they possessed, and the souls which they had made.”  The Syriac thus, “All their possessions which they possessed, and the souls which they had made in Haran.”  The Arabic, “All their property which they had acquired, and the souls whom they had made in Haran.”  The Samarian, “All the wealth which they had gathered, and the souls which they had made in Haran.”  Menochius, a commentator who wrote before our present translation of the English Bible, renders it as follows:—­“Quas de idolotraria converterunt[B].”  “Those whom they have converted from idolatry.”—­Paulus Fagius[C].  “Quas instituerant in religione.”—­“Those whom they had instructed in religion.”—­Luke Franke, a German commentator who lived two centuries ago.  “Quas legi subjicerant.”—­“Those whom they had brought to obey the law.”

[Footnote A:  The Targums are Chaldee paraphrases of parts of the Old Testament.  The Targum of Onkelos is for the most part, a very accurate and faithful translation of the original, and was probably made at about the commencement of the Christian era.  The Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel bears about the same date.  The Targum of Jerusalem was probably about five hundred years later.  The Israelites, during their long captivity in Babylon, lost as a body, their knowledge of their own language.  These translations of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Chaldee, the language which they acquired in Babylon, were thus called for by the necessity of the case. ]

[Footnote B:  See his “Brevis explicatio sensus literalis totius Scripture.”]

[Footnote C:  This eminent Hebrew scholar was invited to England by Cranmer, then Archbishop of Canterbury, to superintend the translation of the Bible into English, under the patronage of Henry the Eighth.  He had hardly commenced the work when he died.  This was nearly a century before the date of our present translation.]

2. The condition of servants in their masters’ families, the privileges which they shared in common with the children, and their recognition as equals by the highest officers of the government—­make the doctrine that they were mere COMMODITIES, an absurdity. The testimony of Paul, in Gal. iv. 1, gives an insight into the condition of servants. "Now I say unto you, that the heir, so long as he is a child, DIFFERETH NOTHING FROM A SERVANT, though he be lord of all."

That Abraham’s servants were voluntary,—­that their interests were identified with those of their master’s family—­that they were regarded with great affection by the household, and that the utmost confidence was reposed in them, is shown in the arming of 318 of them for the recovery of Lot and his family from captivity.  See Gen. xiv. 14, 15.

When Abraham’s servant went to Padanaram, the young Princess Rebekah did not disdain to say to him, “Drink, MY Lord,” as “she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink,” and “she hasted and emptied her pitcher, and ran again unto the well, and drew for all his camels.”  Laban, the brother of Rebekah, prepared the house for his reception, “ungirded his camels, and brought him water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him!"