Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 1. And Dinah — went out to see the daughters of the land.^ It is supposed that Jacob had been now about seven or eight years in the land, and that Dinah, who was about seven years of age when Jacob came to Canaan, was now about fourteen or fifteen. Why or on what occasion she went out we know not, but the reason given by Josephus is very probable, viz., that it was on one of their festivals.

Verse 2> Prince of the country'] i. e., Hamor was prince; Shechem was the son of the prince or chief. Our version appears to represent Shechem as prince, but his father was the chief of the country. See verses 6, 8, &c.

Verse 3. Spake kindly unto the damsel.^ Literally, he spake to the heart of the damsel — endeavoured to gain her affections, and to reconcile her to her dis-

5 And Jacob heard that he had

his sons were with his cattle in the field; and Jacob ^ held his peace until they were come.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they 'were very wroth, because he ^ had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter; ^ which thing ought not to be done.

grace. It appears sufllciently evident from this and the preceding verse that there had been no consent on the part of Dinah, that the whole was an act of violence, and that she was now detained by force in the house of Shechem. Here she was found when Simeon and Levi sacked the city, verse 26.

Verse 7. He had wrought folly in Israel] The land, afterwards generally called Israel, was not as yet so named; and the sons of Jacob were neither called Israel, Israelites nor Jews, till long after this. How then can it be said that Shechem had lorought folly in Israel? The words are capable of a more literal translation: Sxi'iJ'"'^ beyisrael, may be translated, against Israel. The angel had said. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob — not only Jacob, but Israel. It was this that aggravated the offence of Shechem; he wrought folly against Israel, the prince of God,

Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters

1 0 And ye shall dwell with us: and "" the land shall be before you; dwell and "^ trade ye therein, and ° get you possession therein.

1 1 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

1 2 Ask me never so much p dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel to wife.

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father i deceitfully, (and said, Because he had defiled Dinah their sister:)

1 4 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for ^ that were a reproach unto us:

1 5 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us;

in lying with the daughter of Jacob. Here both the names are given; Jacob, whose daughter was defiled, and Israel, the prince of God, against whom the offence was committed.

Verse 12. Ask me never so much doivri/] See on chap. xxix. 20, &c. See the law relative to this, Exod. xxii. 16, 17.

Verse 13. Answered — deceitfully^ Which nothing could excuse; yet, to show that they had had much provocation, it is immediately subjoined 11DT1 vaidabberu, they spoke thus because he had defied Dinah their sister; for so this parenthesis should be read.

A'^erse 14. That were a reproach unto us] Because the uncircumcised were not in the covenant of God; and to have given an heiress of the promise to one who had no kind of right to its spiritual blessings, from whom might spring children who would naturally walk in the way of their father, would have been absurd, reproachful, and wicked. Thus far they were perfectly right; but to make this holy principle a cloak for their deceitful and murderous purposes, was the full sum of all wickedness.

Verse 17. Then ivill we take our daughter, andive will be gone.] It is natural to suppose that the tribe 20f\

1 7 Biit if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he ivas ^ more honourable than all the house of his father.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

2 1 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they ore circumcised.

23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us

24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that * went out of the gate

of Hamor was very inconsiderable, else they would not have sought an alliance with the family of Jacob, and have come so readily into a painful, disgraceful measure, without having either the sanction of Divine authority or reason; for it does not appear that the sons of Jacob urged either. And they are threatened here that if they do not agree to be circumcised, Dinah shall be taken from them, and restored to her family; and this is probably what the Shechemitef saw they had not power at present to prevent.

Verse 23. Shall not their cattle and their substance — be ours?] This was a bait held out for the poor unsuspecting people of Hamor by their prince and his son, who were not much less deceived than the people themselves.

Verse 24. Every male ivas circumcised] These simple people must have had very great affection for their chief and his son, or have been under the influence of the most passive obedience, to have come so readily into this measure, and to have submitted to this rite. But the petty princes in Asiatic countries have ever been absolute and despotic, their subjects paying them the most prompt and blind obedience. I shall give a few examples from Mr. Richardson's Dissertations: — \

25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, " Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

26 And they slew Hamor and Shechemhis son with the ^ edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister,

28 They took their sheep, and their oxen,

" Abu Thaher, chief of the Carmathians, about the year nine hundred and thirty, ravaged the territory of Mecca, defiled the temple, and destroyed nearly 40,000 people. With only 500 horse he went to lay siege to Bagdad: the caliph's general, at the head of 30,000 men, marched out to seize him, but before he attacked him he sent an officer to summon him to surrender. ' How many men has the caliph's general V said Abu Thaher. ' Thirty thousand,' replied the officer ' Among them all,' says the Carmathian chief, ' has he got three like mine V Then, ordering his followers to approach, he commanded one to stab himself, another to throw himself from a precipice, and a third to plunge into the Tigi-is; all three instantly obeyed, and perished. Then turning to the officer, he said, ' He who has such troops needs not value the number of his enemies!'

" Hassan Sabat, one of those petty princes formerly known in Asia and Europe by the title Shcekh-ul-jibel, or old 7nan of the 7nountain, being required by an ambassador to do homage to his master, the Sultan Malekshah Jelaleddin, without giving any answer, ordered one of his attendants to poniard himself, and another to leap from the battlements of the tower; and he was instantly obeyed! Then turning to the ambassador, he said, ' Seventy thousand are thus attentive to my commands. Let this be my answer.'" On a principle of this kind w'e may account for the prompt obedience of the people of Hamor.

Verse 25. On the thh-d day, luhen they were sore'] When the inflammation was at the height, and a fever ensued which rendered the person utterly helpless, and his state critical, Simeon and Levi, the half brothers of Dinah, took each man his sioord, probably assisted by that portion of the servants which helped them to take care of the flock, came on the city boldly, nD3 betach, securely — without being suspected, and being in no danger of meeting with resistance, and sletv all the males. Great as the provocation was, and it certainly was very great, this was an act of unparalleled treachery and cruelty.

29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive; and spoiled even all that ivas in the house.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "^ Ye have ^ troubled me y to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: ^ and I b.eing few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

3 1 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?

sons, the remaining brothers of Simeon and Levi, spoiled the city. Though the others could slay the defenceless males, it was not likely that they could have carried away all the booty, with the women, children, and cattle; it is therefore most natural to suppose that the rest of the sons of Jacob assisted at last in the business.

Verse 30. Ye have troubled me] Brought my mind into great distress, and endangered my personal safety; to make me to stink — to render me odious to the surrounding tribes, so that there is every reason to suspect that when this deed is come abroad they will join in a confederacy against me, and extirpate my whole family. And had he not been under the peculiar protection of God, this in all human probability would have been the case; but he had prevailed with God, and he was also to prevail with men. That Jacob's resentment was not dissembled we have the fullest proof in his depriving these two sons of the birthright, which otherwise they had doubtless enjoyed. See chap. xlix. 5, 7, where some additional circumstances are related.

Verse 31. Should he deal with our sister as ictth a harlot J] On this outrage alone they vindicated their flagitious conduct. The word harlot first occurs here: the original is not lyjiVs pilegesh, which we render concubine, (see its explanation chap. xxii. 24,) but njU zonah, which ordinarily sfgnifies one who prostitutes herself to any person for hire. Our word harlot is said to have been derived from a very odd circumstance: Robert, duke of Normandy, seeing a fine-looking country girl dancing with her companions on the green, took her to his bed. She was.the daughter of a skinner, and her name was Arlotta; and of her William, surnamed The Conqueror, was born. Hence it is said all such women were from her called harlots, as William himself was usually termed the Bastard. But horelet, the diminutive of whore, is not a less likely derivation.

evil men; avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and

pass away, Prov. iv. 14, 15. Had not Dinah gone out to see the daughters of the land, and very possibly at one of their idolatrous festivals, she had not suffered the foul disgrace mentioned in this chapter. Not only prudence dictates that young women should keep at home, but God expressly commands it, Tit. ii. 5. Dinah got among idolaters, and thus partook of their iniquities; and this led to the most base and cruel transaction upon record. How true is the saying, Those ivho wander out of the way of understanding shall abide in the congregation of the dead! In the case before us blame seems to attach to all parties.

1. It was wrong in Jacob to suffer his daughter, alone and unprotected, to visit the daughters of the land.

2. It was excessively wicked in Shechem to take this advantage of the daughter of a respectable stranger, who had sought his friendship, and came to sojourn among his people, and whose righteous dealing they must have witnessed for at least seven years past. In his behalf we may say, and it would be unjust not to say it, that having done the mischief, and sinned deeply against the laws of hospitality, he wished to make all the reparation in his power; and therefore in the most frank and liberal manner he not only offered, but most pressingly entreated, permission to take Dinah to ivife. This was the utmost he could do in such a case. And in this he is a saint of the first order when compared with the noble and ignoble profligates who, while blaspheming the Christian name by continuing to assume it, commit all kinds of breaches on the virtue of simple females, and the peace of respectable families, and not only make no reparation, but glory in their shame.

3. It was diabolical in Jacobus sons to slay a whole tribe for the offence of one man, and especially as that one had offered to make all the restitution in his power. They required that Hamor, Shechem, and all their sub- »ects should be circumcised before they could conscien- ously consent to give their sister to Shechem in marriage. This required conformity was made the cloak of the most base and infamous designs. The simple unsuspecting Shechemites agreed to the proposal; and when rendered by this religious rite incapable of defending themselves, they were basely murdered by Simeon and Levi, and their city destroyed. Jacob, to his great honour, remonstrated against this barbarous and bloody act, committed apparently under the sanction of religion; and God showed his abhorrence of it by directing the patriarch, in his dying moments, to proscribe them from the blessings of the covenant, so that they barely retained a name among the tribes of Israel, being in general small, and ever disreputable, except merely in the service of the sanctuary, in which Levi was employed. How often since, notwithstanding this solemn warning, has the pure and benevolent religion of God been made, by wicked and designing men, a political stalking-horse to serve the basest purv poses, and a covert to the worst of crimes! But shall we find fault with the holy religion of the blessed God because wicked men have abused it 1 God forbid! Were it not so good as it really is, it would be incapable of such abuse. An evil cannot be abused, a good may; and the greater and the more acknowledged the good, the more liable to abuse. As every good is so capable of being abused, does he act wisely who argues against the use of the thing on this account 1 Shall we say that various kinds of grain, fruits, and aliments are a curse, because wicked men abuse them to the purposes of drunkenness and gluttony? This would argue an utter perversion of all reason: and is it not on such a pretext as this that many persons have ventured to call in question even the truths of Christianity 1

Whatever such men may be determined to thmk on the subject of this chapter, with the unprejudiced reader the ample and detailed relation which we have here of this barbarous transaction will appear an additional proof of the veracity and impartiality of the sacred historian

Tacob is commanded of God to go to Beth-el, and to build an altar there, 1. His exhortation to his family to put away all strange gods, dfC, 2, 3. They deliver them all up, and Jacob hides them in the earth, 4. They commence their journey, 5; com,e to Luz, 6; build there the altar El-beth-el, 7. Burial place of Deborah, RebekaVs nurse, 8. God appears again unto Jacob, 9. Blesses him and renetvs the promises, 10—13. To commemorate this manifestation of God, Jacob sets up a pillar, and calls the place Beth-el, 14, 15. They journey to Ephrath, tvhere Rachel, after hard labour, is delivered of Benjamin, and dies, 16—19. Jacob sets up a pillar on her grave, 20. They journey to Edar, 21. While at this place, Reuben defiles his father'' s bed, 22. Account of the children of Jacob, according to the mothers, 23-26. Jacob comes to Mamre to his father Isaac, ivho loas probably then in the one hundred and fifty -eighth year of his age, 27. Isaac dies, and is buried by his sons Esau and Jacob, 29.

A ND God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to * Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto

Terse 1. Arise, go up to Beth-cl] The transaction that had lately taken place rendered it unsafe for Jacob to dwell any longer at the city of Shechem; and it seems that while he was reflecting on the horrible act of Simeon and Levi, and not knowing what to do, God graciously appeared to him, and commanded him to go up to Beth-el, build an altar there, and

with him, Put away ^ the strange gods that are among you, and ^be clean, and change your garments:

3 And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, ^ who answered me in the day of my distress, ^ and was with me in the way which I went.

4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their ' ear-rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under ^ the oak which was by Shechem.

Verse 2. Put away the strange gods] lOJn "Tlbx elohey hannechar, the gods of the foreigners, which were among them. Jacob's servants were all Syrians, and no doubt were addicted less or more to idolatry and superstition. These gods might belong to the7n, or, as some have conjectured, they were the teraphim which Rachel stole; but these have already been supposed to be astrological tables, or something of this kind, called by Laban his gods, because by them he supposed he could predict future events, and that they referred to certain astral and planetary intelligences, by whose influences sublunary things were regulated. But it is more natural to suppose that these gods found now in Jacob's family were images of silver, gold, or curious workmanship, which were found among the spoils of the city of Shechem. Lest these should become incitements to idolatry, Jacob orders them to be put away.

Be clean, and change your garments^ Personal or outward purification, as emblematical of the sanetification of the soul, has been in use among all the true worshippers of God from the beginning of the world. In many cases the law of Moses more solemnly enjoined rites and ceremonies which had been in use from the

earliest ages. " A Hindoo considers those clothes defiled in which he has been employed in business, and always changes them before eating and worship." — Ward.

Verse 3. Answered me in the day of my distress] Not only when he fled from the face of his brother, but more particularly when he was in his greatest strait at the brook of Jabbok.

Verse 4. Ayid — ear-rings which were in their ear*] Whether these rings were in the ears of the gods, or in those of Jacob's family, we may rest assured that they were not mere ornaments, but served for superstitious purposes. Ear-rings were certainly worn as amulets and charms, first consecrated to some god, or formed under some constellation, on which magical characters and images were dravm. A very ancient and beautiful one of this kind brought from Egypt, cut

cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6 So Jacob came to ^ Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, (that is, Beth-el,) he and aU the people that were with him.

7 And he " built there an altar, And called the place ° El-beth-el: because p there God appeared unto him, when he fled from thfc face of his brother.

8 But 1 Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, anc she was buried beneath Beth-el, under an oak and the name of it was called ^ Allon-bachuth-

out of a solid piece of cornelian, now lies before me. It was evidently intended for the ear, as the opening is too small for any human finger; and it is engraved all over with strange characters and images, whicl prove that it was intended for a talisman or amulei It seems to be such a one as St. Augustine describes Epist. 73, which was suspended from the tip of the ears both of men and women, not for the purpose pf ornament, but through an execrable superstition, for the service of demons. " Execranda superstitio ligaturarum, in quibus etiam inaures virorum in summis ex una parte auriculis suspense deputantur, non ad placendum hominibus, sed ad serviendum dasmonibus." See the notes on chap. xxiv. 22.

Verse 5. The terror of God] A supernatural awe sent by the Almighty, was 4ipon the cities that were round about, so that they were not molested in their departure. This could be owing to nothing less than the especial providence of God.

Verse 7. El-beth-el] Sn nO Sx, the strong God, the house of the strong God. But the first Sn el is wanting in one of De Rossi's MSS., as it is also in the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and some copies of the Arabic. The sentence reads much better without it, and much more consistent with the parallel passages.

Verse 8. But Deborah, Rebekah''s nurse, died] She was sent with Rebekah when taken by Abraham's servant to be wife to Isaac, chap. xxiv. 59. How she came to be in Jacob's family, expositors are greatly puzzled to find out; but the text does not state that she ivas in JacoFs family. Her death is mentioned merely because Jacob and" his family had now arrived at the place where she was buried, and the name of that place was called Allon-hachuth, " the oak of weeping," as it is likely her death had been greatly regretted, and a general and extraordinary mourning had taken place on the occasion. Of Rebekah's death we know nothing. After her counsel to her son, chap, xxvii., we hear no more of her history from the sacred writings, except of her burial in chap. xlix. 31. Her name is written in the dust. And is not this designed as a mark of the disapprobation of God 1 It

10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: * thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, " but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

1 1 And God said unto him, ^ 1 am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; ^ a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins:

1 2 And the land ^ which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

1 3 And God y went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

14 And Jacob ^ set up a pillar in the place

seems strange that such an inconsiderable person as a nurse should be mentioned, when even the person she brought up is passed by unnoticed! It has been observed that the nurse of ^neas is mentioned nearly in the same way by the poet Virgil; and in the circumstances, in both cases, there is a striking resemblance.

" Tu quoque littoribus nostris, ^neia nutrix, iEternam moriens famam, Caieta, dedisti: Et nunc servat hones sedem tunus; ossaque nomen, Hesperia in magna, (si qua est ea gloria,) signal. At pius exequiis ^neas rite solutis, Aggere composite tumuli, postquam alta quierunt ^quora, tendit iter velis, portumque relinquit." JEiH., lib. vii., ver. 1, &c.

" Thou too, Cajeta, whose indulgent cares Nursed the great chief, and form'd his tender years, Expiring here (an ever-honour'd name!) Adorn Hesperia with immortal fame: Thy name survives, to please thy pensive ghost; Thy sacred relics grace the Latian coast. Soon as her funeral rites the prince had paid, And raised a tomb in honour of the dead; The sea subsiding, and the tempests o'er, He spreads the flying sails, and leaves the shore."

Verse 9. God appeared unto Jacob again'l He appeared to him first at Shechem, when he commanded him to go to Beth-el, and now that he is arrived at the place, God appears to him the second time, and reconfirms to him the Abrahamic blessing. To Isaac and Jacob these frequent appearances of God were necessary, but they were not so to Abraham; for to hiin one word was sufficient — Abraham believed God.

1 5 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, ^ Beth-el.

16 And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but "" a little way to come to Ephrath ■ and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her. Fear not; *= thou shalt have this son also.

18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died,) that she called his name "^ Ben-oni: but his father called him ^ Benjamin.

1 9 And ^ Rachel died, and was buried in the way to ^ Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem.

of my sorrow. ^ That is, the son of the right hand. ' Chap.

heaven. This was no doubt the future Saviour, the Angel of the covenant. See chap. xvi. 7.

Verse 14. A drink-offering] "]DJ nesech, a libation These were afterwards very common in all countries. At first they consisted probably of ivater only, afterwards tvine was used; see on Lev. vii. 1, &c. The pillar which Jacob set up was to commemorate the appearance of God to him; the drink-offering and the oil were intended to express his gratitude and devotion to his preserver. It was probably the same pillar which he had set up before, which had since been thrown down, and which he had consecrated afresh to

Verse 16. There was but a little toay to come to Ephrath] The word m3D kibrath, translated here a little way, has greatly perplexed commentators. It occurs only here, in chap, xlviii. 7, and 2 Kings v. 19; and it seems to have been some sort of measure applied to land, as we say a mile, an acre, a rood, a perch; but what the exact quantity of the kibrath was cannot be ascertained. Ephrath, called also Bethlehem, and Bethlehem Ephrata, was the birthplace of our blessed Redeemer. See its meaning Malt. ii. 6.

Verse 18. ^4^ her soul tvas in departing] Is not this a proof that there is an immortal spirit in man, which can exist separate from and independent of the body 1 Of Rachel's death it is said, niyS] PXi'D betseth naphshah, in the going away of her soul; her body did not go away, therefore her soul and body must have been distinct. If her breath only had been intended, no'wyj neshamah or nil ruach would have rather been used, as the first means breath, the latter breath or spirit indifferently.

She called his name Ben-oni] ""JIX p the son of my sorrow or afflict ion, heca.nse of the hard labour sheh3,d in bringing him into the world; but his father called him Benjamin, i'"D'J3, the son of my right hand, i. e., the son peculiarly dear to me. So man of the right

20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave ^ unto this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his lent beyond ^ the tower of Edar.

22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and ^ lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

handi Psa. Ixxx. 17, signifies one much loved and regarded of God. The Samaritan has Benyamin, the son of days; i. e., the son of his old age, as Judah calls him, chap. xliv. 20; and Houbigant contends that this is the true reading, and that the Chaldee termination in for im is a corruption. If it be a corruption, it is as old as the days of St. Jerome, who translates the place Benjamin, id est, filius dextrcR; Benjamin, that is, the son of the right hand.

Verse 20. Jacob set a pillar upon her grave} Was not this the origin of funeral monuments T In ancient times, and among rude nations, a heap of stones designated the burial place of the chief; many of these still remain in different countries. Afterwards a rude stone, with a simple inscription, was. used, containing only the name of the deceased, and that of his father. But where arts and sciences flourished, superb monuments were erected highly decorated, and pompously inscribed. It is very likely from the circumstances of Jacob that a single stone constituted the pillar in this case, on which, if writing did then exist, the name, or rather some hieroglyphical device, was probably inscribed. That which is now called RacheVs pillar is allowed, by those who have examined it, to be a comparatively modern structure. "

Verse 21. Tower of Edar.] Literally, the tower of the jiock, and so translated Mic. iv. 8. It is supposed that this tower was about a mile from Bethlehem, and to have been the place where the angels appeared to the shepherds. The Targum of Jonathan expressly 6ays: " It is the place in which the King Messiah shall be manifested in the end of days." By the tower of the flock we may understand a place built by the shepherds near to some well, for the convenience of watering their flocks, and keeping watch over them by night.

Verse 22. Reuben went and lay ivith Bilhah his fathers concubine] Jonathan, in his Targum, says that Reuben only overthrew the bed of Bilhah, which was set up opposite to the bed of his mother Leah, and that this was reputed to him as if he had lain with her. The colouring given to the passage by the Targumist is, that Reuben was incensed, because he found Bilhah preferred after the death of Rachel to his ovra mother Leah; and therefore in his anger he overthrew her couch. The same sentiment is repeata

26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.,

27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto ^ Mamre, unto the ° city of Arbah, (which is Hebron,) where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

ed by Jonathan, and glanced at by the Jerusalem Targum, chap. xlix. 4. Could this view of the subject be proved to be correct, both piety and candour would rejoice.

A7id Israel heard it.] Not one word is added farther in the Hebrew text; but a break is left in the verse, opposite to which there is a Masoretic note, which simply states that thei-e is a hiatus in the verse. This hiatus the Septuagint has thus supplied: nac novtjpov e(pav7i evavTtov avrov, and it appeared evil in his sight.

Now the sons of Jacob ivere twelve] Called afterwards the twelve patriarchs, because they became heads or chiefs of numerous families or tribes, Acts vii. 8; and the people that descended from them are called the twelve tribes. Acts xxvi. 7; James i. 1., Twelve princes came from Ishmael, chap. xxv. 16, who were heads of families and tribes. And in reference to the twelve patriarchs, our Lord chose twelve apostles. Strictly speaking, there were thirteen tribes among the Hebrews, as Ephraim and Manasses were counted for tribes, chap, xlviii. 5, 6; but the Scripture in naming them, says Mr. Ainsw^orth, usually sets down but twelve, omitting the name now of one, then of another, as may in sundry places be observed, Deut. xxxiii.; Ezek. xlviii.; Rev. vii., &c.

Verse 2 3. The sons of Leah] The children are arranged under their respective mothers, and not in order of their birth.

Verse 26. Born to him in Padan-aram.] i. e., all but Benjamin was born in Canaan, ver. 16, 17.

It is well known that Padan-aram is the same as Mesopotamia, and hence the Septuagint translate MeaoTiOTa/zia rric Iivpiag, Mesopotamia of Syria. The word signifies between the two rivers, from fieaoc, the midst, and TroTufiog, a river. It is situated between the Euphrates and Tigris, having Assyria on the east, Arabia Deserta, with Babylonia, on the south, Syria on the ivest, and Armenia on the north. It is now the province of Diarbek, in Asiatic Turkey, and is sometimes called Maverannahar, the country beyond the river; and Aram Naharaim, Aram or Syria of the two rivers.

See chap, xxiii. 2. It has been conjectured that Jacob must have paid a visit to his father before this

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost and died,

Canaan; but now, as he was approaching to his end, Jacob is supposed to have gone to live with and comfort him in his declining days.

Verse 29. Isaac gave up the ghost — and was gathered unto his people] See on chap. xxv. 8.

Esau and Jacob buried him.] See chap. xxv. 9. Esau, as we have seen chap, xxxiii., was thoroughly reconciled to his brother Jacob, and now they both join in fraternal and filial affection to do the last kind office to their amiable father. It is generally allowed that the death of Isaac is mentioned here out of its chronological order, as several of the transactions mentioned in the succeeding chapters, especially xxxvii. and xxxviii., must have happened during his life; but that the history of Joseph might not be disturbed, his death is anticipated in this place. It is supposed that he lived at least twelve years after Joseph was sold into Egypt.

This chapter contains several subjects which are well worthy of the reader's most serious attention.

1. That such a family as that of Jacob should have had false gods in it, is a matter not less astonishing than real: and suppose that we allow, as is very probable, that their images and rings were got from strangers, the Syrians and the Shechemites/ yet their being tolerated in the family, though it is probable tliis was for a very short time, cannot be easily accounted for. It is true the law was not then given, and the unity of God not so particularly taught as it was afterwards. Besides, we have already seen that certain superstitions were compatible in those early times with general sincerity and attachment to the truth; those times and acts of ignorance were winked at, till superior liglit shone upon the world. Between many of the practices of Laban's family and those of the surrounding heathenish tribes, there might have been but little difference; and this was probably the reason why Dinah could so readily mix with the daughters of the land, chap, xxxiv. 1, which led to the fatal consequences already reviewed. Sin is like the letting out of water— when once a breach is made in the dyke, the stream becomes determined to a wrong course, and its ■progress is soon irresistible. Had not Jacob put away these strange gods, the whole family might have been infected with idolatry. This saying of one of the ancients is good, Vitia transmittit ad posteros, qui prtEsentibus culpis ignoscit. — Seneca. " He who is indulgent to present offences, transmits sin to posterity.'''' The first motions of it should be firmly resisted; after struggles are too often fruitless.

2. The doctrine of s, particular and especial providence has another proof in this chapter. After the Banguinary conduct of Jacob's sons, is it not surprising that the neighbouring tribes did not join together and extirpate the whole family 1 And so they certainly would, had not the terror of God fallen upon them, ver. 5. Jacob and the major part of his family were innocent of this great transgression; and on the preservation of their lives, the accomplishment of great events depended; therefore God watches over them, and shields them from the hands of their enemies.

3. The impatience and fate of the amiable Rachel, who can read of without deploring T Give me children, said she, or else I die, chap. xxx. 1. Her desire was granted, and her death was the consequence! God's way is ever best. We know not what we ask, nor what we ought to ask, and therefore often ask amiss when we petition for such secular things as belong to the dispensations of God's providence. For things of this kind we have no revealed directory; and when we ask for them, it should be with the deepest submission to the Divine will, as God alone knows what is best for us. With respect to the soul, every thing is clearly revealed, so that we may ask and receive, and have a fulness of joy; but as to our bodies, there is much reason to fear that the answer of our petitions would be, in numerous cases, our inevitable destruction. How many prayers does God in mercy shut out!

4. The transgression of Reuben, of whatsoever kind, was marked, not only by the displeasure of his father, but by that of God also; see chap. xlix. 4. It brought a curse upon him, and he forfeited thereby the right of primogeniture and the priesthood: the first was given to Judah, the second to Levi. Is it not in reference to this that our Lord addresses these solemn words to the angel of the Church of Philadelphia: Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast ivhich thou hast, that NO MAN TAKE THT CROWN? A man, by sowing a grain of forbidden sweets, may reap an abundant harvest of eternal wretchedness. Reader, let not si7i rob thee of the kingdom of God.

5. Here we have the death of Isaac recorded: most that can can be said of his character has been already anticipated, see chap, xxii., &c. He appears to have been generally pious, deeply submissive and obedient. He was rather an amiable and good, than a great and useful, man. If compared with his son Jacob, in the early part of their lives, he appears to great advantage, as possessing more sincerity and more personal piety. But if compared with his father Abraham, O, what a falling off" is here! Abraham is the most perfect character under the Old Testament, and even under the New he has no parallel but St. Paul. Isaac, though falling far short of his father's excellences, will ever remain a pattern of piety and filial obedience

The genealogy of Esau, i. e., his sons, hy his Canaanitish wives Adah, Aholibamah, and Bashemath, 1—3. The children of Adah and Bashemath, 4. Of Aholibamah, 5. Esau departs from Canaan and goes to Mount Seir, 6-8. The generations of Esau, i. e., his grandchildren, while in Seir, 9-19. The generations qfSeir, the Horite, 20-30. Anah finds mules (Yemim) in the wilderness, 24. The kings which reigned in Edam, 31-39. The dukes that succeeded them, 40-43.

2 ^ Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the

daughter of Elon the Hittite, and " Ahohbamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

and all the ^ persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and

Verse 1. These are the generations of Esau'\ We have here the genealogy of Esau in his sons and grandsons, and also the genealogy of Seir the Horite." The genealogy of the sons of Esau, born in Canaan, is related ver. 1-8; those of his grandchildren born in Seir, 9-19; those of Seir the Horite, 20-30. The generations of Esau are particularly marked, to show how exactly God fulfilled the promises he made to him, chap. XXV. and x.xvii.; and those of Seir the Horite are added, because his family became in some measure blended with that of Esau.

Verse 2. His icives'] It appears that Esau's wives went by very different names. Aholibamah is named Judith, chap. xxvi. 34; Adah is called Bashemath in the same place; and she who is here called Bashemath is called Mahalath, chap, xxviii. 9. These are variations which cannot be easily accounted for; and they are not of sufficient importance to engross much time. It is well known that the same persons in Scripture are often called by different names. See the Table of variations, chap, xxv., where there are some slight examples.

Anah the daughter of Zibeon] But this same Anah is said to be the soii of Zibeon, ver. 24, though in this

7 ^ For their riches were more than- that they might dwell together; and ^ the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them, because of their cattle.

8 Thus dwelt Esau in ^ mount Seir: ^ Esau is Edom.

9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of ^ the Edomites in mount Seir.

of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz ° Amalek: these tuere the sons of Adah Esau's wife.

and the fourteenth verse he is said to be the daughter of Zibeon. But the Samaritan, the Septuagint, (and the St/riac, in ver. 2,) read son instead of daughter^ which Houbigant and Kennicott contend to be the true reading. Others say that daughter should be referred to Aholibamah, who was the daughter of Anah, and granddaughter of Zibeon. I should rather prefer the reading of the Samaritan, Septuagint, and Syriac, and read, both here and in ver. 14, "Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the son of Zibeon," and then the whole will agree with verse 24.

Verse 6. Esau took his wives, dfC-l So it appears that Esau and Jacob dwelt together in Canaan, whither the former removed fromSeir, probably soon after the return of Jacob. That they were on the most friendlyfooting this sufficiently proves; and Esau shows the same dignified conduct as on other occasions, in leaving Canaan to Jacob, and returning again to Mount Seir; certainly a much less fruitful region than that which he now in behalf of his brother voluntarily abandoned.

Verse 12. Timna was concubine to Eliphaz] As Timna was sister to Lotan the Horite, ver. 22, we see how the family of Esau and the Horites got intermixed. This might give the sons of Esau a pre-

13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah,

Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

14 And these were the sons of Ahohbamah, the daughter of

and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and

and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Ehphaz in the land of Edom: these were the sons of Adah.

17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom: these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah

text to seize the land, and expel the ancient inhabitants, as we find they did, Deut. ii. 12.

Verse 15. Dukes of the sons of Esau] The word duke comes from the Latin dux, a captain or leader. The Hebrew fjl^x alluph has the same signification; and as it is also the term for a thousand, which is a grand capital or leading number, probably the '£)lSx alluphey or dukes had this name from being leaders of or captains over a company of one thousand men; just as those among the Greeks called chiliarchs, which signifies the same; and as the Romans called those centurions who were captains over one hundred men, from the Latin word centum, which signifies a hundred. The ducal government was that which prevailed first among the Idumcans, or descendants of Esau. Here fourteen dukes are reckoned to Esau, seven that came of his wife Adah, four of Bashemath, and three ■Nof Aholibamah.

Verse 16. Duke Korah] This Dr. Kennicott pronounces to be an interpolation " It is certain, from verse 4, that Eliphaz was Esau's son by Adah; and from verses 11, 12, that Eliphaz had but six sons, Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and Amalek. It is also certain, from verses 5 and 14, that Korah was the son of Esau (not of Eliphaz) by Aholibamah; and as such he is properly mentioned in ver. 18: These are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife: duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah. It is clear, there-

19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

22 And the children of Lotan A. M. cir. 2248.

23 And the children of Shobal were these; * Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, * Shepho, and Onam.

24 And these are the children of Zibeon, both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found " the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

fore, that some transcriber has improperly inserted duke Korah in the 16th verse; from which interpolation both the Samaritan text and the Samaritan version are free." — Kennicott's Remarks. Everything considered, I incline to the opinion that these words were not originally in the text.

Verse 20. These are the sons of Seir the Horite] These Horites were the original inhabitants of the country of Seir, called the land of the Horites, and afterwards the land of the Idumeans, when the descendants of Esau had diriven them out. These people are first mentioned chap. xiv. 6.

Verse 21. These are the dukes of the Horites] It appears pretty evident that the Horites and the descendants of Esau were mixed together in the same land, as before observed; and Calmet has very properly remarked, that if we compare this verse with verse 30, there were princes of Seir in the country of Seir, and in that of Edom; and in comparing the generations of Seir and Esau, we are obliged to consider these princes as contemporary.

Verse 24. This was that Anah that found the jyiules in the wilderness] The words DD'H nx eth haii/emim, here translated mules, has given rise to a great variety of conjectures and discordant opinions. St. Jero?ne, who renders it aquas calidas, luarm springs, or hot baths, says there are as many opinions concerning it as there are commentators.

The Septuagint has tov lapecv, which seems to be the name of a man; but this is expressed in a great variety of ways in different MSS. of that version a

25 And the children of Anah we'^ e these; Dishon, and Ahohbamah the daughter of Anah.

26 And these a?-e the children of Dishon; ^ Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and '■'' Akan.

28 The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.

29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,

The Syriac renders it J i iC* maye, waters; the author of this version having read in the Hebrew copy from which he translated, D"D mayim, waters, for DD' yemim, the two first letters being transposed.

On^e/o5 translates the word N'lJJ gibbaraiy a, giants, or strong or powerful men.

The Samaritan text has 'Unt^ttt^X haaimim, and the Samaritan version (TfAviinf-A^ -iSV am aimai, the Emim, a warlike people, bordering upon the Horites.

The Targum o^ Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases the place thus: " This is the Anah who united the onager with the tame ass, and in process of time he found mules produced by them." R. D. Kimchi says, that " Zibeon was both the father and brother of Anah; and this Anah, intent on heterogeneous mixtures, caused asses and horses to copulate, and so produced mules." R. S. Jarchi is of the same opinion. See his comment on this place.

Bochart believes the Emim are meant; and argues forcibly, 1. That X}f D matsa, he found, never signifies to invent, but rather the meeting tvith or happening on a thing which already exists. 2. That mules are never called DO^ yemim 'in the Scriptures, but oni-J peradim. 3. That Anah fed asses only, not horses. And, 4. That there is no mention of mules inJPalestine till the days of David. From the whole he concludes that the Emim are meant, with whom Anah. fought; and he brings many places of Scripture where the same form of expression, he or they found, signifies the onset to battle, Judg. i. 5; 1 Sam. xxxi. 3; 1 Kings xiii. 24; 2 Chron. xxii. 8; Num. xxxv. 27; Gen. iv. 14; with many others. See the Hierozoicon, vol. i., cap. 21, p. 238., edit. 1692.

Gusset, in Comment. Heb. Ling., examines what Bochart has asserted, and supposes that mules, not the Emim, were found by Anah.

Wagenseil would credit what Bochart has asserted, did not stronger reasons lead him to believe that the word means a sort of plant!

From the above opinions and versions the reader may choose which he likes best, or invent one for him- j self My own opinion is, that mules were not known j before the time of Anah; and that he was probably the first who coupled the mare and ass together to ■ produce this mongrel, or was the first who met with creatures of this race in some very secluded part of;

dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

the wilderness. Is it not probable that from this Anah, or nJJ^ enah, the Enetce derived at least their fabulous origin, whom Homer mentions as famous for their race of ivild mules?

The EnetcE or Henetcs, who were, a people contiguous to Paphlagonia, Cappadocia, and Galatia, might have derived their origin from this Anah, or Henah, out of which the Eve-oi of the ancient Greek writers might have been formed; and according toTheophrastus, Strabo, and Plutarch, the first mules were seen among these people. See Ludov. De Dieu and Scheuchzer.

Verse 31. Before there reigned any king over — Israel.] I suppose all the verses, from this to the 39th inclusive, have been transferred to this place from 1 Chron. i. 43-50, as it is not likely they could have been written by Moses; and it is quite possible they might have been, at a very early period, written in the margin of an authentic copy, to make out the regal succession in Edom, prior to the consecration of Saul; which words being afterwards found in the margin of a valuable copy, from which others were transcribed, were supposed by the copyist to be a part of the text, which having been omitted by the mistake of the original writer, had been since added to make up the deficiency; on this conviction he would not hesitate to transcribe them consecutively in his copy. In most MSS. sentences and paragraphs have been left out by the copyists, which, when perceived, have been added in the margin, either by the original ^^Titer, or by some later hand. Now, as the margin was the ordinary place where glosses or explanatory notes were written, it is easy to conceive how the notes, as well as the parts of the original text found in the margin, might be all incorporated with the text by a future transcriber; and his MSS., being often copied, would of course multiply the copies with such additions, as we have much reason to believe has been the case. This appears very frequently in the Vulgate and Septuagint; and an English Bible now before me, written some time in the fourteenth century, exhibits several proofs of this= principle. See the prefnce to this work. 21.T

smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city ivas Avith. A. M. cir. 2261. 36 And Hadad died, and

I know there is another way of accounting for those words on the ground of their being \vritten originally by Moses; but to me it is not satisfactory. It is simply this: the word king should be considered as implying any kind of regular government, whether by chiefs, dukes, judges, dfc, and therefore when Moses says these are the kings which reigned in Edom, before there was any king in Israel, he may be only understood as saying that these kings reigned among the Edomites before the family of Jacob had acquired any considerable power, or before the time in which his twelve sons had become the fathers of those numerous tribes, at the head of which, as king himself in, Jeshurun, he now stood.

Esau, after his dukes, had eight kiiigs, who reigned successively over their people, while Israel were in affliction in Egypt.

Verse 33. Jolab the son of Zerah'] Many have supposed that Johab is the same as Job, so remarkable for his afflictions and patience; and that Eliphaz, mentioned verse 10, &c., was the same who in the book of Job is called one of his friends: but there is no proper proof of this, and there are many reasons against it.

Verse 35. Smote Midian in the field of Moah] Bishop Cumberland supposes that this was Midian, the son of Abraham by Keturah, and that he was killed by Hadad some time before he was one hundred and nine years of age; and that Moses recorded this, probably, because it w-as a calamity to the ancestor of Jethro, his father-in-law. — Orig. of Nat., p. 14.

Verse 40. These are the names of the dukes that came of Esau] These dukes did not govern the whole nation of the Idumeans, but they were chiefs in their respective yami7te5, in their places — the districts they governed, and to which they gave their names. Calmet thinks that those mentioned above were dukes in Edom

ed in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Hatred, the daughter of Mezahab.

43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: '^ these he the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their '^ possession: he is Esau the ^ father of the Edomites.

Verse 43. He is Esau the father of the Edomites.] That is, The preceding list contains an account of the posterity of Esau, who was the father of Edom. Thus ends Esau''s history; for after this there is no farther account of his life, actions, or death, in the Pentateuch.

1. As Esau is so considerable a person in polemic divinity, it may be necessary, in this place especially, to say something farther of his conduct and character. I have already, in several places, endeavoured, and I hope successfully, to wipe off the odium that has been thrown upon this man, (see the notes on chap, xxvii. and chap, xxxiii.,) without attempting to lessen his faults; and the unprejudiced reader must see that, previously to this last account we have of him, his character stands without a blot, except in the case of selling his birthright, and his purpose to destroy his brother. To the first he was led by his famishing situation and the unkindness of his brother, who refused to save his life but on this condition; and the latter, made in the heat of vexation and passion, he never attempted to execute, even when he had the most ample means and the fairest opportunity to do it.

Dr. Shuckford has drawn an impartial character of Esau, from which I extract the following particulars: " Esau was a plain, generous, and honest man, for we have no reason, from any thing that appears in his life or actions, to think him wicked beyond other men of his age or times; and his generous and good temper appears from all his behaviour towards his brother. When they first met he was all humanity and affection, and he had no uneasiness when he fcund that Jacob followed him not to Seir, but went to live near his father. And at Isaac's death we do not find that he made any difficulty of quitting Canaan, which was the very point which, if he had harboured any latent (evil) intentions, would have revived all his resentments. He is indeed called in Scripture the profane Esau; and it is written, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated; but there is, I think, no reason to infer, from any of those expressions, that Esau was a very wicked man, or that God hated or punished him for an immoral life. For, 1. The sentence here against him is said expressly to be founded, not upon his actions, for it was determined before the children had done good or evil. 2. God's hatred of Esau was not a hatred which induced him to punish him with any evil, for he was as happy in all the blessings of this life as either Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob; and his posterity had a land designed by God to be their possession, as well as the children of Jacob, and they were put in possession of it much sooner than the Israelites; and God was pleased to protect them in the enjoyment of it, and to caution the Israelites against invading them with a remarkable strictness, Deut. ii. 4, 5. And as God was pleased thus to bless Esau and his children in the blessings of this life, even as much as he blessed Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, if not more, why may w-e not hope to find him with them at the last day, as well as Lot or Job or any other good and virtuous man, who was not designed to be a partaker of the blessing given to Abraham? 3. All the punishment inflicted on Esau was an exclusion from being heir to the blessing promised to Abraham and to his seed, which was a favour not granted to Lot, to Job, to several other very virtuous and good men. 4. St. Paul, in the passage before cited, only intends to show the Jews that God had all along given the favours that led to the Messiah where he pleased; to Abraham, not to Lot; to Jacob, not to Esau; as at the time St. Paul wrote the Gentiles were made the people of God, not the Jews. 5. Esau is indeed called profane, {jBsjSTtXoc,) but I think that word does not mean ivicked or immoral, aaefiTjg or afiapru- Aof • he was called profane for not having that due value for the priest's office which he should have had; and therefore, though I think it does not appear that he was cut off from being the heir of the promises by any pp.rticular action in his life, yet his turn of mind and thoughts do appear to have been such as to evidence that God's purpose towards Jacob was founded on the truest wisdom." — Shuckford's Connections, vol. ii., p. 174, &c.

The truth is, the Messiah must spring from some omK family, and God chose Abraham''s through Isaac, Jacob, dfc, rather than the same through Ishmael, Esau, and the others in that line; but from this choice it does not follow that the first were all necessarily saved, and the others necessarily lost, t

2. To some the genealogical lists in this chapter will doubtless appear uninteresting, especially those which concern Esau and his descendants; but it was as necessary to register the generations of Esau as to register those of Jacob, in order to show that the Messiah did not spring from the former, but that he did spring from the latter. The genealogical tables, so frequently met with in the sacred writings, and so little regarded by Christians in general, are extremely useful. 1. As they are standing proofs of the truth of the prophecies, which stated that the Messiah should come from a particular family, which prophecies were clearly fulfilled in the birth of Christ. 2. As they testify, to the conviction of the Jews, that the Messiah thus promised is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who incontestably sprang from the last, the only remaining branch of the family of David. These registers were religiously preserved aniong the Jews till the destruction of Jerusalem, after which they were all destroyed, insomuch that there is not a Jew in the universe who can trace himself to the family of David; consequently, all expectation of a Messiah to come is, even on their own principles, nugatory and absurd, as nothing remains tcjUfiffitimate his birth. When Christ came all these registers were in existence. When St. Matthew and St. Luke wrote, all these registers were still in existence; and had they pretended what could not have been supported, an appeal to the registers would have convicted them of a falsehood. But no Jew attempted to do this, notwithstanding the excess of their malice against Christ and his followers; and because they did not do it, we ma)' safely assert no Jew could do it. Thus i\\e foundation standeth sure acob continues to sojourn in Canaan, 1. Joseph, being seventeen years of age, is employed in feeding the flocks of his father, 2. Is loved by his father more than the rest of his brethren, 3. His brethren envy him, 4. His dream of the sheaves, 5—7. His brethren interpret it, and hate him on the account, 8. His dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars, 9—11. Jacob sends him to visit~his brethren, who ivere with the flock in Shechem, 13, 14. He wanders in the field, and is directed to go to Dothan, whither his brethren had removed the flocks, 15—17. Seeing him coming they conspire to destroy him, 18-20. Reuben, secretly intending to deliver him, counsels his brethren not to kill, but to put him into a pit, 21, 22. They strip Joseph of his coat of many colours, and put him into a pit, 23, 24. They afterwards draw him out, and sell him to a company of Ishmaelite merchants for twenty pieces of silver, who carry him into Egypt, 25-28. Reuben returns to the pit, and not finding Joseph, is greatly affected, 29, 30. Joseph's brethren dip his coat in goafs blood to persuade his father that he had been devoured by a ivild beast, 3 1-33. Jacob %$ greatly distressed, 34, 35. Joseph is sold in Egypt to Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's guard, 36. a 217

A ND Jacob dwelt in the land * wherein ^ his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father '^ their evil report.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was '^ the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of maiiy ^ colours.

4 And when his brethren saw that their

Verse 1. Wherein his father loas a stranger] ""lUD V:iX megurey abiv, Jacob dwelt in the land of his father'^s sojournings, as the margin very properly reads it. The place was probably the vale of Hebron, see ver. 14.

Verse 2. These are the generations] r\)'\br\ toledoth, the history of the lives and actions of Jacob and his sons; for in this general sense the original must be taken, as in the whole of the ensuing history there is no particular account of any genealogical succession. Yet the words may be understood ae referring to the tables or genealogical lists in the^ preceding chapter; and if so, the original must be understood in its common acceptation.

The lad was luith the sons of Bilhah] It is supposed that our word lad comes from the Hebrew '\h" yeled, a chid, a son; and that lass is a contraction of ladess, the female of lad, a girl, a young woman. Some have supposed tliat King James desired the translators to insert this word; but this must be a mistake, as the word occurs in this place in Edmund Becke\s Bible, printed in 1549; and still earlier in that of Cover dale, printed in 1535.

Brought unto his father their evil report.] Conjecture has been busily employed to find out what this evil report might be; but it is needless to inquire what it was, as on this head the sacred text is perfectly silent. All the use we can make of this information is, that it was one cause of increasing his brothers' hatred to him, which was first excited by his father's partiality, and secondly by his own dreams.

Verse 3. A coat o/many colours.] D'D£3 nJHD kethoneth passim, a coat made up of stripes of diflferently coloured cloth. Similar to this was the toga pratexta of the Roman youth, which was ichitc, striped or fringed with purple; this they wore till they were seventeen years of age, when they changed it for the toga virilis, or toga pura, which was all white. Such vestures as clothing of distinction are worn all over Persia, India, and China to the present day. It is no ■wonder that his brethren should envv him, when his

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

6 And he said unto them. Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

7 For, ^ behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf

8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or s^alt thou indeed have dominion over us? and they hated him

father had thus made him such a distinguished object of his partial love. We have already seen some of the evils produced by this unwarrantable conduct of parents in preferring one child to all the rest. The old fable of the ape and her favourite cub, which she hugged to death through kindness, was directed against such foolish parental fondnesses as these.

A^'erse 4. And could not speak peaceably unto him.] Does not this imply, in our use of the term, that they were continually quarrelliiig with him ] but this is no meaning of the original: Dbi^b ^''\'2'\ iSd' nSi veto yachelu dabbero leshalom, they could not speak peace to him, i. e., they would not accost him in a friendly manner. They would not even wish him well. The eastern method of salutation is. Peace be to thee! DlSty thee my friend, among the Arabs. Now as peace among those nations comprehends all kinds of blessings spiritual and temporal, so they are careful not to say it to those whom they do not cordially wish well. It is not an unusual thing for an Arab or a Turk to hesitate to return the salam, if given by a Christian, or by one of whom he has not a favourable opinion: and this, in their own country, may be ever considered as a mark of hostility; not only as a proof that they do not wish you well, but that if they have an opportunity they will do you an injury. This was precisely the case with respect to Joseph's brethren: they would not give him the salam, and therefore felt themselves at liberty to take the first opportunity to injure him. Verse 7. We were binding sheaves in the field] Though in these early times we read little of tillage, yet it is evident from this circumstance that it was practised by Jacob and his sons. The whole of this dream is so very plain as to require no comment, unless we could suppose that the sheaves of grain might have some reference to the plenty in Egypt under Joseph's superintendence, and the scarcity in Canaan, which obliged the brethren to go down to Egypt for corn, where the dream was most literally fulfilled

A. M. 2276. yet the more for his dreams, and for

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, ^ the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to' me.

10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and ' thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

1 1 And ^ his brethren envied him; but his father ^ observed the saying.

12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

1 3 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him. Here am I.

14 And he said to him. Go, I pray thee, ^ see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word

Verse 9. He dreamed yet another dream] This is as clear as the preceding. But how could Jacob say, Shall I and thy mother, d^c, when Rachel his mother was dead some time before this 1 Perhaps Jacob might hint, by this explanation, the impossibility of such a ^ dream being fulfilled, because one of the persons who should be a chief actor in it was already dead. But any one wife or concubine of Jacob was quite sufficient to fulfil this part of the dream. It is possible, some think, that Joseph may have had these dreams before his mother Rachel died; but were even this the case, she certainly did not live to fulfil the part which appears to refer to herself.

The sun and the moon and the eleven stars] Why eleven stars? Was it merely to signify that his brothers might be represented by stars \ Or does he not rather there allude to the Zodiac, his eleven brethren answerihg to eleven of the celestial signs, and himself to the twelfth? This is certainly not an unnatural thought, as it is very likely that the heavens were thus measured in the days of Joseph; for the zodiacal constellations have been distinguished among the eastern nations from time immemorial. See the notes at the end of chap. xlix.

Verse 14. Go — see whether it be well with thy brethren] Literally, Go, I beseech thee, and see the peace of thy brethren, and the peace of the flock. Go and see whether they are all in prosperity. See on a

again. So he sent him out of the a. m. 2276.

15 xAnd a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

1 6 And he said, I seek my brethren: ° tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

17 And the man said. They are departed hence; for I heard them say. Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in p Dothan.

18 And when they saw him afar off", even before he came near unto them, "^ they conspired against him to slay him.

19 And they said one to another. Behold, this ^ dreamer cometh.

20 * Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

2 1 And * Reuben heard it, and he delivered

ver. 4. As Jacob's sons were now gone to feed the flock on the parcel of ground they had bought from the Shechemites, (see chap, xxxiii. 19,) and where they had committed such a horrible slaughter, their father might feel more solicitous about their welfare, lest the neighbouring tribes should rise against them, and revenge the murder of the Shechemites.

As Jacob appears to have been at this time in the vale of Hebron, it is supposed that Shechem was about sixty English miles distant from it, and that Dothan was about eight miles farther. But I must again advertise my readers that all these calculations are very dubious; for we do not even know that the same place is intended, as there are many proofs that different places went by the same names.

Verse 19. Behold, this dreamer comet Ji.] moSnn h})2 baal hachalomoih, this master of dreams, this master dreamer. A form of speech which conveys great contempt.

Verse 20. Come noiu — and let us slay him] What unprincipled savages these must have been to talk thus coolly about imbruing their hands in an innocent brother's blood! How necessary is a Divine revelation, to show man what God hates and what he loves! Ferocious cruelty is the principal characteristic of the nations and tribes who receive not the law at his mouth.

Verse 2 1. Reuben heard it] Though Reuben appears to have been a transgressor of no ordinary magnitude, if we take chap. xxxv. 22 according to the letter, yet his bosom was not the habitation of crvelii/

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, hut cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many " colours that was on him;

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit loas empty, there was no water in it.

25 "^ And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of "" Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery, and ^balrn and myrrh, going to carry it down to

26 And Judah said unto his brethren. What profit is it if we slay our brother, and ^ conceal his blood?

He determined, if possible, to save his brother from death, and deliver him safely to his father, with whose fondness for him he was sufRciently acquainted. Josephus, in his usual way, puts a long flourishing speech in the mouth of Reuben on the occasion, spoken in order to dissuade his brethren from their barbarous purpose; but as it is totally unfounded, it is worthy of no regard.

Yerse23. The}/ stripped Joseph otit of his coat] This probably was done that, if ever found, he might not be discerned to be a person of distinction, and consequently, no inquiry made concerning hira.

A^'erse 25. They sat down to eat bread] Every act is perfectly in character, and describes forcibly the Irutish and diabolic nature of their ruthless souls.

A company of Ishmaelites] We may naturally suppose that this was a caravan, composed of different tribes that, for their greater safety, were travelling together, and of which Ishmaelites and Midianites made the chief In the Chaldee they are called Arabians, which, from 2'\^ arah, to mingle, was in all probability used by the Targumist as the word Arabians is used among us, which comprehends a vast number of clans, or tribes of people. The Jerusalem Targum calls them J'pID Sarkin, what we term Saracens. In the Persian, karavanee ishmaaleem araban aya. " A caravan of Ishmaelite Arabs came." This seems to give the true sense.

Verse 28. For twenty ^^xqqqs, of silver] \x\^\h(i Anglo- Saxon it is pjiicisum penejum, thirty pence. This, I hink, is the first instance on record of selling a man

hand be upon him; for he is '^ our brother and ^ our flesh. And his brethren "^ were content.

28 Then there passed by ^ Midianites, mer chantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, " and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for ^twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit: and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he ^rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child ^ is not; and I, whither shall I go?

3 1 And they took ' Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's

for a slave; but the practice certainly did not commence now, it had doubtless been in use long before. Instead of pieces, which our translators supply, the Persian has ^Uiio miskal, which was probably intended to signify a shekel; and if shekels be intended, taking them at three shillings each, Joseph was sold for about three pounds sterling. I have known a whole cargo of slaves, amounting to eight hundred and thirteen, bought by a slave captain in Bonny river, in Africa, on an average, for six pounds each; and this payment was made in guns, gunpowder, and trinkets! As there were only nine of the brethren present, and they sold Joseph for tiventy shekels, each had more than two shekels as his share in this most infamous transaction.

A'erse 29. Reuben returned unto the pit] It appears he was absent when the caravan passed by, to whom the other brethren had sold Joseph.

Verse 30. The child is not; and I, lohither shall 1 go f] The words in the original are very plaintive, N'3 ''J^? n^X 'JJ^I Urx nVn haiyeled eijiennu, vaani anah, ani ba!

Verse 32. SeJit the coal o/many colours — to their father] What deliberate cruelty to torture the feelings of their aged father, and thus harrow up his soul!

Verse 33. Joseph is ivithout doubt rent in pieces.'] It is likely he inferred this from the lacerated state of the coat, which, in order the better to cover their wickedness, they had not only besmeared with the blood of the goat, but it is probable reduced to tatters. And what must a father's heart have felt in such a case! As this coat is rent, so is the body of my beloved son rent in pieces! and Jacob rent his clothes.

34 And Jacob ^ rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters

Verse 35. All his so7is and all his daughters] He had only one daughter, Dinah; but his sons'' ivives may be here included. But what hypocrisy in his sons to attempt to comfort him concerning the death of a son who they knew was alive; and what cruelty to put their aged father to such torture, when, properly speaking, there was no ground for it!

Verse 36. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's] The word D'lD saris, translated officer, signifies a eunuch; and lest any person should imagine that because this Potiphar had a ivife, therefore it is absurd to suppose him to have been a eunuch, let such persons know that it is not uncommon in the east for eunuchs to have wives, nay, some of them have even a harem or seraglio, where they keep many women, though it does not appear that they have any progeny; and probably discontent on this ground might have contributed as much to the unfaithfulness of Potiphar's wife, as that less principled motive through which it is commonly believed she acted.

Captain of the guard.] D'H^DH ^p sar hattabbachim, chief of the butchers; a most appropriate name for the guards of an eastern despot. If a person offend one of the despotic eastern princes, the order to one of the life-guards is, Go and bring me his head; and this command is instantly obeyed, without judge, jury, or any form of law. Potiphar, we may therefore suppose, was captain of those guards whose business it was to take care of the royal person, and execute his sovereign will on all the objects of his displeasure. Reader, if thou hast the happiness to live under the British constitution, be thankful to God. Here, the will, the power, and utmost influence of the king, were he even so disposed, cannot deprive the meanest subject of his property, his liberty, or his life. All the solemn legal forms of justice must be consulted; the culprit, however accused, be heard by himself and his counsel; and in the end twelve honest, impartial men, chosen from among his fellows, shall decide on the validity of the evidence produced by the accuser. For the trial by jury, as well as for innumerable political blessings, may God make the inhabitants of Great Britain thankful!

1. With this chapter the history of Joseph commences, and sets before our eyes such a scene of wonders wrought by Divine Providence in such a variety of surprising instances, as cannot fail to confirm our faith in God, show the propriety of resignation to his will, and confidence in his dispensations, and prove that all things work together for good to I

^ rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted: and he said, For " I virill go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 3 6 And ° the Midianites sold him into Egypt, unto Potiphar, an p officer of Pharoah's, and 1 captain of the guard.''

them that love him. Joseph has often been considered as a type of Christ, and this subject in the hands of different persons has assumed a great variety of colouring. The following parallels appear the most probable; but I shall not pledge myself for the propriety of any of them: " Jesus Christ, prefigured by Joseph, the beloved of his father, and by him sent to visit his brethren, is the innocent person whom his brethren sold for a few pieces of silver, the bargain proposed by his brother Judah, (Greek Judas,) the very namesake of that disciple and brother (for so Christ vouchsafes to call him) who sold his Lord and Master; and who by this means became their Lord and Saviour; nay, the Saviour of strangers, and of the whole world; which had not happened but for this plot of destroying him, the act of rejecting, and exposing him to sale. In both examples we find the same fortune and the same innocence: Joseph in the prison between two criminals; Jesus on the cross between two thieves. Joseph foretells deliverance to one of his companions and death to the other, from the same omens: of the two thieves, one reviles Christ, and perishes in his crimes; the other believes, and is assured of a speedy entrance into paradise. Joseph requests the person that should be delivered to be mindful of him in his glory; the person saved by Jesus Christ entreats his deliverer to remember him when he came into his kingdom." — See PascaVs Thoughts. Parallels and coincidences of this kind should always be received cautiously, for where the Spirit of God has not marked a direct resemblance, and obviously referred to it as such in some other part of his word, it is bold, if not dangerous, to say " such and such things and persons are types of Christ." We have instances sufficiently numerous, legitimately attested, without having recourse to those which are of dubious import and precarious application. See the observation on chap. xl.

2. Envy has been defined, "pain felt, and malignity conceived, at the sight of excellence or happiness in another." Under this detestable passion did the brethren of Joseph labour; and had not God particularly interposed, it would have destroyed both its subjects and its object. Perhaps there is no vice which so directly filiates itself on Satan, as this does. In opposition to the assertion that ive cannot envy that by which we profit, it may be safely replied that we may envy our neighbour's toisdom, though he gives us good counsel; his riches, though he supplies our wants; and his greatness, though he employs it for our protection.

divided against itself cannnot stand. Parents should take good heed that their own conduct be not the first and most powerful cause of such dissensions, byexciting envi/ in some of their children through undue partiality to others; but it is in vain to speak to most parents on the subject; they will give way to foolish predilections, till, in the prevailing distractions of their families, they meet with the punishment of their imprudence, when regrets are vain, and the evil past remedy.

Judah marries the daughter of a Canaanite, 1, 2; and begets of her Er, 3, Onan, 4, and Shelah, 5. Er marries Tamar, 6; is slain for his wickedness, 7. Onan, required to raise up seed to his brother, refuses, 8, 9. He also is slain, 10. Judah promises his son Shelah to Tamar, when he should be of age; but performs not his promise, 11. Judah'' s wife dies, 12. Tamar in disguise receives her father-in-law, he leases his signet, bracelets, and staff in her hand, and she conceives by him, 13—23. Judah is informed that his daughter-in-law is ivith child; and, not knoiving that himself ic as the father, condemns her to be burnt, 24. She produces the signet, bracelets, and staff, and convicts Judah, 25, 26. She is delivered of twins, loho are called Pharez and Zarah, 27—30.

from his brethren, and ^ turned in to a certain ^ Adullamite, whose name loas Hirah.

2 And Judah '^ saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was ^ Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

Verse 1. And it came to pass at that time] The facts mentioned here could not have happened at the times mentioned in the preceding chapter, as those times arc all unquestionably too recent, for the very earliest of the transactions here recorded must have occurred long before the selling of Joseph. Mr. Ainsworth remarks " that Judah and his sons must have married when very young, else the chronology will not Vgree. For Joseph was born six years before Jacob left Laban and came into Canaan; chap. xxx. 25, and xxMk. 41. Joseph was seventeen years old when he vi^as sdld into Egypt, chap, xxxvii. 2, 25; he was thirty years old when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, chap, xli. 46. And ni?ie years after, when there had been seven years of plenty and two years of famine, did Jacob with his family go down into Egypt, chap. xli. 53, 54, and xlv. 6, 11. And at their going down thither, Pharez, the son of Judah, whose birth is set down at the end of this chapter, had two sons, Hezron and Ilamul, chap. xlvi. 8, 12. Seeing then from the selling of Joseph unto Israel's going down into Egypt there cannot be above twenty-three years, how is it possible that Judah should take a wife, and have by her three sons successively, and Shelah the youngest of the three be marriageable when Judah begat Pharez of Tamar, chap, xxxviii. 14, 24, and Pharez be grown up, married, and have tivo sons, all within so short a space? The time therefore here spoken of seems to have been soon after Jacob's coming to She-

4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name ^ Onan.

5 And she yet again ceived, and bare a son; and called his name s Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

chem, chap, xxxiii. 18, before the history of Dinah, chap, xxxiv., though Moses for special cause relates it in this place." I should rather suppose that this chapter originally stood after chap, xxxiii., and that it got by accident into this place. Dr. Hales, observing that some of Jacob's sons must have married remarkably young, says that " Judah was about forty-seven years old when Jacob's family settled in Egypt. He could not therefore have been above fifteen at the birth of his eldest son Er; nor Er more than fifteen at his marriage with Tamar; nor could it have been more than two years after Er's death till the birth of Judah's twin sons by his daughter-in-law Tamar; nor could Pharez, one of them, be more than^'^een at the birth of his twin sons Hezron and Hamul, supposing they were twins, just born before the departure from Canaan. For the aggregate of these numbers, 15, 15, 2, 15, or 47 years, gives the age of Judah; compare chap, xxxviii. with chap. xlvi. 12." See the remarks of Dr. Kennicott, at the end of chap. xxxi.

Adullamite'] An inhabitant of AduUam, a city of Canaan, afterwards given for a possession to the sons of Judah, Josh. xv. 1, 35. It appears as if this Adullamite had kept a kind of lodging house, for Shuah the Canaanite and his family lodged with him; and there Judah lodged also. As the woman was a Canaanitess, Judah had the example of his fathers to prove at least the impropriety of such a connection.

Verse 5. And he was at Chezib when she bare Azm.] This town is supposed to be the same with Achzib,

and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be ^ his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

1 0 And the thing which he did ^ displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew ° him also.

1 1 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughterin-law, P Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: (for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did.) And Tamar went and dwelt 1 in her father's house.

which fell to the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 44. " The name," says Ainsworth, " has in Hebrew the signification of lying; and to it the prophet alludes, saying the houses of Achzib shall be (Achzab) a lie to the kings of Israel, Mic. i. 14."

Verse 7. Er — was wickedin the sight of the Lord] What this wickedness consisted in we are not told; but the phrase sight of the Lord being added, proves that it was some very great evil. It is worthy of remark that the Hebrew word used to express- Er''s wickedness is his oivn name, the letters reversed. Er 1J^; wicked, ^"l ra. As if the inspired writer had said, " Er was altogether wicked, a completely abandoned character."

Verse 9. Onan knew that the seed should not be his] That is, that the child begotten of his brother's widow should be reckoned as the child of his deceased brother, and his name, though the real father of it, should not appear in the genealogical tables.

Verse 10. Wherefore he slew him also.] The sin of Onan has generally been supposed to be self-pollulion; but this is certainly a mistake; his crime was his refusal to raise up seed to his brother, and rather than do it, by the act mentioned above, he rendered himself incapable of it. We find from this history that long before the Mosaic law it was an established custom, probably founded on a Divine precept, that if a man died childless his brother was to take his wife, and the children produced by this second marriage ^ere considered as the children of the first husband, and in consequence inherited his possessions.

13 And it was told Tamar, saying. Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up * to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14 And she '^put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and ^ sat in "^ an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw ^ that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

1 5 When Judah saw her, he thought her to he a harlot: because she had covered her face.

1 6 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law.) And she said. What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17 And he said, ^ I will send thee ^ a kid from the flock. And she said, °- Wilt thou give me a pledge till thou send it?

Verse 12. In process of ti7ne] This phrase, which is in general use in the Bible, needs explanation; the original is D''D"'n DTI vaiyirbu haiyamim, and the days tvere multiplied. Though it implies an indefinite time, yet it generally embraces a pretty long period, and in this place may mean several years.

Verse 15. Thought her to be a harlot] See the original of this term, chap, xxxiv. 31. The Hebrew is njlf zonah, and signifies generally a person who prostitutes herself to the public for hire, or one who lives by the public; and hence very likely applied to a publican, a tavern-keeper, or hostess. Josh. ii. 1; translated by the Septuagint, and in the New Testament, ■TvopvTj, from nepvau, to sell, which certainly may as well apply to her goods as to her person.

It appears that in very ancient times there were public persons of this description; and they generally veiled themselves, sat in public places by the highway side, and received certain hire. Though adultery was reputed a very flagrant crime, yet this public prostitu tion was not; for persons whose characters were on the whole morally good had connections with them But what could be expected from an age in which there was no ivritten Divine revelation, and consequently the bounds of right and wrong were not sufficiently ascertained? This defect was supplied in a considerable measure by the laiv and the prophets, and now completely by the Gospel of Christ.

Verse 17. Will thou give me a pledge till thou send it 1] The word pn'^p erabon signifies an earnest of something promised, a part of the price agreed for divided against itself r^ And he said, What pledge take good heed tb-^hall I give thee? And she said, first and most piiet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff exciting envy in ^^jj^g j^and. And he gave it her, partiality to o*^"^.,,,, • j r

1 9 And she arose, and went away, and "^ laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot that was ^ openly by the wayside? And they said. There was no harlot in this place.

'il'2, And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her: and also the men of the

between a buyer and seller, by giving and receiving of which the bargain was ratified; or a deposit, which was to be restored when the thing promised should be given. St. Paul uses the same word in Greek letters, ap/>al3uv, 2 Cor. i. 22; Eph. i. 14. From the use of the term in this history we may at once see what the apostle means by the Holy Spirit being the earnest, ap^ajSuv, of the promised inheritance; viz., a security given in hand for the fulfilment of all God's pi-omises relative to grace and eternal life. We may learn from this that eternal life will be given in the great day to all who can produce this erabon or pledge. He who has the earnest of the Spirit then in his heart shall not only be saved from death, but have that eternal life of which it is the pledge and the evidence. What the pledge given by Judah was, see on ver. 25. Verse 21. Where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside?] Our translators often render different Hebrew words by the same term in English, and thus many important shades of meaning, which involve trails of character, are lost. In ver. 15, Tamar is called a harlot, n^U zonah, which, as we have already seen, signifies a person who prostitutes herself i^O^ money. In this verse she is called a harlot '\\^ our version • but the original is not n:n but n^^yp hcdeshah, a holy or consecrated person, from IX—, p kadash, to make holy, or to consecrate to rcligir^^g purposes. And the word here must necessaj-^iy signify a person consecrated by prostitution to^^'jjjg worship of some impure goddess. T'^f^P.^tlic prostitutes in the temple of Venus are ■'"'called kpoSov'Aoi yvvaiKec, holy or consecrated female servants, by Strabo; and it appears from the words zonah and kedeshah above, that impure rites and public h prostitution prevailed in the worship of the Canaanites o. in the time of Judah. And among these people we Phahave much reason to believe that Astarte and Asteroth be grCcupied the same place in their theology as Venus did short a^ng the Greeks and Romans, and were worshipped seems to the same impure rites. 2SJ4

place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we « be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamai thy daughter-in-law hath Splayed the harlot and also, behold, she is with child by whore dom. And Judah said, Bring her forth,? and let her be burnt.

25 When she loas brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, ^ Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, ^ the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26 And Judah ^ acknowledged them, and said, ^ She hath been more righteous than I;

Verse 23. Lest we be ashamed] Not of the ac^, for this he does not appear to have thought criminal; but lest he should fall under the raillery of his companions and neighbours, for having been tricked out of his signet, bracelets, and staff, by a prostitute.

Verse 24. Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.] As he had ordered Tamar to live as a widow in her own father's house till his son Shelah should be marriageable, he considers her therefore as the wife of his son; and as Shelah was not yet given to her, and she is found with child, she is reputed by him as an adulteress, and burning, it seems, was anciently the punishment of this crime. Judah, being a patriarch or head of a family, had, according to the custom of those times, the supreme magisterial authority over all the branches of his own family; therefore he only acts here in his juridical capacity. How strange that in the very place where adultery was punished by the most violent death, prostitution for money and for religious purposes should be considered as no crime!

Verse 25. The signet] JTDnn cAoMeme</t, properly a seal, or instrament v.'ith which impressions were made to ascertain property, &c. These exist in all countries.

Bracelets] U'h'PiB pcthilim, from hr\iipathal, to twist, wreathe, twine, may signify a girdle or a collar by which precedency, &c., might be indicated; not the muslin, silk, or linen wreath of his turban, as Mr. Harmer has conjectured.

Staff.] HDO matteh, either what we would call a common walking stick, or the staff which was the ensign of his tribe.

Verse 26. She hath been more righteous than I] It is probable that Tamar was influenced by no other motive than that which was common to all the Israelitish women, the desire to have children who might be heirs of the promise made to Abraham, 6fC. And as Judah had obliged her to continue in her widowhood under the promise of giving her his son Shelah when he should be of age, consequently his refusing or delaying

27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying. This came out first.

Verse 28. The midwife — bound upon his hand a scarlet thread] The binding of the scarlet thread about the wrist of the child whose arm appeared first in the birth, serves to show us how solicitously the privileges of the birthright were preserved. Had not this caution been taken by the midwife, Pharez would have had the rig\i\. oi primogeniture to the prejudice of his elder brother Zarah. And yet Pharez is usually reckoned in the genealogical tables before Zarah; and from him, not Zarah, does the line of our Lord proceed. See Matt. i. 3. Probably the two brothers, as being twins, were conjoined in the privileges belonging to the birthright.

Verse 29. How hast thou broken forth.?] nV"l£) nn mah paratsta, this breach be upon thee, ]*1i3 y 7>' aleycha parets; thou shalt bear the name of the breach thou hast made, i. e., in coming first into the world. Therefore his name was called y\2 Parets, i. e., the person who made the breach. The breach here mentioned refers to a certain circumstance in parturition which it is unnecessary to explain.

Verse 30. His name was called Zarah.] nil Zarach, risen or sprung up, applied to the sun, rising and diffusing his light. " He had this, name," says Ainsworth, "because he should have risen,!, e., have been born first, but for the breach which his brother made."

There are several subjects in this chapter on which it may not be unprofitable to spend a iew additional moments.

1. The insertion of this chapter is a farther proof of the impartiality of the sacred writer. The facts detailed, considered in themselves, can reflect no credit on the patriarchal history; but Judah, Tamar, Zarah, and Pharez, were progenitors of the Messiah, and therefore their birth must be recorded; and as the bi7-th, so also the circumstances of that birth, which, even had they not a higher end in view, would be valuable as casting light upon some very ancient customs, which it is interesting to understand. These are not forgotten in the preceding notes.

3. On what is generally reputed to be the sin of Onan, something very pointed should be spoken. But who dares and will do it, and in such language that it DO'.y neither pollute the ear by describing the evil as i Ml nor fail of its effect by a language so refined and I Vol. I. ( 16)

29 And it came to pass, as A. M. cir. 2277 he drew back his hand, that, ^^^^

behold, his brother came out: and she said, ° How hast thou broken forth? this breach he upon thee: therefore his name was called p Pharez.i

30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his -tiand: and his name was called Zarah.

so laboriously delicate as to cover the sin which it professes to disclose ■? Elaborate treatises on the subject will never be read by those who need them most, and anonymous pamphlets are not likely to be regarded.

The sin of self-pollution, which is generally considered to be that of Onan, is one of the most destructive evils ever practised by fallen man. In many respects it is several degrees worse than common whoredom, and has in its train more awful consequences, though practised by numbers who would shudder at the thought of criminal connections with a prostitute. It excites the powers of nature to undue action, and produces violent secretions, which necessarily and speedily exhaust the vital principle and energy; hence the muscles become flaccid and feeble, the tone and natural action of the nerves relaxed and impeded, the understanding confused, the memory oblivious, the judgment perverted, the will indeterminate and wholly.without energy to resist; the eyes appear languishing and without expression, and the countenance vacant; the ap^ petite ceases, for the stomach is incapable of performing its proper office; nutrition fails, tremors, fears, and terrors are generated; and thus the wretched victim drags out a most miserable existence, till, superannuated even before he had time to arrive at man''s estate, with a mind often debilitated even to a state of idiotism, his worthless body tumbles into the grave, and his guilty soul (guilty of self-murder) is hurried into the awful presence of its Judge! Reader, this is no caricature, nor are the colourings overcharged in this shocking picture. Worse woes than my pen can relate I have witnessed in those addicted to this fascinating, unnatural, and most destructive of crimes. If thou hast entered into this snare, flee from the destruction both of body and soul that awaits thee! God alone can save thee. Advice, warnings, threatenings, increasing debility of body, mental decay, checks of conscience, expostulations of judgment and medical assistance, will all be lost on thee: God, and God alone, can save thee from an evil which has in its issue the destruction of thy body, and the final perdition of thy soul! Whether this may have been the sin of Onan or not, is a matter at present of small moment; it may be thy sin; therefore take heed lest God slay thee for it. The intelligent reader will see that prudence forbids me to enter any farther into this business. See the remarks at the end of chap, xxxix.

Joseph, being brought to Potiphar^s house, prospers in all his undertakings, 1—3. Potiphar makes him his overseer, 4. Is prospered in all his concerns for JosepKs sake, in whom he puts unlimited confidence, 5, 6. The wife of Potiphar solicits him to criminal correspondence, 7. He refuses, and makes a fine apology for his conduct, 8, 9. She continues her solicitations, and he his refusals, 10. She uses violence, and he escapes from her hand, 11—13. She accuses him to the domestics, 14, 15, and afterward to Potiphar, 16-18. Potiphar is enraged, and Joseph is cast into prison, 19, 20. The Lord prospers him, and gives him great favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison, 21, who intrusts him with the care of the house and all the prisoners, 22, 23.