Genesis 23:1-25:18
“Sarah lived to be 127 years old; these were the years of Sarah’s life” (Genesis 23:1).
Excerpt:
318 and Eliezer
After Sarah’s death, Isaac needs comfort. Abraham decides that his son, who is nearly 40 years old, needs a wife. Finding the right wife for Isaac is necessary for the promise El Shaddai gave to Abraham to be realized. Abraham sends his servant, Eliezer, back to his homeland to choose a wife from one of his family members so Isaac doesn’t marry a Canaanite woman.
When Abraham fought Kedorlaomer to rescue Lot, he took 318 “trained men.” The Hebrew word for ‘trained men’ is chanak and means ‘dedicated. Eliezer, whose name means ‘my Elohim is help,’ is a ‘dedicated’ servant of Abraham who is from Damascus (Beginning of Salvation).
Elohim always has a purpose for giving exact numbers so what could be the significance of 318? In Hebrew there are no actual written numbers; they are represented by individual letters of the alef-bet. For example, the number 5 is represented by the letter hey, the number 50 by the letter nun and the number 100 by the letter kof. By using this system, the numerical value of Hebrew names and words can be calculated (See Study Helps).
The name Eliezer has a numerical value of 318, the exact number of “dedicated men” that Abraham took with him to fight the king of Elam. This could mean that Abraham had 318 warriors or Eliezer was the only warrior he needed because Eliezer was Abraham’s help from El Shaddai, the Ruach haKodesh.
Placing a hand under the thigh or the ‘loins’ was a symbol of authority and the way for making an oath in ancient times. Because the thigh is close to the genitals, the oath takers would have to share a deep love and respect for one another. Abraham had received circumcision as the ‘sign’ of El Shaddai’s covenant, thus his ‘loins’ represented the source of his posterity, the covenant focus of the ‘promised seed.’ While western nations swear on a Bible or place one’s hand over the heart, the Hebrew tradition was to swear on the ‘sign’ of Elohim’s covenant, the circumcision in the genital area.
Hebrew Word Pictures
Eliezer (My God helps) or El’azar – אליעזר – alef, lamed, yod. ayin, zayin, resh
– first strength urges forward the finished work,
understand the division of the highest authority
“As for husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah loved the Messianic Community, indeed, gave himself up on its behalf, in order to set it apart for God, making it clean through immersion in the mikveh, so to speak, in order to present the Messianic Community to himself as a bride to be proud of, without a spot, wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without defect“ (Ephesians 5:25-27).
For a complete copy of this Torah portion, the readings from the Prophets, gospels, letters, and study questions, please purchase Open My Eyes: Wonders of Torah.
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