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and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe 28 lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abra- 29 ham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt 30 thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beer- 31 sheba; because there they sware both of them. Thus they made 32

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. And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, 33

must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Pr. xviii. 16. 24. A gift in secret pacifieth anger; and a reward in the bosom, strong wrath. Pr. xxi. 14. The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand. Is. xxxii. 8.

Made a covenant.] Let there be now an oath betwixt us (Abimelech and Isaac), even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; and they sware one to another. Ge. xxvi. 28. 31. Now therefore come thou (Jacob), let us make a covenant, I (Laban) and thou, and let it be for a witness between me and thee. Ge. xxxi. 44. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 1 Sa. xviii. 3. And (the king of Babylon) hath taken of the king's (Zedekiah's) seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him. Ez. xvii. 13. God gave them (the Gentiles) over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient, without understanding, covenant-breakers, &c. who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Ro. i. 28. 31, 32. Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Ga. iii. 15.

29 What mean these seven ewe lambs, &c.] And "he" ("Esau") said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he (Jacob) said, These are to find grace in the sight of my Lord. Ge. xxxiii. 8. And it shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover. Ex. xii. 26, 27. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, &c. 1 Sa. xv. 14, 15. 30 That they may be a witness, &c.] Let "it" ("our covenant") be a witness between me and thee (Laban and Jacob). And Laban said, "This heap" (" the pillar") is a witness between me and thee this day: this heap be witness, and this pillar be witness. Ge. xxxi. 44. 48. 52. Let us now prepare to build an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice;

us.

but that it may be a witness between "us" ("the two tribes and a half, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh"), and "you" ("the heads of the thousands of Israel"), and our generations after Therefore said we, that it shall be, that we may say, Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt-offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you. Jos. xxii. 26, 27, 28. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone (which he had set up under an oak by the sanctuary of the Lord) shall be a witness unto us, for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us; it shall therefore be a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. Jos. xxiv. 27.

31 Called that place, &c.] And he (Isaac) called it (that place where they found water) Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. Ge. xxvi. 33.

Beer-sheba.] See com. on verse 14.

32 They made a covenant.] See verse 27. These (the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and the kings of Admah, Zeboim, and Bela) were confederate with Abram. Ge. xiv. 13. And Jacob sware (to Laban) by the fear of his father Isaac. Ge. xxxi. 53. Then (when Saul would not let David return home) Jonathan and David made a covenant. 1 Sa.

xviii. 3.

The Philistines.] Out of the land (Shinar) went forth Asshur, &c. And Mizraim begat Ludim, &c. &c. and Pathrusim, and Casluhim out of whom came Philistim, and Caphtorim. Ge. x. 14. And it came to pass when he (Isaac) 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. He (Isaac) had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants, and the Philistines envied him. Ge. xxvi. 8. 14. And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people (of Israel) go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. Ex. xiii. 17. the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. Ju. xiii. 1.

And

33 Planted a grove in Beer-sheba.] Thou

and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.

CHAPTER XXII.

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

shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. De. xvi. 21. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Ju. iii. 7. Called there on the name, &c.] And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he I called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. Ge. iv. 26. And "there" ("the plain of Moreh") "he" ("Abram") builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. Ge. xii. 8. And he (Isaac) went up from thence to Beer-sheba, and he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord. And he called "it" (the "place where his servants found water") Shebah, therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. Ge. xxvi. 23. 25. 33.

Everlasting God.] The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms (0 Israel). De. xxxiii. 27. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Ps. xc. 2. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. Is. xl. 28. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place. Is. lvii. 15. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting king. Je. x. 10. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Ro. i. 20. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets (i. e. the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began), according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Ro. xvi. 26. Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory, for ever and ever, Amen. 1 Ti. i. 17.

34 Sojourned.] And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country. Ge. xx. 1. For we are strangers before thee (said David in his prayer, &c.) and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

1 Ch. xxix. 15. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears, for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Ps. xxxix. 12. By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. These all (the excellent persons of old times) died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. He. xi. 9. 13. Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pil grims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. 1 Pe. ii. 11.

Er. xvi. 4.

CHAP. XXII.—1 God did tempt Abraham.] And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord, and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptains: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Ex. xv. 26, 27. Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years, in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart. De. viii. 2. The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul De. xiii. 3. That through them (the nations which Joshua left when he died) I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. Ju. ii. 22. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. 2 Sa. xxiv. 1. God left him (Hezekiah) to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart 2 Ch. xxxii. 31. The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the Lord trieth

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am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom 2 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. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and 3 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,

the hearts. Pr. xvii. 3. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Co. x. 13. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. He. xi. 17. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Ja. i. 12. 14. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Ja. ii. 21. Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Pe. i. 7.

Behold.] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. Ge. xxii. 7. 11. And when the Lord saw that he (Moses) turned aside to see, God called unto him, out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses; and he said, Here am I. Er. iii. 4. I (Isaiah) heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Is. vi. 8.

2 Take now thy son, &c.] See chap. xvii. 19, and xxi. 12. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jn. iii. 15. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Ro. v. 8. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Ro. viii. 32. By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. He. xi. 17. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 Jn. iv. 9, 10.

VOL. I.

Moriah.] Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, in Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the thrashing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 Chr. iii. 1.

And offer him there, &c.] Then it shall be (said Jephthah), that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she (Jephthah's daughter) returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow, which he had vowed. Ju. xi. 31. 39. Then "he" ("Mesha," the king of Moab, whom Israel smote), (when he could not break through unto the king of Edom), took his eldest son, that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. 2 Ki. iii. 27. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Mi. vi. 7.

3 Rose up early, &c.] See chap. xvii. 23; Thou wilt keep him in xxi. 14. with com. perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Is. xxvi. 3, 4. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Mat. x. 37. Then Peter began to say unto "him" ("Jesus"), Lo! we have left all, and have And Jesus answered and said, followed thee. Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred fold. Mar. x. 28, 29, 30. But many that are first shall be last, and the last first. Mar. x. 31. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Lu. xiv. 26. It pleased God to reveal his Son in "me" ("Paul"), that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Ga. i. 16. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place, went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith Abraham offered up Isaac. Accounting that God was

M

4 and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar 5 off. 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 6 again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, 7 and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said,

"I"

able to raise him up even from the dead. He. hold, I (Jesus) cast out devils, and I do cures xi. 8. 17. 19. to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Lu. xiii. 32. (" Paul”) also received, how that he (Christ) was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. 1 Co. xv. 4.

4 The third day, &c.] And "they" ("Moses and Aaron"), said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Ex. v. 3. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. Ex. xv. 22. Be ready (said the Lord to Moses) against the third day, for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And he (Moses) said unto the people, Be ready against the third day. Ex. xix. 11. 15. The remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. Le. vii. 17. And "they" ("Moses" and "Hobab," with the "Israelites") departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them, in the three days' journey, to search out a restingplace for them. Nu. x. 33. He (that toucheth the dead body of any man) shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Nu. xix. 12. 19. Whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. Nu. xxxi. 19. Pass through the host (said Joshua), and command the people (you, officers of the people) saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. Jos. i. 11. Behold, I will heal thee (king Hezekiah, saith the Lord); on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. 2 Ki. xx. 5. Now it came to pass, on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's (Ahasuerus') house, over against the king's house. Est. v. 1. After two days will he (the Lord) revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Ho. vi. 2. And they shall kill him (Jesus Christ), and the third day he shall be raised again. (Mat. xvii. 23). Be

Saw the place afar off.] Then David (after taking Saul's spear and the cruse of water from his bolster) went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off, a great space being between them. 1 Sa. xxvi. 13.

5 Abide ye here, &c.] Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. He. xii. 1.

Come again to you.] By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. He. xi. 19.

6 Laid it upon Isaac.] All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is. liii. 6. See Is. liii. 4. 10. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself (Christ) took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Mat. viii. 17. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things (said Jesus to the disciples going to Emmaus), and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Lu. xxiv. 26, 27. "he" ("Jesus"), bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha. Jn. xix. 17. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Pe. ii. 24.

And

7 My father.] And he (Jesus) went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done! Mat. xxvi. 39. 42. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it!

Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, 8

My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place 9 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. And Abraham stretched forth his 10

Jn. xviii. 11. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father! Ro. viii. 15.

But where is the lamb?] And Abel was a keeper of sheep; and he also brought of the firstlings of his flock (as an offering unto the Lord). Ge. iv. 2. 4. 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. Ge. viii. 20.

8 God will provide himself a lamb, &c.] Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Ge. xviii. 14 and com. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel (to fight against the Edomites)? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. 2 Chr. XXV. 9. With God all things are possible. Mat. xix. 26. Behold the Lamb of God (said the Baptist), which taketh away the sin of the world. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. Jn. i. 29. 36. But (ye were redeemed) by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. 1 Pe. i. 19, 20. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and four and twenty elders, stood a Lamb, as it had been slain. And I heard the voice of many angels, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Re. v. 6. 12. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Re. vii. 14. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship "him" ("the beast"), whose names are not written in the book of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Re. xiii. 8.

9 The place which God had told him, &c.] See verses 2. 4. Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her, &c. Mat. xxi. 2, &c. See chap. xxvi. and chap. xxvii. throughout. Built an altar.] altar unto the Lord. Bound Isaac, &c.] God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords even unto the horns of the altar. Ps.

And Noah builded an
Ge. viii. 20.

cxviii. 27. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted: yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Is. liii. 4. 10. And when they had bound "him ("Jesus"), they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Mat. xxvii. 2. And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. Mar. xv. 1. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. Jn. x. 17, 18. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth. Ac. viii. 32. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Ga. iii. 13. Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour. Ep. v. 2. But (Christ) made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phi. ii. 7, 8. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation. He. ix. 28. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Pe. ii. 24.

10 Stretched forth his hand, &c.] All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Is. liii. 6. 12. By faith Abraham, when he was

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