Genesis 15

Gen 15:1 After these things the Word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield and your exceeding great reward.

the word of the Lord - Christ, the essential Word, appeared to Abram in an human form, visible to him, and with an articulate voice spoke unto him. The word of the Lord is a phrase used, when connected with a vision, to denote a prophetic message. This is the first place where God is represented as revealing himself by his word.

I am thy shield - to protect him against all his enemies. Ephesians 6:16 Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

and thy exceeding great reward - the Lord himself would be his reward.

There have been various conjectures concerning the manner in which God revealed his will, not only to the patriarchs, but also to the prophets, evangelists, and apostles. It seems to have been done in different ways. 1. By a personal appearance of him who was afterwards incarnated for the salvation of mankind. 2. By an audible voice, sometimes accompanied with emblematical appearances. 3. By visions which took place either in the night in ordinary sleep, or when the persons were cast into a temporary trance by daylight, or when about their ordinary business, 4. By the ministry of angels appearing in human bodies, and performing certain miracles to accredit their mission. 5. By the powerful agency of the Spirit of God upon the mind, giving it a strong conception and supernatural persuasion of the truth of the things perceived by the understanding.

the word of the Lord - Genesis 20:7 Now therefore, restore his wife to the man. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for you, and you shall live. And if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you, and all that are yours. Here Abram’s role as prophet is developed. God’s words to Abram is even introduced in the style in which later prophets are address: “the word of the Lord came to Abram.” Abram saw this in a vision. The Hebrew word mahazeh for vision only occurs in one other place: with Balaam in Numbers 24.

Gen 15:2 And Abram said, Lord God, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

And Abram said - The late Dr. Dodd has a good thought on this passage; “I would read, says he, “the second verse in a parenthesis, thus: For Abram Had said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, etc. Abram had said this in the fear of his heart, upon which the Lord vouchsafed to him this prophetical view, and this strong renovation of the covenant. In this light all follows very properly. Abram had said so and so in Gen_15:2, upon which God appears and says, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. The patriarch then, Gen_15:3, freely opens the anxious apprehension of his heart, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed, etc., upon which God proceeds to assure him of posterity.”

Lord God - The name 'ǎdonāy is here for the first time used in the divine records. It denotes one who has authority; and, therefore, when applied to God, the Supreme Lord. Abram hereby acknowledges Yahweh as Supreme Judge and Governor, and therefore entitled to dispose of all matters concerning his present or prospective welfare.

What wilt thou give me? - Of what use will land or wealth be to me, the immediate reward specified by the promise? Eliezer of Damascus is the heir.

Eliezer of Damascus – who is this steward of his house, this Eliezer of Damascus, commentators are not agreed. The translation of the Septuagint is at least curious: Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Master [and] Lord, what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus [is mine heir.] (Septuagint) The son of Masek intimates that they supposed meshek, which we translate steward, to have been the name of a female slave, born in the family of Abram, of whom was born this Eliezer, who on account of the country either of his father or mother, was called a Damascene or one of Damascus. He is said to be of Damascus; either he was born there, or his parents, one or other, were from thence, who very probably were Abram's servants; and this Eliezer was born in his house, as seems from Genesis 15:3.

Gen 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, You have given no seed to me. And behold, one born in my house is my heir.

one born in my house is mine heir - meaning either Eliezer or his son, whom he had made his heir, or intended to make him, since he had no child. According to the usage of nomadic tribes, his chief confidential servant, would be heir to his possessions and honors. But this man could have become his son only by adoption.

Gen 15:4 And behold, the Word of Jehovah came to him saying, This one shall not be your heir. But he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir.

Gen 15:5 And He brought him outside and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your seed be.

The Lord reiterates the promise concerning the seed. As he had commanded him to view the land, and see in its dust the emblem of the multitude that would spring from him, so now, with a sublime simplicity of practical illustration, he brings him forth to contemplate the stars, and challenges him to tell their number, if he can; adding, “So shall thy seed be.” He that made all these out of nothing, by the word of his power, is able to fulfill his promise, and multiply the seed of Abram and Sarai. Here, we perceive, the vision does not interfere with the notice of the sensible world, so far as is necessary. This is also seen in other visions. Daniel 10:7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, so that they fled to hide themselves. John 12:29 Then the crowd who stood by and heard said that it thundered. Others said, An angel spoke to Him.

so shall thy seed be - as innumerable as the stars, as they were, even his natural seed, Hebrews 11:12 Heb 11:12 Because of this came into being from one, and that of one having died, even as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore; and especially his spiritual seed, who have the same kind of faith he had, and as they will be in the latter day particularly, Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there it shall be said to them, You are the sons of the living God.

Note that in this passage, the Lord compares Abram’s descendents to the stars in the heaven, a follow up to Abram’s confirmation of the Lord as Creator of heaven and earth. The comparison to the stars in heaven occurs frequently throughout the OT.

Gen 15:6 And he believed in Jehovah. And He counted it to him for righteousness.

And he counted it to him for righteousness –
First - From this confessedly weighty sentence we learn, implicitly, that Abram had no righteousness. And if he had not, no man had. We have seen enough of Abram to know this on other grounds. And here the universal fact of man’s depravity comes out into incidental notice, as a thing usually taken for granted, in the words of God.
Second - Righteousness is here imputed to Abram. Hence, mercy and grace are extended to him; mercy taking effect in the pardon of his sin, and grace in bestowing the rewards of righteousness.
Third - That in him which is counted for righteousness is faith in Yahweh promising mercy. In the absence of righteousness, this is the only thing in the sinner that can be counted for righteousness. First, it is not of the nature of righteousness. If it were actual righteousness, it could not be counted as such. But believing God, who promises blessing to the undeserving, is essentially different from obeying God, who guarantees blessing to the deserving. Hence, it has a negative fitness to be counted for what it is not. Secondly, it is trust in him who engages to bless in a holy and lawful way. Hence, it is that in the sinner which brings him into conformity with the law through another who undertakes to satisfy its demands and secure its rewards for him. Thus, it is the only thing in the sinner which, while it is not righteousness, has yet a claim to be counted for such, because it brings him into union with one who is just and having salvation.

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness - one of the most important passages in the whole Old Testament. It properly contains and specifies that doctrine of justification by faith which engrosses so considerable a share of the epistles of Paul, and at the foundation of which is the atonement made by the Son of God: And he (Abram) believed heemin, he put faith) in Jehovah, vaiyachshebeita lo, and he counted it - the faith he put in Jehovah, to Him for righteousness, tsedakah, or justification; though there was no act in the case but that of the mind and heart, no work of any kind. Hence the doctrine of justification by faith, without any merit of works; for in this case there could be none - no works of Abram which could merit the salvation of the whole human race. It was the promise of God which he credited, and in the blessedness of which he became a partaker through faith.

And he believed in the Lord - That is, believed the truth of that promise which God had now made him, resting upon the power, and faithfulness of him that made it: see how the apostle magnifies this faith of Abram, and makes it a standing example, Romans 4:19-21 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead (being about a hundred years old) or the deadening of Sarah's womb. He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was also able to perform. He was not weak in faith; he staggered not at the promise: he was strong in faith; he was fully persuaded.

And he counted it to him for righteousness - That is, upon the score of this he was accepted of God, and, by faith he obtained witness that he was righteous, Heb_11:4 This is urged in the New Testament to prove, that we are justified by faith without the works of the law, Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness, for Abram was so justified, while he was yet uncircumcised. If Abram, that was so rich in good works, was not justified by them, but by his faith, much less can we. This faith, which was imputed to Abram for righteousness, had newly struggled with unbelief, Gen_15:2, and coming off, conqueror, it was thus crowned, thus honored.

and he counted it to him for righteousness - even Christ and his righteousness this was imputed to him without works, and while he was an uncircumcised person, for the proof of which the apostle produces this passage, Romans 4:3; wherefore this is not to be understood of any action of his being esteemed and accounted a righteous one, and he pronounced and acknowledged a righteous person on account of it; for Abram was not justified before God by his own works, but by the righteousness of faith, as all that believe are, that is, by the righteousness of Christ revealed to faith, and received by it: what is imputed is without a man, and the imputation of it depends upon the will of another; such the righteousness of Christ without works imputed by God the Father. This is the first time we read of believing, and as early do we hear of imputed righteousness.

Please note that first he had been counted righteous through his faith before the Lord entered into the covenant with Abram.

Gen 15:7 And He said to him, I am Jehovah that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.

the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees - not only called him, but brought him out of it; God had brought him out of this wicked place, and separated him from the men of it, and directed him to the land of Canaan. Note similarity to Exodus 20:2 I am Jehovah your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

to give thee this land to inherit it - to be an inheritance to his posterity for ages to come; he gave him the promise of it, and in some sense the possession of it, he being now in it.

Gen 15:8 And he said, Lord God, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?

This shall not be thine heir--To the first part of his address no reply was given; but having renewed it in a spirit of more becoming submission, "whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it" [Genesis 15:8], he was delighted by a most explicit promise of Canaan, which was immediately confirmed by a remarkable ceremony.

And he said, Lord God - Adonai Yehovah, my Lord Jehovah. Adonai is the word which the Jews in reading always substitute for Jehovah, as they count it impious to pronounce this name. Adonai signifies my director, basis, supporter, prop, or stay; and scarcely a more appropriate name can be given to that God who is the framer and director of every righteous word and action; the basis or foundation on which every rational hope rests; the supporter of the souls and bodies of men, as well as of the universe in general; the prop and stay of the weak and fainting, and the buttress that shores up the building, which otherwise must necessarily fall. This word often occurs in the Hebrew Bible, and is rendered in our translation Lord; the same term by which the word Jehovah is expressed: (but to distinguish between the two, and to show the reader when the original is Yehovah, and when Adonai, the first is always put in capitals, Lord, the latter in plain Roman characters, Lord).

Whereby shall I know - This did not proceed from distrust of God's power or promise, but he desired this, For the strengthening of his own faith. He believed, Gen_15:6, but here he prays, Lord help me against my unbelief, Now, he believed, but he desired a sign, to be treasured up against an hour of temptation. For the ratifying of the promise to his posterity, that they also might believe it. Not as questioning or doubting whether he should or not; but this he asked for the further confirmation of his faith in the promise, and for the sake of his posterity, that they might more easily and strongly believe that they should inherit the land given and promised to them; nor is it culpable to ask a sign of God with such a view; good men have done it, as Gideon, Judges 6:36-37 And Gideon said to God, If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said, behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the grain-floor. And if the dew is on the fleece only, and dry upon all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said, Hezekiah, 2 Kings 20:8-9 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day? And Isaiah said, This will be the sign from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken. Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? without being blamed for it; yea, Ahaz is blamed for not asking one, Isaiah 7:10-12 And the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I tempt the LORD.

Gen 15:9 And He said to him, Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

And He said to him - The Lord now directs him to make ready the things requisite for entering into a formal covenant regarding the land. These include all the kinds of animals afterward used in sacrifice. The number three is sacred, and denotes the perfection of the victim in point of maturity. The division of the animals refers to the covenant between two parties, who participate in the rights which it guarantees. The birds are two without being divided, just as in sacrifice the doves were not divided into pieces, but placed upon the fire whole (Lev_1:17). The animals chosen, as well as the fact that the doves were left whole, corresponded exactly to the ritual of sacrifice. Yet the transaction itself was not a real sacrifice, since there was neither sprinkling of blood nor offering upon an altar (oblatio), and no mention is made of the pieces being burned. The proceeding corresponded rather to the custom, prevalent in many ancient nations, of slaughtering animals when concluding a covenant, and after dividing them into pieces, of laying the pieces opposite to one another, that the persons making the covenant might pass between them. The wide extension of this custom is evident from the expression used to denote the conclusion of a covenant, to hew, or cut a covenant; whilst it is evident from Jeremiah 34:18 And I will give the men who have sinned against My covenant, who have not done the words of the covenant which they cut before Me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts, that this was still customary among the Israelites of later times. The choice of sacrificial animals for a transaction which was not strictly a sacrifice, was founded upon the symbolical significance of the sacrificial animals, i.e., upon the fact that they represented and took the place of those who offered them. In the case before us, they were meant to typify the promised seed of Abram. But there is no sure ground in Jer_34:18. for thus interpreting the ancient custom. The meaning which the prophet there assigns to the symbolical usage, may be simply a different application of it, which does not preclude an earlier and different intention in the symbol. The division of the animals probably denoted originally the two parties to the covenant, and the passing of the latter through the pieces laid opposite to one another, their formation into one: a signification to which the other might easily have been attached as a further consequence and explanation. And if in such a case the sacrificial animals represented the parties to the covenant, so also even in the present instance the sacrificial animals were fitted for that purpose, since, although originally representing only the owner or offerer of the sacrifice, by their consecration as sacrifices they were also brought into connection with Jehovah. But in the case before us the animals represented Abram and his seed, not in the fact of their being slaughtered, as significant of the slaying of that seed, but only in what happened to and in connection with the slaughtered animals: birds of prey attempted to eat them, and when extreme darkness came on, the glory of God passed through them. As all the seed of Abram was concerned, one of every kind of animal suitable for sacrifice was taken. God was now giving to Abram an epitome of that law and its sacrifices which he intended more fully to reveal to Moses; the essence of which consisted in its sacrifices, which typified the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

3 years old - Ramban thinks, that this number represents the three sorts of sacrifices, the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the peace offering; and that of these three kinds of animals. It is much better to interpret them of Abram's posterity, comparable to these creatures, both for their good and bad qualities; to an "heifer" for laboriousness in service, and patience in sufferings; and for their backslidings, Hosea 4:16 For Israel slides back like a backsliding heifer. Now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place; to a "goat" for their vicious qualities, their lusts and lasciviousness; and to a "ram," for their strength and fortitude; and to a "turtle," and a young pigeon, for their simplicity, innocence, and harmlessness, when they were in their purest state, Psalms 74:19 Do not deliver the soul of Your turtle dove to the multitude; forget not the congregation of Your poor forever; and it may be observed, that these were the only fowl used in sacrifice. One commentator says the idolatrous nations are compared in the Scriptures to bulls, rams, and goats; for it is written, Psalms 22:12 Many bulls have circled around Me; strong bulls Of Bashan have surrounded Me: Daniel 8:20-21 The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the shaggy goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. Song of Solomon 2:14 O My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is beautiful. The division of the above carcasses denotes the division and extermination of the idolatrous nations; but the birds not being divided, shows that the Israelites are to abide for ever.”

Gen 15:10 And he took all these to himself, and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece against one another; but he did not divide the birds.

and laid each piece one against another - as that there might be a passage between them; it being usual in making covenants for the covenanters to pass between the parts of a creature slain, signifying, that should they break the covenant made, they deserved to be cut asunder as that creature was. So a burning lamp, or lamp of fire, an emblem of the divine Being, is said, Genesis 15:17, to pass between those pieces.

but the birds divided he not - so the birds used in sacrifice under the law were not to be divided, Leviticus 1:17 And he shall cut it in two with the wings of it, not dividing it. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to the LORD.

Divided them in the midst - The ancient method of making covenants. A covenant always supposed one of these four things:
1. That the contracting parties had been hitherto unknown to each other, and were brought by the covenant into a state of acquaintance.
2. That they had been previously in a state of hostility or enmity, and were brought by the covenant into a state of pacification and friendship.
3. Or that, being known to each other, they now agree to unite their counsels, strength, property, etc., for the accomplishment of a particular purpose, mutually subservient to the interests of both. Or,
4. It implies an agreement to succor and defend a third party in cases of oppression and distress.

For whatever purpose a covenant was made, it was ever ratified by a sacrifice offered to God; and the passing between the divided parts of the victim appears to have signified that each agreed, if they broke their engagements, to submit to the punishment of being cut asunder; which we find from Matthew 24:51 And He shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; Luke 12:46 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know. And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers, was an ancient mode of punishment.

Gen 15:11 And when the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Abram drove them away - As the animals slain and divided represent the only mean and way through which the two parties can meet in a covenant of peace, they must be preserved pure and unmutilated for the end they have to serve. This is to be understood of birds of prey, as eagles, vultures, kites, crows, &c. and are an emblem of the Egyptians chiefly, and other enemies of Israel, who came upon them to devour them.

Gen 15:12 And it happened as the sun was setting, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram. And, behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him!

And the sun was about to set - This visit of the Lord to Abram continues for two nights, with the intervening day. In the former night he led him forth to view the stars Gen_15:5. The second night sets in with the consummation of the covenant Gen_15:17. The revelation comes to Abram in a trance of deep sleep. The Lord releases the mind from attention to the communications of sense in order to engage it with higher things. And he who makes the loftier revelation can enable the recipient to distinguish the voice of heaven from the play of fancy.

A deep sleep - tardemah, the same word which is used to express the sleep into which Adam was cast, previous to the formation of Eve; Genesis 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.

A horror of great darkness - Which God designed to be expressive of the affliction and misery into which his posterity should be brought during the four hundred years of their bondage in Egypt; as the next verse particularly states. The vision here passes into a prophetic sleep produced by God. In this sleep there fell upon Abram dread and darkness. The reference to the time is intended to show the supernatural character of the darkness and sleep, and the distinction between the vision and a dream. It also possesses a symbolical meaning. The setting of the sun prefigured to Abram the departure of the sun of grace, which shone upon Israel, and the commencement of a dark and dreadful period of suffering for his posterity, the very anticipation of which involved Abram in darkness. For the words which he heard in the darkness were these (Gen_15:13.): “Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them (the lords of the strange land), and they (the foreigners) shall oppress them 400 years.” That these words had reference to the sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt, is placed beyond all doubt by the fulfilment. The 400 years were, according to prophetic language, a round number for the 430 years that Israel spent in Egypt (Exo_12:40). “Also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge (see the fulfilment, Exo_6:11); and afterward shall they come out with great substance (the actual fact according to Exo_12:31-36). And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age (cf. Gen_25:7-8); and in the fourth generation they shall come hither again.” The calculations are made here on the basis of a hundred years to a generation: not too much for those times, when the average duration of life was above 150 years, and Isaac was born in the hundredth year of Abraham's life.

Gen 15:13 And He said to Abram, You must surely know that your seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs, and shall serve them. And they shall afflict them four hundred years.

Know, know thou - This responds to Abram’s question, Whereby shall I know? Gen_15:8. Four hundred years are to elapse before the seed of Abram shall actually proceed to take possession of the land. This interval can only commence when the seed is born; that is, at the birth of Isaac, when Abram was a hundred years of age and therefore thirty years after the call. During this interval they are to be, “first, strangers in a land not theirs” for one hundred and ninety years; and then for the remaining two hundred and ten years in Egypt: at first, servants, with considerable privilege and position; and at last, afflicted serfs, under a hard and cruel bondage. At the end of this period Pharaoh and his nation were visited with a succession of tremendous judgments, and Israel went out free from bondage “with great wealth” Exo. 12–14.

Thy seed shall be strangers - So they were in Canaan first, Psalms 105:11-12 saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; when they were a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it, and afterwards in Egypt: before they were lords of their own land, they were strangers in a strange land. Thus the heirs of heaven are first strangers on earth.

four hundred years - These four hundred years are to be reckoned from the birth of Isaac to the Israelites going out of Egypt.

Gen 15:14 And also I will judge that nation whom they shall serve. And afterward they shall come out with great substance.

will I judge - This points at the plagues of Egypt, by which God not only constrained the Egyptians to release Israel, but punished them for all the hardships they had put upon them. The punishing of persecutors is the judging of them; it is a righteous thing with God, and a particular act of justice, to recompense tribulation to those that trouble his people.

shall they come out with great substance - as they did after the four hundred years were ended, and after the Egyptian nation was judged and punished; then they came out of Egypt, with much gold, silver, jewels, and raiment, which they borrowed of the Egyptians, who were spoiled by them, though very justly; this being but a payment of them for the hard and long service with which they had served them; the exact fulfilment of prophecy, Exodus 11:2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow from his neighbor, and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and jewels of gold.

Gen 15:15 And you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall be buried in a good old age.

Go to thy fathers - This verse strongly implies the immortality of the soul, and a state of separate existence. This implies that the fathers, though dead, still exist. To go from one place to another implies, not annihilation, but the continuance of existence. The doctrine of the soul’s perpetual existence is here intimated. Abram died in peace and happiness, one hundred and fifteen years before the descent into Egypt.

thou shall be buried in a good old age - this signifies that he should live long.

Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

In the fourth age - An age here means the average period from the birth to the death of one man, generation. This use of the word is proved by Numbers 32:13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years until all the generation which had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed. This age or generation ran parallel with the life of Moses, and therefore consisted of one hundred and twenty years. Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Four such generations amount to four hundred and eighty or four hundred and forty years. From the birth of Isaac to the return to the land of promise was an interval of four hundred and forty years.

For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full - Amorite, the name of the most powerful tribe of the Canaanites, is used here as the common name of all the inhabitants of Canaan, just as in Jos_24:15.

for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full - and therefore as yet would not be turned out of the land, and the seed of Abram could not till then inherit it: wicked people have a measure of iniquity to fill up, which is known of God; some are longer, some are quicker in filling it up, during which time God waits patiently and bears with them; but, when it is completed, he stays no longer, but takes vengeance on them, Matthew 23:32 and you fill up the measure of your fathers. The Amorites were only one of the nations of the Canaanites, but were a very strong and powerful one, and are put for them all, and are the rather mentioned, because Abram at this time dwelt among them; and it seems as if there were some good men among them, such as the confederates of Abram might be, and they were not arrived to that depth of wickedness they afterwards would and did, and which brought on their ruin, and so made way for the posterity of Abram to inherit their land.

Gen 15:17 And it happened, the sun went down, and it was dark and behold, a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp passed between those pieces.

A burning lamp passed between the posts - On occasions of great importance, when two or more parties join in a compact, they either observe precisely the same rites as Abram did, or, where they do not, they invoke the lamp as their witness. According to this, the Lord Himself condescended to enter into covenant with Abram. The patriarch did not pass between the sacrifice and the reason was that in this transaction he was bound to nothing. He asked a sign, and God was pleased to give him a sign, by which, according to Eastern ideas, He bound Himself. In like manner God has entered into covenant with us; and in the glory of the only-begotten Son, who passed through between God and us, all who believe have, like Abram, a sign or pledge in the gift of the Spirit, whereby they may know that they shall inherit the heavenly Canaan.

Smoking furnace and a burning lamp - The oven of smoke and lamp of flame may symbolize the smoke of destruction and the light of salvation. Their passing through the pieces of the victims is the ratification of the covenant on the part of God, as the dividing and presenting of them were on the part of Abram. The propitiatory foundation of the covenant here comes into view, and connects Abram with Habel (Abel?) and Noah, the primeval confessors of the necessity of an atonement.

Smoking furnace and a burning lamp - Probably the smoking furnace might be designed as an emblem of the sore afflictions of the Israelites in Egypt; but the burning lamp was certainly the symbol of the Divine presence, which, passing between the pieces, ratified the covenant with Abram, as the following verse immediately states. Perhaps too this burning lamp prefigured the pillar of a cloud and fire which led them out of Egypt.

Passed between those pieces - The passing of these between the pieces was the confirming of the covenant God now made with him. It is possible this furnace and lamp, which passed between the pieces, burned and consumed them, and so completed the sacrifice, and testified God's acceptance of it, as of Gideon's, Judges 6:21 Then the Angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in His hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes . And there rose up fire out of the rock and burned up the flesh and the unleavened cakes . Then the Angel of Jehovah went away out of his sight. Manoah's, Judges 13:19-20 And Manoah took a kid with a food offering, and offered it upon a rock to the LORD, and did wonderfully. And Manoah and his wife looked on. For it happened when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, the Angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it and fell on their faces to. the ground. Solomon's, 2Chronicles 7:1 And when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. And the glory of the LORD filled the house. So it intimates, That God's covenants with man are made by sacrifice, Psalms 50:5 Gather My saints to Me; and those who cut My covenant by sacrifice, by Christ, the great sacrifice. God's acceptance of our spiritual sacrifices is a token for good, and an earnest of farther favors.

Passed between those pieces - It set before Abram the condescension of the Lord to his seed, in the fearful glory of His majesty as the judge of their foes. Hence the pieces were not consumed by the fire; for the transaction had reference not to a sacrifice, which God accepted, and in which the soul of the offerer was to ascend in the smoke to God, but to a covenant in which God came down to man. From the nature of this covenant, it followed, however, that God alone went through the pieces in a symbolical representation of Himself, and not Abram also. For although a covenant always establishes a reciprocal relation between two individuals, yet in that covenant which God concluded with a man, the man did not stand on an equality with God, but God established the relation of fellowship by His promise and His gracious condescension to the man, who was at first purely a recipient, and was only qualified and bound to fulfil the obligations consequent upon the covenant by the reception of gifts of grace.

behold a smoking furnace - all this was represented in a visionary way to Abram, and was an emblem of the great troubles and afflictions of the children of Israel in Egypt, called the iron furnace, Deuteronomy 4:20 But the LORD has taken you and brought you out from the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of inheritance, as you are today, and may have respect to the furnaces in which they burnt the bricks they made, Exodus 9:8 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, Take to yourselves handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh; the Jewish paraphrases make this to be a representation of hell, which is prepared for the wicked in the world to come, as a furnace surrounded with sparks and flames of fire; it intimated to Abram, that the kingdoms would fall into hell:

and a burning lamp - an emblem of the Shechinah, or majesty of God, who afterwards appeared in a pillar of fire before the Israelites in the wilderness, after their deliverance out of Egypt, and when their salvation went forth as a lamp that burneth, of which this was a token: this burning lamp passed between the pieces of the heifer, goat, and ram, that Abram had divided in the midst, as was usually done when covenants were made, this covenant being as others God makes with men, only on one side; God, in covenanting with men, promises and gives something unto them, but men give nothing to him, but receive from him, as was the case between God and Abram.

Gen 15:18 In the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

The Lord made a covenant - In that instant the covenant was solemnly completed. Its primary form of benefit is the grant of the promised land with the extensive boundaries of the river of Egypt and the Euphrates.

The Lord made a covenant - signifies to cut a covenant, or rather the covenant sacrifice; for as no covenant was made without one, and the creature was cut in two that the contracting parties might pass between the pieces, hence cutting the covenant signified making the covenant. The same form of speech obtained among the Romans; and because, in making their covenants they always slew an animal, either by cutting its throat, or knocking it down with a stone or axe, after which they divided the parts as we have already seen, hence to smite a covenant, and to cleave a covenant, were terms which signified simply to make or enter into a covenant.

From the river of Egypt – Some commentators claim this is not the Nile, but the river called Sichor, which was before or on the border of Egypt, near to the isthmus of Suez; Joshua 13:3 from Shihor, which is before Egypt, even to the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite, five lords of the Philistines: of Gaza, of Ashdod, of Ashkelon, of Gath, and of Ekron; also the Avim. This promise was fully accomplished in the days of David and Solomon. 2Samuel 8:3 David also struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. 2Chronicles 9:26 And he reigned over all the kings from the River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. Others claim it refers to the Nile River.

In that same day, the Lord made a covenant - He had said before, To thy seed will I give this land, but here he said, I have given it; that is, I have given the promise, the charter is sealed and delivered, and cannot be disanulled. The possession is as sure in due time, as if it were now actually delivered to them. In David's time and Solomon's their jurisdiction extended to the utmost of these limits, 2Ch_9:26. And it was their own fault that they were not sooner and longer in possession of all these territories. They forfeited their right by their sins, and by their own sloth and cowardice kept themselves out of possession.

The Abrahamic Covenant as formed (Gen_12:1-4) and confirmed; (Gen_13:14-17); (Gen_15:1-7); (Gen_17:1-8) is in seven distinct parts:
1) "I will make of thee a great nation." Fulfilled in a threefold way:
a) In a natural posterity -- "as the dust of the earth (Gen_13:16); (Joh_8:37); namely, the Hebrew people.
b) In a spiritual posterity -- "look now toward heaven . . . so shall thy seed be" (Joh_8:39); (Rom_4:16-17); (Rom_9:7-8); (Gal_3:6); (Gal_3:7); (Gal_3:29) namely, all men of faith, whether Jew or Gentile.
c) fulfilled also through Ishmael (Gen_17:18-20).
2) "I will bless thee." Fulfilled in two ways:
a) temporally (Gen_13:14); (Gen_13:15); (Gen_13:17); (Gen_15:18); (Gen_24:34-35)
b) spiritually; (Gen_15:6); (Joh_8:56).
3) "And make thy name great." Abraham's is one of the universal names.
4) "And thou shalt be a blessing" (Gal_3:13); (Gal_3:14).
5) "I will bless them that bless thee." In fulfilment closely related to the next clause.
6) "And curse him that curseth thee." Wonderfully fulfilled in the history of the dispersion. It has invariably fared ill with the people who have persecuted the Jew -- well with those who have protected him. The future will still more remarkably prove this principle (Deu_30:7); (Isa_14:1); (Joe_3:1-8); (Mic_5:7-9); (Hag_2:22); (Zec_14:1-3); (Mat_25:40); (Mat_25:45).
7) "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This is the great evangelic promise fulfilled in Abraham's Seed, Christ (Gal_3:16); (Joh_8:56-58).

In Gen_15:18-21 this divine revelation is described as the making of a covenant (from to cut, lit., the bond concluded by cutting up the sacrificial animals), and the substance of this covenant is embraced in the promise, that God would give that land to the seed of Abram, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. The river of Egypt is the Nile, and not the brook of Egypt (Num_34:5) the boundary stream Rhinocorura. According to the oratorical character of the promise, the two large rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates, are mentioned as the boundaries within which the seed of Abram would possess the promised land, the exact limits of which are more minutely described in the list of the tribes who were then in possession. Ten tribes are mentioned between the southern border of the land and the extreme north, “to convey the impression of universality without exception, of unqualified completeness, the symbol of which is the number ten” (Delitzsch). In other passages we find sometimes seven tribes mentioned (Deu_7:1; Jos_3:10), at other times six (Exo_3:8, Exo_3:17; Exo_23:23; Deu_20:17), at others five (Exo_13:5), at others again only two (Gen_13:7); whilst occasionally they are all included in the common name of Canaanites (Gen_12:6). The absence of the Hivites is striking here, since they are not omitted from any other list where as many as five or seven tribes are mentioned. Out of the eleven descendants of Canaan (Gen_10:15-18) the names of four only are given here; the others are included in the common name of the Canaanites. On the other hand, four tribes are given, whose descent from Canaan is very improbable. The origin of the Kenites cannot be determined. According to Jdg_1:16; Jdg_4:11, Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite. His being called Midianite (Num_10:29) does not prove that he was descended from Midian (Gen_25:2), but is to be accounted for from the fact that he dwelt in the land of Midian, or among the Midianites (Exo_2:15). This branch of the Kenites went with the Israelites to Canaan, into the wilderness of Judah (Jdg_1:16), and dwelt even in Saul's time among the Amalekites on the southern border of Judah (1Sa_15:6), and in the same towns with members of the tribe of Judah (1Sa_30:29). There is nothing either in this passage, or in Num_24:21-22, to compel us to distinguish these Midianitish Kenites from those of Canaan. The Philistines also were not Canaanites, and yet their territory was assigned to the Israelites. And just as the Philistines had forced their way into the land, so the Kenites may have taken possession of certain tracts of the country. All that can be inferred from the two passages is, that there were Kenites outside Midian, who were to be exterminated by the Israelites. On the Kenizzites, all that can be affirmed with certainty is, that the name is neither to be traced to the Edomitish Kenaz (Gen_36:15, Gen_36:42), nor to be identified with the Kenezite Jephunneh, the father of Caleb of Judah (Num_32:12; Jos_14:6 : see my Comm. on Joshua, p. 356, Eng. tr.). - The Kadmonites are never mentioned again, and their origin cannot be determined. On the Perizzites see Gen_13:7; on the Rephaims, Gen_14:5; and on the other names, Gen_10:15-16.

Gen 15:19 the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

The ten principal nations inhabiting this area are here enumerated. Of these five are Kenaanite, and the other five probably not. The first three are new to us, and seem to occupy the extremities of the region here defined. The Kenite dwelt in the country bordering on Egypt and south of Palestine, in which the Amalekites also are found Numbers 24:20-22 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable and said, Amalek was the first of the nations. But his latter end is to destruction. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable and said, Strong is your dwelling-place, and you put your nest in a rock. But the Kenites shall be wasted until Assyria shall carry you away captive. 1Samuel 15:6 And Saul said to the Kenites, Go! Depart! Get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. They dwelt among the Midianites, as Hobab was both a Midianite and a Kenite Numbers 10:29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law: We are going to the place of which the LORD said, I will give it to you. Come with us, and we will do you good. For the LORD has spoken good concerning Israel. Judges 1:16 And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad. And they went and lived among the people. Judges 4:11 And Heber the Kenite, of the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent toward the plain of Zaanaim, near Kedesh. They were friendly to the Israelites, and hence some of them followed their fortunes and settled in their land 1Chronicles 2:55 And the families of the scribes who lived at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. The Kenizzite dwelt apparently in the same region, having affinity with the Horites, and subsequently with Edom and Israel Genesis 36:11 And the sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. Genesis 36:20-23 These were the sons of Seir the Horite living in the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. And the sons of Lotan: Hori and Heman; and Lotan's sister was Timna. And these were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Joshua 15:17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. 1Chronicles 2:50-52 These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur. The first-born of Ephratah was Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim; Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Beth-gader. And Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Manahethites. The Kadmonite seems to be the Eastern, and, therefore, to hold the other extreme boundary of the promised land, toward Tadmor and the Phrat. These three tribes were probably related to Abram, and, therefore, descendants of Shem. The other seven tribes have already come under our notice.

The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites - In this and the following verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at this time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the times of Moses and Joshua; and these three are not among them, and seem before those times to have been extinct, or were mixed with the other nations, and were no more distinct ones;.

Gen 15:20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the giants,

And the Hittites - Who had their name from Heth, a son of Canaan, see Genesis 10:15 And Canaan fathered Sidon, his first-born, and Heth, they dwelt about Hebron, in the south of the land of Canaan:

and the Perizzites - these dwelt in the wood country of the land, Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If you are a great people, and if mount Ephraim is too narrow for you, get up to the forest and cut down more for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants; and seem to have their name from dwelling in villages, and at a distance from towns and cities, and were a boorish and uncivilized people, Genesis 13:7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite lived then in the land.

and the Rephaims - or "giants”; they dwelt near the Perizzites, Joshua 17:15; of these see Genesis 14:5 And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and struck the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Gen 15:21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

And the Amorites - The same with the Amorite, Genesis 10:16; they inhabited both on this and the other side Jordan:

and the Canaanites - which were a particular tribe or nation that bore the name of their great ancestor Canaan, Genesis 13:7:

and the Girgashites - the same with the Gergesenes in Matthew 8:28 And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one might pass by that way;

and the Jebusites - who inhabited Jerusalem and about it, which was first called Jebus, from the founder of this nation.

Genesis 14

Gen 14:1 And it happened in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,

Amraphel, king of Shinar – Some say he is king of Babylon, others make him king of Assyria; some make him the same as Nimrod, and others, one of his descendants. It seems clear that he is the king of Babylon since earlier references to Shinar clearly link it to Babylon Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:2, Genesis 11:9.

Chedorlaomer king of Elam - or Elymais, a country east of the lower Tigris, and separated by it from Shinar. He is probably a Shemite, as the country over which he ruled received its name from a son of Shem Genesis 10:22 The sons of Shem: Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. He is the lord paramount of the others, and commander-in-chief of the united forces. Hence, the Hamite seems to have already succumbed to the Shemite.

Tidal king of nations - is designated “king of Goim.” Goyim means nations; and it is doubtful whether it denotes here a special nation or a congeries of tribes. The Gentiles, especially so called, seem to have been Japhethites Gen_10:5.

In Gen_14:1-3 the account is introduced by a list of the parties engaged in war. The kings named here are not mentioned again.

Gen 14:2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

and the king of Bela, which is Zoar - so it was afterwards called by Lot, being a little city, Genesis 19:20; but before, Bela; the name of its king is not mentioned, being a person of no great note and importance, and his city small.

These made war - It appears, from Gen_14:4, that these five Canaanitish kings had been subdued by Chedorlaomer, and were obliged to pay him tribute; and that, having been enslaved by him twelve years, wishing to recover their liberty, they revolted in the thirteenth; in consequence of which Chedorlaomer, the following year, summoned to his assistance three of his vassals, invaded Canaan, fought with and discomfited the kings of the Pentapolis or five cities - Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, Zoar, and Admab, which were situated in the fruitful plain of Siddim, having previously overrun the whole land.

Gen 14:3 All these were joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.

Which is the Salt Sea - The area in which these towns lay was very circumscribed. With the exception of the territory of Bela it was afterward submerged and formed part of the basin of the Salt Sea. Hence, Siddim is said to be the Salt Sea, which was changed into the Salt Sea on the destruction of its cities (Gen_19:24-25). The dale is the deep valley or glen in which these kings dwelt on the banks of the Jordan, or the salt lake into which it flowed.

Gen 14:4 They served Chedorlaomer twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer - the King of Elam, who was of the race of Shem, and so the prophecy of Noah began to be fulfilled, that Canaan should be servant to Shem, Genesis 9:26; for the kings of Sodom, &c. and their subjects, were of the race of Ham in the line of Canaan. The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan, whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended. Thus soon did that prophecy begin to be fulfilled. In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their subjection, they rebelled - Denied their tribute, and attempted to shake off the yoke.

Gen 14:5 And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and struck the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

The Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim - all that is known with certainty of the Rephaim is, that they were a tribe of gigantic stature, and in the time of Abram had spread over the whole of Peraea, and held not only Bashan, but the country afterwards possessed by the Moabites; from which possessions they were subsequently expelled by the descendants of Lot and the Amorites, and so nearly exterminated, that Og, king of Bashan, is described as the remnant of the Rephaim Deuteronomy 2:20 It also was known to be a land of giants. Giants lived there in past times. And the Ammonites call them Zamzumim, Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the rest of the giants. Behold! His bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man. Deuteronomy 3:13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. Joshua 12:4 And they struck the coast of Og king of Bashan, of the rest of the giants, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, Joshua 13:12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan (who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei; he remained of the rest of the giants), even Moses struck them and expelled them. Beside this, there were Rephaim on this side of the Jordan among the Canaanitish tribes Genesis 15:20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the giants, some to the west of Jerusalem, in the valley which was called after them the valley of the Rephaim Joshua 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite. It is Jerusalem. And the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, at the end of the Valley of the Giants northward. Joshua 18:16 and the border went down to the end of the mountain that is before the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is the Valley of the Giants northward, and went down the valley of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite on the south, and went down to En-rogel. 2Samuel 5:18 And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the Valley of the Giants. others on the mountains of Ephraim
Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If you are a great people, and if mount Ephraim is too narrow for you, get up to the forest and cut down more for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants while the last remains of them were also to be found among the Philistines 2Samuel 21:16 And Ishbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight. And he being girded with a new sword thought to kill David. 1Chronicles 20:4 And it happened after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the children of the giant. And they were humbled. The current explanation of the name, viz., “the long-stretched,” or giants (Ewald), does not prevent our regarding the name as the personal name of their forefather, though no intimation is given of their origin. That they were not Canaanites may be inferred from the fact, that on the eastern side of the Jordan they were subjugated and exterminated by the Canaanitish branch of the Amorites. Notwithstanding this, they may have been descendants of Ham, though the fact that the Canaanites spoke a Semitic tongue rather favors the conclusion that the oldest population of Canaan, and therefore the Rephaim, were of Semitic descent.

The Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim - Some of them also were once found on the west side of the Jordan Gen_15:20, where they gave name to the valley of Rephaim (Wady el-Werd), southwest of Jerusalem, on the way to Bethlehem Jos_15:8, occupied part of Mount Ephraim Jos_17:15, and lingered for a long time among the Philistines (2Sa_21:16, ff.). They were a tall or gigantic race. They were not Kenaanites, but seem to have entered the country before them. They were conquered in Peraea by the Amorites, a branch of the Kenaanite family; and by the descendants of Lot, the Ammonites and Moabites. A remnant of them only lingered in the country when the Israelites arrived Deu_2:20; Deu_3:11, Deu_3:13. They may have been Shemites or Japhethites.

Ashteroth Karnaim - or briefly Ashtaroth, a city of Basan, where Og afterwards reigned; Joshua 13:31 And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were given to the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to their half of the sons of Machir by their families. The name of the city is linked to Astoreth (see next section).

Astoreth - the name of a false diety, whom the Phoenicians called Astarte queen of heaven, with crescent horns. A feminine proper noun Astoroth; a Canaanite false goddess. This was a pagan Canaanite goddess of love, war, and fertility, also called Astarte. Israel often apostatized from the Lord and worshiped her Judges 2:13 And they forsook Jehovah and served Baal and Ashtaroth. Judges 10:6 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baals and Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. And they left Jehovah, and did not serve Him. 1Samuel 7:3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying, If you return to Jehovah with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to Jehovah, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 1Samuel 7:4 And the sons of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only. 1Samuel 12:10 And they cried to Jehovah, and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baals and Ashtoreths. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You. Ashtaroth, the name of a Sidonian deity, and of a place East of the Jordan.

Zuzim in Ham - were probably the people whom the Ammonites called Zam zummim, and who were also reckoned among the Rephaim Deuteronomy 2:20 It also was known to be a land of giants. Giants lived there in past times. And the Ammonites call them Zamzumim.

The Emim - A people great and many in the days of Moses, and tall as the Anakim. They dwelt among the Moabites, by whom they were reputed giants; Deuteronomy 2:10-11 The Emim lived there in times past, a great people, who were many and tall like the Anakim. And they were known as giants, like the sons of Anak, but the Moabites called them Emim. The name here, which they had from the dread and terror they injected into men, and so the word in all the three Targums is rendered terrible ones; and these dwelt in Kiriathaim, a city in the tribe of Reuben, taken from Sihon, king of the Amorites, and which seems to be situated in a plain.

Shaveh Kiriathaim – Rather the plain of Kiriathaim, which was a city afterwards belonging to Sihon king of Heshbon; Jos_13:19-21.

Gen 14:6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as the oak of Paran, which is by the wilderness.

And the Horites in their Mount Seir - Or the Horim who dwelt in Mount Seir, so called from Seir the Horite, who continued here till they were driven out by the sons of Esau or Edom, from whom their country was afterwards called Edom or Idumea, Genesis 36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite living in the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, Deuteronomy 2:12 The Horim also lived in Seir in times past. But the sons of Esau took their place when they had destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which Jehovah gave to them.

Gen 14:7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

The field of the Amalekite - was some part of the country lying between Palestine and Egypt, which was afterward occupied by the Amalekites. The tribe is descended from Amalek, thc son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau Genesis 36:12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son. And she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. Traces of them are found as far north as Ephraim Judges 5:14 Out of Ephraim there was a root of them against Amalek; after you, Benjamin, with your peoples. Out of Machir came down commanders, and out of Zebulun came they who handle the pen of the writer. Judges 12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. Balaam calls Amalek the beginning of the nations Numbers 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable and said, Amalek was the first of the nations. But his latter end is to destruction; but this cannot be understood absolutely, as the name does not even occur in the table of nations. It is therefore well explained to mean that Amalek was the first that attacked Israel on coming out of Egypt.

En-mishpat, which is Kadesh - The well of judgment; probably so called from the judgment pronounced by God on Moses and Aaron for their rebellion at that place; Num_20:1-13. It was about 8 leagues south of Hebron.

Hazezon-tamar – also called En-gedi, a city in the land of Canaan. This was a settlement of the Amorites, which fell to the lot of Judah; Joshua 15:62 and Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities and their villages. 2Chronicles 20:2 And they came in and spoke to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria. And behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. It appears to have been a very fruitful place from Song of Solomon 1:14 My Beloved is to me like a cluster of henna in the vineyards of Engedi.

Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom went out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela (which is Zoar). And they joined battle with them in the valley of Siddim;

The valley of Siddim - This valley abounded in pits of mineral pitch, or asphalt. The kings of Sodom and Amorah fled toward these pits, and seem to have fallen into them and perished.

Bela, the same is Zoar - That is, it was called Zoar after the destruction of Sodom, etc., mentioned in Genesis 19.

Gen 14:9 with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal the king of nations, and Amraphel the king of Shinar, and Arioch the king of Ellasar, four kings with five.

With Chedorlaomer king of Elam - Who is here mentioned first, being the principal in the war, and against whom the kings of Sodom, &c. had rebelled:

four kings with five - those four last mentioned, with the other five before spoken of, that is, they fought with them; or rather four kings against five.

Gen 14:10 And the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits - Or "wells" or "fountains of slime" or bitumen; a liquid of a pitchy nature, cast out of fountains, and which was used for a cement in buildings;

Slime-pits - Places where asphaltus or bitumen sprang out of the ground; this substance abounded in that country.

Gen 14:11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way.

Gen 14:12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who lived in Sodom, and all his goods, and went away.

Gen 14:13 And there came one who had escaped. And he told Abram the Hebrew, for he lived in the plains of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. And these had a covenant with Abram.

Hebrew - “The sons of Heber” are distinctly mentioned in the table of nations among the descendants of Shem. Its introduction here intimates that there were other descendants of Heber besides Abram already in the land. They could not but be a widespread race.

Gen 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained servants, born in his own house (three hundred and eighteen) and pursued them to Dan.

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive - That is, his brother's son Lot, as in Genesis 14:12; which was contrary to the law of nations; since Lot was only a sojourner, and not an inhabitant n Sodom, and therefore had no concern in the quarrel between the kings, and this justified Abram's taking up arms on his behalf:

His brother - This is a customary extension of the term, whether we regard Lot as his brother’s son, or at the same time his brother-in-law.

pursued them unto Dan - which at first had the name of Leshem, or Lais, and was not called Dan until the times of the judges, Judges 18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However the name of the city was Laish at the first; wherefore, if the same place is intended here, it is so called not only by anticipation, but by a spirit of prophecy; since it had not the name of Dan even in the times of Moses, the writer of this history, unless it may be thought to be inserted by Samuel or some other inspired writer, after Moses;

Unto Dan - It might naturally be supposed that the sacred reviser of the text had inserted it here, had we not grounds for a contrary supposition. The custom of the reviser was to add the other name without altering the original; of which we have several examples in this very chapter Gen_14:2-3, Gen_14:7-8, Gen_14:17. We are, therefore, led to regard Dan as in use at the time of Abram. Held at that remote period perhaps by some Hebrew, it fell at length into the hands of the Sidonians Judg. 18, who named it Laish (lion) and Leshem (ligure).

Gen 14:15 And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants. And he struck them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left of Damascus.

Damascus - Dimishk, esh-Sham, is a very ancient city of Aram. There arose a city which, amidst all the changes of dynasty that have come over it, has maintained its prosperity to the present day, when it has 18,448,752 inhabitants (per July 2005 census). It was originally occupied by the descendants of Aram, and may have been built, as Josephus informs us, by Uz his son.

Gen 14:16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

and the women also, and the people - not only that belonged to Lot, but to Sodom and Gomorrah, who had been taken and carried captive; these were all rescued and brought back by Abram, see Genesis 14:21;

Gen 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley.

The king of Sodom - This is either Bera, if he survived the defeat, or, if not, his successor.

The king of Sodom went out to meet him - This could not have been Bera, mentioned Genesis 14:2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, for it seems pretty evident, from Genesis 14:10 And the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain, that both he and Birsha, king of Gomorrah, were slain at the bitumen-pits in the vale of Siddim; but another person in the meantime might have succeeded to the government.

the valley of Shaveh -This valley, possibly the one in which Absalom erected a monument for himself 2Samuel 18:18 And Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name. And it is called until this day, Absalom's monument.

Note the contrast between Abram’s response to the King of Sodom and the King of Salem. The king of Salem acknowledges the Lord, the Most High Creator of heaven and earth, in the dealings of Abram, and offers bread and wine in a priestly act. The king of Sodom only discusses material goods. (Note how Moses, who wrote Genesis, also acknowledged the Lord in the same way as Melchizedek did, in Exodus 20:2.)

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God.

Melchizedek - a priest as well as a king; and in this he was a type of Christ in his kingly and priestly offices (see Hebrews 6:13-8:6, posted at the end of the discussion of this verse, for a description of how Melchizedek is a type of Christ), who is a priest upon the throne, both king and priest, Zechariah 6:13 Even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne. And He shall be a priest on His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Melchizedek was a priest of the true and living God, who is above all gods, dwells in the highest heaven, and is the most High over all the earth; by him was he called to this office and invested with it, and he ministered to him in it. Psalms 110:4 Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10 For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared, though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him, being called by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek; Hebrews 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

king of Shalem - This is apparently an ancient name of Jerusalem, which is so designated in Psalms 76:2 And His abode is in Salem; and His dwelling-place in Zion.

The king of Shalem - by name king of righteousness, and by office king of peace, “brought forth bread and wine.” These are the standing elements of a simple repast for the refreshment of the body. In after times they were by divine appointment placed on the table of the presence in the tabernacle Exodus 25:29-30 And you shall make its dishes, and its spoons, and its pitchers, and its sacrificial cups with which a drink-offering is made. You shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set upon the table Bread of the Presence before Me always. They were the accompaniments of the Paschal lamb Matthew 26:26-27 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body. And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink all of it, and they were adopted by the Messiah as the sacred symbols of that heavenly fare, of which, if a man partake, he shall live forever John 6:48-58 I am the Bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died. This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven, so that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. And truly the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus says to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever.

And he was priest to the most high God - From this we are assured that the bread and wine refreshed not only the body, but the soul of Abram. In close connection with the preceding sentence, it seems to intimate that the bringing forth of bread and wine was a priestly act, and, accordingly, the crowning part of a sacred feast. The kohen, or priest, who is here mentioned for the first time in Scripture, was one who acted in sacred things on the part of others. He was a mediator between God and man, representing God holding out the hand of mercy, and man reaching forth the hand of faith. The necessity of such an office grew out of the distance between God and man produced by sin. The business of the priest was to offer sacrifice and to intercede; in the former making amends to the law, in the latter appealing to the mercy of God. We do not learn by express statement what was the mode of intervention on the part of Melkizedec. But we know that sacrifice was as early as Habel, and that calling on the name of the Lord was commenced in the time of Enosh. These were early forms of approach to God. The offices of king and priest were combined in Melkizedec - a condition of things often exemplified in after times.

The most high God - a new name of God, El, the Lasting, the Mighty, cognate with Elohim, and previously occurring in the compound proper names Mebujael, Mahalalel, and Bethel. We have also an epithet of God, “Elion the most high,” now appearing for the first time. Hebrew, El Elyon, "Elyon means simply "highest." Hence, we perceive that the unity, the omnipotence, and the absolute pre-eminence of God were still living in the memory and conscience of a section at least of the inhabitants of this land. Still more, the worship of God was not a mere domestic custom, in which the father or head of the family officiated, but a public ordinance conducted by a stated functionary. And, lastly, the mode of worship was of such a nature as to represent the doctrine and acknowledge the necessity of an atonement, since it was performed by means of a priest.

Melchizedek
We see that there was something very mysterious, and at the same time typical, in the person, name, office, residence, and government of this Canaanitish prince Melchezidek.

1. In his person he was a representative and type of Christ.

2. His name, malki tsedek, signifies my righteous king, or king of righteousness. This is one of the characters of our blessed Lord, a character which can be applied to him only, as he alone is essentially righteous, and the only Potentate; but a holy man, such as Melchizedek, might bear this name as his type or representative.

3. Office; he was a priest of the most high God. The word cohen, signifies both prince and priest, because the patriarchs sustained this double office. Thus we find that Melchizedek, being a priest of the most high God, represented Christ in his sacerdotal character, the word priest being understood to signify to approach, draw near, have intimate access to; and from hence to officiate as priest before God, and thus have intimate access to the Divine presence: and by means of the sacrifices which he offered he received counsel and information relative to what was yet to take place, and hence another acceptation of the word, to foretell, predict future events, unfold hidden things or mysteries; so the lips of the priests preserved knowledge, and they were often the interpreters of the will of God to the people.

4. His residence; he was king of Salem. The word shalam signifies to make whole, complete, or perfect; and hence it means peace, which implies the making whole the breaches made in the political and domestic union of kingdoms, states, families, etc., making an end of discord, and establishing friendship. Christ is called the Prince of peace, because, by his incarnation, sacrifice, and mediation, he procures and establishes peace between God and man; heals the breaches and dissensions between heaven and earth, reconciling both; and produces glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will among men. His residence is peace and quietness and assurance for ever, in every believing upright heart. He governs as the Prince and Priest of the most high God, ruling in righteousness, mighty to save; and he ever lives to make intercession for, and save to the uttermost all who come unto the Father by him.

Melchizedek
1 Melchizedek, type of Christ the King-Priest. The type strictly applies to the priestly work of Christ in resurrection, since Melchizedek presents only the memorials of sacrifice, bread and wine. "After the order of Melchizedek" Hebrews 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek refers to the royal authority and unending duration of Christ's high priesthood Hebrews 7:23-24 And they truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death; but He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. The Aaronic priesthood was often interrupted by death. Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, as King of righteousness, King of peace; Isaiah 11:4-9 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with uprightness for the meek of the earth. And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart. Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. Hebrews 7:2 To him Abraham also gave a tenth of all. He was first by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, and in the endlessness of his priesthood; but the Aaronic priesthood typifies His priestly work.

Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself,
Heb 6:14 saying, "Surely in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you."
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Heb 6:16 For men truly swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Heb 6:17 In this way desiring to declare more fully to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, God interposed by an oath,
Heb 6:18 so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
Heb 6:19 which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil,
Heb 6:20 where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.
Heb 7:2 To him Abraham also gave a tenth of all. He was first by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace,
Heb 7:3 without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually.
Heb 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Heb 7:5 And truly they who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priest, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, from their brothers, though they come out of the loins of Abraham.
Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
Heb 7:8 And here men who die receive tithes; but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Heb 7:9 And if I may say so, Levi, also, who receives tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.
Heb 7:10 For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Heb 7:11 Therefore if perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the Law), what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made in the law also.
Heb 7:13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man gave attendance at the altar.
Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
Heb 7:15 And it is still far more evident, since there arises another priest after the likeness of Melchizedek,
Heb 7:16 who is made, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
Heb 7:17 For He testifies, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Heb 7:18 For truly there is a putting away of the commandment which went before, because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it.
Heb 7:19 For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near to God.
Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath
Heb 7:21 (for those priests were made without an oath, but this one was made with an oath by Him who said to Him, "The Lord swore and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,")
Heb 7:22 by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.
Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death;
Heb 7:24 but He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:26 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens,
Heb 7:27 who does not need, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice daily, first for his own sins and then for the people's sins. For He did this once for all, when He offered up Himself.
Heb 7:28 For the Law appoints men high priests who have infirmity, but the word of the swearing of an oath, after the Law, has consecrated the Son forever, having been perfected.
Heb 8:1 Now the sum of the things which we have spoken is this: We have such a High Priest, who has sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven,
Heb 8:2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One have something to offer also.
Heb 8:4 For if indeed He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the Law,
Heb 8:5 who serve the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was warned of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For, He says "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mountain."
Heb 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much He is also the Mediator of a better covenant, which was built upon better promises.

Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of Heaven and earth.

And he blessed him - Here it comes out clearly that Melkizedek acts not only in a civil but in a sacred capacity. He blesses Abram. In the form of benediction employed we have two parts: the former of which is strictly a blessing or asking of good things for the person in question. “Blessed be Abram.” It is the part of the father to bless the child, of the patriarch or superior to bless the subject or inferior, and of the priest to bless the people Heb_7:7. Here, accordingly, Melkizedek assumes and Abram concedes to him the superiority. The Most High God is here further designated as the Founder of heaven and earth, the great Architect or Builder, and, therefore, Possessor of all things. There is here no indistinct allusion to the creation of “heaven and earth,” mentioned in the opening of the Book of God. This is a manifest identification of the God of Melkizedek with the one Creator and Upholder of all things. We have here no mere local or national deity, with limited power and province, but the sole and supreme God of the universe and of man.

And he blessed him - Melchizedek blessed Abram, which was one part of his office as a priest, to wish and pray for a blessing on others, Numbers 6:23 Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying, In this way you shall bless the sons of Israel, saying to them, and herein typified Christ, who really blesses or confers blessings on all his people, even spiritual blessings, such as redemption, remission of sins, and justifying righteousness, adoption, and eternal life:

Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

blessed be the most high God - The second part of this benedictory prayer is a thanksgiving to the common God of Melkizedec and Abram for the victory which had been vouchsafed to the latter. “Thy foes.” Here Abram is personally addressed. Melkizedec as a priest first appeals to God on behalf of Abram, and then addresses Abram on behalf of God. Thus, he performs the part of a mediator.

And he gave him a tithe of all. - This is a very significant act. In presenting the tenth of all the spoils of victory, Abram makes a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of the God whom Melkizedec worshipped, and of the authority and validity of the priesthood which he exercised. We have here all the indications of a stated order of sacred rites, in which a costly service, with a fixed official, is maintained at the public expense, according to a definite rate of contribution. The gift in the present case is the tenth of the spoils of war. This act of Abram, though recorded last, may have taken place at the commencement of the interview. At all events, it renders it extremely probable that a sacrifice had been offered to God, through the intervention of Melkizedec, before he brought forth the bread and wine of the accepted feast.

And he gave him tithes - A tenth part of all the spoils he had taken from the confederate kings. These Abram gave as a tribute to the most high God, who, being the possessor of heaven and earth, dispenses all spiritual and temporal favors, and demands the gratitude, and submissive, loving obedience, of all his subjects. Almost all nations of the earth have agreed in giving a tenth part of their property to be employed in religious uses. The tithes were afterwards granted to the Levites for the use of the sanctuary, and the maintenance of themselves and their families, as they had no other inheritance in Israel.

and he gave him tithes of all - Abram to Melchizedek, as appears from Hebrews 7:4; and these tithes were given not out of the goods that were recovered, for they were restored to the proprietors of them, but out of the spoils that were taken from the enemy, as is evident from the same place referred to; and these were given both as a return for the respect shown him by Melchizedek, and by way of thankfulness to God for the victory. This was a voluntary action, and not out of his own substance, but out of the spoils of the enemy, and to testify his gratitude to God.

Gen 14:21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the people and take the goods for yourself.

give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself - meaning by "persons" or "souls," as in the original, his own subjects that had been taken and carried away by the four kings, and were now brought back by Abram; and by "the goods," those of his own and his subjects, which their conquerors had spoiled them of, but were now recovered, and which he was very willing Abram should have as his right, according to the laws of war. This shows, that the king of Sodom, though a heathen prince, and perhaps a wicked man, yet had more regard to the persons of his subjects than to his own or their goods.

Gen 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand to Jehovah, the most high God, the possessor of Heaven and earth,

I have lift up mine hand - The primitive mode of appealing to God, and calling him to witness a particular transaction; this no doubt generally obtained among the faithful till circumcision, the sign of the covenant, was established. After this, in swearing, the hand was often placed on the circumcised part; Genesis 24:2 And Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, I pray you, put your hand under my thigh. Genesis 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning the matter.

I have lifted up my hand - This is a serious matter with Abram. Either before, or then and there, he made an oath or solemn asseveration before God, with uplifted hand, that he would not touch the property of Sodom.

Gen 14:23 that I will take from all that is yours, not from a thread even to a shoestring, lest you say, I have made Abram rich.

That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet - That is, from a thread used in sewing garments to, a shoelatchet, or the string which fastens the shoes to the foot, the least belonging to that; or from the hair lace of the head, to the shoelatchet of the foot; that is, he would take nothing of his from head to foot: the meaning is, that he would not take that which was of the least value and importance that could be conceived of.

lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich - lest he should upbraid him with it afterwards, and say, that all his riches were owing to him; whereas God had promised to bless him, and make him rich and great.

Gen 14:24 Nothing for me, only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Melchizedek expresses this gratitude, as a priest of the supreme God, in the words, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, the founder of heaven and earth; and blessed be God, the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” The form of the blessing is poetical, two parallel members with words peculiar to poetry, the God over all, who is pointed out as the only true God by the additional clause, “founder of the heaven and the earth.” This priestly reception Abram reciprocated by giving him the tenth of all of the whole of the booty taken from the enemy. Giving the tenth was a practical acknowledgment of the divine priesthood of Melchizedek; for the tenth was, according to the general custom, the offering presented to the Deity. Abram also acknowledged the God of Melchizedek as the true God; for when the king of Sodom asked for his people only, and would have left the rest of the booty to Abram, he lifted up his hand as a solemn oath “to Jehovah, the Most High God, the founder of heaven and earth,” - acknowledging himself as the servant of this God by calling Him by the name Jehovah, - and swore that he would not take “from a thread to a shoe-string,” i.e., the smallest or most worthless thing belonging to the king of Sodom, that he might not be able to say, he had made Abram rich.

Of the property belonging to the king of Sodom, which he had taken from the enemy, Abram would not keep the smallest part, because he would not have anything in common with Sodom. On the other hand, he accepted from Salem's priest and king, Melchizedek, not only bread and wine for the invigoration of the exhausted warriors, but a priestly blessing also, and gave him in return the tenth of all his booty, as a sign that he acknowledged this king as a priest of the living God, and submitted to his royal priesthood. In this self-subordination of Abram to Melchizedek there was the practical prediction of a royal priesthood which is higher than the priesthood entrusted to Abram's descendants, the sons of Levi, and foreshadowed in the noble form of Melchizedek, who blessed as king and priest the patriarch whom God had called to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. The name of this royal priest is full of meaning: Melchizedek, i.e., King of Righteousness. There is no less significance in the name of the seat of his government, Salem, the peaceful or peace, since it shows that the capital of its kings was a citadel of peace, not only as a natural stronghold, but through the righteousness of its sovereign; for which reason David chose it as the seat of royalty in Israel; and Moriah, which formed part of it, was pointed out to Abraham by Jehovah as the place of sacrifice for the kingdom of God which was afterwards to be established. This appearance does point to a priesthood of universal significance, and to a higher order of things, which existed at the commencement of the world, and is one day to be restored again. In all these respects, the noble form of this king of Salem and priest of the Most High God was a type of the God-King and eternal High Priest Jesus Christ; a thought which is expanded in Heb 7 on the basis of this account, and of the divine utterance revealed to David in the Spirit, that the King of Zion sitting at the right hand of Jehovah should be a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek (Psa_110:4).