Genesis 15:9 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He said unto him, take me an heifer, &c.— i.e.. says Mede, offer unto me the following creatures; the only ones appointed to be offered under the Mosaic law; which strengthens their opinion (and I confess it is mine) who believe, that animals were divided into clean and unclean for sacrifice before the law, and that the whole apparatus of sacrifice was not then first instituted, but renewed and confirmed. It has much perplexed commentators to find out the reason, why these animals should be three years old, whereas they are commonly ordered to be of one year old only under the law. It appears extremely plain from this whole transaction, that it was a federal act between God and Abram, as well as a prophetic representation of what should befal his seed, before they possessed the promised land: and if the symbols have reference to any thing, one would imagine, it must be to this. The word rendered three years old, signifies also threefold, three, and it is so rendered by the Chaldee and other Jewish interpreters, who suppose, that three of each species of animals were offered in this sacrifice: but whether there were three, or only one of three years old, I should conceive the reference to be to the three generations which were to pass before Abram's seed was to inherit the land: and the winged birds may represent their passage and flight from AEgypt in the fourth generation, (see Genesis 15:16.) as the smoking furnace, Genesis 15:17 and the burning lamp, or lamp of fire, may represent, as a kind of hieroglyphics, that kind of servitude in the brick-kilns, which the Israelites endured in AEgypt, and the manner of their delivery, when the pillar of smoke and of light went before them day and night. Let it be observed, that I propose this only as a probable and conjectural interpretation of a difficult passage: and as the context clearly proves, that God gave Abram a prophetic account of what should befal his seed, Genesis 15:13 it appears very reasonable, that these symbols or hieroglyphical representations, according to the known ancient manner, should signify the same thing.