Reference: Patriarchs
Fausets
Heads of races, tribes, clans, and families. Abraham (Heb 7:4), Jacob's sons (Ac 7:8-9), David (Ac 2:29). The" patriarchal system" before Moses developed itself out of family relations, before the foundation of nations and regular governments. The "patriarchal dispensation" is the covenant between God and the godly seed, Seth, Noah, Abraham, and their descendants; the freedom of intercourse with God is simple and childlike, as contrasted with the sterner aspect of the Mosaic dispensation. It is the innocence of childhood, contrasted with the developed manhood of our Christian dispensation. The distinction between the seed of the woman and that of the serpent appears in God's revealing Himself to the chosen as He did not to the world; hence their history is typical (Ga 4:21-31; Heb 7:1-7; Mt 24:37-39; Lu 17:28-32; Ro 9:10-13).
Yet God is revealed as God not merely of a tribe, but of all the earth (Ge 18:25). All nations were to be blessed in Abraham. The Gentile Pharaoh and Abimelech have revelations. God is called "almighty" (Ge 17:1; 28:3; 35:11). Melchizedek, of Canaanite Salem, is His king priest, and He punishes Canaanite Sodom and Gomorrah. Authority is grounded on paternal right, its natural ground and source, even as God is the common Father of both patriarch and children. The birthright is the privilege of the firstborn, but requiring the father's confirmation. Marriage is sacred (Ge 34:7,13,31; 38:24). Intermarriage with idolaters is treason to God and the chosen seed (Ge 26:34-35; 27:46; 28:1,6-9). The patriarchs severally typify Him in whom all their several graces meet, without blemish.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to him saying, "I am the almighty God: walk before me and be uncorrupt.
That be far from thee, that thou shouldest do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked: that be far from thee. Should not the Judge of all the world do according to right?"
When Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri, an Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon, an Hittite also, which were disobedient unto Isaac and Rebekah.
And Rebekah spake to Isaac, "I am weary of my life, for fear of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such one as these are, or of the daughters of the land, what lust should I have to live?"
Then Isaac called Jacob his son and blessed him, and charged him and said unto him, "See thou take not a wife of the daughters of Canaan,
And God almighty bless thee, increase thee, and multiply thee that thou mayest be a number of people,
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him to Mesopotamia, to fetch him a wife thence, and that, as he blessed him he gave him a charge saying 'see thou take not a wife of the daughters of Canaan,' and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother, and was gone unto Mesopotamia: read more. and seeing also that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father: then went he unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth to be his wife.
And the sons of Jacob came out of the field as soon as they heard it, for it grieved them, and they were not a little wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel, in that he had lain with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done.
Then the sons of Jacob answered to Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dina their sister.
And God said unto him, "I am God almighty: grow and multiply; for people and a multitude of people shall spring of thee, yea and kings shall come out of thy loins.
And it came to pass that after three months, one told Judah, saying, "Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the whore, and with playing the whore is become great with child." And Judah said, "Bring her forth and let her be burnt."
As the time of Noah was, so likewise shall the coming of the son of man be. For as in the days before the flood: they did eat and drink, marry, and were married, even unto the day that Noah entered in to the ship, read more. and knew of nothing till the flood came and took them all away. So shall also the coming of the son of man be.
Likewise also, as it chanced, in the days of Lot. They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. And even the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. read more. "After these examples, shall it be in the day when the son of man shall appear. At that day, he that is on the housetop, and his stuff in the house: let him not come down to take it out. And likewise let not him that is in the fields, turn back again to that he left behind. Remember Lot's wife.
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David: For he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre remaineth with us unto his day.
And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and he begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, having indignation, sold Joseph into Egypt, and God was with him,
Neither was it so with her only: but also when Rebecca was with child by one, I mean by our father Isaac, yer the children were born, when they had neither done good neither bad - that the purpose of God, which is by election, might stand - it was said unto her, not by the reason of works, but by grace of the caller, read more. "The elder shall serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob he loved, but Esau he hated."
Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law: have ye not heard of the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. read more. Yea, and he which was of the bondwoman, was born after the flesh: but he which was of the freewoman, was born by promise. Which things betoken mystery. For these women are two testaments, the one from the mount Sinai, which gendreth unto bondage, which is Hagar. - For mount Sinai is called Hagar in Arabia, and bordereth upon the city which is now Jerusalem - and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free: which is the mother of us all. For it is written, "Rejoice thou barren, that bearest no children: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not. For the desolate hath many more children, than she which hath a husband." Brethren, we are, after the manner of Isaac, children of promise: But as then he that was born carnally, persecuted him that was born spiritually; Even so is it now. Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? "Put away the bondwoman and her son. For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman: but of the freewoman.
This Melchizedek, king of Salem - which being priest of the most high God, met Abraham, as he returned again from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him: to whom also Abraham gave tithes of all things - first is, by interpretation, king of righteousness, after that he is king of Salem, that is to say king of peace, read more. without father, without mother, without kin, and hath neither beginning of his time, neither yet end of his life: but is likened unto the son of God, and continueth a priest forever. Consider what a man this was, unto whom the patriarch Abraham gave tithes of the spoils.
Consider what a man this was, unto whom the patriarch Abraham gave tithes of the spoils. And verily those children of Levi, which receive the office of the priests, have a commandment to take according to the law, tithes of the people, that is to say, of their brethren, yea though they sprung out of the loins of Abraham. read more. But he whose kindred is not counted among them, received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And no man denieth but that which is less, receiveth blessing of him which is greater.
Watsons
PATRIARCHS. This name is given to the ancient fathers, chiefly those who lived before Moses, as Adam, Lamech, Noah, Shem, &c, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the sons of Jacob, and heads of the tribes. The Hebrews call them princes of the tribes, or heads of the fathers. The name patriarch is derived from the Greek patriarcha, "head of a family."