Genesis 24:1-9 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.… On the mother's funeral there followed, after an interval, the wedding of her son. The sequence is according to nature. As one generation goes, the next succeeds; and life is made up of just such contrasts. There was no unseemly haste. With that leisurely disregard for time which characterized the age, three whole years were given to mourning. A connection can be traced, notwithstanding, between the funeral and the marriage. For one thing, the loss of his wife must have warned Abraham of the passing away of his own generation, and recalled him to the duty of providing for the permanence of the chosen line. Already Isaac was verging on the age of forty; yet he does not appear of his own accord to have contemplated marriage or taken any steps towards it. His placid and inactive temper seemed likely to cling to memories of the past rather than provide for the future. One can well believe how tender must have been Sarah's affection for a son long waited for, divinely bestowed, and worthy of her love. With not less warmth did the son return his mother's fondness. As the months grew into years, his grief for her loss seems to have grown more settled. There came to be some risk of its sapping the healthy vitality of his manhood. For Isaac's own sake, it was time to rouse him by a fresh interest, and fill up the blank over which he was disposed to brood. (J. O. Dykes, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.WEB: Abraham was old, and well stricken in age. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things. |
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