†. Gen 20:1a . . Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the
Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur.
In Moses' day, Kadesh was a jumping off point just prior to crossing over
Wadi Araba into the region of Moab.
†. Num 20:14-16 . . From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of
Edom-- Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardships that have
befallen us; that our ancestors went down to Egypt, that we dwelt in Egypt a
long time, and that the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our ancestors.
We cried to the Lord and He heard our plea, and He sent a messenger who
freed us from Egypt. Now we are in Kadesh, the town on the border of your
territory.
According to freytag & berndt's map of Israel/Sinai: Kadesh is located
approximately 46 miles southwest of Beer-sheva near El Quseima Egypt
about 15 miles south of the town of Nizzana. Just northeast is the wilderness
of Shur; a region adjoining the Mediterranean to the north, and the Suez
Canal to the west. Shur extends somewhat south along the eastern shore of
the Gulf of Suez.
The very first mention of Kadesh was during El Ched's punitive expedition in
Canaan. (Gen 14:7)
No doubt the En-mishpatite people returned to Kadesh and told everyone
about the heroic sheik who defeated the Babylonian contingent and set them
free from El Ched's grasp. So Abraham was a legend in that area and
everyone greeting him would very likely show him much respect.
Abraham didn't actually settle down in Kedesh itself, but rather, nearby. He
may have been camped in the exact spot where Ms. Hagar met the angel of
the Lord in chapter 16; and at this point, she's still living at home with
Abraham and Sarah.
†. Gen 20:1b . .While he was sojourning in Gerar,
Abraham was settled up near Kadesh; and his stay in Gerar was brief and
temporary.
Gerar hasn't been fully identified, but the site may be along one of the
branches of Wady Sheri'a, at a place called Um Jerrar, near the coast
southwest of Gaza and 9 miles from it. Gerar was apparently a prosperous
city situated along a major caravan route; and Abraham was by this time a
wealthy and powerful chieftain who would quite naturally make periodic trips
to Gerar's railhead to auction off some of his livestock; and in turn, purchase
much needed goods and hardware to supply his ranch. Gerar's location along
the Mediterranean seaboard also made it a lucrative city in trade with
foreign merchants.
Genesis indicates that Gerar belonged to the Philistines, and it leads us to
assume that Abimelech was their king, but experts are quite certain that
Philistines didn't occupy this region until after the time of Abraham; in fact
only a short time before the Exodus. It's likely, however, that the author of
Genesis would quite naturally refer to the region as it was known in his own
day. The town certainly existed in the Philistine period, because it's
mentioned in connection with Asa, who defeated the Ethiopian host under
Zerar and pursued them in their flight unto Gerar (2Chrn 14:13). In addition
to Um Jerrar, another place in the vicinity known as Jurf el-Jerrar has been
thought by some to be the site of Gerar.
According to ERETZ Magazine, issue 64, Abimelech's land is an ample valley
with fertile land and numerous springs of water.
†. Gen 20:2 . . Abraham said of Sarah his wife: She is my sister. So
King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Does this sound familiar? Abraham has lied about his relationship to Sarah
more than once. If he really believed God's promise to make of him a great
nation, then he wouldn't worry about anybody killing him because dead men
don't become great nations without children. Yes, he had Ishmael. But God
said he and Sarah would have a boy together named Isaac. That boy was
yet to be born. So Abraham will stay alive to engender Isaac.
We might ask: what in the world did Abimelech want with a woman Sarah's
age anyway. She was at least 89 years old by this time. But God had given
Abraham's wife renewed vitality to bring a child into the world. So I don't
think Sarah looked her age at all. I think she looked a whole lot younger;
and with creamy, glowing skin too. But it could also be that Abimelech was
up in years himself so that a girl of 89 would look pretty good. At my own
current age of 68, a woman in her 40's is a chick to me.
†. Gen 20:3 . . But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and
said to him: You are to die because of the woman that you have
taken, for she is a married woman.
This was an extremely dangerous situation for Sarah now that she was
fertile. She was destined to bear Isaac and there could be no question about
who the father was. It had to be Abraham. So if Abimelech were allowed to
sleep with her, it would never be conclusive that Abraham was the true
biological father.
That's no doubt precisely why Joseph didn't sleep with the Lord's mom till
after he was born; so there would be no question, at least in his own home;
that her firstborn son was not his.
†. Gen 20:4a . . Now Abimelech had not approached her.
It wasn't unusual in the ancient world for new additions to a harem to
undergo a period of beautification; like Esther did. But I think something else
happened. God may have tampered with Abimelech's ability to breed. In
verse 17 it's revealed that God fixed it so no one in Abimelech's house could
have children, including him. Do I have to spell it out? Hint: the problem can
sometimes be remedied with Viagra; which wasn't available in that day.
Cont.
/
Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur.
In Moses' day, Kadesh was a jumping off point just prior to crossing over
Wadi Araba into the region of Moab.
†. Num 20:14-16 . . From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of
Edom-- Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardships that have
befallen us; that our ancestors went down to Egypt, that we dwelt in Egypt a
long time, and that the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our ancestors.
We cried to the Lord and He heard our plea, and He sent a messenger who
freed us from Egypt. Now we are in Kadesh, the town on the border of your
territory.
According to freytag & berndt's map of Israel/Sinai: Kadesh is located
approximately 46 miles southwest of Beer-sheva near El Quseima Egypt
about 15 miles south of the town of Nizzana. Just northeast is the wilderness
of Shur; a region adjoining the Mediterranean to the north, and the Suez
Canal to the west. Shur extends somewhat south along the eastern shore of
the Gulf of Suez.
The very first mention of Kadesh was during El Ched's punitive expedition in
Canaan. (Gen 14:7)
No doubt the En-mishpatite people returned to Kadesh and told everyone
about the heroic sheik who defeated the Babylonian contingent and set them
free from El Ched's grasp. So Abraham was a legend in that area and
everyone greeting him would very likely show him much respect.
Abraham didn't actually settle down in Kedesh itself, but rather, nearby. He
may have been camped in the exact spot where Ms. Hagar met the angel of
the Lord in chapter 16; and at this point, she's still living at home with
Abraham and Sarah.
†. Gen 20:1b . .While he was sojourning in Gerar,
Abraham was settled up near Kadesh; and his stay in Gerar was brief and
temporary.
Gerar hasn't been fully identified, but the site may be along one of the
branches of Wady Sheri'a, at a place called Um Jerrar, near the coast
southwest of Gaza and 9 miles from it. Gerar was apparently a prosperous
city situated along a major caravan route; and Abraham was by this time a
wealthy and powerful chieftain who would quite naturally make periodic trips
to Gerar's railhead to auction off some of his livestock; and in turn, purchase
much needed goods and hardware to supply his ranch. Gerar's location along
the Mediterranean seaboard also made it a lucrative city in trade with
foreign merchants.
Genesis indicates that Gerar belonged to the Philistines, and it leads us to
assume that Abimelech was their king, but experts are quite certain that
Philistines didn't occupy this region until after the time of Abraham; in fact
only a short time before the Exodus. It's likely, however, that the author of
Genesis would quite naturally refer to the region as it was known in his own
day. The town certainly existed in the Philistine period, because it's
mentioned in connection with Asa, who defeated the Ethiopian host under
Zerar and pursued them in their flight unto Gerar (2Chrn 14:13). In addition
to Um Jerrar, another place in the vicinity known as Jurf el-Jerrar has been
thought by some to be the site of Gerar.
According to ERETZ Magazine, issue 64, Abimelech's land is an ample valley
with fertile land and numerous springs of water.
†. Gen 20:2 . . Abraham said of Sarah his wife: She is my sister. So
King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Does this sound familiar? Abraham has lied about his relationship to Sarah
more than once. If he really believed God's promise to make of him a great
nation, then he wouldn't worry about anybody killing him because dead men
don't become great nations without children. Yes, he had Ishmael. But God
said he and Sarah would have a boy together named Isaac. That boy was
yet to be born. So Abraham will stay alive to engender Isaac.
We might ask: what in the world did Abimelech want with a woman Sarah's
age anyway. She was at least 89 years old by this time. But God had given
Abraham's wife renewed vitality to bring a child into the world. So I don't
think Sarah looked her age at all. I think she looked a whole lot younger;
and with creamy, glowing skin too. But it could also be that Abimelech was
up in years himself so that a girl of 89 would look pretty good. At my own
current age of 68, a woman in her 40's is a chick to me.
†. Gen 20:3 . . But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and
said to him: You are to die because of the woman that you have
taken, for she is a married woman.
This was an extremely dangerous situation for Sarah now that she was
fertile. She was destined to bear Isaac and there could be no question about
who the father was. It had to be Abraham. So if Abimelech were allowed to
sleep with her, it would never be conclusive that Abraham was the true
biological father.
That's no doubt precisely why Joseph didn't sleep with the Lord's mom till
after he was born; so there would be no question, at least in his own home;
that her firstborn son was not his.
†. Gen 20:4a . . Now Abimelech had not approached her.
It wasn't unusual in the ancient world for new additions to a harem to
undergo a period of beautification; like Esther did. But I think something else
happened. God may have tampered with Abimelech's ability to breed. In
verse 17 it's revealed that God fixed it so no one in Abimelech's house could
have children, including him. Do I have to spell it out? Hint: the problem can
sometimes be remedied with Viagra; which wasn't available in that day.
Cont.
/
