Genesis 32:12

hold out against the siege of it, and do not deliver it up. 2 Chronicles 32:11 Ver. 11. Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine, and by thirst,.... Suggesting that would be their case if they did not surrender: saying, the Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? See Gill on "Isaiah 36:15". 2 Chronicles 32:12 Ver. 12-15. Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places,.... For the sense of this and the three following verses, see the notes on See Gill on "Isaiah 36:17" See Gill on "Isaiah 36:18" See Gill on "Isaiah 36:19" See Gill on "Isaiah 36:20" 2 Chronicles 32:13 Ver. 13. See Gill on "2 Chronicles 32:12" 2 Chronicles 32:14 Ver. 14. See Gill on "2 Chronicles 32:12" 2 Chronicles 32:15 Ver. 15. See Gill on "2 Chronicles 32:12" 2 Chronicles 32:16 Ver. 16. And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. Than what is here recorded, as may be read in 2 Kings 18:1, and Isaiah 36:1. 2 Chronicles 32:17 Ver. 17. He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel,.... See 2 Kings 19:9. 2 Chronicles 32:18 Ver. 18. Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall,....

32:9-23 Times of fear should be times of prayer: whatever causes fear, should drive us to our knees, to our God. Jacob had lately seen his guards of angels, but in this distress he applied to God, not to them; he knew they were his fellow-servants, Re 22:9. There cannot be a better pattern for true prayer than this. Here is a thankful acknowledgement of former undeserved favours; a humble confession of unworthiness; a plain statement of his fears and distress; a full reference of the whole affair to the Lord, and resting all his hopes on him. The best we can say to God in prayer, is what he has said to us. Thus he made the name of the Lord his strong tower, and could not but be safe. Jacob's fear did not make him sink into despair, nor did his prayer make him presume upon God's mercy, without the use of means. God answers prayers by teaching us to order our affairs aright. To pacify Esau, Jacob sent him a present. We must not despair of reconciling ourselves to those most angry against us.

And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good,.... All kind of good, most certainly and constantly; so Jacob rightly interpreted the promise, "I will be with thee", Genesis 31:3 ; for the promise of God's presence includes and secures all needful good to his people; and from this general promise Jacob draws an argument for a special and particular good, the preservation of him and his family, he was now pleading for; and the rather he might hope to succeed, since the following promise was also made him: and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude; which could not be fulfilled, if he and his family were cut off at once, as he feared; but God is faithful who has promised.

9-12. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham—In this great emergency, he had recourse to prayer. This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ. It pleads the special promise made to him of a safe return; and after a most humble and affecting confession of unworthiness, it breathes an earnest desire for deliverance from the impending danger. It was the prayer of a kind husband, an affectionate father, a firm believer in the promises.

Next, he betakes himself to prayer. He appeals to the God of Abraham and Isaac, to Yahweh the God of promise and performance. "I am less than;" unworthy of all the mercy and truth of God. "With my staff." Jacob seems to have left his home without escort and without means. It was evidently intended that he should return in a short time; but unforeseen circumstances lengthened the period. "Me, the mother with the children." Me is used here in that pregnant sense which is familiar in Scripture, to include his whole clan; as Ishmael, Israel, Edom, often stand for their respective races. He then pleads the express promise of God Genesis 28:13-15 ; Genesis 31:3 .

"For I am in fear of him, that (פּן ne) he come and smite me, mother with children." בּנים על אם is a proverbial expression for unsparing cruelty, taken from the bird which covers its young to protect them ( Deuteronomy 22:6 , cf. Hosea 10:14 ). על super, una cum, as in Exodus 35:22 .

Verse 29. - And God gave Solomon [in fulfilment of the promise of chap. 3:12] wisdom and understanding ( חָכְמָה , wisdom, knowledge ; תְּבוּנָה discernment, penetration. The historian, after describing the prosperity of the realm, proceeds to speak of the personal endowments of its head] and largeness of heart exceeding much [the Easterns speak of the heart where we should talk of head or intellect ( 1 Kings 3:9, 12 ; 1 Kings 10:24 . Cf. Matthew 15:19 ; Ephesians 1:18 (Greek); Hebrews 4:12 ). The "large heart" is the ingenium capax , as Thenius. These different words indicate the variety and scope of his talents, in agreement with ver. 33] as the sand that is on the seashore. [Same expression in Genesis 22:17 ; Genesis 32:12 ; Genesis 41:49 ; Joshua 11:4 ; Judges 7:12 , etc.] 1 Kings 4:29

Indexes Index of Scripture References Genesis [1]6:3 [2]17:11 [3]17:13 1 Kings [4]8:46 [5]21:20 Psalms [6]1:2 [7]19:133 [8]37:23 Isaiah [9]1:15-20 [10]49:4 [11]53:12 [12]63:10 [13]64:6 [14]64:10 Jeremiah [15]18:7-10 Daniel [16]9 Matthew [17]1:22 [18]2:11 [19]5:3-12 [20]7:21 [21]7:22 [22]9:13 [23]11:21 [24]11:28 [25]11:28 [26]12 [27]12:17 [28]12:31 [29]12:31 [30]12:31 [31]12:32 [32]12:32 [33]12:32 [34]13:19 [35]13:20 [36]13:20 [37]18:7-18 [38]26:26 [39]27:9 [40]27:35 Mark [41]3:28 [42]3:29 [43]9:23 Luke [44]12:9 [45]12:10 [46]12:47 [47]12:47 [48]12:47 [49]12:47 [50]18:9 [51]21:22 [52]23:34 John [53]3:6 [54]4:14 [55]5:35 [56]7:17 [57]8:34 [58]8:36 [59]9:41 [60]13:18 [61]14:23 [62]15:15 Acts [63]1:2 [64]3:17 [65]6 [66]7:51 [67]7:51 [68]11:26 Romans