The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  15:17 smoking oven…burning torch. Cf. Ex. 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 (vv. 9–11).

  15:18–21 river of Egypt to the…Euphrates. Scripture records both general (Ex. 23:31; Num. 13:21; Deut. 11:24; 1 Kin. 8:65; 2 Kin. 14:25; Is. 27:12) and specific (Num. 34:1–12; Josh. 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. 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 16

  16:1 See Gal. 4:21–31, where Paul uses Hagar as an illustration.

  16:3 gave her to her husband. After 10 childless years (cf. 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 (v. 2, “I shall obtain children by her”). Abram, ignoring divine reaction and assurance in response to his earlier attempt to appoint an heir (cf. 15:2–5), sinfully yielded to Sarai’s insistence, and Ishmael was born (v. 15).

  16:5 My wrong be upon you!…I became despised. Sarai, not anticipating contemptuous disregard by Hagar (v. 4) as the result of her solution for barrenness, blamed Abram for her trouble and demanded judgment to rectify the broken mistress-servant relationship. Abram transferred his responsibility to Sarai, giving her freedom to react as she wished (v. 6, “your maid is in your hand…”). Sarai treated her so badly, she left.

  16:7 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 (v. 13). Others had the same experience and came to the same conclusion (cf. 22:11–18; 31:11–13; Ex. 3:2–5; Num. 22:22–35; Judg. 6:11–23; 13:2–5; 1 Kin. 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 Ex. 3:2. Shur. South of Palestine and east of Egypt, which meant that Hagar attempted to return home to Egypt.

  16:8 Hagar, Sarai’s maid. Both the salutation and the instruction (v. 9, “Return…submit…”) given by the Angel and the response by Hagar treated the mistress-servant relationship as if it were still intact. Rebelling and absconding was not the solution (v. 9)!

  16:10 I will multiply. 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).

  16:11 call his name Ishmael. With her son’s name meaning “God hears,” Hagar the servant could not ever forget how God had heard her cry of affliction.

  16:12 a wild man…against every man. The untameable desert onager (wild donkey) best described the fiercely aggressive and independent nature Ishmael would exhibit, along with his Arabic descendants.

  16:13 You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees. 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” (v. 14).

  16:15 his son…Ishmael. Ca. 2079 B.C.

  16:16 eighty-six years old. Abram was 75 when he left Haran (12:4). There would be a 13 year interval until 17:1 picks up the narrative again.

  Genesis 17

  17:2 My covenant between Me and you. 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 vv. 7–9 below and on 12:1–3; 15:13–21.

  17:4 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 (vv. 4–6), giving it significant emphasis.

  17:5 your name shall be Abraham. Cf. 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. Cf. Rom. 4:17.

  17:6 kings shall come from you. This promise highlights the reality of more than one people group, or nation in its own right, coming from Abraham.

  17:7 I will establish My covenant. This relationship was set up at God’s initiative and also designated as an “everlasting covenant” (v. 7), thus applying to Abraham’s posterity with equal force and bringing forth the declaration “I will be their God” (v. 8). This pledge became the dictum of the covenant relationship between Yahweh, i.e., Jehovah, and Israel.

  17:8 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.” Cf. Acts 7:5.

  17:9 you shall 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 Chr. 16:15–18; Jer. 30:11; 46:27, 28; Amos 9:8; Luke 1:67–75; Heb. 6:13–18). Divine attestations 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).

  17:11 a sign 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 (cf. Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11). Without divine revelation, the rite would not have had this distinctive significance, thus it remained a theocratic distinctive of Israel (cf. v. 13). There was a health benefit, since disease could be kept in the folds of the foreskin, so that removing it prevented that. Historically, Jewish women have had the lowest rate of cervical cancer. But the symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed. It was the male organ which most clearly demonstrated the depth of depravity because it carried the seed that produced depraved sinners. Thus, circumcision symbolized the need for a profoundly deep cleansing to reverse the effects of depravity.

  17:12 eight days old. This same time frame was repeated in Lev. 12:3.

  17:14 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 nation, even to the point of death by divine judgment.

  17:15 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” (v. 16).

  17:16 mother of nations. Cf. 17:5.

  17:17 fell on 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.

  17:18 Oh, that Ishmael might live before You! 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 (cf. Rom. 4:17).

  17:19–21 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.

  17:19 call his name Isaac. The name of the promised son meant “he laughs,” an appropriate reminder to Abraham of his initial, faithless reaction
to God’s promise.

  17:23–27 that very same day. Without delay, Abraham fully carried out God’s command on himself, on “every male,” and on “all the men of his house” (vv. 23, 27).

  Genesis 18

  18:1 the LORD appeared. Another instance of a theophany, although Abraham perhaps did not recognize at first that one of his visitors, whom he humbly greeted and entertained (vv. 2–8) and properly sent on their way (v. 16), was Yahweh. trees of Mamre. See note on 13:18.

  18:3 My Lord. Although perhaps first used as the customary respectful address of a host to a visitor, later in their interchange it was used knowingly by Abraham of his true and sovereign Lord, whom he addressed as “Master” (vv. 22, 30–32), and whom he must have recognized when the visitor spoke of Himself as “LORD” (v. 14).

  18:9–13 Despite a promise clearly reminiscent of God’s words to Abraham, Sarah reacted with similar incredulity as her husband had done (cf. 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.

  18:10, 14 Cf. Rom. 9:9.

  18:14, 15 A rhetorical question (“Is anything too hard…?) and divine declaration (“At the appointed time…”), coupled with obvious knowledge of her thoughts (“laughed within herself”), made Sarah fearfully perceive her total misperception of God’s working.

  18:17, 18 Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since…? 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.

  18:18 Cf. Gal. 3:8.

  18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command. An expression of divine confidence, i.e., a tribute to faithfulness, obedience, and consistency.

  18:20 Because the outcry…is great. The iniquity of the two cities, by then complete (cf. 15:16), had reached the point of no return before the Lord, who demonstrated before Abraham how justly He assessed the time for judgment (v. 21, “I will go down now and see…”).

  18:23 Would You 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 (v. 25).

  18:24 fifty righteous. Among the righteous was Lot (see 2 Pet. 2:7, 8).

  18:25 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.

  18:27 I who am but dust and ashes. Abraham’s negotiation, far from being crassly or selfishly manipulative, humbly and compassionately expressed his concern for people (cf. 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 (vv. 28, 30, 32).

  18:32 for the sake of ten. 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.

  18:33 the LORD went His way…Abraham returned to his place. Nothing more could be done; the judgment was inevitable!

  Genesis 19

  19:1 two angels. These were the angels who, with God, had visited Abraham (18:22). They had taken human form (v. 10; called “men”). Lot was sitting in the gate. Since city officials and other prominent citizens conducted the community’s affairs at the gate, Lot participated there as a judge (v. 9).

  19:2 please turn in to your servant’s house. Lot’s invitation to the two angels (vv. 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 (cf. v. 8, “this is the reason”).

  19:3 he insisted strongly. Such was Lot’s concern for these strangers that their stated preference to pass the night in the town square could not be permitted.

  19:4 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 every quarter” and “both old and young”) and the request made (v. 5, “know them carnally”). Even acknowledging legitimate exaggeration in this use of “all” would not detract from this emphasis—this was indeed a wicked city!

  19:5 know them carnally. They sought homosexual relations with the visitors. God’s attitude toward this vile behavior became clear when He destroyed the city (vv. 23–29). Cf. Lev. 18:22, 29; 20:13; Rom. 1:26; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10 where all homosexual behavior is prohibited and condemned by God.

  19:6–8 Lot’s response betrayed tension in his ethics; his offer to gratify their sexual lust contradicted his plea not to act “so wickedly.” Such contradiction made clear also the vexation of spirit under which he lived in wicked Sodom (cf. 2 Pet. 2:6, 7).

  19:8 do to them as you wish. The constraints of Eastern hospitality and the very purpose for which Lot had invited the visitors in (vv. 2, 3), compelled Lot to 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. 2:7, 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.

  19:9 keeps acting as a judge. Their accusation suggests Lot had made moral pronouncements before, but his evaluation was no longer tolerable. pressed hard. Homosexual deviation carries an uncontrollable lust that defies restraint. Even when blinded, they tried to fulfill their lust (v. 11).

  19:10, 11 Lot was now being protected by those whom he had earlier sought to protect!

  19:13 the LORD has sent us to destroy it. With the wickedness of the city so graphically confirmed (vv. 4–11), divine judgment was the only outcome, but Lot’s family could escape it (vv. 12, 13). Cf. Jude 7.

  19:14 seemed to be joking. Lot’s warning of imminent judgment fell within the category of jesting, so concluded his sons-in-law (or perhaps his daughters’ fiancés).

  19:16 the LORD being merciful to him. This reason, elsewhere described as God having remembered Abraham (v. 29), is why, in the face of Lot’s seeming reluctance to leave (“lingered”), the angels personally and forcefully escorted him and his family beyond the city’s precincts.

  19:17–21 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 angel’s reply (v. 21) indicated that this city was included in the original judgment plan, but would be spared for Lot’s sake.

  19:24 brimstone…from the LORD out of the heavens. When morning came (v. 23) judgment fell. Any natural explanation, about how the Lord used combustible sulfur deposits to destroy that locale, falters on this 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” (v. 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.

  19:26 his wife looked back. Lot’s wife paid the price of disregarding the angelic warning to flee without a backward glance (v. 17). In so doing, she became not only encased in salt, but a poignant example of disobedience producing unwanted reaction at judgment day (cf. Luke 17:29–32), even as her home cities became bywords of God’s judgment on sin (cf. Is. 1:9; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:5, 6).

  19:29 the cities of the plain. The best archeological evidence locates Sodom and Gomorrah at the south of t
he 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. Cf. 18:23–33.

  19:30 afraid 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 (vv. 17–23).

  19:31–36 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 (v. 8), the married daughters were dead (v. 14) and there were no men left for husbands (v. 25). In fearing they would have no children, they conceived the gross iniquity.

  19:37, 38 The two sons born of incest became the progenitors of Moab and Ammon, Israel’s longstanding enemies.

  Genesis 20

  20:1 Gerar. A Philistine city on the border between Palestine and Egypt, about 10 mi. S of Gaza.

  20:2 She is my sister. Twenty-five years after leaving Egypt in disgrace because of lying about his wife (12:10–20), Abraham reverted to the same ploy. 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.

  20:3 God came…in a dream. Again Abraham’s Lord intervened to protect Sarah, who had joined in the lie of her husband (v. 5), deceiving a king who earnestly protested his innocence and integrity before God (vv. 4–6) and who, together with his aides, demonstrated proper submission to the warning of God (v. 8).

  20:6 withheld you from sinning. Notwithstanding God’s restraint of Abimelech, he was still required to restore Sarah to forestall judgment.

  20:7 he is a prophet. Abraham, in spite of his lie, still served as God’s intermediary and intercessor for Abimelech (cf. vv. 17, 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.