Ver. 12. Ἐφρὼν δὲ ἐκάθητο ἐν μέσῳ τῶν υἱῶν Χέτ. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἐφρὼν ὁ Χετταίος πρὸς Αβραὰμ, εἶπεν ἀκουόντων τῶν υἱῶν Χέτ, καὶ τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὴν πόλιν πάντων, λέγων. Au. Ver.-10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience [Heb. ears] of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, Rosen.-And Ephron was then sitting among the children of Heth: and, &c. Others. And Ephron sat (as a judge), &c., &c. Ged. But Ephron, who was then sitting among the Hethites (for Ephron was a Hethite), answered Abraham in the hearing of all the Hethites who frequented the gate of his city, saying, εὐόδωσον ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ σήμερον. Au. Ver.-12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Send me good speed. Ges.-Cause it [i. e., the object of my journey] to meet me this day. Rosen.-Cause her [i. e., the damsel who this day. Fac occurrere coram me, scilicet is destined for my master's son], to meet me quod volo, puellam filio herili destinatam. καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γνώσομαι. Au. Ver.-14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac ; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And thereby let me know. Rosen. And by her let me know, &c. Ged., Schum.-The servant then taking ten of the camels of his master, and of all the best things of his master along with him, set out and went into Mesopotamia, &c. Rosenmüller gives both interpretations, The Sam. Pent. adds 12N, Ver. 22. ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἐπαύσαντο πᾶσαι αἱ κάμηλοι πίνουσαι, ἔλαβεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐνώτια χρυσᾶ ȧvà dpaxμǹv óλkîs. Au. Ver.-22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring [or, jewel for the forehead] of half a shekel weight, &c. Earring. Ges., Rosen., &c.-Nosering. An ornament of universal use through all parts of Arabia and Persia. Ver. 27. וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי .but prefers that of our authorized version Είτε ἔσται ἡ παρθένος, ᾗ ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πότισόν με ἐκ τῆς ὑδρίας σου μικρὸν ὕδωρ, εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου μου Αβραάμ. ὃς οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπε τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου μου. ἐμέ τ ̓ εὐώδωκε κύριος εἰς οἶκον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου. Au. Ver.-27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. I being in the way, &c. Ged. I am in the right way. The LORD hath conducted me unto the house of my master's own brother. Rosen., Schum.-As for me, Jehovah hath led me in this [i. e., in the right way] to the house of my master's brethren. Ego, me quod attinet, in hac via Jova me duxit, in domum fratrum, consanguineorum, domini mei.-Rosen. Ver. 33. Heb., LXX., Au. Ver.-He said, Speak on. Sam., Syr., Ged.—They said, Speak on. Ver. 36. μετὰ τὸ γηράσαι αὐτόν. Au. Ver.-36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old and unto him hath he given all that he hath. When she was old. Instead of, When she was old, Sam. reads when he was old.-Rosen., Ged. Ver. 40. Au. Ver.-40 And he said unto me, The LORD before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house: And thou shalt take. (So the Heb.) Ver. 43. Au. Ver. 43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink ; Ged.-Lo! while I wait by this well of water when the *daughters of the citizens come forth to draw; let it so happen that the water-drawing damsel, to whom I shall say, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher; * Following the LXX. εἶπαν δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ. μεινάτω ἡ παρθένος μεθ ̓ ἡμῶν ἡμέρας ὡσεὶ δέκα, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπελεύσεται. Au. Ver., Rosen., Gesen.-55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; [or, a full year, or ten months]; after that she shall go. Ged. The brother and mother of Rebeka answered, "Let the damsel remain with us a year, or ten months; after which she may go." καὶ εὐλόγησαν Ρεβέκκαν, καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῇ. : της αγρούς της ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν εἶ. γίνου εἰς χιλιάδας μυριάδων, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐφέστηκα ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ καὶ κληρονομησάτω τὸ σπέρμα σου τὰς πόλεις ὕδατος, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῆς τῶν ὑπεναντίων. πόλεως ἐκπορεύονται ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ, καὶ Au. Ver.-60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be whom he cohabited. The sacred historian's thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. silence about her pedigree and condition favours this opinion. The improbability that Abraham would make an alliance with any family of the Canaanites (and his kindred were all at a distance); the improbability that any princess of Canaan would accept of him in his old age, when the whole inheritance was to go to Sarah's son; all these circumstances, added to the expression used in the Book of Chronicles, make it probable that Keturah was Abraham's concubine. Might not his cohabitation with her commence, without any imputation on his continence according to the standard of the morality of those days, before Sarah's death? Was the interval sufficient, between Sarah's death and Abraham's, for six sons to be born to him of one woman and grow up to manhood, when manhood hardly took place before the age of thirty at the soonest ? In the charge that Abraham gives his servant about marrying Isaac, he talks like an old man preparing to leave the world. Is it likely that after this he should take a concubine, and beget six children? There is nothing in the original properly answering to the word "Then," at the beginning of this chapter, or to mark succession. The original expresses only that Abraham conversed with another woman besides Sarah and Hagar, who had been mentioned before; and that he had children by her. Au. Ver. 1 Then again Abraham took a From xxii. 19, and xxiii. 2, it should seem wife, and her name was Keturah. Booth., and others.-And Abraham had taken another wife; and her name was Keturah. Abraham was 137 years of age when Sarah died; and nearly forty years before that event, his age had rendered it very improbable he should have children; yet we find he had six sons by Keturah, whom he sent in his life-time: on these grounds, away that Abraham and Sarah lived apart for some time before Sarah's death. For Abraham dwelt at Beersheba, and Sarah died at Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron; and Hebron and Beersheba, according to Reland, were twenty miles distant. It seems probable that during this separation, Abraham took Keturah to his bed. Ver. 3. וּבְנֵי דְדָן הָיוּ אַשׁוּרָם וּלְטוּשָׁם,as also on the literal language of the original "And Abraham added and took a wife,' it has been supposed that Abraham married this wife long before, while Sarah was alive; υἱοὶ δὲ Δεδὰν ̓Ασσουριεὶμ, καὶ Λατουσιεὶμ, and that the passage may be rendered in the καὶ Λαωμείμ. pluperfect tense, "And Abraham had Au. Ver.-3 And the sons of Dedan were added, and had taken a wife."-Bagster's Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. Bible. Ged. And from Dedan sprang the Asshur Bp. Horsley. In the book of Chronicles, ites, the Letushites, and the Leumites. Keturah is called Abraham's concubine; Booth. And the sons of Dedan were the and such, for many reasons, it is probable fathers of the Asshurites, and Letushites, she was; i.e., a servant of his family with and Leumites. Ver. 8. TST shall add here, from the Pentateuch, some other proper names, which are strangely varied likewise: first, twenty-three names וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמָת אַבְרָהָם בְּשִׂיבָה טוֹבָה expressed differently in the Hebrew text זָקֵן וְשָׂבֵעַ וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל־עַמָּיו : καὶ ἐκλείπων ἀπέθανεν ̔Αβραὰμ ἐν γήρᾳ itself, and seventeen of them in our English καλῷ πρεσβύτης, καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν. Kai translation; and then, thirty-one names προσετέθη πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. expressed uniformly in the Hebrew, yet differently in the English. SAME NAMES, DIFFERING IN THE HEBREW. Au. Ver.-8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered 1 Gen. iv. 18, Mehujael to his people. Schum. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a happy old age, an old man, and full (of blessings); and was gathered to his people. Riphath Mehijael, in the same verse. Diphath, 1 Chron. i. 6. 2 .. 3 x. 3, 4 .. x. 4, Dodanim Rodanim, 5 x. 23, Mash Meshech, Au. Ver.-15 Hadar [or, Hadad], and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 15 16 17 18 19 20 xxxvi. 39, Pau xxxvi. 40, Alvah xlvi. 10, Jemuel xlvi. 10, Jachin xlvi. 10, Zohar xlvi. 11, Gershon .. xlvi. 13, Job .. xlvi. 16, Ezbon xlvi. 21, Ard xlvi. 23, Hushim 21 Exod. iv. 18, Jether 22 Num. i. 14, Deuel Jarib, i. 7. i. 7. i. 17. i. 22. in the next verse. 1 Chron. i. 36. i. 40. i. 50. i. 51. Num. xxvi. 12. 1 Chron. iv. 24. Zerah, Num. xxvi. 13, and 1 Chron. iv. 24. Gershom, 1 Chr. vi. 1 (16). Num. xxvi. 24. xxvi. 16. 1 Chron. viii. 5. viii. 3. Num. xxvi. 42. the same verse. Num. ii. 14. Deut. xxxiv. 9. DIFFERENT IN ENGLISH. 1 Gen. v. 3, 2 v. 6, Seth Sheth, 1 Chron. i. 1. i. 1. 3 .. v. 9, Cainan Kenan, 1.2. 4 v. 15, Jared Jered, i. 2. Ken. Men, who have read their Bible with care, must have remarked, that the name of the same person is often expressed differently in different places. Indeed the 14 variation is sometimes so great, that we can scarce persuade ourselves, that one and the same person is really meant. An uniform expression of proper names is diligently attended to, in other books; perhaps in every other book, except the Old Testament. But here we find strange variety in the expression, and consequently great con- 26 Num. xiii. 8, 16, Oshea Hoshea, fusion and indeed there is scarce any one 27 general source of error, which calls for more 29 careful correction, than the same proper 30 xxxiii. 31, Benenames now wrongly expressed. One re- 31 Deut. iii. 17, Ashdothmarkable instance occurs in this verse; where the person is wrongly called Hadar, Nothing can be more clear, than that these who is rightly called Hadad, in 1 Chron. i. fifty-four proper names (at least, the far 30. The word now Hadar, in the printed greater part of them) should be expressed Hebrew text of Genesis, is Hadad here in with the very same letters, in the places the Samaritan Pentateuch and in the Arabic where they are now different. In the second version, and also in 200 Hebrew MSS. Ilist, instances the sixth, tenth, and thirteenth Deut. xxxii.44. Num. xiv. 6. Deut. ii. 13. Num.xxxii. 35. Children of Jaakan, Springs of Pisgah, Deut. x. 6. Deut. iv. 49. esse טִירוֹת have been corrected, and expressed uni- | LXX. év Taîs σknvaîs avtŵv. more interesting than any other, Au. Ver. Twelve princes according to Rosen. Under twelve heads of tribes. Ver. 18. וַיִּשְׁכְּנוּ מֵחֲוִילָה עַד־שׁוּר אֲשֶׁר עַל־ Amstradamn. In short: in a history far פְּנֵי מִצְרַיִם בְּאֲכָה אַשׁוּרָה עַל־פְּנֵי of persons and places should be distinguished כָל־אֶחָיו נָפָל: accurately, and defined with exact uni formity. And no true critic will think κατῴκησε δὲ ἀπὸ Εὐϊλάτ ἕως Σούρ, ἢ ἐστὶ Ver. 16. Au. Ver.-18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died [Heb. fell] in the presence of all his brethren. Bp. Patrick.-Or, as some understand the verse: The sons of Ishmael dwelt from αὐτῶν. which is towards Assyria; in the way from οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσμαήλ. καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς He died (Heb. fell), &c. But his death ἐπαύλεσιν αὐτῶν. δώδεκα ἄρχοντες κατὰ ἔθνη | has been spoken of before ; and in this verse mention being made only of the situation of Au. Ver.-These are the sons of Ishmael, his country; some interpret it in this manner, and these are their names, by their towns, His lot fell, i. e., he had his portion in the and by their castles; twelve princes accord-presence of all his brethren, according to ing to their nations. the promise made to his mother, xvi. 12, Gesen.-1. A court, 2. A farm-yard, "And he will be a wild man; his hand will hamlet, village, such as there were in the be against every man, and every man's hand territory of a city, (otherwise ni) Josh. against him; and he shall dwell in the xiii. 23, 28, xv. 32, &c., Levit. xxv. 31: presence of all his brethren." The children ,the houses in the of Keturah lying on the east of his country בָּתֵּי הַחֲצֵרִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהֶם הֵמָה villages which have no wall. Also, of moveable camps of the shepherds, Gen. xxv. 16, Ís. xlii. 11, (comp. Cant. i. 5.) 1. A pen, fold, of the Nomades, also a farm-yard with folds, a village of huts, of hurdles. and Isaac's seed on the west. Or if we take Rosen., Schum.-And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and his lot fell (i.e., he dwelt) in the presence of all his brethren. In conspectu omnium fratrum Vid. suorum, i.e., iis ab Oriente (ut Jos. xv. 8) Bene cecidit scil. sors ejus, i. e., habitavit, cf. Rosen. sunt pagi portatiles Nomadum, tentoriis in orbem positis constantes, quos Tatarico vocabulo Horde, Ordu, Οὐρδα), dicere solemus. Michaelis Supplemm. p. 893, seq. |