The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
Genesis 12
Chapter XII · Vol. I, pp. 230–232
1 God calleth Abram, and blesseth him with a promise of Christ. 4 He departeth with Lot from Haran. 6 He journeyeth through Canaan, 7 which is promised him in a vision. 10 He is driven by a famine into Egypt. 11 Fear maketh him feign his wife to be his sister. 14 Pharaoh, having taken her from him, by plagues is compelled to restore her.
1 NOW the aLORD 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 show thee.
2 Andb I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 Andc I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
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.4
4 This seems to be the second appearance of the Lord to Abram, as it removes him from Haran, where the family of Terah had settled. They had retained, at least, some part of their idolatry (see ch. 31. 30), and therefore the total separation of Abram became absolutely necessary for himself and his family.—C. See next note.
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;5 andd into the land of Canaan they came.
5 Note.—It is often a sore trial to flesh and blood to separate, in any degree, from irreligious relatives; but if their principles and example tend to injure ourselves or our children, the sacrifice must be made. It is one form of that denial of self and taking up of the cross, Mat. 16. 24, essential to the following of our Lord.—C.
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of eSichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the fCanaanite was then in the land.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an galtar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.6
g ch. 13.4. See ch.8. 20.
6 We learn from Jn. 1. 18 that no man hath seen God at any time; but 'the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared (or educed) him.' Therefore the LORD who appeared to Abram, whatever was the manner of that appearing, was the Son of God, and as such received Abram's worship.—C.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of hBeth-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.
9 And Abram journeyed, going on7 still toward the south.
A.M. 2083. B.C. 1921.
7 Heb. in going and journeying, He. 11. 14. Ps.105.13.
10 And there was a ifamine in the land: and Abram went down8 into Egypt to sojourn there; for the kfamine was grievous in the land.
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 artl a fair woman to look upon:
l ver.14; ch.39.7. Pr. 31.30.
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife; and they mwill kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say,n 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.9
n Ro. 3.6,8. Col.3.9. Jn.8.44. Ro.6.23. Eze. 18.4.
9 How shall we excuse this disingenuousness in Abram? We may not excuse it at all. The Spirit of God records it without comment, not because it is to be commended, or in any form imitated, but as a mere fact, illustrative of the weakness of man, and his need of more faith, and of the power of grace that can bring good out of evil, and the mercy that can pardon iniquity, transgression, and sin.—C.
14 And1 it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptianso beheld the woman that she was very fair.
1 About 1920.
o Mat.5.28. ch.39.7; 3.6.
15 The pprinces also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before qPharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
p Pr. 29. 12. Est.2.2-16. 1 Ki.1.2. Hos.7.4,5.
q The king, ch. 40. 2; 41.1. Ex. 2.15. 1 Ki. 3.1. 2 Ki. 18.21. Je.46. 17.
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake:2 and rhe had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels.
2 The valuable acquisitions made by Abram in Egypt were not a consideration paid by Pharaoh for permission to espouse one that was taken for Abram's sister; for a brother appears not to have had such a right; but they are to be understood as a gift of generosity, like that made to Laban, Ge. xxiv.—Harmer.
r ch.13.2; 24.35. Job 1.3. Ps.144.13,14.
17 And the LORD splagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
s Ps. 105. 14. ch. 20. 18. Job 34.19. He.13.4.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, Whatt is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
t ch. 20. 9, 10; 26. 10; 31. 26; 3.13; 4.10; 44.15. Jos.7.19. 1 Sa.14.43.
19 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.
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they usent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
u Ex.18.27. Pr.21.1. Ps.105.14,15.
Notes
Ver. 1. While Abram was in Ur of the Chaldees, God appeared to him, probably in human shape, Ac. 7. 2, as he did at least eight times afterwards, Ge. 12. 6, 7; 13. 3, 4; 15. 1; 17. 1; 18. 1; 21. 12; 22. 1, 15, and called him to leave his country and his father's house, which for some time past had been infected with idolatry, Jos. 24. 2; 2 Co. 6. 17; Re. 18. 4; Is. 41. 2; Ne. 9. 7. He readily surrendering all for the sake of Christ, Ps. 45. 11; Lu. 14. 26, in obedience to the divine command, and relying on his direction and protection, went forth, not knowing whither the Lord intended to lead him, He. 11. 8. But as they had stopped too long in Haran, I suppose the call here mentioned was one which he received anew after the death of his father.
Ver. 2. Abraham was made a great nation. His posterity by Ishmael, by the sons of Keturah, and by Esau, were exceedingly numerous, ch. 16. 10; 17. 20; 21. 13; 25. 1-18; xxxvi.; Nu. xxxi.; Ju. vi. vii. His seed of promise, by Jacob, were as the stars of heaven and the dust of the earth in multitude, ch. 13. 16; 15. 5; 22. 17; 28. 3, 14; 32. 12; Nu. i.; 23. 10; He. 11. 12; 1 Ch. xxi.; 1 Ki. 4. 20; 2 Ch. xvii.; Je. 33. 22. His spiritual seed, followers of his faith and obedience, are still more numerous, a multitude which no man can number, Ps. 2. 8, 9; 22. 27-30; lxii. xcviii.; Is. xlii. xlix. lx.; Re. 7. 4-9; 11. 15.—All the spiritual children of Jesus, his eminent seed, are included herein, Is. 53. 10-12. God blessed Abram, (1) with the numerous seed mentioned; (2) with Canaan, as the future property of part of them; (3) with Christ as his eminent seed, Ga. 3. 16; (4) with all spiritual blessings in Christ, Ga. 3. 14, with Ep. 1. 3. Abram was a blessing, (1) to his friends and servants, who were instructed by him, Ge. 14. 14; 18. 19; (2) to his posterity, who were blessed for his sake, Ex. 3. 6-8; Le. 26. 42; Ge. 17. 20; (3) to the world, as an eminent pattern of faith and holiness, Ro. iv., and as the progenitor of Christ the Saviour, Ga. 3. 13, 16.—God did and will remarkably befriend and prosper the friends of Abram and his natural seed, but especially of Jesus Christ and his spiritual seed; and did and will remarkably punish their enemies, Jos. 2. 9; Ge. 15. 13, 14; Ex. 17. 8-16; Mat. 10. 42; 25. 41-46. All the families of the earth are blessed in Abram. He was of great service to the Canaanites, in imparting revelation to some of them, or in setting before them all an engaging example of virtue. His seed of promise, and especially his spiritual seed, are useful on that account, and have been and are still the means of the prosperity or protection of nations, Is. 6. 13; 19. 24, 25; Mat. 24. 22. But it is properly in his seed (Christ) that men are blessed. Multitudes of nations receive much outward happiness, and the dispensation of gospel ordinances, in consequence of his undertaking for his people, Mat. 24. 24; Is. xxxv. xlix. lx.; 6. 13. And believers, gathered out of all nations, are blessed in him with temporal, spiritual, and eternal blessings, Ga. 3. 16; Ac. 3. 25, 26; Ep. 1. 3; Ps. 72. 17-19; Is. 45. 17-25. It is easy to see, that the subsequent promises and threatenings, nay, the doctrines and laws, mentioned in Scripture, are but an enlarged exposition of these two verses; and the whole fate of the Jewish and gospel church, nay, of the saints in heaven and lost in hell, are but one continued fulfilment thereof.
Ver. 3. [The command given to Abraham involved great personal sacrifices—country, kindred, and home; and also great faith—he knew not where he was going. But the blessing promised was most cheering and comprehensive. It embraced himself, all who favoured and honoured him, the whole nation that was to spring from him, and all the families of the earth. Abraham by faith saw in this last promise the most glorious and blessed of all truths—the atoning work of the Messiah, Ac. 3. 25; Ga. 3. 8. P.]
Ver. 6. [Sichem, or Shechem, or Sychar, was situated in a beautiful valley between the mountains Ebal and Gerizim. It was called by the Romans Neapolis, and its modern name is Nabulus. A mile east of it, at the opening of the valley, is a broad and fertile plain—no doubt the place where Abraham, and afterwards Jacob, pitched their tents. P.]
Ver. 7. For about four hundred and seventy years after, the Canaanites remained fixed in the possession of Canaan; during which time God, for the confirmation of his people's faith, renewed this grant of their country, times almost innumerable, to Abram and his seed, Ge. 13. 15; 15. 7, 18; 17. 8; 22. 17; 26. 3; 28. 4, 13, 14; 35. 12; 46. 4; 48. 21; 50. 24; Ex. 3. 8, 17; 6. 8; 12. 25; 13. 5; 20. 12; Le. 25. 2; De. 2. 24; 4. 1, 21; 11. 10, 17-31; 15. 4, 7; 8. 7, 9; 9. 1, &c. Canaan was granted as a pledge of heaven to him and his spiritual seed, Ro. 9. 6-8; Ga. 4. 22, 31.—[The land of Canaan, so called from the son of Ham, had the Mediterranean to the west, Egypt to the south, Arabia to the east, and Phœnicia and Syria to the north. From Dan on the north, to Beersheba on the south, it is in length about 150, and its average breadth is about 90 miles. But this did not include the entire possession promised to Israel, as appears from Jos. 1. 4, which extension was realized in part to David, and completely to Solomon, 1 Ki. 4. 21.—Builded he an altar. That Abram, before this time, knew and worshipped God, there can be no doubt; but this is the first altar erected by him; that is, the first decided and public establishment of the worship of Jehovah in his family.—Note. It is well known, that young Christians, who worship God in private, often find considerable difficulty in commencing family worship. Let them remember Abram's faith, and Abram's altar, and Abram's blessing, and take courage. C.]
Ver. 8. Abram called on God, i.e. worshipped him by prayer, by preaching to his family, and by offering sacrifices for himself and them, ch. 18. 19; 21. 13.—[Abram, in his new habitation, erected a second altar to God.—Note. It is not uncommon for men to speak and act religiously in one company or place, where religion is prevalent, or if it may be so called, fashionable, who yet totally lay it aside in another place or company, where religion is less regarded, or perhaps altogether despised. Abram testifies for God wherever he goes. C.——Bethel is 20 miles south of Sichem, and 10 north of Jerusalem. The site of Abraham's camp was about a mile east of Bethel, on the broad summit of a rocky ridge. P.]
Ver. 13. Sarai was his sister in some sense, as Lot was his brother, ch. 13. 8; 14. 12, 14, being his father's grand-daughter, ch. 20. 12; 11. 29; but it was not in that sense, but in the common acceptation of the words sister and brother, they sinfully wished the Egyptians to understand them.
Ver. 17. Thus the Lord rebuked the king; ordered him not to touch his anointed, or to do his prophets any harm, Ps. 105. 14, 15; and punished his intended whoredom with such distempers as prevented the defilement of Sarai, perhaps with a kind of emerods, ch. 20. 18; 1 Sa. 5. 10.
Reflections.—How ready and cheerful ought our obedience to be, when God plainly calls and powerfully encourages to it! What secrets of his grace and providence does the Lord manifest to such as fear him! And with what earnestness ought they to do good to all around them! Surely no discouragement, or apparent enemy, should ever make us to distrust the promise or protection of such a God! How gracious, frequent, and familiar are the visits of God to such as remember him in all their ways! May his kindness attach my heart to his service, as the first, the principal part, the all, of my business in life! Let no earthly enjoyment—no, not a land flowing with milk and honey—be the portion of my cup, but Jehovah himself, and the Canaan above, where wants are never known! Never let me, for the sake of carnal relief or advantage, quit the place or the station in which God hath fixed me, without his plain warrant. If I presume to direct my own way, or choose out my own lot, let me dread snares to my conscience and plagues upon my concerns! If in such cases the Lord hath ever granted me deliverance, let me bewail my folly, and praise him for the sovereignty of his grace!