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7. "Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live," &c.]—Now then, deliver the man his wife again, for he is a man dear unto me, and one whom I have in an especial manner graced with my presence and promises; and therefore, whose prayers shall be much available for thy safety and life.

10. "And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?"]-What motive didst thou raise unto thyself, from any lightness in me, or injury done to thyself by me, that thou shouldest do this thing?

12. "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife."]-Yet, in very deed, I have not merely lied in saying she is my sister; but only dissembled, and concealed some part of the truth; for she is very near of blood to me, my niece, as being the daughter of that brother of mine, whom my father had by a second wife.

16. "And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved."]-Likewise to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given to him, whom thou calledst thy brother, a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is thy protection from all injuries, wheresoever thou comest thine eyes and desires shall content themselves with him alone; and he shall stand, betwixt all others' eyes and thee, as thy lawful husband, that they may not thus inordinately desire thee; and, by this speech and event, she was thus secretly reproved.

18. "For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife."]-For the Lord hath punished all the women in Abimelech's house with a sudden barrenness; so that they could not conceive; because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

XXI. 7. "And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck?"]-Who could ever have thought or believed, much less would have told Abraham, that Sarah, after this age, should both bear him a son, and have this strength and vigour of body continued to her, to give suck also, &c.

14. "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it

on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away," &c.]-He took bread, and a bottle of water, so much as he thought would suffice, till they came to the place he enjoined them; and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and committed the boy to her hand, and sent her away, &c.

19. "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink."]—And now God caused her to see a well of water, which was there before her; but, through her grief, or the closeness of the place, was not before seen of her.

30. "And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.”]—And he answered, My desire is, that thou shouldest receive from my hands these seven lambs, as a pledge or confirmation of this covenant of peace made between us; and an earnest of the recovery and free grant of this well which I have digged; in the receipt whereof, thou shalt disclaim all right and title unto it for ever.

XXII. 12. "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."]—Then he said, Do not, as thou art about, sacrifice this thy son unto me, neither do any bodily hurt to him; for now thou hast sufficiently approved, by thine act and forwardness, that thou hast an heart truly religious towards God, seeing at my commandment thou hast not forborne to have slain thine only son, in whom the promise of blessing was made unto thee.

14. "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."]—And Abraham named the place, God will provide; whereupon the Jews have a proverb still continued amongst them; God will make provision in the mount when all means fail.

17. "And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies."]Thy posterity shall be victorious over their enemies.

18. "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."]-Of thy seed shall come that Saviour, in whom all believers through the world shall be blessed.

XXIII. 2. "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her."]-And Abraham entered into the tent of Sarah, that he might solemnly mourn for her in the sight of the corpse.

6. "Thou art a mighty prince among us," &c.]—Thou

art a great prince, and one whom God hath much honoured amongst us.

15. "The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver: what is that betwixt me and thee?"]-The land is worth some hundred and eleven ounces of silver; about fourscore crowns; between friends, how small a sum is that to stand upon !

XXIV. 2. "Put, I pray thee, thy hand undermy thigh."]-According to the common rite used in the oaths of inferiors to their superiors.

10. "To Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor."]-To Charran in Syria.

II. "To kneel down."]-To rest under their burdens.

22. "Ten shekels weight of gold."]-Which is the weight of near three ounces.

XXV. 22. "If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD."]-Why have I conceived, if I must feel such painful unquietness within me? And she sought to God in her prayers, to know the reason and issue of this inward strife.

23. "Two nations are in thy womb," &c.]-The twins, which are struggling within thee, shall be the fathers of two opposite nations, the Israelites and the Edomites.

31. "Sell me this day thy birthright."]-Make over to me all the privileges of thy birthright; the consecration, the honour, the double portion that belongeth thereunto.

XXVII. 27. "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed."]-The smell of the garments of my son is as the sweet perfume which is sent up from a field, richly furnished with all manner of pleasant and fragrant flowers and herbs.

33. "And Isaac trembled very exceedingly," &c.]—And Isaac was exceedingly astonished in himself at the thought of the conveyance of the blessing upon a person that he intended not.

40. "By thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother."] The course of thy life shall be troublesome and unquiet; and thou shalt uphold thy state by wars: and though thy person shall be free, yet in thy posterity thou shalt be subject to the issue of thy brother Jacob.

45. "Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?"] -If Esau should in his fury kill thee, the law will justly kill him, and so we lose both at once.

46. "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth."]

-These heathenish wives of Esau are a perpetual and intolerable vexation to my soul, by reason of their idolatry and viciousness.

XXVIII. 16. "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not."]-Surely the Lord hath, in a divine dream or vision, represented himself to me unexpectedly in this place.

17. "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."]-How full of awe and reverend respect is this place, which God hath thus sanctified by his presence; having so familiarly manifested himself to me here, as men do in their dwelling houses to their friends. This is no other than a representation of God's spiritual house, his Church, by which we enter into the glory of heaven.

22. "And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house."]-The place where I set up this stone shall be dedicated to the worship and service of my God, where I will build an altar to his name.

XXIX. 12. "Her father's brother," &c.]-Her father's cousin or nephew.

17. "Leah was tender eyed," &c.]-Leah had an unbecoming weakness in her eyes.

27. "Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also," &c.]— Do thou celebrate the consummation of Leah's marriage seven days, according to the custom; and then, when this former marriage is fully ratified and complete, I will give thee her other sister to wife.

31. "That Leah was hated," &c.]-That Leah was less regarded or disesteemed in comparison of Rachel.

XXX. 1. "Give me children, or else I die," &c.]—Grief and impatience will kill me, if I have not children from thy loins, as well as my sister Leah.

3. "Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her."]-Behold my maid Bilhah; go, retire thyself into her chamber, and lie with her; and I shall have children by her, which I shall bear upon my knees, and in my bosom, as my own.

4. "And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife."]-Then she gave him Bilhah her maid, to converse with as a wife.

14. " And found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah."]-And found mandrake apples in the field, which he had perceived his mother to esteem for their medicinable use, and brought them therefore to her.

18. "And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband."]-Then said Leah, God hath repaid me my reward for the good office which I did to my husband, in giving him my handmaid for his concubine.

22. "And God hearkened to her, and opened her womb."]And God heard her prayers, and gave her power to conceive.

40. "And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban."]—And turned the faces of those sheep which were in the flock of Laban towards the party-coloured and black which were of his flock, that the sight thereof might cause those colours in their conception.

XXXI. 7. “And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times," &c.]-But your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages agreed upon very often; but God hath so ordered it, that his changes have been no loss to my estate.

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10. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled."]-For in ramming time, God premonished me in a dream, of this course of enriching myself by the party-coloured goats, male and female; and of this means to effect that diversity of colour.

15. "Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money."]-Had he not dealt with us as strangers? for he hath sold us to thee for thy service instead of a dowry; and since he hath thus used us, shall we stay still that he may prey upon us, and consume that substance which we have.

19. "And Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's."] -Then Rachel, whether out of some superstition of her own, or in some purpose to bereave her father of those means of his idolatry, stole the images which her father had wont to worship.

20. "And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian."] -Then Jacob stole away secretly, without the knowledge or consent of Laban, his father-in-law.

23. "And he took his brethren with him."]-He took his Kinsfolk with him, &c.

35. "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me."]-The accustomed infirmity of women is upon me, and makes me unfit for these out

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