13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and bebold, 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 ftead of his fon.

14. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovab-jireh, as it is faid to this day, In the mount of the LORD it fhall be feen.

14. Jehovah-jireh: i. e. The Lord will fee or provide. God having there provided

a Ram for a Sacrifice in the ftead of Ifaac.

Compare v.8. Hence in after-times it grew into a Proverb among the Hebrews, (as Hieronymus in his Questions on Genefis tells us,) that when they were in great ftraits, and begged the Divine Aid, they were wont to fay, In the mountain God will fee, or, provide. By which they expreffed their Faith in God, that he would be mercifull unto them, as he was to their Father Abraham.

15. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time. 16. And faid, By my felf have I Sworn, faith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and haft not withheld thy fon, thine only fon:

17. That in blessing, I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy feed, as the stars of the heaven, and as the fand which is upon the fea fhore: and thy feed Shall poffefs the gate of his enemies; confirmed, by comparing Deut. 12.

18. And in thy feed shall all the nations of the earth be bleffed, because thou haft obeyed my voice.

16. By my felf, &c. Because he could he fware by himself, fwear by no greater, Heb. 6. 13. Whence it is evident, that it is God who fwears.

17. The gate: i.e. The Gates; and they are put for the Cities themselves according Chaldee and Greek, which will be much 15. and Deut. 18. 6.

to the Verfion of the

18. In thy feed: i. e, In Chrift, Gal. 3.16.

19. So Abraham returned unto his young men and they rofe up, and went together to Beer-fheba, and Abraham dwelt at Beer-fheba.

20. And it came to pass after thefe things, that it was told Abraham, Jaying, Behold Milcah, fhe hath alfo born children unto thy brother Nabor

21. Huz his first born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

19. Beer-fheba: See ch. 21. 31.

20. Milcah: She was Sarah's Sifter and Abraham's Brother's Wife. Compare ch. II. V.29.

21. Aram: Of the fame name with 4ram, (ch. 10. v. 22.) the Son of Shem,from

whom the Syrians had their Original and their Name. 22. And Chefed, and Hazo, and Pildafh, and Fidlaph and Bethuel.

23. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: thefe eight Milcah did bear to Nahor Abraham's brother.

24. And his concubine, whofe name was Reumah, fhe bare alfo Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahah, and Maachah.

24. Concubine: The Hebrew word imports divifion. She was an half-wife, not being taken with

Dowry, nor into the government of the family.

CHAP. XXIII.

The ARGUMENT.

Sarah's age, and death. Abraham's care of her burial. To that purpofe he buys a burying place of Ephron, and buries her there.

1. OF Sarah: She is the onely is reckon'd in the hoWoman whose Age ly Scripture.

2. Kirjath-arba: Or, the City of Arba. This place was in A Mamre, (v. 19.) and braham's time called afterwards Hebron ;

2. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba, the fame is Hebron, in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. as alfo Kirjath-arba, from a Man called Arba, Jofh, 14. 15. This City was in the Hill-country of Judah, Jofh. 21.11. The fame is Hebron: This is no objection against Mofes his being the Pen-man of this book. Joshua indeed does fay, that the name of Hebron before, (or, in old time, as that word is rendred, Deut. 2.20.) was Kirjath-arba, Jofh. 14. 15. But does not fay that it was not called Hebron till his time; nor does he give any account either of the time when, or of the reason for which it was called Hebron, Came to mourn: Poffibly into the Tent of Sarah, where he died. For as Lot had feveral Tents, (ch. 13. v.5.) so had Abrahana; and one particularly for Sarah, ch. 24. 67. See ch. 31.33. Weep: The excefs of forrow is onely forbid, (1 Theff. 4.13.) it not being otherwife inconfiftent with the greatest degree of faith, Jah. 11. 35.

3. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the fons of Heth, faying,

་

3. From before his dead: i.e. From the place where he fate mourning over his

dead, Ifa.47. 1. Fob 2.13. Of Heth: Thofe who defcended from Heth the Son of Canaan, ch. 10. 15.

4. I am aftranger and a fojour- 4. ner with you: give me a poffeffion of a burying place with you, that

I may bury my dead out of my fight.

A fojourner,

Heb. 11. 13.

5. And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

6. Hear us, my lord, thou art a mighty prince amongst us: in the choice of our fepulchers bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his fepulchre, but that thou mayeft bury thy dead.

6. Amighty Prince: Or, Prince of God. Hebr. They efteemfor his regard to God, ed Abraham highly and upon the fcore

of

of God's bleffings upon him. See ch. 21. v. 22. His great piety was exemplary, and God's mercies vifible. Hence, they call him a Prince of God; i. e. a perfon very eximi ous and venerable. Things that are very excellent are faid to be of God. Compare Pfal. 36.6. and 80. 10.

7. And Abraham ftood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Herb

7. Bowed himself: In token of thankfulness as well as re

verence.

8. And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I fhould bury my dead out of my fight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the fon of Zobar.

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 poffeffion of a burying place amongst you.

'Tis probable that this burying-place whence it was fo called.

10. And Ephron dwelled amongst the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abra bam in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that ment in at the gates of his city, faying,

9. Mackpelah : What we render the Cave of Machpelah, the Ancients render the double cave, the

word Mackpelah de noting fuch a fenfe. had a double Cave,

10. Gates: Hebr. Gate. They that go in at the gate are the Citizens or Inhabitants of that place, ch.34. v.24.

11. Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee, in the prefence of the fons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

12. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land..

13. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, faying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee hear me: I will give thee money for the field: take

13. Money: Abrax ham will buy a bury ing-place; and in fo doing he prevented a future Controverfie

and

it of me, and I will bury my dead

and withall received

there.

a pledge, in this pur

chafe, of the inheri

Itance which God had promised.

14. And Ephron answered Abraham, faying unto him,

15. My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred Shekels of filver: what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

16. And Abraham hearkned unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the filver which he had named in the audience of the fons of Heth, four hundred fhekels of filver, currant money with the merchant.

15. Four hundred Shekels: See the Note on ch. 20. v. 16.

16. Weighed: Payment was then made by weight, not by tale. Compare ch.43. V. 21. Currant money with the Merchant: i. e. Abraham ufed no guile or deceit in his payment,

but weighed so much Silver as those who understood those matters could not refuse.

17. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelab, 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 fure

18. Unto Abraham for a possesfion, in the prefence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

19. And after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Mathpelab, before Mamre the fame is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

Eas

18. For a poffeffion He having before this no poffeffion in that Land.

19. After this: i.e. After he had paid for this burying-place.

20. And