Abram and Lot part from each other. God’s promise to Abram.
Abram & Lot returne from Aegypt into Chanaan, 6. and being rich separate themselues, 10, Lot choosing the countrie about Iordain, Abram dwelleth in Chanaan. 14. where againe God promiseth him that land, and multiplication of his seede. 18. And he erected an other Altar to God.
1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him into the south.Uscì adunque Abramo di Egitto con la sua moglie, e con tutto il suo, e insieme con lui Lot, andando verso il mezzodì.ABRAM therfore ascended out of Aegypt, he and his wife, and al that he had, and Lot with him to the south coast.Ascendit ergo Abram de Ægypto, ipse et uxor ejus, et omnia quæ habebat, et Lot cum eo, ad australem plagam. 2And he was very rich in possession of gold and silver.Ed egli era molto ricco di oro e d'argento.And he was very rich in possession of gold and siluer.Erat autem dives valde in possessione auri et argenti. 3And he returned by the way, that he came, from the south to Bethel, to the place where before he had pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai,E tornò per la strada, per cui era andato, da mezzodì verso Bethel fino al luogo, dove prima avea piantato il padiglione tra Bethel, e Hai:And he returned by the way, that he came, from the south vnto Bethel, euen to the place where before he had pitched a tabernacle betwen Bethel and Hay:Reversusque est per iter, quo venerat, a meridie in Bethel, usque ad locum ubi prius fixerat tabernaculum inter Bethel et Hai, 4In the place of the altar which he had made before, and there he called upon the name of the Lord.Nel luogo dove avea già fatto l'altare, e ivi invocò il nome del Signore.in the place of the altar which he had made before, and there he called vpon the name of our Lord.in loco altaris quod fecerat prius: et invocavit ibi nomen Domini. 5But Lot also, who was with Abram, had flocks of sheep, and herds of beasts, and tents.Ma anche Lot, che era con Abramo, avea greggi di pecore, e armenti, e tende.But Lot also that was with Abram, had flocks of sheepe, and heards of beasts, and tents.Sed et Lot qui erat cum Abram, fuerunt greges ovium, et armenta, et tabernacula. 6Neither was the land able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, and they could not dwell together.E la terra non potea capirli, abitando eglino insieme: perocché aveano molte facoltà, e non potevano stare in un medesimo luogo.Neyther was the land able to receiue them, for to dwel togeather: for their substance was much, and they could not dwel togeather.Nec poterat eos capere terra, ut habitarent simul: erat quippe substantia eorum multa, et nequibant habitare communiter. 7Whereupon also there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abram and of Lot. And at that time the Chanaanite and the Pherezite dwelled in that country.Per la qual cosa ne nacque anche rissa tra' pastori de' greggi d'Abramo, e quei di Lot. E in quel tempo abitavano in quella terra il Cananeo, e il Ferezeo.Wherupon also there arose strife amongst the heardsmen of Abram and of Lot. And that time the Chananite and the Pherisite dwelled in that countrie.Unde et facta est rixa inter pastores gregum Abram et Lot. Eo autem tempore Chananæus et Pherezæus habitabant in terra illa.
8Abram therefore said to Lot: Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen: for we are brethren.Disse adunque Abramo a Lot: Di grazia non nasca altercazione tra me, e te, e tra' miei pastori, e i tuoi pastori: perocché noi siam fratelli.Abram therfore said to Lot: Let there be no brawle I beseech thee betwen me and thee, and betwen my heardsmen, and thy heardsmen: for we be brethren.Dixit ergo Abram ad Lot: Ne quæso sit jurgium inter me et te, et inter pastores meos et pastores tuos: fratres enim sumus. 9Behold the whole land is before thee: depart from me, I pray thee: if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right: if thou choose the right hand, I will pass to the left.Ecco dinanzi a te tutta questa terra: allontanati, ti prego, da me: se tu andrai a sinistra, io terrò a destra; se tu sceglierai a destra, io andrò a sinistra.Behold the whole land is before thee: goe aparte from me, I pray thee: if thou wilt goe to the left hand, I wil take the right: if thou choose the right hand, I wil passe to the left.Ecce universa terra coram te est: recede a me, obsecro: si ad sinistram ieris, ego dexteram tenebo: si tu dexteram elegeris, ego ad sinistram pergam. 10And Lot lifting up his eyes, saw all the country about the Jordan, which was watered throughout, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, as the paradise of the Lord, and like Egypt as one comes to Segor.Lot adunque alzati gli occhi, vide tutta la regione intorno al Giordano, per dove si va a Segor, la quale era tutta inaffiata, come il paradiso del Signore, e come l'Egitto prima che il Signore smantellasse Sodoma e Gomorra.Lot therfore lifting vp his eyes, sawe al the countrie about Iordaine, which was watered through out before that our Lord subuerted Sodome and Gomorre, as the paradise of our Lord, and like as Aegypt as men come vnto Segor.Elevatis itaque Lot oculis, vidit omnem circa regionem Jordanis, quæ universa irrigabatur antequam subverteret Dominus Sodomam et Gomorrham, sicut paradisus Domini, et sicut Ægyptus venientibus in Segor. 11And Lot chose to himself the country about the Jordan, and he departed from the east: and they were separated one brother from the other.E Lot si elesse il paese intorno al Giordano, e si ritirò dall'oriente: e si separarono l'uno dall'altro.And Lot chose vnto him the countrie about Iordaine, and he departed from the East: and they were seperated either brother from the other.Elegitque sibi Lot regionem circa Jordanem, et recessit ab oriente: divisique sunt alterutrum a fratre suo.
12Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan: and Lot abode in the towns, that were about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom.Abramo abitò nella terra di Chanaan: e Lot stava per le città, che erano intorno al Giordano, e pose stanza in Sodoma.Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan: and Lot abode in the townes, that were about Iordaine, and dwelt in Sodome.Abram habitavit in terra Chanaan; Lot vero moratus est in oppidis, quæ erant circa Jordanem, et habitavit in Sodomis. 13And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the face of the Lord beyond measure.Ma gli uomini di Sodoma erano pessimi, e formisura peccatori dinanzi a Dio.And the men of Sodome were verie wicked, and sinners before the face of our Lord out of measure.Homines autem Sodomitæ pessimi erant, et peccatores coram Domino nimis. 14And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west.E il Signore disse ad Abramo, dopo che Lot fu separato da lui: Alza gli occhi tuoi, e mira dal luogo dove sei ora, a settentrione, a mezzodì, a levante, e all'occidente.And our Lord said to Abram, after that Lot was seperated from him: Lyft vp thyn eyes, and looke from the place, wherin thou now art, to the north and south, to the east and west.Dixitque Dominus ad Abram, postquam divisus est ab eo Lot: Leva oculos tuos et vide a loco, in quo nunc es, ad aquilonem et meridiem, ad orientem et occidentem. 15All the land which thou seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever.Tutta la terra, che tu vedi, la darò a te, e a' tuoi posteri fino in eterno.Al the land, which thou seest, wil I geue to thee, & to thy seed for euer.Omnem terram, quam conspicis, tibi dabo, et semini tuo usque in sempiternum. 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also.E moltiplicherò la tua stirpe, come la polvere della terra: se alcuno degli uomini può contare i granelli della polvere della terra, potrà anche contare i tuoi posteri.And I wil make thy seede as the dust of the earth: if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, thy seede also shal he be able to number.Faciamque semen tuum sicut pulverem terræ: si quis potest hominum numerare pulverem terræ, semen quoque tuum numerare poterit. 17Arise and walk through the land in the length, and the breadth thereof: for I will give it to thee.Levati su, e scorri la terra, quant'ella è lunga, e quanto è larga: perocché a te io la darò.Arise and walke through the land in the length, and in the breath therof: for I wil geue it to thee.Surge, et perambula terram in longitudine et in latitudine sua: quia tibi daturus sum eam.
18So Abram removing his tent, came, and dwelt by the vale of Mambre, which is in Hebron: and he built there an altar to the Lord.Abramo adunque mosse il suo padiglione, e andò ad abitare presso la valle di Mambre, che è in Hebron: ed ivi edificò un altare al Signore.Abram therfore remouing his tent, came, and dwelt beside the vale of Mambre, which is in Hebron: and he builded there an altar to our Lord.Movens igitur tabernaculum suum Abram, venit, et habitavit juxta convallem Mambre, quæ est in Hebron: ædificavitque ibi altare Domino.
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South. With respect to Judea, which the sacred writers have always in view.
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Menochius
Rich in possession. Hebrew may be "heavy laden with cattle, gold," etc. (Menochius)
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Calmet
To bear or feed their flocks, as well as those of the Chanaanites. (Calmet)
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St. Augustine
Abram therefore, for fear of raising a quarrel with the Pherezites also, who might complain that these strangers were eating up what they had before taken possession of, suggests to his nephew the propriety of their taking different courses. Being the older, he divides, and the younger chooses, according to an ancient and laudable custom. (St. Augustine, City of God 16:20.)
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Grotius
From the east of Pentapolis to Sodom, (Menochius) or to the east of the place where Abram was, as Onkelos has it. The Hebrew may signify either. (Grotius.)
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Haydock
Sinners before, etc. That is truly, without restraint or disguise. Lot might not have been acquainted with their dissolute morals, when he made this choice; in which however he consulted only his senses, and looked for temporal advantages, which ended in sorrow. This God permitted for a warning to us; and to restrain the Sodomites, by the example of Lot's justice, contrasted with their abominable lives. (Haydock)
Ezechiel 16:49, explains the causes of their wickedness.
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And to: This is by way of explanation to the former words: (Haydock) for Abram never possessed a foot of this land by inheritance, Acts viii.[vii.?] 5. Even his posterity never enjoyed it, at least, for any long time. St. Augustine gives the reason; because the promise was conditional, and the Jews did not fulfil their part by obedience and fidelity. (q. 31. in Gen.) It is better, however, to understand these promises of another land, which the people, who imitate the faith of Abram, shall enjoy in the world to come. (Calmet) (Romans 4:16.)
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Menochius
As the dust, an hyperbole, to express a very numerous offspring, which is more exact, if we take in the spiritual children of Abram. (Menochius)
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Calmet
Through. Lot has chosen a part, I give the whole to thee. Thou mayest take possession of it, and go wherever thou hast a mind. (Calmet)
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Menochius
Vale, or grove of oaks, where there was a famous one which was called the oak of Mambre, either from the neighbouring city, or from a man of that name, Genesis 14:13. (Menochius)
Calmet
Hebron was on the hill above. (Calmet)
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Foure sortes of bretheren inholie writte: german brothers, as Iacob and Esau: of kinred, as Abraham and Lot: of the same nation, as the Iewes and Samaritanes: in Religion as al Catholiques.
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Not the children of the flesh but the children of promisse are the seede. Rom. 9. and are innumerable. Apoc. •. •. 9.
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 52.10
… There is not in this Lazarus the merit of poverty, but that of godliness. For thou seest who was borne up, thou seest not whither he was borne up. Who was borne up by Angels? A poor man, full of woe, full of sores. Whither was he borne up? Unto Abraham’s bosom. Read the Scriptures, and thou shall find Abraham to have been a rich man.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 86.3
… I will prove shortly that it was not riches but pride which was tormented in that rich man. It is certain that the poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham: of Abraham himself Scripture saith that he had here very much gold and silver, and was rich on the earth.
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 66.11
… Well done. You have surpassed my poor beginning. You have reached the highest point. You have made your way from the root to the top of the tree. You are the first of monks in the first city of the world: you do right therefore to follow the first of the patriarchs. Let Lot, whose name means ‘one who turns aside’ choose the plain
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 1
[5.] And if you please, let us try each by examples. For tell me, what was there ever more exalted than Abraham? And yet it was he that said, “I am but dust and ashes;” it was he who said, (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 35
… But when one and the same person is found to possess all, what excuse will they have, who after the law and grace are not able to attain unto the same measure with them that were before the law and grace? How then did this Patriarch overcome and subdue this monster, when he had a dispute with his nephew? (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary 16
… who are Israelites.” Moreover they are called brethren by kindred who are of one family, that is πατρία , which corresponds to the Latin paternitas , because from a single root a numerous progeny proceeds. In Genesis
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 16.20
… for we be brethren. Behold, is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself from me: if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will go to the right; or if thou wilt go to the right hand, I will go to the left.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 22.35
… Thus Tobias says in his prayer to God, before having intercourse with his wife, "And now, O Lord, Thou knowest that not in wantonness I take to wife my sister;" though she was not sprung immediately from the same father or the same mother, but only belonged to the same family. And Lot is called the brother of Abraham, though Abraham was his uncle.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 10.2
… For Eve, too, immediately she was formed from the side of her husband, and as yet not known of her husband, is, as you know, called mulier: “And he made her a woman [mulier].” Then, whence the brethren? The kinsmen of Mary, of whatever degree, are the brethren of the Lord. How do we prove this? From Scripture itself. Lot is called “Abraham’s brother;”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Well: these indeed so became glorious. But as for those who sought their own, consider what harm too they received. The nephew, for instance, of the last mentioned, because he listened to the saying, “If thou wilt go to the right, I will go to the left;” (
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 17.12
12. Wouldest thou learn the same truth respecting cities? What could be more illustrious than the cities of Sodom? For the houses and the buildings were splendid, and so were their walls; and the country was fat and fertile, and “like the Paradise of God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Thessalonians 8
… For above Ascalon and Gaza up to the very end of the river Jordan there is a country wide and fruitful—or rather there was—for it is not now. This then is that which was as a garden. For it is said, “Lot beheld all the plain of Jordan—and it was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Thessalonians 10
… So that this rather is philosophy of soul. And this, we see, happened in the case of Abraham. “For Lot,” it is said, “beheld all the plain; and it was well watered as the garden of God, and he chose it.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 71.1
… Your hands have grasped the handle of the plough, the hem of the Saviour’s garment, and His locks wet with the dew of night; do not let them go. Do not come down from the housetop of virtue to seek for the clothes which you wore of old, nor return home from the field. Do not like Lot set your heart on the plain or upon the pleasant gardens;
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.32
2. Thus, then, the promise of God, which He gave to Abraham, remains stedfast. For thus He said: “Lift up thine eyes, and look from this place where now thou art, towards the north and south, and east and west. For all the earth which thou seest, I will give to thee and to thy seed, even for ever.”
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Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 10
… “Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou now art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, [so that] if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 16.21
… for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: if any one can number the dust of the earth, thy seed shall also be numbered. Arise, and walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 5
… “For,” he says, “He taketh not hold of angels, but of the seed of Abraham He taketh hold.” Hereby he both gives honor to the Patriarch, and shows also what “the seed of Abraham” is. He reminds them of the promise made to him, saying, “To thee and to thy seed will I give this land” (
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 128
The patriarch Abraham won a victory in his old age.
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.32
… For thus He said: “Lift up thine eyes, and look from this place where now thou art, towards the north and south, and east and west. For all the earth which thou seest, I will give to thee and to thy seed, even for ever.” And again He says, “Arise, and go through the length and breadth of the land, since I will give it unto thee;”
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To the south — with respect to Canaan, or Judaea; for Scripture always accommodates the regions of the world to this, as being written for the Jews; this place was therefore of the south of Judaea, but of the north with respect to Egypt: for Abram returned to Bethel, from which he had departed.
In the place of the altar — to the place of the altar, namely where in chapter XII, verse 8, he had erected an altar. This is evident from the Hebrew.
Who was with Abram. By these words Moses signifies that Lot, on account of his association with Abraham, was blessed by God and made wealthy. Tents — pavilions, in which he himself dwelt with his family: for they did not dwell in houses, but in huts, as it were as pilgrims, according to Hebrews chapter XI, verse 9.
And the land could not bear them. The same portion of Canaan was not sufficient for pastures by which so many and so great flocks of both could be nourished. 'A worldly vice,' says St. Ambrose, book I On Abraham, chapter III, 'that the earth does not contain the rich. For nothing is sufficient for the greed of the wealthy. The richer anyone becomes, the more eager he is to possess. He wishes to extend the boundaries of his field, and to exclude his neighbor. Is Abraham of this sort? Not at all. Yet, as one not at all avaricious, he offers a choice; as a just man, he cuts off dissension.'
And there was a strife — while each of the herdsmen assigned better pastures to his flocks. See here how riches beget quarrels and contentions, even among brothers and most intimate kinsmen, whence St. Chrysostom, homily 33: 'The herds have increased,' he says, 'the flocks have multiplied, great riches have flowed in, and immediately concord is torn asunder. Before there was peace and the bond of charity, now strife and contention; for where mine and thine are, there is every kind of litigation; but where these are not, there secure peace and concord prevail.' Hence concerning the first Christians, Luke says in Acts IV, 32: 'And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul.' He adds the reason: 'Neither did any one of them say that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but all things were common unto them.' At that time the Chanaanite and the Pherezite dwelt in that land — that is to say, lest therefore Abram and his family be invaded and oppressed by them, while Lot contending and fighting; again, lest the Chanaanites be scandalized by these contentions of the herdsmen, and thus blaspheme Abraham's faithful and religious family, and consequently turn away more from his faith and religion, and from the true God: for this reason Abraham wished to separate himself from Lot, and thus to remove all their scandal.
'For we are brethren.' 'Brethren,' that is kinsmen; for Lot was Abraham's nephew from his brother.
'Behold all the land is before thee'—it is in thy power and choice, it is permitted thee to choose that part of the region which shall please thee; for the inhabitants will willingly sell or lease it to thee. Abram the uncle gives here to his nephew Lot the option to choose the region which he wishes. From this there seems to have arisen the ancient custom among the ancients in the division of inheritance between brothers, that the elder brother, as being more prudent, should divide the inheritance into equal parts, while the younger should choose (so that neither could complain of being deceived), which St. Ambrose praises, book I On Abraham, chapter III, and Augustine, book XVI On the City of God, chapter XX. 'What sort of division ought to be made, the Patriarch teaches: let the stronger divide, let the weaker choose, lest he have something to complain of. For he could not cavil at the portion of his own choosing. There remains no occasion for withdrawing, to whom is given the option of choosing.' 'If to the left.' By left he understands the North, by right the South. Thus the Chaldean and Vatablus. In the Hebrew the word is beautifully opposed to word; for it has thus: 'If thou goest to the left, I will go to the right; if thou goest to the right, I will go to the left,' that is, if thou choosest the left, I will choose the right, and conversely. Excellently St. Ambrose, book II On Abraham, chapter VI: 'He said, says he, before us a man advanced in the discipline of philosophy, that four things ought to be in a good man, that he should strive first, that he make all friends; second, that if he cannot make friends, certainly not enemies; third, that if this is not possible, he depart according to his judgment; fourth, if anyone pursues him as he departs, let him defend himself as he can; but those three things in Abraham we recognize not in bare words, but in true works. But the fourth is not thus, when even toward him as he departed he preserved the affection of a parent, so that he not only did not pursue him, but also rescued and freed him when taken captive.'
All the region about the Jordan. Vatablus translates it, all the plains of the field of the Jordan; the Chaldean, all the plain of the Jordan. 'As the paradise of the Lord.' In Hebrew kegan adonai, as the garden of the Lord, which namely God had prepared and adorned for Adam, Genesis II, 8: thus St. Augustine; and as any other most pleasant garden, which has been made by God, or can be made. 'And as Egypt coming into Segor,' that is to say, As that part of Egypt by which one goes into Segor: for this is irrigated by the Nile, and therefore is most fertile. But because this part of Egypt in like manner looks toward Sodom and Gomorrah, which were more noble cities than Segor, which therefore Moses would have named rather than Segor here; hence secondly, and more aptly and genuinely, 'coming into Segor' refers not to 'as Egypt,' but above to 'the region of the Jordan, which was all irrigated coming (in coming) into Segor,' that is to say, The whole Pentapolis before the overthrow, especially from the place in which Abraham then was, going toward Segor, was irrigated and most fertile, as paradise, and as Egypt, which the Nile makes fruitful. Thus St. Augustine, Cajetan, Pererius.
'And he chose for himself.' God permitted Lot to be deceived in this choice of his, both that by his example and conversation the Sodomites might be stirred to hatred of sins and love of virtue; and that we might learn not to prefer the more pleasant to the more healthful, nor to follow our cupidity in our choice. 'The weaker, says St. Ambrose, book I On Abraham, chapter III, 'chooses the more pleasant, rejects the more useful. For often where the fruits are unequal, the more prudent avoids the more pleasant. They quickly stir up envy, they quickly arouse in themselves the mind of the greedy,' etc. 'He departed from the East.' Thou wilt say: Lot was going to the Jordan and the Pentapolis, which are to the East; therefore he did not depart from the East, but approached to it. Some answer that there is an enallage of the preposition: for 'from' is put for 'to,' 'toward'; for in Hebrew it is, he departed from the East, that is toward the East. For it only means to say that Lot separated himself from Abraham; for he traversed the East, this one the West, that is to say, Lot departed from Abraham toward the East. Secondly, others with Pererius answer that Lot departed from the East, because he did not go directly and by a straight path from Bethel to the East; but he turned his journey laterally to the Pentapolis, which with respect to Bethel was partly to the East, partly to the South. For when he came from the South, namely from Egypt, to Bethel, he did not go straight to the East, but turned his way to the South, whence he had come. Thirdly and genuinely, Moses here calls East the place in which Lot and Abraham were when they separated from each other, namely that of which he said in chapter XII, 8: 'And from thence passing on to the mountain, which was on the east side of Bethel, he pitched his tent there, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east.' Here therefore the place in which the separation of Lot from Abraham was made, as is evident from chapter XIII, 3, is called East, because it was on the east side of Bethel, and had Hai on the east. The sense therefore is: Lot departed from the East, that is from the place in which he made with Abraham the covenant of separation, which on account of the respects already mentioned is called East by Moses. 'One from his brother.' In Hebrew 'a man from his brother,' that is one from another, brother from brother, namely uncle from nephew.
'Abram dwelt in the land of Chanaan.' 'Chanaan' here is the name of one nation and part of the promised land, situated near the Mediterranean Sea and the waters of the Jordan. For the Chanaanite was one of the seven peoples dwelling in the promised land, whom the Hebrews drove out; from him, as it were the principal one, the whole region was called Chanaan, or Chanaanaea; and in this sense also Lot dwelling in Sodom dwelt in Chanaan. But taking the word Chanaan strictly, as it is taken here, Abram dwelt in Chanaan, but Lot dwelt not in Chanaan, but in Sodom. Now Sodom was not properly of the Chanaanites, but of the Pherezites, says Tostatus. 'But Lot dwelt in the cities that were about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom'—namely, Lot departing and wandering with his flocks, went about the cities and fields of the Jordan, as far as Sodom, as the Hebrew clearly has.
'The Sodomites were most wicked and sinners before the Lord'—that is, exceptional and most grievous sinners; because those things which are of God, or before God, these are great and exceptional. These sins, or rather the origin of these sins, Ezechiel explains in chapter XVI, 49, when he says: 'Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance, and idleness of her' (the Septuagint translates, 'she abounded in delights and her daughters, and they gloried magnificently'), 'and they did not put out their hand to the needy and the poor.' As if to say, This was the fivefold iniquity of Sodom, and the root and origin of the rest, namely of monstrous lusts: to wit, the first iniquity of Sodom was pride; the second, fulness of bread and foods, namely feasting and carousing; the third, abundance and luxury of all things; the fourth, idleness. It is asked, Why did Aegisthus become an adulterer: The cause is at hand, he was idle. The fifth, mercilessness. Whence St. Jerome on the aforesaid verse of Ezechiel thus says: 'Pride, fulness of bread, abundance of all things, idleness and delights are the Sodomitic sin; and on account of this follows forgetfulness of God, which reckons present goods to be perpetual, whence it is written of Israel: He ate and drank, and was filled, and grew fat, and kicked the beloved. Knowing which, the wisest of all Solomon thus prays: Give me only the necessaries, and what are sufficient for me, lest being filled I should be tempted to deny, and say: Who seeth me? or being brought to poverty, I should steal, and forswear the name of my God.' Thus far St. Jerome. Secondly, the Sodomites were sinners before the Lord, that is openly, publicly in the sight of the sun itself, God himself and the sun looking on, they sinned shamelessly, as if to say, the Sodomites were not only most wicked, but also shameless, contemners of God and men. Thirdly, the Hebrew ladonai, which our translator renders before the Lord, can with Vatablus be translated, against the Lord, contrary to the Lord. So much the greater was the virtue of Lot, in that among the worst he was the best, as St. Peter teaches in his second epistle, chapter II, 7, and St. Gregory, book I of the Morals, chapter 1.
'All the land which thou seest.' It is probable, as Pererius holds, that God, or an angel in God's stead, presented to Abraham while awake (just as to Moses in Deuteronomy XXXIV, 1) an image of the whole land of promise (for Abraham could not naturally perceive all of this merely by looking around), and of its individual parts, in which he might see properly, distinctly and clearly all things in that land worthy of beholding. Thus the devil showed to Christ all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, Matthew IV, 8. Thus St. Benedict, being elevated by God, saw the whole world, as it were a small globe hanging in the air, subject to his eyes under one ray of the sun, as St. Gregory relates in book II of the Dialogues, chapter XXXV. 'To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.' 'To' is exegetical, and means the same as 'that is'; for what is given to Abraham's seed and posterity is reckoned as given to Abraham, according to Canon 13. Thus St. Chrysostom and Cajetan. Therefore here is promised literally to the Hebrews the possession of the land of Chanaan for ever; not absolutely, but relatively, that is, so long as this seed endures, that is, the people and commonwealth of the Hebrews. For now that their kingdom and commonwealth have been dispersed and overthrown, what wonder if they no longer obtain this land, in which they had their commonwealth and kingdom? Add with St. Thomas, or rather Thomas the Englishman, Pererius and others, that this promise is conditional; for the land of Chanaan is promised to the Hebrews on this condition, namely, if they in turn obey God and keep His law and worship, as is evident from Leviticus XXVI; because the Jews did not do this, God therefore rescinded His covenants and promises, and afflicted and overthrew them, as He had threatened them in Leviticus XXVI. Note: God here rewards Abraham's meekness and magnanimity, by which he had yielded to Lot, though younger, the better pastures, as if to say: Thou first, Lot, for the sake of peace, didst yield the five cities; therefore I now give thee greater things. 'All, He says, the land which thou seest I will give to thee.' See how generously God rewards, if anything be relinquished for the sake of peace. Abraham had yielded but little to Lot, and now he receives the whole land. Whence St. Ambrose, book II On Abraham, chapter VII: 'Hence, he says, as from a fountain the Stoic philosophers drew the doctrine that all things belong to the wise man. For the East and the West, the North and the South, are portions of the universe. For the whole world is included in these. When God promised to give these to Abraham, what else does He declare, but that to the wise and faithful man all things are at hand, nothing is lacking? Whence also Solomon in Proverbs chapter XVII says: He who is faithful, the whole world is his riches.' And soon after: 'How is the whole world the wise man's? Because nature itself gives him a share of all things, even if he himself possesses nothing. Wisdom is mistress and possessor, which counts the gifts of nature as her own, because they are given for the use of men, and she needs nothing, even if things necessary for sustenance be lacking to her. The wise man judges all that is nature's, he who lives according to nature. For he does not lose his right, who remembers that he was made in the image of God, and to whom God said: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all cattle, and all the earth, and all things that creep upon the earth. And he knows that wisdom is the mother of all things, and possesses the circle of the earth.' Anagogically, the same understands by 'land' the land of resurrection, which He promised to our fathers, flowing with milk and honey, the sweetness of life, the grace of joy, the splendor of glory, of which the firstborn from the dead, God's Son Jesus Christ, was made the first heir. Thus St. Chrysostom, homily 34: 'The Patriarch knew, he says, that he who yields to the lesser would obtain the greater, and he yielded to Lot, and chose the worse region, that he might cut off the occasion of contention, and preserving his peculiar virtue, render his whole house peaceful.' And earlier: 'Nothing makes the soul to be in such tranquility and peace as meekness and modesty: This is more useful to him who possesses every diadem,' etc. Anagogically, here is promised to Abraham's spiritual seed, that is, to many faithful and elect; and to them the land of the living in the heavens, to be possessed properly for ever, God here promises. Thus from the Apostle, Romans IV, 16, St. Augustine, XVI On the City of God, XXI.
'As the dust of the earth.' That is, I will give thee very many, and almost innumerable descendants. It is a hyperbole. For in strict arithmetic it is clear that there are far more grains of sand on earth than there are, have been, or shall be Jews. Symbolically Isidore of Pelusium, book III, epistle 296, notes that Abraham's descendants are here compared to the dust of the earth, but in chapter XV, verse 5, to the stars of heaven: because some of them were to be wise and holy, heavenly, sublime and illustrious like the stars of heaven; others, however, foolish and wicked, earthly, vile, obscure, and therefore to be scattered over all the earth like sand driven by the wind.
'Walk through.' He did not command, but offered, as if to say: If thou wishest to know how great this land is, walk through it, thou wilt marvel and rejoice. Thus St. Chrysostom; for indeed Abraham did not actually walk through the whole of Chanaan.
'The Valley of Mambre.' In Hebrew it is, elon Mambre, that is, the oak and oak grove of Mambre. This valley therefore was planted with oaks; it was called Mambre from its possessor, who was called Mambre, concerning whom see chapter XIV, 13. 'In Hebron'—in the territory of Hebron, near Hebron. 'And he built there an altar to the Lord.' Abram, being religious, erects altars to the Lord everywhere, and says to God: 'From thee is the beginning, to thee it shall end.' Therefore the sons of Abraham are not the Novatians, who overturn altars.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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v. 4 « Ascendit ergo Abram de Aegypto , ipse et uxor eius et omnia , quae habebat , et Lot cum eo, ad australem plagam », seu potius 22 Negeb (cf. 12,9).
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v. 2 « Erat autem dives valde » (cf. 12,16) « in possessione auri et argenti ». Hebr. : in possessione , ?n argento et in auro. Item Syr. Sed licet n3p2 secundum etymologiam utique possessionem sonet, tamen h. l. cum LXX omnino praeferenda significatio derivata pecora (cf. 4,20 et infra v. 7) : haec divitiarum Abram potissima pars, neque ullo iure reticenda. « Reversusque est per iter, quo venerat », — vyoO5 secundum itinera sua, 1. e. per easdem stationes — « à meridie », seu a Negeb, « in Bethel, usque ad locum ubi prius firerat tabernaculum inter Bethel et Hai »,
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v. & «£n loco », seu potius ad locum « altaris , quod fecerat prius , et invocavit ibi. nomen Domni ». T'YyYD25 elohistae censent esse proprium. Quare Del. suggerit, C ex A expressionem illam aptissimam « transsumpsisse »; dum Dillm. autumat, E eam vocem ex usu loquendi A suam fecisse. Expressio rarius occurrit in Genesi, ubi de stationibus itinerum vix agitur; frequentius in sequentibus libris (Ex. 17,1; 40,34. 36 — hobr. 36. 38; Num. 10,2.6, 12. 28; 33, 1 sq.), ubi eiusmodi itinera describuntur.
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| V. 5 « Sed et Lot, qui erat cum Abram, fuerunt greges ovium et armenta et tabernacula ». Habuit etiam Lot servos (cf. v. 7), non tamen eos crediderim cum Del. voce (abernacula includi, sed ea enumerantur solum, quae latius spatium occuparent fuerintque causa, cur duo viri non potuerint una permanere. Similiter tacetur Lot argentum et aurum , quod non fuerit rixarum occasio.
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v. 6 « Nec poterat eos capere terra, ut habitarent. simul ». Hebr. : neque ferebat eos terra (cf. Is. 1,1^; Mich. 7,9) quoad habitandum simul; non poterat sat pabuli proferre : « Erat queppe substantia eorum multa, et nequibant habitare communiter ». v. '1 « Unde et facta est rixa inter pastores gregum Abram et Lot ». « Vide, quomodo facultatum abundantia illico causa evasit dissidii , et separationem effecit, et concordiam subvertit » (Chrys.). « Eo autem tempore Chananaeus et Pherezaeus habitabant 2n terra illa ». Pherezaei videntur habitasse ad septentrionem Jezrael et Bethsan : cf. ad Iud. 3,5. Sed cur harum gentium h. 1. fit mentio? Ut melius perspicias, inquit Chrys., quomodo non potuerit regio illos continere, aliis sc. gentibus eandem obtinentibus. At tum mentio inserenda fuerat v. 6. Melius Per., quia minus etiam decet « fratres » coram extraneis rixari; et Maív., Menoch. addunt timorem, ne Abram et Lot rixantes illae gentes invaderent atque opprimerent.
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v. 8 « Dixit ergo Abram ad Lot : Ne, quaeso, sit durgium inter me et te , et inter pastores meos et pastores tuos : fratres enzm sumus ». Celebrat CÀrys. viri mansuetudinem, qui senior iuniorem, dignior humiliorem , patruus nepotem tamquam fratrem et aequalem alloquatur eique permittat ut, quod placuerit, sibi seligat.
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v. 9 « Ecce un?versa lerra coram te est : secede a me , obsecro ». « Melius est emigrare cum gratia, quam cohabitare cum discordia » (Amór.). « S? ad sinistram leris, ego dexteram tenebo; si tu dexteram elegeris, ego ad. sinistram pergam ». Quorsum suo semini regionem Deus destinaret, ignorabat tum Abraham; forte supponebat, Lot suae benedictionis fore participem. Elohistae tribuunt v. 6. 115. 12« ob analogiam cum 36, 7 sq. Tamen v2" (ef. 12, 5) eliam legitur 14, 11 sq. 16. 21 et. 15, 14, quos locos Dillm. p. 230 non tribuit elohistae; neque alia Hebraeis praesto erat vox, qua possessiones, quas quis secum circumfert, distincte exprimerent (Del.). — *22, « circulus » evasit nomen proprium regionis prope ostia Iordanis, speciatim Pentapoleos, et hinc usurpatur, ubi de ea regione sermo est. — Piget de NV2, AU", 1322 VN dicere, quae expressiones sunt perquam írequentes neque ullius scriptoris prae ceteris propriae. Similitudo inter v. 6. 115. 12^» et inter 36, 7 sq. inde facillime explicatur, quod auctor sacer, qui 36, 7 sq. narrandum nactus sit eventum omnino similem eius, qui 13, 6 sqq. narrabatur, priorisque narrationis expressiones alte mente infixas haberet, iisdem et ipse usus sit expressionibus. Sic orator quandoque christianus stilo evangelii et prophetarum loquitur. Sed quid dicamus Del., qui aliquam etiam insertorum v. 6. 115. 12» rationem in eo deprehendit, quod ii versus salvo contextu commodissime omitti queant!
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v. 10 « Elevatis itaque Lot oculis vid2t omnem circa regionem [ordanis, quae universa irrigabatur », — melius vertit LXX quod tota esset. irrigua. Eo tum constiterant loco (Per.), quo aspectus in eam regionem patebat et imprimis in totam vallem Siddim. Adiicitur parenthesis pro iis, qui eam vallem norant nonnisi post ruinam ibidem divinitus effectam — « antequam subverteret Dominus Sodomam et Gomorrham , sicut paradisus Domini et sicut Aegyptus , venientibus in Segor », civitate proleptice sic appellata, nam eius tum nomen 14,9 erat Bala. De situ dicemus ibidem. Illud *yy 5352 aliqui iungebant cum Aegyptus : sicut Aegyptus, qualis ea regio obtutui offertur venientium de Segor. Sed Segor longius abest ab Aegypto, cum sit ad Mare Mortuum sita, neque satis apparet, cur Aegyptus magis percellat oculos venientium de Segor, quam de quolibet alio Palaestinae loco. Hinc melius cum Per. plures verba trahunt ad priora : tota irrigua, usque dum venias Segor.
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v. 41 « Elegitque sibi Lot » — reliqui inserunt totam — « regionem circa Iordanem et recessit ab. oriente », orientem versus, « divisique sunt alterutrum » — i. e. unusquisque — « a fratre suo ».
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v. 19 « Abram habitavit in. terra. Chanaan, Lot vero moratus est. in 0ppidis , quae erant circa Iordanem, et habitavit in Sodomis ». Verbotenus e£ fixit tentoria usque Sodomam. Per oppida intelliguntur urbes cumsuis pagis; postea 19,3 Lot in ipsa Sodoma domum habuit. Ex nostro versu collige, incolas vallis Siddim non fuisse de stirpe Chanaan.
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v. 13 « Homznes autem Sodomtitae pessimi erant et peccatores coram Domino nimis ». Expressio coram Domino, quam perperam. Hier. putabat a LXX fuisse « superflue additam », idem sonat atque vere (Bonfr., Per. et cf. quae diximus ad 10,9). Lot promissionum, uii videtur, potius incurius regionem « amoenam elegit, quae cito praedonum oculos incurrit » (Amór.), unde aegre captivitatem effugit ipse; elegit ob scelera Deo exosam, unde communi ruina fere absorptus est; elegit sibi, non attributam a Deo recepit. Merito ambigit Ca:., utrum quae sequuntur, immediate post discessum Lot acciderint, an aliquo interiecto tempore. Reapse locus, e quo Lot vallem Siddim proxime subiectam pedibus conspexerat, non videtur esse idem , unde Abram totam aut fere totam Palaestinam contuitus est.
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v. 14 « Dizitque Dominus ad Abram, postquam divisus est ab eo Lot : Leva oculos luos et 9ide a loco, in quo nunc es, ad aquilonem et meridiem, ad orientem et occidentem ». Recte monet Bonfr. , intelligi Abram constitutum in excelsiori aliquo monte : sunt autem eiusmodi in. terra sancta montes, e quorum vertice aliquis regionem fere totam contueri queat, e. g. MonsOlivarum et Thabor. Obiiciebant iam antiquitus, habuisse Deum in mente totam semini Abram Chanaanitiden tradere, at totam ex uno monte simul conspici haud posse. Respondet Awg. (In Heptat. I. 28; M. 34.555), promitti totam quam videret regionem, sed non eam solam. Simplicius dicas rem non sumi oportere mathematice.
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v. 15 « Omnem terram, quam conspicis, tibi dabo et semini tuo usque in sempiternum » ,i. e. pro longissimo tempore; semini ipsi post paucas generationes, tibi mediate in semine. Prima 12,1 sqq. promissio sequentibus promissionibus distinctius explicatur. Promiserat ibi Deus terram aliquam; 12,7 declarat Deus, eam terram fore Chanaanitiden; h. l. fines veluti regionis semini Abram attribuendae accuratius describit. Similiter ante dicebatur « faciam te in gentem magnam »; iam eius gentis. magnitudo v. 16 grandius praemonstratur (Cai.) : « Faciamque semen (uum sicut pulverem terrae; si quis potest hominum numerare pulverem terrae, semen quoque tuum numerare poterit ». Hyperbole utique est (4wg.), cum vel totum genus humanum non tot complectatur individua, atque pulvis numerat particulas. Et Num. 23,10 utitur Balaam eadem pro Israelitis tum viventibus hyperbole, quorum tamen numeri in ipsis sacris paginis descripti leguntur. Ceterum haec interpretare de semine non carnali tantum , sed etiam spirituali. v..17 « Surge et perambula terram in longitudine et in latitudine sua, quia tibi daturus sum eam ». Cf. Act. 7,5 : « Et non dedit illi haereditatem in ea nec passum pedis, sed repromisit dare illi eam in possessionem et semini eius post ipsum, cum non haberet filium ». « Si vis scire, quanta sit haec terra et qualis, perambula eam, miraberis et gaudebis » (Menoch.). Compara cum ea, quam sibi elegit Lot (Caim.).
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v. 18 « Movens igitur tabernaculum suum Abram venit et habitavit 1uxta convallem », seu verius, « quercum Mambre , quae est in Hebron », nomen habens ab Amorrhaeo Mambre 14,13. 94, ad quem videtur pertinuisse. « Aed?ficavttque 10:7 altare Domino ». 6. Victoria de regibus Euphratensibus relata Gen. 45. Hie nobis se tandem documenta Azstoriae profanae comparanda offerunt. Assurbanipal rex Assyriae gloriatur octava sui regni expeditione, quae intra annos 660-6545 a. C. locum habuit, se ab Elamitis cum sacra plurima tum sanctissimum quoddam deae Nanae simulacrum recuperavisse, quod 1635 annis ante, 1. e. ab anno 2295 ad 29280, Kudurnanchundi rex Elam direptum in Elamitiden abduxisset. Habes hic primum Elamitas perantiquo tempore Babyloniae imperantes. Nomen Chodorlahomor seu Kudurlagamar, licet in monumentis nondum fuerit repertum, est genuinum nomen Elamiticum, £udur quippe frequenter nomina propria Elamitica appensis variorum deorum nominibus componit, et Lagamar revera est idoli cuiusdam Elamitici nomen. Aliquanto post Kudurnanchundi regnavit Kudurmabug, Elamita et ipse, qui ut alii quidam eius aevi principes titulum assumpsit « domini occidentis ». Qui titulus cum alias principatum Syriae et Palaestinae exprimat, et Gen. 14 doceamur principatum regis cuiusdam Elamitae reapse usque ad Palaestinam pertigisse, non est pro Kudurmabug arbitrarie restringendus, quasi principatum occidentalis cuiusdam ipsius Susianae provinciae exprimat. Idem rex narratur « imperium civitatis Ur auxisse ». Filium Er?aku ipse constituit regem civitatis Larsa, quam demonstrabamus a Babyloniis habitam esse eandem atque antiquam 4,177 civitatem Henoch. Iam nomen Eriaku rez Larsa unum idemque est cum nomine 15,1 Arzoch rex Elassar. Regni sedem hic habebat in Ur imperabatque ibidem pluribus urbibus, non tamen Babyloni neque Erech : erat igitur locus omnino, praeter ipsum, alicui regi Sennaar, qui his aliisque urbibus imperaret. Neque tamen hinc fas est inferre, eundem esse Chodorlahomor atque Kudurmabug : nomina quippe sunt diversa et a diversis numinibus deprompta. Sed Chodorlahomor crediderim fuisse Kudurmabug filium et fratrem Eriaku. Porro ob haec et alia quaedam Elamitica regum nomina iam censent viri docti, tertiam Berosi post diluvium undecim regum dynastiam, quae anno a. C. 1976 defecit, fuisse Elamiticam. Ultimus eius dynastiae rex fuit Rimsin, qui post faustum plus quam triginta annorum regnum a rege Babylonis Chamurrabi oppressus est. Cf. T?ele p. 95. 118 sqq. ; Brunengo I. 97 sqq. Quae omnia simul perpensa reapse egregie confirmant narrationem Gen. 1& et, cum primus dynastiae rex Kudurnanchundi scribatur diu regnasse, efficiunt expeditionem Chodorlahomor intra annum a. C. 2250 et 2000 esse collocandam. Eadem aliquibus annis post septuagesimum quintum vitae Abraham annum, seu post annum mundi 2322 (secundum computum critice próbabiliorem), erit collocanda. Habes hic synchronismum aliquem utique satis vagum, quo creatio primi hominis alicui annorum a. C. ab anno 4572 ad annum 14329 videtur assignanda. Ne tamen assignemus, ea nos movet ratio, in disputatione de antiquissima chronologia biblica tot esse incerta, ut interpreti longe tutius sit exspectare, quam innumeris systematibus novum addere systema mox emendandum atque abdicandum Hanc pericopen Ew. |. 80 declarabat esse « perantiquam et praemosaicam ». Dillm. eam pronuntiat esse « singularem ». Illud ea habet peculiare, quod missis parumper domesticis patriarchae actis in patentem historiae campum progrediatur regumque bella, clades et acta recenseat. Verum errat Wellh. Comp. p. 25 narrationem declarans « neque priora neque sequentia contingere, quae uti Melchisedech dici queat esse àxázop, &píup, &svenAoY4:cg ». Ea cum reliquis intime cohaeret. Et primum quidem cum actis Lot (Kuenen p. 13'7). Elegerat is sibi tractum regionis amoenitate locorum illectus haudque consulto Deo : mox in periculum captivitatis et postmodum in praesentissimum vitae discrimen incidit, nacturus tandem semen incestuosum, maledictum, exstirpandum. Discrepant haec a promissionibus Abrahae factis, quantum discrepant tenebrae a luce, illasque promissiones egregie illustrant. Intime item haec pericope connectitur cum ipsius Abrahae historia, quae gentis ex eo progignendae fata anticipat atque adumbrat. Nonne potioribus, ubi posteri sacra facturi erant, locis altaria ipse consecravit? Nonne in Aegypto adversa passus spoliis tandem Aegyptiorum et ipse onustus excessit? Similiter idem iam praeludit bellis, quae posteri gesturi sunt adversusimperia trans Euphraten imperatura. At, demus etiam hoc capite narrata non plane necessario nexu cum reliqua narratione connecti : nonne sufficiens ratio tantorum eventuum referendorum potuit esse eorumdem veritas, e documentis cuneiformibus iam indubie stabilita? Acta sunt, ergo narrantur. cundus, iahvista primus aut secundus, A, B, C, Q vel R uti consueverint : praeservavit nobis sc. antiqua traditio Melchisedechi de rebus divinis loquentis idiomata; eadem v. 22 ipse Abraham homini respondens sua facit. Ceterum idem nomen divinum voy Ox habetur Ps. 7, 18, et fere idem (1m5y m'nox) Ps. 56. (57), 3 et (by nv) Ps. 9, 3 et 20 (21), 8. — "j*3ri v. 14 est &zat Xeyópevov, et p" ib. secus transitive non construitur (cuius loco Sam. LXX legunt ára& Aeyógevov TY). v. 20 admirationem facit verbum 12. quod secus nonnisi Os. 11, 8;Prov. 4,9 legitur; v. 23 *rYYU yn « decimam solvere » : reapse, de decimis cum in Genesi vix agatur, non est cur admireris vocem secus non recurrere. Recurrit tamen 28, 22 in coniugatione Kal. — Cum Iv^3 ov3 foederatus v.13 cf. 37, 19 nwaonn 5y3 somniator; 49, 23 a'yn 5y2 iaculator; et cf. Ios. 24, 11; Iud. 9, 2 sqq. 51 etc. — At, quid tandem expressiones hae omnes et constructiones efficiunt? Noster auctor secus pacifica solum, non bellica fata celebrat, praeter Gen. 14 : quid mirum ut eo capite expressionibus utatur, quas secus apud ipsum frustra circeumspicias? Antiquitas narrationis item colligitur ex adiectis redactoris cuiusdam manu explicationibus, v. 7 « ipsa est Cades », et v. 17 « quae est Vallis Regis »,v. 2. 8 « ipsa est Segor ». Cf. quae diximus in Introductione p. 15. Recentiorum hoc de capite placita mirum quantum discordant inter se. Wellh. Comp. 24 pronuntiat, illud non pertinere ad A neque ad I neque ad E neque ad I E, sed essc ab R alicunde depromptum. Dilim. illud tribuit neque C neque À neque B, sed vel R vel R4, aliquibus etiam ex D petitis. Ceteris ingeniosior Kuenen I. A. 310 : « R », inquit, « cap. 14 mutuatus est ex aliqua post exsilium concinnata Abrahae vita; est illud ad instar alicuius midrasch, cuiusmodi etiam auctor Paral. (cf. 2 Par. 24, 27) inter suos fontes habebat. Non pertinet ad I E neque ad P?. Est recentissimae originis, licet stilum antiquatum affectet. Nomina y^3 et yw"3 sunt symbolica; Mamre et Eschol, probabilius item Aner v, 13. 24, nomina prius fuere locorum, postea viris quibusdam fictitiis affixa sunt, etc. ». Ad haec et similia respondendum est, perpenso pericopae stilo et collatis textibus cuneiformibus, iam nemini sensato fas esse infitiari, pericopen esse perantiquam et narrationem plane historicam. Cap. XIV
13:1
… After having accompanied his uncle Abraham to Egypt, he returned to Canaan, near the locality of Bethel (ibid. 13:1 ff.). …
… flat now mountainous, monotonous, furrowed by broad beds of watercourses almost always dry, from Hebron as far as Kadesh-barnea, today 'Ajn Qudeis (cf. Gen. 18, 1; Num. 13, 20). Subsequently, it came to mean the south of Palestine (Gen. 12, 9; 13, 1; Ios. 15, 8; 18, 5).
13:3
Bethel (Hebrew Bēth-'Ēl = "House of God")
… are linked to the history of B. Abraham, entering the land of Canaan, had pitched his tents between B. and Ai (v.) and had erected an altar to the Lord there; there he stopped and called upon the name of the Lord on his return from Egypt (Gen. 12, 8; 13, 3, where the name of B. is used by anticipation). …
Luzah (Hebrew Láz "Almond", Septuagint Ἀουζά)
Here Abraham had erected an altar and called upon the name of Yahweh (Gen. 12:8; 13:3-4): Jacob erected another stone marker in memory of the vision he had had and of the divine apparition, which he later recalled upon his return from Haran with a solemn rite, receiving …
13:5
… L. chose the more fertile region, the area of the Jordan near the Dead Sea, and settled with his family in Sodom (v.; ibid. 13:5-13). In the clash that took place in the valley of Siddim between the four eastern kings and the five kings or chiefs of the Palestinian Pentapolis, L. too was taken prisoner and deported with his
13:7
Perizei (Heb. Pērizai; Septuagint ΦΕΡΕΙ͂ΑΊΟΙ)
… Pērizai; Septuagint ΦΕΡΕΙ͂ΑΊΟΙ). - One of the ethnic groups that inhabited Palestine before the Hebrew occupation (Gen. 13:7; 15:20; Ex. 3:8, 17; etc.).
13:10
The memory of the extraordinary vegetation of the terrestrial paradise returns in the Bible as a term of hyperbolic comparison: Gen. 13:10; Is. 51:3; Ez. 28:13; 31:8 ff.; 36:35; Ioel 2:3; Eccli. 40:17.
PENTAPOLIS (Gk. ΠΕΝΤΆΠΟΛΙΣ). - The "five cities" (called P. in Wis. 10:6) that stood in Abraham's time in the Jordan region (Gen. 13:10) near the valley of Siddim (ibid. 14:10): Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar (ibid. 14:1); because of the impiety of their inhabitants, they were completely destroyed by divine …
SEGOR (Heb. Ṣā'ar; Gr. Σηγώρ). - An ancient city of Palestine, south of the Dead Sea (Gen. 13:10; Deut. 34:3), first called Bala (Bela: Gen. 14:2-8).
… At the separation of Abraham from Lot in Bethel (ibid. 13:13), the latter chose as his residence "the district of the Jordan, which was all irrigated — before the Lord destroyed S. and G. — like the garden of God, like the land of Egypt" (ibid. 13:10-14); but from Bethel one cannot see the southern part of the Dead Sea, and therefore S., Lot's residence, would seem to have to be located in the northern part, an opinion put forward by modern writers. …
13:12
The scanty topographical indications of the biblical text do not allow us to ascertain whether S. and G. were situated north or south of the Dead Sea, as the expression "district (kikhār) of the Jordan" (Gen. 13:12) would imply. …
13:13
… 13:10) near the valley of Siddim (ibid. 14:10): Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar (ibid. 14:1); because of the impiety of their inhabitants, they were completely destroyed by divine justice, with the exception of Zoar, where Lot had taken refuge (ibid. 13:13; 18:20; 19:45).
Consequently sin can be defined as: factum vel dictum vel concupitum aliquid contra legem aeternam (St. Augustine, Contra Faustum, 20, 27: PL 42, 418). This is indeed the aspect of sin most frequently recalled in Revelation (cf. Gen. 39, 9; 13, 13; 38, 10; Ex. 33, 23; Jud. 10, 7; 19, 25; Rom. 5, 19; 2, 29; 4, 16; etc.). …
SODOM AND GOMORRAH. - Names of the first two cities of the Pentapolis (v.) destroyed by divine justice for the lust and unnatural vices of their inhabitants (Gen. 13:13; 18:16-19:29). The Hebrew names of the cities are Sèdhōm (Septuagint Σόδομα) and ʿAmōrāh (Gk. Γομώρα).
13:14
… God then renewed the promises (Gen. 13, 14-17). A. pitched his tents at the oak grove of Mamre near Hebron, where he dedicated an altar to the Lord, sanctifying the place already dedicated to Canaanite worship. …
… will become participants with him and through him: "May Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem" (Gen. 9:25 ff.; cf. Rom. 1:16; 11:13-27). Among the Semites he chooses the line of Abraham, who will be "a source of blessing for all peoples" (Gen. 12:1-3; cf. 13:14-17; 17:1-9; 18:18 f.; 22:16 ff.) and makes with him a solemn covenant (ibid. 15:8-21; 17), for whose fulfillment he pledges his omnipotence. …
13:18
… victims are offered to God; later it implies the concept of a table ("table of Yahweh" Mal. 1:7, 12; Ez. 41:22). The first mentioned is that of Noah, Gen. 8:20; Abraham erects altars at Shechem, near Bethel, at Mamre, on Moriah, Gen. 12:7 ff.; 13:18; 22:9; Isaac at Beersheba, Gen. 26:25; Jacob at Bethel, Gen. 28:18; 35:14; Moses at Rephidim, with twelve masšebāth, at the foot of Sinai (Ex. 17:15; 24:4). The primitive form …
… Both the Hebrew ἀδ. and the Greek ἀδελφός, as appears from the many sacred and profane texts, can indicate: a) a brother in the true and proper sense (Gen. 4, 8; Mt. 4, 21; 17, 1, etc.); b) a blood relative of any degree (Gen. 13, 18; 28, 2; I Par. 23, 21); c) a neighbor (Deut. 15, 3; Ios. 22, 2; Iudc. 1, 3; Ier. 7, 15; Rom. 9, 3; Iac. 1, 9; Plato, Men., 8, 239; Xenophon, Anab., 7, 2, 25, 38). Therefore the question …
Escol ('Eshōl' 'Grape Cluster')
The "valley of E." (Vulg. torrens botri), given the aforementioned kinship with Mamre, is to be sought in the vicinity of Hebron (Gen. 13:18), a little to the north (Num. 13:23 ff.); today it is the valley el-Haskeh. …
… There Abraham settled, raising an altar there (Gen. 13:18), where he learned of the captivity of his nephew Lot (Gen. 14:13), whom he immediately sought to free, and where he received the promise of a son, Isaac (ibid. 18:18), through …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.