---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Genesis 21:1. The Lord visited Sarah — That is, God fulfilled his promise to Sarah by giving her, at the advanced age of ninety, power to conceive a"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21"
---

![Clarke](/images/commentaries/clarkes-commentary.jpg)

 The Clarke's Commentary
 
Include 66 books
 
Denomination: arminianism
 
 GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong Of SolomonIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation 1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950 

Verse [Genesis 21:1](../../../kjv/genesis/21/1). ***The Lord visited Sarah*** — That is, God fulfilled his promise to Sarah by giving her, at the advanced age of *ninety*, power to conceive and bring forth a son.

Verse [Genesis 21:3](../../../kjv/genesis/21/3). ***Isaac.*** — See the reason and interpretation of this name in *Clarke's note on "*[Genesis 17:7](../../../kjv/genesis/17/7)*"*.

Verse [Genesis 21:4](../../../kjv/genesis/21/4). ***And Abraham circumcised his son*** — [Genesis 17:10](../../../kjv/genesis/17/10); [Genesis 17:10](../../../kjv/genesis/17/10), &c.

Verse [Genesis 21:6](../../../kjv/genesis/21/6). ***God hath made me to laugh*** — Sarah alludes here to the circumstance mentioned [Genesis 18:12](../../../kjv/genesis/18/12); and as she seems to use the word *to laugh* in this place, not in the sense of being *incredulous* but to express such *pleasure* or *happiness* as almost *suspends* the reasoning faculty for a time, it justifies the observation on the above-named verse. See a similar case in [Luke 24:41](../../../kjv/luke/24/41), where the disciples were so overcome with the good news of our Lord's resurrection, that it is said, *They believed not for joy*.

Verse [Genesis 21:8](../../../kjv/genesis/21/8). ***The child grew and was weaned*** — [-----Anglo-Saxon-----]. *Anglo-Saxon* VERSION. *Now the child waxed and became weaned*. We have the verb *to wean* from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.] *awendan*, to *convert, transfer, turn from one thing to another*, which is the exact import of the Hebrew word גמל *gamal* in the text. Hence [A.S.] *wenan*, to *wean*, to turn the child from the breast to receive another kind of ailment. And hence, probably, the word WEAN, *a young child*, which is still in use in the northern parts of Great Britain and Ireland, and which from its etymology seems to signify *a child taken from the breast*; surely not from the Scotch *wee-ane, a little one*, much less from the German *wenig,* *little*, as Dr. Johnson and others would derive it. At what time children were weaned among the ancients, is a disputed point. St. Jerome says there were two opinions on this subject. Some hold that children were always weaned at *five* years of age; others, that they were not weaned till they were *twelve*. From the speech of the mother to her son, *2Mac 7:27*, it seems likely that among the Jews they were weaned when *three* years old: *O my son, have* *pity upon me that bare thee nine months in my womb, and gave thee* SUCK THREE YEARS, *and nourished thee and brought thee up*. And this is farther strengthened by [2 Chronicles 31:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/31/16), where Hezekiah, in making provision for the Levites and priests, includes the children from *three* years old and upwards; which is a presumptive proof that previously to this age they were wholly dependent on the *mother* for their nourishment. Samuel appears to have been brought to the sanctuary when he was just *weaned*, and then he was capable of ministering before the Lord, [1 Samuel 1:22-28](../../../kjv/1-samuel/1/22-28); and this certainly could not be before he was *three* years of age. The term among the Mohammedans is fixed by the Koran, chap. xxxi. 14, at *two* years of age.

Verse [Genesis 21:9](../../../kjv/genesis/21/9). ***Mocking.*** — What was implied in this mocking is not known. St. Paul, [Galatians 4:29](../../../kjv/galatians/4/29), calls it *persecuting*; but it is likely he meant no more than some species of *ridicule* used by Ishmael on the occasion, and probably with respect to the age of Sarah at Isaac's birth, and her previous barrenness. *Jonathan ben Uzziel* and the *Jerusalem Targum* represent Ishmael as performing some idolatrous rite on the occasion, and that this had given the offence to Sarah. Conjectures are as useless as they are endless. Whatever it was, it became the occasion of the expulsion of himself and mother. Several authors are of opinion that the Egyptian bondage of *four* *hundred* years, mentioned [Genesis 15:13](../../../kjv/genesis/15/13), commenced with this persecution of the righteous seed by the son of an *Egyptian* woman.

Verse [Genesis 21:10](../../../kjv/genesis/21/10). ***Cast out this bondwoman and her son*** — Both Sarah and Abraham have been accused of cruelty in this transaction, because every word reads harsh to us. Cast out; גרש *garash* signifies not only to *thrust out, drive away*, and *expel*, but also to divorce; (see [Leviticus 21:7](../../../kjv/leviticus/21/7)); and it is in this latter sense the word should be understood here. The child of Abraham by Hagar might be considered as having a right at least to a part of the inheritance; and as it was sufficiently known to Sarah that God had designed that the succession should be established in the line of Isaac, she wished Abraham to *divorce* Hagar, or to perform some sort of *legal act* by which Ishmael might be excluded from all claim on the inheritance.

Verse [Genesis 21:12](../../../kjv/genesis/21/12). ***In Isaac shall thy seed be called.*** — Here God shows the propriety of attending to the counsel of Sarah; and lest Abraham, in whose eyes the thing was grievous, should feel distressed on the occasion, God renews his promises to Ishmael and his posterity.

Verse [Genesis 21:14](../../../kjv/genesis/21/14). ***Took bread, and a bottle*** — By the word *bread* we are to understand the food or provisions which were necessary for her and Ishmael, till they should come to the place of their destination; which, no doubt, Abraham particularly pointed out. The *bottle*, which was made of skin, ordinarily a goat's skin, contained water sufficient to last them till they should come to the next well; which, it is likely, Abraham particularly specified also. This well, it appears, Hagar missed, and therefore *wandered about in* *the wilderness* seeking more water, till all she had brought with her was expended. We may therefore safely presume that she and her son were sufficiently provided for their journey, had they not missed their way. Travellers in those countries take only, to the present day, provisions sufficient to carry them to the next village or encampment; and water to supply them till they shall meet with the next well. What adds to the *appearance* of cruelty in this case is, that our translation seems to represent Ishmael as being a *young child*; and that Hagar was obliged to carry him, the bread, and the bottle of water on her back or shoulder at the same time. But that Ishmael could not be carried on his mother's shoulder will be sufficiently evident when his *age* is considered; Ishmael was born when Abraham was eighty-six years of age, [Genesis 16:16](../../../kjv/genesis/16/16); Isaac was born when he was one hundred years of age, [Genesis 21:5](../../../kjv/genesis/21/5); hence Ishmael was fourteen years old at the birth of Isaac. Add to this the age of Isaac when he was *weaned*, which, from [Genesis 21:8](../../../kjv/genesis/21/8), ([Genesis 21:8](../../../kjv/genesis/21/8)) was probably *three*, and we shall find that Ishmael was at the time of his leaving Abraham not less than seventeen years old; an age which, in those primitive times, a young man was able to gain his livelihood, either by his bow in the wilderness, or by keeping flocks as Jacob did.

Verse [Genesis 21:15](../../../kjv/genesis/21/15). ***And she cast the child*** — ותשלך את הילד *vattashlech eth* *haiyeled*, and she sent the lad under one of the shrubs, viz., to screen him from the intensity of the heat. Here Ishmael appears to be utterly helpless, and this circumstance seems farther to confirm the opinion that he was now in a state of *infancy*; but the preceding observations do this supposition entirely away, and his present helplessness will be easily accounted for on this ground:
1. Young persons can bear much less fatigue than those who are arrived at mature age.
2. They require much more fluid from the greater quantum of heat in their bodies, strongly marked by the impetuosity of the blood; because from them a much larger quantity of the fluids is thrown off by sweat and insensible perspiration, than from grown up or aged persons.
3. Their digestion is much more rapid, and hence they cannot bear hunger and thirst as well as the others. On these grounds Ishmael must be much more exhausted with fatigue than his mother.

Verse [Genesis 21:19](../../../kjv/genesis/21/19). ***God opened her eyes*** — These words appear to me to mean no more than that God directed her to a well, which probably was at no great distance from the place in which she then was; and therefore she is commanded, [Genesis 21:18](../../../kjv/genesis/21/18), to *support the lad*, literally, to *make her hand strong in his* *behalf*-namely, that he might reach the well and quench his thirst.

Verse [Genesis 21:20](../../../kjv/genesis/21/20). ***Became an archer.*** — And by his skill in this art, under the continual superintendence of the Divine Providence, (for *God was with the lad*,) he was undoubtedly enabled to procure a sufficient supply for his own wants and those of his parent.

Verse [Genesis 21:21](../../../kjv/genesis/21/21). ***He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran*** — This is generally allowed to have been a part of the desert belonging to Arabia Petraea, in the vicinity of Mount Sinai; and this seems to be its uniform meaning in the sacred writings.

Verse [Genesis 21:22](../../../kjv/genesis/21/22). ***At that time*** — This may either refer to the transactions recorded in the preceding chapter, or to the time of Ishmael's marriage, but most probably to the former.
***God is with thee*** — מימרא דיי *melmera daiya*, *the* WORD of Jehovah; see before, [Genesis 15:1](../../../kjv/genesis/15/1). That the Chaldee paraphrasts use this term, not for a *word spoken*, but in the same sense in which St. John uses the λογος του Θεου, the WORD of God, [John 1:1](../../../kjv/john/1/1), must be evident to every unprejudiced reader. [Genesis 15:1](../../../kjv/genesis/15/1).

Verse [Genesis 21:23](../../../kjv/genesis/21/23). ***Now therefore swear unto me*** — The oath on such occasions probably meant no more than the mutual promise of both the parties, when they slew an animal, poured out the blood as a sacrifice to God, and then passed between the pieces. See this ceremony, [Genesis 15:18](../../../kjv/genesis/15/18), and on [Genesis 15:9](../../../kjv/genesis/15/9); [Genesis 15:10](../../../kjv/genesis/15/10).
***According to the kindness that I have done*** — The simple claims of justice were alone set up among virtuous people in those ancient times, which constitute the basis of the famous *lex* *talionis*, or law of *like for like, kind office for kind office*, and *breach for breach*.

Verse [Genesis 21:25](../../../kjv/genesis/21/25). ***Abraham reproved Abimelech*** — Wells were of great consequence in those hot countries, and especially where the flocks were numerous, because the water was scarce, and digging to find it was accompanied with much expense of time and labour.

Verse [Genesis 21:26](../../../kjv/genesis/21/26). ***I wot not who hath done this thing*** — The servants of Abimelech had committed these depredations on Abraham without any authority from their master, who appears to have been a very amiable man, possessing the fear of God, and ever regulating the whole of his conduct by the principles of righteousness and strict justice.

Verse [Genesis 21:27](../../../kjv/genesis/21/27). ***Took sheep and oxen*** — Some think that these were the sacrifices which were offered on the occasion, and which Abraham furnished at his own cost, and, in order to do Abimelech the greater honour, gave them to him to offer before the Lord.

Verse [Genesis 21:28](../../../kjv/genesis/21/28). ***Seven ewe lambs*** — These were either given as a *present*, or they were intended as the *price* of the well; and being accepted by Abimelech, they served as a *witness* that he had acknowledged Abraham's right to the *well* in question.

Verse [Genesis 21:31](../../../kjv/genesis/21/31). ***He called that place Beer-sheba*** — באר שבע *Beer-shaba*, literally, the well of swearing or of the oath, because they both sware there-mutually confirmed the covenant.

Verse [Genesis 21:33](../../../kjv/genesis/21/33). ***Abraham planted a grove*** — The original word אשל *eshel* has been variously translated a *grove*, a *plantation*, an *orchard*, a *cultivated field*, and an *oak*. From this word, says Mr. Parkhurst, may be derived the name of the famous *asylum*, opened by Romulus *between two groves of oaks* at Rome; (μεθοριον δυοιν δρυμως, Dionys. Hal., lib. ii. c. 16:) and as Abraham, [Genesis 21:33](../../../kjv/genesis/21/33), agreeably, no doubt, to the institutes of the patriarchal religion, planted an oak in Beer-sheba, and called on the name of Jehovah, the everlasting God, (compare [Genesis 12:8](../../../kjv/genesis/12/8); [Genesis 18:1](../../../kjv/genesis/18/1)), so we find that *oaks* were sacred among the idolaters also. *Ye* *shall be ashamed of the* OAKS *ye have chosen*, says Isaiah, [Isaiah 1:29](../../../kjv/isaiah/1/29), to the idolatrous Israelites. And in *Greece* we meet in very early times with the oracle of Jupiter at the oaks of Dodona. Among the Greeks and *Romans* we have *sacra* *Jovi quercus*, the *oak* sacred to Jupiter, even to a proverb. And in *Gaul* and *Britain* we find the highest religious regard paid to the same tree and to its *misletoe*, under the direction of the *Druids*, that is, the *oak prophets* or *priests*, from the Celtic *deru*, and Greek δρυς, an oak. Few are ignorant that the misletoe is indeed a very extraordinary plant, not to be *cultivated in the earth*, but always growing on some other tree. "The druids," says *Pliny*, Nat. Hist., lib. xvii., c. 44, "hold nothing more sacred than the *misletoe*, and the tree on which it is produced, provided it be the *oak*. They make choice of *groves of oak* on this account, nor do they perform any of their sacred rites without the leaves of those trees; so that one may suppose that they are for this reason called, by a Greek etymology, *Druids*. And whatever *misletoe* grows on the oak they think is sent from heaven, and is a sign that God himself has chosen that tree. This however is very rarely found, but when discovered is treated with great ceremony. They call it by a name which signifies in their language *the curer of all ills*; and having duly prepared their feasts and sacrifices under the tree, they bring to it two white bulls, whose horns are then for the first time tied; the priest, dressed in a white robe, ascends the tree, and with a *golden pruning hook* cuts off the *misletoe*, which is received into a white *sagum* or sheet. Then they sacrifice the victims, praying that God would bless his own gift to those on whom he has bestowed it." It is impossible for a *Christian* to read this account without thinking of HIM who was *the desire of all nations*, of the man whose name was *the* BRANCH, who had indeed no *father upon earth*, but came down from heaven, was given *to heal all our ills*, and, after being *cut off* through the Divine counsel, was wrapped in *fine linen* and laid in the sepulchre for our sakes. I cannot forbear adding that the *misletoe* was a *sacred emblem* to other *Celtic* nations, as, for instance, to the ancient inhabitants of *Italy*. The *golden branch*, of which Virgil speaks so largely in the sixth book of the AEneis, and without which, he says, none could *return from the infernal* *regions*, (see line 126,) seems an allusion to the *misletoe*, as he himself plainly intimates by comparing it to that plant, line 205, c. See *Parkhurst*, under the word אשל *eshel*.
In the first ages of the world the worship of God was exceedingly simple there were no *temples* nor covered edifices of any kind; an *altar*, sometimes a *single stone*, sometimes consisting of several, and at other times merely of *turf*, was all that was necessary; on this the fire was lighted and the sacrifice offered. Any *place* was equally proper, as they knew that the object of their worship filled the heavens and the earth. In process of time when families increased, and many sacrifices were to be offered, *groves* or shady places were chosen, where the worshippers might enjoy the protection of the shade, as a considerable time must be employed in offering *many* sacrifices. These groves became afterwards abused to *impure* and *idolatrous* purposes, and were therefore strictly forbidden. See [Exodus 34:13](../../../kjv/exodus/34/13); [Deuteronomy 12:3](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/3); [Deuteronomy 16:21](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/16/21).
***And called there on the name of the Lord*** — On this important passage Dr. Shuckford speaks thus: "Our English translation very erroneously renders this place, *he called upon the name of* *Jehovah*; but the expression קרא בשם *kara beshem* never signifies *to call* upon *the name*; קרא שם kara shem would signify *to invoke* or *call* upon *the name*, or קרא אל שם *kara* *el shem* would signify *to cry unto the name*; but קרא בשם *kara* *beshem* signifies *to invoke* IN *the name*, and seems to be used where the true worshippers of God offered their prayers in the name of the true Mediator, or where the idolaters offered their prayers in the name of false ones, [1 Kings 18:26](../../../kjv/1-kings/18/26); for as the true worshippers had but *one God* and *one Lord*, so the false worshippers had *gods many* and *lords many*, [1 Corinthians 8:5](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/8/5). We have several instances of קרא kara, and a noun after it, sometimes *with* and sometimes *without* the particle אל *el*, and then it signifies *to call* upon the person there mentioned; thus, קרא יהוה *kara Yehovah* is *to* *call upon the Lord*, [Psalms 14:4](../../../kjv/psalms/14/4); [Psalms 17:6](../../../kjv/psalms/17/6); [Psalms 31:17](../../../kjv/psalms/31/17); [Psalms 53:4](../../../kjv/psalms/53/4); [Psalms 118:5](../../../kjv/psalms/118/5), c. and קרא אל יהוה *kara el Yehovah* imports the same, [1 Samuel 12:17](../../../kjv/1-samuel/12/17); [Jonah 1:6](../../../kjv/jonah/1/6), c. but קרא בשם *kara beshem* is either *to name* BY *the name*, [Genesis 4:17](../../../kjv/genesis/4/17); [Numbers 32:42](../../../kjv/numbers/32/42); [Psalms 49:11](../../../kjv/psalms/49/11); [Isaiah 43:7](../../../kjv/isaiah/43/7); or to *invoke* IN *the name*, when it is used as an expression of religious worship." CONNEX. vol. i., p. 293. I believe this to be a just view of the subject, and therefore I admit it without scruple.
***The everlasting God.*** — יהוה אל עולם *Yehovah el olam*, JEHOVAH, *the* STRONG GOD, *the* ETERNAL ONE. This is the first place in Scripture in which עולם *olam* occurs as an *attribute* of God, and here it is evidently designed to point out his eternal duration; that it can mean no *limited time* is self-evident, because nothing of this kind can be attributed to God. The Septuagint render the words Θεος αιωνιος, the *ever-existing God*; and the Vulgate has *Invocavit ibi nomen Do mini, Dei aeterni*, There he invoked the name of the Lord, the eternal God. The Arabic is nearly the same. From this application of both the Hebrew and Greek words we learn that עולם *olam* and αιων *aion* originally signified ETERNAL, or *duration without end*. עלם alam signifies *he was hidden,* *concealed*, or *kept secret*; and αιων, according to Aristotle, (*De Caelo*, lib. i., chap. 9, and a higher authority need not be sought,) is compounded of αει, *always*, and ων, *being*, αιων εστιν, απο του αει ειναι. The same author informs us that God was termed *Aisa*, because he was always existing, λεγεσθαι - Αισαν δε, αει ουσαν. *De Mundo*, chap. xi., *in fine*. Hence we see that no words can more forcibly express the grand characteristics of eternity than these. It is that duration which is *concealed,* *hidden*, or *kept secret* from all created beings; which is *always* *existing*, still *running* ON but never *running* OUT; an *interminable, incessant*, and *immeasurable duration*; it is THAT, in the *whole of which* God alone can be said to *exist*, and *that* which the *eternal mind* can alone comprehend.
In all languages words have, in process of time, deviated from their original acceptations, and have become accommodated to particular purposes, and limited to particular meanings. This has happened both to the Hebrew עלם *alam*, and the Greek αιων; they have been both used to express a *limited* time, but in general a time the limits of which are *unknown*; and thus a pointed reference to the *original ideal meaning* is still kept up. Those who bring any of these terms in an *accommodated* sense to favour a particular doctrine, c., must depend on the good graces of their opponents for permission to use them in this way. For as the real grammatical meaning of both words is *eternal*, and all other meanings are only *accommodated* ones, sound criticism, in all matters of dispute concerning the import of a word or term, must have recourse to the grammatical meaning, and its use among the earliest and most correct writers in the language, and will determine all *accommodated* meanings by this alone. Now the first and best writers in both these languages apply *olam* and αιων to express *eternal*, in the proper meaning of that word and this is their proper meaning in the Old and New Testaments when applied to God, his attributes, his operations taken in connection with the *ends* for which he performs them, for *whatsoever he doth, it* *shall be for ever*- יהיה לעולם yihyeh leolam, it shall be for eternity, [Ecclesiastes 3:14](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/3/14); *forms and appearances* of created things may change, but the *counsels* and *purposes* of God relative to them are permanent and eternal, and none of them can be frustrated; hence the words, when applied to things which from their nature must have a *limited* duration, are properly to be understood in this sense, because those things, though *temporal* in themselves, *shadow forth* things that are *eternal*. Thus the Jewish dispensation, which in the whole and in its parts is frequently said to be לעולם *leolam*, for ever, and which has terminated in the Christian dispensation, has the word properly applied to it, because it typified and introduced that dispensation which is to *continue* not only *while* *time shall last*, but is to have its incessant accumulating consummation throughout *eternity*. The word is, with the same strict propriety, applied to the duration of the rewards and punishments in a future state. And the argument that pretends to prove (and it is only pretension) that in the future punishment of the wicked "the worm *shall die*," and "the fire "*shall be* *quenched*," will apply as forcibly to the state of happy spirits, and as fully prove that a point in eternity shall arrive when the repose of the righteous shall be interrupted, and the glorification of the children of God have an eternal end! [Genesis 17:7](../../../kjv/genesis/17/7); [Genesis 17:7](../../../kjv/genesis/17/7); *"*[Genesis 17:8](../../../kjv/genesis/17/8)*"*.
1. FAITHFULNESS is one of the attributes of God, and none of his promises can fall. According to the promise to Abraham, Isaac is born; but according to the course of nature it fully appears that both Abraham and Sarah had passed that term of life in which it was possible for them to have children. Isaac is the child of the *promise*, and the promise is *supernatural*. Ishmael is born according to the ordinary course of *nature*, and cannot inherit, because the inheritance is *spiritual*, and cannot come by *natural* *birth*; hence we see that no man can expect to enter into the kingdom of God by birth, education, profession of the true faith, c., c. Those alone who are *born from above*, and are made *partakers of the Divine nature*, can be admitted into the family of God in heaven, and everlastingly enjoy that glorious inheritance. Reader, art *thou* born again? Hath God changed thy heart and thy life? If not, canst thou suppose that in thy present state thou canst possibly enter into the paradise of God? I leave thy conscience to answer.
2. The actions of good men may be misrepresented, and their motives suspected, because those motives are not known and those who are prone to think evil are the last to take any trouble to inform their minds, so that they may judge righteous judgment. Abraham, in the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael, has been accused of *cruelty*. Though objections of this kind have been answered already, yet it may not be amiss farther to observe that what he did he did in conformity to a Divine command, and a command so unequivocally given that he could not doubt its Divine origin and this very command was accompanied with a promise that *both the* *child and his mother should be taken under the Divine protection*. And it was so; nor does it appear that they lacked any thing but *water*, and that only for a *short time*, after which it was miraculously supplied. God will work a miracle when necessary, and never till then; and at such a time the Divine interposition can be easily ascertained, and man is under no temptation to attribute to *second causes* what has so evidently flowed from the *first*. Thus, while he is promoting his creatures' good, he is securing his own glory; and he brings men into straits and difficulties, that he may have the fuller opportunity to convince his followers of his providential care, and to prove how much he loves them.
3. Did we acknowledge God in all our ways, he would direct our steps. Abimelech, king of Gerar, and Phichol, captain of his host, seeing Abraham a worshipper of the true God, made him swear by the object of his worship that there should be a lasting peace between them and him; for as they saw that God was with Abraham, they well knew that he could not expect the Divine blessing any longer than he walked in *integrity* before God; they therefore require him to swear by God that he would not *deal falsely* with *them* or their posterity. From this very circumstance we may see the original purpose, design, and spirit of an oath, viz., *Let God* *prosper or curse ME in all that I do, as I prove true or false to* *my engagements*! This is still the *spirit* of all oaths where God is called to witness, whether the *form* be by the *water of the Ganges*, the *sign of the cross, kissing the Bible*, or *lifting up the hand* *to heaven*. Hence we may learn that he who falsifies an *oath* or *promise*, made in the presence and name of God, thereby forfeits all right and title to the approbation and blessing of his Maker.
But it is highly criminal to make such appeals to God upon *trivial* occasions. Only the *most solemn* matters should be thus determined. Legislators who regard the morals of the people should take heed not to multiply oaths in matters of *commerce* and *revenue*, if they even use them at all. Who can take the oaths presented by the custom house or excise, and be guiltless? I have seen a person kiss his pen or thumb nail instead of the book, thinking that he avoided the condemnation thereby of the false oath he was then taking!

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/?s={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary -  Genesis 21"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21","name":"Clarke's Commentary -  Genesis 21","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse Genesis 21:1. The Lord visited Sarah — That is, God fulfilled his promise to Sarah by giving her, at the advanced age of ninety, power to conceive a","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis","name":"Genesis"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/genesis/21","name":"21"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```