But Sarai was barren; she had no child. Aben Ezra observes, there are some that say that Abraham was impotent, and not Sarai barren; the very reverse of the Scriptures; but as he rightly adds, his son Ishmael and his sons by Keturah show the contrary, see Genesis 15:2 . read more
Verse 30 30.But Sarai was barren. Not only does he say that Abram was without children, but he states the reasons namely, the sterility of his wife; in order to show that it was by nothing short of an extraordinary miracle that she afterwards bare Isaac, as we shall declare more fully in its proper place. Thus was God pleased to humble his servant; and we cannot doubt that Abram would suffer severe pain through this privation. He sees the wicked springing up everywhere, in great numbers, to... read more
Divine traditions. A genealogy of Shem and of Terah, in order to set forth clearly the position of Abraham and that of his nephew Lot, and their connection with Ur of the Chaldees and Canaan. The chosen family is about to be separated from their country, but we are not told that there was no light of God shining in Ur of the Chaldees. Probably there was the tradition of Shem's knowledge handed down through the generations. Arphaxad was born two years after the Flood; Salah, thirty-seven... read more
Two weddings . I. THE TWO BRIDEGROOMS —Abram and Nahor. 1. Younger sons in Terah's family. 2. Eminent men in Ur of the Chaldees. 3. Favored saints in the Church of God. Marriage is honorable in all. II. THE TWO BRIDES —Sarai and Milcah. 1. Near relations of their husbands. Though permissible at that early stage of the world's history, the intermarriage of relatives so close as half-sister and niece is not now sanctioned by the law of God. 2. Attractive... read more
But Sarai was barren; she had no child . Perhaps in contrast to Milcah, who by this time had begun to have a family (Murphy). read more
- Section X - Abraham- XXXVI. The Father of Abram27. לוט lôṭ, Lot, “veil;” verb: “cover.”28. אוּר 'ûr, Ur, “light, flame.” כשׂדים kaśdı̂ym, Kasdim, Cardi, Kurds, Χαλδαῖοι Kaldaioi. כסד kesed, “gain?” Arabic. Ur Kasdim has been identified with Hur, now called Mugheir (the bitumened), a heap of ruins lying south of the Euphrates, nearly opposite its jucnction with the Shat el-Hie. Others place it at Edessa, now Orfa, a short way north of Carrhae.29. שׂרי sāray, Sarai, “strife;” שׂרה... read more
11:27-15:21 ABRAM’S ENTRY INTO THE PROMISED LANDAbram obeys God’s call (11:27-12:9)From the nations of the world God now chose one man through whom he would build a new nation, which, in turn, would be the means of bringing his blessing to the whole world (see 12:2-3). God’s chosen man, Abram (later called Abraham), lived originally in the idolatrous city of Ur in ancient Babylonia. Although others in his family worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2), Abram worshipped the one true God and obeyed him... read more
The following ancestors of the Messiah are given: SHEM; ARPACHSHAD; SHELAH; EBER; PELEG, REU, SERUG; NAHOR; TERAH, and ABRAM (ABRAHAM). A check with the genealogy given by Luke (Luke 3:34-36) conforms exactly to this with the exception that Cainan is introduced between Shelah and Arpachshad, suggesting that the whole list may be abbreviated.Genesis 11:27 provides the additional information that Terah had two other sons besides Abraham, Nahor (named after his uncle) and Haran, the father of Lot.... read more
Abram’s ancestors 11:27-32"The function of this genealogy is not so much to connect Abraham with the preceding events, as the previous genealogies have done, but to provide the reader with the necessary background for understanding the events in the life of Abraham. The list includes eight names. All the individuals named are relevant for understanding the events of the following narrative except ’Iscah’ (Genesis 11:29). The inclusion of this otherwise insignificant name in the list suggests... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 11:27-32
Here begins the story of Abram, whose name is famous, henceforward, in both Testaments. We have here, I. His country: Ur of the Chaldees. This was the land of his nativity, an idolatrous country, where even the children of Eber themselves had degenerated. Note, Those who are, through grace, heirs of the land of promise, ought to remember what was the land of their nativity, what was their corrupt and sinful state by nature, the rock out of which they were hewn. II. His relations, mentioned for... read more