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used as synonymous terms, signifying to die.' So also Ps. 39. 13, Spare me, that I may recover strength before I go (hence,) and be no more.' Ps. 58. 8, As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away; Heb. let him go (away;') i. e. let him die. Gr. I am being dismissed;' the same word as that used by Simeon, Luke 2. 29, 'Now lettest thou thy servant depart (be dismissed from the flesh) in peace." Targ. Jon. Seeing I depart out of this world.'Steward;' i. e. administrator, dispenser. Heb. Ben meshek,' son of administration, or stewardship; or, son of running about; as one who occupies the station of head-servant in the midst of a numerous household. So, 1 Kings 1. 52, son of strength,' for strong man; Ezek. 4. 1, sons of captivity,' for captives. Jer. 48. 45, sons of uproar,' for tumultuous persons. Prov. 31. 5, sons of oppression,' for oppressed ones. Chal. son of feeding or governing, he who is in my house.' -Eliezer of Damascus ;' Heb. this Damascene, or Damasco-man, Eliezer.'

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Gen. 24. 2,

What is elsewhere said of this chief of the household servants of Abram? with the note.

Elie

Eliezer;' Heb. help of God.' From the name zer,' or as it is written, Ex. 6. 25, Eleazer,' comes the apocapated Lazar,' and from this, by adding the termination os, the Gr. Lazaros;' Eng. 'Lazarus.' Guided by this clue, we learn why it is that our Saviour, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16. 23, represents Lazarus as being in Abraham's bosom;' i. e. seated familiarly with him at the same table. It is because there is a covert allusion, in the person of Lazarus, to this same Eliezer, the patriarch's venerable steward. Since the discourse, Luke 16. 20, is concerning Abraham and Lazarus, who would not call to mind Abraham and Eleazer his servant, one born at Damascus, a Gentile by birth, and some time the heir apparent of Abraham, but shut

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out of the inheritance by the birth of Isaac, yet restored here into Abraham's bosom? Which I leave to the judgment of the reader, whether it might not hint the calling of the Gentiles into the faith of Abraham.'-LIGHTFOOT.

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What fears did Abram farther express as to the fulfilment of the Divine promise, and what did God say to allay his fears? v. 3, 4. No seed;' Chal. no child. One born in my house; Heb. son of my house;' i. e. a home-born servant, in opposition to 'son of the womb,' Prov. 31. 2; or one's own proper child. Is mine heir; Heb. is inheriting me;' i. e. is about to inherit me. To inherit one' is a Hebraism for inheriting one's goods, or estate.' Thus, Jer. 49. 1, Why then doth their king inherit Gad?' This is explained in the ensuing clause to import dwelling in his cities.' By the like idiom, to possess great nations,' Deut. 9. I, is to possess their lands, cities, and substance, for the nations themselves were to be destroyed. So, Ps. 79. 7,They have devoured Jacob;' i. e. they have consumed his possessions. 2 Cor. 11. 20, 'Ye suffer if a man devour you;' i. e. devour your property.' And behold.' The phrase intimates the Lord's speedy reply to Abram's complaints. Gr. And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him.'

What was done moreover for the confirmation of Abram's faith? v. 5.

'Brought him forth abroad;' i. e. brought him forth in vision; this was a part of the imaginary scenery presented to his mind in his entranced state. The Scripture usually represents that which is done in vision as if it were a historical fact. Thus Jeremiah is said, Jer. 13. 4, 5, to have been commanded 'to go to Euphrates and hide his girdle there in a hole of the rock;' So I went,' says he,' and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.' But the Euphrates was the river of Babylon, and the history of Jeremiah

makes it evident that he was never at Babylon; so that this affair must have been transacted in vision at Jerusalem. In like manner Ezekiel, ch. 8, 7, 9, was commanded to dig a hole in the wall in the temple at Jerusalem to see the wicked abominations that were done there, while he was all the time abiding with the captives at Babylon. In the same manner are many of the symbolical acts of the prophets to be interpret ed, particularly the commanded marriage of Hosea with an adulterous woman. So in the present case we suppose the vision mentioned, v. 1, to be continued, and it is obvious that to a man in a trance stars may be made to appear at noon-day, as well as at any other time. Tell the stars,' &c; Heb. Number the stars if thou be able to number them.' Some have supposed that this promise has respect mainly to Abram's spiritual seed, who are likened to the stars, as being heavenly in their nature, and giving light to the world, while the former promise, ch. 13. 16, refers to his carnal or natural seed, compared to the dust, being as of the earth, earthy.' This, though a pious supposition, is perhaps not capable of being satisfactorily established.

What effect was hereby produced upon the mind of Abram, and how was it regarded by God? v. 6.

เ Believed in the Lord.' The Gr. renders it believed God,' omitting the in, which is followed by the Apostle, Rom. 4. 3. In other cases, there appears to be a designed distinction between 'believing,' and 'believing in.' The devils may believe' Christ, a saint. only can believe in' him. The Heb. term for be-. lieve, Aman,' from which comes the familiar word 'Amen,' so be it, signifies to le firm, fixed, stable, sure; and in the Hiphil conjugation used here, to make sure, to establish, to fix firm. Applied to faith, therefore, it signifies a degree of assured confidence amounting as it were to a creative efficiency, making to exist,

substantiating, and confirming, the things which are believed, calling things which are not as though they were.' Thus faith is the substance of things hoped for.' And for this reason Christ is denominated 'the Amen, the faithful and true witness,' from his being the ground of the most fixed and stable confidence, whose fidelity or trust-worthiness may be relied upon with unbounded assurance. He counted it to him for righteousness;' Gr. 'it was counted or imputed to him for righteousness.' So also the Apostle, Rom. 4. 3, and so the Chaldee. We take the passive form of rendering, therefore, to be the most correct. See Gen. 16. 14. It is not to be supposed that Abram now first began to believe in God, for the Apostle assures us, Heb. 11. 8, 9, that it was by faith that he obeyed when called, long before this, to forsake his native country, and sojourn in a strange land; nor is it probable that his faith had never before been counted to him for righteousness, or as a ground of justification; but the exercise of his faith on this occasion was signally illustrious, and accordingly it was marked with a corresponding emphasis of honorable testimony. The imputation was not merely in the Divine mind, but made also a matter of public and lasting record, or in other words, set down to his credit.

Is the same phraseology applied to any other individual in the sacred volume? Ps. 106. 31.

On what ground under the Gospel are men counted righteous? Rom. 4. 23, 24; Gal. 2. 6, 14.

How is this language guarded in other parts of the Scripture? James 2. 20-24.

What else did God say to Abram, and what was his reply? v. 7. 8.

I am the Lord,' &c; q. d. 'Thou hast well done in so fully believing my word, for I am he,' &c. How shall I know?' Abram's interrogation here is not to be

construed as a mark of the temporary failure of his faith, nor as implying that he himself needed an extraordinary confirmation of the Divine promise; but for the sake of his posterity, who might be tempted, from the difficulties to be encountered, to despair of realizing the truth of the prediction, he desired some clear testimonial which should have the effect of ratifying to their minds like the seal of a covenant, the solemn engagement of the Most High. This request God was graciously pleased to grant, as it is expressly said, v. 18, that in that same day the Lord made covenant with Abram,' in reference to which the symbolical transaction here related, was ordered. Of this the memory would naturally be preserved and cherished among his descendants as an infallible token of the fulfilment of the great promise.

What was he then required to do, and how did he execute the command? v. 9, 10.

And he took unto him ;' i. e. unto God, or for God, who had said before, Take me,' Heb. 'take unto me.' -And divided.' As Abram had received no command to divide the animals, it is doubtful whether the words are to be understood of him, or whether the act of division was performed by God. Venema, an eminent expositor, is of the latter opinion. In this interpretation we are inclined to concur, especially as the mention of Abram's name, v. 11, seems to imply that the preceding context had respect to another person.The birds divided he not.' From this it is perhaps to be inferred that the birds were not slain at all, as nothing is said to that effect. If the divided animals were designed to represent the Jewish nation, the scope of the vision may be to intimate that however that afflicted race might be cut in pieces and torn asunder as a nation, yet the period of their deliverance would arrive, when they should be again restored, one part to another; or as the prophet expresses it, when the bones should come together, bone to his bone;'