And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time. The Angel having restrained him from slaying his son, and having provided another sacrifice, which he offered, calls to him again; having something more to say to him, which was to renew the covenant he had made with him, and confirm it by an oath. read more
And said, by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord ,.... Which Aben Ezra observes is a great oath, and abides for ever; for because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, his own nature, perfections, and life, Hebrews 6:13 ; hence it appears, that the Angel that called to Abraham was a divine Person, the true Jehovah: for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son , thine only son ; that is, from the Lord, as in Genesis 22:12 ; and is here... read more
That in blessing I will bless thee ,.... With temporal and spiritual blessings; with the Spirit and all his graces; with Christ and redemption, justification, and salvation by him; and with eternal life, as the gift of God, through him: and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore : both his natural seed, descending from him in the line of Isaac, and his spiritual seed, both among Jews and Gentiles, that tread in... read more
By myself have I sworn - So we find that the person who was called the angel of the Lord is here called Jehovah; See note on Genesis 22:2 . An oath or an appeal to God is, among men, an end to strife; as God could swear by no greater, he sware by himself: being willing more abundantly, says the apostle, to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it by an oath, that two immutable things, (his Promise and his Oath), in which it was impossible for God to... read more
Shall possess the gate of his enemies - Instead of gate the Septuagint have πολεις , cities; but as there is a very near resemblance between πολεις , cities, and πυλας , gates, the latter might have been the original reading in the Septuagint, though none of the MSS. now acknowledge it. By the gates may be meant all the strength, whether troops, counsels, or fortified cities of their enemies. So Matthew 16:18 ; : On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not... read more
Verse 15 15.And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham. What God had promised to Abraham before Isaac was born, he now again confirms and ratifies, after Isaac was restored to life, and arose from the altar, — as if it had been from the sepulcher, — to achieve a more complete triumph. The angel speaks in the person of God; in order that, as we have before said, the embassy of those who bear his name, may have the greater authority, by their being clothed with his majesty. These two things,... read more
Verse 17 17.Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. He means that the offspring of Abraham should be victorious over their enemies; for in the gates were their bulwarks, and in them they administered judgment. Now, although God often suffered the enemies of the Jews tyrannically to rule over them; yet he so moderated their revenge, that this promise always prevailed in the end. Moreover, we must remember what has before been stated from Paul, concerning the unity of the seed; for we... read more
Mount Moriah, or the mount of sacrifice. I. ABRAHAM 'S TRIAL . 1. Divine in its origin . However explained, the appalling ordeal through which the patriarch at this time passed was expressly created for him by Elohim. Only he who made the human heart can adequately search it; and he alone who has a perfect understanding of the standard of moral excellence can pronounce upon the intrinsic worth of his creatures. 2. Unexpected in its coming . After all that had... read more
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, —the object of the first call having been to arrest the consummation of the fatal deed which threatened Isaac's life, and to declare the Divine satisfaction with the patriarch's complete spiritual surrender of his son, the purpose of the second was to renew the promise in reward for his fidelity and obedience— and said, By myself have I sworn ,—by my word (Onkelos); by my name (Arabic); equivalent to by himself,... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 22:15-19
Abraham's obedience was graciously accepted; but this was not all: here we have it recompensed, abundantly recompensed, before he stirred from the place; probably while the ram he had sacrificed was yet burning God sent him this gracious message, renewed and ratified his covenant with him. All covenants were made by sacrifice, so was this by the typical sacrifices of Isaac and the ram. Very high expressions of God's favour to Abraham are employed in this confirmation of the covenant with him,... read more