In this chapter an account is given of the call of Abram to depart from his own country, with a promise of a divine blessing, Gen. 12:1–3 of his obedience to it, Gen. 12:4, Gen.

Now the Lord had said unto Abram In Ur of the Chaldees, before he came and dwelt in Charran, as seems from and so Aben Ezra interprets it; but Jarchi and others think, that what follows was said to him in Haran, and so the words may be more literally rendered [[19]], “and the Lord said unto Abram”;…

And I will make of thee a great nation In a literal sense, as the people of the Jews were that descended from him, and in a spiritual sense believers in all ages and of all nations, that walk in the steps of the faith of Abram, who are his children, and are blessed with him: and I will bless thee;…

And I will bless them that bless thee Not the priests only that should bless his children, the children of Israel, as the Targum of Jonathan, but all men of all nations, and of every age, that speak well of him, commend him for his faith and holiness, and tread in his steps, these are blessed with…

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him Or, “when the Lord had spoken to him”, as Cocceius renders the words; when he had called him a second time, even when in Haran, immediately after the death of his father Terah; as soon as ever the words were spoken to him before recorded, he…

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, &c.] The son of Haran his brother, not against their wills, but with their full consent: Sarai went readily with him, not only as being his wife, and so obliged by the law of marriage and tie of relation, but on the score of religion; and…

And Abram passed through the land Entering the northern part of it, as appears by his going southward, he went on unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh; the place afterwards called Shechem, from a prince of that name in the times of Jacob; and so it was called when Moses wrote, and…

And the Lord appeared unto Abram Perhaps in an human form, and so it was the Son of God; for whenever there was any visible appearance of a divine Person, under the former dispensation, it seems to be always of the essential Word, that was to be incarnate, and who spake with an articulate voice:…

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel As it was afterwards called by Jacob, which before and at this time had the name of Luz, now to the east of this place was a mountain, whither Abram removed his tent from Sichem, which was about twenty miles from it, as Sir Walter…

And Abram journeyed He did not stay long in the mountain between Bethel and Hai, but moved from thence, and kept on journeying in the land of Canaan: going on still toward the south; the southern part of the land of Canaan, which lay nearest Egypt, into which he is said to go next, the occasion of…

And there was a famine in the land The land of Canaan, which was a very fruitful country, abounding with all kind of provisions usually; but now there was a scarcity of all; and which was both for the sins of the inhabitants of the land, and for the trial of Abram’s faith, who was brought out of…

And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt Just entering into it, having travelled from the mountain between Bethel and Hai, two hundred and forty miles [[14]]; or when he “caused to come near” [[15]], either his camp, as Aben Ezra supplies it, or his tent, or his family, as…

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee Who were a lustful people, and whose eyes would soon be fastened upon, and be taken with the beauty of Sarai: that they shall say, this is his wife; this beautiful woman is such a man’s wife: and they will kill me, but they will…

Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister Which though it was not putting a direct lie into her mouth, she being his sister in some sense, as appears from yet it was done to conceal truth, and to deceive the Egyptians, and tended to endanger his wife’s chastity, as well as showed great timorousness…

And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, &c.] To the city of Heliopolis; for there it was that Abram had his abode, as Eupolemus [[16]] says, when upon the famine he went into Egypt, and where he conversed with the Egyptian priests, and taught them astrology, and other things…

The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh The king of Egypt; so it seems by this, that Abram and Sarai were at the place where the court was kept, which the Arabic writers [[18]] say was Mesr (or Memphis), the capital of the kingdom.

And he entreated Abram well for her sake Pharaoh was very complaisant to him, showed him great respect, and bestowed many favours on him on account of Sarai, whom he took to be his sister, and which were done, that he would consent that she might be his wife: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he…

And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues Perhaps with the same sort that Abimelech and his servants were smote with on a like account, (Gen. 20:17, Gen. 20:18) .

And Pharaoh called Abram, and said Understanding how it was, that Sarai was his wife, which he came at the knowledge of, either by consulting his priests and diviners, as some say, on account of the plagues inflicted; or rather suspecting they were on the account of Sarai, from the nature of them,…

Why saidst thou, she is my sister? &c.] He could not imagine what could be the reason of it, what could induce him to give out such a story as this; for he knew not the fears that Abram was possessed with, which led him to it, and which might be in a good measure groundless, or else Pharaoh might…

And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him His courtiers and servants, not to do him any hurt or injury in his person or substance; who he might suppose would be enraged at hearing how the king and they had been imposed upon and deceived; he ordered a guard about him while he was there, and to…