You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
One of the most mystic experiences which Abraham undergoes in his relationship with'God is in connection with the covenant of the pieces. It can best be described in the words of the Bible itself. (1)
And He said unto him: ‘Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other, put the birds he divided not. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him. And He said unto Abram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall pe a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great supstance. put thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt pe puried in a good old age.
And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.’ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down and there was thick darkness, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. In that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates; …’”