20:9 deeds…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.
20:11–13 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.
20:16 rebuked. This is better translated “justified” (cf. margin).
Genesis 21
21:1 the LORD visited Sarah. To the aged couple (vv. 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 (v. 6). The barrenness of Sarah (11:26) had ended.
21:4 circumcised. See note on 17:11.
21:5 Isaac…born to him. Ca. 2065 B.C. God fulfilled His promise to Abraham (12:2; 15:4, 5; 17:7).
21:8 weaned. This usually occurred in the second or third year.
21:9 the son of Hagar…scoffing. 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 (v. 10).
21:10 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 (v. 11). Abraham, however, was given divine approval and assurances to overcome his scruples before sending Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness (vv. 12–15). Cf. Gal. 4:22–31.
21:12 Cf. Rom. 9:7; Heb. 11:18.
21:13 Cf. v. 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.
21:14 Wilderness of Beersheba. A wide, extensive desert on the southern border of Palestine.
21:17 God heard the voice of the lad. When desperation turned the lad’s voice of scoffing into a cry of anguish at probable death from thirst (vv. 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). angel of God. Same person as the Angel of the Lord. See note on Ex. 3:2.
21:18 See note on v. 13.
21:21 Wilderness of Paran. Located in the NE section of the Sinai peninsula, the area called Arabia.
21:22–34 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.
21:31 Beersheba. This site is about 45 mi. SW of Jerusalem.
21:32 the land of the Philistines. Abraham had contact with early migrations of Aegean traders who settled along the SW coastal regions of Canaan and who were the predecessors of the 12th century B.C. influx of Philistines, the future oppressors of Israel.
21:33 tamarisk tree. This tree functioned as a reminder of the treaty concluded between two well known 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 (cf. 23:4).
Genesis 22
22:1 God tested Abraham. This was not a temptation; rather God examined Abraham’s heart (cf. James 1:2–4, 12–18).
22:2 Take…your 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, vv. 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 (v. 3). Moriah. Traditionally associated with Jerusalem, and the site on which Solomon’s temple would be built later (cf. 2 Chr. 3:1).
22:4 third day. With no appearance of reluctance or delay, Abraham rose early (v. 3) for the two day trip from Beersheba to Moriah, one of the hills around Jerusalem.
22:5 the lad and I will go…we will come back. The 3-day journey (v. 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 (v. 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), or God would provide a substitute for Isaac (v. 8).
22:9, 10 Abraham’s preparations to kill his only son could not have placed his trust in God in sharper focus. Cf. Heb. 11:17–19.
22:11 Angel of the LORD. See note on Ex. 3:2.
22:12 now I know. Abraham passed the test (v. 1). He demonstrated faith that God responds to with justification. See note on James 2:21.
22:13 instead of his son. The idea of substitutionary atonement is introduced, which would find its fulfillment in the death of Christ (Is. 53:4–6; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21).
22:15–18 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 (v. 17, “shall possess the gate of their enemies”).
22:16, 17 Cf. 12:1–3; 15:13–18; 17:2, 7, 8, 9; Heb. 6:13, 14.
22:17 possess the gate of their enemies. Cf. 24:60. Refers to conquering enemies, so as to control their city.
22:18 Cf. Acts 3:25.
22:20–24 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 (v. 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 23
23:1, 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, cf. 17:17) and of God’s intervention to bring about the fulfillment of His word to her and Abraham. Sarah’s death occurred ca. 2028 B.C.
23:2 Hebron. See note on 13:18.
23:3 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.
23:4 Give me property. 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 (v. 9).
23:6 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 (vv. 7–9), unknown to Abraham.
23:10 dwelt. Lit. “was sitting,” perhaps at the city gate where business was usually transacted.
23:11 I give you the field. This suggests not that Ephron felt generous, but that he was constrained by Hittite feudal polity, which tied ownership of land with service to the ruler. Passing the land to Abraham would pass also feudal 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.
23:14, 16 shekels of silver, currency of
the merchants. 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.
23:17, 18 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).
23:19 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.
23:20 So the field and the cave…were deeded. This is an important summary, because finally, after years of nomadic wandering, Abraham owned a small piece of real estate in the midst of all the land divinely promised to him and his descendants. The cave also became many years later the family burial plot for Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (cf. 25:9; 49:31; 50:13), with Rachel being the exception (35:19).
Genesis 24
24:2 the oldest servant…who ruled. Eliezer, at 85 years of age, had risen to steward, or “chief of staff,” a position of substantial authority (indicated in v. 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 (cf. 15:2–4), but he also faithfully served that heir (v. 67).
24:2–4 put your hand under my thigh…and…swear. See note on v. 9. A solemn pledge mentioning the Lord’s name and formalized by an accepted customary gesture indicated just how serious an undertaking this was in Abraham’s eyes. At his age (v. 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.
24:3, 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.
24:6, 7 do not take my son back there. Should the expected scenario not materialize (v. 5) then the dictates of the oath were lifted (v. 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 (v. 7).
24:7 He will send His angel before you. A statement of Abraham’s faith that the 450 mile expedition to Mesopotamia was clearly under divine oversight.
24:9 his hand under the thigh. An ancient Near Eastern custom by which an intimate touch affirmed an oath (cf. 47:29).
24:10 city of Nahor. No doubt the home of Abraham’s brother, Nahor (22:20).
24:12–14 The steward’s prayer manifests not only his trust in God to direct affairs but also the selflessness with which he served Abraham. His patience after prayer (v. 21), his worship at answered prayer (v. 26), and his acknowledgment of divine guidance (v. 27) also portrayed his faith.
24:14 camels a drink. 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 (vv. 15–20) as was her beauty and purity (v. 16).
24:20 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 (v. 22).
24:22 shekel. See note on 23:14, 16.
24:24 I am the daughter of. In formal introductions, an abbreviated genealogy provided for specific identification (cf. 22:23). She was Isaac’s cousin.
24:29–31 Laban. From what is revealed about his character (chap. 29), there is reason to believe that his sight of all the presents and the camels generated the welcome.
24:33 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 (vv. 34–48) and also not without immediately seeking to conclude his task and return home (vv. 49, 54–56). This is the portrait of a committed, faithful, and selfless servant!
24:49 right…left. An expression indicating the matter of which way to go next.
24:50, 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 (vv. 50, 51).
24:53 By this dowry, Rebekah was betrothed to Isaac.
24:54 Send me away to my master. Protocol and courtesy demanded a messenger be dismissed by the addressee.
24:57, 58 Will you 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.
24:59 her nurse. See 35:8.
24:60 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).
24:62 Beer Lahai Roi. See 16:14. Located on the Palestine-Egypt border, about 25 mi. NW of Kadesh Barnea. Isaac lived there after Abraham’s death (25:11).
24:63 to meditate. How God drew Isaac from home to where Hagar encountered the Angel of the Lord (cf. 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 (v. 67), as well as thinking about and hoping the steward would not return from a failed mission.
24:65 she took a veil and covered herself. Convention demanded the designated bride veil her face in the presence of her betrothed until the wedding day.
24:67 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.”
Genesis 25
25:1–4 Abraham’s sons through Keturah, (a concubine, cf. v. 6; 1 Chr. 1:32) a wife of lower status than Sarah, became the progenitors of various Arab tribes to the east of Canaan.
25:5, 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 (cf. 24:36).
25:8 gathered to his people. A euphemism for death, but also an expression of personal continuance beyond death, which denoted a reunion with previously departed friends (ca. 1990 B.C.). Cf. Matt. 8:11; Luke 16:22, 23.
25:9, 10 his sons…buried him. Abraham’s funeral brought together two sons who would perhaps otherwise have remained somewhat estranged from each other (cf. 35:29). He was buried in the place which he had purchased at Hebron (chap. 23).
25:12–18 the genealogy of Ishmael. With the death of Abraham and the focus shifting to Isaac, the record confirms God’s promise of 12 princes to Ishmael (cf. 17:20, 21).
25:13–16 Arab tradition has it that these are their earliest ancestors.
25:16 by their towns and their settlements. 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.
25:19—35:29 The genealogy of Isaac.
25:20 Padan Aram. The “plain of Aram” in upper Mesopotamia near Haran to the NNE of Canaan.
25:21 she was barren. Confronted by 20 years of his wife’s barrenness (vv. 19, 26), Isaac rose to the test and earnestly turned t
o God in prayer, obviously acknowledging thereby God’s involvement and timing in the seed-promise.
25:22 struggled together within her. The very uncomfortable condition of her pregnancy (“why am I like this?”) prompted Rebekah, undoubtedly following the example of her husband, to turn earnestly to God in prayer. She learned directly from the Lord that the severe jostling in her womb prefigured the future antagonism between the two nations to arise from her twin sons (v. 23).
25:23 the older 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 (cf. Ex. 22:29; Num 8:14–17; Deut. 21:17). Grave offenses could annul such primogeniture rights (cf. Gen. 35:22; 49:3, 4; 1 Chr. 5:1) or the birthright could be sacrificed or legally transferred to another in the family, as in this case (vv. 29–34). In this case, God declared otherwise since His sovereign elective purposes did not necessarily have to follow custom (cf. Rom. 9:10–14, esp. v. 12).
25:24 days were fulfilled. Esau and Jacob were born ca. 2005 B.C.
25:25 red. This would be the linguistic basis for calling Esau’s country “Edom” (cf. v. 30).
25:27, 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!
25:30 Edom. In a play upon words to forever recall that Esau was born red and hairy (v. 25) and had sold his birthright for red stew, he was also named Edom, i.e., “Red.”
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 26
