John Wesley

And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.

“And the Lord said, Behold the people is one, and they have all one language - And if they continue one, much of the earth will be left uninhabited, and these children of men, if thus incorporated, will swallow up the little remnant of God's…”

Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

“The imagination of a late writer, that God did not confound their tongues, but their religious worship, is grounded on criticisms concerning the meaning of the Hebrew word, which are absolutely false. Beside, would God confound their religious worship?”

This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

“That nothing is left upon record concerning those of this line, but their names and ages; the Holy Ghost seeming to hasten thro' them to the story of Abraham.”

This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

“His country: Ur of the Chaldee's - An idolatrous country, where even the children of Eber themselves degenerated. His relations, mentioned for his sake, and because of their interest in he following story. His father was Terah, of whom it is said, Josh.”

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

“And there was a famine in the land - Not only to punish the iniquity of the Canaanites, but to exercise the faith of Abram.”

Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”

“Say thou art my sister - The grace Abram was most eminent for was faith, and yet he thus fell through unbelief and distrust of the divine Providence, even after God had appeared to him twice.”

The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

“And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house - Probably, those princes especially that had commended Sarai to Pharaoh.”

So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

“What is this that thou hast done? - What an ill thing; how unbecoming a wife and good man! Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? - Intimating, that if he had known that, he would not have taken her.”

Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.

“And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him - That is, he charged them not to injure him in any thing. And he appointed them, when Abram was disposed to return home, after the famine, to conduct him safe out of the country, as his convoy.”

And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.

“Very scandalous: No doubt the eyes of all the neighbours were upon them, because of the singularity of their religion, and the extraordinary sanctity they professed; and notice would soon be taken of this quarrel, and improvement made of it to their reproach by the…”

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

“They were so in Solomon's time, 1 Kings iv, 20. Judah and Israel were many as the land which is by the sea in multitude. This God here gives him the promise of.”

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”

“Give me the souls, and take thou the substance - So the Hebrew reads it. Here he fairly begs the persons, but as freely bestows the goods on Abram.”

But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

“It is good to learn of others how to order our speech concerning God, and to imitate those who speak well in divine things. (2.)”

After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

“The word of the Lord came unto Abram - That is, God manifested himself to Abram, in a vision - Which supposeth Abram awake, and some sensible token of the presence of the divine glory, saying, Fear not Abram - Abram might fear lest the…”

Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

“Behold to me thou hast given no seed - Not only no son, but no seed. If he had had a daughter, from her the promised Messias might have come, who was to be the Seed of the Woman; but he had neither son nor…”

And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

“Abram feared he should have no child at all, but God tells him his descendents should be so many as not to be numbered. So illustrious, as the stars of heaven for splendour; for to them pertained the glory, Rom. ix, 4.”

The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

“I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees - Out of the fire of the Chaldees, so some: that is, from their idolatries; for the Chaldeans worshipped the fire. Or, from their persecutions.”

And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

“God appointed that each of the beasts used for his service should be three years old, because then they were at their full growth and strength. God must be served with the best we have.”

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated…

“And they shall afflict them - See Exod. i, 11. Those that are blessed and beloved of God are often afflicted by wicked men. This persecution began with mocking, when Ishmael the son of an Egyptian, persecuted Isaac, chap.”

But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

“The punishing of persecutors is the judging of them; it is a righteous thing with God, and a particular act of justice, to recompense tribulation to those that trouble his people. The deliverance of Abram's seed out of Egypt.”

You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

“The former helps to take off the terror of death, the latter puts comfort into it. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age - Perhaps mention is made of his burial here, where the land of Canaan is promised him, because a burying-place…”

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses.

“It is probable this furnace and lamp, which passed between the pieces, burned and consumed them, and so compleated the sacrifice, and testified God's acceptance of it, as of Gideon's, Jude vi, 21, Manoah's, Jude xiii, 19, 20, and Solomon's, 2 Chron. vii, 1.”

So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.”

“Herein, though he may be excused, he cannot be justified; for from the beginning it was not so: and when it was so, it seems to have proceeded from an irregular desire to build up their families, for the speedier peopling of the world.”

Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you!

“Sarai falls upon Abram, and very unjustly charges him with the injury, suspecting that he countenanced Hagar's insolence: and as one not willing to hear what Abram had to say she rashly appeals to God.”

“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.

“Thy maid is in thy hand - Though she was his wife, he would not countenance her in any thing disrespectful to Sarai.”