Genesis Chapter 15 verse 2 Holy Bible

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 2. - And Abram said, Lord God. Adonai Jehovah; the first use of these terms in combination, the second, which usually has the vowel-points of the first, being here written with the vocalization of Elohim. Adonai, an older plural form of Adonim, pluralis excellentive (Gesenius), though by some the termination is regarded as a suffix (Ewald, Furst), is a term descriptive of the Divine sovereignty, from adan = dun, or din, to rule or judge; connected with which is the Phoenician aden, an honorary epithet of deity, and recognized as such in Deuteronomy 10:17 (vide Furst, 'Hebrew Lexicon,' sub voce). What wilt thou give me, seeing I go literally, and I going - ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπολύομαι (LXX., Jonathan); ex hac vita discedam (Rosenmüller); but this, though the word "go" is sometimes used in the sense of "die" (Psalm 39:14), does not seem necessary - childless - solitary, desolate, hence devoid of offspring, as in Leviticus 20:20, 21; Jeremiah 22:30 - and the steward - Ben-Meshek; either (1) the son of running (from shakak, to run) = filius dis-cursitatis, i.e. the steward who attends to my domestic affairs (Onkelos, Drusius); or, and with greater probability, (2) the son of possession (from mashak, to hold),. i.e. the possessor of my house, or heir of my property (Gesenius, Furst, Delitzsch, Keel, Halisch) - of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. Literally, Dammesek Eliezer. The paronomasia of this utterance is apparent, and was obviously designed to impart a touch of pathos to the patriarch's grief by pointing out the coincidence that the Ben-shek of his house was either Dammesek (Damascus) in the person of Eliezer (Delitzsch, Keil), or the Damascene Eliezer (Onkelos, Syriac, Aben Ezra, Calvin, Lange, Murphy), or Dammesek-Eliezer as one word (Kalisch).

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(2) Lord God.--Not Jehovah Elohim, but Lord Jehovah, "Lord" being the ordinary title of respect. Usually Jehovah takes the vowels of 'donai, "lord," but as the two words occur here together, it takes the vowels of Elohim, whence the translation in our version, in obedience to a superstition of the Jews (Genesis 4:1).What wilt thou give me?--There is a slight tone of complaint in these words. Jehovah promised Abram a "reward great exceedingly." He answers that no reward can really be great so long as he has no heir.I go childless.--Either, I am going to my grave childless (Psalm 39:13), or better, I continue to be, pass my days, in childlessness.The steward of my house.--Heb., the benmeshek of my house. Ben-meshek is generally explained as meaning "the son of possession," that is, the possessor, owner of my. house when I die. Other authorities derive meshek from a verb signifying "to run about," as if it was Eliezer's business to go to and fro in execution of Abram's orders. The term is rare, and has evidently been chosen for the play of words upon Dammesek= Damascus. Perhaps this may also explain the last words, which literally are, he is Damascus Eliezer. Grammatically it should have been, "he is the Damascene Eliezer," but this would have spoiled the assonance between ben-meshek (probably pronounced bemmeshek) and Dammesek.