CHAPTER 15

ALCUIN OF YORK. HOW IS ABRAHAM DEFENDED FROM THE CHARGE OF ADULTERY ALTHOUGH HE UNITED HIMSELF TO HIS SERVANT WHEN HIS LAWFUL WIFE WAS ALIVE? — Answer. The evangelical law about having only one wife had not yet been promulgated. Also, he had received from God the promise that his seed would be multiplied, but he did not yet know from what wife, because he was told only later that he would get a son from Sara. His wish thus to procreate was a pious one, because his wish for sexual intercourse was not a lustful one. Even Sara, being unable to have a child from herself, wished to have one from her servant. Both [variant: She] agreed for this to be done, because both [variant: she] knew that Sara [variant: she] was sterile. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 171]

CHAPTER 15

15:1-3 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2 And Abram said, Master and Lord, what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is mine heir. 3 And Abram said, I am grieved since thou hast given me no seed, but my home-born servant shall succeed me.

ALCUIN OF YORK. WHO WAS DAMASCUS ELIEZER, ABOUT WHOM ABRAHAM SAID, “HE SHALL BE MY HEIR”? — Answer. The son of Abraham’s steward, who, they say, later founded Damascus, gave his name to the city and held kingship in it. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, Question 165]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 15:2-3 O LORD GOD, WHAT WILT THOU GIVE ME? AND I AM GOING WITHOUT CHILDREN, AND THE SON OF MASEC MY SLAVE-GIRL IS THIS DAMASCUS ELIEZER. AND ABRAM SAID: BEHOLD, THOU HAST NOT GIVEN ME SEED, AND THE SON OF MY SLAVE-GIRL SHALL BE MY HEIR. Where we have: "the son of Masec, my maid," the Hebrew bears: UBEN MESEH BETHI, which Aquila renders by: ό υίός του ποτιζοντος οικιαν οικιαν μου, that is, to the son of the one who gives to drink at my house; and Theodotion by: και υιος του επι της μου, that is to say, and the son of the one who administers my house. He means: I die without children, and the son of my steward, of my administrator, who procures and distributes all the provisions of the mouth to my family, and whose name is Damascus Eliezer, will be my heir. Eliezer translates as “my helping God”. It is said that Damascus was founded and so named. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. He who knows the secrets of hearts knew that the righteous needed such consolation, for here is what he answers after being encouraged by these words. Abram said, Lord, what will you give me? I will leave this life without children. (Gen. 15:2) After receiving this promise of a great reward; he shows all the sadness of his soul and the regret he has felt for a long time seeing himself without children, and he says: Lord, will you fulfill this desire? Here I am at the end of old age and I will leave this life without children.

See what philosophy the righteous was showing in those early times, since he called death a departure. Those who have led an honest and virtuous life, when they leave this world, are freed from their struggles and freed from their bonds: death is for those who have lived well only a passage to a better state (249), perishable life to an eternal and immortal existence. The righteous says: I am going to leave this life without children. And to touch the heart of God again, he does not stop there; but what does he say? Masec's son, my maid, will be my heir since you did not give me offspring. (Gen. 15:2-3) These words show all the pain of his soul; it is as if he were saying to God: I have not been so happy as my slave, I will die without child and posterity; a slave will inherit the goods you have given me, and that after you have renewed this promise to me: I will give this land to your race. Notice here, I pray you, the virtue of the righteous who, in spite of those thoughts of which his soul was filled; do not get impatient and say no offensive words. Now, excited by what the Lord has said to him, he speaks frankly to him, shows him the confusion of his thoughts, and reveals to him the wound of his soul; He also receives the remedy promptly. [Homilies on Genesis]

15:4-8 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

ALCUIN OF YORK. (Verse 8) WAS IT CONSISTENT WITH ABRAHAM’S FAITH FOR HIM TO SEEK A SIGN FROM GOD AS IF IN DOUBT, SAYING, “LORD GOD, WHEREBY MAY I KNOW THAT I SHALL POSSESS IT”? — Answer. He was not asking, as one doubting God’s promise, if it would be realized, but how it would be realized. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 166]

CYRIL OF JERUSALEM. At present let us be content with Abraham only, as one of the examples from the Old Testament, seeing that we have been made his sons through faith. He was justified not only by works, but also by faith: for though he did many things well, yet he was never called the friend of God, except when he believed (Jas. 2:23). Moreover, his every work was performed in faith. Through faith he left his parents; left country, and place, and home through faith. (Heb. 11:8-10) [Lecture 5.5 NPNF s.2 v.7]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 15:7 I, YOUR GOD, WHO LED YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF THE CHALDEANS. It is here, as we said above, that the Hebrew text reads: "Who led you out of UR CHESDIM,” from the fire of the Chaldeans. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Immediately the voice of God was addressed to him. See how Scripture explains everything exactly! immediately, she said. God does not leave the righteous for a moment in pain, he hastens to console him, and calms his grief with the following words: Immediately the voice of God was addressed to him, saying: This is not the one who will be your heir, but whoever comes out of you, that one will be your heir. (Gen. 15:4) Here, he says; what did you fear? this is what troubles your mind, and what discourages you? then learn that it will not be your heir, but he who will come out of you, he will be your heir. Do not think of the difficulties of human nature, or of your old age, do not worry about Sara's sterility, but trust in the power of the One who makes these promises to you, stops being defeated and regain all your courage. finally, be persuaded that your heir will be the one who will be born from you.

As such a prediction was beyond human nature and reason (in fact, he thought with terror of the obstacles of nature, of his old age, of the sterility of Sarah, whose womb was dead for motherhood), God is still developing this prediction. so that the righteous may have confidence in the liberality of the one who can thus predict. He took her outside and said to her: Look at the sky and count the stars, if you can count them. And he said, This shall be your seed. And Abram believed in the Lord, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. (Gen. 15:5-6) Why observe that he takes her outside? because it was said above that God showed himself in the night in a vision, and spoke to the patriarch; now he wants to show him how many stars are innumerable; he took him outside and said to him: Look up to heaven and count the stars, if you can count them. And he said, This shall be your seed. What an admirable prediction! what a great promise! but if we think of the power of the speaker, nothing will seem great to us. Whoever has made a body with earth, He who has pulled the being out of nothingness, and created all that we see, that One may well grant supernatural graces.

You see the liberality of the Lord. The patriarch said to him: I am going to leave this life without children, as if he were at the door of the tomb, and if he could no longer have children; so he adds: The son of Masec, my maid, will be my heir. So God, wishing to raise his spirit and strengthen his soul, delivers him from the fear which possessed him, strengthens his thought by the grandeur of his promise, and by showing him the multitude of the stars, finally by announcing to him a numerous posterity, he returns to him hope. Seeing the prediction of the Lord, the wise man no longer stops at human considerations, he no longer thinks of his impotence or that of Sara, and does not worry about natural obstacles; knowing that God can give supernatural gifts, he has faith in his words, he no longer admits any doubt and firmly believes that everything will be accomplished. This is the true faith, the one that relies on the power of the author of the promises, even when these promises are extraordinary and can only be fulfilled in a superhuman way. Faith, as St. Paul says, is the foundation of the things hoped for, and the proof of things that are invisible (Heb XI, 1); and he also says: When once have we seen what remains to be hoped? (Romans IV, 3.) Thus we have true faith when we believe in what we do not see, considering the authority of the one who promises us. This is what our righteous did, who showed a sincere and perfect faith to what was announced to him; so the Holy Scripture praises it, adding at once: Abram believed in the Lord, and his faith was imputed to him for righteousness. You see how, even before the fulfillment of the promises, he was rewarded for his belief. For his faith in the (250) predictions of God was imputed to him for righteousness, because he had not stopped at human reasonings about divine words.

So let us learn, too, I beseech you, according to the example of the patriarch, to believe in the words of God, to believe his promises, not to listen only to human reason, and to show a great righteousness to 'mind. This is what will put us among the righteous and hasten the fulfillment of God's promises. God announced to Abraham that his race would be innumerable, and this prediction was beyond human nature, so his faith was imputed to him for righteousness. The promises he has made to us, if we think about them, are still much greater and go further beyond human nature; believe only in the power that makes us these promises, to be justified by our faith, and to enjoy the goods that are announced to us. In fact, all that is predicted to us is superior to human reason and goes beyond our thought, as these promises are immense: they do not extend only to the present, to the life of this world and to the enjoyment of things. visible; but when we have left the earth after the corruption of our bodies, when our bodies have been reduced to ashes and dust, He has foretold us that we will be resurrected in new glory. It is therefore necessary, says Saint Paul, that what is corruptible in us is incorruptibility, that what is mortal puts on immortality. (I Corinthians XV, 53.) God has promised us that after the resurrection of our bodies he will give us his kingdom as a reward, with the society of the saints, an eternal rest and ineffable goods that the eye has not not seen, that the ear did not hear, and that never penetrated into the human heart. (Ibid, XI, 9.) See what immense promises, what infinite gifts!

Let us meditate on this, and knowing that He who announces all this can not lie, let us bear with pleasure all the struggles of virtue, in order to enjoy the goods that are announced to us; do not prefer passing benefits to our salvation and such happiness, and think of the rewards of virtue rather than the efforts that it costs: do not regret our riches when we must share them with the poor, but think of the profit that this abandonment gives us. So Holy Scripture compares alms to a seed to show that we must spread it with good heart and with joy. Indeed, those who entrust the seed to the earth, bury it with joy and are full of hope, already believing to see the sheaves fill their loft: all the more reason, those who can spread this spiritual seed must rejoice and shudder of ease, since they reap in the heaven after sowing on the earth. By spending a little money, they will obtain the remission of their sins and a cause of trust before God; for thanks to those who receive their gifts, they will enjoy an eternal rest and the society of the saints. If we choose continence, let us not examine the efforts that cost virtue and, let us not say that virginity requires many struggles, let us think only for what end we are destined; and thanks to this constant thought, we will put a brake on the rage of bad desires, we will resist the revolts of the flesh, and the hope of reward will soften our troubles. In fact, the hope of the good is enough to make us face the dangers; Must it not, all the more, make us endure the fatigues engendered by virtue? If you think that your fights will last a short time, if you keep in all its brilliance the lamp of your virginity, you will obtain eternal happiness and you will enter with the husband. Just keep your lamp lit and have a sufficient supply of oil, I mean good works: how then will you not easily cross all the obstacles, thinking of these words of Saint Paul: Live in peace with everyone, and seek sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews XII, 14.) Do you observe that he joins peace with sanctification? This is because God does not only ask for the purity of the body, but also for peace. The Apostle reminds us with reason and warns us on these two points, recommending the repose of thought, in order to avoid the turmoil and tumult of our souls, so that our life may be calm and tranquil, that we live in peace with everyone, finally, that we are full of sweetness, mildness and moderation: then we will see on our face all the colors of virtue. We will then be able to despise the glory of the present life by working for the true glory, only think to strengthen you in the humility by disdaining the happiness of here below, in order to (251) enjoy the true and solid happiness and for the sight of Christ to be our reward. Blessed are they who are pure of heart, for they will see God! (Matt V, 8.) Let us purify our conscience, let us regulate our existence with care, so that after having walked during this life in the path of all virtues, we deserve to receive the reward of our present efforts in eternity future, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, as well as to the Father and the Holy Spirit, glory, power and honor, now and forever, and for ever and ever. Amen.

God said to Abram, I am the God who brought you out of the land of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, that you may possess it. And he said, Lord, my Master, what shall I know that I must possess it? (Gen. 15:7) The power of Holy Scripture is immense and its words contain a treasure of thoughts. We must, therefore, apply ourselves to study it carefully in order to obtain extensive advantages. So Christ gave us this precept: Search the Scriptures (John, V, 39); that is to say, do not confine ourselves to a mere reading, but scrutinize the Scriptures deeply to grasp their true meaning. Such is the use of Scripture; she presents many ideas in a few words. These are divine and non-human instructions, so they are completely different from human wisdom, and I will tell you how. On the one hand, that is to say, in human wisdom, one thinks only of the arrangement of words; on the other side, it's the opposite. Scripture does not take into account the beauty of expressions or their disposition; all its words derive their beauty from the unfolding of divine grace. On the one hand, in the midst of an immense chatter, one hardly meets any ideas; on the other, as you know, a very short sentence is often enough for a whole sermon. Also yesterday, after reading our text and beginning the explanation, we found such a wealth of thoughts that we could not go further to avoid overloading your memory and lest the end of the sermon be forgot the beginning. So I will come back to this subject and relate the speech of yesterday to that of today, so that you do not leave here without having heard develop all the reading. But, please, give us all your attention: for if the punishment is for us, the profit is for (252) you; or rather, it is common to us all. But what spoke, I of our trouble? No, certainly! there is only a gift of divine grace here. So carefully collect what God gives you, so that you do not leave here until you have made your profit for the salvation of your soul. If we offer you each day this spiritual feast, it is so that our frequent exhortations and the meditation of the holy Scriptures preserve you traps of the evil spirit. For if he sees in us a great zeal for the spiritual occupations, not only will he not attack us, but he will not even dare to look at us, knowing that his maneuvers will be useless, and that the blows he dares to strike will fall again. on his head.

Let us resume the subject we were dealing with yesterday, and finish developing it. Yesterday what did we talk about? From the promise that God made to Abram telling him to lift his eyes to heaven and look at the multitude of stars. Count, he tells him, the stars if you can count them. And he said to him, Your race shall be so many. Then the holy Scripture showing us the piety of the patriarch, and his faith in the promises of God, which he considered the supreme power, said: Abram believed in God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. That's where we stayed yesterday and it was impossible for us to go further: now we must continue. What does the Scripture say? The Lord said to Abram, I am the God who took you away from the land of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, that you may possess it. See how God lends himself to human weakness, as he wants to strengthen the faith and persuade the effect of his promises, as if he said: Remember that it is I who brought you out of your country! These words of God agree with those of St. Stephen, who says that the Lord commanded Abraham to leave Chaldea and his house. (Act VII.) Abraham's father, as we have said, shared his fate, though he himself was unfaithful; driven by his love for his son, he was his traveling companion. So God here reminds Abraham of the protection with which he has always surrounded him, telling him that if he made it so travel, it was for his benefit and to fulfill his promises to him. I am the God who took you out of the land of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, that you may possess it. Is it without reason that I called you? Is it in vain that I took you out? I brought you to Palestine, I took you out of your father's house and settled you in this land, so that you would possess it. Remember how I have protected you since your departure from Chaldea so far; think that from day to day you have become more illustrious by my support, by my care, and trust in my words. See what an excess of goodness! see how God humbles himself down to man, as he strengthens his soul and strengthens his faith, so that he no longer thinks of the obstacles of nature, but confides in the One who makes these promises, as if they were already accomplished.

See also how the patriarch, emboldened by these words, demands a more perfect assurance. He said, Lord, my Master, to what shall I know that I will possess this earth? The Holy Scripture began by giving him this testimony, that he believed in the words of God, and that it was imputed to him for righteousness; but after hearing these words, I have removed you from the land of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, that you may possess it, and it is impossible for me not to believe your word; however, I would like to learn how I will become the owner of this land. I see myself in extreme old age; until now I have wandered like a vagabond, and human reason can not make me conceive how everything will be accomplished, although I have faithfully added to your words, you who can draw the being from nothingness, everything create and transform everything. If I ask you, it is not by unbelief, but since you promise me again the possession of this earth, I would like a more material and more evident sign to support the weakness of my intelligence. [Homilies on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. (Verse 5) So shall thy seed be. It was promised Abraham that by his seed the heathen should be blessed; and his seed according to the flesh is Christ. [Com. on Gal. 3:16 s1 v.13]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. (Verse 6) And Abram believed God. After all, says Paul (Gal. 3:16), the very wonders that happen by your hands demonstrate the power of the Faith; but if you want, I can convince you by means of the ancient accounts. If, before there was grace, Abraham was justified by faith (though of course he was also busy with works), then we, says Paul, are much more justified.  [Cramers Catena on Galatians 4.47.24]

15:9-11 And he said to him, Take for me an heifer in her third year, and a she-goat in her third year, and a ram in his third year, and a dove and a pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

ALCUIN OF YORK. SO WHAT WAS ABRAHAM TO UNDERSTAND BY THAT MYSTICAL SIGN CONCERNING THE FUTURE OF HIS RACE? AND WHY DID HE HAVE TO TAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD ANIMALS? AND WHY DID HE DIVIDE THE ANIMALS BUT NOT THE BIRDS? — Answer. The three-year-old animals symbolize the three time divisions through which the people grew up to the highest summit of honor. From the time of patriarch Abraham, through the promises, to the time of Moses, the people was brought into a connection with God. From the time of legislator Moses, it was glorified with the receiving of the law from God, miraculous occurrences, triumphs, and the entering of the Land of Promise. From the time of David, it was elevated with kingly honor and the building of the temple and city of Jerusalem. The ram symbolizes kingly and priestly dignity, the cow symbolizes the nation in bondage under the letter of the law, and the goat indicates that that same nation is sinful. The birds, on the other hand, prefigured spiritual people and God’s elect. So the division of the animals means that there are always schisms among carnal people, whereas the fact that he did not divide the birds denotes the peace and unity among the spiritual. The fact that fear fell upon Abraham towards the evening symbolizes the terror in the day of judgement, which will separate the spiritual from the carnal, setting the ones on the right and the others on the left (Matt. 25). As for the birds fluttering over the carcasses, they are demons who seek to sit on carnal people, and whom a devoted teacher ought to drive away through sedulous warnings. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 167]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 15:10-11 HE PLACED THEM FACE TO FACE, AND DID NOT SEPARATE THE BIRDS. THEY DESCENDED ON THEIR CORPSES AND THEIR DIVISIONS, AND ABRAHAM SAT DOWN WITH THEM. The explanation of this mystery does not belong to this book. Let us quote only, in this text, the variant of Hebrew: "The birds came down on the corpses, and Abraham drove them away." By its merits, indeed, Israel was often freed from anxiety. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONTIANOPLE. What does this Master do so good? Full of condescension for his servant, he wants to strengthen his soul when he sees him confess his weakness, and despite his faith in the divine promises, to ask for a confirmation; He said to him, Take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat and a ram, and a turtledove and a pigeon. (Gen. 15:9) You see that God makes a treaty with a man in the human way. When we promise something to someone and we seek to give him confidence in our promises, so that he does not doubt our good will, we leave him a proof and a mark whose mere sight gives him the certainty that we will do everything to clear our word. So, to this question: How will (253) recognize me? this good Master answers: here is the way. Take a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, and a ram, and a turtledove and a pigeon.

Notice, I pray you, to what material condescension happens this sweet Master to reassure the patriarch. As it was the custom of men to do and thus confirm their treatises, God himself acts like them. He took these animals, says the Scripture, and divided them by half. It is not without reason that their age is indicated: it was necessary to take them to three years, that is to say adults and their size. He divided them by half and put the two parts opposite one another; but he did not share the birds. He sat down and watched that the birds flying around these shared animals could not touch it, and he stayed that way all day long. [Homilies on Genesis]

15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. ON THE TROUBLE OF ABRAHAM. — The text of the Scripture reads: And about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and, behold a great dark terror fell upon him. It is a question to be addressed, because there are some who claim that the soul of the wise man is distant to these frights.  We can ask ourselves if it is true what counts A. Gellius in his books of the Attic Nights (A. Ulo Gellio, Noct. Att. 19, 1.). He was a philosopher who had lost his calm, found himself in a ship during a great storm at sea, and was rebuked by a dissolute young man, who insulted him, after having passed the danger, by the fact that the aforementioned philosopher would have lost his calm so soon-while he had neither feared nor faded. The philosopher replied that the young man had not lost his calm precisely because he had nothing to fear for his perverted soul, for he was not even worthy of fearing anything. The others, worried that they had been with him on the ship, and awaiting a reply, presented them with a book of the stoic Epictetus, in which it was said that it had not pleased the Stoics to assert that no such disturbance affects the soul of the wise man, as if nothing similar were found in their feelings. For they say that there is a disturbance when reason yields to such sensations. When it does not yield, there is no need to be called a disturbance. But we must take into account how A. Gellius says this and discuss the question with caution. [Questions on Genesis, 30]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 15:12 AT SUNSET, AN ECSTASY DESCENDED ON ABRAHAM. For extasis, the Hebrew says THADEMA, that is, καταφορα, which we have already translated as “deep sleep”. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Towards the end of the day, Abram fell into ecstasy, and he was seized with great terror and shrouded in darkness. (Gen. 15:12) Why towards the sunset, when comes the evening? It is because God wants to make the patriarch more attentive: this ecstasy and this dark terror invade him so that everything makes him understand the presence of God. Besides, that's what the Lord always does. Later when he gave Moses, on Mount Sinai, the law and the precepts, darkness and darkness reigned and the mountain was covered with smoke. (Ex. XIX, 18.) Also the Scripture says: He touches the mountains and they smoke. (Ps. CIII, 32.) As the carnal eyes can not see the immaterial God, so it is manifested to us. So, after striking the spirit of the righteous and having filled him with fear with this ecstasy, he said to him, "You asked me for confirmation of my words, you wanted to have proof that you should own this land. I give it to you, because you need a lot of faith to understand that I can make succeed what seems hopeless. [Homilies on Genesis]

15:13-14 And it was said to Abram, Thou shalt surely know that thy seed shall be a sojourner in a land not their won, and they shall enslave them, and afflict them, and humble them four hundred years. 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 But thou shalt depart to thy fathers in peace, nourished in a good old age.

ALCUIN OF YORK. WHAT IS MEANT BY WHAT WAS SAID TO ABRAHAM, “KNOW THOU BEFOREHAND THAT THY SEED SHALL BE A STRANGER IN A LAND NOT THEIR OWN, AND THEY SHALL BRING THEM UNDER BONDAGE, AND AFFLICT THEM FOUR HUNDRED YEARS”? HOW WERE THOSE FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF BONDAGE CALCULATED? — Answer. It should not be taken to mean that God’s people was in that terribly hard bondage for four hundred years. It is written, “in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 21:12). From the year of Isaac’s birth to the year of the departure from Egypt are counted four hundred and five years. So, when, from four hundred and thirty, you subtract the twenty-five years that are from the promise to Isaac’s birth, it is not surprising if the Scripture decided to call the four hundred and five remaining years four hundred, with a round sum, given that the Scripture often designates periods of time without counting what little is above or below the sum of a number’s perfection. Then, “they shall reduce them to bondage and harm them” should not be taken to refer to the four hundred years as if they had kept them in bondage for so many years, but the four hundred years should be taken to refer to “thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own”, because, whether in the land of Canaan or in Egypt, that seed was a stranger, until they took by inheritance the land according to God’s promise, which happened after they were freed from Egypt. Therefore a hyperbaton is here understood: the logical word order is: “Thou shalt know that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own for four hundred years”, and it is understood that “and they shall reduce them to bondage and harm them”, was interposed without referring to the four hundred years. For it was in the endmost part of this sum of years, namely, after Joseph’s death, that it came to pass that God’s people went through hard bondage in Egypt. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 168]

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 15:13) Sciendo scies quia peregrinum erit semen tuum in terra (Know that your offspring will remain as foreign to this earth). This phrase is of very frequent use in Scripture; the Greek expresses it thus: sciens scies, which is almost the same thing. [Locutions]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. He here shows, how God Himself suffered them to be afflicted, not that He had anything to lay to their charge. “And they shall bring them into bondage,” etc. But nevertheless, they did not these things with impunity. “And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage I will judge, said God.” For, to show that they are not to go by this, in estimating who are pious (by reason of their saying, “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him,”) (Mt. 27:43) He, the Same that promised, He that gave the land, first permits the evils. So also now, though He has promised a Kingdom, yet He suffers us to be exercised in temptations. If here the freedom was not to be till after four hundred years, what wonder, with regard to the Kingdom? Yet he performed it, and lapse of time availed not to falsify His word. Moreover, it was no ordinary bondage they underwent. And the matter does not terminate solely in the punishment of those (their oppressors); but they themselves also, He says, shall enjoy a mighty salvation. Here he reminds them too of the benefit which they enjoyed. [Hom. 16 on Acts NPNF s.1 v. 11]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. And he said to Abram, Certainly know that the race will dwell in a foreign land, that it will be subject to the people of the land who will mistreat and humiliate it for four hundred years. (Gen. 15:13-14) This people to whom she will be enslaved, I will judge, and she will come out of this country with a great device. These are very serious words; they demand an energetic spirit, capable of rising above all human considerations. For if the soul of the patriarch had not been strong, brave and well-tempered, there was something to disturb her. Know surely that your race will live in a foreign land, that it will be subject to the people of the country who will mistreat and humiliate it for four hundred years. This people to whom she will be enslaved, I will judge, and she will come out of this country with a great device.

Do not be astonished, says the Lord, of your old age, of the sterility of Sarah, of her withered entrails, and do not regard as extraordinary what I have said to you: I will give this land to your race. Not only do I predict it, but I add that before that your race will go to a foreign land. He did not tell him that it was Egypt and did not name the land, but he said: In a foreign land; it will suffer servitude and humiliation, and its sufferings will not be short and limited to a few years, but will last four hundred years. No doubt I will take revenge, I will judge this people oppressor and I will return your race here and I will surround its return with a lot of brilliance. Thus the accuracy of this prediction of the servitude of the Jews reveals their descent into Egypt, the hatred of the Egyptians against them, and their glorious return. It shows the patriarch that it is not only to him that supernatural things must happen, that is to say, the fulfillment of the promises of God despite so many obstacles, but that all his race will also be favored. [Homilies on Genesis]

15:15-16 But thou shalt depart to thy fathers in peace, nourished in a good old age. 16 And in the fourth generation they shall return hither, for the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up, even until now.

ALCUIN OF YORK. WHY WAS IT SAID IN GENESIS ABOUT ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN, “IN THE FOURTH GENERATION THEY SHALL RETURN HITHER”, WHILE WE READ IN EXODUS, “IN THE FIFTH GENERATION THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT” (EX. 13:18, LXX)? — Answer. The children of Israel left the land of Egypt in the fourth generation. Take the genealogy of Levi: Levi begot Kohath, Kohath begot Amram, Amram begot Aaron, Aaron begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Phinehas. Kohath entered Egypt with his father Levi[; Eleazar returned from Egypt with his father Aaron]. From Kohath to Eleazar are counted four generations. As for the children of Israel leaving the land of Egypt in the fifth generation according to Exodus, it is the sequence of the tribe of Judah that is counted there. Judah begot Pharez, Pharez begot Hesron, Hesron begot Aram, Aram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, Nahshon begot Salmon. Pharez entered Egypt with his father [Judah]; Nahshon is mentioned as the leader of Judah in the desert, and his son Salmon entered the Land of Promise. Count from Pharez to Nahshon, and you will find five generations. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 169]

AMBROSIASTER. GOD HAVING FORETOLD TO ABRAHAM THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WOULD BE FREED FROM THE DOMINION OF THE EGYPTIANS. THE FOURTH GENERATION, WHY DOES THE LAW SAY, “THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL COME FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT INTO THE FIFTH GENERATION?” — To consider only the words, they seem to contain a contradiction, but this contradiction disappears if we attach ourselves to the very meaning they present. The law speaks in intelligible language to the attentive and serious minds, and the truth which is hidden to the careless minds reveals itself to souls full of religious solicitude. God indeed said, “In the fourth generation (Gen. 15:16),” and Moses wrote, “In the fifth generation (Ex. 13:18),” it is Moses who relates these two versions, and one cannot admit the intention of wishing to deceive a man by whom the divine power has performed such great prodigies. We must, therefore, examine the signification of these words, for Holy Scripture never speaks uselessly and without reason. God and Moses each took a different starting point here. God counts the four generations who were born in Egypt; Moses adds to these four generations the one from which they came out when the Israelites entered Egypt. “The children of Israel,” he said, “came out of Egypt to the fifth generation.” He embraced all the generation that came into Egypt and the four that were born in Egypt. From Abraham, the exit of the children of Israel from Egypt is eight generations. For after the promise made to Abraham, they dwelt in the land of Canaan two hundred and fifteen years, and two hundred and fifteen years in Egypt. It is these years together that the Apostle understands when he says in his Epistle to the Galatians: “The law was given after four hundred and thirty years. Four generations were born in the land of Canaan, the first in Jacob, the second in Jacob, the third in Levi, the fourth in Gerson, Caath, and Merari. And Aram brought up Eleazar, and his brethren, which formed the third generation: and Eleazar begotten Phinehas, and it came to pass, that he was the firstborn of Egypt was the fourth generation, and these were the four generations that were born in Egypt: therefore the Lord said unto Abraham, Your seed shall dwell in a foreign land, and shall be reduced to bondage: but I will deliver them, and they shall come forth out of this land of exile after the fourth generation (Gen. 15:13) Is it not evident that God only wanted to speak exclusively of what was accomplished in Egypt? Moses, on the contrary, wanted to add this generation which came to Egypt with Jacob his father, and from which came forth the four following. Hence these words: The children of Israel came forth out of the land of Egypt into the fifth generation. [Questions on the Old and New Testaments, 10]

JEROME OF STRIDON. 15:16 IN THE FOURTH GENERATION, THEY WILL COME BACK TO THIS PLACE. No doubt, it is the posterity of Abraham. One wonders how it is written in the Exodus: "In the fifth generation, the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 15:18).” On this text, we gave a short essay. [Hebrew Questions on Genesis]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. I have already told you, he adds, so that you can, before the end of your life, know the fate of your posterity. You will go to your fathers, having prospered in a happy old age. (Gen. 15:15) He does not say: you will die, but, you will go, as one says to a traveler who will leave his country for another country: You will go to your fathers: he does not speak of the fathers according to the flesh. How would it be possible? since his father was unfaithful and the faithful patriarch could not live in the same place. There is, says the Scripture, a great abyss between you and us. (Luke, XVI, 26.) Whom is he told to join your fathers? These are the righteous, such as Abel, Noah, and Enoch. Prospering in a happy old age. But, it will be said, how can this old age be happy after a whole existence of tribulation? Do not consider them; think only of the glory which has followed him on every occasion, think of the brilliancy with which this traveler has always shone without fire or place and the protection which God has constantly granted him.

It is not necessary to judge according to the present opinion, and to say that a beautiful old age is that which occurs in luxury and debauchery in the midst of immense riches, a crowd of courtiers, and a herd of slaves. This is not a beautiful old age; on the contrary, all this serves to condemn the man who is not a continent, even in his old age, who, even at his last breath, does not think of his true needs, who sacrifices everything to his belly and spends his life in the feasts and intoxication at the moment when he will report his actions. He who has walked in the path of virtue, the only one, ends his life with a beautiful old age and receives the reward of his labors above. So God says to the patriarch: This will happen to your descendants, but you will leave the earth after having enjoyed a happy old age. Here again notice that if the righteous had not had great courage and extreme wisdom, these predictions might have disturbed his mind. In its place, the first comer would have said: Why do I promise such a large posterity, since my descendants will bear so much suffering and so many years of captivity? what a good thing I can find there? The righteous did not have this thought; he accepted as a faithful servant all that came from God, whose will he preferred to his. For the rest the Lord tells him the time when they will come back from their captivity: They will come back here to the fourth generation.

On this we may ask why four hundred years of captivity are predicted for the Hebrews, while they have not spent half in Egypt. So God does not say that they must spend four hundred years in Egypt, but in a foreign land, so that we can add to the years spent in Egypt, the very time of the patriarch's life, from the moment he was ordered to leave Charran. The Scripture shows us obviously that it counts the years since that time, when it says that it was seventy-five when it left Charran. (Gen. XII, 4.) From this moment until the return of Egypt, if one makes the calculation, one finds the right number. On the other hand, it can be said that the benevolent Lord, who always proportioned our trials to our weakness, seeing the Hebrews burdened with sorrow and cruelly treated by the Egyptians, avenged and delivered them before the time that he had fixed. Indeed, it is the use of God who always seeks no. to be hi; if he threatens his punishment, we can, by showing conversion, bring him back to his judgments; on the other hand, if he promises us some advantage and we do not do it, which depends on us, he does not fulfill what he has announced, for fear of making us worse than we were. Those who study the Holy Scriptures attentively will easily be able to convince themselves of this. They will come back here to the fourth generation; (Gen. 15:16) for the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet at their height. Then, indeed, it will be time for some to return to freedom and others, in punishment for their many sins, to be driven out of this land. All will arrive in due time, the establishment of some and the expulsion of others, Their iniquities are not yet at the top, that is to say, they have not yet sinned enough to deserve such a punishment. Indeed, God in His goodness never punishes more, but always less than we deserve. So he shows great patience with the Amorites, to leave them no excuse, since they themselves will be the perpetrators of their punishment. See how the patriarch is exactly informed, as his faith must be strengthened and what confidence the predictions that look at him should inspire him for those that are related to his posterity; the fulfillment of one will show him the certainty of others. [Homilies on Genesis]

15:17-21 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

ALCUIN OF YORK. “TO THY SEED WILL I GIVE THIS LAND, FROM THE RIVER OF EGYPT EVEN TO THE GREAT RIVER EUPHRATES.” WHICH RIVER OF EGYPT DID HE MEAN? — Answer. Not the great river of Egypt, that is, the Nile, but the small one that separates Egypt and Palestine, where the city of Rinocurura is. [Questions and Answers on Genesis, 170]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Then, when the prediction was over, he saw a sign analogous to those he had already seen. When the sun went down, there appeared a flame, a steaming furnace, and lamps of fire that passed through the animals cut in half. (Gen. 15:17) The flame, the furnace and the lamps seemed to make known just the indissolubility of the covenant, and the presence of the divine energy. Then when all was finished and finished, when the fire had devoured all the offering, the Lord made a covenant with Abram on that day, saying, I will give your seed this earth from the river of Egypt to the great the Euphrates River, the Cinéens, the Cenézéens and the Cedmoniens; the Chettites, the Perizzites, those of Raphaim and the Amorites, the Chananeans, the Evians, the Gergesians, and the Jebusites. (Gen. 15:18-21) See how he confirms what he has announced. He made a covenant, saying, I will give your seed this earth.

Then, in order to understand the whole extent of the limits of the country given to this race, he adds: From the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates, there will extend your race. See how he wishes to indicate the innumerable multitude. He has already said that one could not count it more than the stars; now he indicates the limits of his territory to show how far this multitude must extend. Moreover, he gives the list of peoples over whom the dominion of this race will extend, so that the righteous may be well informed about everything. After so many promises, Sara always remained sterile, old age extended over them, that by giving of their faith the greatest possible proof they recognized the weakness of human nature and the immensity of divine power.

In order not to prolong this instruction, we will finish by begging you to imitate the patriarch. Consider, my beloved, what he said to the king of Sodom, and, in general, to all these other virtues he has shown throughout his life, to the rewards of which he has been honored and to the condescension of God for him: Remember that the Lord showed us all, by his benefits to the patriarch, how immense was his liberality. As long as we offer him some good works, he bids beyond all expression and lavishes on us infinite rewards, provided that we show him, as the just, a sincere faith, and that far from tottering in our minds, we maintained an unshakable firmness. Thus the patriarch deserved so much praise; listen to Saint Paul celebrating the faith he has shown from the beginning: Abraham called to faith, obeyed and went to a country which he was to possess, and. left without knowing where he was going. (Heb II, 8.) He refers to these words of God: Go out of your land and go to the land that I will show you. (Gen. XII, 1.) See what firmness in faith, what sincerity in the spirit! Let us imitate these virtues, leave by our thoughts and our desires the affairs of the present life and make our way to heaven. We can, if we wish, even send it down here, if our actions deserve it, if we disdain the things of the world, and if we neglect the vain glory to raise our eyes to the true and eternal glory; if we put aside the luxury of clothes and the adornment of the body, if we leave all this exterior ornament to embellish our soul whose virtue is to be the garment; if we despise sloth, if we flee gluttony and if, far from seeking feasts and banquets, we keep frugality, according to the precept of the Apostle: Let us be satisfied with food and clothing. (I Tim, VI, 8.) What need, tell me, of these superfluities? why swell the stomach with an excess of food and lose reason in drunkenness? Does not this result in a host of evils for the body and the soul? Where do so many diseases, so many lesions in our organs come from? is it not that the stomach is more loaded than it should? Whence come adultery, licentiousness, theft, avarice, murder, robbery, and all the corruptions of the soul? Is it not an exaggerated lust? Also Paul said that greed was the root of all evil. (I Tim VI, 10.) In the same way it may be rightly said that this absence of moderation, this desire to go beyond the limit of need, is the source of all our ills. If we wanted, in fact food, clothes, shelter and all that looks at the body, never to go too far and to be satisfied with the necessary, the human species would be delivered of many evils.

But I do not know how it is that each one of us is greedy in his own way and always crosses the limits of need, in spite of the Apostle's precept: Let's just be satisfied with food and clothing: we do everything the contrary, without thinking that we will have to account for having exceeded the necessary and abused the goods of the Lord. For these goods are not granted to us only for our benefit, but for the relief of our fellows. What pardon, then, may those who adorn themselves with the garments of extreme nobility, who seek the stuffs spun by worms, and who, what is most deplorable, boast of them, while they should to hide, to fear, and to tremble, since they do not wear them out of necessity, but by softness and false glory, in order to be admired by the world. Yet their fellow-man passes half-naked, without even having a coarse garment: and they, who are of the same nature, feel no pity, the conscience does not bring them to help their fellow-creature; the (256) thought of the terrible day, the fear of hell, the greatness of the promises, the idea that the common Lord of all will regard as doing to himself all that they have done for their fellows, all this can not do anything. As if their hearts were of stone and they were strangers to our nature, they look at each other, because of the luxury of their clothes, as superior to other men, without thinking of all the pains they incur by misuse. of the goods which the Lord entrusted to them and which they do not think to share with their brethren: they like to see the worms eat up what they have and light for themselves the fire of hell. If the rich distributed to the needy all that they hold unnecessarily shut up, it would not be enough to make them avoid the pains they deserve for the luxury of their table and their clothes. What punishment, then, do those who care to show themselves in public with silk garments embroidered with gold or of different colors, and who despise the nakedness and indigence of Christ deprived even of what is necessary? It is especially to women that I address myself. It is especially with them that the desire and excess of dress are found; gold shines on their clothes, their heads, their necks, and all their bodies; and they draw vanity! How many hungry people could be satiated, how many nudities could be covered, just with the price of their dangle earrings which serve only to lose their souls! So the doctor of the earth, after saying. Let us be satisfied with food and clothing, is he still addressing women: That they have no sought-after hairstyles, gold, pearls, or sumptuous clothes? (I Tim. II, 9.) You see that he forbids these golden ornaments, the pearls and the sumptuous clothes: he wants them to consider as true adornment only that of the soul; it is to good works that he commands to borrow it. He knows well that the one who has these vanities in his head can only have a soul that is defiled, withered, ragged, hungry, chilled with cold! For this ardor to parry the body shows the ugliness of the soul, this sensual avidity proves that it is hungry, and this luxury of clothing reveals its nakedness. If one watches over one's soul, and if one cultivates its beauty, one may laugh at the desire for this outer adornment; likewise, if one deals with one's dress, one's shining clothes, and one's golden ornaments, it is completely impossible to watch over one's soul. How could one have a good thought and deal with spiritual things, if one has once indulged in the things of this world, if one only crawls on the ground, so to speak, without never raise your head and always accumulate the burden of your sins? It would be too long now to say all the evils which result from it; it suffices to remind all those who have indulged in these tastes all the inconvenience they feel every day. Something has fallen from a golden finery: at once a storm and a tumult in the house: a servant has stolen an object, all are whipped, beaten, imprisoned: thieves have looted everything in the twinkling of an eye: immense grief and insupportable. A setback occurs that reduces to extreme misery, and then life is more painful than death: who could say all the accidents to which one is exposed? In short, a soul of this nature will never be at rest; just as the waves of the sea are incessant and innumerable, so the agitations of this soul can not be counted. So, I beg you, flee in everything greed and abuse. True wealth, the inexhaustible treasure, consist in wanting only what is necessary and making good use of the superfluous. He who does this can not fear poverty, feels neither accident nor trouble: he is above slander and traps; in a word, he is always quiet and lives in peace and quiet. Finally, that which is the great, the sovereign good, he is protected from God, and sustained by grace from on high, as a faithful steward of the riches of the Lord. Happy is the servant whom his master will find doing so when he visits it! (Luke xviii. 43) That is, he distributes what is needed to his brethren, instead of enclosing it in wardrobes and behind the doors to let him gnaw at them. to: he relieves the misery of the needy and shows himself a good and faithful dispenser of the goods which the Lord has entrusted to him, so that by this largesse he may receive a great and just reward, and deserve the goods promised to him, by the the grace and goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, as well as to the Father and the Holy Spirit, glory, power, honor, now and forever, and for ever and ever. Amen. [Homilies on Genesis]