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The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:1-20
The death and burial of Sarah. I. THE DEATH OF SARAH. 1. The mournful event. The death of— 2. The attendant circumstances. Sarah died— II. THE BURIAL OF SARAH. 1. The days of mourning. "Abraham came to mourn and to weep…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:2
And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba—or city of Arba, Abraham having again removed thither after an absence of nearly forty years, during which interval Murphy thinks the reign of Arba the Anakite may have commenced, though K…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:3
And Abraham stood up—during the days of mourning he had been sitting on the ground; and now, his grief having moderated (Calvin), he goes out to the city gate—from before (literally, from over the face of) his dead,—"Sa…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:4
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Ger, one living out of his own country, and Thoshabh, one dwelling in a land in which he is not naturalized; advena et peregrinus (Vulgate); πάροικος καὶ παρ ἐπίδημος (LXX.)…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:7
And Abraham stood up (the customary posture among Orientals in buying and selling being that of sitting), and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Hath—an act of respect quite accordant with…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:10
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth. Not habitabat (Vulgate), in the sense of resided amongst, but sedebat, ἐκάθητο (LXX.); was then present sitting amongst the townspeople (Rosenmüller), but whether in the ca…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:11
Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee—an Oriental mode of expressing willingness to sell. Ephron would make a present of cave and field to the patriarch,—"and just so…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:16
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron (either as knowing that the price he asked was reasonable, or as being in no humor to bargain with him on the subject); and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver,—"Even this is still com…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:19
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife—with what funeral rites can only be conjectured. Monumental evidence attests that the practice of embalming the dead existed in Egypt in the reign of Amunophth I., though pr…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:20
And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the sons of Heth. The palpable discrepancy between the statements of the Hebrew historian in this chapter c…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 23:20
Lessons from the sepulcher. "And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place." Abraham's first and only possession in Canaan, a sepulcher. The importance of t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:1
And Abraham was old and well stricken in age:—literally, [lone into days (cf. Genesis 18:11), being now about 140 (vide Genesis 25:20)—and the Lord—Jehovah] not because the chapter is the exclusive composition of the Je…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:1-9
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:1-9
A bride for the heir.-1. Abraham and Eliezer, or the mission for the bride. I. THE TRUSTY MESSENGER. 1. His designation. 2. His qualification. II. THE IMPORTANT COMMISSION. 1. The purport of it. "To take a wife for Isaa…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:1-67
The unfolding of the Divine purpose. I. THE EXPANDED BLESSING. The first line of the web of sacred history stretches itself out to Mesopotamia. The aged patriarch, blessed of Jehovah in all things, is fading from our si…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:2-4
And Abraham said auto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had,—literally, to his servant, the old man, ancient or elder, of his house, the ruler over all which (sc. belonged) to him. The term זָ…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:5
And the servant said unto him (not having the same faith as his master), Peradventure (with perhaps a secret conviction that he ought to say, "Of a surety") the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Pri…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:6
No turning back. "And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again." Abraham's care to prevent the leaven of idolatry entering his family (cf. Exodus 34:16; 1 Corinthians 15:33; James 1:27…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:6-8
And Abraham said, Beware thou—literally, beware for thyself, the pleonastic pronoun being added by way of emphasis (cf. Genesis 12:1; Genesis 21:16; Genesis 22:5)—that thou bring not my son thither again. Literally, les…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:9
And the servant (understanding the nature of his mission, and feeling satisfied on the points that impinged upon his conscience) put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matte…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:10-28
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:10
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master,—to bear the presents for the bride, to enhance the dignity of his mission, and to serve as a means of transport for the bride and her companions on the return…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:10-28
A bride for the heir.-2. Eliezer and Rebekah, or the finding of the bride. I. THE MATRIMONIAL EMBASSY. 1. The departure from Hebron. With promptitude and alacrity, as became a servant executing the instructions of a mas…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:11
And he made his camels to kneel down—"a mode of expression taken from actual life. The action is literally kneeling; not stooping, sitting, or lying down on the side like a horse, but kneeling on his knees; and this the…