"And she called the name

visibility of the Divine Being. of the Jehovah that spake unto her, thou God of visibiliThe reason why Hagar gave the Jehovah that talked with her this name, is thus given: "For," she said, "and have I also here looked upon the back parts of the visible?" It is worthy of notice that we have here the same form of expression which occurs in Exodus 33: 23, where God said to Moses, "Thou shalt see my back parts." The name Hagar gave the well, according to some eminent scholars, signifies the well of the Invisible God.† And with this idea accords the most ancient versions, which read as follows:-"For I have openly seen him that appeared unto me." "Lo, I begin to see, after that he appeared unto me." "Lo, I have beheld a vision, after he beheld me."S "Even here I have seen, after his seeing me."¶ "Behold here is revealed the Divine Majesty after the vission."**

From a candid examination of this subject, two things are quite evident: 1st. Hagar saw a visible appearance of God. 2d. Having previously regarded the Divine Being as invisible, she is struck with astonishment and exclaims, "thou God of visibility!"

This rendering is, according to Broothroid, given by Le Clerk, Houbigant, and Michaelis, and it certainly accords with the usus loquendi. See 1st Samuel 16: 12, Job 33: 21, and Nahum 3 : 6, where the same form of expression occurs.

Boothroid thinks that this expression has been corrupted, and should read alhe or haal, instead of lahe, as it stands in the editions of the Hebrew Bible. Without such a reading, the paronomasia is destroyed.

Greek. Chaldee. §Syriac. ¶Arabic. **Targum of Jone

than.

2. The appellation Angel of Jehovah, next occurs in Genesis 22: 11-" And the Angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham." That this Angel was identical with God himself, is clear from the following considerations:

1. He was the one who commanded the sacrifice, and hence he says, "Thou hast not withheld thine only Son from me;" and the first, second and third verses say, that God tempted Abraham and commanded him to sacrifice his son. Of this same Angel, it is said, in verses 15, 16 and 17-" And the Angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham, out of heaven, the second time, and said, "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing, I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven," &c. Now it is evident that no ordinary Angel could have sworn to bestow such blessings as are here promised; and the fact that Abraham calls the one who swore to him, the Lord God of Heaven, in Genesis, 24: 7, fully identifies this Angel with the Supreme God. The name Abraham gave to the place, and the remark he made on the occasion, seems to be designed to commemorate the fact that he had at this time enjoyed a visible interview with God. And Abraham called the name of the place, Jehovah shall see, or differently pointed, it might have a passive signification, Jehovah shall be seen.* "As it is said to this day, in the

*This reading is favored by the Septuagint which reads, "As it is said to this day in the mount the Lord will appear, and by this means the paronomasia is preserved.

mount, the Lord will appear." This saying had become a proverb in the days of Moses, and hence would, of course, continue a long time after him; and some have regarded them as prophetical, pointing to the erection of the temple upon this spot; which idea is favored by the Chaldee Paraphrase. In that temple God was pleased to manifest himself to men; not unfrequently to the natural senses; and the texts which represent Him as dwelling in "his holy mountain,” in “his holy temple," are numerous.

2. The same Being is represented as appearing to Isaac, in Genesis 26: 2, and commanded him to go down. into Egypt, on account of the famine. He promises Isaac to give him the country, and to perform the oath which he swore unto Abraham his father. The Jehovah who swore to Abraham we have just seen, was identical with the Angel of Jehovah which commanded the sacrifice of Isaac.

4. The same Being appeared as a man, Genesis 32: 24; but Hosea calls this man the Angel: "Yea, he had power over the Angel and prevailed, and he made supplication to him he found him in Bethel and there he spake with him; even the Lord God of hosts, is his memorial.'' Now the prophet, in the last clause of the passage, refers to the second appearance, when Jacob had come out of Padanaram, as recorded in Genesis 35: 9-15, to which Being, called a man, when he wrestled with Jacob at Penuel, the Angel, the Jehovah God, and the Jehovah, by Hosea, is applied the names God, and God Almighty, and He is represented as confirming the promise He made to Abraham, and Isaac. He is called Jehovah in Genesis

12:7; 13: 14; 28: 13. This was the Angel that redeemed Jacob from all evil, whom he represents as identical with the God before whom his fathers had walked, and who had fed him his life long. This is the Angel of God that spake to him in a dream at Padanaram, and who declared himself to be the God of Bethel, to whom Jacob made his vow. Jacob, it appears, enquired for the name of the man with whom he wrestled at Penuel, but his curiosity is not gratified, and in allusion to this, Hosea says, "Jehovah is his memorial," i. e., his name. Jacob called the name of the place "the face of God," "for," said he, "I have seen God, face to face, and my life is preserved." Such visible appearances of God seem to have been so rare that they always excited great astonishment, as there appears to have been an impression that no one could see Him and live.

5. The next account of the appearance of the Angel Jehovah, was to Moses. "And the Angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire," &c. This appearance calls himself the God of his father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; said he had seen the affliction of his people in Egypt, that he had come down to deliver them, and to bring them to a good land, appoints Moses their conductor, &c. Moses gives to this Being the appellation God, and hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon him; and when Moses enquired what name he should give to the children of Israel, this same Angel said, "I AM THAT I AM,” and commanded him to say to the children of Israel, that one, bearing the name "I am," had sent him unto them.

This, therefore, was the Angel of Jehovah, who pledg

ed himself to conduct the Israelites to the promised land; and that he was no ordinary angel is apparent not only from the names applied to him, but from the fact that God declares that his name is in him. When the Israelites had sinned by making the golden calf, God said he would send an Angel to conduct them, but He himself would not go up with them.

Now the fact that the people regarded such intelligence as "evil tidings," and "mourned," and "stripped themselves of their ornaments," shows that they could not have supposed the Angel of Jehovah, who had previously pledged himself to be their leader, an ordinary Angel; but when God said, "My presence shall go with thee," Moses seemed satisfied.

6. This Angel of Jehovah also appeared to Balaam. But it will be seen by the connection, that he who is repeatedly called " Angel," is recognized by the prophet as

God himself.

7. In Judges, we have an account of the Angel of Jehovah speaking to all the children of Israel, reproving them for their sins; and this Being represents himself as the one who covenanted with their fathers and brought them out of Egypt. We have also an account of an Angel of Jehovah appearing to Gideon, under the oak which was in Ophrah; but Gideon calls him "my Jehovah," and said that he had seen an Angel of the Lord, face to face, and was grately afraid, till Jehovah comforted him with the promise that he should not die.

It would be needless to refer to more of the numerous instances given in the historical parts of the Old

8.