Глава 24

Gen.24:9. “And the servant put his hand under the side of Abraham his master, and swore to him of this.” The Jews have a tradition that he swore by the sanctification of Abraham, that is, by circumcision. And we say that he swore by the seed of Abraham, that is, by Christ, who was to be born of him, according to the Evangelist Matthew, who says: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew I, I). Gen.24:22. “And he took a gold earring weighing a didrachm.” The word bace ( בֶּ ֖ קַע ), which is written in the Hebrew text instead of didrachm, is half an ounce, and secel (‏ שקל ), which is corruptly called a shekel in Latin, has the weight of an ounce. Gen.24:43. “Behold, I stand over a source of water, and the daughters of the townspeople will come out to draw water; and a maiden will appear to whom I will say: “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” etc. The Hebrew text says: “Behold, I stand by a fountain of water, and a young maiden appears and comes out to draw; and I will say to her: “Let me drink a little water from your jug,” and so on. Instead of “young maiden,” which in the Greek text is denoted by the word νε ᾶ νις, here we read alma (עַלְמָה ֙), which is exactly the word found in Isaiah. The fact is that where in our books it is written: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth...” (Is. 7:14) - Aquila translated this as: “Behold, a young girl will conceive and give birth” - in the Hebrew text we read: “Behold, alma will conceive and give birth.” It should therefore be noted that the word alma is never used except in relation to a virgin and has an etymology of ὰπόκρυϕος, that is, “hidden.” Because it is written in the Book of Job: “Where is wisdom found? And what is the place of reason? And she will be hidden from the eyes of all living things” (Job 28:21). Where I said “will hide,” in the Hebrew text, due to the conjugation of the verb, a slightly different form is written: naalma ( נַ ֽ עֲלָמָ ֑ ה ). Something similar to this, although in the masculine form, is also written in the Book of Kings. These are the words of Elisha, who says to Gehazi: “The Lord has hidden it from me” (2 Kings 4:27). Therefore alma, which is translated as “hidden”, that is, a virgin protected with special care, seems to me to deserve more praise than [simply] “virgin”. Because, according to the apostle, you can be a virgin in body, but not in spirit. And the “hidden maiden” has ἐπίστασις (increased) virginity, so that she is both “virgin” and “hidden” at the same time. And she who is “hidden”, in accordance with the peculiarity of the Hebrew language, turns out to be, therefore, a “virgin”. However, it is not at all necessary that the one who is a “virgin” should also be “hidden”. We read the same word in the Book of Exodus about Mary, the sister of Moses (Exodus 2:8). Therefore, let the Jews point out that here and there in Scripture there is alma to designate only a “young maiden,” and not a “virgin.” And we concede to them [only] the fact that what is said in the Book of Isaiah: “Behold, the Virgin will conceive and give birth...” means not [only] the “hidden Virgin,” but [also] a young Maiden, already married. Gen.24:59. “And they let go Rebekah their sister, and her property, and Abraham’s servant, and the people that he had.” The Hebrew text says: “And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.” It was very useful for a girl, going to a wedding without her parents, to feel the warmth and support of her nurse. Gen. 24:62–63. “And he lived in the land of noon. And towards evening Isaac went out into the field to do [something].” “The Land of the Midday” means Gerara, from where he was once brought by his father for sacrifice. What is said: “And he went out into the field to do [something],” in Greek - ἀδολεσχῆσαι, in Hebrew it reads [like this]: “And already at evening, Isaac went out to talk in the field.” This means that Isaac, who was a type of the Lord, also left the house to pray as a righteous man (in accordance with the fact that the Lord prayed on the mountain in solitude), and also that he offered spiritual sacrifices to God either at the ninth hour or before sunset. Gen.24:65. “And she brought the terister and covered herself.” A terister is a cape, a type of Arabic clothing [used] even in modern times. The women of the area are covered with it.