ABIB, the first month of the ecclesiastical year of in Judea are of gray limestone,) they would furnish the Hebrews; afterwards called Nisan. It answered the Greeks with a reason for giving to Abila the to our March, or part of April. Abib signifies green name of Leucadia-"White-rock-town." Compare ears of corn, or fresh fruits. It was so named, be- Weissenfels, i. e. White-rock, the name of a German cause corn, particularly barley, was in ear at that city a few miles W. of Leipzig. It is worthy of time. It was an early custom to name times, such remark, too, that Strabo, speaking of the city of Leuas months, from observation of nature; and the cus-cadia, in Acarnania, says it was so called because of tom is still in use among many nations. So it was with our Saxon ancestors; and the Germans to this day, along with the usual Latin naines of the months, have also others of the above character: e. g. June is also called Brachmonath, or month for ploughing; July, Heumonath, or Hay-month; November, Windmonath, or Wind-month, &c. See MONTH, and the JEWISH CALENDAR. ABIGAIL, formerly the wife of Nabal of Carmel, and afterwards of David. Upon receiving information of Nabal's ingratitude to the king, (1 Sam. xxv. 14, &c.) she loaded several asses with provisions, and, attended by some of her domestics, went out to meet David. Her manners and conversation gained for her his esteem, and as soon as the days of mourning for Nabal's death, which happened soon afterwards, were over, he made her his wife. The issue of the marriage was, as some critics suppose, two sons, Chiliab and Daniel, (2 Sam. iii. 3; 1 Chron. iii. 1.) but it is most probable that these names were borne by one person. ABIGAIL, sister of David, wife of Jether, and mother of Amasa, 1 Chron. ii. 16, 17. ABIHU, one of the two sons of Aaron who were destroyed by fire from heaven, for having offered incense with strange fire, instead of taking it from the altar of burnt-offerings, Lev. x. 1, 2. I. ABIJAH, son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. Having been seized with a dangerous disease, his mother disguised herself, and visited the prophet Ahijah to know whether he might recover. Ahijah answered her that he would die, and be the only person in his family who would receive funeral honors, and be lamented by Israel, 1 Kings xiv. 1. II. ÁBIJAH, called Abijam, (1 Kings xv. 1.) was the son of Rehoboam, and second king of Judah. He succeeded his father, A. M. 3406, ante A. D. 958, and reigned three years only. In the first book of Kings he is described as walking in all the sins of his father, and as waging war with Jeroboam, king of Israel. But in 2 Chron. xiii. he is represented as professedly and boastfully zealous for the honor of God, and for the Levitical priesthood. He is also there said to have obtained a decisive victory over Jeroboam. III. ABIJAH, wife of Ahaz, and mother of Hezekiah, king of Judah; (2 Chron. xxix. 1.) called Abi, 2 Kings xviii. 2. IV. ABIJAH, a descendant of Eleazar, son of Aaron, and head of the eighth of the twenty-four companies of priests, 1 Chron. xxiv. 10; Luke i. 5. ABIJAM, the same as ABIJAH II. ABILA, or ABELA. There were several towns of this name in Syria, each of which was called by the Greeks, Leucas, or Leucadia, "white." But the principal one was a town of Colosyria, and the capital of Abilene, a province of which Lysanias was tetrarchi, Luke iii. 1. It was situated in a valley, or rather on the rocky declivity of a mountain, adjacent to the river Chrysorrhoas, or Barrada, about twelve miles N. W. of Damascus, perhaps on the site of the present village Seneiah, at the foot of the hill on which Abel is said to have been buried. (See ABEL.) If these rocks were whitish in color, (and most of those a great white rock in its neighborhood. There are several medals of Abila extant, two of which are of some importance, as they serve to identify the site of the town. On the reverse of one of these is a large bunch of grapes, from which it is to be inferred that the place where it was struck abounded in vineyards. This agrees exactly with the rocky eminence or declivity upon which we have assumed it to have stood; besides which, Eusebius and Jerom agree that its vineyards were very extensive and rich. But the most remarkable and decisive medal extant, KAAL is one which bears a half-figure of the river, with the inscription Chrysoroas Claudiaion," and on the reverse, a figure of Victory, and the inscription "Leucadion," the Greek name of the city. We may also remark, that Abila adding the name of CLAUDIA to its other appellations, as it appears from this medal it did, affords a presumption that it was of some importance, and perhaps of considerable magnitude also; and the conjecture receives confirmation from some antiquities and inscriptions which are mentioned by Pococke, as still existing in the neighborhood. See Mod. Traveller, vol. iii. p. 65. ABILENE, the name of a district of country on the eastern declivity of Antilibanus, from twelve to twenty miles N. W. of Damascus, towards Heliopolis, or Baalbeck; so called from the city ABILA, (which see,) and also called Abila, or Abilene of Lysanias, to distinguish it from others. This territory had formerly been governed as a tetrarchate by a certain Lysanias, the son of Ptolemy and grandson of Mennæus, (Joseph. Ant. xiv. 13. 3.) but he was put to death, (A. C. 36.) through the intrigues of Cleopatra, who took possession of his province, (ib. xiv. 4. 1.) After her death it fell to Augustus, who hired it out to a certain Zenodorus; but as he suffered the country to be infested with robbers, it was taken from him and given to Herod the Great, (Joseph. B. J. i. 20. 4; Ant. xv. 10. 1.) At Herod's death, a part of the territory was given to Philip; but the greater part, with the city Abila, seems then, or shortly afterwards, to have been bestowed on another Lysanias, Luke iii. 1. He is supposed to have been a descendant of the former Lysanias, but is no where mentioned by Josephus. Indeed, nothing is said by Josephus, or by any other profane writer, of this part of Abilene, until about ten years after the time referred to by Luke, when Caligula gave it to Agrippa Major as "the tetrarchy of Lysanias," (Joseph. Ant. xviii. 6. 10.) to whom it was afterwards confirmed by Claudius, (ib. xix. 5. 1.) At the death of Agrippa, it went, with his other possessions, to Agrippa Mi nor. *R. I. ABIMELECH, king of Gerar of the Philistines. This prince, being captivated by the beauty of Sarah, took her into his haram, with the design of making her his wife. In a dream, however, the Lord threatened him with death, unless he immediately restored her to her husband. Abimelech pleaded his ignorance of the relation between Sarah and Abram, and early the next day returned her to her husband, and com- | time, forbade his people to do any injury wha plained of the deception that had been practised upon to Isaac or to his wife. Isaac, increasing in r him by Abram, who had described Sarah as his and power, excited the envy of the Philistines; sister. The patriarch explained the motives for his Abimelech said to him, "Go from us, for tho conduct, stating, at the same time, that although much mightier than we." Isaac, therefore, retir Sarah was his wife, she was also his sister, being of the valley of Gerar, and afterwards to Beers the same father by another mother. Abimelech where Abimelech, with Ahuzzath, his favorite dismissed them with presents, giving to Sarah, Phicol, his general, visited him. Isaac inqu through her husband, a thousand pieces of silver, | “Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me as a "covering of the eyes," i. e. an atoning present, have sent me away from you?" To which Al and as a testimony of her innocence in the eyes of lech replied, that observing how much he was fay all, Gen. c. xx. See ABRAM. by God, he was desirous of cultivating his fri ship, and had come to make a covenant with Isaac entertained them splendidly, and the nex concluded a treaty with Abimelech, Gen. 8-31. It has been thought strange that a miraculous interference should have been necessary here, as well as in the case of Pharaoh, (Gen. xii. 14-20.) to convince Abimelech of his criminality in detaining the wife of Abraham; and equally strange that Abraham could not procure Sarah's release by proper application and request. But it must be remembered that God favored Abraham with his constant intercourse and direct protection, and in cases too of less difficulty than the one here in question. It is well known that oriental sovereigns in all ages have exercised the right of selecting the most beautiful females of their kingdoms for the use of their own harams, (Gen. xii. 15; Esth. ii. 3.) and that whenever a woman is taken into the haram of a prince in the East, she is secluded, without possibility of coming out, at least during the life of the prince on the throne. In fact, communication with the women in the haram is hardly to be obtained, and only by means of the keepers, (Esth. iv. 5.) and certainly not, when any suspicion occurs to the guards, to whom is intrusted the custody of such buildings. The whole transaction, then, may be placed in a stronger light than, perhaps, it has usually appeared in, by the following extract from a review of the travels of Peter Henry Bruce, Esq., an officer in the Russian army, under Czar Peter. III. ABIMELECH, son of Gideon by a concu assumed the government of Shechem after the of his father, and procured himself to be ackn edged king; first, by the inhabitants of Shee where his mother's family had an interest, and wards by a great part of Israel. At Gideon's in Ophrah, he killed his father's seventy sons, orphans, on one stone; the youngest, Jotham, remaining, who, when the people of Shechem as bled to inaugurate Abimelech, appeared on n Gerizim, and reproved them by his celebrated of the trees. (See JOTHAM.) After three years cord arose among the Shechemites, who, refle on their injustice, and detesting the cruelty of A elech, revolted from him in his absence, and la ambuscade in the mountains, designing to kill on his return to Shechem. Of this, Abim received intelligence from Zebul, his governo Shechem. The Shechemites invited Gaal to assistance, with whom, at a great entertainment, uttered many imprecations against Abimelech; having assembled some troops, marched all "The retreat of the Russians, we are told, was towards Shechem. In the morning, Gaal wen productive of an unfortunate incident to Colonel Pitt, of Shechem, and gave battle to Abimelech, but an officer in that army. Immediately on decamping defeated, and, as he was endeavoring to re-ente from the fatal banks of the Pruth, he lost both his city, Zebul repulsed him. Abimelech aftery wife and daughter, beautiful women, by the breaking defeated the Shechemites, destroyed the city, of one of their coach wheels. By this accident, they burnt their tower; but at the attack of Theb were left so far in the rear, that the Tartars seized town about thirteen miles to the N. E., a wo and carried them off. The colonel applied to the from the top of the tower threw an upper millgrand vizier, who ordered a strict inquiry to be made, upon his head, and fractured his skull. (See M but without effect. The colonel being afterwards He immediately called his armor-bearer, and de informed that they were both carried to Constanti-him to slay him, "that men say not of me, A wo nople, and presented to the grand signior, obtained a slew him." Judg. ix. passport, and went thither in search of them. Getting acquainted with a Jew doctor, who was physician to the seraglio, the doctor told him that two such ladies as he described had lately been presented to the sultan; but that when any of the sex were once taken into the seraglio, they were never suffered to quit it more. The colonel, however, tried every expedient he could devise to recover his wife, if he could not obtain both; until, becoming outrageous by repeated disappointments, they shut him up in a dungeon, and it was with much difficulty he got released by the intercession of some of the ambassadors at that court. He was afterwards told by the same doctor, that both the ladies had died of the plague; with which information he was obliged to content himself, and return home." Critical Review, vol. iii. p. 332. II. ABIMELECH, another king of Gerar, probably a son of the former, and contemporary with Isaac. Having accidentally seen Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah, whom he had called sister, Abimelech reproved him for his dissimulation; and, at the same IV. ABIMELECH, a high-priest in the tim David, (1 Chron. xviii. 16.) the same as Ahime (2 Sam. viii. 17.) and probably the same as ABIAT which see. I. ABIRAM, the eldest son of Hiel the Beth Joshua, after having destroyed Jericho, uttered imprecation: "Cursed be the man before the I that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, an his youngest son shall he set up the gate of it," vi. 26. About 537 years after this, Hiel under to rebuild the city; and in conformity with the diction, he lost his children, 1 Kings xvi. 34. not expressly said, either in the curse, or in the ration, that the children should die; but this is cl implied. Hiel, it will be observed, is not blame his proceeding; his loss is mentioned only remarkable fulfilment of a prediction; and possible that the prediction was unknown to See BARREN. II. ABIRAM, one of the three persons who spired with Korah to overthrow the authority of Moses in the wilderness, and upon whom God inflicted an awful punishment. He was the son of Eliab, of the tribe of Reuben, Numb. xvi. ABISHAG, a beautiful virgin of Shunam, in the tribe of Issachar, who was selected to cherish David in his old age. The king made her his wife; but the marriage was never consummated. After the death of David, Adonijah demanded Abishag in marriage; but Solomon, justly supposing that this was only a step towards his assumption of the regal power, refused his solicitation, and put him to death, 1 Kings i. 3; ii. 13-25. ABISHAI, son of Zeruiah, David's sister, and brother of Joab and Asahel, was one of the most valiant men of his time, and chief general in David's armies. He vanquished Ishbi-benob, a descendant of the Rephaim, the head of whose lance weighed 300 shekels of brass, (2 Sam. xxi. 16.) and lifted up his spear against, and slew, 300 enemies, xxiii. 18. See 2 Sam. ii. 18; 1 Chron. ii. 16. ABISHUA, son of Phinehas, fourth high-priest of the Hebrews; (1 Chron. vi. 50.) was succeeded by Bukki. The Chronicon of Alexandria places Abishua under Ehud, judge of Israel, Judg. iii. He is called Abiezer in Josephus. ABNER, son of Ner, uncle to Saul, and general of his armies, 1 Sam. xiv. 51. For seven years after the death of Saul he preserved the crown to Ishbosheth, the son of that prince, though generally unsuccessful in the contests that arose between his troops and those of David, who reigned at Hebron, in Judah. Ishbosheth having accused him of taking undue liberties with Rizpah, a concubine of Saul, Abner went over to David, and undertook to deliver the whole kingdom into his hands. In this, however, he was prevented, for immediately after quitting Hebron, for the purpose of carrying his design into effect, he was slain by Joab, the general of David's armies, to revenge the death of his brother Asahel, who had fallen by the hand of Abner, (2 Sam. ii. 20.) or more probably from jealousy. The king was deeply afflicted at the perfidy and cruelty of Joab, and attended the funeral solemnities of Abner in person. He also composed an elegy on his death, 2 Sam. iii. ABOMINATION. Sin, being the reverse of the divine perfections and law, and the unchangeable object of the divine displeasure, is frequently called abominable, or an abomination, Isa. Ixvi. 3; Ezek. xvi. 50. Idolatry and Idols are also designated abominations, not only because the worship of idols is, in itself, abominable, but because the ceremonies of idolaters were almost always attended with licentiousness, and infamous and abominable actions. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, (Gen. xlvi. 34.) in consequence, probably, of the tyranny which had been exercised over them by the hycassos, or shepherd kings, a horde of marauders, whose occupations were of a pastoral kind, but who made a powerful irruption into Egypt, which they subdued, and ruled for about two centuries and a half. Ever after this time the persons and very name of shepherds were execrated, and held in great abhorrence by the Egyptians.-The Hebrews were to sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians, (Exod. viii. 26.) that is, those creatures which they venerated as the symbols of deities, and which, therefore, they could not have beheld slain, without the utmost indignation and abhorrence. Indeed their superstition was so strong, that even to kill by accident one of their sacred ani mals, was not to be expiated but by the death of the offender. Egypt was divided into parts, each of which had its peculiar representative deity; in one district a bull, in another a goat, in another a cat, in another a monkey, &c. Undoubtedly, these were strange creatures to receive public worship, to be adored as deities, or as symbols of deity; the choice of such has in it, certainly, something abominable to human nature and feelings. ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, foretold by Daniel, (chap. ix. 27.) denotes, according to some interpreters, the image of Jupiter Olympius, erected in the temple of Jerusalem, by command of Antiochus Epiphanes, 2 Mac. vi. 2; and 1 Mac. vi 7. But, by the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by our Lord, (Matt. xxiv. 15; Mark xiii. 14 and foretold as about to be seen at Jerusalem, during the last siege of that city by the Romans, under Titus, is meant the ensigns of the Roman army, with the images of their gods and emperors upon them, which surrounded the city, and were lodged in the temple when that and the city were taken. The evangelists Matthew and Mark add, "Whoso readeth let him understand;" hereby intimating, that this event was approaching, though yet future, and that the reader would do well to retire speedily from a city which was thus threatened with the execution of the divine anger. The passages were therefore written before Jerusalem was destroyed, and were, no doubt, the means of warning many to escape the coming wrath. ABRAM, afterwards called ABRAHAM, son of Terah, was born at Ur, a city of Chaldæa, A. M. 2008, ante A. D. 1996. Gen. xi. 27. He spent his early years in his father's house, where idols were worshipped. Many have supposed that he himself was at first a worshipper of idols, but that, God giving him a better understanding, he renounced it, and on that account suffered a severe persecution from the Chaldeans, who threw him into a fiery furnace, from which God miraculously saved him. The Vulgate rendering of 2 Esd. ix. 7. expresses that he was delivered from the fire of the Chaldeans, which the Jews generally believe; although the opinion seems to be founded only on the ambiguity of the word Ur, which signifies fire, as well as the city of Ur, from whence God directed Abraham into the land of promise. It seems that Terah also was convinced of the vanity of idolatry, since he accompanied Abraham from Ur, where he was settled, to go to that place whither the Lord had called him. The first city to which they came was Haran, in Mesopotamia, where Terah died. From thence Abraham went into Palestine, at that time inhabited by Canaanites. Here God promised to bless him, and to give him the property of the country. The patriarch, however, did not acquire landed property here, but lived and died a stranger. Some time after his arrival in Canaan, a great famine obliged him to go down into Egypt; where, fearing that the Egyptians might be captivated with the beauty of Sarah, and not only force her from him, but take away his own life also, if they knew her to be his wife, he determined to call her sister. During their stay in Egypt, her beauty being reported to Pharaoh, he took her forcibly from Abraham, designing to make her one of his wives. God, however, afflicted him with great plagues, and obliged him to restore her. After the famine had ceased, Abraham returned to Canaan, accompanied by his nephew, Lot; and pitched his tents between Beth-el and Hai, where he had pre viously raised an altar. But, as both Abraham and | Sodom and Gomorrha. Abraham interceded, pra Lot had large flocks, they could not conveniently dwell together, and therefore separated; Lot retiring to Sodom, and Abraham to the plain of Mamre, near Hebron, Gen. xii. xiii. Some years after this, Lot being taken prisoner by Chedorlaomer and his allies, then warring against the kings of Sodom, and the neighboring places, Abraham with his household pursued the conquerors, overtook and defeated them at Dan, near the springs of Jordan, and retook the spoil, together with Lot. At his return, passing near Salem, (supposed to be the city afterwards called Jerusalem,) Melchisedek, king of that city, and priest of the Most High God, came out and blessed him, and presented him with bread and wine for his own refreshment and that of his army; or, as some have thought, offered bread and wine to God, as a sacrifice of thanksgiving on Abraham's behalf. After this, the Lord renewed his promises to Abraham, with fresh assurances that he should possess the land of Canaan, and that his posterity should be as numerous as the stars of heaven. As Abraham had no children, and could no longer expect any by his wife Sarah, he complied with her solicitations, and took her servant Hagar as a wife; imagining, that if he should have children by her, God might perform the promises which he had made to him of a numerous posterity. Soon after her marriage, Hagar, finding she had conceived, assumed a superiority over her mistress, and treated her with contempt; but Sarah complained to Abraham, who told her that Hagar was still her servant. Hagar, therefore, being harshly treated by Sarah, fled; but an angel, appearing to her in the wilderness, commanded her to return to her master, and to submit to her mistress's authority. Hagar therefore returned, and gave birth to Ishmael, Gen. xiv. ing, that if fifty righteous persons were found there the city should be spared; he reduced the num gradually to ten; but this number could not be four or God, in answer to his prayers, would have aver his design. Lot, being the only righteous person the city, was preserved from the calamity that stroyed it, Gen. xviii. xix. See LOT. Sarah having conceived, according to the div promise, Abraham left the plain of Mamre, and w south, to Gerar, where Abimelech reigned; and ag fearing that Sarah might be forced from him, a himself be put to death, he called her here, as he l done in Egypt, sister. (See ABIMELECH I.) Abir lech took her to his house, designing to marry h but God having in a dream informed him that was Abraham's wife, he restored her with gr presents. Sarah was this year delivered of Isa whom Abraham circumcised according to the co nant stipulation. For several years the two wi and the two children continued to live together; at length Ishmael became apparently jealous of affection shown to Isaac by his father, so that Sa insisted that he and his mother should be dismis the family. After very great reluctance, Abral complied; as God informed him that it was accord to the appointments of Providence, for the fut ages of the world. About the same time, Abimel came with Phicol, his general, to conclude an liance with Abraham, who made that prince a pres of seven ewe-lambs out of his flock, in considera that a well he had opened should be his own pr erty; and they called the place Beer-sheba, or well of swearing," because of the covenant th ratified with oaths. Here Abraham planted a gr built an altar, and resided some time, Gen. xx. About the year A. M. 2133, God directed Al ham to sacrifice his son Isaac, on a mountain w he would show him. Obedient to the divine c mand, Abraham took his son, and two servants, went towards mount Moriah, on which the ten afterwards stood. On their journey, Isaac said his father, "Behold the fire and the wood, but wh is the victim for a burnt-offering?" Abral answered, that God would provide one. When t arrived within sight of the mountain, Abraham his servants, and ascended it with his son only. I Thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael, the Lord renewed his covenant and promises with Abraham, changing his name from Abram, or an elevated father, to Abraham, or father of a great multitude; and the name of Sarai, my princess, into Sarah, THE princess; that is, of many; no longer confined to one. As a token and confirmation of the covenant now entered into, he enjoined Abraham to be himself circumcised, and to circumcise all the males in his family. He also promised him a son by Sarah, his wife, to being bound Isaac, he prepared to sacrifice him; born within a year, Gen. xvii. The enormous sins of Sodom, Gomorrha, and the neighboring cities, being now filled up, three angels were sent to inflict upon them the divine vengeance. Abraham, sitting at the door of his tent, in the valley of Mamre, saw three persons walking by; and, with true oriental hospitality, immediately invited them to take refreshment, washed their feet, and hasted to prepare them meat. When they had eaten, they asked for Sarah. Abraham answering that she was in her tent, one of them said, "I will certainly return unto thee, according to the time of life, and lo! Sarah thy wife shall have a son." Upon hearing this, Sarah laughed; but one of the angelic visitors rebuked her unbelief, by remarking, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? In a year I will return, as I promised, and Sarah shall have a son," Gen. xviii. 1–19. When the angels were ready to depart, Abraham accompanied them towards Sodom, whither two of them (who proved to be divine messengers) continued their journey. The third remained with Abraham, and informed him of the approaching destruction of when about to give the blow, an angel from hea cried out to him, "Lay not thine hand upon the neither do thou any thing to him. Now I k that thou fearest God, since to obey him thou not spared thine only son." Upon looking ro him, Abraham saw a ram entangled in the bushe his horns, which he offered as a burnt-offering stead of his son Isaac. He called the place Jeho jireh, or the Lord will see, or provide, Gen. 1-14. Several years afterwards, Sarah died in Heb where Abraham came to mourn for her, and to form the funeral offices. He addressed the pe at the city gate, entreating them to allow him to his wife among them; for, being a stranger, and ing no land of his own, he could claim no righ interment in any sepulchre of that country. therefore, bought of Ephron, one of the inhabit the field of Machpelah, with the cave and sepul in it, at the price of four hundred shekels of sil (about $200;) and buried Sarah with due sole ties, according to the custom of the country, xxiii. man of no trifling possessions, who had three hundred and eighteen servants born among his property, whom he could entrust with arms, Gen. xiv. 14.. It implies, that he also had many not born in his house, but bought with his money; some also, doubtless, were old; some were women, and some children; these together make a considerable tribe. In fact, Abraham appears to correspond exactly to a modern Abraham, being reminded by this occurrence, probably, of his own great age, and the consequent uncertainty of his life, became solicitous to secure an alliance between Isaac and a female branch of his own family. Eliezer his steward was therefore sent into Mesopotamia, to fetch from the country and kindred of Abraham a wife for his son Isaac. Eliezer executed his commission with prudence, and returned with Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel, grand-emir; to possess many of the rights of sovereignty daughter of Nahor, and, consequently, Abraham's niece. The life of the patriarch was prolonged for many years after this event, and he died at the age of 175 years. He was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael, in the cave of Machpelah, where he had deposited the remains of his beloved Sarah, Gen. xxiv. xxv. A. M. 2133, ante A. D. 1821. It appears from the thread of the sacred narrative, that Abraham took Keturah by marriage, and had by her six sons-Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah-after the death of Sarah, Gen. xxv. 1. This, however, is in itself improbable, his age at that time being 137 years, and his infirmity, long before, such as to render it highly improbable that he would have any children. On these grounds, it has been thought that he married Keturah while Sarah was living, and that the words may be rendered, in the pluperfect tense," and Abraham had added, and taken a wife." It is worthy of remark, in support of this interpretation, that 1 Chron. i. 32, 33. places | the sons of Keturah before Isaac, and calls her concubine, which would hardly have been the case had she been his legitimate wife, taken after the death of Sarah. In reviewing the history of this eminent patriarch, there are several things worthy attentive consideration. in no small degree; and to be little other than an independent prince, even while dwelling on the territories of sovereign princes, who greatly esteemed him. 3. As the incident of Abraham calling Sarah sister is liable to ambiguity, and has suffered by being placed in false lights, to the greater discredit of Abraham than is just or necessary, a few thoughts may be well bestowed on it. It has been affirmed by some writers, that by this conduct Abraham exposed Sarah to the danger of adultery; and that she seemed too easily to consent, by passing for his sister, and not his wife. In Abraham, there is thought to have been lying, disguise, and too great easiness in hazarding his wife's chastity; and in her, too great forwardness of compliance. Chrysostom, who seriously endeavored to excuse him, acknowledges, that the patriarch exposed Sarah to the danger of adultery; and that she consented to this danger, to save the life of her husband. It deserves consideration, however, how far this might be a custom derived from the earliest ages of mankind; for as in the first, so also in the second infancy of the human race, the relations of life were so very few, and so very inti mate, that it was little short of inevitable for the nearest in blood to intermarry; and it is by no means incredible, that some families had made a point of maintaining themselves distinct from others, by this custom; and that they chose to be thus restricted to the branches of their own family, (cousins, &c.) as afterwards among the Jews the restriction was enlarged to their own tribe. Augustine makes an apology for Abraham, saying, 1st. That he did not lie, by describing Sarah as his sister, as indeed she obliged to discover, by not calling her his wife. 2dly. That being exposed at the same time to two dangers, one of losing his life, the other of having his wife taken from him, and not being able to avoid either by acknowledging her as his wife, but thinking it at least probable that he should escape death, by acknowledging her for his sister; of two evils he chose what seemed to him the least.-But, independent of these considerations, it should be recollected, that every nation, and often every family, has its own manners; which appear not merely singular, but uncouth, to those not accustomed to them, and which, occasionally, are mistaken by casual observers. It is not usual in England, nor does it appear to have been so in Egypt, or in Canaan, for a husband to call his wife sister; but it seems to have been customary among the Hebrew families to use this term, and others of near consanguinity, for a more general relation than they strictly import, (see FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER,) and also for a wife, a companion. -For example: We find Abram twice using this mode of speech, and twice experiencing the same inconvenience from it. We find Isaac using the same appellation, with at least equal apparent art, and under the same apprehension, in the same place where Abram had used it. We recollect no other instances equally ancient; but it is observable, that 1. Abraham is introduced rather abruptly in the sacred Scriptures;-" And Jehovah said to Abram;" (Gen. xii. 1.) but it may rationally be concluded, that before a man would undertake a long, fatiguing, and uncertain journey, at the command of another, he would be well assured of the authority which commanded him. It seems reasonable, therefore, to infer, that God had previously spoken to Abraham-was; he only concealed a truth which he was not perhaps often, though by what means we know not. However, we learn from other sources of information besides the Scriptures, that about this time Chaldea became polluted with idolatry; and it is therefore most probable that a principal reason for Abraham's quitting his own country, was his dread of this evil. At that time idolatry was not equally prevalent in Egypt; and the countries which were distant from the great cities, or had but little intercourse with them, were still less infected with it. This accounts for Abraham's travelling northward, instead of taking the direct road, which communicated through Canaan, between Babylon and Egypt. Undoubtedly, the providence of God called Abraham, for his own personal quiet, and that of his family, to seek a country less polluted than the dominions of Nimrod; and so far, no doubt, he may be said to have had a divine direction; but every thing leads to the conclusion, that he had also an express direction to the |