And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Ver. 2. And I will make of thee a great nation.] Why then should the scornful Jews call us nations or Gentiles in contempt? yea, heathen bastards, heathen dogs, as they do at this day? a Surely, either themselves are of this great Goi or nation here mentioned, or else they have not Abraham to their father; choose them which.
I will bless thee.] As a father his children, with all spiritual comforts, Eph 1:3 and earthly contentments; with the blessings of the right hand, and of the left; with "the upper and nether springs," Jdg 1:15 as Caleb blessed his daughter Achsah. "He will give grace and glory," and (if that be not enough) "no good thing will he withhold," &c. Psa 84:11 Hence Moses cries out, "Happy art thou O Israel; who is like unto thee!" &c. Deu 33:29
And make thy name great.] A great name then is a great blessing. So David took it. 2Sa 7:9 And it was no small comfort to him, that whatever he did, pleased the people. Blessing and praise (or good name) is expressed by one and the same word b in both Testaments. Pro 27:21 Only (as it is in the same text) it then proves a blessing, when it is to a man "as the fining pot for silver, and furnace for gold," when it melts us, and makes us better, when it works in us a care to walk worthy of the praise given us, to purge ourselves from all filth, that we may be as pure vessels, meet for the Master's use, fit to be set upon the celestial shelf, as that martyr phrased it, c "Since thou hast been precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable". Isa 43:4 Virtue is instead of a thousand coat-of-arms on shields.
And thou shalt be a blessing.] That is, in a high degree blessed; or a common blessing d to all, wherever thou comest, who shall fare the better for thee. Or, a public pattern of blessing (so some Hebrews expound it). Those that wish well to themselves, or others, shall pray God that Abram's blessedness may befall them. The contrary hereunto is now befallen his unhappy posterity for their obstinacy. A curse they are become among the Gentiles, as was foretold them. Zec 8:13 Sanctius, upon that text, tells us, that all over Turkey they have taken it up for a curse, - I would I might die a Jew, then; and, Let me be a Jew if I deceive thee. e
a Pareus in Romans 11:25. See my True Treasur., p. 297.
b ברכה ευλογια
c Act. and Mon.
d Vir bonus est commune bonum .
e In execrationibus dicunt, Iudaeus sim si fallo. - Sanct.