A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

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Genesis 23

¹ And Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old; these were the years of the life of Sarah. — Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old; Sarah is the only woman whose age at her death is mentioned in the Bible, an honour doubtless given her as the ancestress of the Hebrew heritage.

² And Sarah died in Kirjatharba (the same is Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. — Abraham came to mourn; at this period Abraham was in quiet possession of several homes, and apparently was himself at Beersheba when Sarah died at Hebron, where probably he had left Isaac in charge of his mother and the cattle;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “And Sarah died in Kiryath Arba, which is Hebron. And Abraham came from the mountain of worship, and found that she was dead; and he sat to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.”

³ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the sons of Heth, saying, — the sons of Heth; it now appears that it was associates of the Hittites, a race who, while the Israelites sojourned in Egypt, became so powerful as to contend for empire with the Egyptians themselves;

⁴ “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession for a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” — sell me a possession of a buryingplace with you; not that he desired it as a free gift, but that he might be allowed to make a purchase of a piece of ground to bury his dead in;

⁵ And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, — the children of Heth, so called from Heth the son of Canaan, Genesis 10:15, “And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth;”

⁶ “Hear us, my lord: Thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choicest of our sepulchers bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, that thou mayest bury thy dead.” — in the choice of our sepulchres; the meeting between Abraham and the Hittites is marked by the utmost courtesy on both sides;

⁷ And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. — Abraham bowed himself; thus returning them thanks for their kind offer, with all proper decency and respect.

⁸ And he communed with them, saying, “If it be in your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, — hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar; a principal man among the Hittites, who had a field and a cave in it;

⁹ that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he hath, which is in the end of his field. For as much money as it is worth he shall give it to me as a possession for a burying place amongst you.” — the cave of Machpelah; seems like a double cave as the Targum of Jonathan renders it, “the double cave” consisting probably of an outer and an inner compartment;

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

Then Abraham got up, bowed respectfully to the people of the land, the Hittites, and said, “If you’re serious about helping me give my wife a proper burial, intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar.

“Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns, the one at the end of his land. Ask him to sell it to me at its full price for a burial plot, with you as witnesses.” Genesis 23:87-9 MSG

¹⁰ And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, — the transaction now comes to be between Abraham and Ephron; the sons of Heth were seated in council, and Ephron among them.

¹¹ “Nay, my lord, hear me: The field give I thee; and the cave that is therein, I give it to thee. In the presence of the sons of my people give I it to thee; bury thy dead.” — the field give I thee; not only the cave had been mentioned, but for its quiet possession the land around it as well;

¹² And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. — and Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land; showing hereby great respect, and giving much honour both to them and Ephron; 

¹³ And he spoke unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me. I will give thee money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.” — I will give thee money; Abraham was rich in silver and gold, and therefore thought it unjust to take advantage of Ephron’s generosity;

¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

¹⁵ “My lord, hearken unto me: The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead.”

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

Abraham bowed respectfully before the assembled council and answered Ephron: “Please allow me—I want to pay the price of the land; take my money so that I can go ahead and bury my wife.”

Then Ephron answered Abraham, “If you insist, master. What’s four hundred silver shekels between us? Now go ahead and bury your wife.” Genesis 23:12-15

¹⁶ And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed the silver for Ephron which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth: four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. — Abraham weighed; current money with the merchant; shekel literally means weight, and money was not coined until long afterwards;

¹⁷ And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field that were in all the borders round about, were secured

¹⁸ unto Abraham as a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (the same is Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ And the field and the cave that is therein were secured unto Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the sons of Heth.

— the Message Bible has these few verses as:

That’s how Ephron’s field next to Mamre—the field, its cave, and all the trees within its borders—became Abraham’s property. The town council of Hittites witnessed the transaction.

Abraham then proceeded to bury his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah that is next to Mamre, present-day Hebron, in the land of Canaan. The field and its cave went from the Hittites into Abraham’s possession as a burial plot. Genesis 23:17-20

Genesis 24

¹ And Abraham was old and well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. — Abraham, who was a centenarian at Isaac’s birth, would now be nearly 140; as he lived to be 175 (Genesis 25:7), he survived Isaac’s marriage thirty-five years, and lived to see Esau and Jacob nearly grown up.

² And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh;

— Eliezer, his servant, the Targum of Jonathan named him, the senior of his house, put thy hand under my thigh; as Jacob requires that Joseph should swear to him in the same manner (Genesis 47:29), this form of oath was evidently regarded as a very solemn one;

³ and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. — that thou wilt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites; these being not only idolaters, and very wicked people, the seed of the accursed Canaan; 

⁴ But thou shalt go unto my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” — my kindred, the family of Nahor, concerning the increase whereof he had received information, Genesis 22:20, which he justly preferred before the wicked Canaanites;

⁵ And the servant said unto him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land. Must I bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” — must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? that is, must I agree with the woman on these terms, and promise that Isaac shall come and dwell with her in Mesopotamia?

⁶ And Abraham said unto him, “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. — it was dangerous for Isaac to go, where, though there was some knowledge of the true God, yet there was much idolatry there, lest he should be corrupted, and degenerate from the true religion.

⁷ The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke unto me and who swore unto me, saying, ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land,’ He shall send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence.

— saying, unto thy seed will I give this land; the land of Canaan; and therefore his son, in whom his seed was to be called, must not be removed from hence, and settled in another country;

⁸ And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only bring not my son thither again.” — then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; the sense is, when he had done all he could to get the consent of the damsel to go with him and marry his master’s son; and after all she could not be prevailed upon to come with him, then he was free from his oath;

⁹ And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning that matter. — and the servant, Eliezer, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master; or being satisfied of the nature and extent of his oath, and thoroughly understanding how he was to act upon it;

¹⁰ And the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master and departed, for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. — the servant took ten camels to the city of Nahor; this was Harran (Genesis 27:43); the city of Nahor; this was the brother of Abraham;

¹¹ And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. — Eliezer made his camels to kneel down; probably to unload them; kneeling, however, is the posture in which they take their rest.

¹² And he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. — as a circumcised member of Abraham’s household, the servant also prays to Yehovah, Abraham’s God;

¹³ Behold, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. — Eliezer stand here by the well of water, wishing, hoping that something would turn out that would direct and instruct what further to do, and that would lead on to the business he came about;

— and during the evening, the daughters of the men of the city came out to draw water; which was the usual custom in those days.

¹⁴ And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, ‘Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also’ — let the same be she whom Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast shown kindness unto my master.”

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

The servant took ten of his master’s camels and, loaded with gifts from his master, traveled to Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. Outside the city, he made the camels kneel at a well.

It was evening, the time when the women came to draw water. He prayed, “O God, God of my master Abraham, make things go smoothly this day; treat my master Abraham well!

As I stand here by the spring while the young women of the town come out to get water, let the girl to whom I say, ‘Lower your jug and give me a drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and let me also water your camels’

—let her be the woman you have picked out for your servant Isaac. Then I’ll know that you’re working graciously behind the scenes for my master.” Genesis 24:10-14 MSG

¹⁵ And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. — the response was immediate and direct. “He had not yet done speaking,” when the answer came.

¹⁶ And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her; and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up. — neither had any man known her; not only was reckoned a virgin, but was really one, pure and incorrupt;

¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water from thy pitcher.” — and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher; or taste a little of it, or suffer me to swallow a little of it;

¹⁸ And she said, “Drink, my lord”; and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. — and she said, drink, my lord, signifying at once that he was welcome to drink what he would, giving him a very respectable title;

¹⁹ And when she had done giving him drink, she said, “I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.” — she said, I will draw water for thy camels also; she proposed to go back to the well, and did, and fill her pitcher, and repeat it as often as was necessary, until the camels had enough;

²⁰ And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. — and ran again to the well to draw water; and which must be repeated several times to have enough for all the camels;

²¹ And the man, wondering at her, held his peace to learn whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. — the servant, Eliezer, was astonished at the exactness and quickness with which his prayer was being answered;

²² And it came to pass, as the camels were done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, — earring; really nose-ring; for in Genesis 24:47 the man places it on her nose, wrongly translated face in our version;

²³ and said, “Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee, is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?” — whose daughter art thou? the reason of this question is, because by her answer to it he would know whether she was of the family related to Abraham;

²⁴ And she said unto him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore unto Nahor.” — which she bare unto Nahor; Abraham’s brother; so that her father was Nahor’s son, not by his concubine Reumah, but by his lawful wife Milcah.

²⁵ She said moreover unto him, “We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.” — we have both straw and provender enough; for the camels, straw for their litter, and provender for their food, as hay, barley;

— and room to lodge in; for him and his men; this she could venture to say, and invite him to come and take up his quarters in her father’s house;

²⁶ And the man bowed down his head, and worshiped the Lord. — Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped; the bowing of the head and of the body are here combined to indicate the aged servant’s deep thankfulness and respect for the guidance of the Lord.

²⁷ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master from His mercy and His truth. I, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” — blessed be the Lord God of my master; here again this servant shows a noble example in returning thanks to God, as soon as he finds that his errand is likely to succeed.

²⁸ And the damsel ran and told those of her mother’s house these things. — and the damsel ran; having invited him to come and lodge at her father’s house, that he might not be brought in abruptly, she ran before to acquaint the family of what had passed;

²⁹ And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran out unto the man by the well. — her brother Laban had responsed to her account, hurried out to the stranger at the well, but her father Bethuel absent; perhaps being old, or sick in bed (but alive, verse 50), thus not involved;

³⁰ And it came to pass, when he saw the earring, and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus spoke the man unto me,” that he came unto the man; and behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

³¹ And he said, “Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. Why standest thou outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.” — being hospitable, Laban ready himself with his sister to find the man, and invite him, as a matter of course, to his father’s house.

³² And the man came into the house; and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. — and Eliezer ungirded his camels; took off their bridles, which hindered them from eating, as the Targum of Jonathan says; or loosed their girts and took off their burdens, that they might have rest;

³³ And there was meat set before him to eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have told mine errand.” And he said, “Speak on.” — aware of this feeling, Abraham’s servant will not partake of Laban’s bread and salt until he has told his request;

³⁴ And he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. — I am Abraham’s servant, Eliezer; not Abraham himself, this undeceived Laban, if he so thought, but a servant of his;

³⁵ And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and He hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. — and he is become great; in the world, and highly honoured and esteemed among men:

³⁶ And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and unto him hath he given all that he hath. — and Sarah, my master’s wife; who must be well known to this family, by name at least, being, as is generally supposed, the sister of Milcah, Nahor’s wife, and Bethuel’s mother;

³⁷ And my master made me swear, saying, ‘Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; — and my master made me swear; the servant relates the oath his master made him take, and the charge he gave him,

³⁸ but thou shalt go unto my father’s house and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.’ — the servant declined all attention to his own comforts till he had told his master’s mission and his errand;

³⁹ And I said unto my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’

⁴⁰ And he said unto me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with thee and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. — Abraham’s other children by Hagar and Keturah were dismissed with portions during his life, but the main bulk of his property was conveyed to Isaac.

⁴¹ Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.’ — the words oath and curse are often times indifferently used, because they commonly go together, and sometimes they are both expressed, as an example in Numbers:

then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman — “the Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot and thy belly to swell. Numbers 5:21

⁴² And I came this day unto the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way which I go, — and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham; being come to the well, he prayed:

⁴³ behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, “Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink,”

⁴⁴ and she say to me, “Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels,” let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.’

⁴⁵ And before I was done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well and drew water. And I said unto her, ‘Let me drink, I pray thee.’ — speaking in mine heart; the idiom is far more exact and true: namely, before I had done speaking to my heart;

⁴⁶ And she made haste and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also’; so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.

⁴⁷ And I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter art thou?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore unto him’; and I put the earring upon her face and the bracelets upon her hands. — and she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him:

⁴⁸ And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. — and Eliezer, the servant, bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord;

⁴⁹ And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” — and if not, tell me: if you do not choose to gratify my master, and are not hearty in this matter, let me know.

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing proceedeth from the Lord; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. — Rebekah’s father, Bethuel, is placed after the brother; is now finally in the scene; and his consent was finally given;

— but Josephus testifies differently:

Nor did she disdain to satisfy his inquiries, but told him her family. “They,” says she, “call me Rebeka; my father was Bethuel, but he is dead; and Laban is my brother; and, together with my mother, takes care of all our family affairs, and is the guardian of my virginity.” (Antiquities. l. 1. c. 16. sect. 2)

⁵¹ Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.” — Bethuel, the father, had confirmed giving his consent;

⁵² And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. — and Eliezer, the servant, worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth;

⁵³ And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. — and Eliezer brought forth more jewels of silver, and gold;

⁵⁴ And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and tarried all night; and they arose up in the morning, and he said, “Send me away unto my master.” — and they did eat and drink, he, Eliezer and the men that were with him, every thing being settled with respect to the affair he came about,

⁵⁵ And her brother and her mother said, “Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she shall go.” — no reason was given why they ask for a delay of ten days; or more, but;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds the father died feasting, asking for delays:

But as they were talking in the evening, Bethuel had eaten of that prepared food; and in the morning they found that he was dead.

And the brother and mother said therefore, Let the damsel dwell with us the days of one year or ten months, and then she shall go.

⁵⁶ And he said unto them, “Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master.” — but Eliezer, the servant, resisted any more delays; knowing his master could be too anxious for any delay; and might end like Bethuel;

⁵⁷ And they said, “We will call the damsel, and inquire from her mouth.” — still urging his suit for permission to depart, they proposed the matter so important for all concern; so they decided to hear that from the horses’s mouth;

⁵⁸ And they called Rebekah and said unto her, “Wilt thou go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” — her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind, perhaps was under a divine impulse;

⁵⁹ And they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. — Rebekah and her nurse, named as Deborah as appears in Genesis 35:8;

⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her, “Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of millions; and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them.”

— they, her mother, father, and brother blessed Rebekah; the meaning of this verse is, that they prayed God to make her very fruitful, and to render her posterity, the Edomites and Israelites, both victorious over their enemies;

— and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them; exercise dominion and authority over their enemies: the Suez and Parama canals;

⁶¹ And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels and followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah and went his way. — and Rebekah arose, and her damsels; her maids that were given her by her parents to wait upon her, as was usual in those days and times;

⁶² And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. — for he dwelt in the south country: at Beersheba, to which Abraham, it seems, was returned again; for that they dwelt together;

⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide; and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels were coming. — to meditate; this is a characteristic of Isaac’s retiring, contemplative mood. Abraham was the active, authoritative father; Isaac was the passive, submissive son;

⁶⁴ And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she alighted from the camel. — she concludes at once that this must be he, and, alighting, asks if it be.

⁶⁵ For she had said unto the servant, “What man is this who walketh in the field to meet us?” And the servant had said, “It is my master”; therefore she took a veil and covered herself. — on being informed by the servant that this is his young master, she puts on the veil, which covers the head;

⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. — no reference was made of Abraham; where was he and what happened to him? Living elsewhere?

⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. — Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, partly to give her possession of it, and partly to consummate the marriage. Women then had their tents apart from men.

— and flashing forward for prophetic significance in the Targum of Jonathan:

“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck….and then will I kill Jakob my brother,” Genesis 27:40-41 Jonathan

or for a more modern unabridge version:

“And by your sword shall you live, you will go to every place, and wander, and you will be subject to your brother. But if his descendants abandon the commandments of the Torah, then you will break his yoke from your neck.”

“And Esau harbored hatred in his heart against Jacob his brother because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, ‘I will not do as Cain did, who killed Abel during their father’s lifetime and then their father had another son, Seth. Rather, I will wait until the days of mourning for my father have passed, and then I will kill Jacob my brother, and I will be the sole heir.'” Genesis 27:40-41 Jonathan (unabridge)

~ by Joel on August 3, 2024.

Posted in Books of Moses