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Acts
7:3
And said to him: Go forth out of thy country and from thy kindred: and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
*H And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father's house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Ver. 1. Said: not after his father's death, but before he left Ur; (M.) unless, perhaps, Abram received a second admonition at Haran, which, from his dwelling there with his father, &c., is styled his country. He leaves his kindred, Nachor and his other relations, except Sarai and Lot, who go with him into Chanaan; and even his own house, or many of his domestics and effects, and full of faith, goes in quest of an unknown habitation. Heb. xi. 8. H. — S. Stephen clearly distinguishes these two calls of Abram. From the second, the 430 years of sojournment, mentioned Gal. 3. Ex. 12, must be dated. C. — This is the third grand epoch of the world, about 2083, when God chooses one family to maintain the one faith, which he had all along supported. See W. &c.
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Galatians
3:8
And the scripture, foreseeing that God justifieth the Gentiles by faith, told unto Abraham before: In thee shall all nations be blessed.
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Hebrews
11:8
By faith he that is called Abraham obeyed to go out into a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing whither he went.
*H I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and IN THEE shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Ver. 3. In thee, &c. or in the Messias, who will be one of thy descendants, and the source of all the blessings to be conferred on any of the human race. Gal. iii. 16. Many of the foregoing promises regarded a future world, and Abram was by no means incredulous, when he found himself afflicted here below, as if God had forgot his promises. C. — He was truly blessed, in knowing how to live poor in spirit, even amid riches and honours; faithful in all tribulations and trials; following God in all things. v. 1.
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- A.M. 2083, A.C. 1921.
*H And he took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the substance which they had gathered, and the souls which they had gotten in Haran: and they went out to go into the land of Chanaan. And when they were come into it,
Ver. 5. Gotten, (fecerant): made or acquired, either by birth or purchase, &c. M.
*H Abram passed through the country unto the place of Sichem, as far as the noble vale: now the Chanaanite was at that time in the land.
Ver. 6. Sichem. At the foot of M. Garizim, where Abram offered his first sacrifice in the land. Deut. xi. 30. Ken. — Noble; on account of the many tall and shady oaks, whence the Sept. have the high oak. Heb. Elon more, the plain of Moreh, or of ostension, because God shewed Abram from this place, situated about the middle of the promised land, what countries he would give to him in his posterity, after having exterminated the Chanaanites, who then occupied the land as their own. The mentioning of these idolatrous nations here, gives us reason to admire the faith and constancy of Abram, who neither doubted of the fulfilling of this promise, nor hesitated to adore the true God publicly. v. 7. Hence there is no reason for accounting this an interpolation. H.
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Galatians
3:17
Now this I say: that the testament which was confirmed by God, the law which was made after four hundred and thirty years doth not disannul, to make the promise of no effect.
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Deuteronomy
34:4
And the Lord said to him: This is the land, for which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to thy seed. Thou hast seen it with thy eyes, and shalt not pass over to it.
* Summa
*S Part 2, Ques 98, Article 6
[I-II, Q. 98, Art. 6]
Whether the Old Law Was Suitably Given at the Time of Moses?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law was not suitably given at the time of Moses. Because the Old Law disposed man for the salvation which was to come through Christ, as stated above (AA. 2, 3). But man needed this salutary remedy immediately after he had sinned. Therefore the Law should have been given immediately after sin.
Obj. 2: Further, the Old Law was given for the sanctification of those from whom Christ was to be born. Now the promise concerning the "seed, which is Christ" (Gal. 3:16) was first made to Abraham, as related in Gen. 12:7. Therefore the Law should have been given at once at the time of Abraham.
Obj. 3: Further, as Christ was born of those alone who descended from Noe through Abraham, to whom the promise was made; so was He born of no other of the descendants of Abraham but David, to whom the promise was renewed, according to 2 Kings 23:1: "The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob . . . said." Therefore the Old Law should have been given after David, just as it was given after Abraham.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Gal. 3:19) that the Law "was set because of transgressions, until the seed should come, to whom He made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator": ordained, i.e. "given in orderly fashion," as the gloss explains. Therefore it was fitting that the Old Law should be given in this order of time.
_I answer that,_ It was most fitting for the Law to be given at the time of Moses. The reason for this may be taken from two things in respect of which every law is imposed on two kinds of men. Because it is imposed on some men who are hard-hearted and proud, whom the law restrains and tames: and it is imposed on good men, who, through being instructed by the law, are helped to fulfil what they desire to do. Hence it was fitting that the Law should be given at such a time as would be appropriate for the overcoming of man's pride. For man was proud of two things, viz. of knowledge and of power. He was proud of his knowledge, as though his natural reason could suffice him for salvation: and accordingly, in order that his pride might be overcome in this matter, man was left to the guidance of his reason without the help of a written law: and man was able to learn from experience that his reason was deficient, since about the time of Abraham man had fallen headlong into idolatry and the most shameful vices. Wherefore, after those times, it was necessary for a written law to be given as a remedy for human ignorance: because "by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). But, after man had been instructed by the Law, his pride was convinced of his weakness, through his being unable to fulfil what he knew. Hence, as the Apostle concludes (Rom. 8:3, 4), "what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sent [Vulg.: 'sending'] His own Son . . . that the justification of the Law might be fulfilled in us."
With regard to good men, the Law was given to them as a help; which was most needed by the people, at the time when the natural law began to be obscured on account of the exuberance of sin: for it was fitting that this help should be bestowed on men in an orderly manner, so that they might be led from imperfection to perfection; wherefore it was becoming that the Old Law should be given between the law of nature and the law of grace.
Reply Obj. 1: It was not fitting for the Old Law to be given at once after the sin of the first man: both because man was so confident in his own reason, that he did not acknowledge his need of the Old Law; because as yet the dictate of the natural law was not darkened by habitual sinning.
Reply Obj. 2: A law should not be given save to the people, since it is a general precept, as stated above (Q. 90, AA. 2, 3); wherefore at the time of Abraham God gave men certain familiar, and, as it were, household precepts: but when Abraham's descendants had multiplied, so as to form a people, and when they had been freed from slavery, it was fitting that they should be given a law; for "slaves are not that part of the people or state to which it is fitting for the law to be directed," as the Philosopher says (Polit. iii, 2, 4, 5).
Reply Obj. 3: Since the Law had to be given to the people, not only those, of whom Christ was born, received the Law, but the whole people, who were marked with the seal of circumcision, which was the sign of the promise made to Abraham, and in which he believed, according to Rom. 4:11: hence even before David, the Law had to be given to that people as soon as they were collected together. ________________________
*H And passing on from thence to a mountain, that was on the east side of Bethel, he there pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: he built there also an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name.
Ver. 8. Bethel, as it was called in the days of Moses, being the ancient Luza. C. 28. On the west, Heb., towards the sea or Mediterranean, which lay west of Palestine. Bethel signifies the house of God, being honoured with two altars. H.
*H And Abram went forward, going and proceeding on to the south.
Ver. 9. Proceeding to the south, Heb.: means also the desert, as the Sept. generally translate negeb: other interpreters agree with the Vulgate. C.
* Footnotes
- A.M. 2084, A.C. 1920.
*H And there came a famine in the country: and Abram went down into Egypt, to sojourn there: for the famine was very grievous in the land.
Ver. 10. Down into Egypt, which lies lower than Judea: here the famine did not rage. God would not allow him to go back to his friends. M.
*H And when he was near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife: I know that thou art a beautiful woman:
Ver. 11. Beautiful: having yet had no children, though she must have been 65 years old. Abram acts with prudence, and does not tempt God: if he had made known that the woman was his wife, he would have exposed his life to imminent danger, amid a cruel and lascivious people; and being convinced of the chastity of Sarai, he did not, in the least, apprehend that she would consent to any violation of her conjugal engagements. He did not, therefore, expose her virtue as the Manichees pretended. S. Aug. c. Faust. xxii. 33. de C. D. xvi. 19. Ha. C. — The event proved the justice of Abram's suspicions, and God's interference shewed that he was not displeased with his concealing part of the truth. Who can be so simple as to suppose, that we are bound to explain all our concerns to a foe? Do not we every day act with the like caution as Abram did, when we have reason to fear danger? Do not we wish, when fleeing from an enemy's country, that he should conclude we were taking a walk of pleasure? H.
*H Say, therefore, I pray thee, that thou art my sister: that I may be well used for thee, and that my soul may live for thy sake.
Ver. 13. My sister. This was no lie; because she was his niece, being daughter to his brother Aran, and therefore, in the style of the Hebrews, she might truly be called his sister; as Lot is called Abraham's brother. Gen. xiv. 14. See Gen. xx. 12. Ch. — Others say, Sarai was the half-sister of Abraham, by another mother. H.
*H And the princes told Pharao, and praised her before him: and the woman was taken into the house of Pharao.
Ver. 15. Pharao: the usual title of the kings of Egypt, in Ezechiel's time. C. 32. 2. Courtiers are often too ready to flatter the passions of the prince: these are punished along with Pharao (v. 17); whence we may conclude, that they concurred with him, to take Sarai against her will.
*H And they used Abram well for her sake. And he had sheep and oxen and he asses, and men servants, and maid servants, and she asses, and camels.
Ver. 16. Well. Perhaps they made him some presents to gain his favour; (M.) or, at least, they suffered him to remain quietly among them.
*H But the Lord scourged Pharao and his house with most grievous stripes for Sarai, Abram's wife.
Ver. 17. Scourged Pharao with unusual pains, sterility, &c. that he might easily perceive that his taking Sarai was displeasing to God. H. — He did not intend to commit adultery indeed, but his conduct was tyrannical and oppressive to the stranger, whom God protects. Ps. 44. M.
*H And Pharao gave his men orders concerning Abram: and they led him away and his wife, and all that he had.
Ver. 20. Led him away: perhaps without allowing him time to vindicate his conduct, and with a degree of contumely, to shew the king's displeasure; who durst not, however, injure Abram in his effects, nor suffer any of his subjects to hurt him. The holy patriarch received his wife untouched, and departed with joy. H.