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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Jehovah had said to Abram, Go out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, to the land that I will shew 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 And I will make of thee a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. |
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| 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. |
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 departed as Jehovah had said to him. And Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed 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, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls that they had obtained in Haran, and they went out to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. |
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| 6 And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. |
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| 7 And Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there he built an altar to Jehovah who had appeared to him. |
And said – Making the covenant previously promised. B45; R1617:1
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| 8 And he removed thence towards the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel toward the west, and Ai toward the east; and there he built an altar to Jehovah, and called on the name of Jehovah. |
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| 9 And Abram moved onward, going on still toward the south. |
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| 10 And there was a famine in the land. And Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous 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 was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a woman fair to look upon. |
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| 12 And it will come to pass when the Egyptians see thee, that they will say, She is his wife; and they will slay me, and save thee 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 pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me on thy account, and my soul may live 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 it came to pass when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. |
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| 15 And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. |
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| 16 And he treated Abram well on her account; and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and bondmen, and bondwomen, and she-asses, and camels. |
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| 17 And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. |
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| 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this thou hast done to me? Why 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 Why didst thou say, She is my sister, so that I took her as my wife. And now, behold, there is thy wife: take her, and go away. |
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| 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. |
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