Laban repeats the invitation.

27 And he said, i Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD 1led me to the house of my master's brethren.

The servant delivers his

eat: but he said, I will not eat until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

message.

A. M. 2148.

B. C. 1856.

34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant. 35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath

29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was m Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

30 And it came to pass, when he saw the ear-ring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me, that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

31 And he said, Come in, a thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him. 33 And there was set meat before him to

gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.

I

36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old, and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

39 ▾ And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

40 And he said unto me, The LORD, * before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house.

-P Job xxiii. 12; John iv. Chap. xxi. Ver. 3.u Ver. 4. ✓ Ver.

14; 1 Sam. xxv. 32, 39; 2 Sam. Chapter xxxii. 10; Psa. xcviii. 3. Chap. xxvi. 29; Judg. xvii. 2;

Chap. xliii. 24; Judg. xix. 21.-
Eph. vi. 5, 6, 7.- - Ver. 1; chap. xiii. 2.-
Ch. xxi. 10; xxv. 5.-
w Ver. 7.- - Chap. xvii. 1.

the same that are in use in Persia and India to the present time.

Verse 26. Bowed down his head, and worshipped] Two acts of adoration are mentioned here; 1. Bowing the head, p' yikkod; and, 2. Prostration upon the earth, inne vaiyishtachu. The bowing of the head was to Rebekah, to return her thanks for her kind invitation. The prostration was to Jehovah, in gratitude for the success with which he had favoured him.

Verse 27. The Lord led me] By desire of his master he went out on this journey; and as he acknowledged God in all his ways, the Lord directed all his steps.

Verse 28. Her mother's house] Some have conjectured from this that her father Bethuel was dead; and the person called Bethuel, verse 50, was a younger brother. This is possible, but the mother's house might be mentioned were even the father alive; for in Asiatic countries the women have apartments entirely separate from those of the men, in which their little children and grown-up daughters reside with them. This was probably the case here, though it is very likely that Bethuel was dead, as the whole business appears to be conducted by Rebekah's brothers.

Verse 31. Thou blessed of the Lord] Probably a usual mode of wishing prosperity, as he that is blessed of the Lord is worthy of all respect; for, enjoying the Divine favour, he is in possession of the sum of happiness.

Verse 32. Provender for the camels] These were the first objects of his care; for a good man is merciful to his beast.

Water to wash his feet] Thus it thus appears that he had servants with him; and as the fatigues of the journey must have fallen as heavily upon them as upon himself, so we find no distinction made, but water is provided to wash their feet also.

Verse 33. I will not eat until I have told] In Hindoostan it is not unusual for a Brahmin to enter a house and sit down, and when meat is offered, refuse to eat till he has obtained the object of his errand. Here is a servant who had his master's interest more at heart than his own. He refuses to take even necessary refreshment till he knows whether he is likely to accomplish the object of his journey. Did not our blessed Lord allude to the conduct of Abraham's servant, John iv. 34: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work?

Verse 36. Unto him hath he given all that he hath.] He has made Isaac his sole heir. These things appear to be spoken to show the relatives of Rebekah that his master's son was a proper match for her; for even in those primitive times there was regard had to the suitableness of station and rank in life, as well as of education, in order to render a match

He departs with Rebekah.

54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, P Send me away unto my master.

55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.

58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto ner, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.

60 And they blessed Rebekah, A. M. 2148. and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 And Isaac came from the way of the "well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the south country.

signifies properly vessels or instruments; and those presented by Eliezer might have been of various kinds. What he had given before, ver. 22, was in token of respect, what he gave now appears to have been in the way of dowry.

Precious things.] n migdanoth. This word is used to express exquisite fruits or delicacies, Deut. xxxiii. 13-16; precious plants or flowers, Cant. iv. 16; vii. 13. But it may mean gifts in general, though rather of an inferior kind to those mentioned above.

Verse 54. And they did eat and drink] When Eliezer had got a favourable answer, then he and his servants sat down to meat; this he had refused to do till he had told his message, ver. 33.

Verse 55. Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten] The original is very abrupt and obscure, because we are not acquainted with the precise meaning of the form of speech which is here used;

yamim or asor DAYS Or TEN, probably ימים או עשור

meaning a year or ten months, as the margin reads it, or a week or ten days. This latter is the most likely sense, as there would be no propriety after having given their consent that she should go, in detaining her for a year or ten months. In matters of simple phraseology, or in those which concern peculiar customs, the Septuagint translation, especially in the Pentateuch, where it is most accurate and pure, may be considered a legitimate judge; this translation renders the words huepas doel deкa, about ten days. Houbigant contends strongly that instead of the words y O'D' yamim o asor, days or ten, we should read 'D' chodesh yamim, a month of days, i. e., a full month; without which emendation he asserts, locus explicari non possit, "the passage cannot be explained." This emendation is supported by the Syriac version, which reads here

yerach yomin, a month of days, or a full month. The reader

Verse 58. Wilt thou go with this man?] So it appears it was left ultimately to the choice of Rebekah whether she would accept the proposals now made to her, unless we suppose that the question meant, Wilt thou go immediately, or stay with us a month longer?

She said, I will go.] It fully appears to be the will of God that it should be so, and I consent. This at once determined the whole business.

Verse 59. And her nurse] Whose name, we learn from chap. xxxv. 8, was Deborah, and who, as a second mother, was deemed proper to accompany Rebekah. This was a measure dictated by good sense and prudence. Rebekah had other female attendants. See ver. 61.

Verse 60. Be thou the mother of thousands of millions] lealphey rebabah, for thousands ten thousand, or for myriads of thousands, a large family being ever considered, in ancient times, as a proof of the peculiar blessing and favour of God. Similar addresses to a daughter, when she is going from her father's house to live with her husband, are very common among the Hindoos ; the mother of a son," "Be thou the wife of a king," &c. See Ward.

such as,

"Be thou

Verse 62. And Isaac came] Concerning this well see chap. xvi. 13, &c. As it appears from chap. xxv. 11, that Isaac dwelt at the well Lahai-roi, it has been conjectured that he had now come on a visit to his aged father at Beer-sheba, where he waited in expectation of his bride.

For he dwelt in the south country.] The southern See chap. xii. 9. part of the land of Canaan. Verse 63. Isaac went out to meditate] n lasuach, to bend down the body, or the mind, or both. He was probably in deep thought, with his eyes fixed upon

Rebekah veils herself.

She becomes the wife of Isaac.

B. C. 1856.

walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself.

y Chap. xx. 16; 1 Cor. xi. 1, 6, 10.

the ground. What the subject of his meditation was it is useless to inquire; he was a pious man, and could not be triflingly employed.

Verse 65. She took a veil

hatstsaaif. This is the first time this word occurs, and it is of doubtful signification; but most agree to render it a veil or a cloak. The former is the most likely, as it was generally used by women in the east as a sign of chastity, modesty, and subjection.

Verse 67. Sarah's tent] Sarah being dead, her tent became now appropriated to the use of Rebekah. And took Rebekah, &c.] After what form this was done we are not told; or whether there was any form used on the occasion, more than solemnly receiving her as the person whom God had chosen to be his wife; for it appears from ver. 66 that the servant told him all the especial providential circumstances which had marked his journey. The primitive form of marriage we have already seen, chap. ii. 23, 24, which, it is likely, as far as form was attended to, was that which was commonly used in all the patriarchal times.

In this chapter we have an affecting and edifying display of that providence by which God disposes and governs the affairs of the universe, descending to the minutest particulars, and managing the great whole by directing and influencing all its parts. This particular or especial providence we see is not confined to work by general laws; it is wise and intelligent, for it is the mind, the will, and energy of God; it steps out of common ways, and takes particular directions, as endlessly varied human necessities may need, or the establishment and maintenance of godliness in the earth may require. What a history of providential occurrences, coming all in answer to the prayer and faith of a simple, humble individual, does this chapter exhibit!

As Abraham's servant has God's glory only in view in the errand on which he is going, he may well expect the Divine direction. See with what simplicity and confidence he prays to God! He even prescribes the way in which the Divine choice and approbation shall be made known; and God honours the purity of his motives and his pious faith, by giving him precisely the answer he wished. How honourable in the sight of God is simplicity of heart! It has nothing to fear, and all good to hope for; whereas a spirit warped by self-interest and worldly views is always uncertain and agitated, as it is ever seeking that from its own counsels, projects, and schemes, which should be sought in *God alone. In every place the upright man meets with his God; his heart acknowledges his Maker, and his Maker acknowledges him; for such a one the

B. C. 1856.

67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac & was comforted after his mother's death.

a

2 Chap. xviii. 6, 9, 10.- Chap. xxxviii. 12; 1 Thess. iv. 15. whole economy of providence and grace is ever at work.

Abraham's solicitude to get a suitable wife for his son is worthy of the most serious regard. He was well aware that if Isaac formed a matrimonial alliance with the Canaanites it might be ruinous to his piety, and prevent the dissemination of the true religion; therefore he binds his most trusty servant by a solemn oath not to take a wife for his son from the daughters of Canaan, but from his own kindred, among whom the knowledge of the true God was best preserved. Others had different rays of the light of truth, but Abraham's family alone had THE truth; and to the descendants of this family were the promises made.

The

How careful should parents be to procure alliances for their children with those who fear God, as so much of the peace and comfort of the children, and the happiness of their posterity, depend on this circumstance! But alas! how many sacrifice the comfort and salvation of their offspring at the shrine of Mammon! If they can procure rich husbands and wives for their daughters and sons, then all, in their apprehension, is well. Marriages of this kind may be considered as mere bargain and sale; for there is scarcely ever any reference to God or eternity in them. Divine institution of marriage is left out of sight; and the persons are united, not properly to each other, in the love, fear, and according to the ordinance of God, but they are wedded to so many thousand pounds sterling, and to so many houses, fields, &c. Thus like goes to like, metal to metal, earth to earth. Marriages formed on such principles are mere licensed adulteries. Let such contractors hear these awful words of God: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the | friendship of the world is enmity with God?" James iv. 4. See on ver. 36.

Although under the patriarchal dispensation parents had a kind of absolute authority over their children, and might dispose of them as they pleased in general cases, yet it appears that in matrimonial connections they were under no compulsion. The suitable person was pointed out and recommended; but it does not appear that children were forced, against the whole tide of their affections, to take those persons who were the objects of the parent's choice. Wilt thou go with this man? was, in all likelihood, deemed essential to the completion of the contract; and by the answer, I will go, was the contract fully ratified. Thus the persons were ultimately left to their own choice, though the most prudent and proper means were no doubt used in order to direct and fix it, Whether this was precisely the plan followed in primitive times we cannot absolutely say they were times of great simplicity; and probably connections on the mere principle

Abraham's posterity by

his second wife, Keturah.

In all cases of this kind the child should invariably

ings of the child, nor oppose an alliance which may be in all other respects suitable, because there may be a lack of property on one side of the intended match. If parents would proceed in this way, God would pour his blessing on their seed, and his Spirit upon their offspring.

Abraham took

a wife, and her name was

b

She is

2 And she bare him Zimran, A. M. cir. 2155. and Jokshan, and Medan, and

B. C. cir. 1849.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXV.

Verse 1. Then again Abraham took a wife] When Abraham took Keturah we are not informed; it might have been in the lifetime of Sarah; and the original 70 vaiyoseph, and he added, &c., seems to give some countenance to this opinion. Indeed it is not very likely that he had the children mentioned here after the death of Sarah; and from the circumstances of his age, feebleness, &c., at the birth of Isaac, it is still more improbable. Even at that age, forty years before the marriage of Isaac, the birth of his son is considered as not less miraculous on his part than on the part of Sarah; for the apostle expressly says, Rom. iv. 19, that Abraham considered not his own body Now DEAD, when he was about a hundred years old, nor the DEADNESS of Sarah's womb; hence we learn that they were both past the procreation of children, insomuch that the birth of Isaac is ever represented as supernatural. It is therefore very improbable that he had any child after the birth of Isaac; and therefore we may well suppose that Moses had related this transaction out of its chronological order, which is not unfrequent in the sacred writings, when a variety of important facts relative to the accomplishment of some grand design are thought necessary to be produced in a connected series. On this account intervening matters of a different complexion are referred to a future time. Perhaps we may be justified in reading the verse: "And Abraham had added, and had taken a wife (besides Hagar) whose name was Keturah," &c. The chronology in the margin dates this marriage with Keturah A. M. 2154, nine years after the death of

Sarah, A. M. 2145. Jonathan ben Uzziel and the Jerusalem Targum both assert that Keturah was the same as Hagar. Some rabbins, and with them Dr. Hammond, are of the same opinion; but both Hagar and Keturah are so distinguished in the Scriptures, that the opinion seems destitute of probability.

Verse 2. Zimran] Stephanus Byzantinus mentions a city in Arabia Felix called Zadram, which some suppose to have been named from this son of Keturah; but it is more likely, as Calmet observes, that all these sons of Abraham resided in Arabia Deserta; and Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. vi., c. 28, mentions a people in that country called Zamarenians, who were probably the descendants of this person.

Jokshan] Several learned men have been of opinion that this Jokshan was the same as Kachtan, the father of the Arabs. The testimonies in favour of this opinion see in Dr. Hunt's Oration, De Antiquitate, &c., Linguæ Arabica, p. 4. Calmet supposes that the Cataneans, who inhabited a part of Arabia Deserta, sprang from this Jokshan.

Medan, and Midian] Probably those who peopled that part of Arabia Petræa contiguous to the land of Moab eastward of the Dead Sea. St. Jerome terms the people of this country Madinaans; and Ptolemy mentions a people called Madianites, who dwelt in the same place.

Ishbak] From this person Calmet supposes the brook Jabbok, which has its source in the mountains of Gilead, and falls into the sea of Tiberias, took its name,

Shuah.] Or Shuach. From this man the Sacceans, near to Batania, at the extremity of Arabia Deserta,