And when Abram was ninety years old and nine
Which was thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael last
mentioned; so many years more it was before be is expressly told
he should have a son by Sarai, or had the promise of Isaac, which
was for the trial of his faith; and his age is here observed,
that the power of God might be more manifest in fulfilling his
promise, and giving him a son by Sarai:
the Lord appeared to Abram;
in a visible manner, in an human form very probably, even the
Logos, the Word and Son of God: it seems as if the Lord had not
appeared to him since the birth of Ishmael, until this time; and
if so, it may be thought to be a correction of him for listening
to the voice of his wife in marrying Hagar, without asking
counsel of God:
and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God;
as the Word of God is, as appears by his creation of all things,
his in sustaining of them, his government of the church, his
redemption of it, and preservation of his people safe to glory,
see ( Revelation
1:8 ) ; and this epithet is very appropriate here, when the
Lord was about to give out a promise of a son to Abram and Sarai,
so much stricken in years. Some render it "all sufficient" {c},
as Jehovah is, sufficient in and of himself, and for himself, and
stands in no need of any, or of anything from another; and has a
sufficiency for others, both in a way of providence and grace:
walk before me:
not as though Abram had not so walked, or had discontinued his
walk before God, but that he would go on to walk by faith in a
dependence on him for everything he wanted, both with respect to
things temporal and spiritual; and to walk in all his
commandments and ordinances, that he either had given, or should
give him; and all this as in his presence, and under his watchful
eye, that sees and observes all things, and before whom all
things are naked and open, as all are to the essential Word of
God, ( Hebrews
4:12 Hebrews 4:13
) ;
and be thou perfect:
upright and sincere in acts of faith, and in duties of religion,
and go on to perfection; which though a sinless one is not
attainable in this life, is desirable, and is to be had in
Christ, though not in ourselves: but here it chiefly denotes an
holy and unblamable life and conversation, which though not
entirely free from sin, yet without any notorious ones, which
bring dishonour to God, and disgrace upon a man's character and
profession, see ( Genesis 6:9 ) . This
respects not perfection in his body or flesh, as the Targum of
Jonathan paraphrases it, through circumcision, by which the Jews
F4 fancy Abram became perfect, but was
not till circumcised.
F3 (ydv la) "Deus sufficiens", Cocceius; so Jarchi and Ainsworth.
F4 Jarchi in loc. Pirke Eliezer, c. 29. Misn. Nedarim, c. 13. sect. 11.