Commentary on Genesis, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Ver. 1. JOurneyed from thence.] i. e. From Mamre, where he had dwelt a great while, and where many remarkable Paſſages had hapned, XIII. 18. XVIII. 1.
Toward the South Country.] Toward Egypt: For ſome fanſie the very Stench of the Lake of Sodom was offenſive to him in Mamre.
Sojourned in Gerar.] The Metropolis of Paleſtine; and, as ſome compute it, not much above ſix Mile from Mamre.
Ver. 2. Abraham ſaid of Sarah, &c.] Juſt as he had done in Egypt, XII. 13. when there was greater reaſon for it; ſhe being then thirty Years younger than now; when ſhe was no leſs than ninety Years old. But it ſeems her Beauty remained at this Age; being healthful, and having born and ſuckled no Children: And Women in thoſe days living ſo long that they were as freſh at ninety, as they are now at forty or fifty. When many that are of excellent Conſtitutions, and naturally handſom, continue very lovely.
Abimelech.] The Name of all the Kings of Paleſtine; as Pharaoh was of the Kings of Egypt. It is not improbable, as the Author of Tzemath David conjectures, that the ſucceeding Kings took the Name of him who was the firſt King of the Country: Ad A. M. 2600.
Sent and took Sarah.] By Violence, ſome think; but I ſee no ground for it. He deſired to have her; and might think Abraham would look upon it as a great Honour, to have his Siſter become Wife to a King: And Abraham it is likely ſhowed no unwillingneſs, not being in a Condition to deny him.
Ver. 3. And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night.] Two differences are obſerved by Maimonides, between this manifeſtation, which God made of his Mind to Abimelech; and that which he made to the Prophets. For it is only ſaid here, God came to Abimelech, and that he came in a dream by night. The very ſame is ſaid of Laban the Syrian, who doth not ſeem to have been ſo good a Man as Abimelech, XXXI. 24. But of Jacob it is ſaid, God ſpake unto Iſrael, and he ſpake to him in the Viſions of the Night, (not in a Dream) and ſaid, Jacob, Jacob, XLVI. 2. See More Nevoch. P. II. c. 41. God was not a Stranger to other Nations, when he was peculiarly kind to Abraham: But ſpake to them in Dreams, and ſometimes in Viſions; as appears in Eliphaz and Elihu, Job IV. 13. XXXIII. 14, 15, &c.
Thou art but a dead Man.] viz. If thou doſt not reſtore Abraham his Wife, verſe 7.
She is a Man's Wife.] Or, married to a Husband, (as we tranſlate it in the Margin) ſo compleatly, that he hath enjoyed her as his Wife. For from this place the Jewiſh Doctors prove, that the Marriage Contract was not perfected in theſe Days, till the Parties had lain together: After which if any other Perſon lay with the Woman, he was to be put to death, as an Adulterer; but not, if he lay with her after the Contract, before it was conſummated by actual Enjoyment. See Mr. Selden, de Jure N. & G. L. V. c. 4. p. 551.
Ver. 4. But Abimelech had not come near her.] To uſe her as his Wife.
Wilt thou ſlay alſo a righteous Nation?] He was afraid (as became a good Man and a good King) leſt his People ſhould ſuffer upon his account; who, in this Particular, had no Guilt upon them.
Ver. 5. Said he not unto me, &c.] The Fault is in them, not in me: For I had both their words for it, that he was her Brother; and he ſaid nothing of her being his Wife.
In the integrity of my heart.] Not with any Intention to defile her; but to make her my Wife.
And innocence of my hands.] I did not take her by Violence from Abraham; but he and ſhe conſented to it.
Ver. 6. And God ſaid unto him in a dream.] The ſame Expreſſion is ſtill retained, which we had verſe 3. to ſhow, that this was a lower Degree of Divine Manifeſtation, than was in Abraham's Family.
I know thou didſt this in the integrity, &c.] i. e. That thou didſt not deſign any Evil.
For I alſo, &c.] Or, rather, And I alſo withheld thee. I dealt well with thee, becauſe of thy Integrity. Some think he was withheld by a Diſeaſe in the Secret Parts, verſe 17.
From ſinning againſt me.] From committing Adultery.
Ver. 7. He is a Prophet.] This is the firſt time we meet with the word Nabi, a Prophet: And Abraham is the firſt that is honoured with this Name. Which ſignifies one familiar with God; who might come to him, to conſult him upon all occaſions; and be authorized to declare God's Mind and Will to others; and alſo prevail with him by his Prayers for a Bleſſing upon them. So it here follows.
He ſhall pray for thee.] Obtain Life and Health to thee. The greater any Prophet was, the more powerful he was in Prayer: As appears by the Stories of Moſes, Elias, and Samuel. See Pſalm XCIX. 6.
It appears by this whole Hiſtory of Abimelech, that he was a Man of great Vertue in thoſe Days: And not an Idolater, but a worſhipper of the True God, as Melchizedeck the High-Prieſt of that Country was: Yet not ſo well acquainted with Divine Revelations as Abraham was.
Ver. 8. Abimelech roſe up early in the Morning.] This is a further Token of his Goodneſs, that he delayed not to obey the Divine Command.
Called all his Servants.] His Privy Council, (as we ſpeak) who were all of the ſame Mind with him; That this was a Divine Admonition; which it was not ſafe to diſobey. From whence we may probably gather, his Court was not ſo corrupted, as Abraham ſuſpected.
Ver. 9. What haſt thou done unto us?] Into what Danger haſt thou brought us?
Thou haſt brought on me and my Kingdom a great Sin.] Run me into the hazard of committing a great Sin, or ſuffering an heavy Puniſhment, (for ſo Sin is ſometimes taken) in not telling me the Truth.
Thou haſt done deeds unto me, that ought not to be done.] This is not fair dealing; ſuch as I might have expected from thee.
Ver. 10. What ſaweſt thou, &c.] What didſt thou obſerve in my Country, that made thee think we would meddle with thy Wife? What Tokens of Injuſtice, or Impurity didſt thou ſee among us?
Ver. 11. Becauſe I thought ſurely, &c.] The word Rak which we tranſlate ſurely, ſignifies only: And may be thus well tranſlated here, this only I ſaw wanting in your Country, the fear of God: i. e. A Sence of Religion, which reſtrains Men from all manner of Wickedneſs. It ſeems the People were not ſo good as their King.
Ver. 12. And yet indeed ſhe is my Siſter.] Do not condemn me of telling a Lye; for ſhe is truly my Siſter. Such was the Language of thoſe Days, to call their Wives, Siſters; and their Nephews, Brothers. As he calls Lot, XIII. 8. who was his Nephew, and the Brother of Sarah; as was obſerved upon XI. 29.
She is the Daughter of my Father.] i. e. His Father's Grand-Daughter; who are frequently in Scripture called the Children of their Grand-Fathers. For ſhe was Daughter to Haran, elder Brother of Abraham.
But not the Daughter of my Mother.] It ſeems Terah had two Wives, by one of which he had Haran, the Father of Lot and Sarah; and by the other he had Abraham. So Sarah was Daughter to one who was his Brother by his Father's ſide, but not by his Mother: And with ſuch a Niece they thought it not unlawful then to marry. No regard being had to conſanguinity (if we may believe R. Solomon Jarchi) by the Father's ſide, before the Law of Moſes, but only by the Mother's.
The more received Opinion indeed of the Hebrew Doctors is, (as Mr. Selden obſerves, L. V. de Jure N. & G. cap. 2.) that Sarah was indeed the Daughter of Terah by his ſecond Wife, and ſo Abraham's half Siſter. And Said Batricides (Patriarch of Alexandria above ſeven hundred Years ago) in his Arabick Hiſtory, tells us the Name of Terah's firſt Wife was Jona; and the Name of his ſecond Tevitha, by whom he had Sarah. But there is no other Authority for this.
Ver. 13. When God cauſed me to wander.] The Hebrew word which we tranſlate wander, being in the Plural Number, the LXX render the word Elohim (God) the Angels: Who by the Command of God led him from his Father's Houſe, through divers Countries. But the Chaldee tranſlates it, when becauſe of the Idols of Chaldaea I was called away from my own Country, &c. For ſo the Gods, that is, the Idol Gods, might be ſaid to cauſe him to wander: Becauſe it was by reaſon of them, that God would not have him ſtay any longer in his own Country. But there is no need of theſe Devices: Nothing being more uſual, in the Hebrew Language, than for the Plural Number to be put inſtead of the Singular; eſpecially when they ſpeak of God, as Bochart obſerves in many places. Gen. XXXV. 7. Exod. XXXII. 4. Pſalm CXLIX. 2. Eccleſ. XII. 1. See Hierozoic. P. I. L. II. c. 34. Nay, Hackspan hath rightly obſerved, that there are Nouns of the Plural Number in their termination, which in ſignification are ſingular; with which it is uſual to joyn a Verb of the Plural Number, becauſe of the Plural termination of the Noun. A plain Example of which we have Gen. IV. 6. Why is thy Countenance (in the Hebrew Faces) faln. The like he obſerves in the Syriack Language, John I. 4. The life (in the Syriack lifes) was the light of Men.
Ver. 16. I have given thy Brother a thouſand pieces of Silver.] The word pieces is not in the Hebrew. But by Ceſeph Silver, all, in a manner, underſtand Shekels. For anciently there were no Shekels of Gold or Braſs, but only of Silver. Yet there are thoſe who think he did not give him thus much in Money; but in the Goods before-mentioned, verſe 14. which were worth a thouſand Shekels. See XXIII. 16.
He is unto thee a covering of the Eyes, &c.] Theſe words are very variouſly expounded, according as the firſt word hu is interpreted: Which may relate either to the Gift before-mentioned, and be tranſlated, this; or, to Abraham, and be tranſlated, he, as it is by us. If they referr to the former, then the Sence is; I have given him that ſumm of money to buy thee a veil, that all who converſe with thee here, or in any other Country, (where thou ſhalt come) may know thee to be a married Woman. For a Veil was worn in Token of ſubjection to the Power of the Husband; and that thereby their Chaſtity might be preſerved ſafe from the Snares of others. As G. Vorſtius obſerves upon Pirke Elieſer, cap. XXXII. Or, as others interpret it, This money will be a covering to thine Eyes, (that is, a defence to thy Modeſty) it being a teſtimony that Abimelech paid dear for taking thee into his houſe.
If they referr to Abraham, then the meaning is; Thou needeſt no other defence of thy Modeſty and Chaſtity than he, nor haſt any reaſon to ſay hereafter, he is thy Brother; for he is ſo dear to God that God will defend him, and he will defend thee, without ſuch ſhifts as this thou haſt uſed: Nay, not only thee, but all that are with thee; and that even againſt ſtrangers. I omit other interpretations: And referr the Reader to L. de Dieu.
Thus ſhe was reproved] Or, inſtructed (as ſome tranſlate it) not to diſſemble her Condition. Or, this was the Reprehenſion he gave her, for ſaying Abraham was her Brother.
Ver. 17. So Abraham prayed unto God, &c.] Beſeeched God to reſtore them all to their Health, now that his Wife was reſtored to him, verſe 14.
Ver. 18. For the LORD had faſt cloſed up, &c.] By ſuch ſwellings (ſome underſtand it) in the Secret Parts, that the Men could neither enjoy their Wives; nor the Women who were with Child, be delivered.