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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Yahweh said unto Abram: Come thou on thy way, Out of thy land and out of the place of thy birth, and out of the house of thy father,–Unto the land that I will show thee; |
Now the LORD had – Previously, before he left Ur. "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran." (Acts 7:2) B45
Said unto Abram – Individually--not to Terah or Nahor or Haran or anyone else. R2846:6
To one whose heart was full of trust in God. R5809:5
Abram's name signifies "exalted faith." R5169:3
Thy father's house – Thy brethren, etc. B45
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| 2 That I may make thee into a great nation, And bless thee, and make great thy name, And become thou a blessing; |
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| 3 That I may bless them who bless thee, But, him who maketh light of thee, will I curse,–So shall be, blessed in thee, all the families of the ground. |
I will bless them – Favor them. R3938:5
That bless thee – That favor thee, Abram, or thy natural or spiritual seed. R3938:5
And curse him – Show disfavor toward. R3938:5
All will be destroyed who do not thus become true Israelites. R5810:4
That curseth thee – Injureth. R5169:5
That shows disfavor toward thee or thy seed. R3938:5
And in thee – "And in thy seed, which is Christ." (Gal. 3:16) T83; R5057:3, R4939:3; SM7:1; R5761:4, R5769:5
When your seed shall come. HG120:5
Shall – In due time. E22
This covenant is unconditional. R3108:3
All of God's dealings with the Israelites were in accord with this oath. R5285:3
All families – Not merely the Jews. A58
Every member of our race. CRI40:2; R4715:2
Including those who are in their graves. R5154:1, R4440:5, R5015:6
Be blessed – With an opportunity to return to harmony with God, and with everlasting life. R4557:3, E384; R4537:6, R4939:3, R5057:3, R5177:6, R5269:4, R5768:3; SM93:T, SM7:1; OV193:2
This promise was the good root of the olive tree of Rom. 11:17. R5023:3
By the wonderful provisions of the great Sabbath day. R5072:1
By knowledge, opportunity and assistance. R3108:4
Not by ignoring the law of God, but by being gradually restored so that they can keep it. T83
By the great King and Priest, Jesus; and by the Church, as assistant priests and kings, CR250:3
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| 4 And Abram came on his way, according to that which Yahweh had spoken unto him, and Lot came with him,–now, Abram, was seventy-five years old, when he came forth out of Haran. |
So Abram departed – "When his father was dead he removed." (Acts 7:4) B46
Typifying the course of the true Church in coming out of Babylon. No doubt Abram's relatives all opposed his course, especially as he "came out not knowing whither he went. (Heb. 11: 8) R2847:1
Was 75 years old – At the time the covenant was made with him. B231
2081 years after the fall in Eden. R3460:2
2081 years before Cornelius' conversion. R3460:2
Out of Haran – As Stephen declared, "when his father was dead." (Acts 7:4) B46
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| 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, with all the goods that they had gathered and the souls that they had gained in Haran,–and they came forth to go towards the land of Canaan, and came in to the land of Canaan. |
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| 6 And Abram passed along throughout the land, as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the Teacher's Terebinth, the Canaanite, being, then, in the land. |
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| 7 And Yahweh appeared unto Abram, and said: To thy seed, will I give this land,–And he built there, an altar, unto Yahweh who appeared unto him. |
And said – Making the covenant previously promised. B45; R1617:1
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| 8 And he moved on from thence towards the hill country, on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent,–with Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east, and built there an altar to Yahweh, and called on the name of Yahweh. |
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| 9 Thus Abram brake up, again and again, towards the South. |
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| 10 And it came to pass that there was a famine, in the land,–so Abram went down towards Egypt, to sojourn there, because, grievous, was the famine in the land. |
There was a famine – Which must have greatly tested Abram's faith. R3938:2
Down into Egypt – Possibly contrary to the Lord's wishes. R3938:3
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| 11 And it came to pass, when he had come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: Behold! I beseech thee, I know that, a woman fair to look on, thou art: |
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| 12 so will it come to pass, when the Egyptians behold thee, that they will say, His wife, this! and will slay me, while, thee, they preserve alive. |
Save thee alive – History records the case where one of the kings of Egypt thus forcibly took a beautiful wife away from her husband. Abram had probably heard of this. R2848:2
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| 13 Say, I beseech thee, that, my sister, art thou,–to the end it may be well with me for thy sake, so shall my soul be preserved alive because of thee. |
Say, I pray thee – This is the only blot recorded against Abram's character. This impartiality establishes the truthfulness of the Scriptures. R3938:3
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| 14 And so it was, when Abram entered into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that, fair, was she, exceedingly. |
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| 15 And the princes of Pharaoh beheld her, and praised her unto Pharaoh,–so the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh; |
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| 16 and, with Abram, dealt he well for her sake,–so that he came to have flocks and herds, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels. |
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| 17 And Yahweh plagued Pharaoh with great plagues, also his house,–for the matter of Sarai, wife of Abram. |
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| 18 And Pharaoh called out to Abram, and said, What is this, thou hast done to me? Wherefore didst thou not tell me, that she was, thy wife? |
Called Abram – This rebuke from a heathen king doubtless proved a great blessing to Abram ultimately. R3938:3
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| 19 Wherefore saidst thou, My sister, she; and so I was about to take her to me, to wife? But, now, lo! thy wife, take her and go thy way. |
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| 20 And Pharaoh gave command concerning him unto certain men,–and sent him away, with his wife, and all that he had. |
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