Comparison Between Merchant of Venice and The Bible

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Recommended: The merchant of venice’story background

SHYLOCK: What says that fool of Hagar's offspring, ha?

The Biblical Story

Genesis 16: 1-16

1 Now Sarai Abram�s wife bare him no children, and she had a maid an Egyptian, Hagar by name.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from child bearing. I pray thee go in unto my maid: it may be that I shall receive a child by her. And Abram obeyed the voice of Sarai.

3 Then Sarai Abram�s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelled ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram for his wife.

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. and when she saw that she had conceived, her dame was despised in her eyes.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, Thou doest me wrong. I have given my maid into thy bosom, and she seeth that she hath conceived, and I am despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

6 Then Abram said to Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand: do with her as it pleaseth thee. Then Sarai dealt roughly with her: wherefore she fled from her.

7 But the Angel of the Lord found her beside a fountain of water in the wilderness by the fountain in the way to Shur,

8 And he said, Hagar Sarai�s maid, whence comest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from my dame Sarai.

9 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, Return to thy dame, and humble thyself under her hands.

10 Again the Angel of the Lord said unto her, I will so greatly increase thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11 Also the Angel of the Lord said unto her, See, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael: for the Lord hath heard thy tribulation.

12 And he shall be a wild man: his hand shall be against every man, and every m...

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...tian: those who are "gentile" Christians (the vast majority) and those who are Jewish Christians (in other words, ethnic Jews who belong to the second category (above) of both "Jews" and "Christians."

David was descended from Abraham through Abraham's great-grandson Judah, whose father was Jacob, and whose grandfather was Isaac. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, who had twelve sons corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel (actually, not quite, because Levi became a tribe without a land of its own (they were the assistants to the priests and lived in specific cities throughout the land), and Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh were given a double portion of the inheritance (both of them had their own tribe, in a way)). - Peter Gaultney

Works Cited

�Ishmael.� Smith�s Bible Dictionary. April 5 2005. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/smith_w/bibledict.i.html?term=ishmael

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