who also says it was a festival day at Shechem, and therefore very probably many of the young women of the country round about might come to that place on that occasion. And who being dressed in their best clothes would give Dinah a good opportunity of seeing and observing their fashions.
Which, with the diversions of the season, and shows to be seen, allured Dinah to go out of her mother's tent into the city, to gratify her curiosity.
Little did Dinah (see 30:20-21), realize that her jaunt to the nearby city to view how other women lived would bring forth such horrific results.
Dinah had probably, already been acquainted with these girls and was most likely visiting with them.
Genesis 34:2 "And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her."
"And when Shechem the son of Hamor": From whom the city had its name, near which Jacob and his family now were.
"The Hivite, prince of the country": Hamor was an Hivite, which was one of the nations of the land of Canaan, and this man was the prince or a principal man of that nation, as well as of Shechem. Josephus calls him a king.
"Saw her; that is, Dinah, what a beautiful person she was, and was enamored with her.
"He took her": by force, as the Targum of Jonathan.
"And lay with her, and defiled her": or "humbled" or "afflicted her". And it is a rule with the Jews, that every such act, which is done by force, is called a humiliation and affliction. The child begotten in this act of fornication is said by them to be Asenath, who was had into Egypt, and brought up by Potipherah's wife as her daughter, and afterwards married to Joseph (Genesis 41:45).
Scripture classifies Shechem's action as forcible rape, no matter how sincerely he might have expressed his love for her afterwards (verse 3), and desire for marriage (verses 11-12).
Other expressions in the account underscore the clearly unacceptable nature of this crime, e.g. "defiled" (verses 5, 13), "grieved and very angry" (verse 7), "a disgraceful thing ... ought not to be done (verse 7), and 'treat our sister as a harlot" (verse 31).
There are several things to notice about this relationship. Dinah should not have ventured out on her own. She knew these people were not living the type of holy life that was required of her people. Dinah's curiosity would cost her greatly.
The age of Dinah at this time was questionable. We may assume that she was between thirteen and seventeen, because her nearness to age of Joseph. Joseph was sold into captivity, when he was about seventeen.
Shechem was a prince, so he should have had more honor than to do something like this, Especially to a guest in his country. Had he thought at all, he should have realized that this would cause a great rift between his people and Dinah's people. Rape was punishable by death in those days. If it occurred with the girl's permission, they were both stoned to death. The fact that he took her, indicated that it was against her will.
Even after she had been defiled, Shechem wanted to marry her (verses 3-4).
Genesis 34:3 "And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel."
"And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob": His inclination was to her, she was always in his thoughts; it was not a mere lustful desire that was suddenly raised, and soon over, but a constant and continued affection he bore to her.
"And he loved the damsel": Sincerely and heartily.
"And spake kindly unto the damsel": Or "to the heart" of her, such things as tended to comfort her, she being sad and sorrowful; or to soften her mind towards him, and take off the resentment of it to him, because of the injury he had done her.
And to gain her good will and affection, and her consent to marry him; professing great love to her, promising her great things. What worldly grandeur and honor she would be advanced to and how kindly he would behave towards her.
Verses 4-5: "Jacob ... held his peace": In the absence of further data, Jacob's reluctance to respond should not be criticized. Wisdom dictated that he wait and counsel with his sons, but their reaction, grief, anger and vengeance hijacked the talks between Jacob and Hamor (verse 6), and led finally to Jacob's stern rebuke (verse 30).
Genesis 34:4 "And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife."
"And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor": And told him the whole affair, at least what a strong affection he had for Dinah.
"Saying, get me this damsel to wife": by which he meant not only that he would give his consent that he might marry her, but that he would get her parents' consent unto it, and settle the matter with them. By which it appears how early, and that even among Heathen nations, consent of parents on both sides was judged necessary to marriage.
It seems by this as if Dinah was now detained in the house of Hamor or Shechem, and was upon the spot, or near at hand, when Shechem addressed his father about her (see Gen. 34:26).
Here we see even though Shechem raped Dinah, he did love her and wanted to marry her. This however, was no excuse for his act. He should have used more self-control and married her first. Shechem was selfish and inconsiderate, and he would pay for his actions.
Genesis 34:5 "And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come."
"And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter": That is, that Shechem had defiled her; the report of this was brought him very probably by one of the maids which attended her to the city. It was hardly to be thought that she should go there alone, and which must be very distressing to Jacob to hear of.
This was his first affliction in his own family, but it was not the only one, nor the last, others quickly followed.
"Now his sons were with his cattle in the field": He had bought, or in some other hired by him for his cattle, feeding and keeping them. Being arrived to an age fit for such service; here they were when the above report was brought to Jacob.
"And Jacob held his peace until they were come": Neither murmuring at the providence, but patiently bearing the chastisement. Nor reflecting upon Leah for letting Dinah go out, or not keeping a proper watch over her.
Nor saying anything of it to any in the family; nor expressing his displeasure at Shechem, nor vowing revenge on him for it, nor taking any step towards it until his sons were come home from the field.
With whom he chose to advise, and whose assistance he would want, if it was judged necessary to use force to get Dinah out of the hands of Shechem, or to avenge the injury done her.
Jacob was not provoked to go and take the law into his own hands, even though he heard of the indiscretion toward Dinah. He would wait and talk to her brothers, who were, also, children of Leah. They would have a say in what action they would take against Shechem.
Verses 6-10: The prince of Shechem painted a picture of harmonious integration (verse 16, "become one people"). However, Shechemite self-interest and enrichment actually prevailed (verse 23).
Genesis 34:6 "And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him."
"And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob": Unto the tent of Jacob without the city.
"To commune with him": To talk with him about the affair of Dinah, to pacify him, and try to gain his consent, that his son might marry her, and to settle the terms and conditions of the marriage.
Hamor had gone to Jacob to try to keep down trouble, and to purchase Dinah for Shechem. This was the custom in the land in those days. The fathers of the bride and groom to be would strike a bargain, and make the arrangements for the wedding.
Genesis 34:7 "And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard [it]: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done."
"And the sons of Jacob came out of the field, when they heard it": Either by a messenger Jacob sent to them, to acquaint them with it, or by some other way. However, be it as it will, as soon as they heard of the abuse of their sister, they immediately left their flocks to the care of their servants, and came to their father's tent.
"And the men were grieved and were very wroth": They were grieved for the sin committed against God, very probably, as well as for the injury done to their sister, and they were wroth against Shechem the author of it.
"Because he had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter": All sin is folly, being a transgression of the law of God founded in the highest wisdom, and particularly uncleanness, and that branch of it, deflowering a virgin.
This action being committed on Jacob's daughter, whose name was Israel is said to be "in", or rather "against" Israel, to his grief, and to the reproach of him and his family. Already Jacob's household is being called by the name God had given him as father of the coming nation (32:28).
Though these words may be rather the words of Moses, than of the sons of Jacob; or however are expressed not in the language used by them, but in what was in use in the times of Moses, when Israel was the name of a nation and church. Whereas it was now but a personal name, and at most but the name of a family.
"Which thing ought not to be done": Being against the law and light of nature to do such an action by force and violence, and against the law of nations to suffer it to go with impunity.
These sons were grieved over what had happened to their sister. They were also ashamed. This was the first time Israel was used for the name of the family.
These Israelites were under obligation to God to live holy lives, because they were the covenant people. This brought extra shame. In fact this act was not just against Dinah, but Israel's family.
Genesis 34:8 "And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife."
"And Hamor communed with them": With Jacob and his sons, who came in just at that time.
"Saying, the soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter": The daughter of the family and the only daughter in it; for her Shechem had a vehement affection and a strong desire to marry her, and could not be satisfied without her.
"I pray you, give her him to wife": He not only requests the consent of the parents of the damsel, but of her brothers also, which in those times and countries, seems to have been normal to ask (see Gen. 24:50).
Genesis 34:9 "And make ye marriages with us, [and] give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you."
"And make ye marriages with us": There was no objection on their side, it lay on the other. Abraham's servant was charged by him not to take a wife of the Canaanites to his son Isaac, and the same charge was given Jacob by Isaac (Gen. 24:3).
Therefore Jacob would never agree that his children should marry any of that nation; and marriages with them were afterwards forbidden by the law of Moses (Deut. 7:3).
"And give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you": At present, there were no other daughters in Jacob's family, yet there might be hereafter. The request is, that for the future there might be intermarriages between them, as would be practicable in a course of time.
Hamor did not apologize for the terrible thing his son had done. He believed that the offer to marry her would be sufficient for the crime. He even went so far as to offer his daughters in marriage to Jacob's sons. Hamor wanted inter-marriage between the two tribes, but God said, do not be unequally yoked to those of unbelief.
Genesis 34:10 "And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein."
"And ye shall dwell with us": Peaceably and quietly, not as sojourners only, but as inhabitants.
"And the land shall be before you": To choose what part of it they pleased to dwell in, and which they should have in their own power and possession.
"Dwell and trade you therein": In any sort of traffic and commerce the land would admit of, and they should best choose.
"And get you possessions therein": Buy houses and land, and enjoy them, they and their posterity. These are the arguments used by Hamor to gain the consent of Jacob and his family that his son might marry Dinah, and the proposals are honorable and generous.
Hamor was purposing a peace agreement where Israel's family would live in the land of Hamor's family. Peace is difficult when two families, so different, try to live in a small area.
Genesis 34:11 "And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give."
"And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren": To the father and brethren of Dinah; he addressed them after his father Hamor had done speaking.
"Let me find grace in your eyes": Forgive the offence committed, the injury done to Dinah and grant the request of her marriage and it will be considered as a great favor.
"And what ye shall say unto me, I will give": To her, to her parents, to her brethren and relations. Let what will be fixed, shall be given which showed great affection for her, and that he was willing to do anything to make amends for the injury done. He cared not what it was that might be demanded of him, so be it that she became his wife.
Genesis 34:12 "Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife."
"Ask me never so much dowry and gift": Or "multiply them exceedingly", fix them at as high a rate as may be thought fit. The "dowry" was what a man gave to a woman at her marriage; for in those times and countries, instead of a man having a portion with his wife, as with us in our times, he gave one to his wife, or to her parents for her.
And especially in after times this was used, and became a law in Israel, in the case of a debased virgin (see Exodus 22:16). "The gift" was either of jewels and clothes to the women or of such like precious things to her brethren and friends (see Gen. 24:53).
"And I will give according as ye shall say unto me": Determine among yourselves whatever shall be the dowry and gift, and it shall be punctually observed.
"But give me the damsel to wife": Only agree to that, and I care not what is required of me.
Shechem was in love with Dinah. He was telling Jacob and Dinah's brothers that anything they would ask would not be too much to give for the hand of Dinah in marriage. No amount of money, or property, would be too much.
Verses 13-17: Feigning interest in the proposals put forward and misusing, if not abusing, the circumcision sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (see notes on 17:11-14). Jacob's sons conned both father and son into convincing all the men to submit to circumcision because the outcome would be to their favor with marriages (verse 9), and social, economic integration (verse 10).
Genesis 34:13 "And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:"
"And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor deceitfully": Proposing the marriage of their sister on terms after mentioned, when they never intended it should ever be: Onkelos, Jonathan, and Jarchi interpret it, "with wisdom", as if they answered wisely and prudently, but the word is never used in a good sense.
If it was wisdom, it was carnal wisdom and wicked cunning, and was disapproved of by plain hearted Jacob.
"And said: or spoke in this deceitful manner": But this idea was a deception on the part of the sons of Jacob, because they "answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully." It was also a demeaning of the rite of circumcision.
"Because he had defiled Dinah their sister": And therefore were filled with indignation at him, and filled with resentment against him, and vowed within themselves revenge upon him.
Genesis 34:14 "And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach unto us:"
"And they said unto them": Levi and Simeon, to Hamor and Shechem.
"We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised": Not that there was any law against it at that time. There were, on the other hand, precedents for it both in Isaac and Jacob, who had married the daughters of uncircumcised persons.
Nor indeed do they plead any law, only that it was not becoming their character, nor agreeably to their religion, nor honorable in their esteem.
"For that were a reproach unto us": And they should be reflected upon for slighting the institution of circumcision, which was of God. So they pretend it might be interpreted, should they enter into affinity with uncircumcised persons.
Genesis 34:15 "But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we [be], that every male of you be circumcised;"
"But in this will we consent unto you": Upon the following condition, that Dinah should be given in marriage.
"If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised": As the sons of Jacob were, according to the command given to Abraham their great grandfather. (Gen. 17:10).
This proposal was accepted, provided that Hamor's family submits to circumcision.
These sons of Jacob, Dinah's brothers, were driving a very hard bargain with the men of Hamor's family. This was an improper thing to bargain with. The things of God were not to be taken so lightly, as to use them to trade for marriage agreements.
Genesis 34:16 "Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people."
"Then will we give our daughters unto you": Meaning Dinah, whom they call their daughter, Genesis 34:17; because she was the daughter of their family. And because they were asking in the name of their father, and in conformity to the language used by those they were dealing with (Gen. 34:9).
"And we will take your daughters to us": In marriage for wives.
"And we will dwell with you": Not as sojourners but as fellow citizens.
"And we will become one people": Being so nearly related by marriage, and professing one religion, alike submitting to circumcision, which was the distinguished badge of Abraham's seed.
Genesis 34:17 "But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone."
"But if ye will not hearken to us to be circumcised": Will not agree to this condition, circumcision.
"Then will we take our daughter": By force, as the Targum of Jonathan adds.
"And we will be gone": Depart from this part of the country, and go elsewhere.
This proposal was sinful. These sons of Jacob had no right to offer heathen people the sign of God's covenant. That was only God's to give. It seems, Dinah was still in Shechem's house. She would, probably, have to be taken by force.
Genesis 34:18 "And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son."
"And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son": The condition proposed was acceptable to them both, and they agreed to comply with it. Hamor, because of the great love he had for his son; and Shechem, because of the great love he had for Dinah.
Genesis 34:19 "And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he [was] more honorable than all the house of his father."
"And the young man deferred not to do the thing": To be circumcised himself, and to get all the males of the city circumcised. He delayed not a moment, but made all the haste he could to get it accomplished.
"Because he had delight in Jacob's daughter": He really loved her, and delighted in her person and company: it was not the effect of a brutish lust, but a true affection he bore to her, that he desired her in marriage.
"And he was more honorable than all the house of his father": Meaning that the men agreed to such an excruciating surgery (verses 24-25), because they had so much respect for him and because they anticipated mercenary benefit (verse 23). He was honorable in keeping covenant and compact with men; and was honest, upright, and sincere, to fulfil the condition imposed.
For though he had done a vile thing in defiling Jacob's daughter, yet in this he was honorable, that he sought to marry her, and to do anything that was in his power to recompense the injury.
And he had agreed to, as well as he was in greater esteem among the citizens than any of his father's house, which made it the easier to him to get their consent to be circumcised. They having a very high and honorable opinion of him, and ready to oblige him in anything they could.
This was acceptable to Hamor and Shechem. To Shechem because he loved Dinah, but to Hamor, because these Israelites were blessed of God. Hamor thought this act would bring blessings of God to his family, as well.
Genesis 34:20 "And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,"
"And Hamor and Shechem his son went unto the gate of their city": Where courts of justice were held, and all public affairs respecting the common interest of the city were transacted. Here, no doubt, Hamor their prince summoned them to come, by the usual method in which the citizens were convened on certain occasions. This was the normal place for public gatherings.
"And communed with the men of their city": Upon the subject of entering into an alliance with Jacob's family, of admitting them to be fellow citizens with them, and of their being incorporated among them, and becoming one people with them, taking no notice of the true reason of this motion.
Genesis 34:21 "These men [are] peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, [it is] large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters."
"These men are peaceable with us": Meaning Jacob and his sons, pointing to their tents which were near their city. No doubt more was said than is here expressed, and that these words were introduced with a preface, in which notice was taken of Jacob and his family, and their names mentioned, as here their character is given.
That they were men of peaceable dispositions, harmless and inoffensive, as appeared they had been since they came into these parts. And there was a great deal of reason to believe they still would be which was an argument in their favor, and so to admit them as residences among them.
"Therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein": Give them leave to dwell where they please, and carry on what trade and traffic in the land they think fit. Since they are not likely to be quarrelsome and troublesome, but will deal honestly and honorably, and pay duly for what they agree for or merchandise in.
"For the land, behold, it is large enough for them": There is room enough for them to dwell in, and pasturage enough for their cattle, and land enough to manure and till, without in the least inconveniencing the inhabitants. Yea, it is likely to be to their advantage, since they would pay for what they should purchase or hire, and would improve the land which lay uncultivated.
"Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters": This was the thing principally aimed at; and the rest, both what goes before, and what follows after, were in order to this.
Here, Hamor and Shechem were trying to convince the men of the city that this would be advantageous to them, also.
Genesis 34:22 "Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they [are] circumcised."
"Only herein will the men consent unto us": The only term or condition insisted upon, to come into an alliance and common interest with us.
"For to dwell with us, to be one people": To become one body of an action, is the following one.
"If every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised": Submitting to this rite, they agree to take up their residence with us, and be incorporated among us, and become one people.
Genesis 34:23 "[Shall] not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs [be] ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us."
"Shall not their cattle, and their substance, and every beast of theirs, be ours?" Which would in course come into their families in process of time, by intermarrying with them, or, being more numerous and powerful than they, could seize upon them when they pleased, and take all they had.
Thus, they argue from the profit and advantage that would accrue to them by admitting them among them, upon their terms; and this argument, taken from worldly interest, they knew would have great influence upon them.
"Only let us consent unto them": In the affair of circumcision.
"And they will dwell with us": And what by trading with them, and marrying among them, all their wealth and riches will come into our hands.
Genesis 34:24 "And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city."
That is, all the inhabitants of the city who came to the gate of it, upon the summons given them, and departed from thence to their habitations, having a great opinion of their prince and his son.
Moved either with awe of them or love to them, and influenced both by their arguments and example, they agreed to what was proposed to them
"And every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city": All the men citizens; and not only the adult, and who now went out by the gate of the city (19:1 and Lot).
And all their male children likewise were circumcised that "every male among us be circumcised."
These people had the idea that all of Jacob's wealth would be shared by them, as well as being able to intermarry. They were persuaded by Hamor and Shechem that this was a good deal for all of them so they all consented, and every one of them were circumcised, old and young.
Verses 25-29: A massacre of all males and the wholesale plunder of the city went way beyond the reasonable, wise, and justly deserved punishment of one man, this was a considerably more excessive vengeance that the Mosaic Law would later legislate (Deut. 22:28-29).
Genesis 34:25 "And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males."
"And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore": Or in "pain". When their pains were strong upon them, as the Targum of Onkelos; or when they were weak through the pain of circumcision.
They were circumcised; but on the third day when the men were suffering from fever and inflammation, Dinah's brothers attacked and killed them (verses 25-27).
As the Targum of Jonathan; for it seems that the pain of circumcision was more intense on the third day, and the part the more inflamed, and the person more feverish, and which is observed by physicians of other wounds.
Therefore, Hippocrates advised not to meddle with wounds on the third or fourth days, or do anything that might irritate them, for on those days they were apt to be painful or be inflamed, and bring on fevers. In this case, not only the wound was sore and distressing, but being in such a part of the body, motion must give great uneasiness.
Nor could persons in such circumstances easily arise and walk, and go forth to defend themselves; and of this Jacob's sons availed themselves.
"That two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren": By the mother's side as well as the father's, being Leah's children, and so most provoked at this indignity and abuse of their sister.
"Took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly": Not fearing the inhabitants of it, and their rising up against them to defend themselves, knowing in what circumstances they were.
Or "upon the city that dwelt securely"; as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for the men of the city had no suspicion of any such attempt that would be made upon them, and therefore were quite easy and secure, not expecting nor fearing anything of this kind.
"And slew all the males": The males that were grown up, for the little ones are after said to be carried captive (Gen. 34:29); Josephus takes no notice of this circumstance of their being circumcised, but represents them as surprised in the night of their festival, overcharged with feasting, and their watch asleep, who were first killed.
Though only two of Jacob's sons were mentioned, they might be assisted by the rest; at least, no doubt, they were attended with servants, who were aiding: in accomplishing this cruel and bloody attempt.
These two sons, who were Leah's sons and Dinah's full brothers, caught the men when they were incapacitated and went in and killed all the men. It must have been a small town, and these two men caught them one at a time away from the group and killed all of them. They were taking vengeance for Shechem's rape of their sister.
Genesis 34:26 "And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out."
"And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword": Whom they had been just treating with in a seeming friendly manner: Shechem was the chief aggressor, and his crime was very heinous. Considering that he did all he could, after the fact, to make recompense for the injury done, he deserved other treatment, at least mercy should have been shown him.
Perhaps Hamor was too indulgent with his son and secretly allowed his sin. By not punishing him for it, but may have approved of it. Which now he dies because of it.
"And took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out": Where she was kept from the time of her being ravished by Shechem, with an intention to marry her, could the consent of her parents and relations be obtained. For it does not appear that he kept her to carry on a criminal conversation with her, but a courtship in order to marriage.
It seems Dinah had been held against her will in Shechem's house. Her brothers killed Shechem and his dad, and took Dinah home.
Genesis 34:27 "The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister."
"The sons of Jacob came upon the slain": That is, the rest of them, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrase it; understanding what their two brothers had done, they came and joined them, and helped strip the slain of their clothes, or from them what they found of any worth about them.
Simeon and Levi set in motion the barbarity of that day and attention validly falls upon them in the narrative (verses 25:30; 49:5-7), but their brothers joined in the looting, thereby approving murder and mayhem as justifiable retribution for the destroyed honor of their sister (verse 31).
"And spoiled the city": Plundered it of all its goods and substance, spoiled all the inhabitants of it of their wealth.
"Because they had defiled their sister": One of them had done it, which is imputed to them all, they not restraining him from it, when it was in their power; and perhaps approving of it, and made a laugh of and jest at it; or however did not punish him for it.
Genesis 34:28 "They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which [was] in the city, and that which [was] in the field,"
"They took their sheep, their oxen, and their asses": The Shechemites hoped to have the cattle and substance of Jacob's family, and in a hypocritical manner submitted to circumcision, for the sake of worldly advantage. For that, and pleasing their prince, seem to be the only views they had in it; wherefore, in this there is a just retaliation of them in Providence.
"And that which was in the city, and that which was in the field": The cattle that were kept at home, and those that were brought up in the field, all became a prey.
Genesis 34:29 "And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house."
"And all their wealth": Or "power" or "strength": Everything that made them mighty and powerful; their gold and silver, their jewels, and rich furniture of their houses, their arms and weapons of war, their goods and substance, in which they trafficked.
"And all their little ones and their wives took they captive": They spared the women and children, as was usual war, and in the plunder of towns and cities.
"And spoiled even all that was in the house": Of Shechem or Hamor or in any of the houses of the inhabitants; they rifled and plundered everyone, and took away whatsoever they found in them. But as Jacob disapproved of this unjust, cruel, bloody, and treacherous action, so no doubt, as he set the captives free and restored to them their cattle and substance.
The sons of Jacob took everything and everyone that had belonged to these men. They even spoiled their families. Jacob's sons had lied to these men about the treaty, and killed them, and taken all their worldly possessions. They used the excuse of getting even, but that was not God's way.
Genesis 34:30 "And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house."
"And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi": Who were the principals concerned in this affair.
"Ye have troubled me": Because of the sin they had committed, because of the dishonor brought upon religion, and because of the danger he and his family were hereby exposed unto; it greatly disturbed him, made him very uneasy. He was at his wit's end almost and knew not what to do, what course to take to wipe off the scandal, and to defend himself and his family.
Vengeance exacted meant retaliation expected. Total loss of respect ("making me repulsive"), and of peaceful relations (verse 21), put both him and them in harm's way with survival being highly unlikely. This threat tested God's promise of safety, giving Jacob cause for great concern (28:25; 32:9, 12).
"To make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land": To make him detestable and abominable, to be hated and disgusted by all the people round about, and to be looked upon and treated as a deceitful, treacherous, and double dealing man, that had no regard to his word, to covenants and agreements made by him.
As a cruel and bloodthirsty man that spared none, made no difference between the innocent and the guilty; and as a robber and plunderer, that stopped at nothing, committing the greatest outrages to get possession of the substance of others.
"Amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites": Who were the principal inhabitants of the land, the most numerous, and the most rustic and barbarous, and perhaps nearest, and from whom Jacob had most to fear (see note on 13:7).
"And I being few in number": Or men of number; he and his sons and servants, in all, making but a small number in comparison of the nations about him.
"They shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house": Not that Jacob was afraid that this would be really the case, for he knew and believed the promises of God to him, of the multiplication of his seed, and of their inheriting the land of Canaan, and of the Messiah springing from him.
But this he said to aggravate the sin and folly of his sons, in exposing him and themselves to so much danger, which not only on the face of things appeared probable, but even certain and inevitable, without the interposition of divine power and Providence. "Simeon" and "Levi" were the guilty ones, killing all "the males" (note the condemnation in 49:5-7).
Jacob was displeased with the action of his sons. They had done something that would anger God, by using circumcision to get revenge on these men. They had, also, endangered their family, by provoking the anger of the Perizzite and Canaanite neighbors. Jacob reminds them that his family was few in number compared to the large groups in these other tribes.
Genesis 34:31 "And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?"
"And they said": Simeon and Levi, in a very pert and unseemly manner.
"Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?" Make a whore of her, and then keep her in his house as such? Is this to be put up with? Or should we take no more notice of his behavior to our sister, or show no more regard to her than if she was a common prostitute, whom no man will defend or protect?
So say the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, "nor let Shechem the son of Hamor mock at us, or boast and say, as a harlot whom no man seeks after, or no man seeks to avenge her; so it is done by Dinah the daughter of Jacob".
Their manner insinuates as if Jacob had no regard for the honor of his daughter and family, and showed his resentment at the wicked behavior of Shechem, as he ought to have done.
It is observed that there is a letter in the word for "harlot" greater than usual, which may either denote the greatness of the sin of Shechem in dealing with Dinah as a harlot, or the great impudence and boldness of Jacob's sons, in their answer to him, and their daring in justifying such lack of morals and cruelty they had been guilty of.
Jacob was alarmed and "troubled" at their lack of morals; but he did not answer their question, "Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?"
The son's answer was that they were protecting their sister's good name. Whether this was right or not, would be left up to God.
Genesis Chapter 34 Questions
1. Whose daughter was Dinah?
2. Where did Dinah go?
3. Who defiled Dinah?
4. What rank did he have?
5. What nationality was he?
6. Who was his father?
7. What mistakes did Dinah make in this?
8. What age was Dinah.
9. What was the punishment for rape?
10. What would get the girl stoned to death?
11. What attitude did Shechem have toward Dinah?
12. What did Shechem ask his father Hamor to do?
13. When Jacob heard of this, where were his sons?
14. Why did Hamor come to Jacob?
15. What was Jacob's family called for the first time here?
16. Why was Jacob's family obligated to live holy lives?
17. What proposition did Hamor make to Jacob?
18. What did Shechem offer the father and brothers of Dinah?
19. What did Dinah's brothers require all the men to do?
20. Was God pleased with this?
21. What lie did Simeon and Levi tell these men?
22. Where was Dinah all this time?
23. What did Shechem and Hamor tell the men would be theirs, if the they made this agreement?
24. How many of these men were circumcised?
25. Why did Jacob's sons attack on the third day?
26. What did these sons of Jacob do to all of these men?
27. What property did they take as well?
28. What did Jacob say to Simeon and Levi?
29. What excuse did they give Jacob?
Genesis 35:1 "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother."
"And God said unto Jacob": When he was in great distress on account of the slaughter of the Shechemites by his sons; not knowing what step to take to steer for the safety of him and his family. Then God, for his comfort and direction, appeared and spoke to him, either in a dream or vision, or by an impulse on his mind, or by an articulate voice.
Perhaps this was the Son of God, the second Person, who might appear in a human form, as he often did; since he afterwards speaks of God as of another divine Person, distinct from him, even his divine Father.
"Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there": Which is said to be twenty eight miles from Shechem; there he is bid to go in haste, and where, it is suggested, he would be safe, and where it would be right and proper for him to dwell awhile.
"Beth-el" ("House of God"), is where God confirmed the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob nearly 30 years earlier (28:10-19).
"And make there an altar to God": and offer sacrifice to him, praise him for salvation and deliverance wrought, pray to him for present and future mercies that were needful, and pay the vows he had there made, even to that God.
"That appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother": Who resenting his getting the birthright and blessing from him, threatened to kill him. Which obliged him to flee from his father's house, and go into Mesopotamia, and in his way thither God appeared to him, at the place called by him from thence Beth-el, and gave him many precious promises.
And Jacob there made a solemn vow, that if God would be with him, and keep him, and give him food and raiment, and return him to his father's house, the pillar that was then and there set up should be God's house, as well as He should be his God.
Jacob had now been nine or ten years in the land of Canaan, and had all done for him that he desired, and much more abundantly. And yet had not been at Beth-el to make good his vow, either through forgetfulness or neglect.
And therefore, as Jarchi thinks, was chastised for it in the affair of Dinah; or rather, for one can hardly think so good a man could forget, or would willfully neglect such a vow as this, that he wanted opportunity of going there, or waited for a divine order, and now he had both, which he readily embraced.
We have touched on it several times before, but it bears repeating, that "Beth-el" means house of God. God would protect Jacob and his family, as long as they obeyed His commands. There is safety in God, even when there is danger everywhere we look. He reminded Jacob to worship Him. It was no longer safe there.
Verses 2-4: Moving to Beth-el necessitated spiritual preparation beyond the level of an exercise in logistics. Possession of idolatrous symbols such as figurines, amulets, or cultic charms (verse 4, "rings ... in their ears"), were no longer tolerable, including Rachel's troubling teraphim (31:19).
Idols buried out of sight, plus bathing and changing to clean clothes, all served to portray both cleansing from defilement by idolatry and consecration of the heart to the Lord. It had been 9 or 10 years since his return to Canaan and appropriately, time enough to clean up all traces of idolatry.
Genesis 35:2 "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments:"
"Then Jacob said unto his household": His wives and children.
"And to all that were with him": His menservants and maidservants, and such as remained with him of the captives of Shechem, who might choose to continue with him.
"Put away the strange gods that are among you": Not the teraphim or images of Laban's, which Rachel had stolen from him, but in the crisis precipitated by the Shechem massacre (34:25-26).
Rather such as might be among the Canaanitish servants that had been lately taken into Jacob's service, or that were among the captives of Shechem, or taken along with the spoil of that city.
And so the Targum of Jonathan calls them the idols of the people, which they brought from the idols' temple at Shechem; and the words may be rendered, "the gods of the strangers", that is, of the Shechemites, who were Heathens and aliens, strangers to the true God, the knowledge and worship of him.
"And be clean": Either by abstaining from their wives, as some interpret it, from Exodus 19:10; or rather by washing their bodies, as Aben Ezra gives the sense of it. Their hands were full of the blood of the Shechemites, and needed to be washed and purified, as the Targum of Jonathan has it, from the pollutions of the slain, before they went to Beth-el, the house of God.
And these outward washings and purifications were signs of inward cleansing by the grace of God, and of outward reformation of life and manners (see Isaiah 1:15).
"And change your garments": which might be stained with blood, and therefore not fit to appear in before God, or were old and worn out, or sordid apparel: changing and washing of garments were also emblems of renewing of the mind, and cleansing of the soul, and of the change of heart and life, as well as of pleasure, delight, and cheerfulness in appearing before God.
You see, in the last lesson, that Jacob's sons took captive women and children of the heathen people. God told Jacob to clean house. Rachel still had her father's idols, unknown to Jacob, and probably, these women captives had objects of pagan worship, as well. Jacob spoke as an oracle of God, when he told them to put off idolatry, and put on the new garment.
This would indicate a cleansed garment acceptable to God, and possibly, is symbolic of the washing away of their sins. The repentance that John the Baptist taught was practiced in the Old Testament symbolically, as well.
Genesis 35:3 "And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."
"And let us arise and go up to Beth-el": Thus prepared and purged, their tents clear of idols, their bodies washed with pure water, and their garments new, neat, and clean; all symbolical of inward purity, and of freedom from idolatry and evil works, as became those who go to the house of God, and are his worshippers (see Hebrews 10:22).
"I will make there an altar unto God": as he has directed, and sacrifice to him, and worship him, and give the tenth unto him, and so make it a Beth-el, a house of God indeed, as he had vowed (Genesis 28:22).
"Who answered me in the day of my distress": On account of his brother Esau, from whose wrath he fled.
"And was with me in the way which I went": From his father's house to Padan-aram; in which journey he was alone and destitute, and exposed to many difficulties and dangers. But God was with him, and preserved him, and directed and brought him to Laban's house in safety.
When fleeing Esau about thirty years before, Jacob had gone to Beth-el and found God's presence and help. Jacob wanted to make an altar and seek God and His help, again.
Genesis 35:4 "And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which [were] in their hand, and [all their] earrings which [were] in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which [was] by Shechem."
The putting away of the strange gods indicates Jacob's desire for an exclusive devotion to his sovereign God (the Suzerain 31:19; Exodus 20:3).
The "earrings" probably were amulets with idolatrous significance (Exodus 32:2-3). Later, Joshua was to demand the removal of foreign gods at a covenant renewal (Joshua 24:2, 14, 23).
"Oak which was by Shechem": Possibly this was the same tree as in Abraham's day (12:6).
There must have been many false gods. At any rate, it seems they gave all of them to Jacob. These ear rings were, probably, not ordinary earrings, but had symbols of false gods on them. Jacob destroyed them and buried them. Notice, he did not give them to anyone else. He did not sell them, either.
That should be a good lesson to us. We should clean house when we become Christians, and not keep things that pertain to other gods. A good example is rock music. Records with this type of music should be broken and burned. Christians should not have Buddha's or statues of other gods in their possession. Anything with horoscope signs should be destroyed, as well.
A house divided against its self cannot stand. We cannot serve the real God and false gods at the same time. God will not share us. He wants all of us. Our loyalty to Him should be without question.
This is a terrible thing today. People who proclaim to be Christians have things in their possession that elevate other gods. We to, must do away with these idols. This Scripture does not specifically mention Rachel's idols, but it does say that they gave all of them to Jacob. It surely included Rachel's.
Genesis 35:5 "And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that [were] round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob."
"And they journeyed": Jacob and his family, with all that were with them, from Shechem to Beth-el.
"The terror of God": A supernaturally induced fear of Israel rendered the surrounding city-states unwilling and powerless to intervene and made Jacob's fear of their retaliation rather inconsequential (34:30).
Jacob's divine protector intervened with directions and defense; for "the terror of God was upon the cities ... and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob".
These heathen people knew that God protected Jacob and His own, so they were afraid to attack them. They let them go.
Genesis 35:6 "So Jacob came to Luz, which [is] in the land of Canaan, that [is], Beth-el, he and all the people that [were] with him."
"So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is Beth-el": The place Jacob had called Beth-el, when he was there before, was formerly called Luz (Genesis 28:19).
And is here said to be in the land of Canaan, that is, in that part of the land which was inhabited by those who were properly called Canaanites, to distinguish it from another Luz, which was in the land of the Hittites (Judges 1:26).
"He and all the people that were with him": Wives, children, servants, or whoever else came from Shechem, these all came safe to Luz without any molestation or loss.
Genesis 35:7 "And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother."
"And he built there an altar": As he was bid to do, and as he promised he would (Genesis 35:1).
Through this act of worship, fulfillment of his vow (28:20-22), and renaming the site, Jacob reconfirmed his allegiance to God, who also affirmed His commitment to Jacob by re-appearing to him, repeating the change of name (verse 10; 32:28), and rehearsing the Abrahamic promises (verses 11-12).
Naming the altar "El-beth-el" ("God of the House of God"), gave witness to the Lord's sovereign faithfulness.
In response, Jacob also repeated the rite he had performed when he first met God at Beth-el (verse 14), and reaffirmed its name (verse 15).
"Because there God appeared": Or the divine Persons, for both words are plural that are used. The Targum of Jonathan has it, the angels of God, and so Aben Ezra interprets it; but here, no doubt, the divine Being is meant, who appeared.
"Unto him": to Jacob in this place, as he went to Mesopotamia, and comforted and encouraged him with many promises.
"When he fled from the face of his brother": His brother Esau, who was wroth with him and sought to take away his life, therefore was forced to flee for it.
Jacob emphasized here, that he had come back to Canaan, as God had told him to. "El" means God. This is literally God-the house of God ("El-beth-el)." Jacob built an altar to God, re-establishing his position with God.
Genesis 35:8 "But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth."
"But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died": That is, when and soon after they were come to Beth-el. A nurse of Rebekah's came with her to Canaan, when she married Isaac, and is generally thought to be this Deborah, which is not improbable (Genesis 24:59).
Though she might have more nurses than one, as great personages sometimes have, and then it will not be so difficult to answer the objection made here. That Rebekah's nurse, whom Jacob is supposed to leave in Canaan when he went to Padan-aram, should now be in his family when he returned from hence.
"And she was buried beneath Beth-el": At the bottom of the hill or mountain on which Beth-el stood.
"Under an oak": of which there were many about Beth-el (1 Kings 13:14 2 Kings 2:23); and it was not unusual to bury the dead under trees (see 1 Samuel 31:13).
"And the name of it was called Allon-bachuth": The oak of weeping, because of the weeping and mourning of Jacob's family at her death, she being a good woman, an ancient servant, and in great esteem with them.
The Jews have a tradition that the occasion of this weeping, or at least of the increase of it, was, that Jacob at this time had the news of the death of Rebekah his mother. So the Targum of Jonathan, "there tidings were brought to Jacob of the death of Rebekah his mother, and he called the name of it another weeping;" and so Jarchi.
I cannot say for sure when Jacob's mother's nurse came to Jacob. Possibly, his mother sent word by this nurse, at some other time that it was safe for him to return. It really doesn't matter why she was with him.
"Allon-bachuth" means oak of weeping.
Genesis 35:9 "And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him."
"And God appeared unto Jacob again": At Beth-el, as he had at Shechem, when he bid him go thither (Genesis 35:1); or rather as he had at the brook Jabbok, where he said to him the same things as here (Genesis 32:24).
Jarchi interprets it of his appearing again to him, at the same place at Beth-el. Where he had appeared to him the first time when he was going to Haran, and now for a second time.
"When he came out of Padan-aram": Or returned from thence.
"And blessed him": With the same blessings as before, renewing and confirming them. Jarchi says, with the blessing of mourners, because of the death of his mother and her nurse.
Genesis 35:10 "And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel."
"And God said unto him, thy name is Jacob": Which his parents gave him at his birth, and by, which he had been always called.
"Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name": not Jacob only, as Aben Ezra and Ben Melech interpret it, but Israel also, and that more commonly and frequently, and not only he himself personally, but his posterity also.
"And he called his name Israel": confirmed the name he had before given him (Genesis 32:28); and by this confirmation of it signifying, that as he had prevailed over his brother Esau, and escaped his hands, so he should prevail over all that rose up against him, and opposed him, even as he had power with God, and prevailed.
Though some think this name was only promised him before, but now actually given him. But then they take the angel that appeared wrestling with him in the likeness of a man to be a created angel, and that what he promised in the name of God was now made good by God himself. There is great reason to believe that that angel was the increased one, the Son of God, as here also.
Genesis 35:11 "And God said unto him, I [am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;"
"And God said unto him, I am God Almighty": And so able to protect and defend him, and to fulfil all promises made to him, and to supply him with everything he wanted. Being, as some choose to render the word, "God all sufficient", having a sufficiency of all good things in him to communicate to his people.
"Be fruitful and multiply": Which carries in it a promise or prophecy that he should increase and multiply, though not he himself personally, he having but one son born after this, yet in his posterity.
"A nation, and a company of nations, shall be of thee": The nation of Israel, called so after his name, and the twelve tribes, which were as so many nations, of which the above nation consisted.
"And kings shall come out of thy loins": As Saul, David, Solomon, and, many others, who were kings of Israel and of Judah, and especially the King Messiah; yea, all his posterity were kings and priests, or a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6).
God's words, here included for the first time since His promises at Abraham's circumcision (17:6, 16), served as a reminder of future royalty.
Genesis 35:12 "And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."
"And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it": Meaning the land of Canaan, which, as he had by promise given it to his grandfather and father, so he would give it to him.
Thus renewing the grant of it for his comfort and the encouragement of his faith, when he had been in danger of being destroyed by the inhabitants of it; and was obliged to remove from one part of it to another.
"And to thy seed after thee will I give the land": and not only make a grant of it to them, but put them into the possession of it, as in the process of time he did.
Notice, this appearance was not a dream, but a daytime encounter with God. This was reaffirming of the covenant of God with Jacob. God also reminded him that his name was no longer Jacob, but Israel. God Almighty meant that this was the unblameable, perfect God. God, at any rate, reiterates the blessings of Israel through Abraham and Isaac.
This is never-ending blessing.
Genesis 35:13 "And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him."
"And God went up from him": Or "from above" him. By this it seems that there was a visible appearance of the glory of the Lord, as Onkelos, or of the Shekinah, as Jonathan; even of the Son of God in a human form. The presence of God was there in some visible form.
Who either appeared just above him, or on the same spot with him, conversing with him as above related then when he was done, ascended in a visible manner from him, till he disappeared.
"In the place where he talked with him": whether it was over him, or by him; thence he removed from him, and ceased talking with him. For communion with a divine Person is not constant and uninterrupted in the present state.
Genesis 35:14 "And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, [even] a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon."
"And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him": He had set up a pillar in this place before he went to Padan-aram (Genesis 28:18).
Some think this pillar is here referred to, and render the words, "had set up a pillar". But as that was done thirty years ago, it is very likely it was demolished by the heathens before this time, or was fallen to ruin, wherefore this must be at least a renewal or reparation of it.
The stone "pillar" was the customary covenant witness. Thus, Jacob made it clear that he was returning to God, not just to His house. This decision became the turning point of his life.
Though it rather seems to be another pillar, and quite a new one, being set up in that very spot of ground, over or on which God had been talking with him: and the following account of it seems to confirm the same.
"Even a pillar of stone": Made of several stones hewed and polished, and well put together; whereas the former was but a single stone, rude and unpolished, though it is probable it was one of these.
"And he poured a drink offering thereon": Of wine, of which drink offerings under the law were, thereby consecrating it to the worship and service of God. Aben Ezra says it was either of water or of wine, with which he washed it, and after that poured oil on it; and the Targum of Jonathan says, he poured a drink offering of wine, and a drink offering of water.
"And he poured oil thereon": As he did before; this was a commonly done way to make a covenant (see note on 28:18-21).
Genesis 35:15 "And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el."
"And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el": He confirmed the name he had before given it, when he went to Mesopotamia, and now upon his return renews and establishes it.
Or he gave this name more especially to that particular spot where God conversed with him, and on which he erected a pillar, and consecrated it to religious worship, and so made it God's house, as he promised he would (Genesis 28:22). Both building an altar for sacrifice, and setting up a pillar, which was beginning a house for God.
Jacob set up the pillar to recognize God for all His power, and might, and blessings He had spoken upon Jacob. He made an offering on this pillar that he had erected to God. Oil and water were poured over this pillar as a special appreciation to God.
Genesis 35:16 "And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor."
"And they journeyed from Beth-el": Jacob and his family; how long they stayed there is not certain, some say four months; hence they removed towards Bethlehem, which was twelve miles from Beth-el, in their way to Hebron.
"And there was but a little way to come to Ephrath": Or Bethlehem, as it was also called, (verse 19: 48:7; 5:2). Benjamin of Tudela, who was on the spot, says that Rachel's grave is about half a mile from Bethlehem.
"And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor": The time of childbirth was come, and which came suddenly upon her, as travail does, even while journeying. Which obliged them to stop; and her pains came upon her and these very sharp and severe, so that she had a difficult time of it.
Genesis 35:17 "And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also."
"And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor": In the midst of it, and at the worst.
"That the midwife said unto her, fear not": For Rachel, big with child, it was necessary to take a midwife with them in the journey. And perhaps this might be one that was always kept in the family, and had been assisting to all Jacob's wives and concubines at their labors.
And this seems probable from what follows, since she not only bids her be of good courage, and not fear. Comforting her under her pains, giving her hopes they would soon be over, and that she would have a safe delivery, and do well.
"Thou shalt have this son also": As she had one before, at whose birth she said, "the Lord shall add to me another son"; and therefore, called his name Joseph (Genesis 30:24). This the midwife remembered, and endeavors to comfort her with the accomplishment of it.
Genesis 35:18 "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin."
"Ben-oni ... Benjamin": The dying mother appropriately named her newly born son "Son of my sorrow," but the grieving father named him "Son of my right hand," thus assigning him a place of honor in the home. Her prayer at the birth of her firstborn was answered (30:24).
Jacob's renaming of his son as Benjamin," or "Son of My right Hand," emphasized the positive aspect of this event. Perhaps this indicated Jacob's understanding of "right hand" in its normal sense, accompanied by its providential overtones of honor (Psalm 110:1), skill (Psalm 137:5), and soundness (Eccl. 10:2).
The phrase "her soul was in departing" indicates only that the life was departing.
Jacob had his twelfth son. The twelve tribes of Israel were complete.
"Benjamin" means son of my right hand, or son of my strength.
This was an interesting turn of events. It had been, probably, sixteen or so years since Joseph had been born. Many times, when children were born of older women, the women have problems with the birth. I really believe this problem went back to Rachel stealing her father's idols, and the statement Jacob made about what would happen to the one that was found with it.
He had said let him not live. Jacob's beloved Rachel was gone.
Ephrath is an ancient name for Bethlehem. The Tomb of Rachel is on the hill right out of Bethlehem even today. It is one of the tourist sights.
"Bethlehem" means house of bread. Bethlehem is about five miles out of Jerusalem.
Genesis 35:19 "And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which [is] Beth-lehem."
"And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem": Hence called Bethlehem Ephrath (Micah 5:2). With great relevance is Rachel represented as if risen from her grave, and weeping for her children, when the children of Bethlehem, and thereabout, were slain by Herod, she being buried so near that place (Matthew 2:16).
At what age she died is not said. Polyhistor, out of Demetrius, reports that she died after Jacob had lived with her twenty three years.
Genesis 35:20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that [is] the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day."
"And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave": A sepulchral monument erected in memory of her; this according to Benjamin of Tudela was made of twelve stones, according to the number of the sons of Jacob. And over it was a vault or roof, supported by four pillars.
It continued to the times of Moses, the writer of this history, and to the times of Samuel, as appears from (1 Samuel 10:2); and even travelers of late times affirm it to be seen still. The memorial to Rachel could still be seen in Moses' day, about one mile north of Bethlehem.
Genesis 35:21 "And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar."
"And Israel journeyed": Having stayed near Bethlehem, as it is said, about two months. This is the first time Jacob is by Moses called Israel, after this name, was given him. The reason of which the Jews say is, because he bore the death of Rachel with so much patience.
"And spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar": Which was a place of pasturage, and fit for his flocks (see Micah 4:8). It was about a mile from Bethlehem to the south, and is supposed to be the place where the shepherds were watching their flocks, when the angel reported to them the birth of Christ (Luke 2:8).
Pretty remarkable are the words added here in the Targum of Jonathan, "the place from whence the King Messiah will be revealed in the end of days".
"Edar" means flock.
Genesis 35:22 "And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard [it]. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:"
"Sons of Jacob were twelve": The birth of Benjamin in Canaan (verse 18), furnished reason to simply review the sons born outside of Canaan, with only one sad note preceding it, i.e., the sin of Reuben, which tainted the qualifier "Jacob's firstborn" in the listing (see 49:3-4; Deut. 22:30; 1 Chron. 5:1-2).
Reuben's sin of incest cost him his birthright forever, and he was replaced by Joseph (49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1-2), again demonstrating the concept of rank and not origin (see note on 25:19-34).
The blessing of messianic ancestry went to Judah (49:10).
This act was incest and caused the son of Israel to be disinherited. We had spoken earlier of how this family, because of the Godly call on their lives, had to live holy lives. This was not only a sin against this woman, but against Jacob and the eleven brothers. The statement "Now the sons of Jacob were twelve" should actually be attached to the next few verses.
Genesis 35:23 "The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:"
"The sons of Leah": Jacob's first wife, which are six, and are named in order, according to their birth: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 35:24 "The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:"
"The sons of Rachel": Then Rachel's, Jacob's next wife, though in right his first and only one, who had two children, Joseph and Benjamin.
Genesis 35:25 "And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:"
"And the sons of Bilhah": Then Bilhah's sons, who was Rachel's handmaid, and these were two, Dan and Naphtali.
Genesis 35:26 "And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these [are] the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram."
"And the sons of Zilpah": And lastly, the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, which were two also, Gad and Asher.
"These are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram": All excepting Benjamin. And because they were by far the greater part, even all but one that were born there, this is said in general.
There having been given in the context such a particular account of the birth of Benjamin, and of the place of it, there was no need for the historian particularly to except him, since the reader would be in no danger of being led into a mistake.
This above, and the last sentence of verse 22, were just listing the sons of Jacob and helping us remember who was the mother of each. Twelve is a representative number.
Joseph and Benjamin were two that we must remember especially, because their mother was the beloved of Jacob.
Genesis 35:27 "And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which [is] Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned."
"And Jacob came unto Isaac his father": No mention being made of his mother, it is very probable she was dead; and Isaac being alone, and very old, and the time of his death drawing nigh, he might send for Jacob to come with his family, and be with him.
For it can hardly be thought that this was the first time of Jacob's visiting his father since he came into the land of Canaan, which must be about ten years. But as yet he had not come with his family to him, and in order to abide with him.
"Unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron": Mamre was a plain, so called from the name of a man, a friend and confederate of Abraham (Gen. 13:18). Where, or near to which, stood a city, called Kirjath-arba, or the city of the four, Arbah and his three sons. So that it might be called Tetrapolls, and was later called Hebron.
"Where Abraham and Isaac sojourned": lived good part of their days (see Genesis 13:18); it was about twenty miles from Bethlehem, and the tower of Edar, where Jacob was last.
Finally, Jacob has made it home.
Genesis 35:28 "And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years."
"And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years": He lived, forty years after he had made his will, and blessed his two sons. Jacob was now one hundred and twenty years of age, being born when his father was sixty.
Joseph was now twenty nine years of age, so that Isaac lived twelve years after the selling of Joseph into Egypt. He was five years older than his father Abraham was when he died.
Genesis 35:29 "And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, [being] old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."
"And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died": And his children buried him in the cave in which Abraham was buried.
"And was gathered unto his people": his soul was gathered to the righteous, his body was laid where Abraham and Sarah were buried.
"Being old, and full of days": The number of which is observed (in Genesis 35:28),
"And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him": in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, where he lived and died, and where his parents had been buried, and Rebekah his wife.
"His sons Esau and Jacob" (ca. 1885 B.C.). Isaac's funeral brought his two sons back together, as Abraham's funeral had done for Isaac and Ishmael (25:9). Jacob, back in the land before his father's death, fulfilled yet another part of his Beth-el vow (28:21, "return to my father's house in safety").
Isaac lived to be 180 years old. Death many times brings families together. When Isaac died, Esau and Jacob, together, buried him.
Genesis Chapter 35 Questions
1. Where did God tell Jacob to go?
2. What was Jacob to do when he got there?
3. "Beth-el" means what?
4. When danger surrounds us, there is safety where?
5. What did Jacob tell his people to do before they left? Two things.
6. Why were these false gods in their company?
7. What was practiced in the Old Testament that John the Baptist teaches later?
8. Jacob had fled from Esau and gone to Beth-el, how many years ago?
9. What did Jacob do with the false gods?
10. Why were earrings included?
11. What should Christians do today to cleanse their lives?
12. What kept the cities from attacking Jacob?
13. What is another name for Beth-el?
14. What did he call the place, because God appeared to him?
15. What does "El" mean?
16. What was the name of Rebekah's nurse?
17. In verse 11, what did God call himself?
18. What did God do for Jacob by appearing to him again here?
19. What did Jacob set up to commemorate his meeting God here?
20. What offering did he make?
21. Where were they when Rachel birthed Benjamin?
22. What had Rachel called him as she died?
23. What does the name of this son mean?
24. What does Benjamin mean?
25. Ephrath was an ancient name for where?
26. What does it mean?
27. Where was Rachel buried?
28. What did Jacob do to remember the spot?
29. What disgraceful thing did Reuben do?
30. What was his punishment?
31. Name Leah's sons.
32. Name Rachel's sons.
33. Name Bilhah's sons.
34. Name Zilpah's sons.
35. Where was Isaac?
36. How old was Isaac when he died?
37. Who buried him?
Verses 36:1-43: This chapter lists the wives of Esau (verses 1-3), the sons of Esau (verses 4-5), the enormous wealth (verses 6-8), and the descendants of Esau, and Seir, the Horite. Their families intermarried (verses 9-42).
From (36:1-37:1), we see the genealogy of Esau.
In verses 1-19: The taking up of the history of Jacob (37:2), the next patriarch, is preceded by a detailed genealogy of Esau, to which is appended both the genealogy of Seir the Horite, whose descendants were the contemporary inhabitants of Edom and a listing of Edomite kings and chiefs.
Jacob's and Esau's posterities, as history would go on to show, would not be in isolation from each other as originally intended (verses 6-8). They were to become bitter enemies engaged with each other in war.
Genesis 36:1 "Now these [are] the generations of Esau, who [is] Edom."
"Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom": Who was surnamed Edom, from the red pottage he sold his birthright for to his brother Jacob (Genesis 25:30). An account is given of him, and his posterity, not only because he was a son of Isaac.
Lately made mention of as concerned in his burial; but because his posterity would be often taken notice of in the sacred Scriptures, and so their genealogy would serve to illustrate such passages.
Maimonides thinks the principal reason is, that whereas Amalek, a branch of Esau's family, were to be destroyed by an express command of God, it was necessary that all the rest should be particularly described, lest they should all perish together.
But other ends are answered hereby, as partly to show the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham, concerning the multiplication of his seed, and the accomplishment of the oracle to Rebekah, signifying that two nations were in her womb, one of which were those Edomites; as also to observe how the blessing of Isaac his father came upon him with effect (Genesis 22:17).
"Edom" (compare verse 8; see note on 25:30).
Genesis 36:2 "Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;"
"And Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan": Of the Canaanites, the posterity of cursed Canaan, most of them was of them, though not all. One of his wives was of the family of Ishmael, as after related.
"Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; According to Jarchi and Aben Ezra, this is the same with Bashemath (Gen. 26:34); and that she had two names.
"And Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite": The daughter of the one, and the granddaughter of the other. It being usual in Scripture to call grandchildren children, for Zibeon and Anah were father and son (Genesis 36:24). And the Samaritan, Septuagint, and Syriac versions read here, "the daughter of Anah the son of Zibeon".
There are an Anah and a Zibeon who were brethren (Genesis 36:20). Wherefore Aben Ezra supposes that these two brothers, or the father and son, lay with the same woman and it could not be known whose child it was that was born of her.
Therefore, this was called the daughter of them both. Jarchi supposes this wife of Esau to be the same with Judith (Genesis 26:34); but not only the names differ, but also the names of their fathers, and of the tribe or nation they were of.
Genesis 36:3 "And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth."
"And Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth": The eldest son of Ishmael (see Genesis 28:9); called there Mahalath.
You must remember that these wives, whom Esau took, were not pleasing to his family. These were women forbidden to the holy people. Isaac and Rebekah were disappointed that their son had married these Canaanite women.
Genesis 36:4 "And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;"
"And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz": This son of Esau, according to Jerom, is the same with him mentioned in the book of Job, as one of his friends that came to visit him (Job 2:11). So says the Targum of Jonathan on (Genesis 36:10); but he rather was the grandson of this man, since he is called the Temanite.
"And Bashemath bare Reuel": The name is the same with Reuel or Raguel, the name of Jethro. But cannot be the same person as is said by some, for he was a Midianite and not an Edomite, (Exodus 2:18).
"Adah" means ornament, or beauty.
"Eliphaz" means God of gold, or God is fine gold.
"Bashemath" means fragrance.
"Reuel" means friend of God's, or God is a friend.
Genesis 36:5 "And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these [are] the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan."
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah": In this genealogy mention is made of another Korah among the sons of Eliphaz (Gen. 36:16); which Jarchi thinks is the same with this, and takes him to be a bastard and begotten in incest by Eliphaz, on his father's wife Aholibamah.
But Aben Ezra observes, that some are of opinion that there were two Korahs, one the son of Aholibamah, and the other the son of Adah; but he thinks there were but one, which was the son of Aholibamah, and is reckoned among the sons of Eliphaz, because he dwelt among them.
Or perhaps his mother died when he was little, and Adah brought him up with her sons, and so was reckoned her son; such were the children of Michal, Saul's daughter.
"These are the sons of Esau, which were born to him in the land of Canaan": And we do not read of any born to him elsewhere; so that of all his wives, which some think were four, others five, he had but five sons. What daughters he had is not related, though from (Gen. 36:6), it appears he had some.
"Jeush" means collector.
"Jaalam" means whom God hides.
"Korah" means baldness
Genesis 36:6 "And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob."
"And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters": The names of his wives and sons are before given; but what were the names of his daughters, or their number, is not said.
"And all the persons of his house": His menservants and maidservants that were born in his house, or bought with his money; the word for "persons" signifies "souls", and is sometimes used for slaves that are bought and sold (see Ezek. 27:13).
"And his cattle, and all his beasts": His sheep and oxen, camels and asses.
"And all his substance which he had got in the land of Canaan": Before he went to Seir the first time, part of which he might leave behind in Canaan, with servants to improve it. Also, that part of his father's personal estate which fell to him at his death, as well as what he might further acquire after his death, during his stay in Canaan.
"And went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob": Not into another part of the same country; but into another country, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan say, and so the Arabic version, even unto Seir, as appears by what follows.
And whither he had been before, and had obtained large possessions, and now having got all he could at his father's death, and collecting together all his other substance, thought fit to retire from thence to Seir, which he liked better, and for a reason afterwards given.
God thus disposing his mind, and making the circumstances of things necessary, that he should remove in order to make way for Jacob, and his posterity, to dwell in a land which was designed for them.
And so the Samaritan and Septuagint versions read it, "and he went out of the land of Canaan": and the Syriac version is, "and he went to the land of Seir". Some render the words to this sense, that he went there "before the coming of Jacob"; and it is true that he did go there before his brother came again into Canaan.
But of this the text speaks not, for what follows will not agree with it; others better, "because of Jacob"; not for fear of him, as the Targum of Jonathan, which paraphrases the words, "for the terror of his brother Jacob was cast upon him.
Because Esau knew by the blessing of his father, and the oracle of God and His concurring protection of God in all things; that the land of Canaan belonged to Jacob.
Genesis 36:7 "For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle."
"Were more than that they might dwell together": Crowded grazing and living conditions finally clinched the decision by Esau to move permanently to Edom, where he had already established a home (32:3; 33:14, 16).
Since it was Abraham's descendants through Isaac and Jacob who would possess the land, it was fitting for God to work out the circumstances providentially of keeping Jacob's lineage in the land and moving Esau's lineage out.
It is not revealed if Esau had understood and come to accept the promises of God to Jacob, although his descendants surely sought to deny Israel any right to their land or their life.
At first glance, verse 6 would indicate that these two brothers were fighting again. In verse 7, we see that this was not so. God had blessed them both so abundantly; there was not enough grass for all the animals to be fed. Esau decided to move and leave this area to Jacob.
Genesis 36:8 "Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau [is] Edom."
"Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir": Before he is said to be in the land of Seir (Gen. 32:3); now to dwell in a mount of that name. From which driving out the Horites, he seized it and dwelt in it. It had its name from Seir the Horite who inhabited the land (Genesis 36:20).
The Targum of Jonathan calls this mountain Mount Gabla, and one part of the land of Edom, or Idumea, was called Gobolites, as Josephus relates, perhaps the same with Gebal (Psalm 83:7); hither Esau went and took up his residence, after things were amicably adjusted between him and his brother Jacob.
So it came to pass, that Esau dwelt in Seir; and Jacob remained secure and quiet in the land of Canaan.
"Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir": This was divinely assigned as Esau's place (Deut. 2:5; Joshua 24:4).
"Esau is Edom": So called from the red pottage he had of Jacob, which is repeated to fix the hatred of that transaction upon him, as well as for the sake of what follows, showing the reason why his posterity were called Edomites.
Genesis 36:9 "And these [are] the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:"
"And these are the generations of Esau": Or the posterity of Esau, his children and grandchildren, as before and hereafter related.
"The father of the Edomites in Mount Seir": From whom they of that mountain and in the adjacent country had the name of Edomites or Idumeans.
Verses 10-14: (compare 1 Chron. 1:35-37).
Genesis 36:10 "These [are] the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau."
"These are the names of Esau's sons": In this and some following verses, an account is given of the sons of Esau, which agrees with what is before observed, and of his sons' sons.
"Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau": Who seems to be his first wife, and this his first son.
"Reuel the son of Bashemath and wife of Esau": His second son by another wife, a daughter of Ishmael (Gen. 36:3).
Genesis 36:11 "And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz."
"And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman": This was his firstborn, and from him the city of Teman in Edom or Idumea had its name (see Jer. 49:7). Eliphaz is called the Temanite from hence (Job 2:11); four more sons are mentioned.
"Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz": But I do not find that any towns or cities, or any part of the land of Edom, were denominated from any of them.
Not that it is important, but just take note in passing, "Gatam" means penny.
Genesis 36:12 "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these [were] the sons of Adah Esau's wife."
"And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son": She is said to be the sister of Lotan, the eldest son of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36:22). In (1 Chronicles 1:36), mention is made of Timna among the sons of Eliphaz, and of Duke Timnah here (Gen. 36:40).
"And she bare to Eliphaz Amalek": From whence the Amalekites sprung, often mentioned in Scripture, whom the Israelites were commanded utterly to destroy (1 Sam. 15:18).
"These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife": That is, her grandsons.
This Amalek was not the father of the Amalekites, because that tribe was mentioned long before the birth of Amalek.
Genesis 36:13 "And these [are] the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife."
"And these are the sons of Reuel": Another son of Esau's; this man had four sons, as follow:
"Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah": Of whom we know no more than their names, unless Maps or Massa, which Ptolemy places in Idumea, should have its name from Mizzah.
"These were the sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife": Her grandsons, as before.
Genesis 36:14 "And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah."
"And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah":
"The daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife": (See Gen. 36:2). Here also the Samaritan and Septuagint versions read, "The daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon".
"And she bare to Esau, Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah": This is repeated from (Genesis 36:5); no mention is made of her grandchildren, as of his other wives.
This was just another listing of Esau's family.
Genesis 36:15 "These [were] dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,"
"These were dukes": This term, "ruler of a thousand," apart from one exception (Zech. 12:5-6), is used exclusively for the tribal princes or clan leaders, the political/military leaders in Edom. It may suggest a loosely formed tribal confederacy.
Genesis 36:16 "Duke Korah, duke Gatam, [and] duke Amalek: these [are] the dukes [that came] of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these [were] the sons of Adah."
"Duke Korah": Only among the sons of Eliphaz is reckoned Duke Korah. Not before mentioned among his sons, and is left out in the Samaritan version (See Gen. 36:7).
To which it may be added, that according to Gerundinsis, this is the same with Timna, related among the sons of Eliphaz (1 Chron. 1:36); who was called by his father Korah: or this might be a grandson of Eliphaz.
Genesis 36:17 "And these [are] the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these [are] the dukes [that came] of Reuel in the land of Edom; these [are] the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife."
"And these are the sons of Reuel" (see Gen. 36:15).
Genesis 36:18 "And these [are] the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these [were] the dukes [that came] of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife."
"And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife" (see Gen. 36:15).
Genesis 36:19 "These [are] the sons of Esau, who [is] Edom, and these [are] their dukes."
"These are the sons of Esau" (see Gen. 36:15).
Two important things to note in this, dukes just meant tribal leaders. Esau's blessing from God had to do with blessing him on this earth. The spiritual blessings came to Jacob (Israel).
Verses 20-28 (1 Chron. 1:38-42).
Genesis 36:20 "These [are] the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,"
"These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land": "Before", as the Targum of Jonathan adds, that is, before it was inhabited by Esau and his posterity, and called Edom, and had from him the name of Seir.
But the Horites dwelt here before him, even in Abraham's time (Gen. 14:6). And who were so called from their dwelling underground in holes and caves, with which the further part of the land of Edom abounded, and are the same Greeks called Troglodytes (those who lived in caves).
Jarchi says, from their Jewish authorities, these were very expert in the nature of the land, and knew what was fit for olives and what for vines.
Now the genealogy of this man is here given, partly to show who were the ancient inhabitants of this land before they were drove out, and succeeded by Esau and his sons, (Deut. 1:12); and partly because of the intermarriages of Esau and his posterity with them, whereby they more easily came into the possession of the country.
For Esau married the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon, a son of Seir (Gen. 36:11); and Eliphaz took Timna, a sister of Lotan the son of Seir, to be his concubine (Gen. 36:12); the names of the sons of Seir follow.
"Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah": The first of these is said to be the same with Latinus, a king that reigned in Italy, which seems to be taken from the fancied resemblance of names.
Zibeon and Anah are here spoken of as brethren, the sons of Seir; whereas (in Gen. 36:24); they are made mention of as father and son (see Gen. 36:2).
Zibeon, according to the Jewish writers, committed incest with his mother, whence Anah came, and is called his brother, because of the same mother, and his son, as being begotten by him. They seem to seek for such kind of copulations to reproach the Edomites.
Genesis 36:21 "And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these [are] the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom."
"Edom" is the rugged desert area that extends for about a hundred miles from the Wadi Zered to the Gulf of Aqaba. Here the descendants of Esau settled (verses 1-43). In the Middle Bronze Age, the King's Highway passed through this region (Num. 20:14-18).
However archaeological excavations seem to indicate that the area was occupied only by various Bedouin tribes ruled by chieftains ("dukes"), until the fourteenth century B.C. After that the Edomites remained a constant threat to the Israelites until David conquered them (2 Sam. 8:13).
In the time of the divided monarchy Edom regained its independence. Its constant hostility toward God's people was frequently denounced by Israel's prophets. Edom was later subjugated by Assyria and eventually overrun by the Nabateans in the third century B.C.
"Horite" means hole.
"Seir" means rugged.
"Lotan" means wrapping up.
"Shobal" means plowing.
"Dishon" means gazelle.
"Ezer" means treasure.
These Horite people lived in caves mostly. This was rugged country. Perhaps, that is where the name came from. Aholibamah was a Horite. Eliphaz's concubine, Timna, was a Horite as well.
Genesis 36:22 "And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister [was] Timna."
"And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam": The first of these seems to have his name from the general name of the tribe or nation, and the other is called Homam (1 Chron. 1:39).
"And Lotan's sister was Timna": Whom Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau took for his concubine (Gen. 36:12); for the sake of which her relation to Lotan is here mentioned. She is said to be the sister of this man particularly, though there were seven brethren of them, because she might be his sister both by father and mother's side, when she was not of the other only by the father's side.
Genesis 36:23 "And the children of Shobal [were] these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam."
"And the children of Shobal were these": Who was the second son of Seir, and whose sons were the five following:
"Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam": In (1 Chronicles 1:40), Alvan is called Alian, and Shepho is Shephi.
Genesis 36:24 "And these [are] the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this [was that] Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father."
"And these are the children of Zibeon": The third son of Self, and who had two sons.
"Both Ajah and Anah": Of the latter it is observed.
"This was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father": who observed, while he was feeding his father's asses in the wilderness, that the he asses coupled with mares, or horses with the she asses, produced another sort of creatures called mules.
"Ajah" means screamer.
"Anah" was the first father-in-law of Esau. This was the first mention of mules.
Genesis 36:25 "And the children of Anah [were] these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah."
"And the children of Anah were these":
"Dishon": the name of one of his uncles (Gen. 36:21).
"And Aholibamah the daughter of Anah": Aben Ezra thinks this is not the same Anah that was mentioned in the beginning of this verse; since, if he was the same, there was no need to mention him again, but that he is the same that is mentioned (in Genesis 36:2).
But if he is not the same that is spoken of in this verse and (Genesis 36:24), it is difficult to account for the mention of him at all in this place. That he is the same as (in Genesis 36:2), seems to be right, though it is attended with this difficulty, that the Anah and Aholibamah there are represented as of the Hivites, whereas here they are reckoned among the Horites.
But it may be, as Ainsworth observes (in Genesis 36:20), that the Horites were of the race of the Hivites originally. And indeed this Aholibamah being the wife of Esau seems to be the reason of this particular notice taken of her here. She is omitted (in 1 Chronicles 1:41).
Genesis 36:26 "And these [are] the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Esh-ban, and Ithran, and Cheran."
"And these are the sons of Dishon": Not of Dishon the son of Anah, but of Dishon the son of Seir (Genesis 36:21); and they are the four following:
"Hemdan, and Esh-ban, and Ithran, and Cheran": The first of these, Hemdan is called Amram (1 Chron. 1:41).
Genesis 36:27 "The children of Ezer [are] these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan."
"The children of Ezer are these": Another son of Seir, who had the following sons:
"Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Achan": The two last are called Zavan and Jakan (in 1 Chronicles 1:42).
Genesis 36:28 "The children of Dishan [are] these; Uz, and Aran."
"The children of Dishon are these": The last of the seven sons of Seir, and who had two sons.
"Uz and Aran": From the former of these the land of Uz, inhabited by the Edomites, had its name (Lam. 4:21). Some have taken this to be the country of Job (Job 1:1).
Genesis 36:29 "These [are] the dukes [that came] of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,"
"These are the dukes that came of the Horites": Not that succeeded one after another, as the kings next mentioned did, but were together, at the same time, heads of respective families, and governors of them. Then the seven sons of Seir are mentioned in this verse and (Genesis 36:30), in their order, with the title of "duke" annexed to each of them, "Duke Lotan", etc.
Genesis 36:30 "Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these [are] the dukes [that came] of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir."
"These are the dukes that came of Hori": The ancestor of Seir, whence he is called the Horite, unless the singular is put for the plural (used in Genesis 36:29).
"Among their dukes in the land of Seir": Not that there were other dukes besides them in the land of Seir until Esau got among them, but these were they whose habitations were before in the land of Gabla (or Seir).
As the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; or "in", or "according to their dukedoms", as the Septuagint version. In their respective families where they had the government, and which became very numerous.
Verses 31-39: Kings ... before there reigned any king ... of Israel": Sandwiched in the genealogical details of Edom is a statement prophetically pointing to kingship in Israel (17:6, 16; 35:11; 49:10; Num. 24:7, 17-18; Deut. 17:14-20).
The kings' list does not introduce a dynasty, each ruler not being the son of his predecessor. "Kings: more likely suggests rule over a more settled people than tribal groups.
Genesis 36:31 "And these [are] the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel."
"And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom": In the land that was afterwards called the land of Edom; for this land was not so called when these kings began to reign.
According to Bishop Cumberland, and those that follow him, these were Horite kings, who, after their defeat by Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:5); in order to secure themselves the better from such a calamity for the future, set up a kingdom.
Which appears, by the following account, to be elective; and so Maimonides observes, that not one of these kings were of Edom: and these were:
"Before there reigned any king over the children of Israel": And there being no kings over Israel until many years after the times of Moses, hence some have thought these words are inserted by some other writer after him.
But there is no need to suppose that; for Moses knew, from foregoing prophecies and promises, that kings would arise out of them and reign over them (Genesis 17:6).
And this he was so certain of, that he himself, by divine direction, gave laws and rules to the children of Israel respecting their future kings (Deut. 17:14). Besides Moses himself was king in Jeshurun or Israel (Deut. 33:5), so that it is the same as if he had said, these are the kings that reigned in Edom, before this time.
I believe all this Duke business has been to show us one thing that was covered in this last sentence. The world had worldly rulers over its people, kings, (earthly), to tell them what to do. The Israelites were ruled by God alone. They had no earthly kings. We will see more of this in the next few verses.
Genesis 36:32 "And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city [was] Dinhabah."
"And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom": His name was not Balac, as the Septuagint version, which may lead to think of Balak king of Moab; nor is this the same with Balaam, the son of Beor. Who lived ages after, as some in Aben Ezra: who he was we know no more of than what is here said; he was the first Horite king.
"And the name of his city was Dinhabah": The place either where he was born, or where he had been governor before, but of it we read nowhere else.
"Dinhabah" means concealment or little place.
Genesis 36:33 "And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead."
"And Bela died": How long he reigned is not known with any certainty, nor whether he left any sons behind him; if he did, they did not succeed him in the throne; for:
"Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead": This king some have thought to be the same with Job, and from whom one of the books of Scripture has its name; but neither their names, nor age, nor country agree: who this Jobab and his father Zerah were cannot be said.
They seem to be of the same country in which Jobab reigned, since he is said to be of Bozrah, a famous city of Idumea, after spoken of in the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and others (Isaiah 34:6).
Jarchi takes it to be a city of Moab, and indeed it is sometimes placed in Moab, and sometimes in Edom, it being on the borders of both, and sometimes belonged to the one and sometimes to the other.
Genesis 36:34 "And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead."
"And Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead": Or of the land of the south, as the Targum of Jonathan, of the southern part of the land of Idumea, as it was afterwards called. The metropolis of which was the city of Teman, after spoken of in Scripture, which had its name from Teman the son of Eliphaz (See Gen. 36:11).
Genesis 36:35 "And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city [was] Avith."
"And Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead": Who he or his father was we have no other account, nor of this warlike action of his.
Probably the Midianites came out to invade him, hearing of which, he went out against them, and met with him in the fields of Moab, which were near to Midian, and fought them and conquered them.
Jarchi says, the Midianites came out to make war against the Moabites, and the king of Edom went out to help the Moabites, and hence, he says, we learn, that Midian and Moab were near each other.
And in the days of Balaam they made peace that they might combine against Israel. This battle is supposed to be fought in the twelfth year of his reign; and it is thought to be in his reign that Esau came with his family and dwelt in Seir. Though some place it later in either in the following reign, or in that of his successors.
"And the name of his city was Avith": Where it was is not certain.
Genesis 36:36 "And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead."
"And Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead": But who he was, or the place he was of, cannot be said.
Genesis 36:37 "And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth [by] the river reigned in his stead."
"And Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead": Rehoboth was one of the cities built by Asshur (Gen. 10:11); and was situated near the river Euphrates.
The Targum of Jonathan calls it Rehoboth which is by Euphrates; but Jerom, from Eusebius, takes it to be another city by a river in Edom, and says, that there was in his days a garrison in the country of Gabalena (a part of Idumea), a large village called by that name.
Genesis 36:38 "And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead."
"And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead": Whose name, inverted, is observed by Grotius to be the same with Hannibal; it signifies a gracious lord or king.
Genesis 36:39 "And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city [was] Pau; and his wife's name [was] Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab."
"And Hadar reigned in his stead": The last of the Horite kings, when an end was put to this monarchy by the united families of Seir and Esau, and changed into dukedoms; of which there were seven of the race of Seir, and fourteen of the race of Esau, of whom an account is given in the preceding part of this chapter: as for this last king, it is further said of him.
"And the name of his city was Pau": But where it was cannot be said.
"And his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab": His woman seems to be a person of note, by the mention made of her. But whether the names of her ancestors are the names of men or women it is not certain.
Genesis 36:40 "And these [are] the names of the dukes [that came] of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,"
"And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau": After the regal monarchy ceased, the government in Edom was by dukes, and of these there were two sons, one of which an account has been given of already, who were partly of the race of Seir, and partly of the race of Esau.
Who were dukes not by succession, but together, in and over their respective families. It may be observed, that neither Esau, nor his sons by his two first wives, Eliphaz and Reuel, are called dukes, only his three sons by his last wife.
All the rest are his grandsons and sons of the two former, which seems to give some light as to the time when those dukedoms took place; and very probably it was by the joint influence of Seir and Esau, whose families had intermarried, that an end was put to the regal power, and who, for a course of years, governed in the above manner.
And they of Esau's race in those times are said to be "dukes in the land of Edom", as a learned man has observed; whereas those that follow, which are a second race of them, are called "dukes of Edom" (Genesis 36:43); who took possession of the country and ruled in it, driving out the Horites and succeeding in their stead.
"According to their families": They were the heads of.
"After their places, by their names": The places where they lived, which were called after their names, and are as follow:
"Duke Timnah, Duke Alvah, Duke Jetheth": These were both the names of the dukes, and of the places where they governed, called after their names; so Timnah or Themna, as Jerom calls it, is by him said to be a city of the princes of Edom, the same he says of Jetheth, so the like may be concluded of Alvah.
Genesis 36:41 "Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,"
"Duke Aholibamah, Duke Elah, Duke Pinon": The former is the name of a woman (Genesis 36:2); here the name of a man, and also of the place of which he was duke.
For Jerom makes mention of Elath, a country of the princes of Edom, and a city of Esau, ten miles from Petra to the east, and the seat of Duke Pinon was very probably Phinon, which lay between Petra and Zoar.
Genesis 36:42 "Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,"
"Duke Kenaz, Duke Teman, Duke Mibzar": There was a Kenaz the son of Eliphaz, and so a Teman a son of his, who were both dukes. But these seem to be different from them, though the latter might be duke of the place called Teman from him.
Which, in Jerom's time, was a village five miles distant from Petra, and where was a Roman garrison, and so Mabsar in his times, was a large village in the country of Gabalena (a part of Idumea), and called Mabsara, and belonged to the city Petra.
Genesis 36:43 "Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he [is] Esau the father of the Edomites."
"These be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations, in the land of their possession": The former race of dukes, as has been observed, were dukes in the land of Edom, were sojourners in the land, at least had not sovereign dominion, or were not the only dukes in it; there were dukes of the race of Seir at the same time.
But now these having driven out the Horites, were sole possessors and sovereign lords; and thus while Israel and his posterity were sojourners in a strange land, Esau and his family were possessors and lords of a country they could call their own.
"He is Esau the father of the Edomites": That is, Edom, the dukes of whose race are before reckoned up; the same is Esau, who had the name of Edom from selling his birthright for a mess of red pottage: and this is the man from whom the Edomites or Idumeans sprung, often hereafter spoken of in the Scripture, though no more in this history.
The closing title of the genealogy calls attention to the Lord's words to Rebekah at the birth of her sons, "two nations are in your womb" (25:23); here was the nation from the older.
It appears that this list, again, means that each of these men had control of his tribe and was like kings.
Genesis Chapter 36 Questions
1. Who was Edom?
2. Name Esau's wives?
3. What area were they from?
4. What two people were disappointed in his choice of wives?
5. Who was the mother of Eliphaz?
6. Who was Bashemath's son?
7. Who did Esau take with him when he left his brother's face?
8. Was he angry?
9. Why did he leave?
10. Where did Esau dwell then?
11. What does "Gatam" mean?
12. What was Timna to Eliphaz?
13. What does "duke" probably mean?
14. What was the difference in Esau's blessing and Jacob's?
15. Where did the Horites live?
16. What does "Seir" mean?
17. Who was "Anah"?
18. What do all the Dukes show us? Contrast Israel.
19. Who was the father of the Edomites?
20. It appears this last list shows that these men are the head of what?
Genesis 37:1 "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan."
"And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger ": And this stands opposed unto, and is distinguished from the case and circumstances of Esau and his posterity, expressed in the preceding chapter, who dwelt in the land of their possession, not as strangers and sojourners, as Jacob and his seed, but as lords and proprietors.
And so these words may be introduced and read in connection with the former history; "but Jacob dwelt", etc. And this verse would better conclude the preceding chapter than begin a new one.
This by-line into the story of Jacob's son, Joseph, informs the reader that Jacob's father, Isaac, hence his sons as well, though in the land, had not yet entered into possession of their inheritance. They were still alien residents.
"Land of Canaan": Actually, Jacob and his family were in Hebron (verse 14; see note on 13:18).
Verses 37:2 - 50:26 contains the genealogy of Jacob.
Genesis 37:2 "These [are] the generations of Jacob. Joseph, [being] seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad [was] with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report."
"Joseph, being seventeen years old": Eleven years had passed since he had entered the land of Canaan with his family (30:22-24), since Joseph was born 6 years before departing from Haran.
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, the first son of Rachel (30:24), and was his father's favorite. However, he was resented by his jealous brothers, who sold him into slavery to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites.
Joseph arrived in Egypt during the Second Intermediate period of ancient Egypt's history, and rose to the position of grand vizier or prime minister to the Pharaohs (probably Sesostris II and Sesostris III).
Joseph eventually reconciled to his brothers. He then invited his father and entire family to move to Egypt to escape a great famine and thus preserve the line of the Messiah. Joseph received the blessing (double portion), from his father (48:8-22; see Genesis 30:22-24; 41:37-53).
The reference to being a "lad" suggests he may have been a servant or helper (22:3; Exodus 33:11), as his age has already been cited.
"Evil report": Whether Joseph brought his at his own initiative or reported back at the father's demand on 4 of his brothers (e.g. verse 14), is not elaborated upon, nor specifically cited as the cause of the brothers' intense dislike of Joseph (verses 4-5, 8, 11, 18-19).
"Their report" was "evil" in the sense that their actions were evil and he reported this to his father.
Jacob was living in Canaan. Joseph, Rachel's son, was beloved of his father. He was working with the handmaid's sons. Joseph came back to Israel telling of these half-brothers' evil deeds.
Verses 3-4: Overt favoritism of Joseph and tacit appointment of him as the primary son by the father (see note on 37:3), conspired to estrange him from his brothers. They hated and envied him (verses 4-5, 11), and could not interact with him without conflict and hostility. Joseph must have noticed the situation.
Genesis 37:3 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of [many] colors."
The fact that Jacob "loved Joseph more than all his children" indicates he had learned nothing from his previous experiences with favoritism (25:28).
"Coat of many colors": The Septuagint (LXX), favored this translation of the Hebrew phrase used by Moses, although some prefer "a long-sleeved robe" or "an ornamented tunic." It marked the owner as the one whom the father intended to be the future leader of the household, and honor normally given to the firstborn son.
"He made him a coat of many colors: This traditional understanding, and the alternate "coat with sleeves," are sheer guesses from the context. The phrase ketonet passim, "a coat of many colors," occurs aside from this section only (in 2 Samuel 13:18-19), where it describes a garment worn by the daughters of kings.
Joseph was Israel's favorite, because he loved Rachel very much, and they waited so long for him to be born. The coat of many colors was a coat that set Joseph apart from his brothers. This was visible evidence that Joseph was Israel's favorite. Israel was wealthy, and this coat was very beautiful.
Genesis 37:4 "And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."
"And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren": Which they perceived by various things in his behavior to him, by his words, his looks, his gestures, and particularly by the coat he had made him, which distinguished him from the rest.
"They hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him": They not only inwardly hated him, but they could not conceal their hatred, but betrayed it by their speech unto him.
Jealousy is not of God. Jealousy and hate are not to be known among the believers. These brothers hated Joseph, because Israel loved him. Their hateful attitude could do nothing, but create a problem.
Verses 5-10: The content of the dreams which Joseph recounted worsened brotherly hostility, with the second one also incurring fatherly rebuke. The dream symbolism needed no special interpretation to catch its significant elevation of the favored son to ruling status over his brothers (verses 8-10).
Genesis 37:5 "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told [it] his brethren: and they hated him yet the more."
"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren": As a dream, in the simplicity of his heart; not understanding it, or imagining there was any meaning in it. He told it not with any design to affront them, but as an amusement, and for their diversion, there being something in it odd and ridiculous, as he himself might think.
"And they hated him yet the more": Not only because he had carried an ill report of them to his father, and because he loved him more than they, but still more because of this dream. The meaning of which they at once understood, though he did not, which yet they supposed he did, and that he told them it in a boasting manner, just to irritate them.
Genesis 37:6 "And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:"
"And he said unto them, hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed": Hear now, so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, immediately, directly, lest he should forget it, having perhaps dreamt it the night before.
Genesis 37:7 "For, behold, we [were] binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."
"For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field": So, it was represented in his mind in a dream, as if it was harvest time, and he and his brethren were at work together in the field binding up sheaves of corn that were reaped, in order to be carried home.
"And, lo, my sheaf arose, and stood upright": It seemed to him, that after he had bound and laid it on the ground, that it rose up of itself, and stood erect.
"And, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf": The sheaves which his brethren bound up, they also stood upright, and all around his sheaf, and bowed unto it; so it appeared to him in his dream. This was a fit emblem of their coming to him into Egypt for corn, and bowing to him, when their sheaves were empty, and his was full.
God speaks to some people in dreams. This was obviously what had happened here. Joseph was chosen of God, and God was speaking to him in this dream. They hated him even more now, because even God was showing preference to him.
He rubbed the insult in by asking them to hear the dream, which built him up and shows them as bowing to him. This would really cause their anger and hate for him to be worse.
Genesis 37:8 "And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words."
"And his brethren said unto him": After he had told his dream, being highly offended with him, understanding the dream, and the meaning of it, better than he did.
"Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shall thou indeed have dominion over us?" denying that he ever should, and reproving him for his vanity, in concluding from hence that he would have the dominion over them. So the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, dost thou think, suppose, or imagine that thou shall rule over us?
It looks as if by telling us this dream that such a whim and fancy has got into thine head.
"And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words": For it seems by this that he had dreamt, and told them more dreams besides this, and they hated him both for them, and for his telling them to them; though Jarchi thinks the phrase, "for his words", refers to the ill report he gave of them to his father (Gen. 37:2).
Of course, Joseph had no control over his dreams. The dreams were from God. Their hate grew more and more, because they were more and more jealous of him.
Genesis 37:9 "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me."
"And he dreamed yet another dream": Relating to the name subject as the former, and, for the confirmation of it, only the emblems are different, and more comprehensive.
"And told it his brethren, and said, behold, I have dreamed a dream more": Another dream, and which he told, either as not knowing fully the resentment of his brethren at his former dream, or in order to clear himself from any charge of feigning the dream, or having any ill intention in telling it.
Seeing he had another to the same purpose, and therefore thought fit to acquaint them with it, that they might more seriously consider of it, whether there was not something divine in it, which he himself began to think there was.
"And, behold, the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars, made their obeisance to me": In his dream, it seemed to him either that he was taken up into the starry heaven, and these luminaries bowed unto him, or else that they descended to him on earth, and paid their respects unto him.
Genesis 37:10 "And he told [it] to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What [is] this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"
"And he told it to his father, and to his brethren": After he had told it to his brethren, he told it to his father a second time in their hearing, that he might pass his judgment on it, and give his sense of it before them.
"And his father rebuked him": Not as being ignorant of the meaning of the dream, for by what follows he had a clear understanding of it, or as if he thought it was an idle dream, and would never have any accomplishment.
"And said unto him, what is this dream that thou hast dreamed?" what dost thou take to be the meaning of it? canst thou imagine that it is of God? Is it not a mere whim and imagination of thine own wandering brain in thy sleep? Why dost thou tell such an idle dream as this, as if there were something divine in it, when it appears the most absurd and irrational?
"Shall I, thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?" Whereby it plainly shows he understood the meaning of the dream, though he would not seem to give his blessing to it. By the "sun" he understood himself, the principal and head of the family, the active instrument of the generation of it, the light, life, and support of it.
By the "moon" his wife, the passive instrument of generation, who had the lesser share of rule in the family, yet contributed much to its good and welfare; by whom is meant not Rachel, the real mother of Joseph, who was dead, unless this is observed to show the seeming absurdity of it, from whence the whole might appear ridiculous. Rather Leah, who was now Jacob's only true wife, and the stepmother of Joseph.
Or else Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, who since her death was a mother to Joseph. And by the eleven "stars" he understood the eleven brethren of Joseph, who were as stars that receive their light from the sun; and in allusion to the twelve constellations in the Zodiac, to which Joseph and his eleven brethren answered.
The sun and moon clearly point out the father and mother. The mother is to be taken, we conceive, in the abstract, without nicely inquiring whether it means the departed Rachel, or the probably still living Leah.
Here again, Joseph's dream came from God. The sun was symbolic of his father, the moon was symbolic of his mother, and the eleven stars were symbolic of his brothers. Even his father scolded him, not believing that he would be elevated above his family by God. God chooses whoever He will to elevate.
When you have a special experience with God, the hardest ones to convince are the members of your family. It is difficult for them to believe that God is doing something special in your life, because they know you too well. The Bible even says when you are making a decision like Joseph's, that those who will be against it will be your closest friends and your family.
Genesis 37:11 "And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying."
"Observed the saying": Unlike the brothers, who immediately rejected any meaning to Joseph's words yet still allowed the dream to sorely irritate them into greater resentment of their brother (verse 19), the father, notwithstanding his public admonishment of Joseph, continued to ponder the meaning of the dreams.
This just made the brothers more jealous. Joseph's father listened and remembered the saying.
Verses 12-17: The assignment to Shechem brought Joseph providentially to Dothan, a site more convenient for contact with merchants using the main trade route on their way to Egypt.
"Shechem ... Hebron": Shechem (see note on 12:6), was located 50 miles north of Hebron (see note on 13:18).
Genesis 37:12 "And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem."
"And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem": Very probably some considerable time after the telling of the above dreams. It was usual to remove flocks from place to place for the sake of pasturage; and sometimes at a great distance, as Shechem was from Hebron, where Jacob now dwelt, said to be about sixty miles.
But this is not so much to be marveled at as the place itself; whither they went. For though Jacob had bought a parcel of a field in this place (Gen. 33:19), which might be a reason for their going there to feed their father's flocks in his own field.
Yet it was the place where they had committed a most outrageous action in destroying all, the males there, and therefore might fear the inhabitants of the neighboring cities would rise upon them and cut them off.
Genesis 37:13 "And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed [the flock] in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here [am I]."
"And Israel said unto Joseph": After his brethren had been gone some time to Shechem.
"Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?" This question is put, not as ignorant of it, or doubting about it, but to put Joseph in mind of it, and in order to what follows.
"Come, and I will send thee unto them": Which is pretty much he should, considering the length of the way, sixty miles. The dangerous place in which they were feeding their flocks, and especially seeing his brethren envied and hated him.
But Jacob might think that by this time things had worn off of their minds; and it is certain he had no suspicion of their hatred rising so high as to attempt to take his life. It is plain he had none concerning them, when his coat was brought to him, but believed it was wild beasts that had devoured him.
"And he said unto him, here am I": Showing his readiness to obey his father, and go on this errand, though it was a long journey, and he to go it alone, and his brethren also bore no good will to him.
Joseph was obedient to his father. When his father asked him to go, he said, "here am I."
Genesis 37:14 "And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem."
"And he said to him, go, I pray thee": Or "now", directly, immediately, which is more agreeable to the authority of a father.
"See whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks": It having been many days, and perhaps months, since he had heard anything of them; and the rather Jacob might be under a concern for them, because of the danger they were exposed to from the neighboring tribes and nations of the Canaanites, on account of their having some time ago destroyed the Shechemites.
"And bring me word again": Of their welfare, and of the state of their flocks.
"So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron": The same with the plains of Mamre near the city of Hebron, which was built on a hill.
"And he came to Shechem": After he had travelled sixty miles.
Israel was well over one hundred years old, and he was, probably, not able to go for himself to check on the sons and the flock. We saw earlier where Joseph told of their indiscretion, so we know that Joseph would not cover for them.
Genesis 37:15 "And a certain man found him, and, behold, [he was] wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?"
"And a certain man found him": Many of the Jewish writers say, this was an angel, the angel Gabriel, in the likeness of a man. But according to Aben Ezra, it was a traveler he met on the road; but it is more probable, as Schimidt observes, that it was some man at work in the field that came upon him and took notice of him.
"And, behold, he was wandering in the field": In some field near Shechem, perhaps the same his father Jacob had purchased, and where he expected to have found his brethren, and was looking out for them. Going to and fro in search of them; which the laboring man in the field observed.
"And the man asked him, saying, what seekest thou?" Seeing him walking about, and first looking one way, and then another, concluded he was in search of something, either of some man or of some creature, a sheep or an ox that was lost; and therefore, put this question to him, with a view to give him what direction and assistance he could.
Genesis 37:16 "And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks]."
"And he said, I seek my brethren": Whom, no doubt, he described to the man, and told him who they were, and to whom they belonged. Or otherwise the man would have been at a loss to know who he meant, and what further to say to him, and without which Joseph would never have made the following request to him.
"Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks": In what part of the country they are, what field they are in, how far to it, and which the way.
Genesis 37:17 "And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan."
"And the man said, they are departed hence": They had been there, in the field where he and Joseph were, and which was probably the field before mentioned. But for good reasons, perhaps for want of pasture. Or in order to find better feeding for their cattle, they were gone from the fields about Shechem.
"For I heard them say, let us go to Dothan": It was a plain country between fruitful hills, next to fountains, and with pasture ground, very fit for feeding cattle; and its name, as Hillerus notes, signifies grassy, or a place of tender grass.
Here, afterwards, was a city built, not far from Samaria (2 Kings 6:13); about twelve miles to the north of it, as says Jerom. It was in the tribe of Manasseh, about forty four miles from Jerusalem to the north, and six miles from Tiberias to the west.
"And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan": Which shows that he had a real desire to see them, and know their state and condition, that he might report it to his father. Since he might have returned on not finding them at Shechem, that being the place he was sent to, and would have been sufficient to have shown obedience to his father's commands, though perhaps it might not have come up to his full sense and meaning.
It seems, their flock was so big that they had to move around to find grass for them. Joseph had to search them out. Dothan was the place of the two wells. There was water to water the flock. Here at Dothan was where he could find them.
Verses 18-27: The brothers' plans from murder and cover-up, the fruit of hate and envy, were forestalled by two brothers. First by Reuben, who intended to effect a complete rescue (verses 21-22), and then by Judah who, prompted by a passing merchant's caravan, proposed a profitable alternative to the killing of one's brother (verses 25-27).
Genesis 37:18 "And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him."
"And when they saw him afar off": They knew him as soon as they saw him, by his stature, his gesture or manner of walking, and especially by his coat of various colors he now had on (Genesis 37:23).
"Even before he came near unto them": The distance he was from them when they first spied him is particularly remarked and repeated. Not to show the quickness of their sight but for the sake of what happens next. To observe how soon their passions were raised, how intense and deliberate their malice, and which put them upon devising ways and means to destroy him, for it follows.
"They conspired against him, to slay him": They entered a discussion, and devised the craftiest methods they could think of to take away his life, and yet conceal the murder.
Genesis 37:19 "And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh."
"And they said one to another": According to the Targum of Jonathan, Simeon and Levi said what follows. Nor is it unlikely, since they were hot, passionate, cruel, and bloody minded men, as appears by the affair of Shechem. And perhaps this may be the reason why Joseph afterwards, when governor of Egypt, took Simeon and bound him (Genesis 42:24).
Which would be a just retaliation; for his advice to cast him into a pit when slain.
"Behold, this dreamer cometh": Or "master of dreams". Not of the interpretation of them, but of dreaming them. That had them at his command when he pleased, as they jeeringly flouted him. As if he was a framer and contriver of them and only pretended to them when he had none, or else that he was frequently dreaming and telling his dreams.
This they said in a sarcastic way, and perhaps as pleased and rejoicing, that such an opportunity offered to take their revenge on him. This shows that it was on the account of his dreams chiefly that they bore such a grudge against him, that this was uppermost on their minds. And was revived at first sight of him, and from whence their malice sprung.
You see Jealousy becomes hate which, if not controlled, can grow into murder. These brothers did not want to hear any more of his dreams. They also, did not want to be reminded of their father's love of Joseph over them by his coat of many colors.
Genesis 37:20 "Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams."
"Come now therefore, and let us slay him": Agree to do it, and actually do it.
"And cast him into some pit": or, "one of the pits" which was near, and was dug for the collection of rainwater, as was usual in those countries where water was scarce.
"And we will say, some evil beast hath devoured him": Which would seem plausible, since wild beasts were frequent in those parts, as lions and bears (see 1 Kings 13:24).
"And we shall see what will become of his dreams": Who will be the lord then, and reign, and have the dominion, he or we.
Joseph was away from the protection of his father, and these jealous brothers had a scheme to get rid of him. Of course, not only were they going to sin by killing him, but they would have to sin again, when they lied to their father about what happened to him. One sin usually leads to another.
Genesis 37:21 "And Reuben heard [it], and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him."
"And Reuben heard it": Overheard what they said, not being in the consultation. Perhaps knowing his temper and disposition to be more mild and gentle, and being the elder brother, might fear he would overrule matters against them.
Therefore, Simeon and Levi did not choose to have him in the debate; or he might be at some distance and entirely absent when the consultation was held, and their intention was reported to him by some of them.
"And he delivered him out of their hands": From slaying him; that is, he endeavored to do it by proposing another scheme.
"And said, let us not kill him": or let us not smite the soul; the dear soul, or take away life.
Genesis 37:22 "And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, [but] cast him into this pit that [is] in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again."
"And Reuben said unto them, shed no blood": Innocent blood, as the Targum of Jonathan. The blood of a man, a brother's blood, one that had not done anything wherefore it should be shed, and which would involve in guilt, and bring vengeance on them. He seems to put them in mind of the original law (in Genesis 9:6).
"But cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him": Which might seem to answer the same purpose, namely, by depriving him of his life in another way, by starving him. But this was not Reuben's intention, as appears by the next verse and by his going to the pit afterwards, as it should seem, with a view to take him out of it privately.
"That he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again": Safe and sound, in order, as it is thought by many interpreters, to reconcile his father to him, whose bed he had abused.
Reuben was older and, probably, a little more level-headed. He knew the consequences of shedding blood. He talked them into sparing Joseph's life.
Genesis 37:23 "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, [his] coat of [many] colors that [was] on him;"
"And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren": To the very place where they were, and had, in a kind and obliging manner, asked of their welfare, and related their father's concern for them, who had sent him on this errand.
"That they stripped Joseph out of his coat; his coat of many colors, that was on him": According to Jarchi and Aben Ezra, this was not one and the same coat, but different. And that the sense is, that with his coat of many colors. And besides that, they stripped him of his lower garment, which was next to his skin, his shirt.
So that he was quite naked when they cast him into the pit, and this they did as soon as he came up to them, so cruel and hardhearted were they.
Genesis 37:24 "And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit [was] empty, [there was] no water in it."
"And they took him, and cast him into a pit": Into the same that Reuben pointed to them, whose counsel they gladly took and readily executed, supposing he meant the same thing they did, starving him to death.
"And the pit was empty, there was no water in it": Only serpents and scorpions. As the Targum of Jonathan; and Jarchi adds, this remark, that there was no water in it, seems to be made either to furnish out a reason why Reuben directed to it, that he might be the more easily got out of it, and not be in danger of losing his life at once, or of being drowned in it.
Or else to show the uncomfortable situation he was in, having not so much as a drop of water to refresh him (see Zechariah 9:11). Dothan is said to remain to this day, and the inhabitants of it show the ancient ditch into which Joseph was cast.
Reuben's advice had been taken. They had taken this coat from Joseph that has caused so much trouble. He had been totally degraded and thrown into a pit. Joseph was at their mercy now. But overall, he was really in God's mercy as God had other plans for him.
Genesis Chapter 37 Questions
1. Where did Israel dwell now?
2. How old was Joseph?
3. Who was he feeding with?
4. What did Joseph tell his father about them?
5. Who was Joseph's mother?
6. Who was Israel's favorite?
7. Why?
8. What special gift did he make for him?
9. How did this make Joseph's brothers feel about him?
10. What two things are not to be held among the believers?
11. How did Joseph's dream affect his brothers?
12. What did he dream the first time?
13. What question did the brothers ask in response to his dream?
14. Describe the second dream.
15. Who was the sun a symbol for?
16. Who was the moon a symbol for?
17. Who were the eleven stars' symbols of?
18. Who scolded Joseph about the second dream?
19. Where did the brothers go to feed their father's flock?
20. When Israel asked Joseph to go back and check on his brothers, what was his response?
21. Where did he leave from?
22. Who told him where to find his brothers?
23. Where did they go?
24. Dothan was the place of two what?
25. What did they conspire to do to him?
26. What did they call Joseph?
27. Who delivered Joseph out of their hands?
28. What did Reuben tell them to do?
29. What two things did his brothers do to him?
30. Whose mercy must he depend upon?
Genesis 37:25 "And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry [it] down to Egypt."
"And they sat down to eat bread": Not at all concerned at what they had done, nor in the least grieved for the affliction of Joseph, and without any pity and compassion for him in his distress, but joyful and glad they had got him into their hands, and to get rid of him forever.
"And they lifted up their eyes, and looked": After they had eaten their food, or while they were eating it.
"And, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead": A place of merchandise for spices and balm, and such like things mentioned. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call them Arabians; and the Targum of Jerusalem, Saracens.
These were the posterity of Ishmael and were travelling to Egypt with it, and their way there lay by Dothan. These travelled in companies, now called "caravans", partly on the account of robbers, and partly by reason of wild beasts, with both which they were sometimes beset in the deserts through which they travelled.
"Ishmaelites": Also known as Midianites (verses 28, 36, 39:1). The descendants of Ishmael and of Abraham through Keturah and Midian (25:1-2), were sufficiently intermarried or were such ingrained as travelers and traders, that they were viewed as similar groups. These were coming west from Gilead (see note on 31:21).
"With their camels bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh": The first word is general according to our version and others, and signifies various spices, a collection of them. In the times of Solomon; and what we render "myrrh", is in the Hebrew called "lot", and is by some thought to be the same as a narcotic painkiller.
Their merchandise was carried on camels, very fit for their purpose, as they were strong creatures made to carry burdens, and could travel many days without water, which they were sometimes obliged to do in the deserts.
"Going to carry it down to Egypt": Where these things didn't grow, and were much in use, at least some of them, both in medicines, and in embalming dead bodies, much practiced in Egypt.
These Ishmeelites were descendants from Ishmael. These Arab traders were selling to the Pharaohs of Egypt. Gilead to Egypt was a known trade route. This spicery and myrrh were sweet smelling perfumes. The balm was for healing, and was made from trees in the Gilead area.
Genesis 37:26 "And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit [is it] if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?"
And Judah said unto his brethren": In sight of the Ishmaelites, a thought came into his mind to get Joseph sold to them.
"What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?" It could be no advantage to them even if they could have concealed his blood from men. And if it was discovered, as it would, in all likelihood, by one means or another, then they must be answerable for it.
And if not, God would take vengeance on them, from whom they could never conceal it; and therefore, it would be most profitable and advantageous to them to sell him, and not destroy him, or take away his life. And to suffer him to lie in the pit and die was the same thing.
Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, spoke against killing Joseph. Reuben was also, Leah's son. It seems the only ones who really wanted to kill Joseph were handmaids' sons. Not only would they not profit from his death, but if found out, they would be in worse trouble.
Genesis 37:27 "Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he [is] our brother [and] our flesh. And his brethren were content."
"Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites": For a slave, and that will defeat his dream. As these were going down to Egypt, where they would sell him, he would be far enough from them, and there would be no probability of his ever being lord over them.
"And let not our hand be upon him": To take away his life, either by stabbing or starving him.
"For he is our brother, and our flesh": They had all one father, though different mothers, and therefore, as the relation was so near, some sympathy and compassion should be shown, at least some degree of tenderness and not savageness and cruelty.
"And his brethren were content": they agreed to the motion, inasmuch as they supposed it would answer their end as well, which was to prevent his dominion over them.
They just wanted to be rid of him. They did not care how. This plan they agreed on would put extra money in their pockets, and get rid of him, too.
Genesis 37:28 "Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty [pieces] of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt."
"Ishmaelites" and "Midianites" are terms used interchangeably (in verse 28; just as in Judges 8:22 and 24). Ishmaelite may not be an ethnic term, as used here, but is simply a reference to nomadic merchants.
"Twenty pieces of silver": This was the average price of a slave at that time in the second millennium B.C. Although most slaves were part of the booty of military conquest, private and commercial slave-trading was also common. Joseph was sold into slavery ca. 1897 B.C.
It is not likely that Joseph was Sold ... into Egypt" during the Hyksos period (1730-1570 B.C.), but rather prior to it late in the reign of Sesostris II, and eventually served under Sesostris III in the Middle Kingdom during the Twelfth Dynasty (1878-1843 B.C.). This is most compatible with (1 Kings 6:1 and Exodus 12:40).
His brothers lifted Joseph out. They were pleased with the price, and certainly were glad to be rid of Joseph.
Genesis 37:29 "And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his clothes."
"Reuben ... rent his clothes": Although he was absent at the time of the sale, he would be held responsible for the treachery, and so joined in the cover-up (verses 30-35). His grief manifested how much he had actually wanted to rescue Joseph (see 42:22).
Reuben had no intentions of killing Joseph. He rent his clothes because he thought his brothers had killed Joseph.
Genesis 37:30 "And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child [is] not; and I, whither shall I go?"
"And he returned unto his brethren": From the pit, and whom he suspected had took him and killed him, as was their first design, not being with them when they proposed to sell him, and did.
"And said, the child is not": Not in the pit, nor in the land of the living, but is dead, which is sometimes the meaning of the phrase (Jeremiah 31:15). He calls him a child, though seventeen years of age, because the youngest brother but one, and he himself was the eldest, and also because of his tender concern for him.
"And I, whither shall I go?" To find the child or flee from his father's face, which he could not think of seeing any more. Whom he had highly offended already in the case of Bilhah, and now he would be yet more incensed against him for his neglect of Joseph, who, he might have expected, would have taken particular care of him, being the eldest son.
He speaks like one in the utmost perplexity, not knowing what to do, what course to steer, being almost distracted and at his wits' end.
Reuben knew that he should have stopped this long before it got out of hand. How could he face his father?
Verses 31-35: The deceiver of Isaac (27:18-29), was deceived by his own sons' lie. Sin's punishment is often long delayed.
Genesis 37:31 "And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;"
"And they took Joseph's coat": After they had told Reuben what they had done with him, who being willing to make the best of things as it was, joined with them in the following scheme. By this it appears, that when they took Joseph out of the pit they did not put his coat on him, but sold him naked, or almost so, to the merchants.
"And killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood": That being, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi observe, most like to human blood.
Genesis 37:32 "And they sent the coat of [many] colors, and they brought [it] to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it [be] thy son's coat or no."
"And they sent the coat of many colors": Which was what they dipped in the blood of the kid. This they sent to Jacob in such a condition, by the hand of some messenger. The Targum of Jonathan says the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah. But more probably some of their servants, whom they instructed what to say to their father when they presented it to him.
Not caring to appear in person at first, lest they be thrown into such commotion and confusion at their father's distress, as might tend to lead on to a discovery of the whole affair.
"And they brought it to their father, and said, this we have found": That is, the messengers carried to the father of Joseph's brethren, who were sent with it, and taught to say, that they found it in some field in this condition, but found no man near it. Only that by itself, and suspected it might be the coat of his son Joseph, if he had sent him out in it.
"Know now whether it be thy son's coat or no": Look upon it, see if any marks can be observed in it, by which it may with any certainty be known whether it is his or not.
To lie to their father was a bad sin, but to grieve him by telling him that his favorite son had been killed was cruel beyond reason. Their deception did not speak well of their character.
The Scripture was not explicit about whether all of the sons were involved or not, but we know the handmaids' sons were herding before, and two of Leah's sons were mentioned specifically.
Genesis 37:33 "And he knew it, and said, [It is] my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces."
"And he knew it, and said, it is my son's coat": He took it, and examined it, and was soon convinced, and well assured it was his son's coat.
Read the words without the supplement "it is", and the meaning will appear the more, "my son's coat!" Think with what a beating heart, what trembling limbs, what wringing of hands, what flowing eyes, and faltering speech, he spoke these words, and what followed.
"An evil beast hath devoured him": This was natural to conclude from the condition the coat was in, and from the country he was sent into, which abounded with wild beasts. And was the very thing Joseph's brethren contrived to say themselves. It was in this view they wished and hoped the affair would be considered, and so their wickedness concealed.
"Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces": Or he is most certainly rent in pieces, there is no question to be made of it; it is plain, and it must be the case.
Genesis 37:34 "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days."
"And Jacob rent his clothes": As expressive of his grief and mourning for the death of his son, as he supposed.
"And put sackcloth upon his loins": Put off his usual apparel, and put on a coarse garment on his loins next to his flesh, as another token of his great trouble and affliction for the loss of his son. Which though afterwards was frequently done in times of public or private mourning, yet this is the first time we read of it.
Whether Jacob was the first that used it, whom his posterity and others imitated, is not certain. However it appears that this usage, as well as that of rending clothes on sorrowful occasions, were very ancient.
"And mourned for his son many days": Or years, as days sometimes signify; twenty two years, according to Jarchi, even until the time he went down to Egypt and saw him alive.
This was about the cruelest thing the sons could do to their father. To be killed would be bad, but to believe that a wild animal had torn your son to pieces would bring greater pain. There was not even a body to bury.
They say this is the worst kind of grief. When you bury someone, it makes it final; but when there is no body, the grief goes on and on. These sons could not have possibly loved their father very much, or they would not have let him suffer like this.
Genesis 37:35 "And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him."
"Grave (meaning Sheol)": This is the first Old Testament use of this term (Sheol), for the abode of the dead (in 35:20 the word "grave is used to refer to an earthly burial plot). It is a general Hebrew term meaning the place of the dead (used 65 times in the Old Testament), referring to either the body in its decaying form or the soul in its conscious afterlife.
Here was the first mention of daughters of Israel, except for Dinah. Daughters can usually help their fathers, but Israel was so grieved no one could comfort him. This was the love of his life. He was an old man, around one hundred and eighty years old. This might even grieve him to death.
Genesis 37:36 "And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, [and] captain of the guard."
"Potiphar": He was a prominent court official and high-ranking officer in Egypt, perhaps captain of the royal bodyguard (40:3-4). His name, a most unusual grammatical form for that period, either meant "The one whom Ra [the sun-god] Has Given" or "the one who is placed on earth by Ra," making it a descriptive epithet more than a person's name.
The term translated "officer" is elsewhere translated "eunuch" (Dan. 1:3). Historically, the word followed the same shift of meaning in Hebrew as in Akkadian, from "Official Courtier" to the more restricted meaning of "Eunuch."
Note (in 39:7), that Potiphar was married. Here, the earlier meaning of "Official" is best. As for the second term, rather than literal Hebrew understanding, "chief executioner," the usual rendering "captain of the guard" is best, since he as a prison keeper (40:1-4).
There are so many things that make us think of Jesus in all of this. Jesus was sold by his brethren for thirty pieces of silver. Joseph was sold by his brethren for twenty pieces of silver.
Jesus was taken before Pilate, a high official of the land. Joseph was taken to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Joseph was a type and a shadow of Jesus. Be sure to watch for more things that remind you of Jesus. This young boy, the favorite of his father, had been forcibly taken from his father to a strange land.
The Scriptures do not elaborate on what Joseph had to say about all this. It seems as though he stood before them as one who was dumb.
The Midianites were descendants of Medan, a brother of Midian, who were both sons of Abraham by Keturah. They were Joseph's kinsman. The Ishmaelites and the Midianites were fellow traders. Both groups were involved in this crime against Joseph.
"Potiphar" means he who belongs to the sun.
The captain of the guard was in charge of executions. He was keeper of the state prison.
Let us look back just a little at this situation, and note a few things. The brothers were very jealous of him, thus causing them to hate him. Their reason for selling him, or killing him had lowered their moral status.
They were no better than the society around them, and they were supposed to be God's representatives here on the earth. Their blessings of their great-grandfather, grandfather, and father had fallen on them.
Wicked men and God seem to be at cross purposes. God will always triumph, as we will see when this unfolds further. God can take something as terrible as this and make something good out of it.
Genesis Chapter 37 Continued Questions
1. As Joseph's brothers were eating bread. What did they see?
2. What were the camels bearing?
3. Who were these Ishmeelites?
4. Where were they from?
5. What was the balm used for?
6. Who suggested that they profit from Joseph?
7. Who were Reuben and his brother?
8. Why did they not kill him?
9. Who took Joseph out of the pit?
10. What was the price they sold him for?
11. What was the price of a slave?
12. Who rent his clothes when he came to the pit to release Joseph, and he was not there?
13. What did the brothers do with his coat?
14. What lie did they tell about the coat?
15. What question did they ask their father?
16. What two terrible sins did these sons do against their father?
17. What did the father assume when he saw the coat?
18. How did the father show his grief?
19. In what verse were daughters mentioned?
20. About how old was Israel when this happened?
21. Who was Joseph sold to?
22. What position in government did he have?
23. How much was Jesus sold for?
24. Joseph was a type and shadow of whom?
25. Who were the Midianites?
26. What does "Potiphar" mean?
27. The captain of the guard was in charge of what?
28. Do you believe God had anything to do with this?
Verses 1-30: the Judah-Interlude, as it is sometimes known, is bracketed by references to the sale of Joseph to Potiphar (37:36; 39:1). Such a parenthesis in the Joseph story demands some reason why a chapter laced with wickedness, immorality and subterfuge should of necessity be placed in this spot.
The answer is that the events recorded are chronologically in the right place, being contemporary with the time of Joseph's slavery in Egypt (verse 1, "at that time"). The account is also genealogically in the right place, i.e., with Joseph gone (seemingly for good), with Reuben, Simeon, and Levi out of favor (for incest and for treachery); Judah would most likely accede to firstborn status.
It provides a contrast because it also demonstrates the immoral character of Judah, as compared with the virtue of Joseph. Canaanite "syncretistic" (the reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief), religion and inclusivism (the practice or principle of being inclusive and acceptance of other belief systems), threatened to absorb the fourth and later generations of Abraham's heirs. But Egyptian exile and racial exclusivism (the action or policy of excluding a person or group from a place, group, or privilege), produced not loss of their ethnic identity, but preservation of it.
Genesis 38:1 "And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name [was] Hirah."
"And it came to pass at that time": Some refer to the time of Jacob's coming from Padan-aram into Canaan, soon after he came to Shechem, and before the affair of Dinah. But to this may be objected the marriage of Judah at an age that may seem too early for him. His separation from his brethren, and having a flock of his own to keep, which seems not consistent with the above history.
Wherefore it is better to connect this with the history of "Joseph's being sold into Egypt": For though there were but twenty three years from hence to Jacob's going down into Egypt. Joseph being now seventeen, and was thirty years when he stood before Pharaoh, after which were seven years of plenty, and two of famine, at which time Jacob went there with two of Judah's grandsons, Hezron and Hamul (Genesis 46:12), which make the number mentioned.
Yet all this may be accounted for. At seventeen, Er, Judah's firstborn, might marry, being the eighteenth from the selling of Joseph, and the marriage of his father; and Onan at the same age, which was the nineteenth.
And allowing two or three years for Tamar's staying for Shelah, there was time for her intrigue with Judah, and bearing him two sons at a birth, before the descent of Jacob into Egypt. As for his two grandsons, they may be said to go into Egypt; as Benjamin's sons did in their father's loins, being begotten there during Jacob's abode in it.
"That Judah went down from his brethren": Not from Dothan to Adullam, as Ben Melech observes, as if this separation was at the time and place of the selling of Joseph. But rather from Hebron thither, after he and his brethren were come home to their father, and had reported and expressed sympathy for the death of Joseph.
And Judah is said to go down, because he went from the north to the south, as Aben Ezra notes. Whether this departure from his brethren was owing to a misunderstanding or quarrel between them on account of the affair of Joseph, or on any account, is not certain.
"Adullamite" describes a person from Adullam, a Canaanite town situated on the route through Azekah and Sochoh, halfway between Lachish and Jerusalem. It controlled one of the principal passes into the hill-country of Judah from the northern Shephelah. It was about 15 miles northwest of Hebron.
Judah married a Canaanite there (verse 2), and there his firstborn was slain by the Lord for acting wickedly (verse 7).
Whether Judah did this after the incident with Joseph or not we cannot say. We do know, at this point, that Judah left his brethren temporarily. This separation could be because of guilt he felt from what he did to Joseph, or maybe, he could not face his father knowing what he had done to him.
"Hirah" means nobility. This person must have been from a renowned family.
Verses 2-5: Judah's separation from his brethren was marked by more than the geographical; it involved integration. His Canaanite wife had 3 sons for his family line.
Genesis 38:2 "And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name [was] Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her."
"Judah" was the fourth son of Jacob by Leah (29:35). In spite of his early failures (verses 1-30), he later rose to a position of leadership among his brothers by interceding for Joseph (37:26-27), Simeon (43:8-9), and Benjamin (44:14-34). Jacob eventually blessed him with the position of leadership among the 12 brothers (49:8-10).
Judah was promised that he would be the ancestor of the Messiah. He became the founder of the tribe of Judah, thus also of the line of David and of Christ (Matt. 1:3-16). He is symbolized (in Genesis 49:9), as a lion. Later, therefore, Christ is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5; Genesis 29:35; 49:9-10).
From "Shuah" he had three sons, "Er, Onan," and "Shelah." Er was the firstborn who was slain by the Lord. Evidently, he represented the rapid degeneration resulting from Shuah's intimate Canaanite alliances (chapter 19).
"Shuah" means wealth. This "took" means he became her husband, and he slept with her. I am almost certain this does not mean he forced her.
Genesis 38:3 "And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er."
"And she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Er": Which signifies a "watchman": but the reason of the name given by the Targum of Jonathan is, "because he should die without children;" as if it was the same with ariri, "meaning childless".
It is not the custom for the father to name the child, but that was the case here.
Genesis 38:4 "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan."
"And she conceived again, and bare a son": As soon as she well could.
"And she called his name Onan": The first son Judah gave the name to, but his wife named this, so called from grief or sorrow; the reason of it, according to the above Targum, was, "because his father would mourn for him; "he was a Benoni, (son of my sorrow; see Genesis 35:18), whose sin and immature death caused sorrow.
Genesis 38:5 "And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him."
"And she conceived, and bare a son": A third son.
"And called his name Shelah": Which signifies tranquil, quiet, peaceable and prosperous, and is a word that comes from the same root as Shiloh, that famous son of Judah that should spring from him (Genesis 49:10). The reason of the name, as given by the Targum, is, "because her husband forgot her."
"And she was at Chezib when she bare him": Chezib is the name of a place, by some taken to be the same with Achzib or Ecdippe, now Zib (see Micah 1:14). It seems to be a city in the tribe of Judah; and Jerom says, in his time there was a desert place of this name near Adullam, on the borders of Eleutheropolis.
These two sons were both named by their mother. "Onan" means strength.
"Shelah" means prayer, or peace.
Verses 6-10: Two sons were executed by the Lord, one for unspecified wickedness and one for deliberate and rebellious rejection of the duty to marry a relative's widow, called a levirate marriage. This was a rather dubious distinction for the line of Judah to gain. For details on levirate marriage according to later Mosaic Law (see note on Deut. 25:5-10).
Genesis 38:6 "And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name [was] Tamar."
"And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn": Chose one for him, and presented her to him for his liking, whom he approving of married.
"Whose name was Tamar": Which signifies a "palm tree": the Targum of Jonathan says, she was the daughter of Shem; but it is altogether improbable that a daughter of his should be living at this time, and young enough to bear children.
It is much more probable that she was daughter of Levi, Judah's brother, as an Arabic writer asserts. But it is more likely still that she was the daughter of a Canaanite, who was living in the same place, though his name is not mentioned (Genesis 38:11).
Genesis 38:7 "And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him."
"And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord": That is, exceedingly wicked, as this phrase signifies (Genesis 13:13). He was guilty of some very heinous sin, but what is not mentioned. According to the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi, it was the same with his brother Onan's (Genesis 38:9).
Which it is suggested he committed, lest his wife should prove with child, and lose her beauty; but if it had been the same with his, it would have been expressed as well as his. An Arabic writer says, that he cohabited with his wife not according to the course of nature, but in the "sodomitical" (someone who engages in anal copulation), way.
"And the Lord slew him": By his immediate hand, striking him dead at once, as Ananias and Sapphira were stricken (Acts 5:5); or by sending some distemper, which quickly carried him off, as a token of his displeasure at his sin.
The indication, here, was that whatever his sin was, it was punishable by death. Just as those in Sodom were killed for their evil sex sin, so was the son condemned of God and died.
Genesis 38:8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother."
Er left no heir; so according to the law of levirate marriage (the marriage of a widow to the brother of her deceased husband), his brother Onan was to marry the childless widow and provide a son for Er. This was a widely practiced custom in the ancient Near East and was later incorporated into the Law of Moses (Deut. 25:5-10).
Genesis 38:9 "And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother."
"And Onan knew that the seed should not be his": Should not be called a son of his, but a son of his brother Er; this is to be understood only of the firstborn. All the rest of the children born afterwards were reckoned the children of the real parent of them; this shows this was a custom in use in those times, and well known, and was not a peculiar case.
"And it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife": To cohabit with her, as man and wife, he having married her according to his father's direction.
"That he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give his seed to his brother": Lest his brother's wife he had married should conceive by him, and bear a son that should be called his brother's, and inherit his estate.
And this is the sin, which from him is called Onania, a sin condemned by the light of nature, as well as by the word of God, and very prejudicial to mankind, as well as displeasing to God.
Thus, he forsook his responsibility in favor of his own desires (Ruth 4:6), and God killed him.
Genesis 38:10 "And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also."
"And the thing which he did displeased the Lord": Being done out of envy to his brother, and through want of affection to the memory of his name. And it may be out of covetousness to get his estate into his own hands, and especially as it frustrated the end of such an usage of marrying a brother's wife.
Which appears to be according to the will of God, since it afterwards became a known law of his. And it was the more displeasing, as it was not only a check upon the multiplication of Abraham's seed as promised, but since the Messiah was to come from Judah. This was doing all to hinder it that lay in his power
"Wherefore he slew him also": In like manner as he had slain his brother (Genesis 38:7).
This was a very perverted thing to do. He should not have married her, if he did not allow her to have a child for her dead husband. Not only did he do a very sick thing and displeased God, but he disobeyed his father Judah, as well.
It was a custom among these people, if a man died without having a child to carry on his name, his brother would marry his wife. The firstborn from his marriage would be the dead brother's child. Onan was just as evil as Er. God killed both of them.
Genesis 38:11 "Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house."
"Remain a widow ... my son be grown": Taking her father-in-law at his word and residing at her father's household as a widow would do. Tamar vainly waited for Judah's third son to protect the inheritance rights of her deceased husband (verse 14), and finally resorted to subterfuge to obtain her rights (verses 13-16).
In so doing, she may have been influenced by Hittite inheritance practices which wickedly called the father-in-law into levirate marriage in the absence of sons to do so.
"Tamar" means palm trees.
This was really not fair to Tamar. Judah had no intention of his third son marrying Tamar. He was fearful that his son also would die. Tamar did not remarry, but went to live in her father's house.
Genesis 38:12 "And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite."
"And in process of time the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, died": Shuah was his wife's father, who was a Canaanite (Genesis 38:2). What her name was, is not certain, nor the exact time of her death. It was some time after Tamar was sent home to her father's house.
And some take the death of Judah's wife to be a correction and reproof to him for his ill usage of his daughter-in-law, in neglecting to give her to his son, or not designing to do it at all.
"And Judah was comforted": He mourned awhile for the death of his wife, according to the custom of the country, and of those times, and then he laid aside the signs of it, and his sorrow wore off, and he appeared in company and conversed with his friends.
"And went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath": A city in the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:57), said to be six miles from Adullam, where Judah lived. Here he had his flocks of sheep; at least this was judged a proper place for the shearing and washing of them, and this time of the year a proper time for it, at which it was usual to have a feast.
And Judah went up to his shearers, not only to see how they went on with their work, but with this view to make an entertainment for them (see 1 Samuel 25:3).
"Timnath": The specific location in the hill country of Judah is unknown (Samson, Judges 14:1).
"He and his friend Hirah the Adullamite": He took him along with him for a companion, and to partake of the entertainment.
Shuah's daughter, Judah's wife, died. Judah mourned for her, but after his time for mourning was over, he went to town with his friend, Hirah.
Genesis 38:13 "And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep."
"And it was told Tamar": By some of her neighbors, or by some of Judah's family.
"Saying, behold, thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep": Which might be told her as an indifferent thing, without any design in it; but she took notice of it, and it gave her an opportunity she wanted.
"Shear his sheep": Such an event was frequently associated, in the ancient world, with festivity and licentious behavior characteristic of pagan fertility-cult practices.
Verses 14-15: Feeling that no one was going to give her a child, Tamar resorted to disguising herself as a prostitute, obviously knowing she could trap Judah, which says little for his moral stature in her eyes.
Judah's Canaanite friend, Hirah (verses 1, 20), called her a temple prostitute (verse 21), which made Judah's actions no less excusable just because cultic prostitution was an accepted part of Canaanite culture.
He solicited the iniquity by making the proposal to her (verse 16), and she played the role of a prostitute, negotiating the price (verse 17).
Genesis 38:14 "And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which [is] by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife."
"And she put her widow's garments off from her": By which it appears that in those times and countries it was usual for widows to have a different apparel from others, especially in the time of their mourning, as it has been since in other nations and with us at this day, and which is commonly called "the widow's weed".
"And covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself": In it, or in a cloak, or some such like garment, which the Arabs now call "hykes".
"And sat in an open place, which is in the way to Timnath": The Septuagint version renders it, "at the gates of Aenan"; some take it to be the name of a place, and suppose it had its name, as Aben Ezra observes, from two fountains of water that were in the way, like a door, through which Judah passed when he returned home.
"For she saw that Shelah was grown": Was at least at the age of her former husbands' when they married, if not older. this might be two or three years after his brother's death: for it was in process of time.
"And she was not given unto him for wife": As he had given her reason to expect (Genesis 38:11), and as was usually done.
Genesis 38:15 "When Judah saw her, he thought her [to be] a harlot; because she had covered her face."
"When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot": By her posture and the place she was in.
"Because she had covered her face": With her veil, that he did not know her; for this is not given as a reason why he took her to be a harlot.
The reason of this was, because she sat in the public road; but having covered her face he could not discern who she was, and therefore, from the other circumstance, concluded that she was a harlot, and sat there to prostitute herself to any that passed by.
"Harlot": The word (zonah), in verse 15 indicates a common harlot. But verses 21 and 22 make it clear that she dressed and acted like a Canaanite temple prostitute.
Genesis 38:16 "And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she [was] his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?"
"And he turned unto her by the way": Which led to her; he turned out of the way in which he was to that where she sat. Very probably it was at some little distance from the way, and therefore he turned aside to it, his lust towards her being excited at the sight of her. Perhaps he left his friend Hirah the Adullamite, and sent him on his way, while he committed the following crime.
"And said, go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee": That is, lie with her.
"For he knew not that she was his daughter in law": Or otherwise, it is suggested by the historian, he would not have offered such a thing to her. Though this may excuse him from willful incest, but not from fornication, for he took her to be a harlot, He knew she was not his wife, and whom he ought not to have had any concern with in such a manner.
"And she said, what wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?" Perhaps she said this with a very low voice that he might not know her by it; and she behaved like a harlot by requiring a hire, on condition of which she consented. She knew Judah though he did not know her, and therefore cannot be excused from willful incest.
Some indeed extenuate her crime, by supposing that she, though a Canaanite, was become a proselyte to the true religion by marrying into Judah's family, and had knowledge of the Messiah being to be born of Jacob's line.
And therefore, was desirous of being the mother or ancestor at least of that great Person, and so took this method. That since she could not have the son for her husband, was desirous of enjoying the father, not for the gratification of her lust, but in hopes of the promised seed. And then accordingly she would have a place in the genealogy of the Messiah (Matthew 1:3).
Genesis 38:17 "And he said, I will send [thee] a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give [me] a pledge, till thou send [it]?"
"And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock": Either from Timnath, where his flock was shearing, or rather from Adullam, where he lived. Since it is probable he was now returning from Timnath, where he had been feasting and making merry with his shearers, and so in a disposition to commit such an action.
"And she said, wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?" She made no objection to the hire or present, only required a pawn or security for it till she had it. And this was her view indeed in asking a hire that she might have something to produce, should she prove with child by him, to convince him by whom it was.
Genesis 38:18 "And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that [is] in thine hand. And he gave [it] her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him."
"Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff": A prominent man in the ancient Near East endorsed contracts with the cylinder seal he wore on a cord around his neck.
Her request for the walking stick suggests it also had sufficient identifying marks on it (verse 25, "whose these are"). The custom of using 3 pieces of identification is attested to in Ugaritic (Canaanite), literature.
Judah had told his daughter-in-law to remain a widow for years. After a short time of grief, he was seeking a prostitute. Tamar was a smart woman. She decided, if Judah's sons would not give her a child for her husband, then she would trick her father-in-law and have his child for her husband.
By our standards today, this would be evil, but it was their custom that she should be allowed to have children for her dead husband by his near kinsman.
There would be no question when the time of delivery came, because she had his seal for evidence. He would not be able to deny the fatherhood of this offspring. Notice that wearing a veil meant she was a prostitute.
Judah was unfair to her, and had lied to her. His third son was grown, and Judah had promised her, if she would wait for him, as soon as he came of age, he would marry her. She tricked him, because he lied to her.
Genesis 38:19 "And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood."
"And she arose and went away": To her father's house immediately, as soon as ever she had parted with Judah; and lest she should be found by the person that would be sent with the kid, and be discovered, she made all the haste she could.
"And laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood": That it might not be known or suspected that she had been abroad.
She was not a prostitute; she immediately went back to her home to wait on the birth.
Verses 20-23: It was not good for one's reputation to keep asking for the whereabouts of a prostitute.
Genesis 38:20 "And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive [his] pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not."
"And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite": Who went with him to Timnath, and was privy to all this wickedness, and kept the secret. But would have acted the more friendly and faithful part had he dissuaded him from it. Him he employed to carry the kid he had promised, and not any of his servants, for the greater secrecy.
"To receive his pledge from the woman's hand": His signet, bracelets, and staff, or whatever they were.
"But he found her not": She was gone from the place where she sat, or where she retired to with Judah.
Genesis 38:21 "Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where [is] the harlot, that [was] openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this [place]."
"Then he asked the men of that place": Or "of her place", of the woman's place, supposing that she dwelt somewhere thereabout.
"Saying, where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside?" That sat there very publicly some little time ago.
"And they said, there was no harlot in this place": They had not known any harlot to frequent that place lately, and Tamar sat there so small a time as not to have been observed by them.
Genesis 38:22 "And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, [that] there was no harlot in this [place]."
"And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her": That is, the Adullamite returned to him, and informed him that he could not find the harlot to whom he was sent to deliver the kid and receive the pledge, after he had made the strictest inquiry for her he could.
"And also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place": By which it appears, that near the place where Tamar was, there was a town or city, and which was so free from such infamous persons, that there was not one in it that was known to be of such a character, at least, that in such a public manner exposed herself.
It would be well if the same could be said of many other places.
Genesis 38:23 "And Judah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her."
"And Judah said, let her take it to her": The pledge, and make no further inquiry after her.
"Lest we be shamed": Judah for committing fornication, which even among Heathens, at least at that time of day, was reckoned a shameful action. And be laughed at also, for committing such a pledge to a whore, who had tricked him out of it, and his friend Hirah for conniving at the sin, and being employed on such an errand.
"Behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her": Who could be a witness for him, if there should be any occasion, that he was faithful to his promise.
Judah had still not caught on. He was ashamed to inquire too much. People would know of his indiscretion. He told his friend to just forget it. He had tried to send the kid and she was not there, so he was off the hook. Judah must have forgotten that she had his signet.
Genesis 38:24 "And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she [is] with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."
"And it came to pass about three months after": The above affair happened, and when the pregnancy of Tamar began to be somewhat visible, as it does in women with child about that time.
"That it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot": Her being with child being observed by some of the family, or her neighbors, and knowing that she did not cohabit with Shelah, who, according to custom, ought to have been her husband, concluded that she had had a criminal conversation with some other person.
Which they were assertive of authority enough to report to Judah.
"And also, behold, she is with child by whoredom": Which was judged to be a plain proof and evidence that she had played the harlot.
"And Judah said, bring her forth, and let her be burnt": Double standards prevailed in that Judah, no less guilty than Tamar, commanded her execution for immorality. Later Mosaic legislation would prescribe this form of the death penalty for a priest's daughter who prostituted herself or for those guilty of certain forms of incest (Lev. 20:14; 21:9).
Not that Judah can be thought to be a civil magistrate in a Canaanitish and Heathen city where he sojourned, and as such pronounced this sentence on her at once, or even had the power of life and death in his own family; and besides Tamar was not in his, but in her own father's house.
But the sense seems to be, that as he was a man of credit and esteem in the neighborhood, and had an influence and interest in it; he moved that she might be brought out of her father's house, and take her trial before the civil magistrates, and be committed to prison until she was delivered.
For it would have been barbarous and contrary to the law and in light of nature to have burnt her when she was with child. Then indeed to be burnt to death according to the usage of this country.
And as we find adultery in later times was punished with this kind of death, even among Heathens (Jeremiah 29:22); as it was in Egypt in the times of Sesostris II.
So Salaethus, prince of Croton in Italy, made a law that adulterers should be burnt alive, as Lucian relates. As did also Macrinus the emperor, that those that were guilty of adultery should be burnt alive together, their bodies joined to each other.
And this criminal action of Tamar was judged adultery, because she was, of right, and according to a custom or law then in use, the wife of Shelah. The Targum of Jonathan intimates, she was judged deserving of this death, because the daughter of a priest; the same law obtaining among the patriarchs as did in the times of Moses (Leviticus 21:9).
and some, as Jarchi relates, say she was the daughter of Shem, the same with Melchizedek, priest of the most high God. One reason why Judah was in haste to have the sentence pronounced on her, and as soon as could be executed, was not only the disgrace she brought upon his family, but that she might be dispatched, and so his son Shelah freed from being obliged to marry her.
Which he did not care he should, and was glad of this opportunity to prevent it.
Judah was quick to pass Judgment on her for committing the very same sin that he was involved in himself. He still did not make the connection. God does not discriminate.
Genesis 38:25 "When she [was] brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these [are, am] I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose [are] these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff."
"When she was brought forth": From her father's house, not to the place of execution, or in order to be burnt, but to the court of judicature, in order for her trial.
"She sent to her father in law, saying, by the man whose these are, am I with child": She sent a messenger to him, and by him the signet, bracelets, and staff, be they what they may, she had received from him as a pledge for the kid he promised her.
And ordered the messenger to say, at the same time he showed him these things that she was with child by the person to whom they belonged. Which was a very modest way of laying it to his charge, and yet very striking and convincing.
"And she said; by the messenger she sent: discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff": Which were the things given her as a pledge till she received the kid, the hire she was to have for his lying with her.
Suddenly the tables were turned. Judah was the guilty one. She had the evidence against him.
Genesis 38:26 "And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more."
"She hath been more righteous than I": This was not an accolade for her moral character and faith, but a commendation by Judah for her attention to inheritance rights of her family line and his shameful neglect thereof. Her death sentence was rescinded.
Judah was wrong on two accounts. He had committed fornication with her, and he had not kept his word when he refused to give Tamar his son Shelah.
Judah realizes he was the one who sinned and admitted it.
Genesis 38:27 "And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins [were] in her womb."
Although the hand that appeared first belonged to "Zarah," the child (Pharez meaning "Breach"), was actually born first. He is listed in the genealogy of Christ (in Matthew 1:3; Ruth 4:18). The prenatal struggle, like Esau and Jacob's (25:22-26), brings a violent chapter to an end.
It also launches the tribe of Judah on its career and provides the dark and dismal background for the appearance of godly Joseph.
Genesis 38:28 "And it came to pass, when she travailed, that [the one] put out [his] hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first."
"And it came to pass when she travailed": Her birth throes came strong and quick upon her.
"That the one put out his hand": Which showed that she was like to have a difficult and dangerous time of it; that the birth was not like to be according to the usual and natural order, which may be considered as a correction for her sin.
"And the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying": This came out first; she tied this to his wrist, that she might know whose hand it was, and so which was the firstborn; which, to know was a matter of consequence, since to the firstborn there were some special and peculiar privileges.
Genesis 38:29 "And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? [this] breach [be] upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez."
"And it came to pass as he drew back his hand": Into the "uterus" again.
"That, behold, his brother came out": Out of his mother's womb, and so was properly born first.
"And she said": Either Tamar, or rather, her midwife.
"How hast thou broken forth?" It was astonishing to her how it could be, having never met with the like in her practice before. She could not imagine how it was possible for him to come forth first, when his brother lay in the way of him, and nearest the birth, as appeared by his putting out his hand.
"This breach be upon thee": If any damage comes either to the mother or to the brother, and so carries in it the nature of an imprecation; or rather, that the memory of so strange an event might be preserved, she imposed a name on him that should continue it.
"Therefore his name was called Pharez": Or "therefore he called", etc. Judah called his name Pharez, agreeably to what the midwife had related. From him, in a line of succession, sprang the Messiah, the Pharez or breaker (Micah 2:13); for the sake of which the whole history of this chapter seems to be recorded (Matthew 1:3).
"Pharez": This first of the twins, born of prostitution and incest to Tamar, nevertheless came into the messianic line, which went through Boaz and Ruth to King David (Ruth 4:18-22; Matt. 1:3). His name means "breach" or "pushing through."
Genesis 38:30 "And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah."
"And afterward came out his brother that had the scarlet thread upon his hand": By which it was known that he so far came out first; which confirms the remarkable birth of his brother, who notwithstanding got the start of him.
"And his name was called Zarah": Not from "rising", or his coming forth like the rising sun, as is usually observed; but rather from his return, or drawing back his hand, and as it were returning to his mother's womb.
And so, according to Hillerus, Zarah, by a transposition of letters, comes from "Chazar", to return: but Jarchi thinks he had his name from the brightly shining appearance of the scarlet thread on his wrist.
"Pharez" means breach.
"Zarah" means splendor
This birth was unusual, Rebekah had twins, and this was really the second mention of such a birth. In Rebekah's case, the son was hanging on to his brother's heel. In this case, one son had been nearest birth and even had an arm born. Then he gave place to his brother, and the brother came first.
In Rebekah, there was war with the two sons in the mother's womb. Here, there was a struggle, also. Pharez was the one actually born first. Zarah was the one with the scarlet thread born last.
Genesis Chapter 38 Questions
1. Who did Judah turn in to that was the Adullamite?
2. What was, probably, the reason for Judah leaving his brothers?
3. What does "Hirah" mean?
4. The Canaanite woman Judah took, was the daughter of whom?
5. What does her name mean?
6. What was the first son's name?
7. What happened at the birth of this first child that was not the custom?
8. What was the second son's name?
9. What was the third son's name?
10. What does "Onan" mean?
11. What does "Shelah" mean?
12. What was Er's wife's name?
13. Why did the Lord kill Er?
14. What does "Tamar" mean?
15. What did Judah tell Onan to do that was the custom of their people?
16. Why did God kill Onan?
17. Besides displeasing God in his actions, who did he disobey?
18. What difficult thing did Judah tell Tamar to do?
19. Where did Tamar live after her husband died?
20. Where did Judah go, after he was comforted of his wife's death?
21. Who had become a friend of Judah's?
22. Why did Tamar take off her widow's clothes and go to deceive Judah?
23. What did Judah think she was?
24. What three things did he give her to hold?
25. Why would Judah not be able to deny fatherhood?
26. What did Tamar do after deceiving Jacob?
27. Judah sent the kid by whom?
28. What news did the friend bring back?
29. Why did Judah drop the matter and not make every effort to find the prostitute?
30. What bad news was brought to Judah about Tamar?
31. What punishment did he want for her?
32. Does God have a double standard for men and women who sin?
33. What evidence did she send to Judah to show who the child was fathered by?
34. What did Judah say when he was caught?
35. Tamar gave birth to_________?
36. What other Bible birth does this remind us of?
37. Explain.
38. "Pharez" means what?
39. "Zarah" means what?
Genesis 39:1 "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither."
"And Joseph was brought down to Egypt": By the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:28); as in a following.
"And Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian": As his name also shows, which signifies the fruit of Pot or Phut, that is, the son or grandson of one of that name. Which might be common in Egypt, since it was the name of a son of Ham (Gen. 10:6), from whom the land of Egypt is called the land of Ham (Psalm 105:23).
Of this man and his offices (see Gen. 37:36).
"He bought him": That is, "Joseph":
"Of the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither": What they gave for him we know, but what they sold him for to Potiphar is not said; no doubt they got a good price for him, and his master had a good bargain too, as appears by what follows in the next verse.
"Potiphar" (see note on 37:36).
"Ishmaelites" (see note on 37:25).
Now, we see an officer of Pharaoh's buying Joseph as a slave boy, and bringing him as a servant into his home. Egypt, as we mentioned before, is a type of the world?
Verses 2-4: "Prosperous ... overseer over his house": This involved the authority and trust as the steward of the whole estate (verse 5, "house and in the field" and verse 9, "none greater"), one of the criteria for which was trust. No doubt Joseph was conversant in the Egyptian language (see note on 29:9).
Genesis 39:2 "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian."
The key to Joseph's whole life is expressed in the words "the Lord was with him" and "the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand".
Any and all ideas that Joseph, twice a victim of injustice, had been abandoned by the Lord are summarily banished by the employment of phrases highlighting God's oversight of his circumstances, e.g.:
"With him" (verses 3, 21),
"Made all he did to prosper" (verse 3:23),
"Found/gave him favor" (verses 4, 21),
"Blessed/blessing" (verse 5), and
"Showed mercy to him" (verse 21).
Neither being unjustly sold into slavery and forcibly removed from the Land (37:28), nor being unjustly accused of sexual harassment and imprisoned (verses 13-18), were events signaling even a temporary loss of divine superintendence of Joseph's life and God's purpose for His people, Israel.
God blessed Joseph, even while he was a servant in Potiphar's house. We see whatever circumstances we find God's people in, He will bless them.
Genesis 39:3 "And his master saw that the LORD [was] with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand."
"And his master saw that the Lord was with him": He knew nothing of the spiritual and gracious presence of God that was with him, he was no judge of that. But he perceived by the ingenuity of his mind, by his ready and speedy learning the Egyptian language, and by his dexterity in business.
And by the prudence and faithfulness with which he did everything, that he was highly favored by the divine Being, and had great endowments bestowed upon him, and was an extraordinary person for his age.
"And that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand": And though Potiphar might have no knowledge of the true Jehovah, whose name he uses, yet he might have a notion of a Supreme Being, and that all outward prosperity was owing to him.
And knowing Joseph to be a Hebrew, as it is plain his wife did (Genesis 39:14); and Jehovah to be the God of the Hebrews, he imputes all the prosperity that attended Joseph and his services unto his God.
The blessings God showers on His people do not go unnoticed by the world. Even this man of Egypt knew where the blessings came from.
Genesis 39:4 "And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all [that] he had he put into his hand."
"And Joseph found grace in his sight": In the sight of his master, as he did in the sight of God, he had favor both with God and man. His master had a high esteem of him, and a great value for him, and showed him much kindness and respect.
"And he served him":" Readily, willingly, cheerfully, and faithfully. Or he served him personally; his master took such a liking to him, that he selected him from the rest of his servants to wait on his person. And to be what we now call a "valet de chambre", whose business was to dress and undress him, to wait upon him at table, etc.
"And he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand": That is, after he had served him some time, in the capacity of a valet, he advanced him. And made him the head servant, or steward of his house, and committed all his business, cash, and accounts to his care, and put all his servants under him.
Genesis 39:5 "And it came to pass from the time [that] he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field."
"And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had": How long he was in this office is not certain; there must be some time for the following observation; and during all the time he was in it, it was easily discerned.
"That the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; That is, much more than before": everything under his hands succeeded before, but now much more abundantly. Potiphar's family was blessed with health, his substance increased, he grew rich and wealthy, and abounded with all good things.
"And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field": His domestic affairs prospered, his fields brought forth plentifully, his cattle were fruitful and stood well. Everything belonging to him within doors and without happily succeeded, through the blessing of God upon it, and all for Joseph's sake.
"Blessing of the Lord": Joseph as experiencing fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, even at that time before Israel was in the Land (see 12:1-3).
Genesis 39:6 "And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was [a] goodly [person], and well-favored."
"Save the bread which he did eat": Since Joseph proved trust-worthy enough to need no oversight, his master concerned himself only with his own meals or his very own personal affairs. Joseph himself remarked that Potiphar had delegated to him so much, that he no longer knew the full extent of his own business affairs (verse 8); in fact, he knew only what was set before him (verse 6).
It seems that Joseph's blessings from God had won him favor with Potiphar. In fact, Potiphar had so much confidence in Joseph that he turned everything over to Joseph. Joseph's success had been so great that Potiphar didn't even keep account of what he had.
He let Joseph do that. He had learned to trust Joseph in everything. Joseph had shown him he was a man of character. His goodness showed in everything he did.
Genesis 39:7 "And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me."
"Lie with me" were the words of his master's wife. Joseph's reasons for refusing (verses 8-9), were those that another man might have given for yielding.
That he was free from supervision, that he had made a rapid rise in authority which had corrupted other stewards (Isa. 22:15-25; Luke 16:1), and his realization that only one realm was forbidden to him were all arguments for his being disloyal.
You see, Joseph was young and handsome. He was in the house regularly where this worldly woman lived. The master was not there, because Joseph had taken so much of the responsibility off Potiphar it was not necessary for him to work at home. The Bible does not say, but we might assume that Potiphar was older and more occupied away from home.
His wife is pampered and bored. That usually causes problems. Idleness brings sin. She could see in Joseph the things she wished for in her husband. She tried to seduce Joseph to sleep with her, which is adultery (a terrible sin in the sight of God).
Genesis 39:8 "But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what [is] with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;"
"But he refused, and said unto his master's wife": Reasoning with her about the evil nature of the crime she tempted him to, which to commit would be ingratitude, as well as injury to his master, and a sin against God.
By which it appears that Joseph was a partaker of the grace of God, and that this was in strong exercise at this time, by which he was preserved from the temptation he was beset with.
"Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house": What goods or money are in it.
"And he hath committed all that he hath to my hand": Such confidence did he place in him, wherefore to do such an injury to him as to commit adultery with his wife, would be making a sad return, and acting a most ungrateful part for such favor shown him.
Genesis 39:9 "[There is] none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou [art] his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
"This great wickedness": Joseph explained, when first tempted, that adultery would be a gross violation of his ethical convictions which demanded (1) the utmost respect for his master and (2) a life of holiness before his God.
Far more was involved than compliance with the letter of an ancient Near Eastern law-code, many of which did forbid adultery, but rather obedience to the moral standards belonging to one who walked with God, and that long before Mosaic law-code prescriptions applied (Psalm 51:4).
He called the proposition "wickedness" and said it was "sin against God". But she persisted "day by day" (Samson twice in his career in Judges 14:17; 16:16).
Joseph did what we must do when we are tempted to sin. Just simply say no! He told this wicked woman that Potiphar had been good to him. A man would not, and should not, share his wife. This was the only thing that he had withheld from Joseph, and rightly so. I love this last part.
Joseph told her, that even if it was alright with Potiphar, it would not be alright with God. Joseph knew this was wickedness in God's sight. He would not sin against God.
Verses 10-18: Her incessant efforts to seduce Joseph failed in the face of his strong convictions not to yield or be compromised. At flash-point, Joseph fled! Based on false accusation, Joseph was deemed guilty and imprisoned (see 2 Timothy 2:22), for a New Testament picture of Joseph's attitude.
Genesis 39:10 "And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, [or] to be with her."
"And it came to pass, that as she spake to Joseph day by day": Continually, incessantly, hoping in time to prevail upon him to comply with her desires. So that the temptation, as it was strong, and very ensnaring, it was urgent, and frequent, and pressed with great importunity; which required the more grace and spiritual strength to resist.
"That he hearkened not unto her": Not only did not yield to her, but would not give her a hearing, at least as little as possible he could, lest he should be overcome by her persuasions.
"To lie by her, or to be with her": She might tempt him to lie by her, if he would not lie with her; or to lie, as Aben Ezra interprets it, in a place near her, in a chamber next to hers, in hopes by degrees to gain her point.
But he would not yield to either, nor to be in her company, and have any conversation with her, at least as little as possible, that he might not be in the way of temptation, and be led into it. Though these phrases may all signify carnal copulation with her, which was what his mistress solicited, and he would not hearken to her in, and comply with her.
Evidently, he would not even "be with her."
This temptation, it seems, was every day. She was persistent. Joseph had to tell her no every day.
Genesis 39:11 "And it came to pass about this time, that [Joseph] went into the house to do his business; and [there was] none of the men of the house there within."
"And it came to pass about this time": About a week, or a month, or rather a year, as Aben Ezra thinks, after she first began her solicitations to him. According to Josephus, it was a public festival, at which women used to attend.
But she excused herself, pretending illness; and so Jarchi takes it to be some noted day at the idol's temple, to which all used to go. But she pretended she was sick, and could not go, knowing that Joseph would not be there, but at home, and therefore judged this a fit opportunity to attack him once more.
"That Joseph went into the house to do his business": To inspect the accounts, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it, and settle them.
"And there was none of the men of the house there within": Being all gone to the public festival, or however there were none in that part of the house where Joseph was.
Genesis 39:12 "And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out."
"His garment" (see 37:31-35), for the other time one of Joseph's cloaks was used in a conspiracy against him.
Joseph's actions are to be contrasted with Reuben's (35:22), and Judah's (38:16). Her first approach involved flattery (verse 7), then the drawn-out enticing (verse 10), and finally the ambush (verse 12).
Joseph fled, not like a coward, but in the preservation of his honor, which the New Testament commands (2 Tim. 2:22; 2 Peter 1:4).
First of all, it would be dangerous to be in this house alone with her. There is nothing more vindictive than a woman scorned. He should never have gone in that house without someone else there. Now, she had his garment. How could he prove he had not slept with her?
Genesis 39:13 "And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,"
"And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand": And so all hopes of succeeding in her addresses to him were over.
"And he was fled forth": Into the streets or to somewhere out of the house, where business was carried on by servants under him.
Genesis 39:14 "That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:"
"That she called unto the men of her house": Of that part of the house which belonged to her; her eunuchs that waited upon her or that were in another part of the home, at some distance.
"And spake unto them": When they came to her.
"Saying, see, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us": She means her husband, whom through contempt, and in her passion, she names not, having lost all affection for him, as her addresses to Joseph showed.
And so the Targum of Jonathan supplies it, "your master hath brought", etc. And Joseph she calls a Hebrew by way of reproach, and with a view to set her servants against him.
Who before this might not have any great regard to him through envy at him, for the favors he enjoyed, and the authority he had. And because he prevented their doing wrong things to serve themselves, and hurt their master.
And holding up his garment in her hand, which they knew full well, bid them look at it, and observe, that this was the issue of his Being brought into the house by their master.
That though it was not with such an intention, which can hardly be thought to be her sense, yet this, was the event of it. An attempt to abuse, spoil and corrupt her. And so bring contempt upon the whole family. And expose them to the scorn and mockery of men, for their mistress to be abused by a base foreigner.
"He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice": Both lies for it was she that solicited him to lie with her, and not he. Nor did she cry out at all; and if she did, how was it she was not heard by them when she called unto them.
Thus, her impure love was turned into hatred, which put her upon framing lies and slanders.
Genesis 39:15 "And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out."
"And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried": He attempting to ravish her, as she would have it understood, but afraid, lest upon her outcry those that were in the house should come in to her assistance, and seize on him.
"That he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out": But why should he strip himself of his garment, and leave that behind him? He might have fled with it.
She had set Joseph up by lying to the other men servants. She had to tell that she cried out for help, or she would be stoned to death. There is no one more anxious to get revenge, than a woman scorned. She was out to get even with Joseph for turning her away. She now was going to try to get Joseph in more trouble with her husband.
When a woman wants to get even with a man, and cries rape, he has no way to prove it is not so.
Genesis 39:16 "And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home."
"And she laid up his garment by her": As a proof of what she laid to his charge, and as a testimony against him.
"Until her lord came home": Or until his lord came home, for the pronoun refers to Potiphar, and so Jarchi interprets it; who either was gone on a journey, or gone to court that day, being an officer of Pharaoh's, or to the public place where the festival was kept that day, if there was such a one.
Genesis 39:17 "And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:"
"Hebrew servant": This term was used by Potiphar's wife as disapproval, intended to heap scorn upon someone considered defiantly unworthy of any respect. Its use may also suggest some latent attitudes toward dwellers in Canaan, which could be aggravated to her advantage.
Potiphar's wife also neatly shifted the blame onto her husband for having hired the Hebrew in the first place (verses 16-18), and stated this also before the servants (verse 14).
Genesis 39:18 "And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out."
"And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried": For help from the servants, and frightened at his insolent attempt.
"That he left his garment with me, and fled out": Then she brought it forth, and showed him it.
Verses 19-20: The death penalty for adultery may not have applied to a charge of attempted adultery, attempted seduction or rape (verses 14, 18), so Potiphar consigned Joseph to the prison reserved for royal servants. From where, in the providence of God, he would be summoned into Pharaoh's presence and begin the next stage of his life (chapters 40-41; see note on 40:3-4).
Genesis 39:19 "And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled."
"And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife": The story she related concerning Joseph, which was her own invention, and a lie.
"Which she spake unto him, saying, after this manner did thy servant to me": Attempting to violate her chastity, as she pretended.
"That his wrath was kindled": That is, against Joseph, without strictly examining her words, which they would not bear up, her story being but badly put together, and without hearing Joseph's defense.
One thing a man will not stand for is anyone making advances to his wife. Potiphar had no way of knowing that she was lying, so he became furious with Joseph.
Genesis 39:20 "And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison."
"And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison": Which was in or adjoining to his house (Gen. 40:3). He had power to do this, as the captain of the guard; and as he was the chief of the executioners, as some take his office to be. It is much he did not, in his passion, deliver him up into their hands to put him to death at once.
But it may be through the great respect he had had for Joseph, which was not wholly extinguished by this impeachment of him. Especially if he heard Joseph's apology for himself before he committed him, his passion might subside a little.
Though for the credit of his wife he might take this step. Or however things were so overruled by the providence of God, who has the hearts of all men in his hands, that he should do what he did.
"A place where the king's prisoners were bound": Such as were guilty of high treason, or however of high crimes and misdemeanors against him. And so was a prison in which men were strictly kept and used hardly, as was Joseph at first, as appears from (Psalm 105:18).
"And he was there in the prison": he continued there, some of the Jewish writers say ten years, others twelve. And so long he must be, if he was but one year in Potiphar's house; for there were thirteen years between his being sold into Egypt, and his appearance before Pharaoh.
He was seventeen when he was sold, and he was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh, being taken out of prison (see Gen. 37:2). But it is more likely that he was a longer time in Potiphar's house, and a lesser time in prison.
Potiphar was in charge of this prison. Joseph had no way to defend himself. Potiphar, in his anger, jailed Joseph. Why he did not kill him was not explained. God protected Joseph, even in this. Joseph was innocent.
Genesis 39:21 "But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison."
"And the Lord was with Joseph": Comforting him with his presence under his afflictions; supporting him with his right hand; sanctifying all his troubles to him, and so causing him to bear them patiently and cheerfully.
"And showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison": who was the underkeeper to Potiphar; God so wrought upon the heart of this man, that he was merciful to him, and took off the iron fetters, which hurt his feet, and gave him liberty to walk about. And many other favors and kindnesses he showed unto him.
Wherever God's people are, even in prison, God takes care of them.
Verses 22-23: Once again Joseph, though in circumstances considerably less comfortable than Potiphar's home, rose to a position of trust and authority and proved to be trustworthy enough not to need any oversight.
Genesis 39:22 "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that [were] in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer [of it]."
"And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison". Who, as they were state prisoners, were a considerable charge; and this gave Joseph great honor, credit, and influence in the prison.
"And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it": Not that he learned and exercised every trade the prisoners were of, to get a living by, which is the sense of some, as Aben Ezra relates. Or that he in fact did everything that was done in the prison.
But the meaning is, that he gave orders for the doing of everything, and there was nothing done without him. All that was done, as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, he commanded it to be done. Or as Onkelos, all that was done was done by his word; by his authority and command.
Genesis 39:23 "The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing [that was] under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and [that] which he did, the LORD made [it] to prosper."
It did not take the jailor long to realize the character of Joseph. He, like Potiphar, turned everything over to Joseph. The work done by these prisoners had even begun to prosper, because the Lord (Jehovah), was with Joseph and prospered whatever he put his hand to, even here in prison.
Genesis Chapter 39 Questions
1. What country was Joseph taken to?
2. Who bought him?
3. What office did this man hold in Egypt?
4. What did the Lord do for Joseph in this house?
5. What did Joseph's master see?
6. What job did he elevate Joseph to?
7. What else did God bless, besides Joseph?
8. What was the only thing Potiphar was concerned with?
9. Describe Joseph?
10. What sin did the Potiphar's wife try to get Joseph to do?
11. What is the first thing she did, that was similar to what Eve did, that caused her to want to sin?
12. Did Joseph cooperate?
13. How often was he tempted?
14. What did Joseph remind her that she was?
15. What was the only thing Potiphar withheld from Joseph?
16. Who was Joseph more concerned about not sinning against?
17. What did she grab in her hand of Joseph's as he fled?
18. Who did she first tell the lie to?
19. What nationality did she call him?
20. What did she claim she did to save herself from punishment?
21. When she told Potiphar, what did he do to Joseph?
22. Did Joseph have a fair trial?
23. Who did God give Joseph favor with?
24. What did the keeper of the prison commit to Joseph?
25. What happened in the prison, because of Joseph?
Genesis 40:1 "And it came to pass after these things, [that] the butler of the king of Egypt and [his] baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt."
"Butler" is an unfortunate translation since the phrase literally means "cupbearer of the king." Egyptian inscriptions include various titles for those involved in serving wine and beer to the Pharaoh.
"King of Egypt": To be identified as Senusert II (ca. 1894-1878 B.C).
Genesis 40:2 "And Pharaoh was wroth against two [of] his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers."
"The chief of the butlers ... chief of the bakers": Both these occupations and ranks in Pharaoh's court are attested in existing ancient Egyptian documents. The cupbearer gave him his drinks. The baker cooked his bread. Both had to be trustworthy and beyond the influence of the monarch's enemies.
Verses 3-4: Captain of the guard" (see note on 37:36). If this was Potiphar, the captain of the guard, then Joseph's former master directed him to attend to the two royal servants remanded into his custody until sentence was past.
This prison was also called "the house of the captain of the guard" (verse 3), "his lord's house" (verse 7), and "dungeon" (40:15; 41:14), unless Joseph had been moved to another penal facility.
Genesis 40:3 "And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph [was] bound."
"And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard": Who is generally thought to be Potiphar, since this was the office he was in (Genesis 39:1).
"Into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound": That is, where he had been bound, and where he was still a prisoner, though not fettered and in that close confinement he had been in.
Then the captain "charged Joseph with them," he gave Joseph control over administrative affairs in the prison, not merely over high-ranking prisoners (41:12).
Genesis 40:4 "And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward."
"And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them": Committed them to his care and custody, he being very probably recommended to him by the keeper of the prison for his prudence and fidelity.
And if it was Potiphar, he knew his character full well, and might be now reconciled unto him, as having had a more full and clear account of the affair between him and his wife from the keeper of the prison.
Therefore, though he might not think fit for his own and his wife's reputation to remove him from prison as yet nevertheless might be inclined to do him what service he could. As well as honor, as this was, to have two such state prisoners committed to his care.
Some render it, "he committed Joseph with them"; to be with them, as Jarchi interprets it. They were put together, not merely for the sake of company, but that Joseph might wait upon them, which might be beneficial as well as creditable, as it follows.
"And he served them": He ministered unto them, and brought them everything they wanted.
"And they continued a season in ward": Or "days"; some certain days, many days, a year, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom interpret it, and which is sometimes the use of the word.
The story of the butler and baker is told, partly to show the divine faculty of interpreting dreams Joseph was possessed of; and partly to observe the remarkable steps in Providence, though secret, towards his advancement in Pharaoh's court.
In this particular area, during this particular time, the Pharaoh was absolute ruler. If for any reason at all you displeased the Pharaoh, he would throw you into prison; just because he wanted to.
We are not told what crime they had committed, but we can assume that it had to do with the preparation of the food, since they were the butler and the baker. God put them in Joseph's care for a purpose.
Genesis 40:5 "And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which [were] bound in the prison."
The two imprisoned court officials had dreams that perplexed them (verses 5-7).
"Dream": Oneiromancy, the science or practice of interpreting dreams, flourished in ancient Egypt because dreams were thought to determine the future. Both Egypt and Babylon developed a professional class of dream interpreters.
(Deut. 13:1-5), shows that such dream interpreters were part of ancient false religion and to be avoided by God's people. By some 500 years later, a detailed manual of dream interpretation had been compiled. Unlike Joseph, neither cupbearer nor baker understood the significance of their dreams (37:5-11).
Genesis 40:6 "And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they [were] sad."
"And Joseph came in unto them in the morning": For though Joseph and they were in the same prison, yet not in the same ward. Aben Ezra thinks that Joseph lodged in the dungeon in the night (Genesis 40:15); and was let out in the morning to wait on these prisoners.
But the great interest he had in the keeper of the prison, and the favor shown him by the captain of the guard, in putting such prisoners under his care, will easily make one conclude, that Joseph now had a better lodging than that. Though it had been his case, he was now provided with a better apartment in the prison.
And when he arose in the morning, like a careful and faithful servant, he came to the ward where the prisoners under his care were, to see that they were safe, and what they wanted.
"And looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad": They looked sorrowful, dejected, and uneasy.
Genesis 40:7 "And he asked Pharaoh's officers that [were] with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye [so] sadly today?"
"And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him": The chief butler and baker that were committed to his care, and with whom he now was.
"In the ward of the lord's house": This seems to confirm what is before observed, that the captain of the guard that charged Joseph with them was Potiphar his master. Though indeed the keeper of the prison that was under Potiphar, the captain of the guard, might be called Joseph's lord or master, but the house could not with so much propriety be called his.
"Saying, wherefore look ye so sadly today?" As they were officers, who had been in lucrative places, they lived well and merrily, and expected very probably they should be released in a short time, nothing appearing against them.
But now there was a strange alteration in them, which was very visible to Joseph, and for which he expresses a concern, being of a kind, tender, and benevolent disposition, as the question he puts to them shows.
Genesis 40:8 "And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and [there is] no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God? tell me [them], I pray you."
Joseph's immediate response was "do not interpretations belong to God?" The immediate response of his mind (in 39:9; 41:16, 51-52; 45:8).
Joseph was careful to give credit to his Lord (41:16). Daniel, the only other Hebrew whom God allowed to accurately interpret revelatory dreams, was just as careful to do so (Dan. 2:28).
Significantly, God chose both men to play an important role for Israel while serving pagan monarchs and stepping forwards at the critical moment to interpret their dreams and reveal their futures.
This situation was not unusual. These two men had displeased the Pharaoh. They were waiting for him to have a change of heart, so they could be released. God will use unbelievers to accomplish His goals. These two men were apparently Egyptians. God also, speaks in dreams.
These two men were troubled because they did not know what their dreams meant. Interpretation of dreams is a gift from God. Joseph being a man of God had this special gift. He did not brag that he had the gift; he gives God the credit, and asked them to tell him the dreams.
Verses 9-13: The chief cupbearer" Consistent with his duty as the cupbearer to the king, he dreamed of a drink prepared for Pharaoh. It was a sign that he would be released and returned to his position (verse 13).
Genesis 40:9 "And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine [was] before me;"
"And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph": He listened to what Joseph said, and paid a regard to it, and began to think he might be able to interpret his dream, and therefore was forward, and the first to tell him it at once. Whereas the chief baker did not seem disposed to do it, until he observed the good interpretation given of the butler's dream (Genesis 40:16).
"And said unto him, in my dream, behold, a vine was before me": It appeared to him in his dream, as if a vine sprung up at once, and stood before him; which was very suitable to his office as a butler, wine being the fruit of the vine, which he provided for the king his master, and presented to him at table.
Genesis 40:10 "And in the vine [were] three branches: and it [was] as though it budded, [and] her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:"
"And in the vine were three branches": Which shot out from the root or body of it.
"And it was as though it budded": The branches seemed to sprout out.
"And her blossoms shot forth": It knotted, and the flowers of the vine appeared, which blowing off, the tender grapes were seen.
"And the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes": All which is agreeably to the order nature observes, from the first putting forth of the vine, to its producing ripe fruit.
And which in this dream immediately followed one another, as it seemed according to the representation of things to the mind of the butler, and which he perfectly remembered, it having made a strong impression upon him.
Genesis 40:11 "And Pharaoh's cup [was] in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand."
"And Pharaoh's cup was in his hand": So it seemed to him in his dream, as it often had been when in his office.
"And I took the grapes": From off the vine that was before him.
"And pressed them into Pharaoh's cup": Which some think was the custom of those times, to take a bunch of grapes and squeeze them into a cup, especially when they would make trial of what sort of wine they would produce.
For it can hardly be thought that this was usually done, or that it was customary to drink such new wine. But it is more probable that the grapes were first pressed into another vessel, and so made wine of, and then poured into Pharaoh's cup, or mixed in it; though this circumstance is omitted. Indeed, relates of the Egyptian priests, that wine pressed out of the vine is given them.
"And I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand": As he had used to do.
Genesis 40:12 "And Joseph said unto him, This [is] the interpretation of it: The three branches [are] three days:"
"And Joseph said unto him, this is the interpretation of it": Of the dream.
"The three branches are three days": Signify three days, or, as Jarchi expresses it, are a sign of three days; which Joseph could know only by divine revelation. For there is no more likeness between branches and days, than between them and months or years, and bid as fair to signify one as the other, if the interpretation depended on similarity, or bare conjecture.
Genesis 40:13 "Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler."
"Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head": The Targum of Jonathan adds, with glory; and the sense is, either that Pharaoh would raise him up from the low estate in which he now was, to the same exalted station in which he had been before.
Or that he would reckon and number him among his servants, when he should take a catalogue of them, or make a new list, so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; and this phrase is used of taking the sum of persons, or the number of them, and is so rendered (Exodus 30:12).
The allusion is thought to be to a custom used by great personages, to have the names of their servants called over on a certain day, as Pharaoh perhaps used to do on his birthday (Genesis 40:20). When they struck out of the list or put into it whom they pleased, and pardoned or punished such as had offended.
And this sense is the rather inclined to, because Pharaoh is said to lift up the head of both the butler and the baker (Genesis 40:20). Yet it may be observed, that the phrases used by Joseph concerning them differ; for of the baker he says, "Pharaoh shall lift up thy head from off thee" (Genesis 40:19); wherefore, though the heads of them both were lift up, yet in a different sense.
The one was lifted up to the gallows, and the other to his former dignity, as follows.
"And restore thee unto thy place": To his office in ministering: to Pharaoh as his cup bearer.
"And thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler". Which was signified in the dream, by squeezing the grapes into Pharaoh's cup he had in his hand, and gave unto him.
This was a pleasure for Joseph to interpret this dream. It was good news. The budding of plants and flowers, throughout the Bible, means new life. Grapes and grape juice are symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was learned in the things of God. This gift, as we said before, comes from God alone.
Verses 14-15: "Show kindness": A poignant appeal to the cupbearer, whose future was secure, to speak a word for Joseph's freedom, because he knew cupbearers had the ear of kings. The cupbearer quickly forgot Joseph (verse 23), until his memory was prompted just at the right moment two years later (41:1, 9).
Genesis 40:14 "But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:"
"Show kindness" is the same term used by Abraham (in 20:13), and indicates a demonstration of faithfulness based upon a particular relationship. In this case, Joseph had interpreted a dream of the chief butler. It is the same word used of God's faithfulness shown to Joseph (in 39:21), when he was in prison and God changed the heart of the keeper of the prison (see Daniel in Dan. 1:9).
Genesis 40:15 "For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."
"For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews": Not the whole land of Canaan, so called, either from the Hebrews sojourning in it, or from its being given unto them by God.
Giving this designation to the land of Canaan indicates that Joseph understood the land promise of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Neither of which could be a reason why Joseph, when talking with an Egyptian, should give it this name, and which, it must be supposed, was known to him; but that part of the land of Canaan where the Hebrews had sojourned for three generations, where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had lived, even at or near Hebron.
And being persons of great note, and having done great exploits, their names were well known, and the country where they lived, and particularly among the Egyptians.
"And here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon": Since he had been in the land of Egypt, he had not been guilty of any criminal action wherefore he should be put into a prison, and especially into a dungeon, a dark and filthy place underground, as dungeons usually were, and into which Joseph was put when first in confinement.
Though since taken out of it, he makes no mention of the wickedness of his mistress, and of her false accusation of him, nor of the injustice of his master in putting him into prison without hearing him.
Only asserts his own innocence, which was necessary to recommend himself to the butler, that he might not think he was some loose fellow that was committed to prison for some capital crime, and so it would have, been a disgrace to him to have spoken for him.
Joseph was just telling him to put in a good word for him with the Pharaoh. The only one, who could go over Potiphar's head and release Joseph, would be the Pharaoh. Joseph explained to him that he was being punished for something he did not do.
Here again, we have a type and shadow of Jesus. Jesus was punished for our sins, not His own. Joseph had no sin either. Jesus was betrayed and sold by His brethren. Joseph was betrayed and sold by his brethren.
Genesis 40:16 "When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also [was] in my dream, and, behold, [I had] three white baskets on my head:"
"When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good": The chief baker, noting some similarity in the dreams, was encouraged to request interpretation of his dream.
Meaning not that it was right and just, though it was; but that it was agreeable and pleasing, and portended good in the event. Therefore, hoped a like interpretation would be given of his dream, and this encouraged him to tell it, which perhaps otherwise he would not have done.
"He said unto Joseph, I also was in a dream": Or had a dream, and in it things were represented to his mind as follows:
"And, behold, I had three white baskets on my head": Which were made of wicker, of rods that had the bark pulled off, and so were white; or which had holes in them. Baskets wrought with holes, after the manner of network; though some think this denotes not the color or form of the basket, but of the bread in them.
And interpret the words, baskets of white bread, as Saadiah Gaon, and so the Targum of Jonathan, baskets of most pure bread, and the Targum of Jerusalem, baskets of hot bread; this dream was very agreeable to his office and business as a baker.
Genesis 40:17 "And in the uppermost basket [there was] of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head."
"And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh": All sorts of pastry, as tarts, pies, etc. Josephus says, two of the baskets were full of bread, and the third had various sorts of food, such as is usually, and prepared for kings.
"And the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head": All the three baskets were upon his head, but this seems to be the uppermost, which the birds could more easily come at; though if the baskets were full of holes, they might peck through the hole to get the bread with their bills.
The baker did not believe Joseph could interpret dreams. He only told his dream, because of the good interpretation of the butler's dream. Sometimes, we already know the dream is bad, but we want someone to reassure us that it is not.
Genesis 40:18 "And Joseph answered and said, This [is] the interpretation thereof: The three baskets [are] three days:"
"And Joseph answered and said": Immediately, directly, without any further thought and meditation, being divinely instructed.
"This is the interpretation thereof": of the above dream.
"The three baskets are three days": signifying three days.
Genesis 40:19 "Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee."
When it is said that Pharaoh "lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker," Joseph used a key expression, capable of being interpreted in opposite ways, to describe first the cupbearer's pardon and restoration to honor (2 Kings 25:27), then the beheading or hanging of the baker (verse 19).
This was surely not what the baker wanted to hear. One thing that stands out, to me in this, a prophet of God, must tell the truth at all times. Sometimes the news is bad, but he must give it exactly as God gives it to him.
Genesis 40:20 "And it came to pass the third day, [which was] Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
"And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday": The third day from the time the dreams were told, and the interpretation of them given, was the birthday of Pharaoh.
"That he made a feast unto all his servants": his ministers of state, his courtiers, and all in his palace.
"And he lifted up the head of his chief butler and of his chief baker, among his servants": That is, among his servants, when their names were called over or at this festival, these two were taken notice of, as being charged with crimes, and their cases were looked into and examined, and their heads were lifted up in a different sense.
They were both lifted out of prison, but the one was lifted up to his former post and place in Pharaoh's court, and the other was lifted up to a gallows or gibbet, as follows. Though perhaps this lifting of them both may only signify the trial of them, when they were set on high to be seen by the judge and all the court (see 1 Kings 21:9).
Genesis 40:21 "And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:"
"And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again": Put him into the same office he was in before.
"And he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand": Ministered to him in his office the same day, according to his dream and the interpretation of it. The Targum of Jonathan adds this as a reason of his being restored, "because he found that he was not in that counsel," in which it was consulted to poison Pharaoh (see Gen. 40:1).
Genesis 40:22 "But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them."
"But he hanged the chief baker": That is, he ordered him to be hanged; because, as the same Targum says, he consulted to kill him (Pharaoh).
"As Joseph had interpreted to them": The events as to both answered to the interpretation Joseph had given of their several dreams.
The test of a true prophet is if things they prophesy come true.
Genesis 40:23 "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."
"Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph": To speak of him to Pharaoh, neither on that day in which he was restored, nor for a long time after, even for the space of two years, as seems from the following chapter.
"But forgot him; never more thought of him": Of the favor he had done him in interpreting his dream. Of the request he made to him, and of the promise which he had probably given him.
Which was an instance of great ingratitude, and is frequently the case and character of courtiers, who being in high places themselves, neglect others, their petitions to them, and their own promises to do all they can for them.
When we are in trouble, we promise anything to get out, but once out, it is easy to forget. That was just what this butler did. His problem had been solved, so he forgot Joseph.
Genesis Chapter 40 Questions
1. What two men had offended the king of Egypt?
2. What did he do to them?
3. Who was put over them?
4. One night they both had a_________?
5. When Joseph saw them, they were __________?
6. What question did Joseph ask them?
7. Does God ever use unbelievers to accomplish his goals?
8. Interpretations of dreams are what?
9. What did the Butler dream?
10. What did his dream mean?
11. What does the budding of plants mean?
12. How do people interpret dreams?
13. What favor did Joseph ask the butler?
14. How did Joseph tell him he came to Egypt?
15. Who had authority over Potiphar?
16. Compare Joseph to Jesus in this? Two ways.
17. Why did the baker want Joseph to interpret his dream?
18. What was the interpretation of the baker's dream?
19. What message does this give us?
20. What is the test of a true prophet?
21. When the butler was restored, what did he do?
Genesis 41:1 "And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river."
"And it came to pass at the end of two full years": It is not a clear case, as Aben Ezra observes, from whence these years are to be reckoned, whether from the time of Joseph's being put into prison, or from the time that the chief butler was taken out of it. The latter seems more probable, and better connects this and the preceding chapter.
"That Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river": It seemed to him, in his dream, as if he stood near the river Nile, or some canal or flow of water cut out of that river.
"The Nile": This is the River that dominated Egyptian life.
Genesis 41:2 "And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored kine and fat-fleshed; and they fed in a meadow."
"And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored kine, and fat-fleshed": Seven cows or heifers, sleek, fat, and plump, goodly to look at. These seemed in the dream, as if they came out of the river, because they were fed with the fruits of the earth, which the overflowing of the river Nile, and its canals, produced.
"And they fed in a meadow": Adjoining to the river, where there was good pasture for them, and gives a reason of their being in so good a condition.
Genesis 41:3 "And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favored and lean-fleshed; and stood by the [other] kine upon the brink of the river."
"And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favored, and lean-fleshed": Thin and haggard, their bones stuck out, having scarcely any flesh upon them, and made a wretched figure.
"And stood by the other kine": And looked so much the worse, when compared with them.
"Upon the brink of the river": It had not overflowed, so that there was no grass to be had, but just upon the bank, where these kept for that purpose. For the fruitfulness of Egypt was owing to the river Nile; as that overflowed or did not, there was plenty or famine. Hence both these sorts of creatures came up out of that.
Genesis 41:4 "And the ill favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke."
"And the ill favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine": So it seemed in the dream as if this was done, which was very strange and surprising that animals should devour one another. Especially that tame ones, cows or heifers, should eat those of their own species, which was never known to happen.
"So Pharaoh awoke": He was surprised at the strange sight he had in his dream.
This was the fifth dream of Joseph's life. It would play an important part in Joseph's history. What a shame Pharaoh's servant waited two years to tell the Pharaoh of Joseph.
The Nile River was worshipped in Egypt. Life was believed by the Egyptians to be controlled by the Nile. Cows were also, an object of worship. It was no wonder that this was what this Egyptian Pharaoh dreamed.
Genesis 41:5 "And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good."
"And he slept, and dreamed the second time": He fell asleep again quickly, and dreamed another dream the same night, and to the same purpose, being much of the like kind as was the former.
"And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good": Which were very uncommon even in those fruitful countries.
Dr. Shaw observes of Barbary, which vied with Egypt for fruitfulness, that it sometimes happens that one stalk of wheat will bear two ears, while each of these ears will as often shoot out into a number of lesser ones, thereby affording a most plentiful increase.
Genesis 41:6 "And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them."
"And, behold, seven thin ears, and blasted with the east wind": Which is very fatal to corn, to dry, burn, smite, or blast it; and especially to the corn in Egypt, whither it blew from the desert of Arabia.
"Sprung up after them": After the seven full ears, in the same place the other did, or near unto them.
Genesis 41:7 "And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, [it was] a dream."
"And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears": So it appeared to Pharaoh in his dream, which must be very amazing to behold, and unaccountable how it should be.
"And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream": Not a real fact, but a dream. Yet not a common dream, but had some important signification in it. It wasn't vanishing from his mind, but dwelled upon it, which made him conclude there was something more than common in it, and made him very desirous to have the meaning of it.
Having this second dream was verification of the severity and certainty of the dream coming true.
Genesis 41:8 "And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but [there was] none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh."
"And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled": With the thoughts of his dreams; as they were uppermost in his mind. He was continually thinking of them. It was as if he always had the same images before him whether awake or when asleep and therefore could not be at ease without getting to know the meaning of them.
"And he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof": Who pretended to have great skill in the things of nature, and in astrology and other sciences. By which they pretended to know future events, and to interpret dreams among other things. Then show what they signaled, and what things would happen for the accomplishment of them.
"And Pharaoh told them his dream": Both his dreams, which for the similarity of them, and there being so little time passing between them, are represented as one dream; for that both were told them appears by what follows:
"But there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh": They were surprised and confounded, and did not know what to say. The things were so strange and surprising that he told, that they could not offer any conjectures about them, or, if they did, they were very unsatisfactory to Pharaoh.
The combined expertise of a full council of Pharaoh's advisers and dream experts, all of whom had been summoned into his presence, failed to provide an interpretation of the two disturbing dreams.
Without knowing it, they had just set the stage for Joseph's entrance on the scene of Egyptian history.
Here again, the dreamer was troubled because he did not know the meaning of the dream. Pharaoh first tries the world, but the world cannot give an answer to God's business.
Genesis 41:9 "Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:"
"Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh": With memory suitably prompted, the butler apologized for his neglect ("my own offenses"), and told Pharaoh of the Hebrew prisoner and his accurate interpretation of dreams two years earlier (verses 10-13).
"Saying, I do remember my faults this day": Which some interpret of his forgetfulness of Joseph and his afflictions, and of his ingratitude to him, and breach of promise in not making mention of him to Pharaoh before this time. But they seem rather to be faults he had committed against Pharaoh, and were the reason of his being wroth with him (as in Genesis 41:10).
And these were either real faults, which the king had pardoned, or however such as he had been charged with, and cleared from. And which he now in a courtly manner takes to himself, and owns them, that the king's goodness and clemency to him might appear, and lest he should seem to charge the king with injustice in casting him into prison.
Which circumstance he could not avoid relating in the story he was about to tell.
Genesis 41:10 "Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, [both] me and the chief baker:"
"Pharaoh was wroth with his servants": Not with all of them, but with the butler and the baker. Aben Ezra observes here, that Pharaoh was not the proper name of this king, but a title of office, and signifies the king. For it cannot be thought that the butler would use such freedom in his presence as to call him by his name.
"And put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house": In consequence of his wrath and displeasure, for crimes really or supposed to be committed by him. The captain of the guard's house was a prison, or at least there was a prison in it for such sort of offenders; and this was Potiphar's, Joseph's master's, house.
"Both me and the chief baker": Which explains who the officers were Pharaoh was wroth with, and who were for their offences committed to prison.
Genesis 41:11 "And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream."
"And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he": Both on the same night.
"We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream": They both dreamed exactly what should befall them, as it was interpreted to them. The dreams, the interpretation of them, and the events, answered to each other.
Genesis 41:12 "And [there was] there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret."
"And there was there with us a young man": Who was in the prison with them, had the care of them, and waited upon them. He was then about twenty eight years of age; for it was two years ago he speaks of, and Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh (Genesis 41:46).
"A Hebrew servant to the captain of the guard": He first describes him by his age, a young man, then by his descent, a Hebrew, and by his state and condition, a servant. Neither of them tended much to recommend him to the king.
"And we told him": That is, they told him their dreams.
"And he interpreted to us our dream, to each man according to his dream did he interpret": Told them what their dreams meant, what the events would be they warned. The interpretation was different according to their dreams.
Suddenly the butler remembered. He told Pharaoh about the dreams he and the baker had. Also about Joseph, the Hebrew boy, who interpreted their dreams.
Genesis 41:13 "And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged."
"And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was": The event answered to the interpretation, and showed it to be right. This is frequently hinted and repeated, to show the exactness and certainty of the interpretation given, in order to recommend Joseph to Pharaoh the more.
"Me he restored unto my office, and him he hanged": That is, Joseph interpreted the butler's dream to such a sense, that he should be restored to his butlership, and accordingly he was. The baker's dream was that he should be hanged, and so he was.
Aben Ezra and Jarchi interpret this of Pharaoh, that he restored the one, and hanged the other, or ordered these things to be done, which answered to Joseph's interpretation of the dreams. But the former sense seems best, for Joseph is the person immediately spoken of in the preceding clause.
Nor would it have been so decent for the butler, in the presence of Pharaoh, to have spoken of him without naming him, and which would have been contrary to his usage before.
Genesis 41:14 "Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved [himself], and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh."
"Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph": Sent messengers to him to come to him directly, ordered the captain of the guard, or keeper of prison, to let him loose and set him free (see Psalm 105:20). The urgent summons had Joseph in front of Pharaoh with minimum delay, in prized, clean-shaven Egyptian style for a proper appearance.
"And they brought him hastily out of the dungeon": That is, out of the prison house. Which, as Jarchi says, was made like a ditch or dungeon, or in which the dungeon was where Joseph was first put when he was brought to prison.
Though it cannot be thought that he continued there when he had so much respect shown him by the keeper, and had other prisoners committed to his care.
However, he was fetched in great haste from his place of confinement, by the messengers that were sent for him; or "they made him to run", from the prison to the palace, the king being so eager to have his dream interpreted to him.
"And he shaved himself": Or the barber shaved him, as Aben Ezra; his beard had not been shaved, nor the hair of his head cut very probably for a considerable time as it was usual for persons in such circumstances to neglect such things.
"And changed his raiment": His prison garments being such as were not fit to appear in before a king, and put on others, which either the king sent him, or the captain of the guard his master furnished him with.
"And came in unto Pharaoh": Into his palace, and his presence. What city it was in which this Pharaoh kept his palace, is nowhere said. Very probably it was which the Scriptures call Zoan, that being the ancient city of Egypt (Numbers 13:22).
God had accomplished what He set out to do. Joseph was out of jail. He must have been filthy, so he had to be cleaned up before he faced the Pharaoh.
Genesis 41:15 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and [there is] none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, [that] thou canst understand a dream to interpret it."
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph": Immediately, upon his being introduced to him.
"I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it": That he could yet meet with; none of his magicians or wise men, who made great pretensions to skill in such matters.
"And I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it": It had been reported to him, particularly by the chief butler, that when he heard a dream told him, he had such knowledge and understanding, that he could interpret it. Tell the meaning of it, what it meant, and what would be the events signified by it.
Genesis 41:16 "And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, [It is] not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
"It is not in me: God shall ... answer": Declaring any innate ability, Joseph advised at the very outset that the answer Pharaoh desired could only come from God. Expressing his modesty that he did not claim such skill and wisdom himself.
Declaring that he had no such power and abilities in and of himself, to interpret dreams; what he had was a gift of God, and wholly depended upon his influence, and the revelation he was pleased to make to him of such things.
"God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace": Such an answer to his request in the interpretation of his dream, as shall give him full content, and make his mind quiet and easy, and which shall tend to the welfare of him and his kingdom.
Some render the words as a prayer or wish, "may God give Pharaoh", etc. So as it were addressing his God that he would be pleased to make known to him his interpretation of the dream to the satisfaction of Pharaoh. But the other sense seems best, which expresses his faith in God, that he would do it, and to whom it should be ascribed, and not unto himself.
Pharaoh was desperate to find out what these dreams meant. Joseph did not take any credit within himself. He quickly gave God the credit. He told Pharaoh that God would bring him peace.
Genesis 41:17 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:"
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph": Relating both his dreams in a more ample manner, though to the same purpose, than before related.
"In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river": The river Nile, where he could have a full sight of what were after presented to his view.
Genesis 41:18 "And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well favored; and they fed in a meadow:"
"And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine": Cows or heifers; (see note on 41:2). The account of them is the same here as there, and of the place where they fed, only the words are transposed.
Genesis 41:19 "And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:"
And, behold, seven other kine": Here some addition is made: these are said not only to be very ill favored, and lean-fleshed (see note on Genesis 41:3), but poor, thin, puny, exhausted of their flesh and strength through some disease upon them, or want of food. And it follows, what was not before expressed:
"Such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt, for badness": So poor, so lean, and so ill favored. For whatever might be seen in other countries, never were such seen in Egypt, which was famous for good cattle.
Genesis 41:20 "And the lean and the ill favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:"
"And the lean and the ill favored kine": The same that was previously described; (see note on Gen. 41:4).
Genesis 41:21 "And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they [were] still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke."
"And when they had eaten them up": Or "were come into their bowels", into their inward parts, their bellies, being swallowed and devoured by them.
"It could not be known that they had eaten them": Or were in their bellies, they seemed never the fuller nor the fatter for them.
"But they were still ill favored as at the beginning": Looked as thin and as meager as they did when they first came out of the river, or were first seen by Pharaoh.
"So I awoke": Surprised at what he had seen; this was his first dream.
Genesis 41:22 "And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:"
"And I saw in my dream": Falling asleep again quickly, he dreamed a second time; and this dream being of a like kind with the former. With so small a space between them, they are represented as one, and this is the continuation of it: and, behold, seven ears, etc. (See note on Genesis 41:5).
Genesis 41:23 "And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, [and] blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:"
"And, behold, seven ears withered": Here a new epithet of the bad ears is given, and expressed by a word nowhere else used, which Ben Melech interprets, small, little, according to the use of the word in the Misnah.
Aben Ezra states void, empty, such as had no grains of corn in them. Nothing but husk or chaff, and observes that some render it images; for the word is so used in the Arabic language, and may signify that these ears were only mere shadows or images of ears, which had no substance in them.
Jarchi says the word, in the Syriac language signifies a rock, and so it denotes that these ears were dry as a rock, and had no moisture in them, laid dried, burnt up, and blasted with the east wind.
Genesis 41:24 "And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told [this] unto the magicians; but [there was] none that could declare [it] to me."
"And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears" (see note on Genesis 41:7).
"And I told this unto the magicians": Just in the same manner as he had to Joseph.
"But there was none that could declare it unto me": The meaning of it; what all this should signify or portend.
He had gone into detail, and told both dreams to Joseph. His magicians and wise men were worldly, and could not interpret dreams given by God. Joseph was his only hope.
Genesis 41:25 "And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh [is] one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he [is] about to do."
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do": Both his dreams have the same message.
"God hath shewed": Joseph's interpretation kept the focus fixed upon what God had determined for Egypt (verses 28, 32).
Genesis 41:26 "The seven good kine [are] seven years; and the seven good ears [are] seven years: the dream [is] one."
"The seven good kine are seven years": Signify seven years, and these years of plenty, as appears from the antithesis (in Genesis 41:26).
"And the seven good ears are seven years", signify the same.
"The dream is one": For though the seven good kine were seen in one dream, the seven good ears in another, yet both dreams were one as to signification.
Genesis 41:27 "And the seven thin and ill favored kine that came up after them [are] seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine."
"And the seven thin and ill favored kine that came up after them are seven years": Signify other seven years, and these different from the former, as follows:
"And the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine": Or there will be seven years of famine that will answer to them, and are signified by them.
Genesis 41:28 "This [is] the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God [is] about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh."
"This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh": As an interpretation of his dreams.
"What God is about to do, he showeth unto Pharaoh": The events of fourteen years with respect to plenty and sterility.
Genesis 41:29 "Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:"
"Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt": Not only a sufficiency but an abundance, even to luxury, as when the Nile rose to sixteen cubits, as Pliny observes; which, though a natural cause, was owing to God, and that it should thus overflow for seven years successively, and cause such a continued plenty, can be ascribed to no other.
Genesis 41:30 "And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;"
"And there shall arise after them seven years of famine": Which might be occasioned by the river Nile not rising so high as to overflow its banks, as when it did not rise to more than twelve cubits, a famine ensued, as the above writer says; and it must be owing to the overruling providence of God that this should be the case for seven years running.
"And all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt": The seven years of plenty being all spent, it should be as if it never was. The minds of men would be so intent upon their present distressed case and circumstances, that they should wholly forget how it had been with them in time past.
Or it would be as if they had never enjoyed it, or were never the better for it. This answers to and explains how it was with the ill favored kine, when they had eaten up the fat kine; they seemed never the better, nor could it be known by their appearance that they had so done.
"And the famine shall consume the land": The inhabitants of it, and all the fruits and increase of it the former years produced.
Genesis 41:31 "And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it [shall be] very grievous."
"And the plenty shall not be known in the land, by reason of that famine following": That is, before it would be over; otherwise the former plenty was in some measure known by the stores of provisions laid up in the seven years of it, and which were brought forth when the famine became very pressing.
But by that time, and before the seven years of it were ended, there were no traces of the foregoing plenty to be observed.
"For it shall be very grievous": As it was both in Egypt and in all the countries round about.
Genesis 41:32 "And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; [it is] because the thing [is] established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
"And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice": Or was repeated to him under different figures and images.
"It is because the thing is established by God": By a firm decree of his, and is sure, and will most certainly be accomplished. Of which Pharaoh might be assured, and to assure him of it was the repetition of the dream made.
"And God will shortly bring it to pass": Or "make haste to do it", that is, would soon begin to accomplish these events. As Bishop Usher observes, from the harvest of this (the then present), year, the seven years of plenty are reckoned.
Joseph stressed over and over that God was the author of these dreams. Anyone hearing this interpretation would know that this was a true interpretation. The fact that this would happen soon was established by two dreams. This famine would be grievous.
"Seven" means spiritually complete.
I believe for our day the message is clear. If God tells one of His servants to prepare for a problem, do it. Just as God told Noah to build the Ark, He told Joseph ahead of this famine, so Joseph would prepare. God will help His people get through the tribulation. We must listen and follow God's instructions. There is a way out for every problem.
We must follow God's instructions exactly and do whatever He tells us to do, no matter how silly it might seem at the time. Just as God made a way for Noah and Joseph, He will make a way for us. Notice the seven years of famine will be like seven years of tribulation.
Verses 33-36: After interpreting the dream, Joseph told Pharaoh how to survive the next 14 years. Not in agreement with normal principals, Joseph, a slave and a prisoner, added to the interpretation a long-term strategy for establishing reserves to meet the future need, and included advice on the quality of the man to head up the project.
Famines had ravaged Egypt before, but this time divine warning permitted serious and sustained advance planning.
Genesis 41:33 "Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt."
"Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise": Of good judgment and conduct, of abilities equal to the execution of a scheme hereafter proposed. It can scarcely be thought consistent with the great modesty of Joseph that he meant himself, or that indeed, he ventured to give any advice at all, until it was first asked of him by the king.
Who being so well satisfied with the interpretation of his dreams, thought him a proper person to consult with what to be done in this case. Who, as a true father of his country, as every king should be, was concerned for the good of it, and to provide against the worst for them.
"And set him over the land of Egypt": Not to be governor of it in general, but with a particular respect to the present case, to take care of provision for it.
Genesis 41:34 "Let Pharaoh do [this], and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years."
"Let Pharaoh do this": Appoint such a person; who as a sovereign prince could do it of himself.
"And let him appoint officers over the land": Not Pharaoh, but the wise and discreet governor he should set over the land, who should have a power of appointing officers or overseers under him to manage things according to his direction.
"And take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years": Not the officers appointed, but the appointer of them, the chief governor under Pharaoh, for the word is singular. It is proposed that he should, in Pharaoh's name, and by his order, take a fifth part of all the corn in the land of Egypt during seven years of plenty.
Not by force, which so good a man as Joseph would never advise to, whatever power Pharaoh might have, and could exercise if he pleased. But by making a purchase of it, which in such time of plenty would be bought cheap, and which so great a prince as Pharaoh was capable of.
It is commonly asked, why a half part was not ordered to be taken up, since there were to be as many years of famine as of plenty?
And to this it is usually replied, that besides this fifth part taken up, as there might be an old stock of former years, so there would be something considerable remain of these seven years of plenty, which men of substance would lay up, as Pharaoh did.
Besides, a fifth part might be equal to the crop of an ordinary year, or near it. To which may be added, that in times of famine men live more sparingly, as they are obliged, and therefore such a quantity would go the further; as well as it may be considered.
That notwithstanding the barrenness of the land in general, yet in some places, especially on the banks of the Nile, some corn might be produced; so that upon the whole a fifth part might be judged sufficient to answer the extremity of the seven years of famine, and even to allow a distribution to other countries.
Genesis 41:35 "And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities."
"And let them, gather all the food of those good years that come": That is, let the under officers collect together the fifth part of all fruits of the land during the seven years of plenty.
"And lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh": As his property, and only to be disposed of by his orders. For as it was to be purchased with his money, it was right that it should be in his hands, or in the hands of his officers appointed by him, as the Targum of Jonathan.
"And let them keep food in the cities": Reserve it in the several cities throughout the land, against the years of famine.
Genesis 41:36 "And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine."
"And that food shall be for store to the land": A deposit in the said cities, to be brought forth and used in a time of public distress. The Targum of Jonathan is, it "shall be hidden in a cave in the earth".
"Against the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt": And so be a supply to the inhabitants of the land, when they should be sore pressed with a famine, and know not what to do, or where to go for food.
"That the land perish not through the famine": That is, that the people of the land perish not, as the above Targum, which, without such a provision, they would have been in great danger of perishing.
Joseph told him of problems about to come when he interpreted his dreams. It is no good to tell of problems, unless we have a solution to offer. We are telling people now of the terrible seven years of tribulation about to come on the earth. We must, also, offer some answers to the problems. Joseph did just that.
God had given Joseph a plan, and he had passed it on to Pharaoh. Joseph did not ask Pharaoh for the job. (In verse 33), there is a play on words. Pharaoh had already called Egypt's wisest man. They did not have an answer to the problem. They were not even smart enough to know that there was a problem.
Pharaoh would have to recognize Joseph's plan as a good one. If he was smart enough to be Pharaoh, he had to be smart enough to realize this was a good plan.
Genesis 41:37 "And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants."
"And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh": He approved of the advice Joseph gave, and of the scheme and plan which he proposed.
"And in the eyes of all his servants": His nobles, ministers of state and courtiers, all highly commended and applauded it. It was with the general and unanimous consent of all agreed that it should be put into execution. But then the next question, and the thing to be considered, was who was a person fit to be engaged in such an affair?
Verses 38-41: To Pharaoh and his royal retinue, no other candidate but Joseph qualified for the task of working out this good plan, because they recognized that he spoke God-given revelation and insight (verse 39). Joseph's focus on his Lord had taken him from prison to the palace quickly (verse 41).
Genesis 41:38 "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find [such a one] as this [is], a man in whom the Spirit of God [is]?"
"And Pharaoh said unto his servants": That were about him, and with whom he was consulting about a proper person to be over this affair of gathering in the fruits of the earth in the time of plenty, and laying them up against a time of famine.
"Can we find such a one as this is, in whom the Spirit of God is?" If we search among all the ranks and degrees of men throughout the kingdom, let them be of what character they will, we shall never find a man like this, who appears to have the Spirit of God, or "of the gods".
As he in his Heathenish way spoke, and which he concluded from his vast knowledge of things. Especially of things future, hence the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan interpret it, the spirit of prophecy from the Lord.
The Egyptians did not understand about the third person of the triune Godhead. They merely meant that God had assisted Joseph.
This was an interesting statement. Not only did Pharaoh agree, but his servants as well. The world can see the Lord in us, even if He is not their Lord. Spirit is capitalized, so this is the Holy Spirit.
Spirit filled Christians are ridiculed and put down by the world. When a crisis arises in their lives, these worldly people, who have made fun of them, will cry for help from spirit filled Christians. They know where the power is.
Genesis 41:39 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, [there is] none so discreet and wise as thou [art]:"
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph": After his servants had agreed to his being the man. At least Pharaoh had declared his mind that he should be the person. Which if any of them disliked, as probably might be the case of some through envy, and as desirous of the post themselves, yet dared not make any opposition to it.
"Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this": The interpretation of his dreams, what would be hereafter for fourteen years to come, what was advisable to be done for the good of the nation, and had proposed a plan so well contrived and formed.
"There is none so discreet and wise as thou art": And consequently, none so fit for this business, since he was so divinely qualified. Justin, the Heathen writer, observes that he had such knowledge and experience of things that his answers seemed to be given not from men, but from God.
Verses 40-41: There has been some question as to the exact position Joseph held in the royal court. Some think he was merely an important official with considerable power. Others believe he was a vizier or prime minister. He was set as chief steward over Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 41:40 "Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou."
"Thou shall be over my house": Have the care of his domestic affairs, and be the principal man in his palace and court.
"And according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled": Not only in his family, but in his whole kingdom. Whatever he ordered and commanded them to do, they should it, or "all my people shall kiss", that is, either their hand at the sight of him, or meeting him, in token of respect and veneration shall yield a ready and cheerful obedience to him, of which the kiss was a sign (see Psalm 2:12).
The Targum of Onkelos renders it, "shall be fed", supplied with corn, and with all necessary provisions, and so Jarchi interprets it; which is restraining it to that part of his office which concerned the gathering and laying up their stores for time to come.
"Only in the throne will I be greater than thou": That is, he alone would be king, wear the crown sit upon the throne, and have all the ensigns of royal majesty, in which Joseph was to have no share. Otherwise he was to have an executive power and authority over all his subjects in the land, even to bind his princes at pleasure, and to teach, instruct, and direct his senators (Psalm 105:21).
Genesis 41:41 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt."
"Set thee over all the land of Egypt": The country-wide jurisdiction accorded to Joseph receives frequent mention in the narrative (verses 43-44, 46, 55; 42:6; 45:8).
Joseph was in command over "all the land of Egypt" (verses 41, 43-44, 55, 42:6; 45:8); and he was directly responsible and subordinate only to Pharaoh (verse 40).
Other Asiatics were known to have achieved similar eminence in Egypt's government in the second millennium B.C.
God had raised Joseph from prison to being number two man in all of Egypt. Here again, Pharaoh realized that God was directing Joseph in all that he did.
Genesis Chapter 41 Questions
1. How many years after Joseph interpreted the butler's dream, did Pharaoh dream?
2. How many fat-fleshed kine did Pharaoh dream of?
3. How many lean-fleshed kine did he dream of?
4. The second dream was about what?
5. How many dreams affected Joseph, before Pharaoh's dream about the corn?
6. What river was worshipped in Egypt?
7. What was Pharaoh's second dream verification of?
8. What happened to Pharaoh that had happened to the butler and baker after the dreams?
9. What did the butler confess to Pharaoh?
10. Who had interpreted their dreams?
11. What did Pharaoh do when he heard this?
12. What did Joseph do before coming before Pharaoh?
13. Who had Pharaoh tried to get answers from?
14. When Pharaoh told Joseph he heard he could interpret dreams, what did Joseph say?
15. What did Joseph say about the two dreams?
16. The seven kine and the seven ears were what?
17. Where was the first mention of the famine?
18. What lesson can we learn from this today?
19. Joseph stresses what over and over?
20. Even if seems silly at times, what must we do when God tells us something?
21. When we tell people of tribulations about to come on the earth, we must, also, offer what?
22. Egypt's wisest men did not have an answer to the problem, they are not even smart enough for what?
23. How did Pharaoh accept Joseph's suggestion?
24. What did Pharaoh realize Joseph had within?
25. Who did Pharaoh choose to carry out the plans?
26. What position did Joseph have now?
Genesis 41:42 "And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;"
"Ring ... vestures ... gold chain": Emblems of office and a reward of clothing and jewelry suitable to the new rank accompanied Pharaoh's appointment of Joseph as vizier, or prime minister, the second-in-command (verse 40; 45:8, 26). Joseph wore the royal seal on his finger, authorizing him to transact the affairs of state on behalf of Pharaoh himself.
Verses 43-45: Other awards appropriate to promotion were also bestowed upon Joseph, namely official and recognizable transportation (verse 43), an Egyptian name (verse 45), and an Egyptian wife (verse 45). Further, the populace was commanded to show deference for their vizier (verse 43, "Bow the knee").
All these dreams had been revealed by God, in a rare display of manifesting truth through pagans, so that Joseph would be established in Egypt as a leader and, thus elevated, could be used for the preservation of God's people when the famine came to Canaan. Thus, God cared for His people and fulfilled His promises (see note on 45:1-8).
Genesis 41:43 "And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him [ruler] over all the land of Egypt."
"In the second chariot": This signified to all that Joseph was second-in-command.
Pharaoh had Joseph ride "in the second chariot".
Thutmose III gave the following charge to his newly appointed vizier: "Look thou to this office of vizier. Be vigilant over everything that is done in it. Behold, it is the support of the entire land. Behold, as to the vizierate, behold, it is not sweet at all, behold, it is bitter as gall.
God can and will elevate His own to the heights, if they are humble and obedient to Him. This ring of the Pharaoh's meant more than a valuable gift. This was a signet ring. This was the seal of the king. This ring gave Joseph great authority.
The fine linen (probably white), was a priestly robe. Pharaoh had noticed God's hand in Joseph's work. The gold chain was worn by people of great distinction. Now, Joseph was over Potiphar. These Egyptians were to bow to Joseph. We can see all through this a type and shadow of Christ.
Genesis 41:44 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I [am] Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh": Or I am king, which the word Pharaoh signifies.
As Josephus says; that this is not a proper name, but a title of office, seems plain from these words. And the sense either is, that though Pharaoh had raised Joseph to such high honor and dignity, yet he alone was king. Or this he said to show his power and authority to do what he had done, and would stand by him, and support him in his office and grandeur.
"And without thee shall not a man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt": Which is to be taken not in a strict literal sense, but proverbially, signifying, that nothing should be done in the nation of any moment or importance, but what was by his order and authority.
Genesis 41:45 "And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over [all] the land of Egypt."
"And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah": This name probably means "The salvation of the world", but various other proposals have also been suggested certainty of that meaning still eludes scholars. Foreigners are known to have been assigned an Egyptian name.
Which, according to the paraphrase of Onkelos, signifies one to whom hidden things are revealed. Or, as Jonathan: a revealer of secrets. And so most of the Jewish writers explain it; and which seems to be given him from his interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, and revealing what was hereafter to come to pass.
"And he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah": not the same with Potiphar, Joseph's master, as Jarchi says, not only their names differ, but also their offices. Nor would Joseph, it is imagined, marry the daughter of such a woman, so wicked as his mistress was, and had so much abused him, and been the cause of all his troubles.
She was an Egyptian woman, the daughter of the person before named: who was priest of On. The same with Aven (See Ezek. 30:17). About twenty two miles from Memphis.
And has been since called "Heliopolis", as it is here in the Septuagint version, which signifies the city of the sun, and is the same with Bethshemesh; the house of the sun (Jer. 43:13).
"And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt": Either the name and fame of him, as Aben Ezra interprets it (see Matthew 4:24); or rather he himself went forth in all his grandeur before related, and took a tour, throughout the whole land to observe the fruitfulness of it, and make choice of proper places to lay up his intended stores.
"Zaphnath-paaneah" means the salvation of the world. "Asenath" means she who is of Neith.
This daughter was of a family of a priestly order. These Egyptians were sun worshippers. This wife, however, was believed by many to be a Hebrew. Joseph's power was not localized. It was for all of Egypt.
Genesis 41:46 "And Joseph [was] thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt."
"And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt": Interpreting his dreams, and had such honor conferred upon him as to be made his prime minister; from whence it appears that Joseph had now been thirteen years in Egypt, partly in Potiphar's house, and partly in prison, since he was seventeen years of age when he was sold there (see Gen. 37:2).
(1884 B.C.). Only 13 years had elapsed since his involuntary departure from "the land of the Hebrews" (40:15). Joseph had been 17 when the narrative commenced (37:2).
"And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh": From standing before him, and ministering to him as his counsellor and chief statesman, or he went out from his court and palace for a while.
"And went throughout all the land of Egypt": This seems to be a second tour; before he went to survey the land, and pitch upon the most proper places for granaries to lay up store of corn in. Now he went through it, to gather in and give directions about it, and see it performed, for the years of plenty were now begun.
Here again, is a type of Jesus. Jesus was thirty years old when He began his ministry. Joseph began this work when he was thirty, both on orders from God.
Genesis 41:47 "And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls."
"And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls": Such as the gatherers take up in their hands when reaped, in order to bind up in sheaves. Now such was the fruitfulness of the land during the seven years of plenty, that either one stalk produced as many ears as a man could hold in his hand; or one grain produced a handful, as Ben Melech observes.
Though Onkelos paraphrases the words, "the inhabitants of the earth in the seven years of plenty gathered even into their treasuries". And this they did by the order and direction of Joseph as he passed through the land. What he bought of them that they brought, and put into the granaries, as he directed them.
Genesis 41:48 "And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which [was] round about every city, laid he up in the same."
"And he gathered up all the food of the seven years": That is, of plenty; not all the fruits of the earth, or all that was eatable, but the corn (as in Genesis 41:49). And not all of that the earth produced, but the fifth part of it, as he proposed, which he bought with Pharaoh's money, and therefore: had a right to sell it again as he did.
"Which were in the land of Egypt": In which only he had a concern, and where only was this plenty.
"And laid up the food in the cities": In places built for that purpose, and whither the people roundabout could easily bring it, and fetch it, when it was wanted.
"The food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same": Which was very wisely done, for present carriage, and for the convenience of the people in time of famine.
At this day, at old Cairo, is an edifice the most considerable in it, called Joseph's granary. It occupies a square, surrounded by a wall, and has different partitions contrived within it, where is deposited the corn, that is paid as a tax to the Gram Seignior, brought from different parts of Egypt.
Joseph had a chance to carry out the plans he had outlined to Pharaoh. The crops were plentiful. Joseph began to store up for the famine ahead.
Genesis 41:49 "And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for [it was] without number."
"And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering": At first he took an account of the quantities that were bought and laid up, how much there was in each granary, until it amounted to so much, that there was no end of numbering it. It was like the sand of the sea, a hyperbolical expression, denoting the great abundance of it.
"For it was without number": Not only the grains of corn, but even the measures of it, whatever were used.
Genesis 41:50 "And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him."
"And unto Joseph were born two sons": The word for "born" is singular; hence Ben Melech conjectures that they were twins.
"Before the years of famine came": Or "the year of famine"; meaning the first year.
"Which Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bare unto him": Which is observed, to show that he had them by his lawful wife.
Artapanus says, that Joseph married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, by whom he had children; and another Heathen writer mentions their names, Ephraim and Manasseh.
"On": One of the 4 great Egyptian cities also called Heliopolis, which was known as the chief city of the sun god, Ra. It was located 19 miles north of ancient Memphis.
Joseph had made good progress, now he had two sons.
Verses 51-52: "Manasseh ... Ephraim": the names, meaning "forgetful" and "fruitful," assigned to his sons together with their explanations depict the centrality of God in Joseph's world view. Years of suffering, pagan presence, and separation from his own family had not harmed his faith.
Genesis 41:51 "And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, [said he], hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house."
Joseph had two sons, "Manasseh" and "Ephraim." His firstborn's name means "One Who Causes Me to Forget." The reference to all his "toil, and all my father's house" only meant that the hardship brought upon him by his brothers was a thing of the past.
Joseph had been in Egypt over thirteen years. Joseph had put all the trials and problems of these years behind him. Everything was going fine. In good times and bad, Joseph praised God. He had even forgotten the hurt of his brothers' selling him.
Genesis 41:52 "And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."
Ephraim, meaning "Fruitful," signified "God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction".
What a sweet, pleasant, and thankful spirit he showed in interpreting the events that had transpired in his life! The fulfillment of Pharaoh's prophetic dreams set the stage for the final scene in the fulfillment of Joseph's own dreams.
"Manasseh" means causing to forget. "Ephraim" means double fruit.
Genesis 41:53 "And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended."
"And the seven years of plenteousness that was in the land of Egypt were ended": Perhaps quickly after the birth of Ephraim, Joseph's second son. Since the account follows upon that, and it is certain that he was born before the years of famine began (Gen. 41:50).
Some connect the words, "moreover when" the seven years of plenty were ended, then began, as follows, seven years of famine. These events were fulfilled just as Joseph had predicted.
Verses 54-57: Use of hyperbole with "all" (verses 54, 56-57), emphatically indicates the widespread ravaging impact of famine far beyond Egypt's borders. She had become indeed the "breadbasket" of the ancient world.
Genesis 41:54 "And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread."
"And the seven years of dearth began to come, as Joseph had said": In the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams; as soon as the seven years of plenty were over, there were quickly some appearances of the famine coming on.
As particularly the river Nile was not flowing to its usual height at the season of it. Hence there was a drought, the earth was parched, and everything began to wither and decay, and the seed that was sown sprung not up.
"And the dearth was in all lands": Adjoining to Egypt, as Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Canaan, etc.
"But in all the land of Egypt there was bread": Which was in the hands of everyone, and remained of their old stores in the years of plenty not yet exhausted, and which continued for some time after the dearth began.
This famine was not just in Egypt, it was in all the surrounding countries, as well. There was food in Egypt, because Joseph prepared by following God's orders.
Verses 55-56: "Go unto Joseph": After 7 years, Joseph's authority remained intact, and Pharaoh still fully trusted his vizier. He dispensed the food supplies by sale to Egyptians and others (verse 47).
Genesis 41:55 "And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do."
"And when all the land of Egypt was famished": Their old stock and store eaten up, and the inhabitants ready to starve with hunger.
"The people cried to Pharaoh for bread": As their common father, and knowing that he had stores of provision laid up in all cities against this time.
"And Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, go unto Joseph": Whom he had appointed over this business of providing and laying up corn against this time, and of distributing it.
"What he saith to you, do": Give the price for the corn he fixes or requires; for this was the principal thing they had to do with him, to get corn for their money.
Pharaoh had given this authority to Joseph. He would not overrule Joseph.
Genesis 41:56 "And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt."
"And the famine was over all the face of the earth": Not over the whole world, but the land of Egypt; all the inhabitants of it were pinched with it, rich and poor; it reached all parts and all sorts of men.
"And Joseph opened all the storehouses": In the several cities throughout the land where he had laid up corn.
"And sold unto the Egyptians": For, as he had bought it with Pharaoh's money, it was no injustice to sell it; and as it could be sold at a moderate price, and yet Pharaoh get enough by it, being bought cheap in a time of plenty, no doubt but Joseph, who was a kind and benevolent man, sold it at such a price.
"And the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt": There being no overflow of the Nile year after year, and nothing left of the old stock but what was in the storehouses.
Not only had Joseph saved food for Egypt's people, he now was adding to Pharaoh's wealth. He was selling food to starving people.
Genesis 41:57 "And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the famine was [so] sore in all lands."
"And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn": All the neighboring nations (Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Canaan, etc.), when they heard there was corn there for money, came from all parts for it, and were glad to get it at such expense and trouble.
"Because that the famine was so sore in all lands": That there was no bread to be got for money elsewhere. It is thought by many, that for this care of Joseph in laying up provision against this time of need, and which was the preservation of the Egyptians.
He was worshipped by them under various names; as the Apis, which was an ox, a sign of fruitfulness; and Serapis, sometimes figured as a young man carrying a basket of bread on his head; and Osiris, who is sometimes represented with a bushel on his head
However, this is certain, that he was an eminent type of Christ in all this, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. As Joseph was wrongly charged by his mistress, so was Christ falsely accused by the Jews; as he was cast into prison and bound there, so Christ was taken and bound as a prisoner.
As Joseph was raised to great honor and glory in Pharaoh's court, so Christ was exalted by his Father, and crowned with glory and honor. If the new name given him, "Zaphnath-paaneah", signifies the Savior of the world, as some interpret it, it agrees well with Christ, who was sent into the world for that purpose.
And indeed, if it means a revealer of secrets, it suits him, who hath declared his Father's mind and will, and revealed the mysteries of his grace to the sons of men. As Joseph had all the stores of corn under his care, and the needy were bid to go to him for it, so Christ has all the treasures of grace in his hand, and all that are sensible of their need of it are directed to go to him for it.
And it is from him that men of all nations and countries receive grace for grace, and have all their supplies, and spiritual sustenance and nourishment.
Joseph was feeding many countries around Egypt and making money for the Pharaoh. We will see in the next lesson, that the dream Joseph had many years ago, about the sun, moon, and stars bowing before Joseph, would indeed come true.
Genesis Chapter 41 Continued Questions
1. What was the first gift Pharaoh gave Joseph?
2. What great signification was this?
3. What was the second gift?
4. What special meaning did this gift have?
5. What was the third gift?
6. God will elevate His own, if they will do what two things?
7. Joseph was now over the man that once owned him. Name him.
8. Without Joseph, no one in the land could do what?
9. What was Joseph's wife's name?
10. Who was she the daughter of?
11. The new name Pharaoh gave Joseph meant what?
12. "Asenath" Means what?
13. How old was Joseph when he became second in command?
14. In the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth ___________?
15. What did Joseph gather like the sand of the sea?
16. How many sons did Joseph have?
17. What was the name of the first born?
18. What does it mean?
19. What was the name of the second born?
20. What does this name mean?
21. In all times, Joseph does what?
22. Where did the famine extend to?
23. Why was there food in Egypt?
24. What did Joseph require when they came for food?
25. The famine was severe, what people came for food?
Verses 1-3: Jacob's sons were paralyzed in the famine, and Jacob was reluctant to let his family return to Egypt, not knowing what would happen to them (verse 4). But, with no other choice left, he dispatched them to buy grain in Egypt (verse 2).
Genesis 42:1 "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?"
"Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt": That is, to be sold there, or otherwise it being there, unless it could be bought, would have been of no avail to foreigners. Wherefore the Septuagint version is that there was a sale there, a sale of corn.
The word has the signification of "breaking" in it, because that bread corn is broke in the mill, or is broken from the heap when sold or distributed, or because when eaten it breaks the fast.
Now Jacob had either seen persons passing by with corn, of which he inquired from whence they had it, who replied, from Egypt. Or he understood by the report of others that corn was to be bought there. Though some of the Jewish writers would have it, as Jarchi observes; that he saw it by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
"Jacob said unto, his sons, why do ye look one upon another?" Like persons in surprise, distress and despair, at their wits' end. Not knowing what to do, what course to take, and which way to turn themselves, and scarce able to speak to one another, and consult with each other what was proper to be done.
For it seems not so agreeable that they should be charged as idle persons, careless and unconcerned, indifferent and inactive. Rather, if the other sense is not acceptable, the meaning may be, "why do ye look?" here and there, in the land of Canaan, where it is to no purpose to look for corn. Look where it is to be had.
Genesis 42:2 "And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die."
"And he said, behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt": This explains what is meant by the phrase he saw, one sense being put for another.
"Get ye down thither": As fast as you can without delay. Egypt lay lower than Canaan, and therefore they are bid to go down, as when they went from there to Canaan they are said to go up (Gen. 45:25).
"And buy for us from thence, that we may live, and not die": Which shows the famine was very pressing, since, unless they could buy corn from Egypt they could not live, but must die.
The fame of Egypt's great fortune had spread. Word had filtered back even to Joseph's family, that there was food for sale in Egypt. Suddenly nothing was important, except finding food to keep their families alive.
Now this family had not heard from Joseph in twenty years. The brothers assumed that Joseph was dead by now. They had forgotten that they sent Joseph to be sold into Egypt. Of course, the father had been convinced that Joseph was dead.
Genesis 42:3 "And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt."
"And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt": They obeyed their father's orders, and immediately set out for Egypt. "Ten" of them went down in a body together, all but Benjamin, so that it is easily reckoned who they were, and they are called not Jacob's sons, as they were.
But Joseph's brethren, whom they had sold into Egypt, and to whom now they were going, though they knew it not, to buy corn of him in their necessity. And to whom they would be obliged to yield obeisance, as they did.
Genesis 42:4 "But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him."
"Benjamin" (see 35:16-19). He was the youngest of all, the second son of Rachel, Jacob's beloved, and the favorite of his father since he thought Joseph was dead.
The "Mischief" that Jacob had in mind certainly was a fear that something similar to what happened to Joseph might happen to Benjamin. It is hard to determine Joseph's real motive in testing his brothers. Most scholars feel that Joseph was not being vindictive, but was engaged merely in official probing and testing.
However, Joseph's manner, coupled with the numerous tests through which he put his brothers, gives the distinct impression that he was humbling his previously arrogant brothers (verses 6-14).
Genesis 42:5 "And the sons of Israel came to buy [corn] among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan."
"And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came": Either among the Egyptians that came to buy, or among those who came from different countries, or rather particularly among the Canaanites, as the Targum of Jonathan. With these they might join upon the road, and go together in a body where the market for corn was.
"For the famine was in the land of Canaan": This obliged the inhabitants of it as well as Jacob's family to seek for corn elsewhere; and confirms the sense of the preceding clause. This, though a very fruitful land, yet when God withheld a blessing from it, it became barren, as it had been before (Gen. 12:10).
And was to try the faith of those good men to whom God had given it, and to wean their hearts from being set upon it, and to put them upon seeking a better country, as they did.
What a surprising turn of events. Here these, who sold him, were coming for help. Note ten brethren. "Ten" means world government. Jacob had lost his favorite son, Joseph. He was not about to risk the life of his only other son, Benjamin, by his beloved Rachel.
These Hebrews would not have anything to do with Egyptians, if they had a choice.
Genesis 42:6 "And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth."
"Bowed down": Without their appreciating it at the time, Joseph's dream became reality (see 37:5-8). Recognition of Joseph was unlikely because:
(1) Over 15 years had elapsed and the teenager sold into slavery had become a mature adult;
(2) He had become Egyptian in appearance and dress;
(3) He treated them without a hint of familiarity (verses 7-8); and
(4) They thought he was dead (verse 13).
The fact that they "bowed down themselves before him" brings to mind the fulfillment of the dreams they had gone to great lengths to thwart (verse 9; 37:5-11).
Joseph's dream of the stars bowing to him had finally come true. Dreams we have from God may not instantly occur, but they will happen, if they are from God.
Genesis 42:7 "And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food."
"And Joseph saw his brethren": Among those that came to buy corn, and when they prostrated themselves before him.
"And he knew them": Some of them being at man's estate, and their beards grown when they sold him, and their habits and dress now being much the same it was then, and by them he knew the younger.
"But made himself strange unto them": Took no notice of them as his relations, but carried himself to them as he did to other foreigners, and yet more strangely.
"And spake roughly unto them": Or hard things or words; put on a stern countenance, and spoke with a high tone and in a rough surly manner to them.
"And he said unto them, whence come ye?" Who are ye? Of what country are ye? What is your business here?
"And they said, from the land of Canaan to buy food": Which they could not get in Canaan, the famine being there so great.
You must remember, Joseph was just a lad of seventeen when his brothers sold him. He, probably, had changed considerably. First of all, he was not dressed as a Hebrew. He would have an Egyptian hair style, as well.
Just maturity changes one's looks from age seventeen to thirty seven. He has every right to throw them in jail and the authority to do so. He chose not to. Even if they thought they might see him, they would not expect him to be a ruler.
Genesis 42:8 "And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him": It being about twenty two years since they saw him, and then he was young, and his beard not grown, as now it was. And besides, he was clothed as a prince, and spoke the Egyptian language.
And being in such great grandeur and splendor, and in such power and authority, and having such a retinue attending him, they never once thought of him, whom they supposed might be dead. Having never heard of him all this time; or, however, it could not come into their minds, that he whom they sold for a slave could ever be governor of the land of Egypt.
This was another shadow of Jesus. Jesus brethren rejected him and cast him out, but when he comes again, every knee will bow. The Bible says, this time He is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. His physical family will not recognize Him. Spiritual Israel will know Him.
Verses 9-22: The brothers' final evaluation after being imprisoned for 3 days, after protesting the charge of espionage, and after hearing the royal criterion for establishing their innocence (verses 15, 20), revealed their guilty conscience and their understanding that vengeance for their wrongdoing to Joseph had probably arrived (verses 21-22).
Calling themselves "honest men" (verse 10), was hardly an accurate assessment.
Genesis 42:9 "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye [are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come."
"And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them": Joseph remembered his boyhood dreams about his brothers bowing down to him (37:9), as they were coming true.
Their bowing and prostrating themselves before him brought to his remembrance his dreams of their sheaves making obeisance to his, and of the sun, moon, and eleven stars, doing the same to him (Gen. 37:7).
"And said unto them, ye are spies": Not believing they were, nor absolutely asserting that they were such. But this he said to try them, and what they would say for themselves, and in order to lead on to further discourse with them, and to get knowledge of his father and brother Benjamin, whether living or not.
He dealt with them as a judge on the bench, when examining persons, whose charges have the nature of an interrogation, as this has: "ye are spies"; are ye not? Surely ye must be, and unless you give a better account of yourselves, I must take you as such.
"To see the nakedness of the land ye are come": What parts of it are weakest, most defenseless, and less fortified, and most easy to break in at, and invade the land.
And it was not without reason that the Egyptians might suspect the neighboring nations round about them, being in distress, and hearing of corn in Egypt, of forming a plan of coming upon them and taking away their corn by force. And might be the reason why foreigners that came to buy corn were brought before Joseph and examined by him.
Genesis 42:10 "And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come."
"And they said unto him, nay, my lord": One in the name of the rest, or each in his turn, denying that they were spies, and addressing him with the greatest reverence and submission, calling him their lord, and thus further accomplishing his dreams.
"But to buy food are thy servants come": That and no other was the errand they came upon.
Genesis 42:11 "We [are] all one man's sons; we [are] true [men], thy servants are no spies."
"We are all one man's sons": Therefore, not likely to be spies. It could hardly be thought that a single family should engage in such an affair; or that one man would, send his sons as spies. Especially all of them, as that being a dangerous affair; and they being liable to be taken up and put to death.
And as more families than one must be concerned in such an enterprise, it is reasonable to suppose, that if they had been spies they would have been of different families. And also not together, but in different parts of the kingdom, to observe the fittest place to enter in at and execute their plan.
"We are true men": That spoke truth when they said they came to buy corn. Were honest, upright, and sincere in what they said, nor would they, nor durst they, tell a lie.
"Thy servants are no spies": This they expressed in the strongest terms, and with the fullest assurance they could, detesting the charge and character of being spies.
They deserved this rough treatment that Joseph was giving them. We can see shadows of Jesus in this situation. Jesus fed the multitude. Joseph was feeding the multitudes that did not have food.
Genesis 42:12 "And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come."
"And he said unto them, nay": This argument will not do, I am not to be put off with such words as these. If you can produce no better proof of your being honest men than this, or give no better account of yourselves, I must abide by it.
"To see the nakedness of the land ye are come": This he urged in order to get a further account from them of their family and the state of it, which he was anxious to know.
Genesis 42:13 "And they said, Thy servants [are] twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest [is] this day with our father, and one [is] not."
"And they said, thy servants are twelve brethren": Or rather, "were twelve", since one afterwards is said not to be.
"The sons of one man in the land of Canaan": Of Jacob, who dwelt there; this is said with the same view as before, to show the improbability of their being spies.
"And, behold, the youngest is this day with our father": Meaning Benjamin, whom Joseph was eager to hear of, and no doubt was glad to hear he was alive, and his father also, and that they were both together in the land of Canaan.
"And one is not": Is not in the land of the living, is dead; for so they thought Joseph was, who was the person intended; as appears from what both Reuben and Judah afterwards say (Gen. 42:22). Yet he was before them, and was the person they were speaking to. This must be very striking and affecting to Joseph, who knew full well they meant him.
Genesis 42:14 "And Joseph said unto them, That [is it] that I spake unto you, saying, Ye [are] spies:"
"And Joseph said unto them, that is it that I spake unto you, saying, ye are spies": This proves it, at least gives strong suspicion of it. Since at first they seemed to speak of themselves, as if they were the only sons of one man and there were no more.
Now they speak of twelve, and make mention of one being at home with his father. But seeing that he sent so many of them, why not all? Why should one only be left at home?
Genesis 42:15 "Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither."
"Hereby ye shall be proved": Whether spies, or not, namely, by producing their youngest brother, said to be at home with his father.
"By the life of Pharaoh": Speaking an oath in the name of the king would most likely have masked Joseph's identity from the brother. Perhaps it also prevented them from grasping the significance of his declaration, "I fear God" (verse 18).
This custom of swearing by the life of their king, or by his head, continued with the Egyptians, as Aben Ezra says, unto his times; though some take this to be a wish or prayer for the life of Pharaoh, and render it, "may Pharaoh live".
Or, at most, but a strong emphatic declaration, that as dear as the life of Pharaoh was to him, so surely they should not stir from the place where they were, unless their youngest brother Benjamin was brought there.
"Except your youngest brother come hither": Joseph wanted to find out if they had done the same or a similar thing to Benjamin as to himself.
Genesis 42:16 "Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether [there be any] truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye [are] spies."
"Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother": He proposes that one of them might be sent by them to their father's house, and bring Benjamin down to Egypt.
"And ye shall be kept in prison": The rest of them till he came. The experience of being put "in prison" caused the brothers to discuss their guilt concerning Joseph (verses 21-22), which may have been Joseph's purpose in testing them.
"That your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you": By this it would be seen whether they were men of truth and honesty or not; and should their brother be brought they would appear to be good men and true.
"Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies": Should not their brother they spoke of be produced, it would be a plain case that they were not the honest men they pretended to be, nor did they come merely to buy corn, but had an ill intention.
Genesis 42:17 "And he put them all together into ward three days."
"And he put them all together into ward three days": In order to consult together, and agree who should be sent to fetch their brother. And which it seems probable in this length of time they could not agree upon, no one caring to be the bringer of such evil tidings to their father.
Joseph was giving them a little taste of the suffering that he had for so long. Somewhere along the line, they must repent of their wicked ways, and ask Joseph to forgive them.
Genesis 42:18 "And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; [for] I fear God:"
"And Joseph said unto them the third day": His heart yearning towards them, though he put on such an appearance. Finding they could not come to an agreement among themselves who should go on the errand, he thought fit to recede from his former order, and to give them another.
"This do, and live": Meaning what he was about to say to them, which if they punctually observed and performed, it would be the means of saving their lives.
"For I fear God": And therefore, would not do either an unjust or cruel thing. This might have given them an idea of who he was. But there being among the Gentiles, in all nations, some few that feared God, they took no further notice of it than this, that they might expect just and equitable dealings by him.
Since, though he was in such a high place, he knew and owned there was one higher than he, to whom he was accountable.
Verses 19-20: "If ye be true men": Joseph took their assessment of themselves at face value when exhorting them to respond to his proposals, but still asked for a hostage.
Genesis 42:19 "If ye [be] true [men], let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:"
"If ye be true men": As you say you are.
"Let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison": Agree among yourselves which of you (for one of you must), remain in prison where you are, and the rest being set at liberty.
"Go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses": Joseph, though he dealt with them after this manner to get what knowledge he could of his family, and to get sight of his brother.
Yet was concerned for the good of them and theirs, lest they should be in extreme want through the famine, and that they might have a speedy supply of corn, was not willing to detain them any longer.
Genesis 42:20 "But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so."
"But bring your youngest brother unto me": Upon their return for more corn.
"So shall your words be verified": That they were true men, and had no ill design upon the land, but were come only to buy corn.
"And ye shall not die": As spies, which they were otherwise threatened with; and as it is customary in all nations to put such to death when found out.
"And they did so": They left one of their brethren behind; they carried corn to their houses or families in Canaan, and brought their brother Benjamin with them when they returned to Egypt.
This may seem cruel, but we must remember what happened to him. This was not vengeance; this was teaching them a lesson. Joseph was in the dungeon approx. three years, so he allowed them to spend three days.
He still was concerned about their families, and sent them corn. They should have realized who he was, when he said "I fear God." They were not expecting to see Joseph, so they didn't notice.
Genesis 42:21 "And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us."
"And they said one to another": Before they went out of the prison, at least while in the presence of Joseph.
"We are verily guilty concerning our brother": Meaning Joseph, whom they had sold for a slave, and who they supposed was dead through grief and hard servitude. Now being in trouble their selves, it brings to mind the sin they had been guilty of, which, though committed twenty two years ago, was still fresh in their memories, and lay heavy on their consciences.
For length of time neither makes sin less, nor the conscience lighter, when it is revived and charged home upon it, and which was aggravated particularly by the following circumstance.
"In that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear": The brothers had steeled their hearts when selling Joseph to the Midianites (37:28-29), but they could not forget the fervent pleading and terror-filled voice of the teenager dragged away as a slave from home. Reuben reminded them of his warning at that time and the consequence.
When in the utmost agony, with trembling limbs, and quivering lips, and floods of tears, as they stripped him of his coat, he most earnestly and importunately requested of them they would not put him into the pit, and leave him there.
And in the same manner entreated them they would not put him into the hands of strangers, but restore him alive to his father; but they turned a deaf ear to all his cries and entreaties, and hardened themselves against him.
"Therefore is this distress come upon us": The same measure that was measured by them to him was now measured to them again. They cast Joseph into a pit, and now they were committed to a prison.
They would not attend to his cries and tears, and the anguish of his soul did not move their pity, and now he is unremitting to them, and will not at least appear to have any compassion on them, or show pity to them; and perhaps their being dealt with in this similar way brought to their remembrance what they had done.
They suddenly realized this was punishment for what they did to Joseph. They still did not know that this was Joseph. The first step to salvation is being convicted in our hearts of our sins. We must know we have sinned, before we ask forgiveness.
Genesis 42:22 "And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required."
"And Reuben answered them": Being the eldest, and who had been most concerned for the life of Joseph, and most tender and careful of him.
"Saying, spake I not unto you, saying, do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear?" It seems by this that Reuben endeavored to dissuade his brethren from selling Joseph, when they first proposed it, to which they would not listen.
Since it is certain they did hearken to him as not to kill him directly, as they first decided, and they hearkened to him to cast him into a pit, where he did not intend he should continue, but till he had an opportunity of taking him out, and returning him to his father.
But it seems probable that Reuben was with them when they first spied the Ishmaelites, and proposed to sell Joseph to them, which he objected to, and entreated they would not do it. Perhaps he went out from them, and took a walk, with a view to get to the pit and take Joseph out, but before he got there his brethren had taken him out, and sold him.
Or this may refer to the general advice he always gave them, to do nothing that might endanger the life of Joseph, or be the means of his death, which selling him for a slave he supposed had been.
"Therefore, behold, also, his blood is required": The Targum of Jonathan adds, "of us"; they were accessories to his death, and guilty of it. For Reuben supposed he was dead, and now they must suffer for it, as a just retaliation, being threatened with death unless they could clear themselves.
This declaration referred to the death penalty (9:5).
Genesis 42:23 "And they knew not that Joseph understood [them]; for he spake unto them by an interpreter."
"And they knew not that Joseph understood them": For what is above related they spoke in his presence and hearing. But speaking to one another in the Hebrew language, and he being an Egyptian, as they took him to be, they did not imagine that he could understand them. Therefore, were not at all upon their guard in what they said.
"For he spake unto them by an interpreter": Which he the rather chose to do, that they might have no suspicion of him; and which shows, that though there was a likeness between the Hebrew language and the Egyptian in many things. Yet in some they differed, and the difference was such that there was need of an interpreter, where the parties did not understand both languages.
This interpreter between Joseph and his brethren, according to the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, was Manasseh, the eldest son of Joseph, and so Jarchi; which is very improbable, he being but a child at this time, if not an infant (see Gen. 41:50).
Joseph was aware of their repentant heart. He still had not revealed himself to them.
Genesis 42:24 "And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes."
"And he turned himself about from them, and wept": Hearing his brethren confess their sin and guilt to one another in selling him, and Reuben's affectionate concern for him, it worked so much upon his affections, being naturally of a tender spirit, that he could no longer act the part he had, and keep up the sternness and severity of his countenance.
Certainly this does not characterize a man of hate.
Wherefore he turned his face from them, that they might not discern it, and his back upon them, and went into another room. After he had given vent to his passion, and composed himself.
"And returned to them again, and communed with them": Upon the same subject, of going with their corn to Canaan, and bringing their youngest brother with them upon their return, and promising moreover, for their encouragement, a free traffic in the land of Egypt (Gen. 42:34).
"And took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes": He kept hostage not Reuben the firstborn, but Simeon, the oldest brother, who willingly participated in the crime against Joseph (37:21-31).
Who perhaps was the most cruel and hardhearted among them; and it appears from the affair of Shechem, that he was a man of a fierce and bloody disposition. According to Jarchi, it was he that said to Levi, on sight of Joseph, behold this dreamer cometh; and that it was he that cast him into the pit.
And, as the Targum says, advised to kill him: and perhaps Joseph might cast fear upon him as the hostage, not only because he had used him more evilly than the rest, but because he might observe he was less concerned, and not so much humbled now for the evil he had done as the rest were.
As also he might choose to detain him, as being not so much in his father's affection, because of the affair of Shechem, and so be a less affliction to him than if it was another. Besides, he might fear that being of a perverse and boisterous disposition, he would vehemently oppose the sending of Benjamin into Egypt, which Joseph was so very desirous of.
And he bound him in their presence to terrify them, and let them know what they must expect if they did not obey his orders, and the more to humble them for the sin they had been guilty of. It was now upon their minds; though perhaps, as Jarchi observes, when they were gone he let him out, and gave him food and drink. Or however might give him some liberty, and use him with mildness and gentleness.
Joseph could not contain himself. His compassion was great, but he had to continue to teach them a lesson. He would just go into another room, and they could not see him crying for them.
Genesis 42:25 "Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them."
"Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn": Which was as much as they came for.
"And to restore every man's money into his sack": The money paid by each for his quantity of corn delivered to him, not into the person's hands, but to be put into his sack privately, and unknown to him.
"And to give them provision for the way": Sufficient both for themselves and for their cattle, that they might carry the whole of what corn they bought to their families
"And thus did he unto them": That is, not Joseph, but his steward or deputy, or however the servant that he gave the above order to.
Genesis 42:26 "And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence."
"And they laded their asses with the corn": Cattle very fit to carry burdens, and no doubt they had each of them one at least.
"And departed thence": From the place where Joseph was, and from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 42:27 "And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it [was] in his sack's mouth."
"And as one of them opened his sack": According to the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi, this was Levi; but Aben Ezra thinks it is more likely to be Reuben the firstborn, who was one, that is, the first of them.
"To give his ass provender in the inn": At which they lay very probably the first night of their journey; a good man regards the life of his beast, and takes care of that as well as of himself, and generally in the first place.
"He espied his money": The money which he paid for his corn.
"For, behold, it was in his sack's mouth": Just as he opened it.
Genesis 42:28 "And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, [it is] even in my sack: and their heart failed [them], and they were afraid, saying one to another, What [is] this [that] God hath done unto us?"
"God hath done unto us": Their guilty conscience and fear of vengeance from God surfaced again in this response to the money with which they had purchased the grain being returned and found in the one sack which had been opened. Later, upon discovering all their money had been returned, their fear increased even further (verse 35).
When they were on their way, one of them discovered his money: "And their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying ... what is this that God hath done unto us?"
Joseph's plan was working.
They recognized the cause of all this. It is interesting that salvation is a free gift. We cannot buy it. The salvation of these brothers and their families was free, too. Don't you know they were frightened by all of this? There is no way they could understand at this point.
Look to the spiritual through these brothers, and see the sinful and dying world. See through Joseph how God had provided a way out. We also, must seek God to see the way out of our situation. A repentant heart is the first step to receiving help.
Genesis 42:29 "And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,"
"And they came unto Jacob their father, unto the land of Canaan": Without being pursued and taken back, or detained in their journey as they might fear.
"And told him all that befell unto them": Chiefly what befell them while in Egypt.
Genesis 42:30 "The man, [who is] the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country."
"The man, who is the lord of the land": Of Egypt; not the king, but the deputy governor of it. Whose authority under Pharaoh was very great, and reached to the whole land, and all political affairs, and especially what related to the corn, and the sale of it.
"Spake roughly to us": Gave them hard words, and stern looks, and used them in a very rough manner (see Gen. 42:7).
"And took us for spies of the country": Laid such a charge against them, and treated them as such; or "gave" them, committed them to prison as such.
Genesis 42:31 "And we said unto him, We [are] true [men]; we are no spies:"
"And we said unto him, we are true men": Honest, upright men, not given to treacherous and treasonable practices, either in the country where they lived, or any other. They came to Egypt with no ill design upon the country, only to buy corn for the relief of their families in necessity.
"We are no spies": Or never were. They had never been guilty of such practices, and never charged with anything of that kind. They denied the charge, and detested the character.
Genesis 42:32 "We [be] twelve brethren, sons of our father; one [is] not, and the youngest [is] this day with our father in the land of Canaan."
"We be twelve brethren, sons of our father": All brethren by the father's side, though not by the mother's, and by one father; they had been twelve, and were so now, though they knew it not, supposing that one was dead, as is next observed.
"One is not; is not alive, but dead": The Targum of Jonathan is, "what is become of one we know not".
"And the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan" (see Gen. 42:13).
Genesis 42:33 "And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye [are] true [men]; leave one of your brethren [here] with me, and take [food for] the famine of your households, and be gone:"
"And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, hereby shall I know that you are true men": This will be a proof and demonstration of it.
"Leave one of your brethren here with me": As a hostage; they do not say "bound in the prison" (Gen. 42:19), as Joseph did, because that would grieve their father. At least would not tell him of it at once, lest it should too much affect him.
"And take food for the famine of your household, and be gone": That is, corn for the relief of their families, being distressed with a famine.
Genesis 42:34 "And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye [are] no spies, but [that] ye [are] true [men: so] will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land."
"And, bring your youngest brother unto me": Their brother Benjamin.
"Then shall I know that you are no spies, but that you are true men": He knew they were no spies now, but true, honest, upright men, with respect to any designs upon the country. But then he should own and acknowledge them to be such, having such plain proof that what they said was true.
"So will I deliver your brother": Their brother Simeon, who was left bound. Though this circumstance they also here studiously conceal from their father.
"And ye shall traffic in the land": Not only for corn, but for any other commodity Egypt furnished its neighbors with.
They reported to Jacob all that had happened.
Genesis 42:35 "And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money [was] in his sack: and when [both] they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid."
"And it came to pass, as they emptied their sacks": Both those in which were the corn they had bought, and those in which were their provender for their cattle, and provision for themselves.
"That, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack": The same purse, and the same pieces of money, gold or silver, they had paid to the steward.
"And when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid": The Targum of Jonathan adds, "because of Simeon, whom they had left there; fearing that they should be charged with theft or fraud, and that Simeon would be put to death.
They had opened their sacks before, and found their money in them, but put it up again as it was, in order to open them in their father's presence. From whom they thought proper to conceal this circumstance, lest he should blame them for not returning to the governor with their money upon the first notice of it, when they had travelled but one day's journey.
Wherefore they make no mention of it in the account of things that befell them, and express their surprise and fear upon finding it when they opened their sacks, as if they had known, nothing of it before; though it may be their fears were renewed and increased by what Jacob might observe to them, as the consequence of it, which they had not so thoroughly considered before.
Genesis 42:36 "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved [of my children]: Joseph [is] not, and Simeon [is] not, and ye will take Benjamin [away]: all these things are against me."
Jacob could not handle the prospect of losing another son, and didn't trust the brothers who had already divested him of two sons by what he may have thought were their intrigues.
"And ye will take Benjamin away": They were desirous of it, and what their design was he could not tell; he seems to have a strong suspicion that it was not good.
"All these things are against me": Against his will, his peace, and comfort, and happiness, though they were all working and would work as they did for his good, and for the good of his family, for the preservation of it during the seven years of famine. Or are "upon me", as heavy burdens, too heavy for him to bear, ready to sink him down to the earth.
The whole situation overwhelmed Jacob who complained against his sons (43:6), and would not release Benjamin (verse 38).
The father did not know the how or why, but his statement above shows he blamed the other sons with Joseph's apparent death.
Genesis 42:37 "And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again."
"And Reuben spoke unto his father": Being the eldest son, it most property lay upon him to make answer to his father in the name of his brethren, and to offer a word of comfort to him.
"Saying, slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee": Not meaning Simeon, who was in Egypt, but Benjamin, whom it was proposed to take there, and whom Jacob was very loath to part with. And to persuade him, Reuben offers to him, and gives him leave to slay his two sons, or rather two of his sons, since he had four (Gen. 46:9); if he did not bring Benjamin again to him.
This was a strange proposal, for what were two grandsons of his to his own son, so exceedingly beloved by him? Besides, to lose his own son, and to have two of his grandchildren slain, would have been an increase of his sorrow and grief, instead of being an alleviation of it. The always salutary Reuben generously made his father an offer easy to refuse, killing his grandsons!
But Reuben's meaning was, not that his children should be slain, but this he says, to show that he would be as careful and solicitous for the return of Benjamin as if the life of two sons of his lay at stake. He was so confident of it that he could risk the life of them upon it, which was as dear to him as one Benjamin was to his father.
"Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again": He undertook to be responsible for him.
Genesis 42:38 "And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave."
"And he said, my son shall not go down with you": He gives a peremptory denial; this was his then present resolution and determination.
"For his brother is dead; meaning Joseph, Benjamin's own brother by father and mother's side": Him he supposed to be dead, such circumstances being related and produced, which made it highly probable, and he had not heard anything of him for twenty two years.
"And he is left alone": Benjamin being the only surviving child of his dearly beloved Rachel, as he thought.
"If mischief befall him by the way in which ye go": That is, to Egypt, whether by thieves and robbers, or by the fatigue of the journey or by any means whatever, so that he loses his life. All the Targums interpret this mischief of death.
"Then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave": The sense is, should this be the case he should never lift up his head, or have any more comfort in this world, but should pass his time with continual sorrow until his gray head was laid in the grave, or till he came to the state of the dead.
Jacob had been so deeply hurt for over twenty years at the loss of Joseph. Now they were asking for the only other son of his beloved Rachel. All of this had deeply hurt Jacob, and he would not do it.
Genesis Chapter 42 Questions
1. Why did Jacob send to Egypt for corn?
2. Who did he send?
3. Which one stayed home?
4. What was the only important thing at this point?
5. How long had it been since these brothers had seen Joseph?
6. What position did Joseph hold in Egypt?
7. What fulfillment of prophecy occurred when the brothers came before Joseph?
8. Were they aware of who Joseph was?
9. Why?
10. Joseph being rejected by his brethren and being made ruler of
11. Egypt, was a type and shadow of whom?
12. Joseph told them they would not go forth until what happened?
13. How long did he imprison them?
14. Why did Joseph choose this amount of time?
15. What statement did Joseph make that should have revealed who he was?
16. When he released them, what did he require them to do?
17. If this was not vengeance on Joseph's part, what was it?
18. When do they suddenly realize their anguish is because of what they did to Joseph?
19. Why did they not know Joseph could understand what they said?
20. What emotional effect did this have on Joseph?
21. Besides the corn, what did Joseph restore?
22. When did they realize they had the second thing?
23. What is the first step to receiving forgiveness?
24. When they saw their father, what did they do?
25. When they emptied their sacks and found all the money, what did they feel?
26. What was Jacob's reaction when they asked to take Benjamin?
27. What did Reuben offer as security to prove he would bring Benjamin back?
28. Would Jacob let him go?
Genesis 43:1 "And the famine [was] sore in the land."
"And the famine was sore in the land": In the land of Canaan; it increased yet more and more: this is observed for the sake of what follows, showing the reason and necessity of Jacob's sons taking a second journey into Egypt.
Genesis 43:2 "And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food."
"And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt": Which, in so numerous a family as Jacob's was, having so many children, grandchildren, and servants, what nine men on so many asses could bring with them must be consumed in a short time, how long cannot be said.
No doubt they lived sparingly on it in such a time of scarcity, to make it last as long as they could, and perhaps only he, his children and grandchildren, might eat of it.
The servants, as Calvin observes, might live on lessor food, as acorns, herbs, and roots. And it must not be thought that all this corn was eaten up entirely, and none left, but the far greater part of it, and but very little remaining. Otherwise, how should Jacob, and his sons' wives and children be supported until the return of his sons from Egypt with fresh provisions?
Indeed it may be supposed, that the land of Canaan produced some corn, though but little; and it is certain there were other fruits which were serviceable for food, as appears from (Genesis 43:11).
"Their father said, go again, buy us a little food": Just enough for him, and them, and theirs, for the present; hoping that the famine would be over quickly, and therefore orders them to go once more to Egypt, and buy some provisions.
They made no move themselves to go, as it is highly probable they determined they would not, since Jacob had resolved Benjamin should not go, but waited for their father's move, and which he did not make until necessity obliged him.
Genesis 43:3 "And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you."
"And Judah spake unto him": Reuben the eldest son had met with a repulse already (Gen. 42:36). Simeon the next was now in Egypt (Gen. 42:24), and Levi, perhaps on account of the affair of Shechem (Gen. 34:25), did not yet fare well in his father's favor and affection.
Wherefore Judah being next, with the consent of his brethren, undertakes to manage the affair with him, who had doubtless an interest in him, as well as authority among his brethren, and was a prudent man, and could speak well.
"Saying, the man did solemnly protest unto us": Meaning Joseph, though he then knew not that it was he; whom he calls "the man", not by way of contempt, or as thinking and speaking meanly of him, but the reverse, the great man, the honorable man, the governor of Egypt.
The seriousness of Joseph's words portended failure for another mission to buy food, unless the criterion he had set down was strictly met.
And so the Septuagint version adds, "The man, the lord of the land", he in the strongest terms, and in the most solemn manner, protested by the life of Pharaoh.
"Saying, ye shall not see my face": With acceptance, should not be admitted to come near him, or treat with him, and purchase any corn of him:
"Except your brother be with you": Their youngest brother Benjamin.
This famine was widespread and for an extended period of time. It was better to go to Egypt and take a chance of being killed, than for the entire family to starve to death. Judah remembered the warning of Joseph that he will not even listen to them unless they had Benjamin along. Joseph was still holding Simeon.
Genesis 43:4 "If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:"
"If thou wilt send our brother with us": Give orders for his going with us, and put him under our care.
"We will go down and buy thee food": Signifying, on the above condition, that they were ready and willing to take a journey into Egypt, and buy provisions for him and his family, otherwise not.
Genesis 43:5 "But if thou wilt not send [him], we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you."
"But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down": This they said not as undutiful, and from a spirit of rebellion and disobedience to their father, or of stubbornness and obstinacy, but because they durst not go down, nor could they with any safety.
They might expect to be taken up as spies, and put to death as they were threatened. Besides, it would be in vain, and to no purpose, since there was no likelihood of succeeding, or of getting any provision.
"For the man said unto us, ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you": Which they repeat both for the confirmation of it, and as an apology for themselves, to clear them from any charge of unfaithfulness.
Genesis 43:6 "And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye [so] ill with me, [as] to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?"
"And Israel said": In answer to the speech of Judah.
"Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me": Had done that which brought so much evil upon him, gave him so much grief and trouble, and threw him into such perplexity and distress, that he knew not what to do, or course to take.
"As to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?" Which he thought was done imprudently and unadvisedly, and that there was no need of it. Which, had it not been done, would have prevented this anxiety of mind he was now in, and the mischief he feared would follow.
Jacob did not want to let go of Benjamin. This was the last child from his beloved Rachel. He was angry, because they told that they had a brother.
Genesis 43:7 "And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, [Is] your father yet alive? have ye [another] brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?"
Judah therefore, speaks. "Is your father yet alive?" "Have ye a brother?" These questions do not come out in the previous narrative, on account of its brevity. But how pointed they are, and how true to Joseph's yearnings! They explain how it was that these particulars came out in the replies of the brothers to Joseph.
Genesis 43:8 "And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, [and] also our little ones."
Judah now uses all the arguments the case would admit of, to persuade his father to allow Benjamin to go with them. He closes with the emphatic sentence, If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me have sinned against thee all my days; that is, let me bear the blame, and of course the penalty of having sinned against thee in so tender a point.
"And Judah said unto Israel his father, send the lad with me, and we will arise and go": Directly to Egypt for corn. Judah calls Benjamin a lad, because the youngest brother, and tenderly brought up by his father, who had an affectionate fondness for him as if he had been a child.
Otherwise he must be thirty two years of age, for he was seven years younger than Joseph, who was now thirty nine years of age. Benjamin must have children of his own, who went with him and his father into Egypt (Genesis 46:21); for the computation of Benjamin's age (see Gen.30:22).
"That we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones": He argues, that if they with Benjamin went down to Egypt for corn, there was a possibility, yea, a probability that they would all live, even Benjamin also. But if not, they must all in course die, and Benjamin likewise.
Therefore, it was most prudent and advisable, for the sake of all their lives, of them and theirs, and for the sake of Benjamin among the rest, for whom Jacob was so particularly concerned, to let him go with them to Egypt for corn, since he must die if they did not go.
And he could die if he did go. There was great likelihood, if not a certainty, he would not; at least Judah was confident he would not, as appear by what follows.
Genesis 43:9 "I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:"
"I will be surety for him": Reuben's offer to guarantee the safety of Benjamin had been rejected (42:37-38), but Judah's was accepted (verse 11), because of the stress of the famine and the potential death of all (verse 8), if they waited much longer (verse 10).
Genesis 43:10 "For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time."
"For except we had lingered": Delayed going down to Egypt, through the reluctance Jacob made of tending Benjamin with them.
"Surely now we had returned this second time": They would have made their journey to Egypt, and returned again with their corn and their brother Benjamin too, as Judah supposed, before this time. So that by these delays they were losing time, and involving themselves and families in distress for want of corn.
Part of God's plan for Israel was that they would be detained in Egypt for 400 years. Jacob will not leave Canaan, unless something drastic took place, such as this famine. This request for Benjamin to go was almost more than Jacob could bear.
All the promises in the world from all these sons would not keep the hurt from killing Jacob, if they did not return with Benjamin. One thing I do not understand is the lack of concern about Simeon who was in jail in Egypt.
Genesis 43:11 "And their father Israel said unto them, If [it must be] so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:"
"And their father said unto them": Being in some measure convinced by their reasoning, and in part at least reconciled to let Benjamin go with them, there being nothing to be done, he perceived, unless he consented to it.
"If it must be so now, do this": if nothing else will do but Benjamin must go, which after all he was reluctant to, then he advises them to do as follows.
"Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels": Such as were the peculiar produce of the land of Canaan, and the best of it; for which it was most famous, and praised, as the word signifies; these Jacob advises to take and put into their sacks they carried to bring back their corn in.
"And carry down the man a present": The great man and governor of Egypt, whose name was not known, little thinking it was his son Joseph; this he proposed to be done, in order to procure his friendship that he might carry it kindly and respectfully to them, release Simeon, and send back Benjamin with them. The present consisted of the following things.
"A little": Likely this was a significant present because they had little left. But there was no future at all past the little if they did not get grain in Egypt.
Genesis 43:12 "And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry [it] again in your hand; peradventure it [was] an oversight:"
"And take double money in your hand": Than what they carried before, either to buy as much more as they then did; or rather because of the greater scarcity of corn, as Jarchi observes, which made it doubly dearer. For this seems to be different from the money they are also bid to take in return for that found in their sacks, which was a third parcel.
"And the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand": That it might be ready to pay upon demand, should they be charged with nonpayment for the corn they had before.
"Peradventure it was an oversight": A mistake of the governors, or of those that were under him, concerned in the sale of the corn, and receiving money for it, or of Jacob's sons; he could not tell how it was, but some way or other he supposed a mistake was made.
Genesis 43:13 "Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:"
"Take also your brother": Their brother Benjamin, committing him into their hands and to their care, hereby declaring his consent and willingness that he should go with them.
"And arise, go again to the man": The governor of Egypt, to buy corn of him.
Genesis 43:14 "And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved [of my children], I am bereaved."
Jacob's acquiescence to let Benjamin go (verse 13), ended with prayer for the brothers' and Benjamin's safety and with a cry of being a helpless victim of circumstances. Pessimism had apparently set into his heart and deepened after the loss of Joseph.
Here, Jacob finally turned this situation over to God. He realized if he did not send for food, they would all die. He was explaining to his sons how to handle the situation, so as not to incite the fury of this man who was in charge in Egypt.
It seems Canaan still had fruit, and nuts, but no grain. Bread is the staff of life, so they must have grain. Jacob said finally, whatever comes, I will accept it being from God.
Genesis 43:15 "And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph."
"And the men took the present": Their father directed them to.
"And they took double money in their hand": Besides what they found in their sacks mouths, which they also carried with them.
"And Benjamin": They took him likewise with their father's leave.
"And rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph": Presented themselves to him, and their petitions for more corn, as well as to answer to any questions that should be asked them.
Genesis 43:16 "And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring [these] men home, and slay, and make ready; for [these] men shall dine with me at noon."
"And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them": Whom he knew, though he had not seen him twenty two years, and though he must be very much altered, being but about ten years of age when Joseph was said into Egypt, yet being with the rest of his brethren, whom he knew very well, concluded it must be him.
"He said to the ruler of his house": His steward, as he is after called.
"Bring these men home": To his own house, for Joseph was now at or near the place where the granaries of corn were, and was distributed.
"And slay, and make ready": Or "slay a slaughter", that is, of beasts for food; a sheep, or a lamb, or a calf, very probably, and order it to be dressed, boiled or roasted, or both, that it might be fit for food.
"For these men shall dine with me at noon": Which was the usual time of dining with the eastern people, as it is now with us. Though with the Romans, they eat in the evening.
Here the brothers had done what Joseph asked. They even brought presents to go with the money, and Benjamin. Joseph was so excited when he saw his brother, Benjamin, the only other brother by his mother, Rachel. He told his servants to prepare a noon meal for them. Egyptians and Hebrews ordinarily do not eat together.
Genesis 43:17 "And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house."
"And the man did as Joseph bade and the man brought the men into Joseph's house": Showed them the way to it, and introduced them into it, and led them into some apartment in it, and ordered everything to be gotten ready for dinner as his master had bid him, being a diligent and faithful servant.
At old Cair, travelers are shown the house of Joseph in the tower, and a very surprising well, said to be made by him. And here, they say; the granaries were, in which the corn was laid up.
Genesis 43:18 "And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses."
"And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house": It not being usual, as Jarchi observes, for those that came to buy corn to lodge there, but at an inn in the city.
"And they said, because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in": To examine and inquire of them how they came to go away without paying for their corn, take up their money again after they had laid it down, and take it away with them, and so were guilty of tricking and defrauding, if not of theft.
"That he may seek occasion against us": Or "roll on us"; cast all the shame on them, and leave the reproach and scandal of it on them.
"And fall upon us": With hard words, and severe menaces, if not with blows.
"And take us for bondmen, and our asses": Imprison them, which was the punishment for fraud and theft, and take their asses as a forfeiture.
When Joseph's brothers were brought to his house, they assumed the worst. They imagined that Joseph was going to take them into bondage for stealing money from him. I think their policy was to always think the worst.
Genesis 43:19 "And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,"
"And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house": The same person before called the ruler of his house, under whose direction they were. Just before they came to the house, as it seems by what follows, they made up to him as having something to say to him.
"And they communed with him at the door of the house": Before they went into it, being uneasy and eager to know what should be the meaning of their being brought there, which was unusual.
Genesis 43:20 "And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:"
"And said, O sir": Or, "on me, my lord", one said in the name of the rest, perhaps Judah. On me let the blame lie, if guilty of rudeness in making our address to thee. Or as the Vulgate Latin version, "we pray, sir, that thou wouldest hear us"; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra say the phrase is expressive of beseeching, entreating, and supplicating.
"We came indeed down at the first time to buy food": Not to spy the land but to buy corn, and not to get it by fraud or tricking but by paying for it the price that was required.
Genesis 43:21 "And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, [every] man's money [was] in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand."
"And it came to pass when we came to the inn": Upon the road, on the first day's journey, to refresh themselves and their cattle.
"That we opened our sacks": To feed our cattle; by which it appears that they all did this, though it is only said of one of them at the inn, and of all of them when they came home (Gen. 42:27).
"And, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight": All of it; it being usual in those times to pay money by weight, and not by the tale of pieces.
"And we have brought it again in our hand": In order to pay it for the corn we have had, having no design to defraud.
These brothers were trying to get in a quick word to the steward, to explain what happened. They hoped the steward would pass it on to Joseph. Of course, they still had no idea that this was their brother, Joseph. They continued explaining to him in the next verse.
Genesis 43:22 "And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks."
"And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food": Double money for a double quantity, or because the price of corn was now doubled; and their bringing this besides the other showed their honest and upright intentions.
"We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks": We are quite ignorant of it, and can by no means account for it, and therefore hope no blame will be laid on us.
Genesis 43:23 "And he said, Peace [be] to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them."
"Your God ... hath given": An indication of Joseph's steward either having come to faith in God or having become very familiar with how Joseph talked of his God and life.
So concerned were the brothers to protest their ignorance of the means of the money being returned and to express their desire to settle this debt (verses 20-22), that they missed the steward's clear reference to the God of Israel ("the God of your father"), and his oversight of events in which he had played a part ("I had your money").
This was the first reassurance that everything was alright. This servant called God "your God" and "God of your father". Egyptians did not recognize God. One even greater reassurance was Simeon not being hurt. I know they have begun to wonder what was going on.
Genesis 43:24 "And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave [them] water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender."
"And the man brought the men into Joseph's house": After the above discourse had passed between them, and he had made their minds easy, both with respect to the money and by bringing Simeon unbound to them.
"And gave them water, and they washed their feet": Which was usually done in the eastern countries after travelling, and when about to take a meal, and was both for refreshment and cleanliness.
"And he gave their asses provender": Thus were they hospitably entertained, them and all that belonged to them.
Now, they were being treated as honored guests, even the animals were being treated special.
Genesis 43:25 "And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there."
"And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon": They took it out of their vessels or bags in which they brought it, having unladed their asses, and disposed of it in a proper manner to present it to him when he came home at noon to dine.
"For they heard that they should eat bread there": Dine there, bread being put for all provision. This was told them, very probably, by the steward, or by some of the servants in the house, or they overheard what Joseph said to the steward (Gen. 43:16).
Genesis 43:26 "And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which [was] in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth."
"And when Joseph came home": In order to dine, it being noontime.
"They brought him the present which was in their hand into the house": Everyone took a part of it in his hand, and brought it to Joseph in the parlor where he was, and delivered it to him as a present from their father, or from themselves, or it may be as from both.
"And bowed themselves to him to the earth": In the most prostrate and humble manner, now again fulfilling his dream, and more completely than before, for now all his eleven brethren were together, signified by the eleven stars in the dream, that made obeisance to him (see Gen.37:9).
"Bowed themselves to him to the earth": Again, Joseph's boyhood dream (37:5-8), had become reality (42:6).
Here, they (Joseph's brothers), humbled themselves before him by bowing. The gifts were brought, so that he might go easy on them this time. These nuts and fruit they brought were not native of Egypt. Don't you know they brought back memories to Joseph of the bygone days in Canaan?
Genesis 43:27 "And he asked them of [their] welfare, and said, [Is] your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? [Is] he yet alive?"
"And he asked them of their welfare": Or "peace", their prosperity. And especially about the health of their physical bodies, whether they were well and in good health, after so long a journey.
"And said, is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake?" When they were with him before, and told him they were all the sons of one man, who dwelt in Canaan.
"Is he yet alive?" Which he was very desirous of knowing; for, being advanced in years, he might fear he was removed by death in the time between their going and returning.
Genesis 43:28 "And they answered, Thy servant our father [is] in good health, he [is] yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance."
"And they answered, thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive": Which is an answer to both his questions; and by calling their father Joseph's servant, he did obeisance to him in them, as well as by sending a present to him, which they delivered as coming from him his servant.
And it is not improbable that Jacob sent his salutation to him as his servant, and so that part of the dream of Joseph's was also fulfilled, which represented the sun doing obeisance to him (Gen. 37:9).
"And they bowed their heads, and made obeisance": A second time, as they did, no doubt, at every time they gave answer to Joseph's questions. And this is again observed, to show the full completion of the above dream.
Joseph's heart was aching to know of his father. It had been a very long time since he had seen him. Joseph loved him very much. Remember, Joseph was his favorite.
Genesis 43:29 "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, [Is] this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son."
"And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin": He had seen him before when his brethren first presented themselves to him, but then took no particular and special notice of him, only gave him a side look as it were, but now he looked intently at him.
"His mother's son": The son of Rachel his mother, and who was his only brother by his mother's side. The rest, though his brethren, yet only by his father's side, not his mother's sons.
"And said, is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me?" He knew he was the same, but was willing to have it from their mouths, to lead on to what he had further to say.
"And he said": After they had answered his question, and told him it was he.
"God be gracious unto thee, my son": Speaking as a superior, a governor, in which capacity he was a father to his inferiors; and as a man, a relation, a brother, though not as yet discovered; he spoke in the most tender and affectionate manner, and, as a religious good man, he wishes the best thing he could for his brother, the grace and goodness of God.
And which may be understood in the largest and most expressive sense, as including all good things, temporal, spiritual, and eternal.
Joseph easily used the name of God in his conversation, but the brothers did not hear the name of their own covenant God being spoken by one who looked just like an Egyptian (42:18).
This too, had to be heart wrenching for Joseph. His brother had grown into a man. Joseph spoke a blessing on him.
Genesis 43:30 "And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought [where] to weep; and he entered into [his] chamber, and wept there."
"And Joseph made haste": To get out of the room where he was with his brethren as fast as he could.
"For his bowels did yearn upon his brother": His passions grew strong, his affections were raised, his heart was full of tenderness, and there was such a flow of love and joy at the sight of his brother. And the little conversation he had with him, that he was ready to burst out, and must have discovered himself if he had not immediately turned and got out of the room.
"And he sought where to weep": Joseph was overcome with emotion seeing Benjamin. He did not want them to see him weep, so he went into his bedroom, apart from them, and wept.
"And he entered into his chamber, and wept there": Where he could be the most retired, and not likely to be overheard. Joseph was moved to tears on several occasions (42:24; 45:2, 14-15; 46:29).
Genesis 43:31 "And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread."
"And he washed his face": From the tears on it, that it might not be discerned that he had been weeping.
"And went out": Of his chamber into the room again, where his brethren were.
"And refrained himself": From weeping, or showing any excess of passion, love, joy, etc.
"And said, set on bread": Gave orders to his servants to bring in dinner, and set it upon the table; bread, as before, being put for all kind of food.
Genesis 43:32 "And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that [is] an abomination unto the Egyptians."
"Not eat bread with the Hebrews": Exclusivism kept the Egyptians sensitive to the social stigma attached to sharing a meal table with foreigners (46:34). Discrimination prevailed at another level too: Joseph ate alone, his rank putting him ahead of others and giving him his own meal-table and setting.
The fact that Joseph had the brothers separated from the Egyptians (verse 32), it would have been "an abomination unto the Egyptians" had they not been separated, suggests that his was a native Egyptian Pharaoh. If it were a Hyksos king, most likely he would not have demanded such discrimination.
Evidently, the Egyptians had a deep hatred for Asiatic shepherds (46:34; Exodus 8:26).
These separate tables, as you can see, were because Egyptians and Hebrews never eat at the same table. Joseph still had not revealed to his brothers who he was.
Genesis 43:33 "And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one at another."
"The firstborn ... the youngest": To be seated at the table in birth order in the house of an Egyptian official was startling, how did he know this of them? Enough clues had been given in Joseph's previous questions about the family and his use of God's name for them to wonder about him and his personal knowledge of them.
Obviously, they simply did not believe Joseph was alive (44:20), and certainly not as a personage of such immense influence and authority. They had probably laughed though the years at the memory of Joseph's dreams of superiority.
"And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one at another:"
As they ate they failed to leap to the one logical explanation of his behavior, considering his concern for Jacob (verse 27), his affectionate favoritism for Benjamin (verses 29-34), and the exact knowledge of the interlocking sequence of births of these sons of four mothers (verse 33).
Genesis 43:34 "And he took [and sent] messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him."
"Benjamin's mess": Favoritism shown to Rachel's son silently tested their attitudes; any longstanding envy, dislike, or animosity could not be easily masked. None surfaced.
Verse 34 suggests that the brothers were not jealous or resentful toward Benjamin because of the preferential treatment; thus, they seemingly had a change of heart.
But Joseph was going to test them (chapter 44).
This seating arrangement should tell them who this ruler was, but they were blinded from the truth. If the seating arrangement didn't tell them anything, certainly the portions, five times as much for Benjamin should have.
Genesis Chapter 43 Questions
1. When did Jacob decide to send them back to Egypt?
2. Which of Jacob's sons was still in captivity in Egypt?
3. They could not see the ruler in Egypt, until they brought ____________?
4. Why did the sons refuse to go?
5. What questions did Joseph ask them?
6. Who offered to be surety for Benjamin?
7. How could God's plan be carried out to detain Israel for 400 years in Egypt?
8. Jacob told his sons to take the ruler, Joseph presents. What were they?
9. How much money were they to take with them?
10. What did Jacob ask God to do for the brothers?
11. Jacob said whatever comes from this, he would accept it as what?
12. Who did the brothers appear before?
13. What was their attitude?
14. When Joseph saw Benjamin, what did he tell his servant to do?
15. Why did Hebrews and Egyptians not eat together?
16. When the brothers were taken to Joseph's house, how did they feel?
17. Who did the brothers tell about their plight?
18. What answer did they get?
19. Where did he say the money came from?
20. The servant of Joseph did what for his brothers?
21. When did the brothers give the presents to Joseph?
22. When Joseph saw Benjamin, what did he do?
23. How were they seated?
24. How much more food did Joseph give Benjamin than the others?
Genesis 44:1 "And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks [with] food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth."
"And he commanded the steward of his house": Whom the Targum of Jonathan again calls Manasseh, the eldest son of Joseph.
"Saying, fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry": This he ordered out of his great affection for them, and that his father and his family might have sufficient supply in this time of famine.
"And put every man's money in his sack's mouth": Not that which had been put into their sacks the first time, for the steward acknowledged his receipt of it, but what they had paid for their present corn, they were about to carry away.
Genesis 44:2 "And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken."
"My cup, the silver cup": Joseph's own special cup, also described as one connected with divination (verses 5, 15), or hydromancy (interpreting the water movements), was a sacred vessel symbolizing the authority of his office of Egyptian vizier.
Mention of its superstitious nature and purpose need not demand Joseph be an actual practitioner of pagan religious rites (see note on verse 15).
Joseph sent his brothers home with the money and with his "silver cup" in Benjamin's sack. He then had his servant pursue them, open the sacks, and require them to return to explain the matter.
Joseph was so happy to see his brother, and he did this little trick to the brothers, so that he would have an excuse to keep Benjamin with him. Joseph wanted to bless his family with all these provisions, but he, also, wanted to keep Benjamin.
He did not know of the oaths these brothers had made to their father about bringing the boy back.
Genesis 44:3 "As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses."
"And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest": Benjamin; this he ordered to be done, partly to put him in apparent danger, and see how his brethren would behave towards him in such circumstances, and thereby know how they genuinely felt about him. And partly that he might have an excuse for retaining him with him.
This cup was valuable both for the matter of it, being of silver, and for the use of it, being what Joseph himself drank out of. And by the word used to express it, it seems to have been a large embossed cup; a kind of goblet, for it has the signification of a little hill.
Jarchi says it was a long cup, which they called "mederno". The Septuagint render it by "condy", which is said to be a Persian word, and a kind of an Attalic cup, that held ten cotylae, or four or five quarts, and weighed ninety ounces; but a cup so large seems to be too large to drink out of.
"And his corn money": What he had paid for his corn. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken; put every man's money in the mouth of his sack, and his silver cup with the corn money into Benjamin's sack.
Genesis 44:4 "[And] when they were gone out of the city, [and] not [yet] far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?"
"And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off": Which perhaps was Tanis, the Zoan of the Scriptures (see Ezekiel 30:14).
"Joseph said unto his steward, up, follow after the men": Who no doubt was ready and provided with men and horses, to go out and pursue when Joseph should give the orders. He being privy to Joseph's intentions, and with whom the scheme was concerted, and the secret was.
Joseph appears to have been up very early this morning, and had observed the exact time of his brethren's departure. And guessed whereabouts they might be when he sent his steward, and others after them. For it can hardly be thought he was sent alone after eleven men, and to charge them with a theft, and bring them back again.
"And when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?" In taking away the silver cup, when they had been so kindly and bountifully entertained. This he was to represent as base ingratitude, as it would have appeared, had it been fact.
Genesis 44:5 "[Is] not this [it] in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing."
"Divineth" (see note on Deut. 18:9-12).
There was a sacred character attributed to the cup, for his called it a divining cup (verses 5, 15). This theft may have been punishable by death (31:32). Joseph would certainly not have used these means, but he was playing a role and testing his brothers.
He wanted to see if they would seize this opportunity to get rid of Benjamin. Would they stand with him? Had their hearts been changed?
This steward of Joseph's had helped Joseph set this trap for his brothers. The steward knew about the plot. It was he who gave chase and caught Joseph's brothers. He accused them of stealing. A silver cup, or chalice, was used by the Egyptians for divining, calling on an evil spirit for advice.
This statement is just given to make Joseph's brothers think that Joseph was an Egyptian. A follower of the true God, and especially one of Joseph's stature; would not divine a cup.
Joseph's steward had accused them of stealing it from his master. He was, probably, the one who encouraged them not to worry. Now, he was accusing them of taking the good things the governor had done and, in return, doing only evil to him. The literal accusation was, why did you steal my silver goblet?
Genesis 44:6 "And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words."
"And he overtook them": Their asses being laden with corn could not travel very fast, and he and his attendants being mounted on swift horses.
"And he spake unto them these same words": That Joseph had ordered him to say, and so what follows particularly (Genesis 44:10).
The brothers, facing a charge of theft, protested their innocence by pointing first to their integrity in returning the money from the last trip, and then by declaring death on the perpetrator and slavery for themselves.
Genesis 44:7 "And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:"
"And they said unto him, wherefore saith my lord these words?" One of them, in the name of the rest, perhaps Judah, made answer, as astonished at the charge laid against them, suggesting that there was not the least foundation for it, and were quite surprised to hear anything of this kind alleged against them.
"God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing": Expressing the utmost detestation of such a fact, as being what they could never be guilty of.
Genesis 44:8 "Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?"
"Behold, the money which we found in our sacks mouths": Upon their return from Egypt, the first time they went there for corn.
"We brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan": Which was a full proof of their honesty. They might have kept it until it was called for and demanded of them, but of themselves they brought it with them, as being money not their own.
And they did not wait to be examined about it when they came to Egypt again, but of their own accord related the story of it, and offered the money to this same man the steward they were now speaking to, which he could not deny.
Yea, they brought it to him out of the land of Canaan, a foreign country at a considerable distance, and out of the jurisdiction of Egypt, and where they were not liable to be called to an account for it.
"How then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?" That is, vessels of silver or vessels of gold, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; it could not be reasonably thought they would.
For if they would not retain the governor's money when in their own land and out of his reach, much less would they steal anything out his house, which they might conclude would soon be missed, and they easily apprehended and committed to prison, and suffer for it.
Genesis 44:9 "With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen."
"With whomsoever of thy servants it be found": The silver cup.
"Both let him die": Which was rashly said, since they might have thought the cup might be put in one of their sacks unknown to them, as their money had been before. Besides, death was a punishment too severe for such a crime, and therefore is by the steward himself moderated; but this they said the more strongly to express their innocence.
"And we also will be my lord's bondmen": His servants, as long as they lived. This was likewise carrying the matter too far, and exceeding all bounds of justice, which could only require satisfaction of the offender.
The steward caught them and accused them. They were so sure that they had not stolen, that they spoke a terrible punishment, if the goods were found in their possession.
The brothers said, if we had wanted to steal, we wouldn't have brought the money back that we found in our sacks last time. You should never make rash promises you can't keep. The brothers spoke death to Benjamin, and hard labor to themselves.
Genesis 44:10 "And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless."
"And he said, now also let it be according unto your words": Not according to the full extent of their words, but according to a part of them; that be only should be a servant that was found guilty; so moderating the punishment which they had fixed, and were willing to submit to, and therefore could not object to what he next proposes.
"He with whom it is found shall be my servant": Speaking in the name of Joseph, whom he represented, and who had directed him what to say:
"And ye shall be blameless": Acquitted of the charge, and pronounced innocent, and let go free.
Genesis 44:11 "Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack."
"Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground": To be opened and examined, and this they did in all haste, as having a clear conscience, and being confident that nothing could be found upon them, and desirous of having the affair settled as soon as possible, that the steward might have full satisfaction, and they could proceed on in their journey.
"And opened every man his sack": Showing neither reluctance nor fear, being conscious of their innocence.
Genesis 44:12 "And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack."
"And he searched": To the bottom of them, not content to look into the mouth of them being opened, but rummaged them, and searched deeply into them to find the cup, which was the thing charged upon them he was concerned to find; as for the money in the sack's mouth he took no notice of that, nor is there any mention of it.
"And began at the oldest": At Reuben, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it: the steward might know their different ages in course, by the order in which they were placed at Joseph's table when they dined with him.
Again, there was a display of inside knowledge of the family, which ought to have signaled something to the brothers (see note on 43:33).
"And left off at the youngest": At Benjamin, he ended his scrutiny with him. This method he took partly to hold them in fear as long as he could, and partly to prevent any suspicion of design, which might have been entertained, had he went directly to Benjamin's sack.
"And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack": Where the steward himself had put it, and as it is usually said, they that hide can find.
Genesis 44:13 "Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city."
"Rent their clothes": A well-known ancient Near Eastern custom of visibly portraying the pain of heart being experienced. They were very upset that Benjamin might become a slave in Egypt (verse 10). Benjamin appears to have been speechless. They had passed a second test of devotion to Benjamin.
They were so confident that they didn't have it; they quickly opened the sacks for inspection. When it was found that Benjamin had the cup, the brothers tore their clothes in mourning. They came back with Benjamin. They had made hard promises to Jacob that they would bring the boy home again. They were as good as dead themselves.
Genesis 44:14 "And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he [was] yet there: and they fell before him on the ground."
"And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house": Judah is particularly mentioned because he was the principal spokesman, and was chiefly concerned for the safety of Benjamin, being his surety.
"For he was yet there": Joseph was yet at his own house, was not as yet gone to the granaries, to look after the affairs of the corn, and the sale and distribution of it, but was waiting for the return of his brethren, which he expected quickly.
"Fell before him": Again, the dream had become reality (37:5-8; 42:6); but now prostrate before him, they had come to plead for mercy both for their youngest brother Benjamin and for their father Jacob (verses 18-34).
Now, they were lying face down before Joseph in absolute submission. Last time they only bowed.
Genesis 44:15 "And Joseph said unto them, What deed [is] this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?"
"And Joseph said unto them, what deed is this ye have done?" An action so wicked, base, and ungrateful, attended with such aggravated circumstances, that it can scarcely be said how bad a one it is, and may be well wondered at, that men who had received such favors could ever be guilty of; this he said, putting on a stern countenance, and seemingly in great anger and wrath.
"Wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?" Either that he could divine himself, though not by the cup, of which here no mention is made, but in some other way used by the Egyptians; or that he had diviners with him.
As Aben Ezra, with whom he could consult, to find out the person that took the cup; or surely they must needs think that such a man as he, who had such great knowledge of things, natural and political, and whose name was Zaphnath-paaneah, a revealer of secrets, would be able to search into and find out an affair of this kind (see Gen. 41:45).
And they might well conclude, that a man with keen mental discernment would easily conjecture who were the persons that took away his cup, even the strangers that had dined with him so lately and therefore could never expect to go off with it (see notes on verses 2, 5).
Joseph, still disguising himself as an Egyptian official before his brothers, permitted them to think it so.
Here again, I do not believe Joseph divined. I think he was still trying to make them believe he was an Egyptian.
Genesis 44:16 "And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord's servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found."
"And Judah said": Judah stepped forward as the family spokesman since it was he who came with his brothers to Joseph's house and he who pled with him (verses 14, 18); Reuben, the firstborn, had been outclassed.
"God hath found out the iniquity": Judah, showing how his heart had changed, acknowledged the providence of God in uncovering their guilt (note the "we" in the questions), and did not indulge in any blame shifting, even onto Benjamin.
Judah, for the first time, had admitted to Joseph that he and his brothers had truly sinned. They had not stolen the cup and money from Joseph, but they had stolen his freedom and his homeland. They accepted this as punishment from God for selling Joseph.
Genesis 44:17 "And he said, God forbid that I should do so: [but] the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father."
"And he said, God forbid that I should do so": This would be doing an unjust thing, Joseph suggests, should he take them all for bondmen, for the offence of one.
"But the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant": Not die, as they had supposed, but become his servant.
"And as for you, get ye up in peace unto your father": They had leave, yea, an order to return to their father in the land of Canaan, with their corn and cattle, in peace and plenty. There being no charge against them, nor would any hurt or damage come to them.
This Joseph said to try their affection to their brother Benjamin, and see whether they would leave him to distress, and then he should know better how to conduct both towards him and them.
Joseph just wanted to keep Benjamin. He told them they could go on home.
Verses 18-34: An eloquent and contrite plea for mercy, replete with reference to the aged father's delight in and doting upon the youngest son (verses 20, 30), and the fatal shock should he be lost (verses 22, 29, 31, 34). Judah's evident compassion for Jacob and readiness to substitute himself for Benjamin in slavery finally overwhelmed Joseph, these were not the same brothers of yesteryear (45:1).
Genesis 44:18 "Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh."
"Then Judah came near unto him": Being the spokesman of his brethren, and the surety of Benjamin. He plucked up a spirit, put on courage, and drew nearer to the governor, and with much freedom and boldness, and in a very polite manner, addressed him.
"And said, O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears": Not admit him to private audience, or suffer him to whisper something to him, but give him the hearing of a few words he had to say to him.
"And let not thine anger burn against thy servant": Do not be displeased with his boldness, and the freedom he takes, but hear him patiently.
"For thou art even as Pharaoh": Next, if not equal in power and authority with him; could exercise justice or show mercy, punish or release from punishment, at his pleasure; and having leave granted him, he began his speech, and made the following narrative.
This pleading of Judah was for Benjamin and for their father. Judah told Joseph that he had the power to pardon Benjamin, if he would.
Genesis 44:19 "My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?"
"My lord asked his servants": The first time they came down to Egypt to buy corn; he puts him in mind of what passed between them at that time.
"Saying, have ye a father or a brother" Which question followed upon their saying that they were the sons of one man (Genesis 42:11).
Genesis 44:20 "And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him."
"And we said unto my lord, we have a father": Yet living in the land of Canaan.
"An old man": Being one hundred and thirty years of age (Gen. 47:9).
"And a child of his old age": Who was born when he was near a hundred years of age: and
"A little one": Not in stature, but in age, being the youngest son, and much younger than they. So they represented him, on that account, because he was tenderly brought up with his father, and not hardened to business and hardship, and so unfit to travel.
"And his brother is dead": Meaning Joseph: So, they thought him to be, having not heard of him for twenty two years or more, and they had so often said he was dead, or suggested as much, that they at length believed he was.
"And he alone is left of his mother": The only child left of his mother Rachel.
"And his father loveth him": Being his youngest son, and the only child of his beloved Rachel, and therefore most dear unto him.
Genesis 44:21 "And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him."
"And thou saidst unto thy servants, bring him down unto me": Judah does not relate the reason of his order, which was to give proof that they were no spies, but as if Joseph designed to show favor to Benjamin, as undoubtedly he did.
"That I may set mine eyes upon him": Not barely see him, as Aben Ezra interprets it, though that would be, and was, very desirable by him, and agreeable to him. But he desired to set his eyes upon him, not only for his own pleasure, but for the good of Benjamin.
As the Targum of Jonathan adds; he intimated that he should receive him kindly, show favor unto him, and use him well. The Septuagint version is, "and I will take care of him": Joseph's brethren had told him, that Benjamin was at home with their father, who they suggested was afraid to let him go with them, lest evil should befall him.
Wherefore to encourage him to let him go with them, Joseph promised to take care of him. That no hurt should be done to him, but he should be provided with everything that was proper and necessary.
And this Judah improves into an argument with the governor in favor of Benjamin, that since he desired his coming, in order to show him a kindness, he hoped he would not detain him, and make a slave of him.
Genesis 44:22 "And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die."
"And we said unto my lord, the lad cannot leave his father": That is, his father will not be willing to part with him.
"For if he should leave his father, his father would die": With grief and trouble, fearing some evil was befallen him, and he should see him no more.
Genesis 44:23 "And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more."
"And thou saidst unto thy servants": In answer to the representation of things made by them, and notwithstanding that.
"Except your youngest brother come down with you, you shall see my face no more": Which though not before related in the discourse, which passed between Joseph and his brethren, in express terms, yet might be justly inferred from what he said. Nay might be expressed in so many words, though not recorded, and as it seems plainly it was, as appears from (Gen. 43:3).
Genesis 44:24 "And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord."
"And it came to pass, when we came unto thy servant my father": In the land of Canaan.
"We told him the words of my lord": What he had said to them, particularly respecting Benjamin.
Genesis 44:25 "And our father said, Go again, [and] buy us a little food."
"And our father said": After some time, when the corn was almost consumed they had bought in Egypt.
"Go again, and buy us a little food": That may suffice till the famine is over (see Genesis 43:1).
Genesis 44:26 "And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother [be] with us."
"And we said, we cannot go down": With any safety to their persons, which would be in danger, or with any profit to their families, since their end in going down to buy corn would not be answered.
"If our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down": Let it be agreed to, that Benjamin go along with us, to Egypt, and then no difficulty will be made of it.
"For we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us": The face of the great man, the governor of Egypt; for that this phrase, "the man", is not used diminutively, but as expressive of grandeur, is clear, or otherwise it would never have been made use of in his presence, and in such a submissive and polite speech as this of Judah's.
Genesis 44:27 "And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two [sons]:"
"And thy servant my father said unto us": When thus pressed to let Benjamin go with them.
"Ye know that my wife bare me two sons": Rachel, by whom he had Joseph and Benjamin, and whom he calls his wife, she being his only lawful wife. Leah was imposed upon him (Genesis 29:20); and the other two were concubines (Genesis 30:4).
Genesis 44:28 "And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:"
"And the one went out from, me": Being sent by him to see how his brethren did, who were feeding his flocks at Shechem, and he had never returned to him to that day.
"And I said, surely he is torn in pieces": By some wild beast; this he said on sight of his coat, being shown him all bloody:
"And I saw him not since": Now twenty two years ago; for though Joseph was not such a great way off from his father, especially if he was at Memphis, as some think.
Yet what through his confinement as a servant in Potiphar's house, and then for some years in prison, and through the multiplicity of business when advanced in Pharaoh's court, he had no leisure and opportunity of visiting his father.
As ordered by the providence of God that he should not, that he might be made known at the most proper time for the glory of God, and the good of his family.
Genesis 44:29 "And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave."
"And if ye take this also from me": His son Benjamin, as he perhaps suspected they had taken Joseph, and made away with him.
"And mischief befall him": Either in Egypt, or on the road, going or returning, any ill accident, especially death, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, or what may issue in it.
"Ye shall bring my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave": It would be the means of his death, and while he lived he should be full of sorrow and grief (see Genesis 42:38).
Genesis 44:30 "Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad [be] not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;"
"Now therefore, when I come to thy servant my father": That is return to him in the land of Canaan with the rest of his brethren.
"And the lad be not with us": His brother Benjamin, so called here, and in the following verses, though thirty years of age and upwards (see Genesis 43:8).
"Seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life": He is as closely united to him in affection, and is as dear to him as his own soul. Quite wrapped up in him, and cannot live without him and should he die, he must die too (see 1 Samuel 18:1); so it follows:
Genesis 44:31 "It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave."
"It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die": As soon as ever he sees us, without asking any question and observes that Benjamin is missing he will conclude at once that he is dead, which will so seize his spirits, that he will expire immediately.
"And thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave": As he said would be the case (Genesis 44:29); and which would be very afflicting to his sons to be the cause of it, and could not be thought of without the utmost uneasiness and distress.
This plea of Judah's had certainly told the story truthfully. He had eloquently stated his case to this ruler: calling himself Joseph's servant every few words. Truly this had to touch Joseph's heart. Joseph would not want to harm his father, Jacob, in any way. Judah continued his plea in the new few verses.
Genesis 44:32 "For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever."
"For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father": Which is another argument used for the release of Benjamin, though he should be detained for him, which he offers to be.
"Saying, if I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame unto my father for ever" (see Gen. 43:9).
Genesis 44:33 "Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren."
"Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord": Being, as Jarchi observes preferable to Benjamin for strength, for war, and for service. In this Judah was a type of Christ, from whose tribe he sprung.
Who became the surety of God's Benjamins, his children who are beloved by him, and as dear to him as his right hand, and put himself in their legal place and stead, and became sin and a curse for them, that they might go free, as Judah desired his brother Benjamin might, as follows:
"And let the lad go up with his brethren": From Egypt to Canaan's land, to their father there.
Genesis 44:34 "For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father."
"For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?" Signifying that he must abide in Egypt, and chose to do it, and could not go up to the land of Canaan any more or see his father's face without Benjamin along with him, to whom he was a surety for him.
"Lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father": See him die, or live a life of sorrow worse than death. This he could not bear, and chose rather to be a slave in Egypt, than to be the spectator of such an affecting scene.
By this speech of Judah, Joseph plainly saw the great affection which his brethren, especially Judah, had for his father and his brother Benjamin, as well as the sense they had of their evil in selling him, which lay uppermost on their minds.
And for which they thought themselves brought into all this trouble; wherefore he could no longer conceal himself from them, but makes himself known unto them, which is the principal subject of the following chapter.
The last part of the plea was the most touching. Judah was asking to be the substitute for the boy. Judah told Joseph that it would be easier to be a servant the rest of his life than to live with the knowledge that he had brought grief on his father to kill him. This plea had to touch Joseph's heart; Joseph would forgive them all, just as Christ forgave all of us.
Genesis Chapter 44 Questions
1. What two things did Joseph tell his steward to put in his brother's sack?
2. What was the steward to do with Joseph's cup?
3. What was the cup made of?
4. Joseph wanted to help his family, but what else does he want?
5. When did the brothers leave?
6. How far had they gone when Joseph sent his steward after them?
7. What was the steward to say to them?
8. What two things was the steward to tell?
9. Who set this trap?
10. Why was this story about the cup given?
11. What was the literal accusation?
12. What did the brothers say was to be done to the one who the cup was found with?
13. What thing had these brothers spoken on themselves?
14. How did the steward reduce the punishment?
15. What did the brothers do when they found the cup with Benjamin?
16. Where did Judah and his brothers go?
17. What did they do to win favor with Joseph?
18. Why were the brethren willing to accept punishment?
19. Who pled for Benjamin?
20. Who else was the pleading for?
21. What did Judah call himself throughout the pleading?
22. Who was to bear the blame forever?
23. What did Judah offer to be for the boy?
24. Rather than face his father, what was Judah willing to do?
Verses 1-8: Stunned by the revelation of who it really was with whom they dealt, the brothers then heard expressed a masterpiece of recognition of and submission to the sovereignty of God, i.e., His providential rule over the affairs of life, both good and bad (see note on 41:43-45).
Genesis 45:1 "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren."
"Then Joseph could not refrain himself": That he should not weep, as the Targum of Jonathan adds. At least he could not much longer refrain from tears, such an effect Judah's speech had on his passions.
"Before all them that stood before him": His servants that attended him and waited upon him, the steward of his house, and others, upon whose account he put such pressure upon himself. So as to keep his passions from giving vent; so that they might not discover the inward feelings of his mind. But not being able to conceal them any longer.
"And he cried": Or called out with a loud voice, and an air of authority.
"Cause every man to go out from me": Out of the room in which he and his brethren were. Perhaps this order was given to the steward of the house to depart himself, and to remove every inferior officer and servant upon the spot. Or other people that might come in to hear the trial of those men, and to see how they would be dealt with.
"And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren": Not that Joseph was ashamed of them, and of owning before them the relation he was with them.
But that they might not see the confusion his brethren would be thrown into, and have knowledge of the sin they had been guilty of in selling him which could not fail of being mentioned by him, and confessed by them. Besides, it was not suitable to his grandeur and dignity to be seen in such an extreme passion he was now going into.
Joseph could stand this no more. He broke down and began to cry in front of everyone. The Egyptians, who were with Joseph, were asked to leave the room. Joseph told his brothers who he was.
Genesis 45:2 "And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard."
"And he wept aloud": Or "gave forth his voice in weeping"; as he wept he cried aloud. For having put such a violent restraint on himself, as the flood of tears was the greater, so his voice was the stronger and louder for it.
"And the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard": The Egyptians, that were in the room or rooms adjoining to that where Joseph was, heard his cry, and perhaps a great deal of what was said. Which they soon reported to others, and it quickly reached Pharaoh's court, which might not be at any great distance.
He was not just sobbing; this was a wrenching cry to wash away the hurt of twenty years. The Pharaoh's house and the Egyptians were not in the room with Joseph, but this loud crying could be heard throughout the dwelling. It, possibly, could be heard in adjoining buildings.
Genesis 45:3 "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I [am] Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence."
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph": As soon as he could compose himself a little, and utter his words, the first thing he said was that he was Joseph. That was his right name, his Hebrew name. Though he was called by the Egyptians Zaphnath-paaneah, and by which name Joseph's brethren only knew him, if they knew his name at all.
And it must be very startling to them to bear this sound, and to be told by himself that was his name. And which was not all he meant and they understood, but that he was Joseph their brother as afterwards expressed.
"Doth my father yet live?" This he knew before, for they had told him he was alive. Therefore he puts this question not through ignorance, or as doubting but to express his affliction for his father, and his joy that he was alive.
"And his brethren could not answer him": They were so surprised and astonished; they were like men thunderstruck. They were not able to utter a word for a while. In spite of many assurances, this uneasiness persisted for many years (50:15).
"For they were troubled at his presence": The sin of selling him came fresh into their minds, the guilt of it pressed their consciences, and the circumstances that Joseph was in, filled them with fear that he would avenge himself on them.
They were literally "terrified, trembling."
When Joseph revealed who he was, panic rose up in them, and they were speechless.
They had thought before that they might lose their lives, but now they knew that they deserved to die. What would they do? We need to look at the next few lines and see a type of Jesus. We deserved to die the cruel death of the cross but Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, took our place to give us eternal life. Joseph the beloved son of Jacob made a way for his family to live.
Genesis 45:4 "And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I [am] Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt."
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you": Very probably Joseph sat in a chair of state while they were under examination, and through reverence of him they kept at a proper distance.
Or being frightened at what he had said, he might observe them drawing back, as Jarchi remarks, and so encourages them in a kind and tender manner to return and come nearer to him, and the rather, that they might more privately converse together without being overheard.
As also that they might, by approaching him discern and call to mind some of his features still remaining, by which they might be assured he was Joseph indeed.
"And they came near, and he said, I am Joseph your brother": Not only his name was Joseph, but he was that Joseph that was their brother. He claims and owns the relation between them, which must be very affecting to them, who had used him so unkindly.
"Whom ye sold into Egypt": Which is added, not so much to put them in mind of and rebuke them with their sin, but to assure them that he was really their brother Joseph. Which he could not have related had he not been he, as well as to lead on to what he had further to say to them for their comfort.
Genesis 45:5 "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life."
"Now therefore be not grieved": To an excess, so as to be swallowed up with too much sorrow; otherwise it was necessary for them to be grieved for their sin, and to show a godly sorrow and true repentance for it.
"Nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither": Reflect upon themselves, and afflict their selves in an immoderate way. Or break forth into anger and wrath with one another, lecturing and blaming each other for their conduct in that affair. And then provoke contentions and quarrels among themselves.
"For God did send me before you to preserve life": The life of thousands of persons in Egypt, Canaan, and other countries. And particularly to preserve their lives was he sent before them into Egypt. Where, by interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, by which he understood and did foretell the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine; he was to be given great honor and trust.
And had laid up a sufficiency of corn in the time of plenty to answer the needs of various countries in the time of famine; including his own family. Therefore, would have this attributed by them to the wise disposing protecting care of God.
There are symbolisms in this. We are Jesus' brethren. Jesus has forgiven us. We do not deserve it, but it is part of God's plan to save us. Joseph forgave his brethren. They did not deserve it. He tried to explain that they were doing what God wanted them to do in order to save them.
Genesis 45:6 "For these two years [hath] the famine [been] in the land: and yet [there are] five years, in the which [there shall] neither [be] earing nor harvest."
"For these two years hath the famine been, in the land": In the land of Egypt and in the countries round about. Joseph would have been 39 years old and away from his brothers for 22 years (37:2).
"And yet there are five years": Still remaining, which he knew by the above dreams and the interpretation of them.
"In the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest": That is, no tillage of land, neither ploughing nor sowing, and so no reaping, or gathering in of the fruits of the earth, as used to be in harvest. At least, there would be very little ground tilled; only it may be on the banks of the Nile, since they had no corn to spare for seed.
Besides, as the Egyptians knew by Joseph's prediction that the Nile would not overflow, it was to no purpose to attempt to plough their land, which through seven years of drought was become very difficult, or to sow, could they get the seed into the ground, since there was no likelihood of its springing up again.
Genesis 45:7 "And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
"To save ... posterity in the earth": Words reflecting, on Joseph's part, an understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant and its promise of a nation (chapters 12, 15, 17).
Joseph gave a clear testimony to God's working His divine intervention in his own life when he said "God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity ... and to save your lives ... so now it was not you that sent me here, but God" (verses 7 and 8).
Sometimes, when God sends us out to do a job for Him, we are not aware, at first, what the mission is for. Often is seems so futile, as it did when Joseph was in jail. If we are God's, nothing happens to us accidentally, it is part of God's plan. Joseph was telling them of five more years of famine.
He was trying to make them understand that he was sent ahead to prepare a place, where his family can be saved. Joseph was not holding a grudge. He realized that his time here was part of a great plan that God had, to get the children of Israel into Egypt. God told Abraham they would spend 400 years in Egypt. This was fulfillment of that prophecy.
Genesis 45:8 "So now [it was] not you [that] sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."
"Father to Pharaoh": A title which belonged to viziers and which designated one who, unrelated to Pharaoh, nevertheless performed a valuable function and held high position, which in Joseph's case was "lord of all Egypt" (verse 9). A new and younger Pharaoh now reigned (Senusert III, 1878 - 1841 B.C.).
The phrase "he hath made me a father to Pharaoh" is an expression applied to Egyptian viziers as far back as the third millennium B.C.
God had worked out the selling of Joseph to Potiphar. Potiphar's wife had been used, as well, to get Joseph in jail. There he met the butler who told the Pharaoh about Joseph's interpretation of dreams. God can use ungodly people to accomplish His goals. Joseph had to be ruler in Egypt, so that he would be allowed to bring his family to safety. Thus, began Israel's stay in Egypt.
Genesis 45:9 "Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:"
"Haste you, and go up to my father": In Canaan, which lay higher than Egypt; being desirous he should know as soon as possible that he was alive, and in what circumstances he was.
"And say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph": Without any title, such as the father and counsellor of Pharaoh and governor of Egypt, only Joseph his son, which would be enough to revive the heart of Jacob.
"God hath made me lord over all Egypt": His exaltation to this dignity he ascribes, not to Pharaoh, but to God. Civil honor and promotion to worldly grandeur and dignity are from God, and not from man.
"Come down unto me, tarry not": The great business on his hands not permitting him to go to his father and fetch him to Egypt. He desires that he would come to him without delay, which would be greatly to the advantage of him and his family, and to their mutual comfort.
Genesis 45:10 "And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:"
The "Land of Goshen" was an Egyptian region (47:6 - 27), in the eastern delta area (47:11), not far from the court at Memphis. It was in the area around the Wadi Tumilat, a valley that was about 40 miles long.
It was highly suitable for cattle (47:4-6), but hated by the Egyptians (46:34). Thus, it provided good seclusion.
This isolation would provide for Israel's distinctive cultural preservation under conditions favorable to their growth and unity.
Genesis 45:11 "And there will I nourish thee; for yet [there are] five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty."
"And there will I nourish thee": Provide for him and his family.
"For yet there are five years of famine": Still to come, two of the seven only being past.
"Lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty": His whole future generations would be consumed, as it would be in all probability, if he did not procure food for his family during the famine.
Joseph had shared, with his brothers, the dream God had revealed to him. There would be seven years of famine. If Jacob' family was already needing food after two years, then they would starve to death in five more years. Joseph sent his father word that he would take care of them through this terrible time.
Here is another symbolism. These seven years of famine is like the seven years of tribulation about to come to the earth. Woe be unto those who are left during the seven years of tribulation. We, like Joseph, must be prepared.
Genesis 45:12 "And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that [it is] my mouth that speaketh unto you."
"And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin": They were eyewitnesses of his being alive, having themselves seen him, and even Benjamin, who could not be suspected by his father of a fraud in imposing on him.
And some of them could doubtless remember his features, and had a visual proof of his being the very person, which they could with great evidence relate unto Jacob; as also his voice in speaking.
"That it is my mouth that speaketh unto you": Without an interpreter, as Aben Ezra, and in the Hebrew language, as the Targum and Jarchi. Which might confirm them, and likewise their father upon their report, that the governor was not an Egyptian, but a Hebrew. So by that and other concurrent testimonies that he must be Joseph.
Genesis 45:13 "And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither."
"And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt": His wealth and riches, his grandeur and dignity, his power and authority.
"And of all that you have seen": What a magnificent house he dwelt in; what a numerous train of servants he had. In what majesty he rode in the second chariot to the king; and what authority he exercised over the people. And what reverence they gave him, and what power he had, particularly in the distribution of corn.
"And ye shall haste, and bring down my father hither": For Joseph had an eager desire to see him, wherefore this is repeated.
The urgency of the hour was what Joseph was trying to get over to his brothers. He was, also, telling them, it was not second-hand information.
When the Trumpet blows to call us out of tribulation, it will be Jesus, Himself blowing the trumpet.
Verses 14-15: Reconciliation was accomplished with much emotion, which clearly showed that Joseph held no grudges and had forgiven them, evidencing the marks of a spiritually mature man (see note on 50:15-18). It had been 22 years since the brothers sold Joseph into slavery.
Genesis 45:14 "And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck."
"And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept": On his neck first, because he was his own brother by father and mother's side. And he wept over him for joy that he had a sight of him once more. The word for "neck" is in the plural number, and being used, may signify that he fell first on one side of his neck, and then on the other, to show his great affection for him.
"And Benjamin wept upon his neck": Their love and the signs of it were reciprocal.
Genesis 45:15 "Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him."
"Moreover, he kissed all his brethren": In their turns, to testify his real affection for them, and hearty reconciliation to them.
"And wept upon them": That is, upon their necks, as he had on Benjamin's.
"And after that his brethren talked with him": Being emboldened by this posture of his to them, and encouraged to believe that he really forgave them their sin against him.
And was truly reconciled unto them, and had a real affection for them, and had no reason to fear he would avenge himself on them. They entered into a free conversation, and talked of their father and their family, and the concerns of it and of what passed since the time he was separated from them.
Here too, the symbolism cries out. Benjamin represented the original (physical) Israel. We Christians are represented by the other brothers. Benjamin was a whole brother. The others were half-brothers.
The Jew is the natural branch. We have been adopted and grafted into the tree. They were no longer afraid, when he hugged and kissed them. All was forgiven, never to be remembered again.
Genesis 45:16 "And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants."
"And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house": The report was carried to court, and there it was told by some from Joseph's house, who had overheard what had passed, at least somewhat of it.
"Saying, Joseph's brethren are come": Perhaps they might call him by his Egyptian name, though the historian gives him his Hebrew name, and which was his right name, and by which he was best known to the Hebrews, for whose sake chiefly he wrote.
"And it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants": For Joseph being greatly beloved both by the king and his courtiers, who are meant by his servants. They were glad of an opportunity of showing their further regard to him, by their respect and courtesy to his relations and friends, who had been the means of providing for the welfare of the whole kingdom, and of saving all their lives.
Pharaoh's expressions of pleasure on this occasion were, no doubt sincere; whatever were those of his courtiers. Who might not make a difference to a stranger, and one that had been in a very low estate of life, to be raised above them, and have so much trust be placed in him. And the honor conferred upon him, and might dissemble in their respect to Joseph before their sovereign.
Though such might be the prudence and geniality of Joseph, and such the sense they had of their obligations to him in point of gratitude, that they might be really pleased to hear that his brethren were come. And the rather Pharaoh and his court might be the more delighted, because that it appeared that he came of a good family in Canaan.
Whereas they knew no more of him than of his having been a slave in Potiphar's house, and then cast into a prison for a crime charged upon him, out of which he was taken, and made the great man he was.
The final seal of approval for Joseph's relatives to immigrate to Egypt came unsought from Pharaoh (verses 17-20).
Pharaoh was delighted because Joseph's brothers had come, and it had made Joseph so happy. All this time, Joseph was highly respected by the Pharaoh and his servants. All Egypt was grateful to Joseph for his plan to keep them alive. Whatever it takes to made Joseph happy made everyone happy.
Genesis Chapter 45 Questions
1. How did it affect Jacob when Judah pled for Benjamin?
2. Who did Joseph send out?
3. What did Joseph do when he can stand it no longer?
4. Who heard Joseph crying?
5. When Joseph revealed who he was, what did he immediately ask them?
6. Why could the brothers not answer?
7. What did they deserve?
8. Relate this to Christianity.
9. Who did Joseph tell them planned this?
10. How many years of the famine had past?
11. How many years were left?
12. Are we always fully aware of the purpose, when God sends us out to do a job?
13. God told Abraham this would be the beginning of what?
14. What had God made Joseph to Pharaoh?
15. Does God ever use the ungodly to accomplish His purpose? Explain.
16. Where did Joseph send his brothers?
17. Why.
18. What land were they to dwell in?
19. What did the seven years of famine remind us of?
20. What similarity was there in the timing of Joseph sending for his father.
21. When we are called, who will call?
22. What message do we have that is the same message that Joseph was telling his brothers?
23. When did the brothers talk with Joseph?
24. Who did Benjamin represent spiritually?
25. Who did the brothers represent?
26. How did Pharaoh feel about all this?
Genesis 45:17 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;"
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph": Who, it is highly probable, waited upon Pharaoh to acquaint him with the coming of his brethren. For it cannot be imagined that Pharaoh should say what follows upon a bare report, without having a further account of things from Joseph.
Or that he would neglect giving it, but take the first opportunity to inform him, whereupon he gave him the following order.
"Say unto thy brethren, this do ye": Give them directions and instructions to do as follows.
"Lade your beasts": With provisions for the present necessity of their father's household in Canaan, and for their journey back to Egypt.
"And go, get you into the land of Canaan": With all the haste they could make.
Genesis 45:18 "And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land."
"And take your father, and your households": Or families, for they were all married persons, and had children, and no doubt servants also: all were to be brought with them.
"And come unto me": Into his kingdom, to his metropolis, and to his palace, and into his presence.
"And I will give you the good of the land of Egypt": The best things which it affords, and the best and most fruitful part of it, as he afterwards did, which was the land of Goshen.
"And ye shall eat the fat of the land": The choicest fruits of the earth, such as were produced in fields and gardens. Meaning that they should have the finest of the wheat for themselves, and the fattest pastures for their flocks.
Joseph was now hurriedly sending his brothers to get his father, Jacob, and all the family. He told them he would take care of their needs.
Isn't that just what Jesus is telling us? He is building us a mansion. There will be a river of clear water and a tree that gives off fruit each month of the year. Jesus will see to our every need. Can you see the type and shadow here in that Joseph was promising his brethren and what Jesus promises His? The time is urgent for the Christian, as well. Time is running out.
Genesis 45:19 "Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come."
"Now thou art commanded, this do ye": Had his orders from Pharaoh; had full power and authority to do the above things, and what follows.
The sense Joseph Kimchi gives of this clause is, that Joseph was ordered by Pharaoh not to let any wagons go out of Egypt with corn, lest the Egyptians should want. But now Pharaoh said to him, though thou wert thus ordered, yet bid thy brethren to do as follows.
"Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt": And lade them with corn, as the same writer observes; the Targum of Jonathan adds, which were drawn by oxen.
"For your little ones, and for your wives": The wagons were to carry the women and children in when they returned.
"And bring your father, and come": In one of the carriages or in what way was most agreeable to him in his old age.
Genesis 45:20 "Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt [is] yours."
"Also regard not your stuff": Or "your vessels", utensils and household goods. He would not have them to be concerned if they could not bring all their goods with them.
But were obliged to leave some behind, and which, because of the distance of the way and difficulty of the road, lying through sandy deserts, could not well be brought, since there was enough to be had in the land of Egypt.
Therefore, as it may be rendered, "let not your eye spare", or "pity": do not be grieved at it, or say it is a pity to leave these good things behind.
"For the good of all the land of Egypt is yours": Whatever good things were in it, whether for food or use for themselves, their houses, or their flocks, all were at their service, and they were welcome to them; or the best or most fruitful part of the country was designed for them, and would be given to them, or was at their option.
Here, they were told to carry wagons from Egypt to bring their families back in. He was, also, telling them not to use their material things in Canaan as an excuse to stop them from coming. The things prepared for them in Egypt, a place of refuge, was much better. Just leave all that behind, and begin a new life here.
Genesis 45:21 "And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way."
"And the children of Israel did so": As Pharaoh commanded, and Joseph from him directed them to do.
"And Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh": And beasts, either horses or oxen to draw them. And these not empty, though the principal use of them was to fetch his father and his family, and their goods.
"And gave them provision for the way": Both going and returning, as much as would suffice for both.
This was fully approved by Pharaoh. Jesus will come and get us when God the Father says it is time. Jesus will remain in the clouds in the air, and we must go to him. The shadows of things to come are all throughout this lesson.
Genesis 45:22 "To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver, and five changes of raiment."
"To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment": Rich apparel, two suits of clothes, to shift and change upon occasion, such as Homer calls, "changeable garments".
Those he gave to every one of his brethren, partly that they might have something to show to their father and to their wives, which would cause them to give credit to the report they should give of Joseph, and his great prosperity.
And partly that they might, upon their return, be provided with suitable apparel to appear before Pharaoh, and chiefly this was intended to show his great respect and affection for them, and reconciliation to them.
"But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver": Or shekels, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, which amounted to between thirty and forty pounds of our money.
"Five changes of raiment": Because of his greater love and affection for him.
We are told over and over not to show partiality, but throughout the Bible, there were favorites. Joseph showed so much favoritism, because he was his own brother. They had the same mother and the same father. It is extremely difficult not to show partiality to your own flesh and blood.
Jesus said even sinners knew how to give good gifts to their own children. This change of clothes, here, has a shadow, also. When we leave this earth, we will put on our white robes of righteousness, furnished for us by Jesus. Not our righteousness, but His.
Genesis 45:23 "And to his father he sent after this [manner]; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way."
"And to his father he sent after this manner": Or "according to" this; either in like manner, as he gave his brethren change of raiment, etc., so he sent the like to him.
As Aben Ezra and Ben Melech interpret it, referring it to what goes before; or rather as Jarchi, according to this account or number, even which follows. Namely:
"Ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt": The best things the land afforded; the Targum of Jonathan says with wine, but that Egypt did not abound with; and so Jarchi, out of the Talmud, observes, that it was old wine that was sent, such as is agreeable to ancient men.
"And ten she asses laden with corn": For bread, next mentioned, and so distinguished from it.
"And bread": Readymade and baked.
"And meat for his father by the way": Food and fruit of various sorts. Aben Ezra reckons many, peas, beans, lentils, millet, fetches, figs, currants, and dates.
Joseph loved his father very much. You can easily see, this, by the things he sent to help his father make this journey.
Genesis 45:24 "So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way."
"So he sent his brethren away, and they departed": From Egypt to Canaan with the wagons, asses, and rich presents.
"And he said unto them, see that ye fall not out by the way": The Targum of Jonathan adds, about the affair of selling me. Which he had reason to fear they would, from what they, and particularly Reuben, had said in his presence (Genesis 42:21).
He was concerned this would be the subject of their discourse by the way, and that they would be blaming one another about it, and so fall into contentions and quarrels. That one would say it was owing to the reports of such a one concerning him, that they entertained hatred against him.
That it was such a one that advised to kill him, and such one that stripped him of his clothes, and such one that put him into the pit, and that was the cause of his being sold.
And thus, shifting of things from one to another, and aggravating each other's concern in this matter, they might stir up and provoke one another to wrath and anger.
As the word used signifies, which might have a bad issue. To prevent which Joseph gives them this kind and good advice. And especially there was the more reason to attend to it, since he was reconciled unto them, and was desirous the whole should be buried in oblivion.
A needed admonition because they would have so much sin to think about as they readied their confession to their father.
Here, he was saying make your path strait. Do not let things of this world make you stray.
Genesis 45:25 "And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,"
"And they went up out of Egypt": That lying lower than the land of Canaan.
"And came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father": They found him alive and well.
You can imagine the joy of the father when he saw them coming? His greatest fears had not come to pass. They were home safely. Benjamin and Simeon were both with them unharmed. Even at a glance, he could see all the food stuff they were bringing.
Genesis 45:26 "And told him, saying, Joseph [is] yet alive, and he [is] governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not."
"And told him": What had happened to them in Egypt.
"Saying, Joseph is yet alive": Who was thought by him and them to have been dead long ago.
"And he is governor over all the land of Egypt": Deputy governor, and had such power and authority that nothing was done without his order. The executive power or administration of government was put into his hands, and all the officers of the kingdom were under him, he was next to Pharaoh.
"And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not": It was too great and too good news to be true; though it was desirable, it was unexpected. It amazed him, he knew not what to think, or say or believe about it. There was such a conflict of the passions in him, that he could not compose himself, or reason with himself about it.
Like his sons (verse 3), Jacob was shocked by the totally unexpected good news. Even though the record is silent on the matter, this was the appropriate occasion for the sons to confess their crime to their father.
And what might serve the more to hinder his belief of it was, that this report of theirs was contrary to what they themselves had before related of his death. And very likely upon the mention of the thing he fell into a swoon, and was not himself for a while. When he came to himself, they went on with their account.
Jacob was shocked at the news that Joseph was not dead. He was alive and had been made governor of all Egypt. Their father could not believe it. It has been twenty two years since he had seen or heard of Joseph. He had thought him dead for many years. How can this be true?
It was almost too much for Jacob. Good news can shock you sometimes, almost as much as bad news. How would the same sons who lied to him before, be able to convince their father that Joseph is alive?
Genesis 45:27 "And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:"
"And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them": Not concerning their selling of him and his forgiveness of them, and reconciliation to them, which perhaps Jacob never heard of to his dying day, since he makes no mention of it.
Nor hints at it in his dying words to them; but of his great advancement in the court of Pharaoh, and how desirous he was to have his father and family with him, and provide for them, since there were five years of famine yet to come.
"And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him": And his son's wives and children, down to Egypt in; and which were so grand and magnificent, that he was easily persuaded could never have been provided by his sons, if what they had said concerning Joseph was not true.
"The spirit of Jacob their father revived": Not the Holy Spirit, or spirit of prophecy, as the Targums, which the Jews say departed from him, and had not been with him since the loss of Joseph, but now returned. But his own natural spirit, he became lively and cheerful, giving credit to the report of his sons.
Jacob had been depressed for twenty two years. The younger son, Benjamin, of his precious Rachel, had helped, but Joseph had been his favorite for so many years.
They, also, told him that Joseph felt this had been planned by God Almighty to bring them to Egypt.
They told of Joseph's stay in Potiphar's house, how he was cast into the dungeon and brought out when the butler told Pharaoh about Joseph's interpretations of his dream. They told of Pharaoh's dreams, and how Joseph interpreted them. He was given the high Office of the governor of Egypt.
Joseph was in charge of the food during the famine. The one thing that finally convinced Jacob was the abundance of food on the wagons. Joseph had to be the one who sent it.
Genesis 45:28 "And Israel said, [It is] enough; Joseph my son [is] yet alive: I will go and see him before I die."
"And Israel said, it is enough, Joseph my son is yet alive": Or it is "much" or "great"; he had much joy, as the Targums; this was the greatest blessing of all, and more to him than all the glory and splendor that Joseph was in.
That he was alive, that was enough for Jacob, which gave him content and pleasure. Not so much the news of his grandeur in Egypt, as of his being in the land of the living.
"I will go and see him before I die": Though his age was great, the journey long and difficult, so great was his desire of seeing Joseph that he determines at once upon going, expecting death shortly.
No doubt but this was said in submission to the will of God, and in seeking him by prayer and supplication, and in the exercise of faith, believing that God would grant him his desire, than which nothing in life could be more desirable to him, and he only wished to live to enjoy this favor.
In Joseph's making himself known unto his brethren, he was a type of Christ, who manifests himself to his people alone, and as he does not unto the world, saying unto them, that he is Jesus the Savior, their friend and brother, and whom they crucified, whose sins were the cause of his sufferings.
And yet encourages them to draw nigh unto him with a humble and holy boldness, giving them abundant reason to believe that he will receive them kindly, seeing that all that were done to him were by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, and for their good, even for their eternal salvation.
And that they might not perish, but have everlasting life; and to whom he now gives change of raiment, riches and honor, yea, durable riches and righteousness. And declares it to be his will, that where he is, they may be also, and behold his glory.
And this is sufficient to engage them to reckon all their worldly enjoyments as mere stuff, contemptible things in comparison of the good and glories of another world they are hastening to. Where there will be fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore; and therefore, should not fall out by the way, as they too often do.
The only thing I can compare this to our day, would be a son missing in action from twenty nine years ago, and suddenly and unexpectedly be found. What a joy. Like Jacob, we would want to see this son before we die.
Genesis Chapter 45 Continued Questions
Genesis 46:1 "And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac."
"Offered sacrifices": The route to Egypt for Jacob went via Beer-sheba, a notable site about 25 miles southwest of Hebron and favorite place of worship for both Abraham and Isaac.
Jacob stopped at "Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac." Both Abraham (21:33), and Isaac (26:25), had erected altars here, and this may have been his motive for offering sacrifices.
Abraham had lied about his wife in Egypt (12:10-20), with serious consequences; and Isaac had been forbidden even to go there (26:2), which must have caused Jacob some anxiety. But God assured Jacob that he need "fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation" (15:13; Psalm 105:17, 23).
Verses 2-4: "God spake ... in the visions": Jacob's anxiety about his departure to Egypt was put to rest by the Lord's approval and confirmation of his descendants returning as a nation. God had previously appeared/spoken to Jacob (in 28:10-17; 32:24-30; 35:1, 9-13).
Genesis 46:2 "And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here [am] I."
"And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night": He appeared to Jacob as he lay upon his bed in the night season, and with an articulate voice spoke to him as follows.
"And said, Jacob, Jacob": Not "Israel", the more honorable name he had given him, but Jacob, putting him in mind of his former low estate. And doubling this name, either out of love and affection to him, as Jarchi intimates; or rather in order to awake him. Or at least to stir up his attention to what he was about to say to him.
"And he said, here am I": Signifying his readiness to hearken to him in what he should say to him, and to obey him in whatsoever he should command him.
Genesis 46:3 "And he said, I [am] God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:"
"And he said, I am God, the God of thy father": His father Isaac, who was now dead, and who is the rather mentioned, because in him Abraham's seed was to be called, and in his line the promise both of the land of Canaan, and of the Messiah ran, and from him Jacob received the blessing.
And this might be a confirmation of it to him, in that Jehovah calls himself his God. He first declares himself to be his God, and so able to perform whatever he should promise him, and his father's God, who would show him favor, as he had to him.
"Fear not to go down into Egypt": Jacob might have many fears arise in his mind about this journey, as interpreters generally observe. As lest it should not be agreeable to the will of God, since his father Isaac was forbidden to go into Egypt, when in like circumstances with him (Genesis 26:1).
As well as he, might fear it would be too great a journey for him in his old age, some evil would befall him, or he die by the way and not see his son. Or lest going with his family there, and continuing for some time, they might be tempted with the pleasantness and fruitfulness of the land, and settle there, and forget and neglect the Promised Land of Canaan.
And especially lest they should be drawn into the idolatry of the Egyptians, and forsake the worship of the true God. And very probably he might call to mind the prophecy delivered to Abraham, of his seed being strangers and servants, and afflicted in a land not theirs for the space of four hundred years (Genesis 15:13).
And Jacob might fear this step he was now taking would bring on, as indeed it did, the completion of this prediction, by which his offspring would be oppressed and diminished.
The Targum of Jonathan makes this to be Jacob's principal fear; "fear not to go down into Egypt, because of the business of the servitude decreed with Abraham; as also he might fear his going there might seem to be a giving up his title to, and expectation of the Promised Land. To remove which fears the following is said:
"For I will there make of thee a great nation": As he did; for though in process of time his seed were greatly afflicted here, yet the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied.
And their increase in Egypt was vastly greater than it had been in a like space of time before; for in the space of two hundred fifteen years before their descent into Egypt, they were become no more than seventy persons. Whereas in the like number of years in Egypt, they became 600,000, besides children (see Genesis 46:27 Exodus 12:37).
Beer-sheba had been a place where Abraham and Isaac had built altars and sacrificed to God before Jacob. This was a likely place for Jacob to go and pray before going into Egypt. Jacob had not really been visited by God for more than twenty five years. Jacob undoubtedly knew of the prophecy given to Abraham telling of 400 years of servitude in Egypt by the Israelites.
Surely Israel (Jacob) was praying and asking God's advice on going to this land that had been off limits to his people before. Yet, Joseph was in Egypt, and Israel, more than he cared for his own life, wanted to see Joseph.
Probably, in the night vision, when God spoke to Israel and called him Jacob, God was reminding him of who he used to be, and still would be, Except for the grace of God. God assured Jacob that it was alright to go to Egypt. He promised to make a great nation of him again here.
Genesis 46:4 "I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up [again]: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes."
"I will go down with thee into Egypt": Which was enough to silence all his fears; for if the presence of God went with him to protect and defend him, to bless and prosper him, and to direct, support, and comfort, he had nothing to fear from any quarter.
"And I will also surely bring thee up again": This refers to the bringing up of his posterity from thence in due time, for which Jacob might be most concerned, and so the Targum of Jonathan,"and I will bring up thy children from thence:"
The Lord promised to be with Jacob and "also surely bring thee up again." This refers to the nation of Israel and not Jacob.
"Put his hand upon thine eyes": A promise of dying peacefully in the presence of his beloved son (49:33).
Here, we see that the God of Israel is not limited to Canaan, but is God everywhere. It appears that God promises that Joseph would close Jacob's eyes at death, and bury him in Canaan with his relatives.
Genesis 46:5 "And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him."
"And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba": In high spirits, and proceeded on in his journey, being encouraged and enthusiastic by the promises of God now made unto him.
"And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him": It may be wondered at that Joseph did not send his chariot to fetch his father; it could not be for want of due respect and honor to him, but it may be such a carriage was not fit for so long a journey, and especially to travel in, in some parts of the road through which they went.
No mention being made of Jacob's wives, it may be presumed they were all now dead. It is certain Rachel was (see Gen. 35:19).
And it is more than probable that Leah died before this time, since Jacob says he buried her himself in Machpelah in Canaan, (Gen. 49:31). And it is very likely also that his two concubine wives Bilhah and Zilpah were also dead, since no notice is taken of them.
Genesis 46:6 "And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:"
"And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan": Some interpreters add, by way of explanation, and in Mesopotamia; much of Jacob's substance being yet there, though the greatest part was got in Canaan, and so that is put for the whole.
Jarchi supposes that Jacob gave all that he got in Padan-aram to Esau for his part in the cave of Machpelah, and therefore mention is only made of his substance in Canaan. But there is no need of any such additions or suppositions, since the text only speaks of the substance of Jacob's sons, and what they had was only gotten in Canaan, into which they came very young.
All which they brought with them as being their property, and not obliged to leave it behind to strangers; though they were bid not to regard their stuff, yet they were not willing to live upon others, but upon their own, and as much as they could independent of others. That they might not be rebuked later, that they came into Egypt poor and destitute of everything.
"And came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him": Safe and well (ca. 1877 B.C.). They remained 430 years (Exodus 12:40), until the Exodus (in 1445 B.C.).
Genesis 46:7 "His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt."
"His sons, and his sons' sons with him": His eleven sons, and their sons, his grandchildren.
"And his daughters": His own daughter Dinah, and his daughters in law, the wives of his sons. For these came with him into Egypt, as appears from (Genesis 46:5); though the plural may be put for the singular (as in Genesis 46:23).
"And his sons' daughters": And mention is made of Sarah the daughter of Asher (Gen. 46:17). Jarchi adds, Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, but it is certain she was born in Egypt (Num. 26:59).
"And all his seed brought he with him into Egypt": Left none behind him in Canaan, son or daughter. No mention is made of servants, though no doubt many came along with him. The design of the historian is to give an account of Jacob's children, who they were, and their number, when they came into Egypt, that the increase of them might be observed.
We see here, that not only did they carry everything Jacob had into Egypt, but all of his sons, and all of their families, and all of their possessions as well. This all happened when Jacob was about one hundred and thirty years old.
Verses 8-27: The genealogical register, separately listing and totaling the sons per wife and handmaid, is enveloped by notification that it records the sons/persons of Jacob who went to Egypt (verses 8, 27).
Ancient Near Eastern genealogies could include historical notes as is true here, namely the death of Er and Onan (verse 12), and that Laban gave the handmaids to his daughters (verses 18, 25).
Genesis 46:8 "And these [are] the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn."
"And these are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt": Not meaning precisely Jacob's seed and offspring, but the body of the people of Israel, as they were when they went into Egypt, including Jacob himself.
This was the first time that author Moses referred to the family as a whole in this way, although "in Israel", had been used by the sons of Jacob before (34:7).
"Jacob and his sons": For he went with them to Egypt, and was the head and principal of them.
"Reuben, Jacob's firstborn" (see Gen. 29:32).
Genesis 46:9 "And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi."
"And the sons of Reuben, Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi": From whom came the families named after them, of which they were the heads (Num. 26:5).
Genesis 46:10 "And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman."
"And the sons of Simeon": Who was the second son of Jacob.
"Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar": The first of these is called Nemuel (Num. 26:12). The third, Ohad, is omitted in the places referred to, he dying without children, as may be supposed, and so was not the head of any family. The fourth, Jachin, is called Jarib (see 1 Chron. 4:24); and the fifth is called Zerah, in the above place, by a transposition of letters.
"And Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman": Whom Simeon married, very probably after the death of his first wife, by whom he had the above five sons or she was his concubine.
Many Jewish writers say, this was Dinah, married to a Canaanite, but this is impossible: according to the Targum of Jonathan, this Shaul was Zimri, who did the work of the Canaanites at Shittim (Num. 25:14), which is not at all likely, the distance of time will not admit of it.
Genesis 46:11 "And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari."
"And the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari": From these sprung the priests and Levites (see Num. 3:1).
Genesis 46:12 "And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul."
"And the sons of Judah, Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah": Five of them.
"But Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan": And so did not go with Jacob into Egypt. And which is observed that they might not be reckoned among them, though it was proper to take notice of them in the genealogy.
"And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul": Some think that these could not be born in Canaan, but in Egypt; and that they are mentioned among those that went down to Egypt, because they went there in the loins of their father.
And to supply the places of Er and Onan, who died before, and have the honor to be here named, because they might be the first of Jacob's great grandchildren born there; though others suppose that Pharez was at this.
The difficulty is not easily solved. The Targum of Jonathan expressly says," Shelah and Zarah did not beget children in Canaan, but there were two sons of Pharez who went down into Egypt, Hezron and Hamul.
Genesis 46:13 "And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron."
"And the sons of Issachar, Tola, and Phuvah; and Job, and Shimron": The first of these was the father of a numerous race in the days of David, their number was 22,600 (See 1 Chron. 7:2).
The second is called Puah, and the third Jashub, and the fourth Shimrom (1 Chron. 7:1); and were all the heads of families, as appears from the places referred to.
Genesis 46:14 "And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel."
"And the sons of Zebulun, Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel": Whose names are the same in Numbers 26:26.
Genesis 46:15 "These [be] the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters [were] thirty and three."
"These are the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram": Which must be restrained to the six sons only, who were properly Leah's, and not to their sons' sons, for they were not born in Padan-aram, but in Canaan.
"With his daughter Dinah": Who also was by Leah.
"All the souls of his sons and daughters were thirty and three": That is, together with himself, or otherwise it will be difficult to give the exact number. If all before mentioned are to be reckoned there will be thirty four, wherefore some are for excluding Dinah.
But she is not only expressly mentioned, but is the only one intended by his daughters here, the plural being put for the singular. And there is as much reason for retaining her here, as Sarah the daughter of Asher hereafter.
Some think Er and Onan are to be excluded, as indeed they are, because they died in the land of Canaan, and then there will be but thirty two. Therefore, some are for adding Jochebed the daughter of Levi, but she is neither mentioned in the genealogy, nor did she go with Jacob into Egypt, but was born in Egypt long after.
It seems best therefore to take Jacob himself into the account, as several Jewish writers do, and who is expressly named and set at the head of this account (Genesis 46:8), which will make thirty three.
Here, we see the children and grandchildren of Leah, Jacob's first wife, thirty three in all.
Genesis 46:16 "And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli."
"And the sons of Gad": A son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's maid. For the historian, before he proceeds to give an account of his sons by Rachel, finishes the account of all his sons by Leah and her maid.
"Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, and Eri, and Arodi, and Areli": In all seven; the same number is given, and in the same order (Numbers 26:15).
Genesis 46:17 "And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel."
"And the sons of Asher": Another son of Jacob by Leah's maid Zilpah, whose sons were.
Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister": Who is called Sarah (Num. 26:46). And by the Septuagint here. She seems to have been a person of some note, being so particularly remarked in both places.
"And the sons of Beriah, Heber and Malchiel": This Beriah seems to be the youngest son of Asher, and yet had two sons. Who, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, went down into Egypt; he must have married and had sons when very young; which was not impossible (see Gen. 46:12).
Genesis 46:18 "These [are] the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, [even] sixteen souls."
"These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter": To be her maid, when she was married to Jacob, by whom he had Gad and Asher.
"And these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls": Not that Zilpah bare sixteen children to Jacob, for she bore but two; but the children and grandchildren of these two with them made sixteen.
Zilpah, the handmaiden of Leah, accounted for sixteen who went to Egypt.
Genesis 46:19 "The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin."
"The sons Rachel, Jacob's wife": The wife of his affection and choice, his principal wife, yea, his only lawful wife; Zilpah and Bilhah were his concubines, and as for Leah, she was imposed and forced upon him.
"Joseph and Benjamin": The first was in Egypt already, the other now went down with Jacob.
Genesis 46:20 "And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him."
"And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim": And therefore not to be reckoned with those that went down with Jacob there; for which reason the clause, "in the land of Egypt", is inserted (see Gen. 41:50).
"Which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah, priest of On, bare unto him": Here again the Targum of Jonathan makes Asenath to be the daughter of Dinah, who it says was educated in the house of Poti-pherah prince of Tanis (See Gen. 41:50).
Genesis 46:21 "And the sons of Benjamin [were] Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard."
"And the sons of Benjamin": The second son of Jacob by his wife Rachel; whose sons were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh.
"Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard": In all ten. It is a difficulty to account for it that Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son, often called a lad at this time, and generally supposed to be about twenty three or four years of age, should have so many sons.
Genesis 46:22 "These [are] the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls [were] fourteen."
"These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob": That is, sons and grandsons.
"All the souls were fourteen; two sons, Joseph and Benjamin": Twelve grandsons, two of Joseph's, and ten of Benjamin's.
Rachel's descendants who went into Egypt totaled fourteen.
Genesis 46:23 "And the sons of Dan; Hushim."
"And the sons of Dan, Hushim": He had but one son, wherefore the plural is put for the singular (see Gen. 46:7). Aben Ezra thinks he had two sons, and that one of them was dead, and therefore not mentioned.
But the other way best accounts for the expression. Though, as Schmidt observes, the plural may be indefinitely put, and the sense be this, as for the sons of Dan, there was only one, whose name was Hushim. Dan was a son of Jacob by Bilhah, Rachel's maid, as the following was another.
Genesis 46:24 "And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem."
"And the sons of Naphtali, Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem": The last is called Shallum (in 1 Chronicles 7:13).
Genesis 46:25 "These [are] the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls [were] seven."
"These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter": To be her maid, when she was married to Jacob.
"And she bare these unto Jacob, all the souls were seven": Not that she bare seven sons to Jacob, she bore but two, Dan and Naphtali; but the children of these with them made seven, one of Dan's, and four of Naphtali's, who went down with Jacob into Egypt.
Bilhah, Rachel's handmaiden, accounted seven descendants who went to Egypt.
Genesis 46:26 "All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls [were] threescore and six;"
"All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt": These are in parcels before mentioned, but here they are brought to a sum total. And by this phrase are excluded those that died before, as Er and Onan, and those that were in Egypt before, as Joseph and his two sons. And I should think also all that were born in Egypt afterwards, even while Jacob was living.
"Which came out of his loins": Such as were his seed and offspring. This is observed for the sake of what follows, and to exclude them.
"Besides Jacob's sons' wives": These do not come into the account, because they did not spring from him.
"All the souls were threescore and six": Thirty two of Leah's, leaving out Er and Onan, sixteen of Zilpah's, fourteen of Rachel's, and seven of Bilhah's, make sixty nine; take out of them Joseph and his two sons, who were in Egypt before, and you have the exact number of sixty six.
Genesis 46:27 "And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, [were] two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, [were] threescore and ten."
"Threescore and ten": Jacob, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim should be added to the 66. The 75 of Acts 7:14 included an additional 5 people, born in the land, which were added in the LXX reading of (46:8-27; Exodus 1:5, Deut. 10:22). These 5 included two sons of Manasseh, two sons of Ephraim, and one grandson of the latter (see note on Exodus 1:5).
This agrees with (Deuteronomy 10:22 and the Hebrew text of Exodus 1:5).
(Exodus 1:5 in the Septuagint, however, reads 75), which Stephen apparently quoted in his sermon (Acts 7:14), and which the Dead Sea Scrolls support the number 75 probably includes five later descendants of Joseph.
These seventy souls, if you add Israel and his four wives, made a grand total of seventy five people who would grow to be approximately three million at the exodus. They fulfilled God's promise that they truly be a multitude. This seventy five includes Joseph's family who are already in Egypt.
Genesis 46:28 "And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen."
"And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph": Who was the more honorable of his sons and in greater esteem with Jacob than his elder brethren were. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi; who by their conduct had greatly displeased him. Once again Judah was the leader going ahead as Jacob's representative, not Reuben (see note on 44:16).
Moreover, he was a man of a polite address, and had endeared himself to Joseph by his speech to him, in which he discovered so much affection both to his father, and his brother Benjamin, and was upon all accounts the fittest person to be sent to Joseph.
"To direct his face unto Goshen": To inform Joseph of his father's coming, that a place might be prepared for him to dwell in, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it. And particularly to direct what place in Goshen he would have him come to, and meet him at.
"And they came into the land of Goshen": Which was the first part of the land of Egypt that lay nearest to Canaan. "Goshen" (see note on 45:10).
Here, Jacob was just unfamiliar with Egypt, and needed directions to find the area of Goshen.
Genesis 46:29 "And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while."
"And Joseph made ready his chariot": Or "bound" it, fastened the horses to it. Harnessed them, and put them to. This he did not himself, as Jarchi thinks, for the honor of his father; but rather, as Aben Ezra, by ordering his servants to do it.
"And went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen": That being higher than the other part of Egypt, as it must be, if it was in Thebes, or upper Egypt, as some Jewish writers say; and Fium, supposed to be the place the Israelites dwelt in (see Gen. 47:11), stood very high.
"And presented himself unto him": Alighted from his chariot, and came up to his father, and stood before him, and showed himself to him, declaring who he was.
"And he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while": Either Jacob fell on the neck of Joseph, and wept over him a good while before he could speak to him, as the father of the prodigal son fell on his neck and kissed him (Luke 15:20).
Or, as Jarchi, Joseph fell on his father's neck, as he had done upon his brethren before, but wept over him longer. Their embraces were no doubt mutual and extremely affectionate, that for a while they were not able to speak a word to each other.
This had to be a very touching scene. Joseph had waited over twenty years for this moment. The tears of loneliness to see his father and has finally been turned into joy. He came in all this new found Egyptian pomp, but fell on his face on his father's neck, and wept tears of Joy.
All the power and circumstances were gone; this was his long awaited father. He just could not let go of Jacob, just as if he did, he would disappear again.
Genesis 46:30 "And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou [art] yet alive."
"And Israel said unto Joseph": He broke silence first.
"Now let me die, since I have seen thy face": Not that he was impatient to die, and not desirous to live any longer. For it could not but yield pleasure to him, and make the remainder of his life more comfortable to live with such a son, his darling, and now in so much honor and grandeur.
But this he said to express his great satisfaction at the sight of him, that he could now be content to die, having all his heart could wish for, a meeting with his beloved son.
"Because thou art yet alive": Whom he had looked upon as dead, and the receiving him now was as life from the dead, and could not but fill him with the greatest joy (see Luke 15:23). Jacob lived after this, seventeen years (Gen. 47:28).
Israel was so delighted; his statement meant that he could die in peace now that he had seen Joseph.
Verses 31-34: Joseph's instructions about his preparatory interview with Pharaoh were designed to secure his relatives a place somewhat separate from the mainstream of Egyptian society. The social stigma regarding the Hebrews (43:32), who were shepherds also (verse 34), played a crucial role in protecting Israel from intermingling and losing their identity in Egypt (see note on 43:22).
Genesis 46:31 "And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which [were] in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;"
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, and to his father's house": To them and their families, after he had paid his loving respects to his father, in honor, reverence, and affection.
"I will go up and shew Pharaoh": Acquaint him that his father and all his family were come to Egypt. He says, "I will go up"; which same phrase is used of him (Gen. 46:29); when he came, and carries some difficulty in it how to account for it, that he should be said to go up when he came, and to go up when he returned.
Some have thought of upper Egypt, others of the upper part of the Nile, and others, that Pharaoh's palace was situated on an elevation. But then, as it is to be supposed he went the same road he came. It would have been said, that when he came, he came down.
What Ben Melech suggests seems most agreeable, I will go up to my chariot, mount that, and return to Pharaoh, and give him an account of his father's arrival, which it was very proper, prudent, and sensible to do.
"And say unto him, my brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me": Not merely to pay him a visit, but to continue there.
Jacob wanted the Pharaoh to know that his family had now settled in Egypt. They brought their animals with them, so they would not be solely dependent on Pharaoh.
Genesis 46:32 "And the men [are] shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have."
"And the men are shepherds": That was their occupation and employment, by which they got their livelihood. Joseph was not ashamed of the business his father and brethren followed, even though such men were an abomination to the Egyptians.
This he thought proper to tell Pharaoh, lest he should think of putting them into some offices of the court or army, which would expose them to the envy of the Egyptians, and might endanger the corruption of their religion and manners. As well as be the means of separating them one from another, which he was careful to guard against, as Josephus the historian suggests.
"For their trade hath been to feed cattle": This was what they were brought up to from their youth, and were always employed in, and for which only they were fit.
"And they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have": In order to carry on the same business, and lead the same course of life.
Genesis 46:33 "And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What [is] your occupation?"
"And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you": Order them to come before him, to see them, and have some conversation with them.
"And shall say, what is your occupation?" Or your works, their business or employment, whether they exercised any manufacture or handicraft, and what it was.
Genesis 46:34 "That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, [and] also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination unto the Egyptians."
"That ye shall say, thy servants' trade hath been about cattle": Breeding, feeding, and selling them. From our youth, even until now: this had been their constant employment, they never followed any other, both we, and also our fathers. Their father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were all of the same occupation.
"That ye may dwell in the land of Goshen": Joseph instructed his brethren to be very particular in the account of their occupation to Pharaoh, that it might be a direction to him how to dispose of them, and where to settle them. Namely, in the land of Goshen, which was a country that abounded with good pasture, and so the fittest place for them to be fixed in.
Besides this, Joseph had some other reasons for placing them there, as that they might be near to him, who might dwell at On or Heliopolis, to which place, or province, Goshen belonged. And that being also the nearest part of the land to Canaan, they might the more easily and sooner get away when there was an occasion for it.
As well as he was desirous they should not be brought into the heart of the land, lest they should be corrupted with the superstition, and idolatry, and vices of the people. And being afar off, both from the court, and the body of the people, might be less subject to their contempt and insults.
"For every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians": Not because shepherds ate of the milk and flesh of the creatures they fed, which the Egyptians abstained from; for the Egyptians in those times did eat the flesh of slain beasts (see Gen. 43:16). Or because they fed, slew, and ate those creatures, which the Egyptians worshipped as gods.
As Jarchi; for it does not appear that the Egyptians were so early worshippers of such creatures; nor is this phrase, "every shepherd", to be understood of any other than foreign shepherds. For one of the three sorts of the people of Egypt, as distinct from, and under the king, priests, and soldiers, according to Diodorus Siculus, were shepherds, and were not despised on that account.
For, as the same writer says, all the Egyptians were reckoned equally noble and honorable; and such it is plain there were in Egypt, in the times of Joseph (see Gen. 47:6). And goat herds were had in esteem and honor by those about Mendes, though swine herds were not.
Therefore this must be understood of foreign shepherds, the Egyptians having been greatly distressed by such, who, either came out of Ethiopia, and lived by plunder and robbery, or out of Phoenicia or Arabia. For, according to Manetho, it was said that they were Arabians or Phoenicians who entered into Egypt, burnt their cities, etc. and set up kings of their own.
Called their Hycsi, or pastor kings, and therefore Joseph might the rather fear his brethren and father's family would be the more contemptible in that they came from Canaan, which was near to Arabia and Phoenicia.
But Dr. Lightfoot is of opinion that the Egyptians, being plagued for Abraham's and Sarah's sake, made a law, that for the future none should converse with Hebrews, nor with foreign shepherds, so familiarly as to eat or drink with them.
The Egyptians were not friendly to shepherds. Joseph told his father to just say he was a cattleman. Goshen had easy access to Canaan, so that was where they settled.
Genesis Chapter 46 Questions
1. Where did Jacob go and sacrifice to God?
2. How did God speak to Jacob?
3. Why did God call him Jacob, instead of Israel?
4. What did He tell Jacob not to fear?
5. God was going to make what of Jacob's family?
6. Where had Abraham and Isaac worshipped?
7. How long had it been since Jacob talked to God?
8. What prophecy had been given Abraham, that caused Jacob fear going to Egypt?
9. What did Jacob want even more than his life?
10. Joseph would do what for Jacob in Egypt?
11. What did Jacob take to Egypt with his family?
12. How old was Jacob?
13. How many of Leah's ancestors came to Egypt??
14. How many of Zilpah's ancestors came to Egypt?
15. How many of Rachel's ancestors came to Egypt?
16. How many of Bilhah's ancestors came to Egypt?
17. What was the total number of Jacob's ancestors came to Egypt?
18. Who was sent to Joseph to tell him of Jacob's arrival?
19. Where were they to settle in Egypt?
20. What two things did Joseph do when he saw his father?
21. What did Israel say when he saw Joseph?
22. What news did Joseph give Pharaoh?
23. If they were asked, what was their occupation, what were they to say?
24. How did the Egyptians feel about shepherds?
Verses 1-6: In the land of Goshen": By informing Pharaoh of where he had located his family (45:10; 46:28), and then by having the family's 5 representatives courteously request permission to reside in Goshen (verses 2, 4), Joseph, wise to court procedures, paved the way for Pharaoh's confirmation and approval (verse 6).
Genesis 47:1 "Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they [are] in the land of Goshen."
"Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh": After he had been with his father, had had an interview with him, and had taken his leave of him for a time, he came to Pharaoh's court.
"And said, my father, and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan": Pharaoh had desired they might come, and Joseph now acquaints him that they had come. Not being willing it should be said that they were come in a private manner, and without his knowledge.
Nor to dispose of them himself without the direction and approval of Pharaoh, who was superior to him. And he makes mention of their flocks and herds, and other substance. Partly to show that they were not a mean beggarly family that came to live upon him, and partly that a proper place of pasturage for their cattle might be appointed to them.
"And behold, they are in the land of Goshen": They are stopped at present, until they should have further directions and orders where to settle. And this is mentioned, because it was the place Joseph proposed with himself to fix them in, if Pharaoh approved of it.
Genesis 47:2 "And he took some of his brethren, [even] five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh."
"And he took some of his brethren": Along with him, when he left his father in Goshen. The word for "some" signifies the extremity of a thing.
"Even five men": Whom the Targum of Jonathan names as follow, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. But Jarchi will have them to be Reuben, Simeon and Levi, Issachar and Benjamin. But on these accounts no dependence is to be had.
"And presented them, unto Pharaoh": Introduced them into his presence, that he might converse with them, and ask them what questions he thought fit.
Joseph brought news to Pharaoh that his father and brethren had made it to Goshen. This representative number "five" means grace. This had to be so that they would find grace in Pharaoh's eyes.
Genesis 47:3 "And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What [is] your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants [are] shepherds, both we, [and] also our fathers."
"And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, what is your occupation?" Which is the question he had told his brethren beforehand would be asked them, and prepared them to give an answer to it (Genesis 46:33).
Which perhaps was a usual question Pharaoh asked of persons that came to settle in his dominions. That he might have no idle vagrants there and that he might know of what advantage they were like to be of in his kingdom, and might dispose of them accordingly.
"And they said unto Pharaoh, thy servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers" (see Gen. 46:34).
Genesis 47:4 "They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine [is] sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen."
"They said moreover unto Pharaoh, for to sojourn in the land are we come": Not to obtain possessions and inheritances, as if natives, and to abide there always, but to continue for a little time. For they kept in mind that the land of Canaan was given to them as an inheritance, and would be possessed by then, in due time. Therefore, had no thought for the present of continuing here long.
"For thy servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan": They say nothing of the want of corn for themselves, because they could have it from Egypt, fetching it, and paying a price for it, but of pasture for their cattle.
For the land of Canaan lying higher, was so scorched with the heat of the sun, and parched with drought, that scarce any grass grew upon it. Whereas Egypt, and especially the land of Goshen, lying lower, and being marshy and fenny places near the Nile, had some grass growing on it. Even when the Nile did not overflow to make it as fruitful as it sometimes was.
"Now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen": Which request Joseph, no doubt, directed them to make, it being the spot he had chosen for them in his own mind, and even had promised it to his father.
Which his brethren, by their short stay in it as they came along, saw would be very convenient for them, and was the true reason why Joseph instructed them to be particular in the account of their trade and business. So that Pharaoh might be inclined of himself to propose it to them or however to grant it when requested.
The very thing Joseph told them not to say is just what they said. They not only told Pharaoh that they were shepherds, but they asked him if they could settle in Goshen, after Joseph told them to settle there. At least, they call themselves Pharaoh's servants.
Genesis 47:5 "And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:"
"And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph": Who was present at the conversation that passed between him and his brethren.
"Saying, thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee": Which is observed, not for Joseph's information, but to lead on to what he had to say further.
Genesis 47:6 "The land of Egypt [is] before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest [any] men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle."
"The land of Egypt is before thee": To choose what part of it he should judge most suitable and agreeable to his father and brethren.
"In the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell, in the land of Goshen let them dwell": As is requested; which was, as Pharaoh here suggests, the best part of the land. The most fertile and fruitful, and the fittest for cattle, being full of pastures through the river Nile and the canals of it. Goshen being the most fertile portion in the land of Rameses (see Gen 47:11).
"And if thou knowest any man of activity among them": Strong in body and of endowments of mind, of great skill, diligence, industry in the management of flocks and herds.
"Then make them rulers over my cattle": Or "rulers of cattle over those that are mine": that is, over his shepherds, to take care that they do their work well and faithfully.
From whence it appears that Pharaoh had flocks and herds and shepherds; and therefore it cannot be thought that the Egyptians in those times abstained from eating of animals, or that all shepherds, without exception, were an abomination to them, only foreign ones that lived on spoil and plunder, and made excursions into their country for such purposes.
The office he assigned to men of skill and industry was like that which Doeg the Edomite was in, who was the chief of the herdsmen of Saul (1 Samuel 21:7).
The Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph; he wanted his people to have the best. He even offered Joseph's brother a job taking care of his cattle.
Verses 7, 10: Jacob blessed Pharaoh": The aged patriarch's salutations pronounced, undoubtedly in the name of God, a benediction on Pharaoh Senusert III (see note on 45:8), for his generosity and his provision of a safe place for Jacob's family. Though Senusert III had ascended to the throne before the famine ended, he honored his father's commitments.
Genesis 47:7 "And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh."
"And Joseph brought in Jacob his father": That is, sometime after he had introduced his five brethren, and had gotten the grant of Goshen for them, when he sent, for his father from thence, or he came quickly after to Tanis or Memphis, where Pharaoh's court was.
Joseph's wise advice (in 46:33-34), enabled his brothers to express their desires before Pharaoh, and to receive exactly what they wanted. Evidently, Jacob was not intimidated by Pharaoh; and he "blessed Pharaoh" (in verses 7 and 10).
This is amazing in the light of (Hebrews 7:7). Jacob said his days were "few and evil." The word evil does not mean "sinful," but "calamitous, constantly confronted by anger, anguish, distress, and tribulation."
"And Jacob blessed Pharaoh": Wished him health and happiness, prayed for his welfare, and gave him thanks for all his kindness to him and his. And he blessed him not only in a way of civility, as was usual when men came into the presence of princes, but in an authoritative way, as a prophet and patriarch, a man divinely inspired of God, in whom had great power in prayer.
The Targum of Jonathan gives us his prayer thus, "may it be the pleasure (i.e. of God), that the waters of the Nile may be filled, and that the famine may remove from the world in thy days".
Patriarchs had the authority from God to bless whomever they would. It was actually a message from God, spoken by Jacob.
Genesis 47:8 "And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old [art] thou?"
"And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, how old art thou?" Or, "how many are the days of the years of thy life?", which way of speaking Jacob takes up, and very pertinently makes use of in his answer that follows: Dr. Lightfoot thinks Pharaoh had never seen so old a man before, so grave a head, and so grey a beard, and in admiration asked this question.
Genesis 47:9 "And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage [are] an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage."
"My pilgrimage ... few and evil": Since neither Jacob nor his fathers had actually possessed the land of Canaan, describing life as a sojourning was a fitting evaluation to give. In addition, his years seemed few in contrast to those of the two who had visited Egypt long before him, Abraham and Isaac (175 and 180 years respectively).
And still overshadowed with pessimism, the days were "unpleasant," in the sense of toil and trouble, of many sorrows, distresses, and crises (see note on 48:15).
This was a question so natural to ask an older man. Jacob was 130 years old. Looking back, his life seemed as a vapor. He regretted that his life was not better, like most of us do. He explained that some of his ancestors lived much longer.
But, however long one's days on this earth are, they are very short compared to all of eternity.
Genesis 47:10 "And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh."
"And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh": When he took his leave of him, he blessed him, in like manner as when he came into his presence, by wishing all happiness to him, and giving him thanks for the honor he had done him, and the favors he had conferred on him and his.
Genesis 47:11 "And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded."
"Land of Rameses": An alternative designation for Goshen (46:34; 47:1, 6), with this name perhaps used later to more accurately describe the region for Moses' contemporary readers (see note on Exodus 1:11), regarding the name Rameses ("Raamses" being the alternate spelling in Exodus). This region is also called Zoan elsewhere (Psalm 78:12, 43).
And they were to settle in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses." This posing a problem for interpreters, for the first Rameses dynasty didn't rein until around 1319 B.C. Thus, this expression has been viewed as either an anachronism (a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists), or a modernization of an older place-name by a later scribe.
It may be that some later scribe, finding here a name that nobody knew anymore, and being very much concerned to have a Bible that everyone could understand, inserted this new form of the name. This city of Rameses was earlier known as Tanis and before that, Avaris. It is not unlikely that the name was being brought up to date.
The land of Rameses was Goshen. Jacob spoke a blessing when he met Pharaoh, and when he left him. Just as Pharaoh had requested Joseph to do, he put his father and brother in the best area for them, Goshen.
Genesis 47:12 "And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to [their] families."
"And. Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and his father's household, with bread": For though there might be in Rameses pasture sufficient for their cattle, yet not corn for their families as the famine was still continuing. During which time Joseph, as a dutiful and affectionate son, and as a kind brother, supplied them with all necessary provision, signified by bread.
"According to their families": According to the number of them, some of his brethren having more and others less in their families": And in proportion to their number he distributed food unto them, so that there was no want. Or "according to the mouth of an infant"; he nourished them like infants.
He put as it were, the bread into their mouths, and fed them with as much care and tenderness as infants are fed. And they had no more care to provide food for themselves than children have; such a full and constant supply was handed forth to them. In this Joseph was an eminent type of Christ, who supplies the wants of his people.
A rationing system was evidently in operation.
Joseph saw that his brethren had enough bread to feed their families.
Verses 13-24: When the famine finally exhausted the Egyptians' supply of money, Joseph accepted animals in exchange for grain (verse 17). After the animals ran out, the peoples were desperate enough to exchange their land (verses 19-20).
Eventually, Pharaoh owned all the land, except what was the priests' (verse 22), though the people were allowed to work the land and pay one-fifth of its yield to Pharaoh (verse 24). Whatever may have been the land tenure system at that time, some private land ownership did at first exist, but finally, as in a feudal system (a political system in which a lord owned all the land while vassals and serfs farmed it), all worked their land for Pharaoh.
Nobility with land did lose out and declined during major social reforms undertaken under Senusert III. This is the first record in Scripture of a national income tax, and the amount was 20 percent. Later, after the Exodus, God would prescribe tithes for Israel as national income taxes to support the theocracy (see Mal. 3:10).
Genesis 47:13 "And [there was] no bread in all the land; for the famine [was] very sore, so that the land of Egypt and [all] the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine."
"And there was no bread in all the land": The land of Egypt and the parts adjacent, but in Pharaoh's storehouses, all being consumed that were in private hands the first two years of the famine.
"For the famine was very sore": Severe, pressed very hard.
"So that the land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan, fainted by reason of the famine": That is, the inhabitants of both countries, their spirits sunk, as well as their flesh failed for want of food.
Or "raged"; became furious, and were like madmen, as the word signifies. According to Kimchi, they were at their wits' end, knew not what to do, as Aben Ezra interprets it, and became clamorous/loud.
It is amazing they had not, in a violent manner, broke open the storehouses of corn, and took it away by force. That they did not must be owing to the providence of God, which restrained them, and to the care and prudence of Joseph as a means, who, doubtless, had well-fortified the granaries.
And very probably there were a body of soldiers placed everywhere, who were one of the three parts or states of the kingdom of Egypt, as Diodorus Siculus relates. To which may be added, the mild and gentle address of Joseph to the people, speaking kindly to them, giving them hopes of a supply during the famine, and readily relieving them upon terms they could not object to.
This just meant that there are no producing crops throughout all this area. The only food was that stored by Joseph.
Genesis 47:14 "And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house."
"And Joseph gathered up all the money": Not that he went about to collect it, or employed men to do it, but he gathered it, being brought to him for corn as follows.
"That was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought": By which means those countries became as bare of money as of provisions.
"And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house": Into his repository, as the Targum of Jonathan, into his treasury, not into his own house or coffers, in which he acted the faithful part to Pharaoh. For it was with Pharaoh's money he bought the corn, built storehouses, kept men to look after them to sell the corn.
Wherefore the money arising from thence belonged to Pharaoh; nor did he do any injury to the people. They sold their corn in the time of plenty freely; he gave them a price for it, then he sold it again to them, at a price according to the season.
Nor was it ever complained of, that it was an exorbitant one; it was highly just and necessary it should be at a greater price than when it was bought in, considering the great expense in the collection, preservation, and distribution of it.
When you are starving, money is not very important. The people bought food with all the money they had, and Joseph turned this money over to Pharaoh. We see what happened when the money ran out in the next verses.
Genesis 47:15 "And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth."
"When money failed in the land": It had been all spent in the third, fourth, and fifth years of the famine; for it seems to be at the end of the fifth, or beginning of the sixth year of the famine, that this was the case.
The severity of the famine finally bankrupted all in Egypt and Canaan. With no monetary instruments available as a medium of exchange, a barter system was established (verses 16-18).
Since after we read of a second or following year, which was very plainly the last; since seed was given them to sow the land with, which shows the time of drought to be near at an end.
"All the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, give us bread": Freely, for nothing, since they had no money to buy any with: no mention is made of the Canaanites, who could not presume to come and ask for corn on such a footing.
"For why should we die in thy presence?" Before his eyes, he not relieving them when it was in his power to do it; they knew such an argument as this would work upon a mind so humane, tender, and generous as was Joseph's.
"For the money faileth": All was gone, they had none left to purchase corn with; or they suggest they should not have to pay for it, but desired to have had it at no cost.
Verses 16-18: Land soon replaced animals as the medium of exchange.
Genesis 47:16 "And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail."
"And Joseph said, give your cattle": Oxen, sheep, horses, asses, as follows.
"And I will give you for your cattle, if money fail": That is, corn for cattle, if they had no money to give.
These Egyptians had no money left. They had used their last money for food, and they were still hungry. Joseph started to barter now. He would trade them grain for their cattle.
Genesis 47:17 "And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread [in exchange] for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year."
"And they brought their cattle unto Joseph": Which they might the more readily do, since there was scarce any grass to feed them with. And though some of them were creatures used for food, yet might be so lean and poor for want of grass, as not to be fit to eat. And besides, they could do better without flesh than without bread.
"And Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses": With which Egypt abounded, to which many places of Scripture have respect (Deuteronomy 17:16).
"And for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds": The sheep and the oxen; which shows that these creatures were bred and fed by them, and were, no doubt, slain, and used for food.
"And for the asses": Which were used for carrying burdens.
"And he fed them with bread for all their cattle, for that year": Which seems to be the sixth year of the famine. One would wonder what Joseph should do with all their cattle, where he would put them, and feed them, in such a time of drought. Though it is probable the number was not exceeding large, since they only fetched one year's provision of bread.
Genesis 47:18 "When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide [it] from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:"
"When the year was ended, they came unto him the second year": Which seems to be the seventh and last year of the years of famine. Not the second year of the famine, as Jarchi, but the second year of their great distress, when having spent all their money they parted with their cattle. For it cannot be thought that they should be drained of their money and cattle too in one year.
"And said unto him, we will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle": Both these were well known to Joseph, and therefore cannot be the things which they say they would not hide.
Musculus thinks it should be rendered in the past tense, "we have not hid"; this they told him the last year, that their money was gone. He knew he had their cattle for their last year's provision. The sense seems to be this, that seeing their money was spent, and their cattle were in the hands of Joseph, they would not, and could not conceal from him what follows.
"There is not enough left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands": And the one were starving and the other desolate.
Things had gotten so bad that they had nothing left but the bare land and their own bodies.
Genesis 47:19 "Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give [us] seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate."
"Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land?" Beholding their miserable condition, and not helping them; die they must unless they had bread to eat, and their land die also if they had not seed to sow. That is, would become desolate, as the Septuagint version renders it.
So Ben Melech observes, that land which is desolate is as if it was dead, because it produces neither grass nor fruit, whereas when it does it looks lively and cheerful.
"Buy us and our land for bread": They were willing to sell themselves and their land too for bread to support their lives, nothing being dearer to a man than life.
"And we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh": Both should be his; they would hold their land of him, and be tenants to him.
"And give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land may not be desolate": Entirely so; some parts of it they could sow a little upon, as on the banks of the Nile, or perhaps that river might begin to overflow, or they had some hopes of it, especially from Joseph's prediction they knew this was the last year of famine.
And therefore, it was proper to sow the ground some time in this, that they might have a crop for the provision of the next year. And they had no seed to sow, and if they were not furnished with it, the famine must unavoidably continue, notwithstanding the flow of the Nile.
Genesis 47:20 "And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's."
"And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh": Not for himself, nor did he entail it on his posterity, but for Pharaoh, who became sole proprietor of it.
"For the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them": Everyone that had a field sold it to buy bread for his family, so great was the famine. No mention is made of their houses, either because these went with their lands, or they were so run down that they were of little account, and would scarce bear any price.
For as Diodorus Siculus reports of the Egyptians, they were less careful of the structure of their houses; and exceeded all bounds in the magnificence of their sepulchers.
"So the land became Pharaoh's": Not only with respect to dominion and government, so it was before, but with respect to property. Before, every man's field, and garden, and vineyard were his own, and he was in possession thereof for his own use. But now being sold, were Pharaoh's. And they held them of him, and paid a rent for them in a manner hereafter directed by a law.
Genesis 47:21 "And as for the people, he removed them to cities from [one] end of the borders of Egypt even to the [other] end thereof."
"And as for the people, he removed them": From the places where they dwelt, that it might appear they had no more property there, and might forget it, and be more willing to pay rent elsewhere.
And their posterity hereafter could have no notion of its being theirs, or plead prescription (an interest in land through the long, continuous use of the land). Besides, by such a removal and separation of the habitants of cities, some to one place, and some to another, sedition and mutiny might be prevented.
"To cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt, even unto the other end thereof": According to the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, those that dwelt in provinces, or in country towns and villages, he removed to cities, and those that dwelt in cities he removed into provinces.
And placed them at a distance from their former places of living for the reasons that were given before. And the above Targums suggest another reason, to teach the Egyptians not to reproach the Israelites with being exiles and strangers, when they were all removed from their native places, and were now strangers, where they were.
Joseph had stored the food in the cities, so that it would be guarded. He traded for all of the land. Now, Pharaoh owns all the property. Joseph had not only saved Pharaoh's life, but now; he had become far wealthier than he was when Joseph took over. At least the people were alive, even if they did not own anything.
Genesis 47:22 "Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion [assigned them] of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands."
"Only the land of the priests bought he not": Not from any special affection for them, or any superstitious veneration of them, which can never be thought of so good a man, but for a reason following, which shows they had no need to sell them.
"For the priests had a portion assigned them, by Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them": They had a certain allowance by the day of provision granted them, on which they lived.
Herodotus says of the priests of Egypt, that they spend nothing of their own, but sacred food is provided for them, and great plenty of the flesh of geese and oxen is given daily to every one of them.
And this was a delicate affair, which Joseph could not intermeddle with, but in wisdom must leave it as he found it, and do as had been used to be done. This depending on the will and pleasure of Pharaoh, if not upon the constitution of the land, as it seems to be from Diodorus Siculus, who divides Egypt into three parts.
The first part he assigns to the priests, who, according to him, were maintained out of their own revenues. Some understand this of "princes", the word sometimes being used of them, and interpret it of the officers and courtiers of Pharaoh, his nobles, that dwelt in his palace, and had their portion of food from him. But the former sense seems best.
"Wherefore they sold not their lands": They were not obliged to it, having provision from the king's table, or by his appointment.
These priests did not have to pay for their food, so they did not lose their land. Their food was given to them.
Genesis 47:23 "Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, [here is] seed for you, and ye shall sow the land."
"Then Joseph said unto the people": After he had bought their land, and before the removal of them to distant parts.
"Behold, I have bought you this day, and your land, for Pharaoh": Which he observes to them, that they might take notice of it, and confirm it, or object if they had anything to say to the contrary.
"Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land": By which it should seem that they were not removed from the spot where they lived, but retained their own land under Pharaoh, and had seed given them to sow it with, which may seem contrary to (Genesis 47:21).
Wherefore that must be understood of a purpose and proposal to remove them, and not that it was actually done; or, as Musculus gives the sense. Joseph by a public edict called all the people from the extreme parts of Egypt to the cities nearest to them, and there proclaimed the subjection of them, and their lands to Pharaoh, but continued to use them as tenants of his.
Unless it should be said, that in those distant parts to which they were sent, land was put into their hands to till and manure for the king, and have seed given them to sow it with; but this seems to be said to them at the same time the bargain was made.
Genesis 47:24 "And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth [part] unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones."
"And it shall come to pass, in the increase": When the land shall produce an increase, and it shall be gathered in.
"That you shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh": A fifth part of the increase.
"And four parts shall be your own": For the following uses, one part.
"For seed of the field": To sow again with for the next year: a second part.
"For your food": For food for themselves: a third part.
"For them of your household": Their servants and maids: and the fourth part.
"For food for your little ones": For their children, whether they are young or old. Or however four parts of five he proposed they should have for their own use, and for the maintenance of their families. Which was a kind and generous proposal, when all might have been demanded; and they and theirs treated as slaves.
This was the first example of sharecropping in the Bible. Pharaoh the land owner, would furnish the land, and the seed, and get 1/5 of the crop. The farmer and his family got 4/5 of the crop. This practice is still in existence today throughout the world. These people were thankful for anything. Jesus had bought us with a price.
Verses 25-26: The extra measures imposed by Joseph to control the impact of the famine, i.e., moving parts of the population into cities (verse 21), and demanding a one-fifth tax on crop yields (verse 24), did not affect his approval ratings (verse 25). Whatever the gain to Pharaoh, the people obviously understood that Joseph had not enriched himself at their expense.
Genesis 47:25 "And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."
"And they said, thou hast saved our lives": Preserved them from death through famine, by laying up stores of corn, which he had sold out to them for their money, cattle, and land, or otherwise they must have perished, they and theirs, and this favor they thankfully acknowledge.
"Let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants": Signifying, that they esteemed it a great favor to be so on the basis of the bargain made with them, and they desired a continuance in it.
Genesis 47:26 "And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, [that] Pharaoh should have the fifth [part]; except the land of the priests only, [which] became not Pharaoh's."
"And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day": With the consent of Pharaoh, his nobles, and all the people of the land, who readily came into it. And so, it became a fundamental law of their constitution, and which continued to the times of Moses, the writer of this history.
"That Pharaoh should have the fifth part": That is, of the increase the whole land of Egypt produced.
"Except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's": As it was not bought by him; so Diodorus Siculus, as he assigns the first part of the land to the priests, so he says they were free from all taxes and tribute, and next to the king were possessed of honor and authority.
The land still had this same law when this book was written.
Verses 27-28: "Grew, and multiplied exceedingly": For 17 years, Jacob was witness to the increase; he had a glimpse of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and himself in the process of being fulfilled.
Genesis 47:27 "And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly."
"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen": The historian returns to the account of the Israelites, having before observed the placing of them in Goshen by Joseph, at the direction of Pharaoh, in compliance with their own request.
And here they continued until they were grown more numerous, when they were obliged to spread themselves further in this same country.
"And they had possessions therein": Fields and vineyards, as the Targum of Jonathan; all the land was Pharaoh's, and they rented of him as his people did, it may be supposed.
"And grew, and multiplied exceedingly": Even in Jacob's lifetime they grew rich and numerous.
Genesis 47:28 "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years."
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years": He lived just the same term of years with Joseph in Egypt as he had lived with him in Syria and Canaan (Gen. 37:2). About two hours' walk from Fium are now to be seen the ruins of an ancient town, which the Coptics say was inhabited by the patriarch Jacob, and for this cause they name it.
Yet, Modsellet Jacub, or the tabernacle of Jacob, which place is supposed to be in the land of Goshen (see Gen. 47:11).
"So the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years": He was one hundred and thirty when he stood before Pharaoh (Gen. 47:9); and now had lived in Egypt seventeen years, as in the above clause, which together make up the sum. And this exact time of the years of his life is given by Polyhistor from Demetrius.
God had promised that they would multiply, and this is the fulfillment of this here. Pharaoh saw to it that they prospered for Joseph's sake. Israel lived to be 147 years old.
Genesis 47:29 "And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:"
"And the time drew nigh that Israel must die": As all men must, by the appointment of God, even good men. The sting having been removed and so not a punitive evil; which is owing to Christ's dying for them; who has abolished death as such.
And there is a time fixed for their death, beyond which they must not live, and before which they must not die, but when the time comes there is no avoiding it.
The time of Jacob's death was drawing on, as he perceived by the great decline of his natural strength and perhaps by a divine impulse on his mind.
"And he called his son Joseph": Sent for him, by a messenger, to come to him.
"And said unto him": When he was come.
"If now I have found grace in thy sight": Which this is not spoken in a way of submission, as from an inferior to a superior, as the phrase is sometimes used. Or as signifying what would be esteemed as a favor should it be granted, but it is as if he should say, if thou hast any devoted affection for me as a parent, and art willing to show love and respect to me, do as follows.
"Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh": A gesture in swearing, as Jarchi observes (Gen.24:2); adding, for explanation's sake (see Abraham and Eliezer in Gen. 24:9).
"And deal kindly and truly with me": "Kindly", by promising and swearing to do what he after desires; and "truly", by observing his oath, and fulfilling his promise.
"Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt": Not choosing to lie among idolaters at death, with whom he cared not to have any fellowship in life. With the customary sign of an oath in that day, Joseph sincerely promised to bury Jacob, at his request, in the family burial cave in Canaan (49:29-32).
Genesis 47:30 "But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said."
"But I will lie with my fathers": Abraham and Isaac, whose bodies lay in the land of Canaan, where Jacob desired to be buried. Partly to express his faith in the Promised Land, that it should be the inheritance of his posterity, and partly to draw off their minds from a continuance in Egypt, and to incline them to think of removing him to that place at the proper time.
As well as to intimate his desire after, and faith in the heavenly glory he was going to, of which Canaan was a type.
"And thou shalt carry me out of Egypt": Into the land of Canaan.
"And bury me in their burying place": In the burying place of his fathers, in the cave of Machpelah, near Hebron (see Gen. 49:30).
"And he said, I will do as thou hast said": Joseph promised his father to fulfil his request, and do as he had desired of him.
Genesis 47:31 "And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head."
"And he said, swear unto me": This he required, not from any distrust of Joseph, but to show his own eagerness, and the intenseness of his mind about this thing, how much he was set upon it, and what an important thing it was with him.
As also, that if he should have any objections made to it, or arguments used with him to divert him from it, by Pharaoh or his court, he would be able to say his father had bound him by an oath to do it, which would at once stop their mouths, and be judged a sufficient reason for what he did (see Gen. 50:5).
"And he sware unto him": Not only gave his promise, but confirmed it with an oath.
"And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head": Not in a way of civil respect to Joseph, giving him thanks for the assurance he had given him, that he would bury him, not in Egypt, but in Canaan.
But in a religious way to God, giving thanks to him that he had lived to see his son Joseph, who, according to the promise, would close his eyes, and that he had inclined his heart to fulfil his request.
Though some think that no more is meant, than that after Jacob had spent himself in discoursing with Joseph, he sunk down and reclined on his pillow at his bed's head, to take some rest. For as for what the apostle says in Hebrews; that refers to another thing at another time (Heb. 11:21).
Jacob desired to be buried in Canaan, because of the promise of God that this was their land forever, and because his ancestors were buried there. He made Joseph promise, with an oath, to take him back home to be buried.
Genesis Chapter 47 Questions
1. Where did Joseph tell Pharaoh his people were?
2. How many men did Joseph take to see Pharaoh?
3. Why that number?
4. What question did Pharaoh ask them?
5. What did they answer?
6. What did the brothers ask Pharaoh for?
7. What had Joseph told them not to say?
8. Where did Pharaoh tell Joseph to let his brethren dwell?
9. What job did Pharaoh offer them?
10. When Joseph brought Jacob to Pharaoh, what did Jacob do?
11. What privilege did patriarchs have from God?
12. What question did Pharaoh ask Jacob?
13. What did Jacob answer?
14. When we look at the length of our life on earth, what does it appear like?
15. What was another name for Goshen?
16. The Egyptians ran out of ________ to buy food.
17. What was the next thing Joseph traded them out of?
18. What was the third and last thing Joseph had them trade for bread.
19. After nothing was left, what offer did Joseph make the people?
20. What percent of the crop did Pharaoh get?
21. What was the only land Joseph did not trade for?
22. How long did Jacob live in Egypt?
23. How many years did Jacob live?
24. What did Jacob make Joseph swear to him?
25. Why did Jacob make this request?
Genesis 48:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that [one] told Joseph, Behold, thy father [is] sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim."
"And it came to pass after these things": Some little time after Jacob had sent for Joseph, and conversed with him about his burial in the land of Canaan, and took an oath to bury him there, for then the time drew nigh that he must die.
"That one told Joseph, behold, thy father is sick": He was very infirm when he was last with him, and his natural strength decaying quickly, by which he knew his end was near. But now he was seized with a sickness which threatened him with death speedily, and therefore very probably dispatched a messenger to acquaint Joseph with it.
"And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim": To see their grandfather before he died, to hear his dying words, and receive his blessing.
It was the custom of the Hebrews that the elder of the tribe would speak a blessing on their children and grandchildren before they died. The minute Joseph heard that Israel was very sick; he brought his two sons to be blessed of their grandfather.
Genesis 48:2 "And [one] told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed."
"And one told Jacob": The same that came from Jacob to Joseph might be sent back by him to his father, to let him know that he was coming to see him. Or some other messenger sent on purpose; for it can hardly be thought that this was an accidental thing on either side.
"And said, behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee": To pay him a visit, and which no doubt gave him a pleasure, he being his beloved son, as well as he was great and honorable.
"And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon his bed": His spirits revived, his strength renewed, he got fresh vigor on hearing his son Joseph was coming. And he exerted all his strength, and raised himself up by the help of his staff, and sat upon his bed to receive his son's visit.
For now, it was when he blessed the sons of Joseph, that he leaned upon the top of his staff and worshipped, as the apostle says (Hebrews 11:21).
Jacob wanted to receive Joseph sitting up. He made a special effort to be ready for Joseph. Some speculate that Joseph was apprehensive about taking his two sons to Jacob for a blessing, because they had an Egyptian mother.
However, I do not see that in this. I believe that Joseph deliberately took these two sons to receive a patriarchal blessing. They would have been in their late teens, or twenties, when they came to pay respect to their fast, failing grandfather.
Verses 3-6: After summarizing God's affirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant to himself, Jacob/Israel, in gratitude from Joseph's great generosity and preservation of God's people, formally proclaimed adoption of Joseph's sons on a par with Joseph's brothers in their inheritance.
Thus, granting to Rachel's two sons (Joseph and Benjamin), 3 tribal territories in the Land (verse 16). This may explain why the new name, Israel, was used throughout the rest of the chapter.
Genesis 48:3 "And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,"
"And Jacob said unto Joseph": Being come into his bedchamber, and sitting by him, or standing before him.
"God Almighty appeared unto at Luz in the land of Canaan": The same with Beth-el, where God appeared, both at his going to Padan-aram, and at his return from there (Gen. 28:11); which of those times is here referred to is not certain. Very likely he refers to them both, since the same promises were made to him at both times, as after mentioned.
"And blessed me": Promised he would bless him, both with temporal and spiritual blessings, as he did as follows.
Genesis 48:4 "And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee [for] an everlasting possession."
"And said unto me, behold, I will make thee fruitful": In a spiritual sense, in grace and good works; in a literal sense, in an increase of worldly substance, and especially of children.
"And multiply thee": Make his posterity numerous as the sand of the sea.
"And I will make of thee a multitude of people": A large nation, consisting of many tribes, even a company of nations, as the twelve tribes of Israel were.
"And I will give this land unto thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession": The land of Canaan, they were to possess as long as they were the people of God, and obedient to his law; by which obedience they held the land, even unto the coming of the Messiah, whom they rejected, and then they were cast out.
And a "Loammi" (i.e. not my people, Hosea 1:9), written upon them, and their civil policy of government, as well as church state, at an end.
And besides, Canaan was a type of the eternal inheritance of the saints in heaven, the spiritual Israel of God, which will be possessed by them to all eternity (Acts 7:5).
Jacob had not had much time to tell Joseph of the things God had done for him. Joseph had been so busy running the country for the Pharaoh; he couldn't spend much time with his father. Now, before he died he wanted Joseph to know of his Godly heritage. God Almighty here is "El Shaddai".
Genesis 48:5 "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, [are] mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine."
"They shall be mine" has been taken as a form of adoption on the part of Jacob in relation to "Manasseh and Ephraim." The purpose may have been to give an inheritance to someone who was not automatically qualified, even though the father already had heirs of his own.
But "they shall be mine", means that the grandfather welcomed the two latest additions into the clan which he headed. Or it may mean that the passage simply concerns inheritance (as verse 6 indicates).
In that case, Jacob was using his paternal authority to enable Joseph's sons to inherit directly from their grandfather, rather than from Joseph. This act would honor Rachel's memory by giving her three tribal territories in the Promised Land.
Jacob reassured Joseph that these two grandsons were his, even if they had Egyptian blood. Reuben had lost his right as one of the twelve birthrights. Ephraim and Manasseh would not be one tribe, but they would be two. They would receive Reuben's and Joseph's birthright.
If Joseph had any other children, they were included in one, or the other, of these tribes. Ephraim and Manasseh would inherit a son's part each, rather than a grandson's part.
Genesis 48:6 "And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, [and] shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance."
"And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine": The children of Joseph, that either were or would be begotten after Ephraim and Manasseh. Though whether ever any were, is not certain; and this is only mentioned by way of supposition.
As Jarchi interprets it, "if thou shouldest beget", etc. These should be reckoned his own, and not as Jacob's sons, but be considered as other grandchildren of Jacob's were, and not as Ephraim and Manasseh.
"And shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance": They should not have distinct names, or make distinct tribes, or have a distinct inheritance; but should be called either the children of Ephraim, or of Manasseh. And should be reckoned as belonging either to the one tribe or the other, and have their inheritance in them, and with them, and not separate.
Genesis 48:7 "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem."
"And as for me, when I came from Padan": From Syria, from Laban's house.
"Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan": His beloved wife, the mother of Joseph, on whose account he mentions her, and to show a reason why he took his sons as his own, because his mother dying so soon, he could have no more children by her.
And she being his only lawful wife, Joseph was of right to be reckoned as the firstborn. And that as such he might have the double portion. He took his two sons as his own, and put them upon a level with them, even with Reuben and Simeon. By this it appears, as by the preceding account, that Rachel came with him into the land of Canaan, and there died.
"In the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath": About a mile, or two thousand cubits, as Jarchi observes.
"And I buried her there in the way of Ephrath": Where she died, and dying in childbirth, could not be kept so long as to carry her to Machpelah, the burying place of his ancestors. And especially as he had his flocks and herds with him, which could move but slowly.
And what might make it more difficult to keep her long, and carry her there, it might be, as Ben Melech conjectures, summertime; and the Vulgate Latin adds to the text, without any warrant from the original, "and it was springtime". However, she was buried in the land of Canaan, and which is taken notice of, that Joseph might observe it.
"The same is Bethlehem": That is, Ephrath; and so Bethlehem is called Bethlehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2). Whether these are the words of Jacob or of Moses; is not certain, but said with a view to the Messiah, the famous seed of Jacob that should be born there, and was.
"Bethlehem" means house of bread. Many of the Israelites were buried here. There is a place in this area, even today, that the tour guides say are these people's tombs.
Genesis 48:8 "And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who [are] these?"
"Who are these": Blind Jacob asked for identification of Joseph's sons before he would pronounce their blessings. Perhaps, at this point, he recollected the time of blessing before his own father and the trick played on blind Isaac (27:1-29).
Genesis 48:9 "And Joseph said unto his father, They [are] my sons, whom God hath given me in his [place]. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them."
The blessing of Joseph's sons is the one act among all the others that the writer of Hebrews selected as an act of faith (Heb. 11:21). There is a gently irony in the fact that on just such an occasion as this Jacob had exercised his guile in his youth (chapter 27).
Once more we have an example of the firstborn's blessing being given to the younger brother; but in this instance, there is no bitterness, resentment, or scheming (Prov. 10:22).
Joseph, as he said, was concerned that Jacob would not want to bless these boys, because their mother was an Egyptian. Jacob's great love for Joseph meant that love would extend to his sons, as well. So he said bring them, and I will bless them.
Genesis 48:10 "Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, [so that] he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them."
"Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age": Or "heavy, that he could not lift them up easily and see clearly. His eyebrows hung over, his eyes were sunk in his head, and it was difficult he could perceive an object, at least not distinctly.
"So that he could not see": Very plainly, otherwise he did see the sons of Joseph, though he could not discern who they were (Genesis 49:8).
"And he brought them near unto him": That he might have a better sight of them and bless them.
"And he kissed them, and embraced them": As a token of his affection for them.
Genesis 48:11 "And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed."
"And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face": Some years ago, he never expected to have seen him anymore. He had given him up for lost, as a dead man, when his sons brought him his coat dipped in blood. And by reason of the long course of years which passed before he heard anything of him.
"And, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed": It was an additional favor to see his offspring; it can hardly be thought, that in a course of seventeen years that he had been in Egypt, he had not seen them before. Only he takes this opportunity, which was the last he should have of expressing his pleasure on this occasion.
Jacob had never hoped to see Joseph's children, because he thought Joseph was dead. He had been allowed to see and be with Joseph this last seventeen years. It was not thought unmanly in those days to kiss your grandchildren.
Genesis 48:12 "And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth."
"And Joseph brought them out from between his knees": Either from between his own, where they were kneeling, as he was sitting, in order that they might be nearer his father, to receive his blessing by the putting on of his hands.
Or rather from between his father's knees, he, as Aben Ezra observes, sitting on the bed, having kissed and embraced them, they were still between his knees.
And that they might not be burdensome to his aged father, leaning on his breast, and especially, in order to put them in a proper position for his benediction, he took them from there, and placed them over against him to his right and left hand.
"And he bowed himself with his face to the earth": In a civil way to his father, and in reverence of him; in a religious way to God, expressing his thankfulness for all favors to him and his, and as supplicating a blessing for his sons through his father, under a divine influence and direction.
Joseph humbled himself before his father.
Genesis 48:13 "And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought [them] near unto him."
"And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand": He took Ephraim his youngest son in his right hand, and led him up to his father, by which means he would stand in a right position to have his grandfather's left hand put upon him.
"And Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand": Manasseh his eldest son he took in his left hand, and brought him to his father, and so was in a proper position to have his right hand laid upon him, as seniority of birth required, and as he was desirous should be the case.
"And brought them near unto him": In the above manner, so near as that he could lay his hands on them.
Joseph was placing Manasseh in front of Jacob's right hand, toward Israel's left hand, because Manasseh was the oldest son, and was supposed to, by birthright, receive the preferential blessing of the right hand. Joseph placed Ephraim where he could receive the lesser blessing of the left hand.
Genesis 48:14 "And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it] upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the firstborn."
"Guiding his hands": Intentionally crossing his hands, Jacob altered what Joseph expected to happen and placed his right hand on the youngest, not on the firstborn. When Joseph attempted to correct Jacob's mistake (verses 17-18), he learned that Jacob knew exactly what he was doing (verses 19-20).
The patriarchal blessing took on prophetic significance with such action and words, since Ephraim would be the more influential of the two to the extent that Ephraim would become a substitute name for Israel (see note on 48:19).
Jacob made the sign of the cross when he, on purpose, laid his right hand on the younger son, Ephraim.
Verses 15-16: Pessimism no longer overshadowed Jacob's testimony; he recognized that every day had been under God's hand or that of His Angel (see note on 16:13). This was a different evaluation of his life than previously given (47:9).
Genesis 48:15 "And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,"
"Blessed Joseph": With hands on the son's heads, Jacob uttered the prayer-wish for Joseph, which indicated by his wording that these two would be taking his son's place under Abraham and Isaac (see note on verses 3-6). "And he blessed Joseph": In his sons who were reckoned for him, and became the heads of tribes in his stead.
"And said, God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk": In whom they believed, whom they professed, and whom they feared, served, and worshipped, and with whom they had communion.
"The God which fed me all my life long unto this day": Who had upheld him in life, provided for him all the necessaries of life, food and raiment. And had followed him with his goodness ever since he had a being, and had fed him as the great shepherd of the flock, both with temporal and spiritual food. Being the God of his life, and of his mercies in every sense.
Genesis 48:16 "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
"Redeemed me": This is the first mention of God as redeemer, deliverer, or Savior.
"The angel which redeemed me from all evil (in verse 16), refers to Christ Himself, pictured as redeeming (goel "redeemer"), him from all calamity. This is the first mention of the "goel" in the Bible, meaning "a savior" or "deliverer" (Exodus 6:6; Isa. 59:20); both of which speak of God as redeeming His people.
(Leviticus 27:13 and Ruth 4:4), speak of human beings as redeeming property or certain rights of individuals. (In Isaiah 63:9), He is referred to as "the angel of his presence" ("his face"), and that He saved them (Israel). The "one portion" in Hebrew word for "portion" is shekem (Literally, shoulder or ridge); thus, some have translated it as "mountain slope."
But the word also stands for the city of Shechem, which is dominated by the mountain called Mount Gerizim. This area was to fall in Manasseh's territory at the center of the area covered by the two Josephite tribes (John 4:5).
But there is no record of any conquest of it by Jacob, Joseph, or later by Joshua. Perhaps the property owned by Jacob was taken away by the Amorites after he left the area and then some time later he took it back by force. This does not refer to chapter 34, because Jacob had no hand in the deed, and he sharply rebuked his sons.
Jacob thanked God for preserving him all of his life, and especially the Spirit Being he wrestled with all night, when he changed his name to Israel. Jacob blessed these sons to the extent that the blessings he had received from God, in its fullness, would be in these boys.
He literally said, may the grace and salvation I have known be in these boys. Ephraim received the most, a double Blessing, since he was on the right hand. He spoke the blessing of Abraham growing into a multitude on these sons.
Genesis 48:17 "And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head."
"And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him": To see the younger preferred to the elder.
Parents, generally speaking, having the greatest regard to the firstborn with respect to honor and estate, and to them, in those times, the patriarchal blessing particularly was thought to belong. But it did not always go to them, but to the younger, as in Jacob's own case.
"And he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head": He took him by the right hand, and lifted it up from the head of Ephraim, and held it in order that he might put it by his direction on the head of Manasseh.
When Jacob blessed Ephraim as the firstborn (in verse 18), he startled Joseph. Jacob assured Joseph that Manasseh would "be great", and the blessing of Jacob on Ephraim became evident during the time of the judges.
By this time, he had increased in number and power so that that tribe exercised leadership among the 10 northern tribes. Later, the name Ephraim became equal to the name Israel (see Isaiah 7:2 and Hosea 4:17; 13:1).
Genesis 48:18 "And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is] the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head."
"And Joseph said unto his father, not so, my father": It is not right, it should not so be that the right hand should be put on the youngest, and the left hand on the eldest.
"For this is the firstborn": Directing him to Manasseh, and seeking to guide his hand towards him.
"Put thy right hand upon his head": Joseph was for proceeding according to the order of birthright, but Jacob was directed by a spirit of prophecy, as follows.
Genesis 48:19 "And his father refused, and said, I know [it], my son, I know [it]: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations."
"And his father refused": To have any alteration made, and therefore, though Joseph lifted it up from Ephraim's head and held it over it, Jacob put it on again and went on with the blessing.
"And said, I know it, my son, I know it": He knew what he did, and he repeats it to confirm it, as well as to show the conviction of his mind, and his resolution to abide by what he had done; he knew on whom he laid his right hand, and he knew that Manasseh was the firstborn.
"And he also shall become a people": A tribe or nation.
"And he also shall be great": In number, riches, and honor.
"But truly his younger brother shall be greater than he": More numerous, as the tribe of Ephraim was, than that of Manasseh, when they came out of Egypt. For in numbering them; there appeared to be 8300 more in the Ephraim's tribe than in Manasseh's; (Num. 1:33). As well as more honorable.
Ephraim did indeed become the dominant tribe of the 10 northern tribes, eventually being used as the national designate for the 10 tribes in the prophets (Isa. 7:2, 5, 9, 17; Hos. 9:3-16).
Ephraim's banner was placed before Manasseh's (Num. 2:18); and upon the division of the tribes in Rehoboam's time, as Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim, that tribe was at the head of the ten tribes, and the seat of the kingdom was in it, and the whole kingdom of Israel often goes by the name of Ephraim.
"And his seed shall become a multitude of nations": That is, of families, for as nations are called families (Amos 3:1); so families may be called nations. The Targum of Onkelos is, "his sons shall be rulers among the people," so Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, conquered and subdued the nations of the Canaanites.
And Jeroboam of this tribe ruled over the ten tribes or nations of Israel: It may be rendered, "his seed shall fill the nations", or be "the fullness" of them; which Jarchi interprets of the whole world being filled with the fame and renown of Joshua.
Who was of this tribe, when the sun and moon stood still in his days; but it is best to understand this, of the large share he should have of the land of Canaan among the rest of the tribes or nations of Israel.
Jacob knew exactly what he was doing. Sometimes, the last shall be first, and this was the case here. I believe that Manasseh was symbolic of physical Israel, and Ephraim was symbolic of spiritual Israel, the Christians.
They both took on the name of Abraham. The spiritual, right hand, was greater than the physical, left hand blessing. Both were saved by belief in, and the grace of, the Lord Jesus Christ. This blessing was not accidental. God guided Jacob's hands. The sign of the cross he made to me meant that this was the way this blessing would finally come to be.
Genesis 48:20 "And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh."
"And he blessed them that day": That Joseph visited him, and this be did "by faith"; believing that what he had said concerning them would be accomplished, as the apostle observes (Heb. 11:21).
"Saying, in thee shall Israel bless": In Joseph, as the Targum of Jonathan says, that is, in his seed, in his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. When the Israelites blessed any, they should make use of their names.
"Saying, God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh": As great and honorable, as rich and wealthy, as fruitful and prosperous as they. The Targum says, this custom continues with the Jews to this day, to put their hands on persons to bless them. If a son, they say, "God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh; if a daughter," God make thee as Sarah and Rebekah"
"And he set Ephraim before Manasseh": Not only in this form of benediction, but in all that he had said and done before. He preferred him to Manasseh by putting his right hand upon him, and giving him the superior blessing.
And it is no unusual thing for the younger to be set before the elder, both by God and man, but especially by the Lord, who seeth not as man seeth, and proceeds not according to carnal descent, or those rules men go by.
There had been many instances before this, as Abel was preferred to Cain, Shem to Japheth, Abraham to Nahor, Isaac to Ishmael, and Jacob to Esau, as there were after it; as Moses to Aaron, and David to his brethren.
The spiritual Israel accepted Jesus more readily than the physical Israel.
Genesis 48:21 "And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers."
"And Israel said unto Joseph, behold, I die": Expected to die very shortly; he not only speaks of it as a certain thing, and what would quickly be, but with pleasure and comfort. Having no fear and dread of it on him, but as what was agreeable to him, and he had made himself familiar with.
"But God shall be with you": With Joseph and his posterity, and with all his brethren, and theirs, to comfort and support them, to guide and counsel them, to protect and defend them, to carry them through all they had to endure in Egypt, and at length bring them out of it.
He signifies he was departing from them, but God would not depart from them, whose presence would be infinitely more to them than his. And which, as it made him more easily to leave them, so it might make them more at rest to part with him.
"And bring you again unto the land of your fathers": The land of Canaan, where their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had dwelt, and which was given to them and theirs for an inheritance. And where Joseph and his brethren had lived, and would be brought back again, as the bones of Joseph were, and as all of them in their posterity were in Joshua's time.
Dying Jacob gave voice to his undying trust in God's taking his descendants back to Canaan.
Genesis 48:22 "Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."
"Moreover, I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren": The word for "portion" is "Shechem", and which some take to be, not a designation, as we do, but the name of a city, even Shechem. So the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi interpret it and though that is not directly meant, yet there is a reference had to it.
And it seems to be mysteriously understood; for this portion or parcel spoken of was near to Shechem, and not only that, but the city itself, and all the adjacent country, came to the lot of Ephraim, and were possessed by that tribe.
"Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow": Not referring, as some think, to the taking and spoiling of the city of Shechem by his sons, and so said to be done by him in them.
Jacob's history does not record any conquest of Amorite land. He did purchase property from the children of Hamor (Gen. 33:19), but that was not by conquest. At some time this military event had actually occurred, but for some unknown reason it finds no other mention in God's revelation.
For Jacob would never make that his act and deed, which he so much abhorred and detested, and still did, as appears by what he says of it in the following chapter. Nor was this taken from the Amorite, but from the Hivite, and not by his sword and bow, whether taken literally or metaphorically, and so interpreted of his prayer and supplication.
But he was so far from assisting in that affair by supplication, that his curses fell on Levi and Simeon, for that fact of theirs. If this is to be understood of the city of Shechem, what Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom propose seems most agreeable, that this is said by way of anticipation, the past tense being put for the future.
Jacob, under a spirit of prophecy, foreseeing and declaring that his sons, and he in his sons in future time, would take it out of the hands of the Amorites, the principal of the Canaanitish nations, and then it should be given to Joseph's seed. But the first and special regard is to the part or parcel of ground which lay near Shechem.
And this Jacob is said to take by his sword and bow, which some interpret of his money, which were his arms and defense, and which he had got by much labor; and if it could be proved that his money was marked with a sword and bow upon it, as the Persian Darics were with an archer with his bow and arrow, and therefore called sagittaries or archers.
It would allow this sense; though even then it could not with propriety be said that he by this means obtained it of the Amorite, since he bought it of the children of Hamor the Hivite; but it seems more likely, that after Jacob departed from Shechem to Hebron, the Amorite came and seized on this parcel of ground.
Which he hearing of it, went with his sons and servants, and recovered it out of their hands by his sword and bow. Though this warlike action of his is nowhere recorded in Scripture.
The Jewish writers say, that Jacob and his sons had very grievous war with the Amorites on account of the slaughter and captivity of the Shechemites: By giving to Joseph this portion above his brethren, it appears that the birthright was become his, he having the double portion, and indeed all that Jacob had of his own in the land of Canaan.
Hence Joseph's bones were buried there in the land of Canaan, it being his own ground (see Joshua 24:32).
The twelve tribes of Israel were spoken of later in the Bible. There will be two of Joseph's sons mentioned, Ephraim and Manasseh. In his last statement, Jacob passed his blessings from God to Joseph and his sons.
I believe that this is spiritual Israel and physical Israel, because of the Scripture (in Ezekiel 37:16), "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:"
This stick of Judah and Ephraim are physical and spiritual Israel.
Genesis Chapter 48 Questions
1. When Joseph heard Israel was sick, who did he take to see his father?
2. What was a custom of the Hebrews?
3. What did Israel do when he heard Joseph was coming?
4. Why did some people believe Joseph was apprehensive?
5. How old were the boys?
6. Jacob told Joseph _____ ____________ had appeared to him at Luz?
7. What had He promised Jacob?
8. God Almighty is another name for___ ___________?
9. What two names did Joseph's sons have?
10. Where did Jacob bury Rachel?
11. "Bethlehem" means what?
12. What nationality were the boys' mother?
13. How did Joseph place his sons in front of Israel?
14. Whose head did Jacob put his right hand on?
15. What was another word for the right hand blessing?
16. What sign did Israel make when he put his hand on the boy's heads?
17. Why is "Angel" capitalized?
18. Ephraim received how much?
19. How did Joseph feel about Israel's choice of blessings?
20. What do I believe about Ephraim and Manasseh?
21. In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, what do these two sticks mean?
1-27: Jacob concludes his life as other saints who spoke a blessing before their end: Isaac (chapter 27), Moses (Deut. chapter 33), Joshua (Joshua chapter 24), and Samuel (1 Sam. chapter 12).
The reference to a lion in verse 9 points to that One who is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (in Revelation 5:5).
Verses (11 and 12), describe the millennial prosperity (Isa. 11:1-9; Ezek. 34:23-31; Amos 9:11-15).
Genesis 49:1 "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days."
"And Jacob called upon his sons": Who either were near at hand, and within call at the time Joseph came to visit him, or if at a distance, and at another time, he sent a messenger or messengers to them to come unto him.
"And said, gather yourselves together": His will was, that they should attend him all together at the same time, that he might deliver what he had to say to them in the hearing of them all. For what he after declares was not said to them singly and alone, but when they were all before him.
"That I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days": Not their persons merely, but their posterity chiefly, from that time forward to the coming of the Messiah, who is spoken of in this prophecy, and the time of his coming.
The key expression leading into the poetic content of Jacob's prediction for each son often signifies the last days in prophetic literature (Isa. 2:2; Ezek. 38:16), or points more generally to "the latter days" (Duet. 4:30; 31:29), i.e., in the sense of "in subsequent days."
This introduces the whole prophecy, and functions in an important way in the Old Testament. It refers to Israel's future in dual perspective: the period of their occupation of Canaan, and the time of the coming of messiah.
Sometimes the expression refers to Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation (Deut. 4:30; Ezek. 38:16), sometimes to the history of Gentile nations (Dan. 2:28), and sometimes to the present church age in it's entirely (Heb. 1:2), or at its conclusion (2 Tim. 3:1; James 5:3).
Jacob's pronouncements in chapter 49 included both prophecy (verse 1), and blessing (verse 28). Reuben is referred to as being "Unstable as water." Unstable literally means "a boiling over" of water, a vivid metaphor for unstable emotions (Judges 9:4; Zeph. 3:4, where the same root denotes pride and frivolity).
This is a prophetic Scripture reaching to the last days. The following is a statement to the tribe of each son, and what the future holds.
Verses 2-27: The names of the sons are not given in birth order (29:32-34; 35:18), nor in the pattern of wife, then handmaid (46:8-25). The order is as per the mother:
(1) The 6 sons of Leah;
(2) One son of Bilhah;
(3) Two sons of Zilpah;
(4) One son of Bilhah; and
(5) The two sons of Rachel.
Other than the reversal of Leah's fifth and sixth sons, the others remain in chronological order in relation to their mothers. No other pattern is discernible. It may have been nothing more than an associational device, or just how Jacob personally had come to recall them to mind.
Genesis 49:2 "Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father."
"Gather yourselves together": This is repeated to hasten them, and to suggest that he had something of importance to make known unto them, which he chose to do, when they were together.
"And hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father": These words are used and doubled to excite their attention to what he was about to say, and which is urged from the near relation there was between them.
Israel was about to speak to his sons for all of eternity and he told them not only to listen, but to take heed to what was being said.
Verses 3-4: The seriousness of Reuben's sin (35:22), was not forgotten. Its consequences erased his birthright (1 Chron. 5:1-3), and whatever dignity and majesty he might have had, his tribe received scant mention in Israelite history and produced not one judge, prophet, military leader, or other important person (Judges 5:15; 1 Chron. 5:1).
Moses prayed for this tribe not to die out (Deut. 33:6). "Uncontrolled as water" literally means "boiling" and shows instability.
Genesis 49:3 "Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:"
"Reuben, thou art my firstborn": Jacob addressed himself to Reuben first, in the presence of his brethren. He owned him as his firstborn, as he was (Genesis 29:31), but did not cashier him from his family, nor disinherit him, though he had greatly disobliged him, for which the birthright, and the privileges of it, were taken from him (1 Chronicles 5:1).
"My might, and the beginning of my strength": Begotten by him when in his full strength, as well as the first of his family, in which his strength and glory lay. So the Septuagint, "the beginning of my children". And because he was so, of right the double portion belonged to him, had he not forfeited it (Deuteronomy 21:17).
Some versions render the words, "the beginning of my grief", or "sorrow", the word "Oni" sometimes so signifying, as Rachel called her youngest son "Benoni", the son of my sorrow. But this is not true of Reuben.
He was not the beginning of Jacob's sorrow, for the ravishing of Dinah, and the slaughter and spoil of the Shechemites, by his sons, which gave him great sorrow and grief, were before the affair of Reuben's lying with Bilhah.
"The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power": That is, to him of right belonged excellent dignity, power, and authority in the family. A preeminence over his brethren, a double portion of goods, succession in government, and, as is commonly understood, the exercise of the priesthood.
And so the Targums interpret it, that he should, had he not sinned, taken three parts or portions above his brethren, the birthright, priesthood, and kingdom. Jacob observes this to him that he might know what he had lost by sinning. And from what excellency and dignity, grandeur and power, he was fallen.
Genesis 49:4 "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch."
"Unstable as water": Which is not to be understood of the levity of his mind, and his disposition to hurt, and the impetuous force of that breaking forth like water, and carrying him into the commission of it.
Rather of his fall from his excellency and dignity, like the fall of water from a high place. And of his being vile, mean, and contemptible, useless and unprofitable like water spilled on the ground.
And of his weak and powerless condition and circumstances, being deprived of the prerogatives and privileges of his birthright, and having lost all his honor and grandeur, power and authority. The word in the Arabic language signifies to be proud and haughty, to lift up one's self, to swell and rise, like the puffy and swelling waters. But though he did thus lift himself, yet it follows.
"Thou shall not excel": Not have the outstanding feature of dignity and power which belonged to him as the firstborn. The birthright and the double portion were given to Joseph, who had two tribes descending from him, when Reuben had but one. The kingdom was given to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem observe.
As he did not excel his brethren in honor and dignity, so neither in wealth and riches, nor in numbers (see Deuteronomy 33:6), where the word "not" is wrongly supplied. Nor did he share in the land of Canaan, his posterity being seated on the other side of Jordan, at their request.
Nor did any persons of note or eminence spring from his tribe, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then defiledst thou it. Referring to his incest with Bilhah, his father's concubine wife (Genesis 35:22), which, though done forty years ago, was now remembered, and left an indelible spot on Reuben's character, and his posterity.
"He went up to my couch": Turning himself to his other sons, to take notice of the crime, as very abominable and detestable. Affirming the truth of it, and speaking of it with some vehemence, his affections being moved; and it may be could not bear to look at Reuben, but turned himself to his brethren.
Though he had forgiven the sin, and very probably Reuben had repented of it, and had forgiveness of God, which he might have, though in some sense vengeance was taken on this sinful invention of his (Psalm 99:8). There are various senses given of this phrase; some, as Aben Ezra, "my bed departed from me"; that is, he departed from his bed.
Here, Jacob was saying to Reuben, your morals were bad. You were wishy-washy; you would not prosper, because you did not have your life set on the solid rock of faith. Your eyes were set on fleshly pleasures rather than on the things of God.
Verses 5-7: The cruelty and anger of Simeon and Levi at Shechem were not forgotten (34:25). Their consequences affected Simeon who
(1) Became the smallest tribe in the second census of Moses (Num. 26:14);
(2) Was omitted from the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33:8); and
(3) Later shared territory with Judah (Josh. 19:1-9).
Levi was "scattered" (verse 7), throughout Israel; they became, by God's grace and through their loyalty to God (Exodus 32:26), the priestly tribe and residents of the cities of refuge.
Neither possessed their own designated region in the Land, although Levi's priestly position was certainly a privileged one (Deut. 33:8-11; Josh. 21:1-3).
"Lamed" means to cut the leg tendons as a means of destroying the animal's usefulness.
Genesis 49:5 "Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations."
It is said of "Simeon" and "Levi" that "in their self-will they digged down a wall." It is literally, "At their pleasure they lamed oxen." This is supplementary to (34:27-29). What these two men did not capture as plunder they destroyed in the fierceness of their anger.
"Simeon and Levi are brothers": Not because they were so in a natural sense, being brethren both by father and mother's side, for there were others so besides them. But because they were of like tempers, dispositions, and manners, bold, wrathful, cruel, revengeful, and deceitful, and joined together in their evil counsels and actions, and so joined together in the evils predicted of them.
"Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations": Or vessels, utensils, household goods gotten by the violent seizure of someone's property. And through the cruel usage of the Shechemites; these were in their dwellings; their houses were full of such mammon of unrighteousness, or spoil.
Or, as others, "instruments of cruelty" are "their swords"; what they should only have used in their own defense. With these they shed the blood of the Shechemites very barbarously (see Genesis 34:25).
Genesis 49:6 "O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall."
"O my soul, come not thou into their secret": Their cabinet counsels, combinations and conspiracies. This Jacob said, as abhorring the wicked counsel they had took of slaying the Shechemites; and lest any should think he was involved in it, or secretly allowed it, he expressed a detestation of the fact on his dying bed.
"Unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united": The same thing expressed in different words; by his "honor or glory" he means his soul, the more honorable part of man, or his tongue, with which man glorifies God.
Hereby Jacob intimates, that he did not in thought, and much less in express words, give any consent unto, and approval of the deed of those two sons of his, and that he never was, nor never desired to be with them in their meetings and consultations.
"For in their anger they slew a man": Hamor and Shechem, together with all the males of the city. And so "man" may be put for "men", the singular for the plural, as is frequent. The Targum of Jonathan is, a king and his governor; and the Targum of Jerusalem, kings with governors.
"And in their self-will they digged down a wall": Not the wall of the city of Shechem, which does not appear to be walled, by their easy access into it. And if it was, they do not seem to have had proper instruments for such an undertaking, nor a sufficient number for such work, and which would have required longer time than they used, unless it was a poor wall indeed.
Rather the wall of Shechem's house, or the court before it, which they dug down, or broke through to get in and slay Hamor and Shechem, and take away their sister.
Genesis 49:7 "Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."
"Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce": It was sinful anger in the nature of it, and so criminal and detestable. It was strong, fierce, and furious in its operation and effects, and so justly cursed; not their persons, but their passions.
"And their wrath, for it was cruel": It issued in the cruel and barbarous slaughter of the inhabitants of Shechem. The same thing as before in other words repeated, to express his great abhorrence of their wrath and rage. Aben Ezra thinks that the words may be considered either as a prophecy or a prayer that their anger might cease. What follows is certainly a prophecy:
"I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel": Which he is said to do, because he foretold it would be done. As Jeremiah is said to root out and pull down kingdoms, because he prophesied thereof (Jeremiah 1:10), and this was fulfilled in the tribes of Simeon and Levi.
As for the tribe of Simeon, that had not a distinct part by itself in the land of Canaan, but had their inheritance out of the portion, and within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 19:1), and their cities did not join to one another, as Aben Ezra observes, but lay scattered up and down in the tribe of Judah.
And when they were increased and straitened for room, many of them went without the land, to the entrance of Gedor, where they of Ham, or the Egyptians, had dwelt, and others to Mount Seir in Edom (1 Chronicles 4:39).
And it is a notion which prevails with the Jews, and which Jarchi takes notice of, that a great many of this tribe were scribes and teachers of the law, and even teachers of children, and by which they lived among the several tribes.
And so the Jerusalem Targum, "I will divide the tribe of Simeon, that they may be scribes and teachers of the law in the congregation of Jacob". And as for the tribe of Levi, it is well known that they had no inheritance in the land of Canaan, but had forty eight cities assigned them in the several tribes here and there; and thus Jacob's prophecy had an exact accomplishment.
This harsh reprimand of Simeon and Levi was because of the cruel way they avenged their sister, Dinah. They used, circumcision, their covenant with God, to kill their enemies. This brought shame and disgrace to the house of Israel.
Jacob had to go somewhere else to live to keep the neighboring tribes from attacking. Jacob was living in peace with these people, and these two sons brought unrest, and made Israel become a stench to the people around. He was telling them that they would be divided, and not be a great tribe for this, their sin, the killing unmercifully of the Shechemites.
Verses 8-12: As strong as a young lion and entrenched as an old lion, to Judah's line belonged national prominence and kingship, including David, Solomon, and their dynasty (640 years after this), as well as "the one to whom the scepter belongs," i.e., Shiloh, the cryptograms for the Messiah, the one also called the "Lion from the Tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5).
On the march through the wilderness, Judah went first (Num. 10:14), and had the largest population in Moses' census (Num. 1:27; 26:22).
This language (verses 11-12), describes prosperity so great that people will tie a donkey to a choice vine, letting it eat because there is such abundance; wine will be as plentiful as water and everyone will be healthy. This is likely a millennial prophecy.
Genesis 49:8 "Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee."
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise": His name signifies praise, and was given him by his mother, her heart being filled with praises to God for him (Genesis 29:35), and is here confirmed by his father on another account, because his brethren should praise him for many excellent virtues in him.
And it appears, by instances already observed, that he had great authority, and was highly esteemed among his brethren, as his posterity would be in future times for their courage, warlike expeditions and success, and being famous for heroes, such as David, and others.
And especially his famous seed the Messiah, and of whom he was a type. Should be praised by his brethren, who are so through his incarnation, and by divine adoption, and who praise him for the glories and excellencies of his person, and the blessings of his grace.
"Thine hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies": Pressing them down by his superior power, subduing them, and causing them to submit to him. And which was verified in David, who was of this tribe (Psalm 18:40). And especially in the Messiah, in a spiritual sense, who has conquered and subdued all his and his people's enemies, sin, Satan, the world and death.
"Thy father's children shall bow down before thee": Before the kings that should spring from this tribe, and should rule over all the rest, as David and Solomon, to whom civil adoration and respect were given by them. And before the King Messiah, his son and antitype, in a way of religious worship, which is given him by the angels, the sons of God, and by all the saints and people of God, who are his father's children by adoption.
These bow before him, and give him religious adoration as a divine Person, and submit to his righteousness as Mediator. And bow to the scepter of his kingdom, and cast their crowns at his feet, and give him the glory of their whole salvation. This in some Jewish writings is applied to the time of the Messiah's coming.
Genesis 49:9 "Judah [is] a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?"
"Judah is a lion's whelp": Or as one; the note of likeness or being wanting, as Aben Ezra and Ben Melech observe. He was comparable to a young lion for his strength, courage, and generosity. And it may refer to the infant state of this tribe in the times of the judges, who first went up against the Canaanites and overcame them (Judges 1:1).
"From the prey, my son, thou art gone up": Alluding to the lion going up to the mountains, where it chiefly resides, after it has found its prey and satisfied its appetite with it.
"He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion": One that is grown up, and has arrived to its full strength, such a one is a proper emblem of David king of Israel, of his royalty, courage, valor and conquests.
And who having subdued the nations round about him, couched like a lion, and had rest from all his enemies. And especially this was verified in the times of Solomon his son, when he had peace on all sides, and Judah and Israel dwelt safely under their vines and fig trees (1 Kings 4:24).
"Who shall rouse him up?" a lion grown up and in its full strength, or a lioness, as some choose to interpret it, and which is the fiercest, and therefore the most dangerous to rouse up when laid down, either in its den, or with its prey in its paws. So dangerous it was to provoke the tribe of Judah, as its enemies later found out, especially in the times of David.
All this may be applied to Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah; the lion being the king of beasts, and the strongest among them, may denote the kingly power and authority of Christ, his great strength as the mighty God and mighty Savior, his courage in engaging with all the powers of darkness, and valor in vanquishing all enemies.
His generosity and kindness to those that stoop to him, and his fierceness to his adversaries, who took the prey from the mighty, and then ascended on high, leading captivity captive; where he sat down at the right hand of God at rest and ease.
And who will dare to rouse him up, or be able to stand before him when once he is angry? This verse in some ancient writings of the Jews is interpreted of Messiah the son of David.
Genesis 49:10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]."
The key thought is expressed as "the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." The scepter was a symbol of royal power. Lawgiver, according to Speiser, refers to a mace.
Etymologically, it is something pertaining to a legislator or one in authority, and from the context, an analogue of the scepter. When a dignitary was seated, the staff would rest between his feet. Jacob was not saying his rule would end when Shiloh came.
On the contrary, this term denotes the turning point at which the superiority of Judah will continue, not then to cease, but at that time to be enlarged so as to embrace all nations.
Shiloh is a hidden name for Messiah; it is made up of three grammatical parts (sh-l-oh), meaning Him to Whom It [the Scepter or Kingdom] belongs." The "sh" is the relative pronoun, the "l" is the possessive, and the "oh" is the "pronominal" suffix (the person, thing, or idea that a word or expression stands for; see Ezek. 21:27).
Thus, it is not to be taken as a proper name for Messiah, nor does it refer to the town where the tabernacle was later established, for this would be meaningless prophetically.
The phrase "And unto him shall the gathering of the people be", means literally, "And unto him shall be the obedience of the peoples." This can refer only to the Messiah.
Of course, we know that Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The statement above saying ... Thine hand being on the neck of his enemy ... was probably referring to the victories of David the king. Perhaps Solomon was also mentioned in that brief statement.
We do know that lawgivers were from this tribe. They were not diminished, until the grace given came in Jesus Christ our Lord. We do know that the gathering, spoken of here, is the gathering together unto Jesus. These next verses were still about Judah and his descendants' future.
Genesis 49:11 "Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:"
"Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine": Which may be understood either of the tribe of Judah, and signify that vines should grow in such plenty, and so large and strong, that a man might fasten his ass to one of them. And if it ate and destroyed it, it would give no great concern, since the country abounded with them. Or they would be so full of clusters that a man might load an ass from one of them.
Some parts of the tribe of Judah were famous for vines, especially Engedi; hence we read of the vineyards of Engedi (Song of Solomon 1:14), or else of Shiloh the Messiah, which some interpret literally of him, when the prophecy (in Zech. 9:9), was fulfilled, as is recorded (in Matthew 21:2).
But others better, figuratively, of Christ's causing the Gentiles, comparable to an ass's colt, for their impurity, ignorance of, and sluggishness in spiritual things, to cleave to him the true vine (John 15:1). In the exercise of faith, hope, and love, or to join themselves to his church and people, sometimes compared to a vine or vineyard (Isaiah 5:1).
"And he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes": A hyperbolical expression, setting forth the great abundance of wine in this tribe, of which there was such plenty. That if they would, they might have used it instead of water to wash their clothes in, but not that they did do so, only might if they would. And may denote the great quantity of spiritual blessings flowing from the love of God, which come by Christ.
And of his word and ordinances, which are comparable to wine and milk, and are a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees, well refined (Isaiah 26:6). And may be applied to Christ, to the garment of his human nature, which, through his sufferings and death, was like a vesture dipped in blood, and he became red in his apparel (Isaiah 63:1).
Genesis 49:12 "His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk."
"His eyes shall be red with wine": Signifying, not the intemperance of this tribe, and their immoderate use of wine, and the effect of it on them. But the goodness and generosity of their wine, that if drank plentifully of, and especially to excess, would have such an effect (see Proverbs 23:29).
And, as applied to the Messiah, the opposite of Judah, and who was of this tribe, it may denote not so much the beauty of his eyes, as the Targums paraphrase it. As the joy and pleasure that sparkled in his eyes when he shed his blood on the cross, enduring that, and despising the shame of it, for the joy of the salvation of his people.
Or the clearness of his sight in beholding the actions of his enemies, and especially of the fierceness and fury of his wrath against them, whose eyes are said to be as flames of fire (Revelation 1:14).
"And his teeth white with milk": Denoting the fruitfulness of his land, producing fine pastures, on which flocks and herds fed, and gave abundance of milk. And so Onkelos paraphrases the whole verse, "his mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills shall drop wine, and his valleys shall be white with corn and flocks of sheep".
And much the same are the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem: the mystical sense may respect Christ and his people. And be expressive of the purity of his nature, life, and doctrine, and of the holiness of his members, their faith and conversation.
All of this has to do with the blood of Jesus which was shed and remembered through the wine. In all this, we need to see Christ through the blessings of Judah. Our lives with Christ are eternal, just as the blessings of Judah were everlasting.
So many shadows of Jesus are in the above. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the true Conqueror (over death). He will draw all men unto Him. Every word is really speaking of Jesus.
Genesis 49:13 "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he [shall be] for a haven of ships; and his border [shall be] unto Zidon."
"Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea": Of the Sea of Galilee, sometimes called the sea of Tiberias and of Gennesaret, and of the Mediterranean Sea. And accordingly we find that the border of this tribe, when settled in the land of Canaan, was toward the sea (Joshua 19:10), and this was done, not at the discretion of Joshua, or at the choice of this tribe, but by lot.
And which shows that Jacob said this under a spirit of prophecy, and which had its fulfilment two hundred years after. And is a full proof of the foreknowledge and providence of God. And who, as he sets the bounds of the people, or of the nations of the world, and of the tribes of Israel's. So the bounds of the habitations of particular persons (Acts 17:26).
"And he shall be for a haven of ships"; shall have good ports large enough for ships to station in, and to cover them from storms and tempests, this tribe being situated by the sea shore.
"And his border shall be unto Zidon": Not the city Zidon, for the tribe of Zebulun reached no further than Carmel, as Josephus observes; "the Zebulunites (says he), obtained the land from Carmel, and the sea to the lake of Gennesaret. Now Carmel was forty miles at least from Zidon; but Phoenicia is meant, of which Zidon was the chief city.
And so the Septuagint (in Isaiah 23:2), put Phoenicia instead of Zidon. And whereas Carmel was the border of this tribe that way, it is also said by Jerom to be the border of Phoenicia. So that Zebulun reaching to Carmel so its border may be truly said to be to Zidon or Phoenicia.
Although Zebulon's territory did not border the Mediterranean or the Sea of Galilee, the tribe was situated to benefit from the important trade route, the Via Maris, traversed by sea trades moving through her territory.
This was more physical than spiritual with Zebulon. It just marked his territory.
Verses 14-15: Issachar, an industrious, robust, hardy, and stalwart tribe, lived up to the name of their founder whose name meant "man of wages" (1 Chron. 7:1-5; 12:32).
Genesis 49:14 "Issachar [is] a strong ass couching down between two burdens:"
"Issachar is a strong ass": Or as one, the note of similarity being wanting, as Ben Melech observes; "a bony" one, as the word signifies. Not one that is lean, and nothing but skin and bones, as some interpret it, but that is strong and powerful, able to carry burdens.
This tribe is compared to an ass, not for stupidity and sluggishness, but for its strength, and its use in farming, in which this tribe was chiefly occupied.
The Targums of Jonathan and Jarchi interpret this figuratively, of his being strong to bear the yoke of the law. And it is a notion of the Jews, that this tribe had men of knowledge and understanding, either in chronology or astrology.
Or in the proper seasons for husbandry, or for the fixing the beginning of years and months, and the intercalation of them, for keeping the several festivals. Or rather were men of prudence and wisdom were skillful in the doctrines of the law, and the calculation of years, etc. (from 1 Chronicles 12:32), couching down between two burdens.
One which hung on one side, and another on the other; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret of bales of goods. And may as well be understood of sacks of corn, or anything else, carried by these creatures, which, when they come into a good pasture and for the sake of that and ease, will lie down with their burdens on them, and rise up again with them.
The Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem paraphrase it, "between two borders", or the borders of his brethren, as Jonathan, Zebulun and Dan, between which this tribe lay. And this is the reason Aben Ezra gives why Issachar, who was older than Zebulun, is mentioned after him, and between him and Dan, because his land lay between them.
And so it may be observed, that in the division of the land in Joshua's time, Issachar's lot came up after Zebulun's (Joshua 19:10). But Doctor Lightfoot thinks it refers to the two kingdoms, between which it lay, that of Phoenicia on one side, and that of Samaria on the other.
Genesis 49:15 "And he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute."
"And he saw that rest was good": Not the house of the sanctuary, and attendance there, and the service of that, as the Targum of Jerusalem. Or the rest of the world to come, the happiness of a future state, as that of Jonathan. But rather, as Onkelos, the part and portion of the good land allotted him.
He saw that a quiet industry exercised in a diligent cultivation and fertilizing his land was preferable to the hurry of a court, or the fatigue of a camp, or the dangers of the seas.
"And the land that it was pleasant": A fine delightful country, which, if well looked after and improved, would produce plenty of pleasant fruits. And within this tribe were the rich vale of Esdraelon or Jezreel, and the fruitful mountains of Gilboa.
Of the former it is agreed by all travelers the like has never been seen by them, being of vast extent and very fertile, and formerly abounded with corn, wine, and oil (See Hosea 1:5). And the latter were famous for fruitfulness, through the dews that descended on them (2 Sam. 1:21).
"And bowed his shoulders to bear": The fatigues of ploughing and sowing, and reaping, and carrying in the fruits of the earth.
"And became a servant unto tribute": Which greatly arises from agriculture and the fruits of the earth. And this tribe chose rather to pay more tribute than the rest, that they might abide at home and attend the business of their fields, when others were called to go forth to war.
Issachar, it seems, was lazy and would work for others all his life. He seemed to just drop into obscurity.
Genesis Chapter 49 Questions
1. What Jacob spoke to his sons was for when?
2. When Israel was speaking to his sons, what must they do?
3. Why did he tell Reuben he will not prosper?
4. Simeon and Levi were called instruments of cruelty, why?
5. What had they caused people around to think of Israel?
6. What would the brethren do to Judah?
7. Who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah?
8. The hand being on the neck refer's to whom?
9. Who will the gathering be to?
10. Who is the true Conqueror? of what?
11. Where shall Zebulun dwell?
12. What were the two things we learn of Issachar here?
Verses 16-18: Dan, whose name meant "Judge," fathered an aggressive tribe that would also judge in the nation but would not be known for moral stature or religious faithfulness (Judges 13:2; 18:1; 1 Kings 2:28-30; 2 Kings 2:10:29). Dan would later abandon its land allotment (Joshua 19:40-48), and migrate to the extreme north of Israel (Judges 18:1-31).
Jacob's closing cry expressed hope for Dan in the day when salvation would indeed come to Israel. Dan, however, is omitted in the list of tribes (in Rev. 7:4-8).
Genesis 49:16 "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
"Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel": There is an elegant pun, or an allusion to the name of Dan in those words, which signifies to judge, and the sense of them is, there should be heads, rulers, and judges of it, as the other tribes had. And this is the rather mentioned of him, because he is the first of the children of concubine wives as yet taken notice of.
And what is here said of him is also to be understood of the rest of the sons of the concubines. For the meaning is not, that a judge should arise out of him as out of the other tribes, that should judge all Israel, restraining it to Samson, who was of this tribe, as the Targums and Jarchi.
For no such judge did arise out of all the tribes of Israel. Nor was Samson such a judge of Israel as David, who, according to Jarchi, is one of the tribes of Israel, namely, of Judah. For David did not judge as Samson, or Samson as David, their form of government being different.
Genesis 49:17 "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."
"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path": Or be like that sort of serpents called the adder. Or rather, that which has the name of Cerastes, which lies among sand, and being of the same color is not easily discerned, and is often trampled upon unawares, and bites at once, unexpected.
"That biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward": For this sort of serpents lying in horse ways and cart ruts snaps at and bites horses as they pass along, which bites affecting their legs and thighs, cause them to fall and throw their riders.
This, by the Jewish writers, who are followed by many Christian interpreters, is applied to Samson. Who by craft and policy managed the Philistines, as in the affair of the foxes, and especially in his last enterprise, when he got placed between the two pillars of the house. Which answer, as some think, to the horse heels, as the multitude on the roof of the house to the riders.
But though this may be illustrated in a particular person in this tribe, as a specimen of the genius and disposition of the whole tribe, yet the prophecy respects the whole tribe, and points at the situation of it, which was "by the way", at the extreme part of the country.
So that they had need of craft and policy as well as power to defend themselves against encroachers and invaders, and describes the general temper and disposition of this tribe, of which an instance may be seen (in Judges 18:1).
And it may have respect to the stumbling blocks and offences laid in this tribe to the rest of the tribes, by the idol of Micah, and more especially by the golden calf set up in Dan by Jeroboam.
Dan's tribe had some very interesting facts about them. About the time of Samson, he was in the position of leadership. Samson was of the tribe of Dan. Dan's descendants were the first to fall into idolatry and were not even mentioned in the twelve tribes in Revelation.
Some people speculate, because his tribe was not mentioned in Revelation, that the antichrist might be from his people. It is just supposition. No one knows for sure. At any rate, this statement, his father made of him, was not a good one.
Genesis 49:18 "I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD."
"I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord": Jacob finding his spirits faint, stops and breathes awhile before he proceeded any further in blessing the tribes. And as he found he was a dying man, and knew not how soon he should expire, expresses what he had been thoughtful of and concerned about in time past, and still was.
That he had been waiting and hoping for, and expecting a state of happiness and bliss in another world, where he should be saved from sin and Satan, and the world, and from all his enemies, and out of all his troubles.
And this he firmly believed he should enjoy, and hoped it would not be long before he did. And especially he may have a regard to the Messiah, the promised Savior. And salvation by him he had knowledge of, faith in, and expectation of.
Who may be truly called the salvation of God Because of his contriving, providing, and appointing, whom he had promised and spoken of by all the prophets.
And whom in the fullness of time he would send into the world to work out salvation for his people. And to him all the Targums apply the words, which are to this purpose: "said our father Jacob, not for the salvation of Gideon, the son of Joash, which is a temporal salvation, do I wait".
Nor for the salvation of Samson the son of Manoah, which is a temporary salvation. But for the salvation of Messiah the son of David (which is an everlasting one).
Who shall bring the children of Israel to himself and his salvation my soul desireth. And though Jacob might be affected with the evils he foresaw would rise up in the tribe of Dan, he had last mentioned, and with the troubles that should come upon all the tribes.
And had some pleasing sights of the deliverances and salvations, that should be wrought for them, by judges and saviors that should be raised up. Yet his chief view was to the Messiah, and salvation by him.
It seems to be just a cry of Jacob for rest in Jesus.
Genesis 49:19 "Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last."
"Gad, a troop shall overcome him": There is a pun, or an allusion to the name of Gad almost in every word of the verse, which signifies a troop. The whole is a prediction that this tribe would be a warlike one, and have the common fate of war, sometimes be conquered, and at other times conquer, but however should be at last entirely victorious.
All the three Targums refer this to this tribe passing over Jordan at the head of the armies of Israel, into the land of Canaan. In Joshua's time, which, when they had subdued, they returned to their own inheritance on the other side of Jordan (Joshua 1:12), and so Jarchi. But it rather seems to refer to what befell them in their own tribe, which being seated on the other side of Jordan was exposed to the incursions and spoils of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Who came upon them like troops of robbers, and seized upon their possessions and retained them for some years; as in the times of the judges (see Judges 10:7). And in after times we find the Ammonites in possession of their country (Jeremiah 49:1). Whereby this part of the prophecy had its accomplishment.
"But he shall overcome at the last": As the Gadites with the Reubenites and half tribe of Manasseh did overcome the Hagarites and Arabians, the war being of God, and succeeded, and they dwelt in their stead until the captivity of the ten tribes (1 Chronicles 5:18).
And thus it is with the people of God in their present warfare state, who are often foiled with sin, Satan, and the world, their spiritual enemies. But at last they are more than conquerors over them all through Christ that has loved them.
Settling in Transjordan exposed Gad's people to invasions, making them valiant fighters worthy of victory and commendation (1 Chron. 5:18-22; 12:8-15).
Dan was a warlike tribe.
Genesis 49:20 "Out of Asher his bread [shall be] fat, and he shall yield royal dainties."
"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat": Which signifies that this tribe would have a sufficiency of food out of their own land, without being obliged to others, and that it would be of the best sort.
It occupied a tract of land, as Andrichomius says, reaching from great Zidon to Carmel of the sea, a space of twenty miles in length; and in breadth, from the great sea to Asor, and even to Naason, a space of nine miles.
The land of this tribe is very fat, he says, and exceeding fruitful in wine and oil, especially in the best wheat. In this tribe, as the same writer observes, among other very fruitful places was the valley of Asher, called the fat valley, which began five miles from Ptolemais, and reached to the Sea of Galilee, and contained more than ten miles in length.
The soil of which was exceeding fat and fruitful, and produced the most delicate wine and wheat, and might be truly called the fat valley (see Deuteronomy 33:24).
"And he shall yield royal dainties": Food fit for kings, of all sorts, flesh, fish, and fowl. Here King Solomon had one of his purveyors to provide food for him and his household (1 Kings 4:16). Asher's country answered to his name, which signifies happy or blessed.
In those parts, Christ was much in the days of his flesh on earth. In Cana of this tribe he turned water into wine and in this country discoursed concerning the bread of life himself, who is the best of bread and royal dainties.
Asher benefited much from occupying the agriculturally rich coastal region north of Carmel, and provided gourmet delights for the palace (Joshua 19:24-31).
It seems this land would produce plentifully.
Genesis 49:21 "Naphtali [is] a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words."
"Naphtali is a hind let loose": Onkelos applies it to the tribe itself, and to the goodness of its land. As for Naphtali, his lot fell in a good land, and his inheritance a fruit bearing one, as it was. For in it was the most fruitful country of Gennesaret, which gave name to a sea or lake by it, and which abounded with gardens, with palm trees, fig trees, and olive trees.
And which, Josephus says one might call the ambition of nature. Strabo, a heathen writer, says of it, that it was a happy blessed country, and bearing all sorts of good things. Jarchi on the place observes this is the vale of Gennesaret, which is quick to bring forth fruit, as a hind is swift to run.
Some will have this prophecy to be fulfilled in Barak, as Ben Gersom, Abendana, and others, who was of this tribe, and who at first was fearful like the hind, and backward to go out to war when called. But afterwards readily went out with Deborah.
And at last gave goodly words in the song they both sung. But it better describes the genius, disposition, and manners of the tribe, who were kind and loving, swift and expeditious in their affairs. Lovers of liberty, well-spoken persons, humane, affable, courteous, of a good speech and pleasing language.
"He giveth goodly words": To those he converses with; and it may be applied, particularly to Christ and his disciples. And to the inhabitants of this tribe in his time, among which they much were (see Matthew 4:13).
He himself is compared to the hind of the morning (Psalm 22:1). In the title, and to a roe or a young hart (Son of Solomon 2:9; 8:14), for his friendliness and lovingness in himself and for his people. And for his swiftness to do the will and work of his father, being sent out, as the word here used signifies, by him into this world, on the business of man's salvation.
And so his disciples, who were Galileans, were swift to obey his call, and left all and followed him, and were sent out by him to preach his Gospel. And both he and they may be said to "give goodly words", as the doctrines of the Gospel are.
Words of grace, truth, and life; wholesome, comfortable, pleasant and delightful. Good tidings of good things, of peace, pardon, righteousness, salvation and eternal life by Christ.
And the inhabitants of this country in Christ's time were swift to run after him, and hear him. Panted after him as the hart after the water brooks, and both received and gave out the goodly words of the Gospel, and were made free thereby, and so like a hind let loose.
Deer-like speed and agility marked Naphtali's military prowess (Judges 4:6; 5:18). The song of Deborah and Barak, who hailed from Naphtali (Judges 4:6), is representative of his eloquent words (Judges 5).
Verses 22-26: Addressed to Joseph, but applicable to his two sons (48:15-20). These words thrust forth a contrasting experience of growth and prosperity alongside hostility and conflict. (Verses 23-24), may be a biography of Joseph. No other tribe had such direct reference to the Lord God (verses 24-25), in their blessing as addressed to Joseph
The 4 names for God well reflect Joseph's emphasis on the sovereignty of his God, no matter the misfortune and grief which attended his way (verse 23). Samuel was from Ephraim, Gideon from Manasseh.
Genesis 49:22 "Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:"
"Joseph is a fruitful bough": Or as one, like the bough or branch of a tree laden with fruit, as he was with children. One of which he called Ephraim from his fruitfulness, and both his sons became numerous, and the heads of two tribes in Israel. And with other temporal fruits and blessings as riches, honor, etc. especially with the fruits of grace and righteousness.
"Even a fruitful bough by a well": Those are the most fruitful that are near a well or fountain of water, as such trees are which are planted by rivers of water (see Psalm 1:3). This being repeated may have respect to the two boughs or branches of Joseph's family, or the two fruitful and numerous tribes that sprung from him.
"Whose branches run over the wall": As such trees set against one another, and by the reflected heat of the sun grow the more, and become more fruitful. The word for "branches" is "daughters", which some refer to the daughters of Manasseh and Zelophehad, who received their inheritance on both sides of Jordan. Others interpret it of the cities of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as cities are sometimes called.
Genesis 49:23 "The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him:"
"The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him": His brethren who grieved him with their ill usage, shot out bitter words against him, and hated him for his dreams, and because his father loved him. And they could not speak peaceably to him. They mocked at him, conspired to kill him, stripped him of his clothes, cast him into a pit, and then sold him.
In all which he was a type of Christ, as used by the Jews.
His mistress (the wife of Potiphar), and Satan by her, grieved him with her temptations and solicitations to sin, which were as fiery darts shot at him. But being resisted, her impure love was turned into hatred to him, and she shot her lies, slander, and reproaches, as so many darts at him.
And, as the Targum of Jonathan, the magicians of Egypt, who envied him for his superior knowledge, and perhaps many others in Pharaoh's court, who were displeased at his promotion, might bring accusations to Pharaoh against him, out of hatred to him.
And Satan and his principalities and powers, whose temptations are compared to fiery darts, are not to be exempted, which they shoot at and grieve the people of God, who are hated by them. Perhaps reference may be had to the wars of the posterity of Joseph under Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, with the Canaanites.
Genesis 49:24 "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"
"But his bow abode in strength": For as his enemies were archers, and had bows and arrows, so had he, and repelled force by force.
But then his bow and arrows were of a different sort, the virtues and graces that he was possessed of, as innocence and integrity, chastity, fortitude, wisdom, prudence and patience, faith, hope, and the like, which remained unmoved. And in their full exercise, notwithstanding the powerful attacks made upon them.
And so his posterity was unmoved and unshaken, and stood firm and undaunted, notwithstanding the powerful enemies they had to deal with, until they were wholly subdued.
"And the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob": So that he held his bow, and drew it with great strength against his enemies, as an archer being used to the bow, his nerves become strong, and he is not weakened by drawing it, nor weary of using it.
But Joseph had not his strength of himself, but from the Lord, the mighty One, that had strengthened his father Jacob, and supported him under all his trouble. Saints, like Joseph, have their strength, as well as their righteousness, in and from Christ. And when they are weak in themselves, they are strong in him, to exercise grace and perform duty.
"From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel": From Jacob descended Joseph; or from the God of Jacob it was that Joseph through divine Providence was sent into Egypt to be as a shepherd, to feed his father's family, and as a stone to uphold and support it.
In which he was a type of Christ, the great and good Shepherd of the flock, and the stone that is laid in Zion, on which the whole spiritual Israel of God is built. The foundation stone on which they are laid, and are safe, and the corner stone which knits them together.
And some think that Christ is principally meant, who in his office capacity was from the mighty God of Jacob, a Shepherd of his providing and appointing, and a stone of his laying; and so Nachmahides says, the stone here made mention of is the same as (in Psalm 118:22).
Genesis 49:25 "[Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:"
"Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee": The same with the mighty God of Jacob, by whom his hands had been made strong, and he would be still helped, protected, and defended against his powerful enemies. And by whom Christ, the antitype, was helped as man and Mediator against his enemies, and to do all the work he engaged in.
And by whom all the Lord's people are helped to fight his battles with their spiritual enemies, to withstand temptations, exercise every grace, and do the will and work of God.
"And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above": With those blessings, which may be ascribed to the sun, moon, and stars, and their influences as means, and to the rain and dew which descend from there. And as with such temporal blessings, so with spiritual ones in heavenly things in Christ.
"Blessings of the deep that lieth under": Of rivers, fountains and springs that rise out of the earth from below, which water and make fruitful.
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb": In increase of children, and of cattle, and those healthy, thriving, and prosperous, which are great temporal mercies; as are the word and ordinances spiritual ones, those breasts of consolation, which such that are born again partake of, and grow thereby.
Genesis 49:26 "The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."
"The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors": Jacob's blessings were greater and more numerous. Both those which he himself had, and bestowed upon his offspring, than those that Abraham and Isaac had. He having more children than they, and blessings for every one of them.
Whereas, they each of them had but two, and one of these two were excluded from the blessings. Besides, though these blessings were the same in substance bestowed on his ancestors, and by them on him, yet these were more clearly and distinctly given out by him to his posterity, and were nearer their accomplishment.
"Unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, they shall be on the head of Joseph": That is, continue on him as long as the everlasting hills continue. Particularly those of a spiritual kind, for they endure forever.
The word for "bound" signifies "desire"; and Onkelos paraphrases the words, "which the princes that were of old desired:" meaning either the angels who desire to look into heavenly things, or the patriarchs, who were desirous of the coming of the Messiah, and salvation by him.
And so the Vulgate Latin version is, "until the desire of the everlasting hills should come"; that is, Christ, who is the desire of all nations, in whom all nations of the earth are to be blessed, and therefore desirable; blessings of all kinds are upon the head of the just, as they were on Joseph (Proverbs 10:6).
"And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren": Who shunned company and conversation with him, and at length sold him into Egypt, where he was parted from them, and remained separate for many years.
And when they came to dwell in the land of Egypt, they lived in Goshen, and he at Pharaoh's court, where he was distinguished with peculiar honors, and advanced above them. Of Christ, his antitype (see Hebrews 7:26).
Joseph had already withstood terrible sorrows that would have broken a normal man. God was with him. God preserved him in Potiphar's house. God preserved him in the dungeon. God prepared a way for him to become ruler in a strange land.
Jacob was speaking a blessing forever on Joseph and his descendants. This fruitful bough could be looking back at the famine in the land of Egypt, and how God miraculously provided for Joseph. It also, was looking to the future for the blessings of God would shower on Ephraim, and Manasseh, and their descendants. His strong arms meant that he was made ruler.
The shepherd was one who cared for the flock, and surely Joseph was that. Everything that Joseph did would be blessed of God. He would have overflowing crops and rain when he needed it. The elements would cooperate with him, as well.
The blessings which Jacob spoke on Joseph far surpassed even what Jacob had received from Abraham and Isaac. God alone chooses who can handle greatness, and he had chosen Joseph from these twelve sons.
Genesis 49:27 "Benjamin shall raven [as] a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil."
"Benjamin shall raven as a wolf": All the three Targums apply this prophecy to the priests offering the daily sacrifice, morning and evening, in the temple, which stood in the lot of Benjamin, and dividing what was left, and eating it.
But it respects the tribe itself, compared to a wolf for its fortitude, courage, and valor, as well as for its taking by force, it being a warlike tribe. And the Jewish writers say that it is compared to a wolf, because of its strength.
Wolves, said to be devoted to Mars, are called "martial" wolves by Virgiland Horace; and we have an early instance of the valor and success of this tribe in a war waged with all the other tribes. And in two pitched battles, in one with 26,000 men it beat 400,000 (Judges 20:15).
And if this tribe is compared to a wolf for taking by force, this may be illustrated by the remainder of those, after the loss of a third battle, catching and carrying away the daughters of Shiloh, and making them their wives (Judges 21:23). Some apply this to particular persons of this tribe, as to Saul the first king of Israel, who was of Benjamin.
And who as soon as he took the kingdom of Israel, in the morning, in the beginning of that state, fought against all his enemies on every side. Against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines, and the Amalekites (1 Samuel 14:47).
And to Mordecai and Esther, who were of the same tribe, who after the captivity, and in the evening of that state, divided the spoil of Haman (Esther 8:1). This is observed by Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Gersom. Some of the Christian fathers have applied the prophecy to the Apostle Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. Who in the morning of his youth was a fierce and ravenous persecutor, and made havoc of the church of God.
And in the evening, or latter part of his life, spent his days in dividing the spoil of Satan among the Gentiles, taking the prey out of his hands, turning men from the power of Satan unto God, and distributed food to the souls of men. In a spiritual sense, he was a warlike man. A good soldier of Christ, and typical as such, had warfare to accomplish, and enemies to fight with.
And did fight the good fight of faith, conquered, and was more than a conqueror through Christ, and is now crowned. And why may it not be applied to Christ himself, seeing the blessing of Benjamin by Moses (Deuteronomy 33:12), seems to belong to him.
He is God's Benjamin, the son and man of his right hand, as dear to him as his right hand, in whom his power has been displayed, and who is exalted at his right hand.
And may as well be compared to a wolf as to a lion, as he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and as God himself is compared to a lion and bear (Hosea 13:7). And who is expressly said to divide the spoil with the strong (Isa. 53:12). Spoiled principalities and powers, delivered his people as a prey out of the hands of the mighty, and will make an utter destruction of all his and their enemies.
Some of these things were done in the morning of the Gospel dispensation, and others will be done in the evening of it (Colossians 2:15).
The warlike nature of the small tribe of Benjamin became well known, as exhibited in their archers and slingers (Judges 20:16; 1 Chron. 8:40; 12:2; 2 Chron. 14:8; 17:17). And in their brazen defense of their wickedness in Gibeah (Judges 19, 20). Both named Saul in the Bible were from this tribe: the first king in Israel (1 Sam. 9:1-2), and the Apostle Paul (Phil. 3:5).
These spoken of Benjamin tell us that he would be a mighty warrior and that he would win the battles and bring the spoils of war home.
Genesis 49:28 "All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel: and this [is it] that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them."
"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel": The twelve sons of Jacob before mentioned were heads of twelve tribes, who were afterwards seated, and had their part in the land of Canaan.
There were indeed thirteen tribes; two springing from Joseph; but then the tribe of Levi had no part in the land of Canaan, which was divided into twelve parts. This shows that the above predictions respect not the persons of the patriarchs, but their tribes.
"And this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them": The above is the sum and substance of what he had delivered in his patriarchal benediction of them, a little before his death. And though some of them, as Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, may seem rather to be cursed than blessed, yet the greater part of them were clearly and manifestly blessed.
And what he said by way of correction and rebuke to the others might be blessed to them for their good. Nor is it improbable, that after he had delivered out the above predictions, he might wish for and implore a blessing on them all. And certain it is that they all had a part in the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as it related to the land of Canaan.
"Everyone according to his blessing he blessed them": According to the blessing which was appointed to them of God, and was in later times bestowed on them. Jacob under a spirit of prophecy was directed to bless them with, or to foretell what blessings should come upon them, and which accordingly did.
Verses 29-32: Jacob's dying instructions were fully carried out (50:12-14; see 23:6-20).
Genesis 49:29 "And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that [is] in the field of Ephron the Hittite,"
"And he charged them, and said unto them": The same charge he had given to Joseph he here renews, and lays it upon his sons, who were every one of them to go along with Joseph, to bury him in Canaan.
"I am to be gathered unto my people": The people of God, the spirits of just men made perfect, the souls of all the saints who before this time had departed this life, and were in a state of happiness and bliss. Called his people, because he and they were of the same mystical body the church and belonged to the same general assembly, the church of the firstborn.
The company of God's elect, who were in the same covenant of grace, and partakers of the same blessings and promises of grace. This shows that the souls of men are immortal; that there is a future state after death. Which is a state of happiness, and into which saints immediately enter as soon as they die, and where Jacob expected to be in a short time.
"Bury me with my fathers": The other part of himself, his body, which should not be gathered to his people, as his soul would be, he orders to be interred with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
"In the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite": Which is more particularly described in the following verse, being the place of his father's sepulcher.
Genesis 49:30 "In the cave that [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place."
"In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan": This is so exactly described, that there might be no mistake about the place (see Gen. 23:17).
"Which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying place": This is observed if any of the successors of Ephron, or any of the Hittites, should lay any claim unto it, or dispute the right of Jacob's sons to bury him there.
Genesis 49:31 "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
"There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife": Abraham buried Sarah there himself, and his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him there.
"There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife": We have no other account of the death of Rebekah, and her burial, but here. It is probable she died before Isaac, and that Isaac buried her in this cave; and here Esau and Jacob buried him.
"And there I buried Leah": Again of whose death and burial we also read nowhere else but here. It is probable she died before Isaac and that Isaac buried her in this cave; and here Esau and Jacob buried him.
Honor was finally accorded to Leah in death and in Jacob's request to be buried alongside his wife, as were his fathers. Burial alongside Rachel, the beloved wife, was not requested.
Genesis 49:32 "The purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] therein [was] from the children of Heth."
"The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is there, was from the children of Heth" Which is repeated for the certainty of it. And that it might be taken notice of, that both the field and cave were bought by Abraham of Ephron the Hittite, and that the children of Heth were witnesses of the bargain.
And of the payment of the money, and by whom the estate was made sure to Abraham; all which might be urged, if any controversy should arise about it.
Jacob wanted to make sure that they knew not to bury him in Egypt, but to bury him with Leah, his wife, and his ancestors. He made them promise to bury him there. The rest of the above verses were so they would know why he wanted to be buried there, and to leave no question where this burial place was. Even today, People know exactly where this burial place is in Israel.
Genesis 49:33 "And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people."
"And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons": Had given all the proper directions and instructions concerning his interment in the land of Canaan. He gathered up his feet into the bed; on which he sat while he blessed his sons, and gave orders to them about his burial.
But now he gathered up his feet into the bed, laid himself along, and composed himself in a proper posture to die.
"And he yielded up the ghost": He expired; he died an easy death, without any pain or sickness: which Ben Melech says this phrase is expressive of. He died in the year of his age one hundred and forty seven, and was gathered unto his people (see note on Gen 25:8; 49:29).
"Jacob ... yielded up the ghost": Jacob died (ca. 1858 B.C.).
Genesis Chapter 49 Continued Questions
1. What famous person was from the tribe of Dan?
2. What book of the Bible was Dan's name omitted from the list of the twelve tribes?
3. What do some believe this indicates?
4. Is there any fact to back this up?
5. What description do we get of Gad's tribe?
6. Of whom was it said, his bread shall be fat?
7. Naphtali was a what?
8. Who got the best blessing of all?
9. Name the ways God preserved him?
10. This fruitful blessing was to extend to what two sons of Joseph?
11. Who alone chose whom He will trust with greatness?
12. What animal was Benjamin compared to?
13. What did this tell us about him?
14. Where did Israel want to be buried?
Genesis 50:1 "And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him."
"And Joseph fell upon his father's face": Laid his own face to the cold face and pale cheeks of his dead father, out of his tender affection for him, and grief at parting with him. This shows that Joseph had been present from the time his father sent for him, and all the while he had been blessing the tribes, and giving orders about his funeral.
"And wept upon him": Which to do for and over the dead is neither unlawful nor unbecoming, provided it is not carried to excess, as the instances of David, Christ, and others show.
"And kissed him": Taking his farewell of him, as friends used to do, when parting and going a long journey, as death is. This was practiced by heathens, who had a notion that the soul went out of the body by the mouth, and they in this way received it into themselves.
Joseph no doubt at this time closed the eyes of his father also, as it is said he should, and as was usual (see Gen. 46:4).
Jacob had just died at the end of chapter 49. Joseph truly loves his father. His emotions were stirred as his father died, and he wept, and kissed him.
Verses 2-3: "Physicians to embalm": Joseph summoned medical men, who were fully capable of embalming. Usually in Egypt, mummifying was a 40 day process, which included gutting the body, drying it, and wrapping it.
Genesis 50:2 "And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel."
"And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father": Which he did, not merely because it was the custom of the Egyptians, but because it was necessary, his father's corpse to be carried into Canaan to be interred there, which would require time.
"The physicians to embalm his father": And of these Joseph had more than one, as great personages have their physicians ready to attend them on any occasion, as kings and princes, and such was Joseph, being viceroy of Egypt. Herodotus says the Egyptians had physicians peculiar to every disease, one for one disease, and another for another.
Jacob was "embalmed" and "Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians" (haropeim), to do the work. Medicine and the embalming were two distinct professions. He may have employed the physicians, so as to avoid the magic and mysticism of the embalmers and priests.
Verses 3-6: Once normal embalming and mourning had been properly observed according to Egyptian custom, Joseph was free to seek permission to conduct a funeral in Canaan.
Genesis 50:3 "And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days."
The "threescore and ten days" for mourning accord with the traditional period for mummification and mourning. The various internal viscera were removed and placed in ancient Egyptian vases of a mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, causing rapid dehydration and preventing decomposition of the body.
Hebrews did not, and do not, embalm the dead. This was an Egyptian custom. Joseph was just a lad when he came to Egypt and picked up some of their customs. The dead body would begin to smell the fourth day, if it was not embalmed.
It is the law in the U.S., if a person is not embalmed, they must be in the ground in 24 hours. Even today, some Hebrews do not embalm. Since the body does not smell, they mourned for him for 40 days.
Genesis 50:4 "And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,"
"And when the days of his mourning were past": The forty days before mentioned, in which both the Egyptians and Jacob's family mourned for him. An Arabic writer says, the Egyptians mourned for Jacob forty days, which was the time of embalming; but the text is express for seventy days:
"Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh": To the court of Pharaoh, the principal men there. So the Targum of Jonathan and the Septuagint version to the great men or princes of the house of Pharaoh. It may seem strange that Joseph, being next to Pharaoh in the administration of the government, should make use of any to speak for him to Pharaoh on the following account.
It may be that Joseph was not in so high an office, and in so much power and authority, as in the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine. And it is certain that that branch of his office, respecting the corn, must have ceased.
Or this might have been a piece of policy in Joseph to make these men his friends by such obliging treatment, and by this means prevent their making objections to his suit, or plotting against him in his absence.
Or if it was the custom in Egypt, as it afterwards was in Persia, that no man might appear before the king in a mourning habit (Esther 4:2). This might be the reason of his not making application in person. Moreover, it might not seem so decent for him to come to court, and leave the dead, and his father's family, in such circumstances as they were.
Besides, he might speak to them not in person, but by a messenger, since it is highly probable he was now in Goshen, at a distance from Pharaoh's court. Unless it can be supposed that these were some of Pharaoh's courtiers who were come to him in Goshen, to condole his father's death.
"Saying, if now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh": However, as these men had the ear of Pharaoh, and an interest in him, Joseph entreats the favor of them to move it to him: saying, as follows, in his name.
Genesis 50:5 "My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again."
"My father made me swear, saying, lo, I die": Having reason to believe he should not live long, he sent for Joseph, and took an oath of him to do as follows. This Joseph would have observed to Pharaoh, to show the necessity of his application to him, and the reasonableness of his request.
The words of dying men are always to be regarded; their dying charge is always attended to by those who have a regard to duty and honor. But much more when an oath is annexed to them, which among all nations was reckoned sacred.
"In the grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me": It was usual with persons in their lifetime to prepare graves or sepulchers for themselves, as appears from the instances of Shebna, Joseph of Arimathea, and others, and so Jacob provided one for himself.
And when he is said to "dig" it, it is not to be supposed that he dug it himself, but ordered it to be dug by his servants. And very probably this was done at the time he buried Leah. Onkelos renders it, "which I have bought", possessed or obtained by purchase. And so, the word is used (in Hosea 3:2).
But the cave of Machpelah, in which Jacob's grave was, was not bought by him, but by Abraham. And now, since it was Jacob's desire, yea, and his dying charge, to be buried in the grave he had provided for himself.
The mention of this to an Egyptian king could not fail of having its desired effect; since the Egyptians, as the historian says, were more careful about their graves than about their houses.
"Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee": To the land of Canaan, this lay higher than Egypt.
"And bury my father": There, in the grave he has provided for himself.
"And I will come again": To the land of Egypt; this he would have said, lest it should be thought he only contrived this to get an opportunity of going away to Canaan with all his wealth and riches.
Genesis 50:6 "And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear."
"And Pharaoh said": To Joseph, by the courtiers that waited upon him at Joseph's request, who having delivered it to him had this answer.
"Go up, and bury thy father, as he made thee swear": The oath seems to be the principal thing that influenced Pharaoh to grant the request, it being a sacred thing, and not to be violated.
Otherwise, perhaps, he would not have chosen that Joseph should have been so long absent from him, and might have thought a grave in Egypt, and an honorable interment there, which he would have spared no cost to have given, might have done as well, or better.
Here we see that, even though Joseph had been second in command in the land, he was still subject to Pharaoh. He told Pharaoh of swearing to his father that he would bury him in Canaan with his ancestors. Pharaoh trusted Joseph and agreed.
Verses 7-11: Out of respect for Joseph, a substantial escort accompanied him and all his relatives into the land of Canaan. This extraordinary event gave assurance to later generations because the bodies of the 3 patriarchs were in Canaan and Joseph's bones awaited transport there when, as per Joseph's last words, God's promise to the 3 began to be fulfilled.
Genesis 50:7 "And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,"
"And Joseph went up to bury his father": According to his request. Having obtained leave of Pharaoh, and being desirous of paying his last respects, and doing his last duty to so dear a parent, with all the honor and decency this service could be done with.
"And with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh": A great number of them, some must be left to wait upon him; who these were the next words explain.
"The elders of his house": His senators and counsellors, his courtiers and principal officers of state.
"And all the elders of the land of Egypt": Governors of provinces and cities, the chief officers, civil and military; all which was done by the orders of Pharaoh, out of respect to Joseph and his family, and to make the funeral procession grand and honorable.
Genesis 50:8 "And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen."
"And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house": Joseph and his two sons, and his servants, and his eleven brethren and their sons that were grown up, and as many of his father's domestics as could be spared attended the funeral.
"Only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen": There must be some servants left, though they are not mentioned, to take care of the little ones, and of the flocks and herds. And these being left behind, plainly show they intended to return again, and did not make this an excuse to get out of the land.
Genesis 50:9 "And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company."
"And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen": Which was done both for the sake of honor and grandeur, and for safety and defense, should they be attacked by robbers in the deserts, or opposed by the Canaanites, and be refused the use of the cave of Machpelah, and the right to it disputed.
"And it was a very great company": Both for quantity and quality. The attendants at this funeral were very numerous, and many of them were great personages. And upon the whole was a very honorable company, as the word signifies, and made a very great figure and grand appearance.
Or a very great army, consisting of chariots and horsemen fit for war; if there should be any occasion for it. The Jews give us the order and manner of the above procession. First came Joseph, next the servants of Pharaoh or the princes, then the elders of the court of Pharaoh.
Then all the elders of the land of Egypt, then the whole house of Joseph, next to them the brethren of Joseph, who were followed by their eldest sons, and after them were the chariots, and last of all the horses.
This funeral was fit for a king. Heads of state are sometimes awarded this fanfare at their departure. Ordinary people do not get this kind of funeral. Of course, the Egyptians did this for Joseph, whom they loved and respected. The others went for love and respect of Israel. To prove they would return, they left their children with their earthy possession.
Genesis 50:10 "And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which [is] beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days."
"And they came to the threshing floor of Atad": Which was either the name of a man the owner of it, or of a place so called from the thorns and brambles which grew here, and with which the threshing floor was surrounded, as Jarchi says (see Judges 9:14).
And it was usual to make a hedge of thorns round about a threshing floor, that it might be preserved. Mention is made in the Talmud of the wilderness of Atad, perhaps so called from the thorns and brambles in it. Jerom says it was three miles from Jericho and two from Jordan, and was in his time called Bethagla, the place of a circuit, because there they went about after the manner of mourners at the funeral of Jacob.
"Which is beyond Jordan": As it was to those that came out of Egypt.
"And there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation": Being now entered into the country where the corpse was to be interred. And perhaps they might choose to stop here and express tokens of mourning, that the inhabitants might be apprised of their design in coming, which was not to invade them and make war upon them, only to bury their dead.
This mourning seems to be made chiefly by the Egyptians, which was done in an external way, and it may be by persons brought with them for that purpose. Since both the name of the place after given was from their mourning there, and the mourning of Joseph is next observed as distinct from theirs.
"And he made a mourning for his father seven days": Which was the time of mourning, afterwards observed by the Jews (see 1 Samuel 31:13). This Joseph ordered and observed after he had buried his father.
We know that "seven" means spiritually complete. This mourning was over. This threshing floor had one large area big enough to hold the mourners.
Genesis 50:11 "And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This [is] a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which [is] beyond Jordan."
Following a seven-day period of mourning at the threshing floor of "Atad" (named "Abel-mizraim" or "Mourning of Egypt," because of the sorrow expressed by the Egyptians).
"Abel-mizraim" means meadow, or mourning. These local people saw so many Egyptians; they assumed the dead person was an Egyptian.
Genesis 50:12 "And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:"
"And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them": Not only Joseph, but all the sons of Jacob were concerned in the burial of him, being all charged by him with it, and who were obedient to his commands as follows (see Gen. 49:29).
Genesis 50:13 "For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre."
"For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan": That is, they took care that he was carried there, as he desired to be. For it cannot be thought that they carried him on their shoulders there, in like manner as the devout men carried Stephen to his burial (Acts 8:2).
And buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, etc. the very place where he chose to be buried (Genesis 47:29).
The body was placed in the cave of Machpelah with the other patriarchs.
All of this showed great respect and obedience to the father from Joseph and his brethren.
Genesis 50:14 "And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father."
"And Joseph returned into Egypt": As he promised he would (Genesis 50:5).
"He and his brethren": The eleven sons of Jacob; for though they had not made the same promise, nor Joseph for them, yet they returned, having left their little ones, flocks and herds, in Egypt.
"And all that went up with him to bury his father": The elders and great men of the land of Egypt, with their attendants.
"After he had buried his father": In the land of Canaan, which, though given to the seed of Jacob, the time was not come for them to possess it. Nor the time of their departure out of Egypt from there, which was to be a good while therefore, and after another manner.
Verses 15-18: The brother's guilty consciences reasserted themselves and caused them to seriously underestimate the genuineness of Joseph's forgiveness and affection for them. Jacobs's concern to plead on his sons' behalf equally underestimated Joseph's words and actions toward his brethren.
Genesis 50:15 "And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him."
"And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead": And buried; for this and what follows were after their return to Egypt, from the burial of their father. Though some think it was before, and as soon as they saw their father was dead. When they thought it a proper time, while Joseph's heart was tender and affected with his father's death, to compromise matters with him.
But there is no reason to invert the order of the narration, for this "seeing" is not to be understood of their bodily sight, but of the contemplation of their minds. They considered with themselves that their father was now dead and buried, they had lost an affectionate parent, who was concerned for the welfare and peace of all his family, but what a turn things would now take they knew not.
"They said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him": Their sin came fresh to their remembrance, guilt arose in their consciences and flew in their faces. And this caused fear and distrust where there was no reason for it, and led them to treat Joseph's character very ill.
Who was far from being of such a temper and disposition suggested by them, as if he retained hatred in his breast, and was of a revengeful spirit, only hid it during his father's life, because he would not grieve him.
Genesis 50:16 "And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,"
"And they sent a messenger unto Joseph": Not Bilhah, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, nor her sons, Dan and Naphtali. Though it is not improbable that some from among themselves were appointed, who were most interested in Joseph. Since it is not very likely they would commit such an affair to a stranger or to a servant.
And the most proper persons to be sent on such an errand seem to be Judah and Benjamin, the latter as having had no concern in the affair of selling him, and was his own brother by father and mother's side, and very dear to him.
And the former, because he saved his life, when the rest, excepting Reuben, were for shedding his blood. And had endeared himself also to Joseph, by his tender concern both for his father and his brother Benjamin.
However, they thought fit first to test Joseph by a messenger, how he stood affected to them, before they appeared in a body in person. To whom they gave a charge, as the words may be rendered, "they commanded unto Joseph"; that is, they commanded those that were appointed by them to him.
"Saying, thy father did command before he died": Some think, this was no better than a lie, which their fear prompted them to. And that they framed the following story, the more to work upon the mind of Joseph, and dispose it in their favor. Seeing it is a question to discover whether Jacob ever knew anything of the affair of their evil done to Joseph.
Since otherwise it would have been, in all likelihood, taken notice of in his last dying words, as well as the affair of Reuben, and that of Simeon and Levi. Besides, had he been apprised of it, he knew such was the clemency and generosity of Joseph, that he had nothing to fear from him, nor could he entertain any suspicion of a malevolent disposition in him towards his brethren. Or that he would ever use them ill for former offences.
Genesis 50:17 "So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him."
"So shall ye say unto Joseph, forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin": Their very great sin and therefore more words than one are used to express it. Unless this repetition should be intended, and signifies that their crime was a trespass against God, and a sin against their brother.
And however, they are directed to ask forgiveness for it, and urge the relation they stood in to Joseph. In order to obtain it, which they were ready to acknowledge as a very great evil, and of which they repented.
"And now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father": They urge not only the common relation they were to Jacob, but what they stood in to the God of Jacob, being his servants, his worshippers, as Joseph also was. And therefore, being his brethren not only in nature but in religion and grace, they hoped he would forgive their trespass.
"And Joseph wept when they spake unto him; by their messenger": Being troubled that they should be in such anxiety and distress of mind, which he had a fellow feeling with, and that they should have no better opinion of him, but entertain such distrust of him.
Notwithstanding all the kindness he had shown them, as to imagine that he should ever deal hard with them for their former ill usage of him. Which was forgiven and forgotten by him long ago.
A guilty conscience can eat you up alive. That was what these brothers were feeling now. They were thinking what they would do, if they were in Joseph's place. They realized that Joseph's heart was tender right now from the loss of his father. They used their father to get forgiveness from Joseph.
Joseph's tears here, were partly because they do not understand the kind of man he was. He had already forgiven them. They were so afraid, that they sent a substitute, but as we see in the next verse, they decided to go themselves.
Genesis 50:18 "And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we [be] thy servants."
"And his brethren also went": The messengers being returned to them, and acquainting them with what Joseph had said, they took courage and went from Goshen to Joseph's house or palace, be it where it may.
"And fell down before his face": In a humble pleading manner.
"And they said, behold, we be thy servants": They were content to be so, would he but forgive their sin, and not resent their ill behavior to him. Thus, they further fulfilled his dream of the eleven stars making obeisance to him (Genesis 37:9).
Genesis 50:19 "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for [am] I in the place of God?"
"Am I in the place of God": This concise question tweaked their memory of his explanation of how God had put him where he was (45:3-8), in the place God intended him to be at that time.
Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive."
"And Joseph said unto them, fear not": That any hurt would be done by him to them, or that he would use them ill for their treatment of him.
"for am I in the place of God?" To receive such homage from you, that you should be my servants, as Saadiah Gaon gives the sense. Or rather to take vengeance for injury done, which belongs to God alone: or, "am I not under God"?
Subject to him, a servant of his, and why should you be mine? nor is it in my power, if I had a will to it. To change his purposes, to alter his providences, or contradict his will, and do hurt to those whom God hath blessed.
And so may have regard to the late patriarchal benediction of his father, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Or, "am I in the place of God?" and under him a father of them, as he had been a provider for them, and a supporter of them, and still would be.
What the brothers had meant for "evil," God had intended for "good." This is one of the clearest declarations of divine providence found anywhere in the Bible, reminding us that God's purpose prevails over the evil of men.
Joseph's wise, theological answer had gone down in history as the classic statement of God's sovereignty over the affairs of men (see note on 45:1-8).
Here, we see Joseph as a type of Christ. Joseph forgave them, even though they did not deserve it, and reassured them that this was God's plan to save many people. Joseph was a savior of these, and many more people's bodies through the famine. Jesus is the Savior of our soul.
Genesis 50:21 "Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them."
"Now therefore, fear ye not": Which, is repeated to dispossess them of every fear they might entertain of him on any account whatever.
"I will nourish you, and your little ones": Provide food for them, and their families, not only for themselves and their sons, now grown up, but their grandchildren and even the youngest and latest of their families should share in his favors.
"And he comforted them, and spake kindly to them": Even "to their heart"; such things as were quite pleasing and agreeable to them, served to banish their fears, revive their spirits, and afford comfort to them. Just so God and Christ do with backsliding sinners, and would have done with his own people by his servants (see Isaiah 40:1).
This Scripture reminds me of the one in John where the Lord tells us "Let not your heart be troubled ..." Here again, we see Joseph as a type of Jesus.
Genesis 50:22 "And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years."
"And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house": Comfortably, quietly, and in great prosperity. Not only he, but his brethren and their families, as long as he lived.
"And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years": And all but seventeen of them in Egypt, for at that age it was when he was brought there. Thirteen years he lived in Potiphar's house, and in prison, for he was thirty years of age when he was brought to Pharaoh, and stood before him, and fourscore years he lived in the greatest honor and prosperity that a man could well wish for.
Genesis 50:23 "And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third [generation]: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees."
"And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation": His great grandchildren's children; and which shows, as most interpreters observe, that Jacob's prediction, that Ephraim should be the greatest and most numerous, very early began to take place.
"And the children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were brought up upon Joseph's knees": Machir had but one son by his first wife, whose name was Gilead; but marrying a second wife, he had two sons, Peresh and Sheresh (see 1 Chron. 7:14).
Who might be born before the death of Joseph, and be said to be brought up upon his knees, being educated by him, and often took up in his lap. And dandled on his knees, as grandfathers, being fond of their grandchildren, are apt to do.
This was a statement of peace, happiness, and joy that came to Joseph in his last days. He lived long enough, 110 years to enjoy his great grandchildren. This is somewhat like the fate of the Christians, when we will live with Jesus in heaven.
Genesis 50:24 "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die": Some time before his death he called them together, and observed to them, that he expected to die in a little time, as all must.
"And God will surely visit you": Not in a way of wrath and vindictive justice, as he sometimes does, but in a way of love, grace, and mercy.
Joseph died just as he had lived, firmly trusting in God to carry out His promises (Heb. 11:22). Almost 4 centuries later, Moses took Joseph's remains out of Egypt (Exodus 13:19), and Joshua buried them at Shechem (Joshua 24:32).
"And bring you out of this land": The land of Egypt, in which they then dwelt.
"Unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob": Meaning the land of Canaan, which he swore to those patriarchs that he would give to their posterity.
"To Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob": The death of Jacob had finally allowed for the 3 patriarchs to be mentioned together.
God does not lie. He would bring them out and take them to the Promised Land, but it would be 400 years later, after many hardships in Goshen.
Genesis 50:25 "And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence."
"And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel": Not of his brethren only, but of their posterity, as many of them as were now grown up, that so it might be communicated from one to another, and become well known to that generation which should depart out of Egypt.
"Saying, God will surely visit you": Which he repeats for the certainty of it, and that it might be observed.
"And ye shall carry up my bones from hence": When they should go from there to Canaan's land. He did not desire them to carry him there when he should die, which he knew would give umbrage to the Egyptians, and they would not be so able to obtain leave to do it as he had for his father.
This was accordingly done; when Israel went out of Egypt, Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, and they were buried in Shechem (see Exodus 13:19).
Joseph, like his father before him, wanted his final resting place to be with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He made his brothers take an oath to take his bones back when they left Egypt.
Genesis 50:26 "So Joseph died, [being] a hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."
"So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old" (ca. 1804 B.C.). Joseph's span of life was considered, at that time in Egypt, an ideal lifespan. Amenemhet III (ca. 1841-1792 B.C.), was the reigning Pharaoh. Exodus picked up the historical narrative, after a 280 year silence (ca. 1525 B.C.), with the birth of Moses (see note on Exodus 1:6-8).
"And they embalmed him": His servants, the physicians, according to the manner of the Egyptians, and as his father Jacob had been embalmed (see Gen. 50:2).
"And he was put into a coffin in Egypt": In an ark or chest, very probably into such a one in which the Egyptians had used to put dead bodies when embalmed. In what part of Egypt this coffin was put is not certain, it was most likely in Goshen, and in the care and custody of some of Joseph's posterity.
Joseph made the Israelites pledge with an "oath" that they would carry his "bones" to the Promised Land when God visited them to "bring" them "out" of Egypt (which they did, Exodus 13:19; Josh. 24:32). And he was dug up by Moses, when the children of Israel departed.
Like his father before him, he was embalmed and put in a "coffin" (aron)"; which is the same word used for the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament.
He was embalmed, because it was an Egyptian custom. His coffin would surely be carried to the Promised Land by the Hebrew's in the Exodus.
Genesis Chapter 50 Questions
1. When Jacob died, what did Joseph do?
2. What did Joseph command his Physicians to do?
3. How many days did they mourn in Egypt?
4. Why did they embalm a Hebrew?
5. Where did Israel want to be buried?
6. Why did Joseph have to ask Pharaoh to be allowed to go?
7. How many went?
8. This funeral was fit for whom?
9. What did Joseph leave behind to assure them that he would be back?
10. Where did they stop and mourn seven days?
11. What did the Canaanites believe?
12. "Abel-mizraim" means what?
13. Who had bought this burying place?
14. What did the brothers think Joseph would do to them?
15. When the brothers asked forgiveness, what did Joseph do?
16. Why did God allow this?
17. Compare Joseph and Jesus as saviors.
18. How long did Joseph live?
19. How many generations of Ephraim's children did Joseph see?
20. What three things did Joseph know in his last days?
21. What three men did God promise the Promised Land to?
22. How many years would it be, until they leave Egypt?
23. What did Joseph make his brethren promise to do, when they went to the holy land?
###