SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:56
Abraham vuestro padre se goz por ver mi día; y lo vio, y se goz.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 8:56
Verse 56. Abraham rejoiced to see my day] Or, he earnestly desired to see my day; hgalliasato, from agan, very much, and allomai, I leap-his soul leaped forward in earnest hope and strong expectation that he might see the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The metaphor appears to be taken from a person who, desiring to see a long-expected friend who is coming, runs forward, now and then jumping up to see if he can discover him. There is a saying very like this in Sohar Numer fol. l11: "Abraham rejoiced because he could know, and perceive, and cleave to the Divine NAME." The Divine name is hwhy Yehovah; and by this they simply mean God himself. And he saw it] Not only in the first promise, Gen. iii. 15, for the other patriarchs saw this as well as he; and not only in that promise which was made particularly to himself, Gen. xii. 7; xxii. 18, (compared with Gal. iii. 16,) that the Messiah should spring from his family; but he saw this day especially when Jehovah appeared to him in a human form, Gen. xviii. 2, 17, which many suppose to have been a manifestation of the Lord Jesus.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day , etc.] Or he was desirous to see my day, as the Syriac and Arabic versions rightly render the word; or very desirous, as the Persic version: and indeed, this was what many kings and prophets, and righteous men, were desirous of, even of seeing the Messiah and his day: we often read of jymh twmy , the days of the Messiah: and the Jews, in their Talmud f405 , dispute much about them, how long they will be; one says forty years, another seventy, another three ages: it is the opinion of some, that they shall be according to the number of the days of the year, three hundred and sixty five years; some say seven thousand years, and others as many as have been from the beginning of the world; and others, as many as from Noah; but we know the day of Christ better, and how long he was here on earth; and whose whole time here is called his day; this Abraham had a very great desire to see: and he saw [it] and was glad ; he saw it with an eye of faith, he saw it in the promise, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; and when it was promised him he should have a son, which was the beginning of the fulfilment of the other, he laughed, and therefore his son was called Isaac, to which some reference is here made; he saw him in the birth of his son Isaac and rejoiced, and therefore called his name Isaac, that is, laughter: he saw also Christ and his day, his sufferings, death, and resurrection from the dead, in a figure; in the binding of Isaac, in the sacrifice of the ram, and in the receiving of Isaac, as from the dead; and he not only saw the Messiah in his type Melchizedek, and who some think was the Son of God himself, but he saw the second person, the promised Messiah, in an human form, ( Genesis 18:2); and all this was matter of joy and gladness to him. This brings to mind what the Jews say at the rejoicing at the law, when the book of the law is brought out f406 Abraham rejoiced with the rejoicing of the law, he that cometh shall come, the branch with the joy of the law; Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, rejoiced with the joy of the law; he that cometh shall come, the branch with the joy of the law.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 54-59 - Christ and all that are his, depend upon God for honour. Men may be able to dispute about God, yet may not know him. Such as know not God and obey not the gospel of Christ, are put together, 2Th 1:8. All wh rightly know anything of Christ, earnestly desire to know more of him Those who discern the dawn of the light of the Sun of Righteousness wish to see his rising. "Before Abraham was, I AM." This speaks Abraha a creature, and our Lord the Creator; well, therefore, might he make himself greater than Abraham. I AM, is the name of God, Ex 3:14; it speaks his self-existence; he is the First and the Last, ever the same Re 1:8. Thus he was not only before Abraham, but before all worlds, P 8:23; Joh 1:1. As Mediator, he was the appointed Messiah, long befor Abraham; the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Re 13:8. The Lord Jesus was made of God Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, an Redemption, to Adam, and Abel, and all that lived and died by faith in him, before Abraham. The Jews were about to stone Jesus for blasphemy but he withdrew; by his miraculous power he passed through them unhurt Let us stedfastly profess what we know and believe concerning God; an if heirs of Abraham's faith, we shall rejoice in looking forward to that day when the Saviour shall appear in glory, to the confusion of his enemies, and to complete the salvation of all who believe in him __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
αβρααμ 11 N-PRI ο 3588 T-NSM πατηρ 3962 N-NSM υμων 5216 P-2GP ηγαλλιασατο 21 5662 V-ADI-3S ινα 2443 CONJ ιδη 1492 5632 V-2AAS-3S την 3588 T-ASF ημεραν 2250 N-ASF την 3588 T-ASF εμην 1699 S-1ASF και 2532 CONJ ειδεν 1492 5627 V-2AAI-3S και 2532 CONJ εχαρη 5463 5644 V-2AOI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
56. Rejoiced (hgalliasato). With exultant joy. See on 1 Pet. i. 6. To see (ina idh). The Greek construction is peculiar. Literally, that he should see; i.e., in the knowledge or anticipation that he should see. My day. The exact meaning of the expression is altogether uncertain.
