Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 24:3
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
3. And I took ] Joshua says nothing more of the life of Abraham than that Jehovah caused him to wander through the Land of Canaan, and finally gave him a son Isaac.
and gave him Isaac ] Which means “ Laughter ” as one “born out of due time,” when Hope might have ceased to hope, and all fulfilment of the Promise seemed impossible. It was either at Gerar or Beersheba that Sarah gave birth to him (Gen 21:2).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I took your father; I apprehended him by my grace, and snatched him out of that idolatrous and wicked place, and took him into acquaintance and covenant with myself, which was the highest honour and happiness he was capable of.
Led him throughout all the land of Canaan, i.e. I brought him after his fathers death into Canaan, Gen 12:1, and I conducted and preserved him in safety in all his travels through the several parts of Canaan.
Multiplied his seed, i.e. gave him a numerous posterity, not only by Hagar and Keturah, but even by Sarah and by Isaac, as it follows.
Gave him Isaac, by my special power and grace, to be the heir of my covenant, and all my promises, and the seed in or by which all nations were to be blessed, Gen 12:3; 21:2.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. I took your father Abraham fromthe other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land ofCanaanIt was an irresistible impulse of divine grace which ledthe patriarch to leave his country and relatives, to migrate toCanaan, and live a “stranger and pilgrim” in that land.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood,…. The river Euphrates, as before: or “your father, to wit, Abraham”, as Noldius x; he took him not only in a providential way, and brought him from the other side of the Euphrates, out of an idolatrous country and family, but he apprehended him by his grace, and called and converted him by it, and brought him to a spiritual knowledge of himself, and of the Messiah that should spring from his seed, and of the Covenant of grace, and of the blessings of it, and of his interest therein; which was a peculiar and distinguishing favour:
and led him throughout all the land of Canaan; from the northern to the southern part of it; he led him as far as Shechem, where Israel was now assembled, and then to Bethel, and still onward to the south,
Ge 12:6; that he might have a view of the land his posterity was to inherit, and, by treading on it and walking through it, take as it were a kind of possession of it:
and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac; he multiplied his seed by Hagar, by whom he had Ishmael, who begat twelve princes; and by Keturah, from whose sons several nations sprung; see Ge 17:20; and by Sarah, who bore him Isaac in old age, in whom his seed was called; and from whom, in the line of Jacob, sprung the twelve tribes of Israel, and which seed may be chiefly meant; and the sense is, that he multiplied his posterity after he had given him Isaac, and by him a numerous seed; so Vatablus: Ishmael is not mentioned, because, as Kimchi observes, he was born of an handmaid; but Abarbinel thinks only such are mentioned, who were born in a miraculous manner, when their parents were barren, as in this and also in the next instance.
x Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 119.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. And I took your father Abraham, etc This expression gives additional confirmation to what I lately showed, that Abraham did not emerge from profound ignorance and the abyss of error by his own virtue, but was drawn out by the hand of God. For it is not said that he sought God of his own accord, but that he was taken by God and transported elsewhere. Joshua then enlarges on the divine kindness in miraculously preserving Abraham safe during his long pilgrimage. What follows, however, begets some doubt, namely, that God multiplied the seed of Abraham, and yet gave him only Isaac, because no mention is made of any but him. But this comparison illustrates the singular grace of God towards them in that, while the offspring of Abraham was otherwise numerous, their ancestor alone held the place of lawful heir. In the same sense it is immediately added, that while Esau and Jacob were brothers and twins, one of the two was retained and the other passed over. We see, therefore, why as well in the case of Ishmael and his brother as in that of Esau, he loudly extols the divine mercy and goodness towards Jacob, just as if he were saying, that his race did not excel others in any respect except in that of being specially selected by God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) The floodi.e., the river, as in Jos. 24:2; and so also in Jos. 24:15.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. And I took your father Abraham There was nothing coercive in this taking. Abraham’s experience was like that of modern Christians who follow the Holy Spirit: “He drew me, and I followed on.” With this understanding we may adopt Calvin’s comment: “It is not said that he sought God of his own accord, but that he was taken by him and led to another place.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jos 24:3-4 a
“And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac, and I gave to Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.”
The next statement was what God gave to Abraham and his sons. He brought Abraham from beyond the Euphrates, from Mesopotamia, and into the promised land, who walked throughout it and, by faith, took possession of it, and He gave him Isaac the child of promise. Then He gave to Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and to Esau He gave Mount Seir. This last sums up God’s blessing to Esau and Joshua then goes on to deal with Jacob/Israel.
“Multiplied his seed probably refers to the fact that his household grew rapidly so that he was able to put into the field three hundred and eighteen fighting men ‘born in his house” (Gen 14:14), although it may have in mind the birth of Ishmael and his many children, and the future multiplication of his actual descendants.
“Mount Seir” is the mountain range of the Arabah from south of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. See Gen 32:3; Gen 36:8; Deu 2:4-5.
Jos 24:4-5
“And Jacob and his children went down into Egypt, and I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt in accordance with the things which I did among them, and afterwards I brought you out.”
The migration to Egypt to escape famine was then described (see Gen 46:3-7), followed by a description of YHWH’s deliverance from Egypt with great signs and wonders, which resulted in YHWH bringing them out. It is noteworthy that, apart from the deliverance, what happened in Egypt was not considered of importance. It was not a part of the divine plan of deliverance.
“I sent Moses and Aaron”, the joint deliverers, with Moses to the fore (Exo 3:10; Exo 4:27-31; see also 1Sa 12:6; 1Sa 12:8).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jos 24:3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
Ver. 3. And gave him Isaac. ] Effaetae fidei filium, the heir of the covenant, and therein more happy than his brother Ishmael, with all those twelve princes which he begot. Gen 17:20-21
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I took. Gen 11:31 – Jos 12:1.
and gave. Gen 21:1-3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I took: Gen 12:1-4, Neh 9:7, Neh 9:8, Act 7:2, Act 7:3
gave: Gen 21:2, Gen 21:3, Psa 127:3
Reciprocal: Gen 11:31 – they went Gen 31:21 – passed Gen 31:29 – the God 2Ch 20:7 – gavest Isa 51:2 – unto Abraham Mal 2:10 – all Mat 1:2 – Abraham Mat 20:5 – and did Heb 11:8 – Abraham Jam 2:21 – Abraham
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 24:3. I took I snatched him out of that idolatrous place, and took him into acquaintance and covenant with myself, which was the highest honour and happiness he was capable of. And led That is, I brought him after his fathers death into Canaan, (Gen 12:1,) and I conducted and preserved him in all his travels through the several parts of Canaan. And multiplied That is, gave him a numerous posterity, not only by Hagar and Keturah, but even by Sarah and Isaac. Gave him Isaac By my special power and grace, to be heir of my covenant, and all my promises, and the seed in or by which all the nations were to be blessed.