A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV.
Verſ. 1. ANd Abraham was old, &c.]
His age puts him in mind to provide for his ſonnes marriage, he being novv an hundred and fourty years old: for Iſaac vvas fourty, Gen. 25. 20. And Iſaac was fourty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, and he vvas born vvhen Abraham vvas an hundred, Gen. 21. 5. Abraham was an hundred years old, when his ſonne Iſaac was born unto him.
Verſ. 2. And Abraham ſaid unto his eldest ſervant, &c.
This in likelyhood vvas his ſtevvard Eliezer, vvho vvas born in his houſe, Gen. 15. 2, 3. And the ſteward of my houſe is this Eliezer of Damaſcus. And Abraham ſaid, Behold to me thou haſt given no ſeed; and lo one born in my houſe is mine heir.
Put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh, &c.]
A ſigne vvhichwhich Jacob alſo required of his ſon Joſeph, Gen. 47. 29. either in token of homage, and to ſignifie ſubjection, that as their hand lay under the thigh of him that enjoyned the oath, ſo they acknovvledged themſelves under his povver, bound to obey his command; or for a further myſtery of the covenant of Circumciſion, or rather of Chriſt the promiſed ſeed, vvho vvas to come out of Abrahams loyns or thigh. Gen. 46. 26. All the ſouls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loyns, &c.
Verſ. 3. That thou wilt not take a wife unto my ſonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, &c.]
Not onelyonly becauſe they vvere a profane idolatrous people, but eſpecially becauſe he vvould not have his ſeed mix themſelves vvith that accurſed nation, in vvhoſe place they ſhould ſucceed, vvhen God had deſtroyed them according to his promiſe.
Verſ. 5. Must I needs bring thy ſonne again unto the land from whence thou cameſt?]
Abraham having required his ſervant to ſwear (as is related in the foregoing verſes) that he ſhould not take a wife for his ſonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, but that he ſhould go unto the land from whence he came, and there amongſt his kindred provide a wife for him, in theſe words the ſervant objects a caſe that might happen, and deſires direction therein, to wit, if there were not a fit wiſe found amongſt his kindred, that would leave her countrey to come into Canaan, nor yield to marry Iſaac, but upon condition that he ſhould leave Canaan, and come into the land where ſhe dwelt, whether in this caſe he ſhould be ſo ſtrictly bound by his oath to provide him a wife amongſt his kindred, that of neceſſity he muſt conſent to this condition, rather then not to marry him to one of them; this I ſay is doubtleſſe the drift of theſe words, Muſt I needs bring thy ſonne again unto the Land from whence thou cameſt? OnelyOnly further yet to clear them, two things muſt be noted: 1. That thoſe words, Muſt I bring thy ſonne again into the land, &c. muſt not make us think that Iſaac was now by reaſon of his tender years under this ſervants government, and at his diſpoſing to be carried up and down whither he pleaſed, for he was now well-nigh fourty years old, Gen. 25. 20. Iſaac was fourty years old when he took Rebekah to wife. but are onelyonly meant as an enquiry whether he ſhould in treating about a wife for him conſent to that condition of Iſaacs removing to dwell amongſt his fathers kindred, and perſwade Iſaac to it, who it ſeemed had undertaken to his father to be guided by this ſervant in the buſineſſe of his marriage; and 2. Though Iſaac was born in Canaan, and had never dwelt in the land from whence his father came, yet he ſaith, Muſt I bring thy ſonne again into the land from whence thou cameſt? to wit in relation to his fathers former dwelling there, as with the like phraſe, Gen. 15. 16. it is ſaid that the Iſraelites ſhould in the fourth generation come again into the land of Canaan, out of Egypt, though their fathers onelyonly, not themſelves, had been there before.
Verſ. 6. Beware thou that thou bring not my ſonne thither again.]
That is, yield not to any ſuch condition, undertake no ſuch thing when you treat with my kindred about a wife for him: I will by no means have my ſonne leave this land, and go thither to dwell; and therefore be ſure that you yield to no ſuch condition, nor perſwade my ſonne to it when I am gone. Now this Abraham doth thus earneſtly give in charge to his ſervant, not onelyonly becauſe he knew his kindred were not ſo free from Idolatrous corruptions in Religion as he deſired, though they worſhipped the true God, and therefore had reſpect to his ſonne therein; but eſpecially becauſe he knew that the Lord had called him out of that Land into Canaan, to take poſſeſſion of it, as it were, both for him and his poſterity, and that therefore his ſonnes going to dvvell elſevvhere would be a kind of renouncing the land of promiſe: As therefore himſelf by faith had hitherto abode there, Heb. 11. 9. ſo he vvould have his ſonne do alſo, chooſing rather to have him live as a ſtranger and ſojourner in the land of promiſe, then to have him live amongſt his kindred in the land of his forefathers nativity.
Verſ. 10. And the ſervant took ten camels, &c.]
The reaſon vvhy he took ſo many camels and ſervants alſo anſvverable, as is expreſſed, ver. 59. They ſent away Abrahams ſervant and his men, vvas doubtleſſe partly becauſe the journey vvas very long▪ and much of it through deſart places, and ſo it vvas neceſſary that he ſhould take ſtore of proviſion along vvith them; partly becauſe he vvas to carry many rich preſents vvith him of all ſorts, to give amongſt his Maſters kindred; and partly becauſe it vvas fit he ſhould go the more richly attended, that thereby his Maſters kindred might ſee vvhat a mighty man of vvealth his Maſter vvas, and the more readily imbrace the motion of a match to be made vvith his ſonne. And becauſe it might happely ſeem ſtrange that he ſhould ſo freely take for his journey of his Maſters goods vvhat he pleaſed himſelf, this clauſe is added, For all the goods of his Maſter were in his hand, that is, they vvere alvvayes at his command, ſo that he might take vvhat he thought fit, to vvhoſe vviſdome and care the managing of this buſineſſe vvas vvholy left.
And went to Meſopotamia.]
As Mizraim is in Greek and other tongues called Egypt, Gen. 12. 10. ſo Aram-Naharaim is in Greek called Meſopotamia, becauſe it lay between the rivers.
Ʋnto the citie of Nahor.]
That is, the city where Nahor dwelt; ſo that is called Chriſts city wherein he dwelt, Mat. 9. 1. And he entred into a ſhippe, paſſed over, and came into his own citie: And this city here ſpoke of was Haran: whereby it is evident that if Nahor came not to Haran with Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees (as it ſeems he did not, Gen. 11. 31. Terah took Abraham his ſonne, and Lot the ſonne of Haran, and Sarah his daughter in law his ſonne Abrams wife, and they went forth with them from Ʋr of the Chaldees, &c. and they came unto Haran and dwelt there) yet afterwards he removed thither.
Verſ. 11. And he made his camels to kneel down.]
That is, it being now evening, he cauſed them to lie down to reſt themſelves. This phraſe of kneeling down, is uſed, becauſe after this manner camels uſe to lie down, firſt to fall down on their knees, and then to caſt their bodies on the ground to reſt themſelves.
Verſ. 12. And he ſaid, O Lord God of my maſter Abraham, &c.]
It is ſaid this was but a ſpeaking in his heart, verſ. 45. As for that which he now deſired of God, to wit, that the damſel who ſhould when he deſired drink of her, anſwer him, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink alſo, might be the maid whom God had appointed to be Iſaacs wife, no doubt it came into his mind to deſire this by the ſpeciall inſtinct of Gods ſpirit; yet he chooſeth ſuch a token as might be withall a probable ſigne of an ingenuous diſpoſition in her that did it.
Verſ. 17. And the ſervant ran to meet her.]
He was at the well before Rebekah came thither, verſ. 13. Behold I ſtand here by the well, &c. but having ſtood a little aloof off the well, till ſhe had filled her pitcher and was going away, he then ranne to meet her, &c.
Verſ. 28. And the damſel ranne and told them of her mothers houſe theſe things.]
It ſeems that it was the cuſtome of thoſe times and places for the women to dwell apart by themſelves, verſ. 67. And Iſaac brought her into his mother Sarahs tent.
Verſ. 29. And Laban ranne out unto the man to the well.]
By the appointment happely both of his father Bethuel, and his mother.
Verſ. 48. To take my maſters brothers daughter unto his ſonne.]
For Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, the ſonne of Nahor, Abrahams brother: and it is uſuall in the Scriptures to call grandchildren, ſonnes and daughters.
Verſ. 49. Tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.]
That is, that I may ſomewhere elſe look out for a wife for my maſters ſonne. And thus he oppoſeth the right hand and the left, to that right way mentioned in the former verſe, wherein the Lord had led him to take his maſters brothers daughter unto his ſonne.
Verſ. 50. Then Laban and Bethuel anſwered.]
The ſonne is ſet before the father, becauſe, as it ſeems, he ſpake in the name of them all, his father being old, and therefore, it may well be, not ſo able to return the anſwer.
We cannot ſpeak unto thee bad, or good.]
That is, we cannot ſpeak any thing at all againſt it: he ſpeaks good againſt any thing propounded, that contradicts it upon good ground; he evil, that ſpeaks againſt an apparent good motion out of ſome evil affection: Laban therefore in this proverbiall ſpeech acknowledgeth that good could not be ſaid againſt this motion, and evil he would not ſpeak.
Verſ. 51. Let her be thy maſters ſonnes wife, as the Lord hath ſpoken.]
That is, we perceive plainly by the whole carriage of this buſineſſe that this match is made in heaven, God hath decreed that ſhe ſhall be his wife; and therefore God forbid that we ſhould oppoſe it, Let it be as the Lord hath ſpoken. The ſame phraſe David uſeth, ſpeaking of Gods decree, 2. Sam. 16. 10. The Lord hath ſaid unto him, Curſe David.
Verſ. 59. They ſent away Rebekah their ſiſter, and her nurſe.]
Whoſe name was Deborah, Gen. 35. 8. But Deborah Rebekahs nurſe died, &c.
Verſ. 60. Let thy ſeed poſſeſſe the gate of thoſe that hate them.]
See the notes upon Gen. 22. 17. Thy ſeed ſhall poſſeſſe the gate of his enemies.
Verſ. 65. Therefore ſhe took a veil and covered her face.]
A ſ…gne of modeſtie, as alſo of ſubjection: 1. Cor. 11. 5, 6, 10. But every woman that prayeth or proph…ſieth with her head uncovered, diſhonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if ſhe were ſhaven▪ for if the woman be not covered, let her alſo be ſhorn: but if it be a ſhame for a woman to be ſhorn or ſhaven let her be covered. For this cauſe ought the woman to have power on her head, &c.
Verſ. 67. And Iſaac brought her into his mother Sarahs tent, and took Rebekah.]
That is, having conducted her into the tent of Sarah his deceaſed mother (which it ſeems had been reſerved ever ſince Sarahs death for Iſaacs wife) within ſome convenient time after, he took her, that is▪ he was in a ſolemn manner, after the rites of thoſe times, married to her, and ſo ſhe became his wife.