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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:6-9

Revelations. We here enter upon the more special history of Divine appearances. Hitherto the word is described simply as a word—"The Lord said;" now we connect with the word distinct appearances. The plain of Moreh will be ever memorable as the first scene of such revelations. The altar which Abram erected was to the Lord who appeared unto him, i.e. in commemoration of the vision. Thus the long line of theophanies commences. The great lesson of this record is the worship of man... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:6-10

The promised land. I. WANDERINGS . Entering Canaan from the north, the Chaldsean emigrant directs his progress steadily towards the south, removing from station to station till he reaches the furthest limit of the land. This wandering life to the patriarch must have been II. TRIALS . Along with ceaseless peregrinations, more or less exacting in their nature, trials of another and severer sort entered into the texture of the patriarch's experience in the promised land. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

And he removed— literally, caused (i.e. his tent) to be broken up (cf. Genesis 26:22 — from thence —no cause for which being assigned, the hostility of his neighbors (Luther, Calvin) and the commencement of the famine (Alford, Keil) have been conjectured as the probable reasons— unto a (literally, the) mountain east of Bethel . Here proleptically named "house of God," being called in the time of Abram Luz ( Genesis 28:19 ). Its present name is Beitin. And pitched his tent ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:8

Abraham's altar. "And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord." There is a solemn word ( Matthew 10:32 , Matthew 10:33 ). The distinction is not between Christians and heathen; it is within the visible Church. To confess Christ is more than professing Christianity. It must be in the life, not merely in religious services. No doubt these have their use; without them spiritual life would wither and die, like a light under a vessel. They are as food;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:9

And Abram journeyed (literally, broke up , e. g; his encampment, going on still —literally, going on and breaking up (cf. Genesis 8:3 ); "going and returning"— towards the south . Negleb, the dry region, from nagabh , to be dried, the southern district of Palestine ( Genesis 13:3 ; Genesis 20:1 ; Genesis 24:62 ). The LXX . render, ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν , τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Of this section Genesis 12:5 , Genesis 12:6 , Genesis 12:8 are commonly assigned to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

And there was a famine . רָעָב , from a root signifying to hunger, the primary. idea appearing to lie in that of an ample, i.e. empty, stomach (Gesenius, Furst). The term is used of individuals, men or animal ( Psalms 34:11 ; Psalms 50:12 ); or of regions ( Psalms 41:1-13 :55). In the land . Of Canaan, which, though naturally fertile, was, on account of its imperfect cultivation, subject to visitations of dearth (cf. Genesis 26:1 ; Genesis 41:56 ), especially in dry... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

The descent into Egypt. I. THE STORY OF A GOOD MAN 'S FALL . 1. Experiencing disappointment . Arrived in Canaan, the patriarch must have felt his heart sink as he surveyed its famine-stricken fields and heathen population; in respect of which it was so utterly unlike the fair realm of his imaginings. So God educates his children, destroying their hopes, blighting their, expectations, breaking their ideals, "having provided some better thing for them, some loftier and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10

Famines. 1. Not even the Holy Land is exempt from famine. Neither is the saint's condition free from suffering, nor the believer's portion on earth from defects. 2. Lands naturally fertile can be rendered barren by a word from God. So circumstances that might conduce to the Church's comfort can be made to disappear when God wills. 3. The drought was sent on Canaan just as Abram arrived. So God often sends his judgments on the world for the sake of his people, and can always time... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 12:10-20

The Church and the world. The genesis of intercourse and controversy between the kingdom of God and the world power, as represented in the great southern kingdom of Egypt. I. THE PRESSURE OF EARTHLY NECESSITIES FORMS THE OCCASION OF THE SOJOURN IN EGYPT . We are not told that Abram was sent by Divine direction amongst the temptations of the South; still there is providential protection even where there is not entire Divine approval. The Lord suffers his people to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 12:1-9

- The Call of Abram6. שׁכם shekem Shekem, “the upper part of the back.” Here it is the name of a person, the owner of this place, where afterward is built the town called at first Shekem, then Flavia Neapolis, and now Nablous. אלון 'ēlôn “the oak;” related: “be lasting, strong.” מורה môreh In Onkelos “plain;” Moreh, “archer, early rain, teacher.” Here the name of a man who owned the oak that marked the spot. In the Septuagint it is rendered ὑψηγήν hupseegeen.8. בית־אל bēyt-'êl, Bethel,... read more

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