THE FIRST BOOK OF

MOSES,
called
G E N E S I S

Genesis 12

1God calleth Abram, and blesseth him with a promise of Christ. 4He with Lot departeth from Haran. 6He journeyeth through Canaan, which is promised him in a vision. 10He is driven by a famine into Egypt, where fear maketh him feign his wife to be his sister. 14Pharaoh taketh her into his house, but by plagues is compelled to restore her; and sendeth Abram away.


1NOW the LORD had said unto 1Abram, 2Get theea out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land 3that I will shew thee:

1 Namely, before he came away out of Chaldea, for, this command of God was the cause of his removal out of Chaldea, before he knew yet where he was to go; which was revealed to him afterwards. See Gen. 11:31. Compare with Acts 7:3, 4.

2 Hebr. go for thee, or, get for thee, that is, for thy own good; also Gen. 22:2. The same, flee for thyself, Gen. 27:43; discern for thee, Gen. 31:32. Otherwise the word thee is often used in the Hebrew as a superfluous or redundant addition, as some take likewise in this place.

a Acts 7:3; Heb. 11:8.

3 He names no country, thereby to prove and to reveal publicly Abram’s faith, obedience and patience by visitation.

2And I will make of thee a 4great nation, and I will 5bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be 6a blessing:

4 Not only in regard of the multitude of people whose father thou shalt be after the flesh, but likewise for their dignity’s sake, they being to be My own people and peculiar inheritance, to whom thou shalt be a father after the spirit. Rom. 4:11, 12, 16, 17; 9:6, 7, 8; Gal. 3:7.

5 The blessing of God signifies all manner of mercies and benefits, either in general, bodily and spiritual, earthly and heavenly, temporal and eternal. See Gen. 24:1; Deut. 28:2, 3, 4, etc., or, in particular, any one sort of them. See Gen. 1:22, 28; 39:5; Deut. 7:13; Eph. 1:3.

6 So exceedingly blessed, that thou shalt not only possess My blessing in thyself, but likewise that the same blessing shall, through thy Seed, be spread abroad upon many others, without number.

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: andb7in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

b Gen. 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:8.

7 That is, in thy Seed. See Gen. 22:18; 26:4; 28:14, which Seed is Christ, Gal. 3:16, Who was to come forth out of Abraham’s seed, according to the flesh, Mat. 1:1, for to purchase and communicate the eternal blessedness to all true believers, whose father is Abraham. Gal. 3:28, 29. Other, with thee, namely, through faith in Christ, as Gal. 3:8, 9 in thee is explained with Abraham. See likewise Rom. 4:11, 12, 16.

4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was 8seventy and five years old when he departed out of 9Haran.

8 Hebr. a son of five years and seventy years.

9 From which he, with his father Terah, had come previously out of the Chaldees. See Gen. 11:31.

5Andc Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their 10substance that they had gathered, and the 11souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of 12Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

c Acts 7:4.

10 These were as firstfruits of the promised blessing, which Abram and his own received in Haran. The Hebrew word comprises all manner of goods and chattels, consisting in either cattle, money, or household stuff and furniture.

11 That is, men and women of servile condition, whom he had captured, and whom were born after by the same; for Abram had no children yet. The Hebrew word souls here translated is taken thus for men, or persons; Gen. 17:14; Exod. 12:15; Lev. 2:1; Num. 23:10; Deut. 24:7; Judges 16:30; Mark 3:4, etc.

12 Of the borders of this land (called Palestine afterwards, and the land of promise, it being promised to Abram’s posterity, verse 7). See Gen. 10 on verse 19.

6¶And Abram passed through the land unto the place of 13Sichem, unto the 14plain of 15Moreh. And 16thed Canaanite was then in the land.

13 Hebr. Schechem, situated in the middle of the land of Canaan, in mount Ephraim. Joshua 21:21; Judges 8:31; 1 Chron. 6:67; Acts 7:16; also called Sichar, John 4:5.

14 Or, an oak. See Deut. 11:30, for the Hebrew word signifies either.

15 This may be the name of a man after whom this place was so called.

16 Or, the Canaanites. Hebr. the Canaanite, an accursed, idolatrous and godless people, originating from Canaan, the son of Ham. See Zech. 14:21.

d Gen. 10:18, 19; 13:7.

717And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thye seed will I give this land: and 18there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

17 To strengthen by a new revelation the faith of Abram, who saw all the land possessed and inhabited by the Canaanites.

e Gen. 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 24:7; 26:4; Deut. 34:4.

18 Namely, there to perform sacrifices, prayers, and thanksgivings, and so to exercise the entire outward worship of God there among his own in opposition to the Canaanites’ idolatry, which is called, the calling upon the name of the LORD. See verse 8 and Gen. 4:26.

8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of 19Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the 20west, and 21Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and 22called upon the name of the LORD.

19 A city situated in that part of the land which afterwards fell to the tribe of Benjamin, and was first named thus by Jacob in his journey to Mesopotamia, but called before that time Luz. See Gen. 28:19.

20 Hebr. sea, whereby is understood the west, for the west side of Canaan was situated alongside of the sea. See Gen. 13:14; 28:14; Num. 3:23; Deut. 3:27, etc.

21 A city of the land of Canaan, in the tribe of Benjamin, located eastward of Bethel. See Joshua 7:2.

22 See Gen. 4 on verse 26.

9And Abram journeyed, 23going on still toward the south.

23 That is, traveling gradually on, and on still.

10¶And there was a 24famine in 25the land: and Abram 26went down into 27Egypt to sojournf there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

24 Here Abram’s faith is put to trial.

25 Namely, Canaan, which was a very fruitful land indeed, Deut. 8:7, 8, but now, for the iniquity of the inhabitants, visited with barrenness. Psalm 107:34.

26 Understand that, not to tempt God, he resolved for a time to withdraw himself to eschew the present dearth.

27 A country called in the Hebrew Mizraim, of Mizraim the son of Ham, located in Africa, bordering eastward on the Red Sea, and a part of Arabia, southward on Ethiopia, westward on Libya, and northward on the Mediterranean Sea, a country very frequently mentioned in the Scriptures; Gen. 13:10; 39:1, etc.

f dwell for a time*

11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, 28I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

28 Here Abram falls into carnal fear, where he should have trusted in his God.

12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

13Say,g I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and 29my soul shall live because of thee.

g Gen. 20:12; 26:7.

29 That is, my person. See above verse 5.

14¶And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

15The 30princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before 31Pharaoh: and the woman was 32taken into 33Pharaoh’s house.

30 That is, the principal lords, nobles, and officers of Pharaoh’s court, who commonly seek to please their princes with such kind of services.

31 A common title of all the kings of Egypt, which they kept till they got the name of Ptolemy.

32 Not to the king, but to the royal house for women, to be fitted and prepared there according to the custom of those countries that the king might take her to wife. See Esther 2:8, 9; in the meantime God provided for Abram and his wife’s chastity.

33 Namely, for to be conducted to Pharaoh’s house. The Hebrews do frequently comprehend under the signification of one word yet another, as here and elsewhere the word lakach, to take, is used. See Gen. 18:4; 24:22; 27:13, and other words in other places. See Gen. 18:7; Psalm 143:3; Ezek. 28:16.

16And he entreatedh Abram well for 34her sake: and he had 35sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

h treated*

34 With the intent to marry her, and that rather with the good will of Abram, then otherwise.

35 Under the word of sheep and oxen, all kinds of small and great cattle are comprehended. Also Gen. 13:5; 20:14; 26:14, etc. See also Lev. 1 on verse 2.

17And the LORDi plagued Pharaoh and his house with 36great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

i Psalm 105:14.

36 What kind of plagues they were is uncertain. It is certain that they served as well to hinder and obstruct the defilement of Sarai, as to punish the trespass of the king and his house.

18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? 37why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

37 At present Pharaoh knew this, without a doubt partly from the quality of this plague and the remorse of his conscience, and partly by the influence and revelation of God, as this has occurred at another time with Abimelech, Gen. 20:3.

19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

20And 38Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

38 Here is no mention made that Abram has used any words of innocence, since he, having doubtless been sensible of his weakness and thoughtlessness, acknowledged the same, together with the special favor of the Lord in which he perceived the Divine providence in this matter.