CHAPTER 13

13:1-4 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 13:1) Ascendit autem Abram de Aegypto, ipse et uxor ejus, et omnia ejus, et Loth cum eo in desertum (Abram went out from Egypt with his wife and all he possessed, as well as with Lot, and took the way to the desert). It must be understood ascenderunt (They went up). However, it can not be said, in the proper sense, that the inanimate things that Abram possessed, like gold, silver, and all this furniture, came out with him: so this is a speech, which the Greeks call Zeugma kat’ elleipsin, ellipse. [Locutions]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 13:1-4 ABRAHAM WENT UP OUT OF EGYPT WITH HIS WIFE AND ALL THAT BELONGED TO HIM; AND LOT WAS WITH HIM IN THE WILDERNESS. NOW ABRAHAM WAS VERY RICH IN FLOCKS, IN SILVER, AND IN GOLD; AND HE RETURNED BY THE WILDERNESS TO BETHEL, WHENCE HE CAME. — It is said with reason that he ascended, after being delivered from Egypt. But the following seems to contradict the general sense. How could he be very rich when he left Egypt? This difficulty is resolved by the true text, the Hebrew, in which it is written, "Abraham was very overwhelmed,” baros sphodra; the burden of Egypt overwhelmed him. Although it appears to be wealth in flocks, gold and silver, however, since they come from Egypt, they are a burden to the holy patriarch. Finally, let us not say with the Septuagint: "He went back through the wilderness to Bethel, whence he came,” but with the Hebrew: "He went his way by the south to Bethel.” If he had gone out of Egypt, it was not to enter the desert that he was leaving with her; it was to come, by the south, which is opposite to the north, to the house of God, where had his tent, between Bethel and Ai. [Hebrew Quesitons on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Abram left Egypt, he and his wife, and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him to go into the wilderness. (Gen. 13:1) The words of Blessed David can be applied here to those who returned after being captive to Babylon. Those who sow in tears, will reap in joy. At first they will walk crying while throwing away their seeds; when they return, they will walk in joy carrying their sheaves. (Ps. CXXV, 5, 6.) You have seen the arrival full of anxieties and fears that went so far as to fear death. See now this return full of honor and brilliance. Everyone respected the righteous, in Egypt as well as in Palestine. Indeed, who would have had no respect for the one whom God kept thus and whom he honored with such a protection? For no one knew what had happened to the king and his house. Everything had been arranged, in the increase of the trials of the righteous, so that his patience might be brought to the light of day, and no one should be unaware of his virtue.

You have seen, my beloved ones, what advantage is gained from trials, what is the price of patience. This man and this woman, one already old, the other already old, have seen all that they showed of resignation, courage, mutual tenderness, and conjugal affection. Let's imitate them all and never annoy us; do not believe that God abandons us and disdains us because we are beset with trials; on the contrary, let's look at them as the best proof of God's interest in us. Indeed, if we are burdened with a heavy burden of sin, we can lighten it by our perseverance and good will; if it is less heavy, we will succeed in lightening it again with the grace of above, provided we endure it without murmuring. Indeed, our God is generous and is interested in our salvation; if he exercises us as in an arena and makes us fight with temptations, it is so that after having deployed our own forces, we are more worthy of his protection. Since we know that this is so, let us not go to discouragement in trials, nor to sorrow in tribulations, but let us rejoice, as Saint Paul does. Now, he says, I rejoice in tribulations. (Col. I. 24.) See what a good disposition of mind! If he rejoiced in tribulations, how could he ever be grieved? And if what saddens others was for him a subject of joy, see, I pray you, how his soul was well prepared for everything. And to persuade you that it is indispensable to us, to enjoy the goods promised to us and to deserve the kingdom of heaven, to walk in this life in the midst of tribulations, listen to what the apostles say to the new converts. And after instructing many of their disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconia, and Antioch, strengthening the spirit of their disciples, exhorting them to persevere in the faith, and their representative that it is necessary to pass through many tribulations to reach the kingdom. heaven. (Acts XIV, 21, 22.)

What, then, will be our excuse if we refuse to bear with courage, constancy and gratitude, all those who will present themselves, when we see that we can not reach the kingdom of heaven without walking in this way? Because, to recognize that there is nothing. new or extraordinary in (225) the tribulations that await the righteous on the path of this life, listen to what Christ says: In the world you will have tribulations, but take courage. (John, xvi, 33.) In order not to defeat, speaking of afflictions, he hastens to raise up courage, and promises to strengthen by his grace. But take courage, I conquered the world. It's me ; he said, "who will alleviate your troubles, who will not allow you to be submerged by the flood of temptations, who will chart the way for you to come out, and who will not allow you to be burdened with afflictions beyond your strength? Why this sadness, this sorrow, this impatience, this despondency? If we use according to our forces the weapons we have, I mean the. patience, steadfastness, and perseverance, will God ever allow us to be confounded? Is there such a desperate position that the wisdom of our Master can not be restored? Let us make use of our own resources and have a sincere faith, knowing all that the protector of our souls can do. And certainly he knows better than us what is right, he who will dispose everything for his glory and our advantage. Thus we will obtain the reward of our patience, and we will be honored with his goodness, by the grace and mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, as well as to the Father and the Holy Spirit, glory, power, honor now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Abram was very rich in herds, in silver, and in gold. And he returned to the place from which he had gone, in the desert to Bethel, to the place where his tent was between Bethel and Angi before the altar he had erected there. (Gen. 13:2-4) When I see today your eager competition and your ardent desire to hear me, I want to discharge the debt I incurred towards your charity. Perhaps you have forgotten it since the time has passed and because, in the meantime, I have spoken to you about something else; for the holiest feasts have interrupted the order of our speeches. Indeed, when we celebrated the cross of Our Lord, it was not proper to treat another subject the spiritual feast had to be appropriate to the circumstance. So when came the day when it comes to Judas' betrayal, we bent on the occasion, to set aside the rest of our instructions, and we broke out against the traitor, and then we talked about the cross. Then, when the day of the resurrection happened, it was necessary to point out to your charity. the resurrection of Our Lord and demonstrate it to you the following days by the miracles that accompanied it. Then having taken the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, we nourished you daily by exhorting by frequent and daily instructions those who had recently received the grace of baptism.

Now I have to remember my debt and satisfy you. You yourself may no longer think, distracted by your care, about your wife, your children, the daily food, and many other interests of life; but we, who have none of these embarrassments, we remind you of this debt and we are preparing to pay it. Do not be surprised if we do it with so much good will. An obligation of this nature differs from pecuniary obligations, which the debtor never willingly pays, knowing that he diminishes his property and increases those of the creditor. It is not the same for a spiritual debt such as this one; the more the debtor pays, the more he gets rich at the same time as the creditors. This is why on the one hand there is little goodwill, while on the other side there is every benefit to be paid and paid. This is what St. Paul says about charity: Do not be indebted to anyone, except to love one another. (Rom XIII, 8.) This means that such a debt still lasts, even after being paid.

You must also be ready to receive this payment as this will enrich your debtors and make them more useful to you. Thus, since the nature of this debt is such that the more we spend the more we become opulent oneself, let us finish acquitting ourselves, listen with the same good will that we will put to speak, so that your attention is our reward. What is this debt? You know and remember when we spoke of the patriarch that we told you of his arrival in Egypt following a famine, Pharaoh's kidnapping of Sarah, the indignation of God, and the affliction he struck Pharaoh and his house to protect the righteous, and the glorious return of the patriarch on leaving Egypt. Indeed, Pharaoh ordered his people to lead Abram and his wife with all he had, and Lot with them. And Abram went out from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, to go into the wilderness. After this speech we interrupted these instructions for some time to deal with subjects required by the circumstances. We must now relate ourselves to what precedes and unite it in one body with what remains to be said, in order to preserve the character of unity in these instructions. But, to clarify everything, it is necessary to expose to your charity the origin and the sequence of the reading that has been made to you. Abram was very rich in flocks, silver, and gold. He returned from where he had gone in the wilderness to Bethel to the place where he had pitched his tent formerly between Bethel and Agga, where he had first erected an altar; there Abram invoked the name of the Lord God. Let us not pass lightly on this reading, but let us see clearly the exactitude of the holy Scriptures which tell us nothing superfluous. Abram was very rich. See, first of all, that this indication is not given to us unnecessarily and without reason, for it is the first time that we have reported its wealth, and it has not yet been mentioned. Why that ? To show the prudence and wisdom of God, and the infinite power he displayed for the righteous. The latter, forced to travel to Egypt because of the famine he could no longer bear in the land of Chanaan, suddenly became rich and even extremely rich, and not only in herds, but in gold and silver.

Do you notice what is the providence of God? The righteous departed to escape famine and returned, not only free from famine, but filled with wealth and glory, and everyone could see who he was. Subsequently, the inhabitants of Chanaan were better acquainted with his virtues, observing such a sudden change, and seeing with so much treasure the man who had gone to Egypt as a stranger, a fugitive, and a vagabond. Consider further that opulence and prosperity did not inspire him with vanity or laziness; he returned to the place where he lived before he went to Egypt. He went to the desert to the place where he had pitched his tent in the place where he had first erected an altar, and invoked the name of the Lord God. Think, I pray you, how much he loved peace and tranquility, and what zeal he had for the worship of God. He went to the same place where he had raised an altar and where he had invoked the name of God, thus fulfilling, many centuries in advance, what was said by David: I chose to be humiliated in the house of (227) my God, rather than dwell in the lands of sinners. (Ps. LXXXIII, 11.) He preferred, to invoke the name of God, deserts rather than cities. He knew, indeed, that he knew that the greatness of cities does not consist in the beauty of the buildings, nor in the multitude of citizens, but in the virtue of the inhabitants; in the virtue of which a desert, honored by the presence of the just, was better than all cities, and shone more than the most populated countries of the earth.

13:5-18 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. 14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 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. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

ALCUIN OF YORK. “AND GOD SAID TO ABRAHAM: 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 SEA, BECAUSE ALL THE LAND WHICH THOU SEEST, I WILL GIVE TO THEE, AND TO THY SEED.” (VERSE 14) IF HE WAS PROMISED ONLY THE LAND THAT HE COULD THEN SEE TOWARDS THE FOUR PARTS OF THE WORLD WHEN STANDING IN ONE PLACE, DOES NOT THE LAND OF PROMISE SEEM SMALL? — Answer. He was not promised only the land that he could see. It was not said “I will give thee as much of land as thou seest” but “I will give thee the land which thou seest”, while the land beyond in all directions was being given him too. That is why he said afterwards, “Arise and walk through the land in the length, and in the breadth thereof” (verse 17), so that, by walking through the land, he might come to the places that he could not see with his eyes when standing in one place. The land meant here was the one that his carnal seed would receive for his spiritual seed would possess the breadth of the whole world. [Question 160]

WHY WAS IT SAID “TO THE EAST AND TO THE SEA”? — Answer. The Holy Scripture, when speaking of the quarters of the Land of Promise, often uses the word “sea” for “west”, owing to the fact that the country of Palestine has the sea to its west. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 161]

AMBROSIASTER. HOW CAN ONE PROVE BY THE TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHETS RECEIVED BY THE GENTILES UNDER THE NEW COVENANT THAT THE PROMISE THAT GOD MADE TO ABRAHAM WAS FULFILLED BY THE COMING OF CHRIST? — It is written in the prophet Isaiah: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:7).” But the Jews may say, “The house of God, that is, the synagogue, is open to all men.” We do not say the contrary, but on the condition that men will be circumcised before submitting to the law; for an article of this law commands them to be circumcised following the example of Abraham. There is, therefore, nothing new in this oracle of the Prophet, since from the beginning of Judaism no one has been forbidden from any nation whatever to embrace the practice of the law. The Prophet did not say anything again, let us say more, his words are superfluous, if the Gentiles have always been admitted to serve the God of Abraham, without ever having been defended. And the truth is that none of those who wished to submit to the law were rejected. Now, if it is so, it is very useless for the Prophet to remind us of a truth which has always been known and observed. But who would be meaningless enough to dare to say that such a great Prophet spoke unnecessarily and without reason? I do not know if one can hear this language with impunity without opposing it. Like the Jews to whom the prophets often reproached their crimes against God, and the confidence they placed in idols, refused to enter into the ways of penance and a sincere return to God, God, to confound them, declares that he will open his house to all nations to pray, and that instead of the Jews whom he rejects, he will admit other worshipers. If indeed the Gentiles have always been admitted to the practice of the law, as we have said above, how could the Prophet predicate this as a novelty, if not because he wanted to signify something other than this which was previously ordered? For he could not say of a thing that was done every day that it would be done in the future. It is therefore evident that these words are the condemnation of the Jews to whom the Prophet predicted that after their reprobation others will be called to receive the gift of the grace of God that had been promised to the Jews. Now the prophet Isaiah tells us what this promise is, when he says, “There will come a Redeemer who will deliver Zion and remove Jacob’s impiety, and that is the covenant I will make with them (Is. 59:20).” This covenant is therefore the destruction of sins; it is the new covenant which God promised in these terms by the prophet Jeremiah: “Behold, the days come, Lord, and I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant I made with their fathers, in the days when I took them by the hand to draw them out of the land of Egypt, which they have made vain, and I have punished them, says the Lord (Jer. 31:31).” He wants to speak of the evasiveness they made when they made a golden calf to worship him, and then they profane his covenant. So the tables on which the law was written were broken at the foot of the mountain, because the people deserved to receive more severe and painful commandments. But the Lord, full of compassion and mercy, promised by his prophets to change the law, and to replace it by an alliance entirely different from the first, that is to say, not only all that the former had of pain would be suppressed, but also all the precepts that were figurative, like the Sabbath and circumcision. They had groaned for a long time under this heavy burden, and God wished to deliver them from them wholly, that they might render him humble thanksgiving. But they preferred to persevere in the iniquity of their fathers, and did not wish to renounce the worship of idols; the Prophet therefore predicted that the Gentiles with the few Jews who had preserved the faith of the true God would enter into the new covenant to punish the perfidy of the Jews for a double punishment. For in this world they are burdened with the burden of precepts, and in the other life they will receive the just punishment for their crimes, because they have been unfaithful to God in the new as in the old covenant. God therefore declares that he gives this new covenant to replace the old one that was given to their fathers. He who serves God under this new covenant is no longer constrained to observe either the Sabbath, new moons, circumcision, or the distinction of food; it is enough to have the fear of God joined to the faith, because it is not by law but by faith that you are justified according to this testimony of the prophet Habakkuk: “The righteous will live by faith (Hab. 2:4).” Hence he no longer needs a great number of precepts to please God; some of them are sufficient from these other words of the prophet Isaiah: “When the number of the children of Israel is as many as the sands of the sea, the remnant only will be converted, for God in his righteousness will fulfill and abridge his word; yes, the Lord will give an abridged word on all the earth (Is. 10:22).” Thus God made known the abbreviated word of the law, that is to say, the new covenant which he had promised to the small number of those who, the midst of general unbelief had persevered in faith. He gives it the name of covenant, because, like the old covenant, it was confirmed by the testimony of blood; they both bear the same name, with the difference that the ancient covenant contained a great number of precepts, while according to the promise of God they are greatly reduced in the new. God had foretold to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. (Gen. 17:4-5.) Therefore, his children were to be justified as the children, and to become children of Abraham, according to the promise of the Lord, without recourse to the observances which had been established only after the faith of one, Abraham, and by the faith which had justified Abraham. It is not, however, new and unprecedented that men have been justified without the observance of the Sabbath, circumcision, and other prescriptions of this kind. Enoch was a friend to God and merited to be transported (Gen. 5:44), nor was Noah the only righteous man that God found in the flood; Abraham himself did not owe circumcision to be justified. Abraham believed God, it is written, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness (Rom. 4:3). Circumcision was for him a sign of his faith in the promise that he would have a son in his old age. Abraham’s merit does not come from conciseness, but from his faith. Consequently, faith alone is enough to justify men and make them children of Abraham by faith, not by circumcision of which they have no need; for the object of their faith is not the same which was imposed on the faith of Abraham. The Jews were subject to the precept of circumcision, because they were to bear the sign of Abraham’s faith, not of their faith, as the distinctive sign of the children of Abraham according to the flesh; if they have faith themselves, they become his children by justification. What is the use of a man without strength to call himself the son of a powerful man? Is it not rather an obstacle for him, for it is a shame for the son of a man whose glory equals the merit of being the same without honor. Circumcision. is so unmeritorious, that God threatens by the prophet Jeremiah to exert his vengeance on all who carry the sign of external circumcision but without being circumcised of heart (Jer. 4:4). But he is not angry with those who obey the circumcision of the heart without the circumcision of the flesh, because no one can please God without the circumcision of the heart. All who have received the circumcision of the flesh are the children of Abraham according to the flesh; those who practice the circumcision of the heart represent the children of Abraham according to faith, because they cut off from their hearts all the errors of the world and acknowledge God alone for their father. What, then, is the circumcision of the flesh without faith to the Jew in order to attain the perfection of Abraham? Or in what way can the uncircumcision of the flesh hinder him, since no one can attain the justice of Abraham without being the imitator of his faith? It is therefore in vain that they glorify the circumcision of the flesh, since it has no merit in the eyes of God. And if, as we have proved, it is better to have faith than to be circumcised, the Gentiles are better than the Jews, then they have faith, while the Jews have only circumcision. Which ones, do I say, will Abraham recognize for his children, those who are like him after the flesh or who are the imitators of his faith? But it was faith that bore witness to Abraham. Therefore he glories not in the flesh, but in faith, and he admits to the number of his children only those whom he sees to be the imitators of his glory. For how could he call his children those who have only remoteness for what made him pleasing to God and deserved the justification? He will rather see in them his enemies than his children; and indeed they seem to be declaring themselves to him by despising the faith which was the cause of his glory. There is nothing surprising in the incredulity of the Jews who refuse to receive the New Testament, since they have not been more faithful under the old covenant. Their revolts against God were continual, they never ceased to outrage him; therefore he imposed upon them severe precepts to keep under the yoke those haughty and inflexible requirements. They would never acknowledge that God was the source of all good; and yet how many favors they had received from them, than from brilliant prodigies carried out in their favor! This is what he reminds them of through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel: “I have lifted up my hand against them in solitude, to scatter them among the nations, and to spread them on the earth, because they did not observe my commandments, and rejected my precepts.” And a little farther, “Therefore I have given them precepts that are not good, and ordinances where they will not find life (Ez. 20:33).” He teaches them why he has given them so many and difficult precepts; they had only shown ingratitude for such great benefits; he imposed upon them, under the inspiration of his justice, more severe commandments. He calls them precepts which are not good, though they are righteous, because far from justifying them, they turned to ruin, and that a punishment just that it is, is not good for him who suffer. In spite of their infidelities, God, in his goodness, promised to give a new covenant, where the law reduced to a few precepts would justify as Abraham those who believed in him, that without the observance of Sabbath, circumcision, and other precepts of this kind, and merely remaining faithful to the precepts of natural law, which defend homicide, adultery, and other similar crimes, they would be justified as had been Abraham. Since he was reviving Abraham’s faith on earth, he wanted to put an end to all other prescriptions, and bring men back to the time of Abraham’s faith. But the Jews may say: Let us admit that the commandments given by Moses have ceased to oblige by this abridgment of the law; Is circumcision one of those precepts which ought to be repealed? It is through it that we bear the sign of our father, the character of the children of Abraham, which must never be repealed to be a perpetual testimony of our race. I answer that circumcision must have been observed in its time, that is to say, before God had given men the New Testament which he had promised. But as soon as the grace of God has discharged men from the burdens of the law, what is still need of circumcision? Now the new law, that is, the spiritual law, was given to put an end to carnal observances, and so that those who embraced it would bear the sign of this law. Thus, as in the Old Testament, the Jews bore the sign of Abraham to which the old covenant belonged, so the Christians under the new covenant must bear the sign of the Savior, the author of the New Testament. Indeed, just as the Hebrews derive their name from Abraham, Christians take their name from Christ. All those who still bear the name of Hebrews have not yet received the new covenant which God has promised; they render useless the blessings and mercy of God, who no longer wish that his people should bear the name of a man, but deign to give to men the very name of his Son. What then is this audacity in the Jews to say that it is their law, and not our own, that we practice, whereas David says loudly, “I will praise you among the nations” (Ps. 17:50; 55:10), and again: “Sit down at the same table with his people?” The Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah, “I knew you before I had formed you in the womb of your mother, and I sanctified you before that you did bring forth from his womb, and I made thee a prophet among the nations. “(Jer. 1:5) Judaism has in its Scriptures distinct names, and is represented under the names of Jacob, or of Samaria, or of Jerusalem, or of Judea, or of Israel, but it is evident to the Gentiles that they are designated by other names than the Jews, and Jeremiah is more particularly our prophet, although God used all the prophets to announce that the Gentiles would share in his promise. These, he says in a more special way of Jeremiah because he is our prophet. It was he who was charged to predict that the new covenant would be more fruitful for the Gentiles than for the Jews, which we now see fulfilled. See, the new covenant has been preached by all the earth, and yet it is so rare, so difficult to find a Jew who has embraced the faith, that all the churches of the New Testament bear the name of the pagan nations as the prophet Hosea had predicted: “I will call my people who are not my people and my beloved whom I had not loved (Hos. 2:24, Rom. 9:25).” God therefore rejects the Jews and calls the Gentiles by an effect of that mercy and grace by which he has deigned to call Abraham, for Abraham did not know the Lord before he was called. So he who deigned to call Abraham also deigned to call the Gentiles. Why, then, is this pretension to say: This is our law, when it is manifest that the gift of God belongs to all those who sincerely want it? Let them therefore cease this rash usurpation; the grace of God is the common heritage of all men. What boldness yet to deny that our Lord Jesus Christ was promised in the law, when they see Him gather in Him all the characters predicted by the law? All the nations that believe in him are justified, according to the promise made to Abraham (Gen. 22:18); he was born of a virgin in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah, according to the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, a race of David, as God had promised. (Jer. 31:31), He preached the new covenant which God had promised to establish with mankind, and after all the prophecies, miracles which he has effected, he has humbled himself, as predicted by all prophetic oracles; he suffered, he died, as it is written in the prophets. If they ask for the time when this promise is fulfilled, as it is fixed in the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:24), they will find fulfillment of it at the time when Jesus Christ was born and suffered; for from the first year of Darius, king of the Persians, to the birth and passion of our Lord, and even to the ruin of Jerusalem, which took place under Vespasian, the Roman emperor, the seventy weeks that is to say, four hundred and ninety years, and this calculation is clearly established by the reigns of the different princes who succeeded one another. Tertullian himself makes this calculation in the book he wrote against the Jews (ch. 8); but lest the exactness and precision of his calculation should draw him insults, we have passed over in silence. What difficulties can there be in this number, since the number of these years has been fulfilled? It is therefore an impudence without example, after the long space of time which has been added to the advent of the Savior, to say: He has not come. That in the time of the apostles, or when Our Lord still lived among men, malice could disguise itself to contradict the truth, and that, notwithstanding the evidence of the prophetic signs of Christ which shone in the Savior, the time of his coming to better hide his perfidy, at the right time. But now that many years have been added to the number predicted by the prophets, how impudent once again to deny the coming of Christ whose signs and times concur in demonstrating the coming? That a vase be full, but without overflowing, a spirit friendly to the dispute may deny that it is full; but if it overflows, it puts an end to any discussion. Thus the Jews were able to say in the time of the Savior (although without good faith) that the calculations from Darius to Our Lord, which tended to prove that He was the promised Christ, were ill-established. For we may be mistaken in calculating the years, months, and days of the emperors, and we cannot have precise and incontestable dates here. But now that years and centuries are added to the precise number of years marked by the Prophet, what excuse remains for the Jews not to recognize Christ in him who has come, unless he accuses of falsehood (what God forbid!) the very author of the promise? For the time of promise is past, and the promise of the promise is denied; what else is there to say to the author of the promise, “You are a liar?” But not the one who has promised is the truth itself, we have as proof all the signs which the prophets have given of Christ and which we find united in the person of Christ. As for the Jews, who would be ashamed of escaping from their error, they do not think of the judgment which awaits them, for nothing is more guilty than to deny the truth of what one perfectly understands is not a lie. [Questions on the Old and New Testaments, 44]

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Verse 7) Et facta est rixa inter medium pastorum pecorum Abram et pecorum Loth (There was a quarrel between the shepherds of Abram and Lot). The Latin interpreters have not sought, for the most part, to reproduce this phrase; but they conformed to the genius of our language. This is the last time we mention this way of speaking; for it reappears in the Greek text whenever a similar idea presents itself to be expressed.

(Verse 8) "Because we are brothers," said Abram to Lot. By this we see that, in this language of Scripture, the name of brothers is given to all who are united by the bonds of blood, even though the degree of kinship is not equal for all, and that one is to a higher degree and the other a lower degree, like that. takes place here, then that Abram was the uncle of Lot. [Locutions]

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Verse 10) WHAT PARADISE WAS. — The fact that the land of Sodom and Gomorrah before being destroyed is compared to the paradise of God, because it was watered, and to the land of Egypt, which bathes in the Nile, sufficiently demonstrates, I think, how it is to be understood; it was, that paradise that God planted, which he put Adam (Cf. Gen 2:8). I do not see in fact that God’s paradise was something else. And certainly, if the fruit trees of paradise were to be, according to the opinion of some, considered as virtues of the soul, it would not be said of this land that it was “like the Paradise of God”, since there would not have been in reality of earthly paradise, planted with real trees. [Question 27]

(Verses 14-15) EXTENT OF THE PROMISE MADE TO ABRAHAM. — Lift up your eyes, and look from the place wherein you now are, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. All the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your seed forever. Here is the question of how God’s promise to Abram and his offspring is understood to give him as much land as he could look with his eyes toward the four key points. For how much land can your body’s eyes encompass in your vision? But the problem disappears if we realize that this was not promised only, since God did not say: I will give you as much land as you see, but: I will give you the land which you see. For as there was also land after all, evidently it was given above all that which was seen. In addition, we must pay attention to what follows. For in order that Abram himself did not think that only the land which he could see or behold about him was promised to him, God said to him, “Arise and walk the earth far and wide, for I will give it to you,” (Gen. 13:17) because if he stood in one place he could not see with his eyes alone. With these words is indicated the land that the first people of Israel received, who were descendants of Abram according to the flesh, not the offspring that is more widespread according to faith. In order that he would not forget, he was told that it would be like the sand of the sea (Cf. Gen. 13:16), evidently using hyperbole, but offspring so great that no one could count it. [Questions on Genesis, 28]

EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA. (Verse 18) Mambre. That is Hebron. The tomb of both sons of Abraham is located there. (Tomb of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is located there.) Noted also above. One of the companions of Abraham is also called Mambre. [Onomasticon]

JEROME OF STRIDON. (Verse 8) we are brothers. Certainly Lot was not Abraham’s brother, but the son of Abraham’s brother Aram… There are four kinds of brothers in holy Scripture: brothers by nature, as Jacob and Esau: as family as Abraham and Lot: of the same nation, as all the Jews: brethren by affection, because all of us Christians are called brethren.  [Against Helvidius 16-17 NPNF s.2 v. 6]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 13:13 AND THE MEN OF SODOM WERE EVIL, AND SINNERS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD EXCEEDINGLY. Here in the sight of God has been added unnecessarily by the Septuagint, since in fact the inhabitants of Sodom were evil and sinners amongst men. Rather, that man is said to be a sinner in God's sight who can appear as righteous amongst men. In this way it is said of Zacharia and Elisabeth in their praise that they were both righteous in the sight of God; and in the Psalter it is said: No man living shall be justifled in Thy sight.

13:14-15 LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK, FROM THE PLACE WHERE YOU NOW ARE, TOWARDS THE NORTH, AND TOWARDS SOUTH, AND TOWARD THE EAST AND TOWARDS THE SEA; ALL THE LAND THAT YOU SEES, I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU AND TO YOUR SEED. —  The four key points are designated, east and west, northern and south. In all the texts of Scripture, which we suffice to say once and for all, the sea is always taken for the west, because Palestine is situated so that it has the sea at sunset. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. (Verses 5-13) For no virtuous action can be very exalted, when it does not distribute its benefit to others… So likewise Abraham sought not his own profit, but the profit of many. Wherefore he both exposed himself to dangers and besought God for those who in no wise belonged to him. Well: these indeed so became glorious. But as for those who sought their own, consider what harm too they received. The nephew Lot, for instance, because he listened to the saying, “thou will go to the left, I will go to the right;” (Gen. 13:9) and accepting the choice, sought his own profit, did not even find his own: but this region was burned up, while Abraham’s remained untouched. [Hom. 25.4 on 1 Cor. NPNF s1. v. 12]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Lot, who accompanied Abram, also had sheep, oxen, and flocks; and the land could not contain them together: what they possessed was too great for them to live together. (Gen. 13:5-6) Not only were the goods of the patriarch increased, but Lot also had sheep, oxen, and flocks. Perhaps it owed some to the liberality of Abraham, and others had given him the rest for the sake of the patriarch. And the country could not contain them together because what they possessed was too great. You see that the very excess of wealth soon became a cause of separation and an instrument of division capable of disturbing concord and breaking ties of kinship. There arose a dispute between the shepherds of Abram and those of Lot. The Canaanites and the Perizzites inhabited the country. (Gen. 13:7) See how the division between parents begins. All evil comes from the wickedness of the servants. There was a dispute between the shepherds. They were the occasion of dissension; they destroyed concord by their imprudence and their stupidity. The Canaanites and the Perizzites inhabited this country. Why this information? After having said: the country could not contain them together, the Holy Scripture also wanted to tell us the reason: the country could not contain them because it was already occupied by these peoples. But we see how this pious patriarch extinguishes by his gentleness the fire ready to light up. Abram said to Lot, Let there be no dispute between you and me, and between the shepherds and mine, for we are brothers. (Gen. 13:8) See what excess of modesty, what sublime conduct! He, the oldest, the most respectable, calls brother the son of his brother, he raises him to his height and makes his equal, saying: That there is no dispute between you and me, nor between your shepherds and mine. It would be unworthy of us, he said, since we are brothers. You see that he fulfills this law of the Apostle: It is already a fault on your part to have lawsuits. Why do you not endure some injustice, some damage? But yourselves cause injustice and damage to your brothers. (I Corinthians VI, 7.) The patriarch realized all this by his actions; when he said: Let there be no dispute between your shepherds and mine, because we are brothers. Is he a more peaceful soul? It is with good reason that I began by saying that he loved calm and repose, and this reason had made him prefer the desert to the inhabited countries. Observe now that, as soon as he sees the shepherds quarreling, he tries to extinguish the fire that was going to light from the beginning, and soothes the argument. He, who had been chosen to be an example of wisdom to the people of Palestine, should not give him a hold on him in any occasion, but be heard by all in a more brilliant manner than the sound of the trumpet, by means of his gentleness, and force them all to imitate his virtue. May there be no dispute between you and me, nor between your shepherds and mine, for we are brothers. What's sweeter than these words: Between you and me?

Observe how he speaks as an equal. However, I think the argument had begun because the shepherds of the patriarch looked upon themselves as having more rights than those of Lot. But the just do everything impartially, showing how far his wisdom goes, in order to prove, not only to his contemporaries, but to all posterity, that disputes of this nature should never be allowed to spread and become stronger.  For this quarrel between servants is shameful for the masters; we do not attack the servants, the masters are responsible for everything. Is it reasonable that men who are brothers, of the same nature, of the same family, who are here only in passing, abandon themselves to such hostilities, when they should all give each other to others, the example of benevolence, meekness, and wisdom: I say this for those who think themselves safe from reproach when they allow those who belong to them, under the pretext of this liaison, to to plunder, to deceive, to cause a thousand evils in the towns and in the country, and to remove from the neighbors a field or a house, by showing such men a special favor. Even though this work (228) of iniquity was done by someone other than you, yet you participated in it, not only because you applauded it, believing that your power and wealth would increase, but because you did not stop these injustices from being committed. For whoever can prevent an injustice and who does not do so is as guilty as the one who commits it.

So, I implore you, do not delude ourselves, but avoid robbery and fraud, and accustom our servants to do nothing of the kind. In fact, their faults do not leave us innocent, but render us, on the contrary, more guilty; it is to please us that they compromise their salvation and that they are daring in their misdeeds: so they drag us into their loss. On the contrary, if we want to be vigilant and attentive, we will avoid these cruel consequences by diverting them from their evil designs. Do not use these frivolous excuses: it does not concern me. Did I steal anything? I know nothing; it is the fault of another ,. I did not interfere. These are pretexts and verbiage. If you want to prove that you have nothing to do with this iniquity, that you have not favored this work of spoliation, come back to what has been done, give satisfaction to the one who has been robbed, render what we took. Then you will be safe from reproach, you will give a salutary lesson to the one who has committed the fault, by showing him that he has acted against your intentions, and you will save the victim from despair and ruin.

(Gen. 13:9) May there be no dispute between you and me, or between your shepherds and mine, because we are brothers. See what sweetness, what kindness! Listen to the rest, to find out how far they could go. All the earth is before you; Separate yourself from me: if you go to the right, I will go to the left; if you go to the left, I will go to the right. See what moderation, what excessive abnegation for the just! But above all, my beloved ones, consider what are the fatal consequences of wealth and how easily they give birth to discord! Her flocks had multiplied, as well as all her possessions, and suddenly concord is broken: peace and the bonds of friendship give place to quarrels and hatred. Indeed, where one discusses yours and mine, there are quarrels and hatred: where one does not think of it is peace and concord. To make sure of this, listen to what Saint Luke says about new converts: They had only one heart and one soul. (Act IV, 32.) It was not that they had but one soul, since they had different bodies, but it is to show us how narrow their concord was. If the righteous had not had much patience and wisdom, he would have been angry and told Loth: What is this extravagance? Your servants have dared to open their mouth against those who performed my orders? So they did not think about the difference between us? Where do you get the abundance you enjoy? are you not indebted to me? Is it not I who introduced you to the eyes of men, who were all for you, who made you a father? And that's how you reward me for my benefits 1 Is that what I had to wait for by taking you everywhere with me? In the absence of recognition, would you not have had to respect my old age and my white hair? But you let your shepherds attack mine, without thinking that these insults fall on me, and you are responsible for what your servants do.

But he did not even conceive of one of these thoughts; he dismissed them all without thinking of anything but extinguishing the conflagration which this quarrel was about to bring about, and of separating amicably. All the earth, he says, is it not before you? Separate yourself from me; if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left. You see what is the sweetness of the righteous. He proves by his actions that he does not act thus of himself, and that he does not separate himself voluntarily, but that he is forced by this dispute, so that his house is not in perpetual war. See how he calms the wrath of his nephew, lets him choose what he wants and offers him the whole earth, saying to him: Is not the whole earth before you? Choose at your pleasure, and I will take with pleasure what you do not want. The righteous here shows a great moderation; he fears, above all, to be dependent on his nephew; it is as if he were saying to him: Since all this has happened in spite of myself, we must separate to put an end to disputes; also I leave you the master to choose, I give you all power to take the land that you will consider the best and leave me the other. Never (229) did a brother act with his twin brother as the patriarch with his brother's son? If he had begun by choosing for him, and afterwards he had left the rest to his nephew, would it not have been a great blessing? But he wanted to give a great example of virtue and satisfy the desires of the young man, to leave him no regret for this separation; And when he gave him every facility, he said to him, "All the earth is before you, separate from me, and choose the land you want. His nephew, thus overwhelmed with his kindness, ought to have reciprocated him and induced him to choose himself. Indeed, it is natural for all men, when they see that their adversaries strive to reach the first rank, not to want to remain below; but if any one seems to yield and seems, by the modesty of his language, to leave us all power, we ourselves abandon our pretensions as though for the sake of so much gentleness, and we leave him in our turn all power, even so we would discuss with a lower one. This is what Lot should have done with the patriarch Noah; but as he was younger and more ambitious, he accepted the offer and made his choice.

Lot, lifting up his eyes, saw all the plain of the Jordan, which was before God had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, watered like the garden of God, and like Egypt, until Zogorah. Lot chose all the land around the Jordan and went to the east, and the two brothers were separated from each other. (Gen. 13:10-11) You have seen what was the virtue of the just; he does not even let the root of the evil grow, but as soon as it appears he tears it up and destroys it; all this with great gentleness, showing that he despised everything except virtue, and declaring to all that he preferred peace and concord to all riches. So that no one could accuse the righteous of acting badly against Lot by refusing to live with a man whom he had brought out of his house and his country, so that no one would believe that he took this out of enmity rather than, out of love for peace, he allowed him to choose and did not find it bad that he should take advantage of the permission, so that everyone could understand that he had no other purpose than peace and charity! Moreover, another mystery, equally instructive, was being prepared which, by the events themselves, proved to Lot that he had deceived himself in his choice, to show the people of Sodom the virtue of Lot, and to accomplish After this separation, the promise made to the patriarch: I will give you this land, to you and to your race; it is what we shall see soon and that the Holy Scripture will enlighten us.

(Gen. 13:12-13) And Abram, it said, lived in the land of Chanaan. Lot went into the city on the river, and pitched his tent among the Sodomites. The people of Sodom were extremely evil and sinful in the face of God. You see that Lot only considered the nature of the earth, without worrying about the evil of the inhabitants. However, what good can one expect, tell me, even in a rich and fertile country, if the inhabitants have infamous mores? On the contrary, what harm can be feared, even in a barren desert? if the inhabitants are virtuous? The first of all goods is the kindness of the inhabitants. But Lot only looked at one thing, the fertility of the earth. Now, the holy Scripture, wishing to point out to us all that was wrong with this people, tells us: The people of Sodom were extremely evil and sinful in the face of God. Not only perverse, but sinners, and not only sinners, but still in the presence of God, that is to say that their sins were innumerable and their iniquity immense; so she adds: extremely sinful in the face of God. Do you see the extent of their wickedness? Do you see the danger of choosing slightly and not considering what is appropriate? Do you finally see how advantageous it is to be moderate, to give way to the first place and to be satisfied with the second? We will then recognize from these instructions that the one who chose the first has not benefited from it, and the one who took the last share has seen his prosperity grow day by day, his wealth has increased. on all sides and all the earth has had eyes on him.

But, in order not to prolong this explanation, I will stop here and continue it in the next speech, begging you to imitate the patriarch and never to desire the first place. Obey St. Paul, who says to us, "Honor one another" (Romans xii., 10), to be superior to yourselves; but try to always be in the last row. In fact, this is what raises us to the first, as Christ says: He who humbles himself will be raised (230). (Luke, XVIII, 11, and XIV, 11.) Truth incomparable! If we yield the best part to another, we are more glorified; if we prefer others to ourselves, that's what honors us the most. So, I implore you, let us try to imitate the humility of the patriarch, and seek, we who live in grace, to follow the footsteps of a man who has shown so much wisdom, even before the law. It was a true humility, that which this admirable man showed towards him who was much inferior to him, not only from the point of view of virtue, but also of age and all the rest. Remember that the old man yielded to the young man, the uncle to the nephew, the man whom God had showered with favor on him whom no great action recommended: Here is what must be added: what the young man should have to tell the old man, to his uncle, it was the patriarch who had told the young man. Let us learn to honor others than our superiors or equals. That would not be humility: to do what must be done is not humility; but a duty. True humility consists in yielding to those who are below us, and in preferring to us those who appear our inferior. If we think, we will think that no one is inferior to us, but we will believe that everyone outperforms us. And so I do not speak only for ourselves, who are immersed in an infinity of sins, but the very one who would be aware of having done a thousand good deeds, if he did not look at the same time as the last of men all his good deeds would be of no use to him. True humility consists of fading, lowering, and moderation when one has opportunities to rise. It is the means of ascending to true greatness, according to the promise of the Lord: He who humbles himself will be lifted up. (Luke, xiv, 11.) Let us strive, therefore, to raise ourselves up to this time by our humility, in order to obtain from the Lord the same graces as this just, and to deserve the same ineffable goods, through the grace and goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whomsoever, and to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, glory, power, honor, now and forever, and for ever and ever. Amen.

You know the resignation of the just. See now, after his return, how far his humility and gentleness go! When he came back from Egypt, he had a great wealth shared by his nephew who lived with him. But the country could not contain them because of their great wealth (Gen. 13:6); so a fight arose between the shepherds of Lot and those of Abram. Then the righteous man showing the sweetness of his soul and the excess of his wisdom, called Lot and said to him, Let there be no dispute between you and me, nor between your shepherds and mine, for we are brothers that is to say, nothing better than peace, nothing worse than disputes. (Gen. 13:8) To remove any cause of dispute, choose the country you want and leave me the other, to remove any quarrel or contention from us. See what virtue! He leaves the choice to the youngest and is satisfied with the discard. But after that, see what reward he receives. Immediately after, God said to him, when he departed from Lot, Lift up your eyes and regard this land from side to side; all this earth that you see, I will give it to you and to your race forever. (Gen. 13:14-15) See what largesses are lavished on him for the disinterestedness he has shown towards his nephew; what he gave up was little choice, what he gets is much more considerable.

On the contrary, he who had chosen at his pleasure, was soon in danger: not only did not his choice profit, but he was suddenly captive without fire or place; all this taught him to appreciate the virtue of the just, and to behave no more as before. In fact, after he had begun to live in Sodom, there arose a terrible war; the kings of the neighboring nations rose up with great strength, devastated the whole country, massacred the giants, expelled the Amalekites, put the king of Sodom and Gomorrah to flight, invaded all the mountains, and carried off the cavalry of the king of Sodom, and they went away, taking Lot captive, with the women, and all the spoil.

God knowing that the patriarch did not desire anything more, and that nothing could better corroborate his constancy, said to him: I will multiply your race like the sand of the earth. If anyone can count the sand of the earth, he will also count your race. (Gen. 13:16) In truth, such a promise exceeded human nature; not only does it give him the assurance of making him a father, in spite of all that seemed to oppose him, but also of multiplying his children like the sand of the earth, wishing, by this hyperbole, to indicate that they would be countless.

See how the goodness of the Lord gradually exercises the virtue of the just! He told him just now: I will give this land to your race; now he says again, I will give it to your seed unto the end of the ages, and I will multiply your seed like the sand of the earth. These are beautiful promises, but they are still only words! There is a lot of time between the promise and its fulfillment, to show us the piety of the patriarch and the infinite power of God. He differs from it, and recedes its realization, that those who had been assured of it, having reached extreme old age, and having lost all human hope, may experience the weakness of their nature and the incomparable power of God.

On this subject, think, I pray you, of the firmness of mind of the patriarch, for such a long space of time; all was lost from the human point of view, but thinking of the power of the One who had made this promise to him, he had neither trouble nor fear. You know that usually we end up no longer believing in the often repeated promises, when they are slow to be fulfilled: we can be right, if it is a man. But when it comes to God, who directs our existence with his perfect prudence, if he has once promised something, we must trust it, despite innumerable obstacles, we must think only of its absolute power, to strengthen our reason and know that all his words will be fulfilled in any way. Nothing can delay the effect of his promises, since it is God to whom all things are possible; but he recoils them when he wills: if there are no paths, he knows how to find and restore hope in the midst of our despair, in order to make our power and wisdom shine even better to our eyes.

He said, Get up and walk along and be wide on the land that I will give you. (Gen. 13:17) See how he is always quick to keep the righteous safe! He says: Arise, walk, measure length and breadth, so that you will enjoy the land you will enjoy and before you even enjoy it, you feed on hope for first happiness. For I will give you all the lands around to show you that you have not given up as much as you have to receive. Do not think now that you have had the worst part, when your nephew went to occupy what he preferred. Events will soon prove to you that this advantage did not serve him anything; and he himself will learn what inconvenience lies in finding the best part. In the meantime, collect the reward of moderation and condescension which you have had for your nephew, receive my promise, visit this land of which you are the master, and which you will soon possess, as well as your race, for life: I will give it to your race until the end of the centuries. What a revelation of God, what generosity of the Sovereign Master, what an immense reward bestowed, by his benevolence and mercy, on this righteous man and all the race that was to emerge from him!

On hearing this, the patriarch, struck with the ineffable goodness of God, raised his tent and dwelt near the oak of Membre, which is in the country of Chebron. (Gen. 13:18) So, having received this promise and having separated from Lot, he carried his tent to Membré's oak tree. See what resignation and elevation in the mind! as it is easily transported and does not prove any difficulty in passing from one place to another. You will never find him restrained or embarrassed by any habit, which often happens to many people who claim to have reached the point of wisdom and superior to the miseries of the world. If, however, they are called upon by some circumstance to change places, often even for a spiritual affair, they become sad and sad, and with difficulty support this displacement, because they are warned by habit. It was not so with the righteous man, who already had all the qualities of Christian wisdom: as a traveler or a stranger, he sometimes went to one side, sometimes to another, and hastened everywhere. to display his piety by his actions. For after placing his tent near the oak of Membré, he built an altar to the Lord. See what recognition! As soon as he places his tent, (235) he hastens to offer the Lord thanksgiving for his promise. And in all the places where he places his tent, you find that he thinks above all to erect an altar to offer his prayers and fulfill the precept of the Apostle who commands us to pray everywhere, and to raise to heaven pure hands. (I Tim II, 8.) See the wings that love lends to his soul to steal from God, and thank him for all things! He did not wait for the promises to be fulfilled; He thanked him for his promise, and he did everything to engage the Lord, by his anticipated acts of grace, to hasten their fulfillment. [Homilies on Genesis]