father. Without such an unavoidable
necessity, incest is a horrid crime; but whether in such a case of
necessity, as they apprehended this to be, according to Josephus, it was
any such crime, I am not satisfied. In the mean time, their making their
father drunk, and their solicitous concealment of what they did from
him, shows that they despaired of persuading him to an action which,
at the best, could not but be very suspicious and shocking to so good a
man.

[25] It is well worth observation, that Josephus here calls that
principal Angel, who appeared to Abraham and foretold the birth of
Isaac, directly God; which language of Josephus here, prepares us to
believe those other expressions of his, that Jesus was a wise man, if it
be lawful to call him a man, Antiq. B. XVIII. ch. 3. sect. 3, and of God
the Word, in his homily concerning Hades, may be both genuine. Nor is
the other expression of Divine Angel, used presently, and before, also
of any other signification.

[26] Josephus here calls Ismael a young child or infant, though he was
about 13 years of age; as Judas calls himself and his brethren young
men, when he was 47, and had two children, Antiq. B. II. ch. 6. sect.
8, and they were of much the same age; as is a damsel of 12 years old
called a little child, Mark 5:39-42, five several times. Herod is also
said by Josephus to be a very young man at 25. See the note on Antiq.
B. XIV. ch. 9. sect 2, and of the War, B. I. ch. 10. And Aristobulus
is styled a very little child at 16 years of age, Antiq. B. XV. ch. 2.
sect. 6, 7. Domitian also is called by him a very young child, when he
went on his German expedition at about 18 years of age, of the War, B.
VII. ch. 4. sect. 2. Samson's wife, and Ruth, when they were widows, are
called children, Antiq. B. V. ch. 8. sect. 6, and ch. 9. sect. 2 3.

[27] Note, that both here and Hebrews 11:17, Isaac is called Abraham's
only begotten son, though he at the same time had another son, Ismael.
The Septuagint expresses the true meaning, by rendering the text the
beloved son.

[28] Here is a plain error in the copies which say that king David
afterwards built the temple on this Mount Moriah, while it was certainly
no other than king Solomon who built that temple, as indeed Procopius
cites it from Josephus. For it was for certain David, and not Solomon,
who built the first altar there, as we learn, 2 Samuel 24:18, etc.; 1
Chronicles 21:22, etc.; and Antiq. B. VII. ch. 13. sect.