Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 26. Bom to him in Fa^n-aram] i. e. all tet Benjamin, who was bom in Canaan, ver. 16, 17.

It is well known that Padan-aram is the mmt as Mesopotamia, and hence the Septuagint translate Minnra^a Zut"f. Metopotamia iff Syria. The word aignifies between the two rirere, from ff^t, the midst, axtd mm^c, a river. It is situated between the Eupftrates and T^ri^ havii^ Assyria on the oatt, Aflbia Deserts, with &bflonia, on the touth, Svria on ibe west, and Armenia on die nort&. It is now tne province of Diarbde, in Asiatie Ttirkey, and is sometimes called JWrcerdnnoAar, the coimiry beyond the river j and Aram Naharaim, Ann or Syria of the two rivers. It is a place sufficiently oelebmied both in the Old and New Testaments.

Terse 27. The cUy o/* Arbah, lekieh ia HArm\ See chap, xxiii. 2. It has been eonjeetnred that Jacob mus( have paid a visit to his Cither before this time, as, previoos to this, he had been soma years in Canaan; but now, am he was approaching to hia end, Jacob is supposed to haw gone to live with and comfort him in his declining days.

Verse 29. Isaac gave uv the ghaat,—and wot galKerti unto hie people] Sea on chap, xxv, 8.

Etau and Jacob buried him] See chan. xxv: 9. Eaao, as we have seen, ch. xxxiii. was thorou^ly reeoneiled to his brother Jacob, and itow they both Join in fraternal snd filial affection to do the last kind omee to their amiable father. It is generally allowed, tint the death of Isaac is mentioned here out of its chronological order, as aeverai of the iransBctions mentioned in the succeeding ebaptcn^ especinllv chaps, xxxvii. end xxxviii. must have happened during hie life. But that the hialory nf Joseph might not be disturbed, his death is anticipated in this place. It •■ supposed that he lived at least twelve years after Joaepb was sold into Egypt.

This chapter contains several nibjeeu which an well wonhv of the reader's most serious attention.

1. t^oi such a fiunily 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 cot from strangers, the Syrians and the Shechemiies, yet their being tolerated in thenmily cannot be easily acj'ounled for. It is true, the kw wa* not then given, and the uni^ of God not so particularly taught as it was afterward. Besides, we have already seen thai certain superstitions were corapelible in those early times with general sincerity and atladiment to the inith: those times end acts of ignorance were winked at, till superior light shone upon the world. Between many of the preetices of Laban s family and those of the sorrounding heathenish tribes, there might have been bat little difTerenee; and this was probably the reason why Dinah could BO readily mix with the daughtera of the land, chap. x;[xiv. I. which led to the &tal eonseqneneea already reviewed. Sin is like the letting out 'of water— when onee a brcarh is made in the dyke, the stream becomes determined to a wrong course, aitd its progress is soon irrasiatible. The adviee of one of the ancienu ia good —

2. The doctrine of a parK«*/or and tspeeial Proridence, has another proof in this chapter. AfVer the songuiiujr conduct of Jaeob's sons, is it not surprising that the neighboaring tribes did not join together and extji-pete the whole fiunily 1 And so diey certainly would, had net the terror of God fallen upon them, ver. B. Jsaeb, and the major port of hia family, were innocent of this great transgression; and on the preservation of their lives the aoewplidtment of great events depended: dierefim God

of EUoD the Hittite, and * Aholibamah the daurhter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivjte.

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

' persons of his house, and hie cattle, and all his beasta, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.

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

3. The impatimce sad faU of the amtabte Rachel, who can read of without deploring 1 — Oite ww ehiUIren, said «be, or tUe I dU, chap. xxx. 1. Her desire waa granlfd, *nd her death wa» the conaetjuence 1 God's way is ever beat. We know not what we ask, nor what we ought to aak. and therefore often ask amiss, when we petition for aatb secular things as belong to the tlUptJiaaiiotu of God's propideaee. For thinga of this kind we have no revealed dueeury; and when we ask for them, it duxild be with the deepest suInBisnoo to the divine will, as Ood alone knows what is fresf for us. With respect to the tout, everjr thing is clMrly revealed, m we may ask and receive, and have a fuloesa of jc^ j but as to our bcdia, tbae is much reaaoQ to fear, that the annoer nf our pel Uiotu would be, in numeroos cases, our inevitable destruction. How many pnyera does God in mercy shut ou(I

C TV traD^ression ot Reuben, of whatsoever kind, was marked not only by the diapleaiure of hii father, bat bf that of God also, see ch. xliz. 4. It brou^t a eurae upon him, and ha forfeited thereby ttte right of primogeni- Iwre and the priesthood; the first was given to Judah, the seeood to Levi. Is it not in reference to this that our Lord addresses these solemn words to the angel of the church of PhilaM^'mr-Bdutld, I come quiclcty t hold that fatt tehiek Aou Aosf, that mo mam takb thy cbowm 1 A man, by towing a grain of forludden sweets, may reap an obunwnt harvest at eternal wretcheduess. Reader, let not tin rob thee of the kingdom of God.

6. Here we have the death of baac recorded: most that can be said of his character has been already aniiciimied, see ch. xzii., &c He appears to have htea generally pinus, deeply submissive and obedient. He was rather an anUabU and good, than a great and u»efvi man. If eom}nred with his son Jacob, in the early part of their livea, he af^ieort to great advantage, as possessing mors ■inovity and more peroonol piety. But if compared with bis fatur Abraham, oh I what a fidling off i* here I Abra^ ham isunifiM onder the Old Testamsot— aod even under the iVe»^ be has no parallel but Sl Paul, Isaac, though fclliog nr short of hia fother's excellencies, will ever ramaiB a pattern of piety and filial obedience.

Veree 1. Th^e are Uw generaliont qf Esau] We have here the genealogy of Enui in his sons and crandsons, and •1m the geiwalogy of Sair die Horite. The genealogy of tho MMw of Esau, born in Canaan, is related 1-^; diose of bis grandchildren, horn in Seir, 9—19; those of Scir the Horite, 20—30. The generations of Esau are par> tieularly marked, to show how exacdy Ood fulfilled the firomisea he made to him, eh. xzv. and xzviL and dKwe «( Stir dM BariU an addedr bseanse hia family bMame h> soma BMMUTB Mended with fliat of Biwa.

the father of ■ the Edomites in mount Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau's |; c *S!t

11 And the sons of Eliphaz were

12 And Timna was concubine to Elifdiaz, Esau's son: and she bare to Eliphaz "Amalek: these were the sons of Adah, Eeau's wife.

13 And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: tnesc were the eona of Bashemath Esau's wife.

14 And these were the sons of Aho- rcSiS

^luchter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaatam, and Korah.

15 T[ These if ere dukes of the sons ^^ofaSS" of Beau: the eons of Eliphaz the first-

born son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz.

16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and &c<ir.ui^ duke Amalek: these are the dukes that b.c. X. un.

17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammahr

Svery different names. Ahatiiamah n named Judith,. xxvi. 34. Adm is called BaJumalh in the soma place; and die who is here called..BoaftemaA, is called Mahalalh, ch. xxvlii. 9. These are variations which cannot be easily accounted for; and ihey 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, eh. xxv, where there are some slight examples.

Anak tiu dauber ^ Ztbc^n] But this nine.dnoA is said to be (he son of Zibeon, ver. 24. though in the second and fourteenth verses he is said to be the daughter of. Zibeon. But the SamariiaTij the Septuagint, (and the l^riacf in verse 2^ read son insteod of daughter, which muhigani and ICmnicoU contend to be the true reading. Others say, that daughter should be referred to Ahnlibamah, who was the daughter of Anah, and grand-daughter of Zibeon. i should rather prefer the readiw ol the Samaritan, Septuagint, and Syriac, and read, both here and in -vvc. 14. "Aholibamah, the dangler of Aiab the sok of Zibeon," and then die whole wdl agree with verse 24.

Terse 6. Eaau took hi$ wives, &cj So it appears that Esau and Jacob dwelt tc^dier in Canaan, whidier the former removed from Seir, prab^y soon after the return of Jacob. That they were on the moat friendly footing" this sufficiently proves; and Esau shows the same digufittl conduct as on other occasions, in leaving Canaan to Jacob, and returning again to mount Seir, certainly a much less firuitfiil region than that which he now, in behalf of his brother, voluntarily abandoned.

Verae 12. TKmna wm eoncubint to EHphaz] As Timna was sister to Ziotan the Horiie, ver. 22. we see how the family of Enu wd the Htwites got intermixed. Tliis might give the sons of Esau s pretext to eeize the land, and expel the ancient inhabitants, as we find they did, Deui. ii. 12.

Terse 15. Duket qf the umt of Eaau] The word duke comes from the Latin du;r, a captain, or leader. The Hebrew *t^>^ aluph, has the same signification; and as it is also die term for a thousand, which Is a grand capital or leading number, probably the "b^Sk alujAey, or dukee, had this name from lieing leaders o^ or captain* over, • company of one thcnuand men, just as those among the Qreeks, called dUHardu, which signifies the lamej end as the Romans called those eenturione who were captains over ooe himdred men, from the Latin word centum, which signifies a hundred. The ducal govemment was that which prevailed first among die Alttmsaiis, or da- •oendantsof Bsou. Han feurtecQ dukes we reclumed to

duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of ReueL in the land of Edom; these are the •o&s of Bashemath Esaa's wife.

18 AnA these are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam. duke Korah: these were the dukes thai came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

19 These are the sons of Esau, who w Edom, and theee are their dukea.

: — shan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. a^S'nA ^3 children of Lotan were

S3 And the children of Shobal were these; ■ Aivan, and Manahath, and Ebal, > Shejdio, and Onam.

Emui, aevm tliat cune of bia wife Adah,,/fwr of Baahomath, and Ihrea of Aholilxunah.

Verae 16. Duke Karali\ tiu* Dr. Kcatnieott pronounces to be aa interoolatitHi. "It is certaiiL from verae 4. that Eliphaz W8B ETsau'a eon by Adah; and from verse 11, 12. that Bliphaz had but aix aona, Temati, Omar, Zaho, Gatam, Kmax, and Amtdek. It is also certain, irom verse 6. and 14. that Korah was the son of Etau, (not of Bliphaz) Aholibamah; and as su(^ he is properly mentioned in ver. 19. Ilieae are ^e sons of Aholibainah, Eaau'a wife — duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, dukx Kobah. It is clear, therefore, that some transcriber has imi^operly inaerted duke Korah in the 16th verse; from which interpolation both the Samaritan text and the Samaritan xernon are free." Kkvkicott'b Remarks. — Every diing considered, I incline to the opinion that these woras were not originally in the text

Verae 20. Tht$c are Hu torn of Seir t?u liorite\ These Eorites were the original ioburitanta of ihe country of Seir, called the land of the Kwile% and afterward the 4and of the Idumeana, when the descendants of Esau bad -driven them out. Ilieao people are firat mentioned ch. liii. 6.

Verse 21. IVtese are the dukea nf tlu Bbritea] It appears pretty evident that the Horiiea and the descandants of Esau were mixed together in the aame land, aa before observed; aind Calmet has very properly remarked, that if ws eompare this verse with ver. 30. there were princes i«f Smt, in the country of Seir, and in dial of Edom; and in comparing the generations of S«ir and Esau, we are obUfed to consider these princee as eontemporary.

Verse 24. 7^ was that Anah that found the muUt in, the wOtierneM] The words tstm run eA ha-yemim. here iraiulated mules, has given riae to a great vanety of conjectures and discordant opinions. fiK, Jcrom, who renders It aquoM ealidoM, warm springs^ or hot baths, says, there, are as many opinions concerning it as there are eoaunfiotatora.

The Septuagini have tir UMur, which seems to be the name of a man; but this is expressed in a great variety of ways in different M8S. of that Version.

■Rie Syrtae renders it | ^ mayi, waters; the autlwr of this vemon having read in the Htbnw eopy from which he translated, tsv maytjn, waters, lor bd' y«mlni, the two first letters being tran^ioted.

The Samaritan has —J ntSSfftA 9( in the text Aaaiviim, and dw Samaritan version fTf <^'*3/fr ^ V afnwl, the BnUm, a warlike penile, bordering up<ni the Bortttt.

The Tarnmot Jonathan ben Uxziet paraphrases die place thus— *' Tliis is the Anah who united the onager with the tame ass, and in nroceas of time he found mules produced by them." R. D. Kimcki sBya, that " Zibeon was both the frither and brother of Anahi and diis Anah, intent on heterogeneous mixtures, caused asses and horses to copulate, and so produced muwa." R. 8. JarAt is of the same opinion. See his comment on ttiia place.

Bothart believes the Emim are meant; and argues fareibly, 1. Tliat mo matsa, he found, never signifies to invent, bat rafter the meettng wttA, or ha^pn^ sr. a

25 And the children of Anah were these; Di> shon and Aholibamah the damrhter of Anah.

26 And these are the chiraren of Dishon; 'Hemdan, and Ediban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

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

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

30 Duke Dishcn, duke Ezer, duke Diahan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

31 Tf And ■ these ore the kings that ^ reig^d in the land of Edom, oefore b.c afctni. there reunied aiv king over the chil- jlh-H-.w. drenoflaraeL a.c.*iS thing which already exists. 2. Tliat mutes are never cailM o<D* yemim in the Scriptures, but O'^v^pheredim. 3. Iliat Anui fed Assn only, not horses. 4. And dtat there is no mention of mules m Palestine till the days tt David. From the whole, he oonchides diat Emim are meant, with whom Anah fought; aod he brings many places of Scriptur^ where the same form of ezpresnui, lie or they found, sisoifies the onse^ U> battle, Judg. i. 6. 1 Sam. xxxi. 3. 1 Kin^ s xiii. 24. 2 Chron. xzii 8. Num. xxxv. 27. Gen. iv. 14. widi many otben.— See the Hierozoicon, vol. I. am. 21. p. 238. edit. 1692.

Ousset, in Comment, neb. Lii^. examines iriiat Bochart has asserted, and supposes that mules, not the Emim, were found hy Anali.

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

From the above opinions and twrstons Ihe reader may choose which he likes best, or invent one for himself. My own opinioir is, that miuUs were not known before itu lime of Anah, and that he was probably the first who coupled the horse and ass together, to produce this mongrel; or was the first who met with creatures of this race in some very sechided part in the wilderness. Is it not probable diat from this Anah, or ^noA, die EnOse derived at leaat (heir fUmlous origin, whom HomermenliOMi aa famous for tbeir race of vud mules —

The Enda or ffeneim, who were a people contiguotM to Paphlagonia, Cappadocia, and Oalatia, might have derived their origin from this AnoA, or Henah, out of whidi the Itirgi of the ancient Greek writers mipit have been formed; and according to 'n)eephraatu& Strabo, and Plutarch, ibejlrst mules were seen among uiese people. — See Ludov. tfe Dieu and S^Miduer.

VeraeSl. Before ffiere reigned any king over — fsraeL] I Bupnose all the verses, from this to the 39th inehisive, have oeen transferred to wis place from 1 Chron. L 43 — 60., as it is not likely thev could nave been written by Hoses; and it is quite possinle they mig^ht have been, at a very early period, written in the margin of an authentic copy, to make out the regal succesaion in Eklom, prior to As consecration of Saul; which words being aflerward found in Ihe margin of a valuable eopy, from which others wen transeribea were suppoeed the copyist to be a part of the text, wnich having been omitted vf the mistake of die original writer, had been since added to make up the deficiency j on thie conviction, he would not hesitate to transcribe them consecutively in his copy. In most MSS. sentences and pan^rajdM nave been leit out by the copyist^ which, when perceived, have been added in the margin, eithn by the origiasl writer, or by some later hand. Now, as the morgjit was Ihe ordinary place where gjossea or explanatory notes were written^ it ts easy to eoneetvs bow die notes, as well as the parts of the origintJ text found in the margin, mi^t be Ml incorporated with the text bys future tnutseribert tnd his HS. being often ecwied, would of course multiply the copies with son addittcns, as w»

32 And Bela the son of Beor rebelled io Edom: and the name of his citr v>aa Dinnaiiah. £ c£m 33 Bela died, and Jobabtheson

— the son of Bedad, who Bmote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his etead: and the name of his city -was Avitfa. k^S tlSi ^ And Hadad died, and Samlah

ftc£mf 37 And SamlSi died, and Saul of

A.it«ir.Mft 3S And 8md died, and Baat-hanan ■.a^MN. the son rfAdibor reigned in his stead.

ban much reason to believe haa been the eaw. Tbta appcan verv frequently in the Vulgate and Septuagint { ana an Engiuh Bible now before ae, written aorae time in the feorteenlh ceaturr, ezhibiia aeveral proob of this principle. See the Pnface to this work, p. 1.

I kncnr there ia another way of accounting for those worda on the ground of their being written onginallT by Nosea, but to me it ia not aatiabctory. It ia limply toia: the word king ahoutd b« considered aa implying any kind of regular goMmmmt, whether bj Ac and iherefbre, when Hoees aa' vliidi reigned in Edom, befcve ibere wai any _ land, be may be only undentood aa aa}rinK, that theae kinga reigned among the Edomitea before toe fiunily of Jacob bad acquired any considerable power, or before the time in which hia twelTe eons had bMome the &thera of those Komerooa tribes, at the head of which, aa king him- ■elftn Jfhurun, he now atood.

£aau, after hia duka, bad ttjgkt ktng», who reigned Mooesnvdy over dietr peo^ wnile lanel were in offliclion in Egypt.

Verse!». Jobab the son ^ Ztrah'] Hiuiy have auppoaed that Jobab is the aame as Job, bo remarkftble for bis afflictions and patience; and that £/tpAaz, menUoned Tar. IOl Ae. waa the same who in die bow of Job ia called OMoflua frienda: butthereianoprtqwr proof of tbia, and 4an ace manr leasona againat iL

Verae36. SmcUMUHatiin&eJiad^MMi) Biaboa Chmberiand supposes that diia was Midian, tne aon of Abraham, by Keturah, and that he waa killed by Hadad aone time befiine he was oob htmdred and nine years of age i and that Hoses recorded this, probably, becauae it waa ft cakmity to the aneestor of Jethro, hits fiuher-ln- Inr.—Orig. cfiVat p. 14.

Verae 40. Tlbsse are tlu names <)f Ou dvktM that came ^ E»au\ Hmsc dukes did not eovem the whole nation M die Idonwana, but they were eluab in their respective faniU4M — in thrir fttxe; the districts they governed, and to which thqr gave their mma. Calmet thinks, that tbosa moDtioaeir above were dukes in Edom, or Idumea, al lbs (irae of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.

■T«ne43. Btagi the father nfOu ^imMn'\ Tliat UL the preceding list eonlaiiu an account of the posterity of emu, who waa die fiuher of Edom. TKum nuU Eiaau'e Uatvry; far a/tar this there ia no farther account of his life, actiona, ot death, in the Pentateuch.

L As to fissn, so oonsidertkble a person among divinee, it WKf be naieaawiy, in this place especially, to say sonMttiaghrtberof biaeonductandebafuter. I have already, ' bi asTCfal places, aodeavoiind, and I hope succeaafiiUy, to wipe off at odium that haa been thrown upon diia mai^ (aee the notes on eh. xzviL and cfa. xxxitu^without attempting to leaMD hia fiuilts; and the unprejudiced reader iBiMt see, that previous to this last aecmmt we have of hin^ bis character atanda without a blot, except in the Mae of aellinghia birtbrigbt, a^d hia purpose to deanoy bii brolhar. To dw first be was led by bis bmiAiiw itiaation, and ibe unkindneaa of hia brodier, who r^iiaeo to «ve his liib but »n ihi* eondiiion; and the latter, made ia tfae beat of vexation and paasion, he never attempted to OMote, even when he had the most ample means uid the weat Mportuoinr to do it.

Or. Mucldoni haa drawn an impartial character of Bam, frora which I extract the following particulars. — "Bnn waa a plain, geiteraua^ and honeat man; for we bam IB reeaon, from anv tbiu that afmeara io hia life or aetiaB^ 10 think Ummctadta^ondoUiariDen of hia aga •rtiiassi and hiifWHWi and good wagwragaarafrtwi

39 And Baal-hanon the son of Achbor died, and * Hadar reigned in his stead: and the ttame of his city ua« Fau; and his wifeViranie "wat Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daqghter of Mezahab.

40 If And these are the oamea of ^j^dSSsL *the diikes fAafcam« of Esau, accord- ^il^ttn. ing to their families, after theirplaces, ftc<*.'uM. by their names; duke Timaah, duke a.m.^sii * Alvah, duke Jetheth. c-

43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: ' these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations, in the land of their ■ poBsession; he w Esau the

all bii behaviour towarda hia brother. 'When they lirat met, he waa all humanity and affection; and he had no uneaaineaa when he found that Jacob followed him not to Seir, but went to hve near hit &ther. And at Isaac's death, we do not find that he made any difficulrv of quitting Canaan, which waa the very point which, if tie had harboured any latent (evil) intentions, would have revived all hia reaentmenta. He ia indeed called in Scripture the profane Esau; and it is written, Jacob have 1 lovtd, and £!»au have I kaUd; but there is, I think, no reaaon Io infer, from any of those expreaaiona, that Eaau waa a aery wjcnrf num, or diat Ood bated or punished him for an imnuwal life. For, 1. "Fhe sentence here against bin^ ia said expressly to be founded not uoon hia actiona, (br it waa determiiwd before the duldrm had done good or esiL 2. Ged's hatred of Eaau was not a hatred which induced him to puniA htm with any evil; for he waa as happy in all die blessings of dus life, as either Abraham, laaac, or Jacob; and his posterior had a land designed by God to be their possession, as well aadiechildren n Jaeobb and they were put in possession ot it muA eooner than uie Isra^ itea; and Ood was pleased to protea them in the enjoyment of it, and to caution the Isroeliiea a^nit invading them, with a remarkable strictness, Deul. ii. 4, 6. And as Ood vaa pleaaed thus to bless Esau ood hia children in the bleasings of this life, even aa much aa he bleaaed Abrafaam. Isaac, or Jacob, if iwt more, why may We not hope to fioa htm with them at the last day, as well aa Xiol or Jbfr, or any other good and virtuous inan, who waa not deaigned to be a porUtker of the bleaeing given to Abraham! 3. AJl the punishment inflicted on Esau waa an exclusion from being heir to tfae blessing promised to Abraham and to hie teed, which was a favour not granted to Itot. to Job^ to several other very virtuoue and good men. 4. at. Pan], in thepassage before cited, only intends to show the Jews, that God had all along given the favours that led to the Messiah 'vdiere he pleaaed: to Abraham^ not to Lot — to Jaeob, not to Etau, as at the tinw St. Paul wrote, the Oeniiia were mode the people of God, not the Jeve. 6. Eaau ia indeed called jmifaru {tien>.»t:)^t I think that word doea not me^wideedor immoral (HriCirf a a^ia^ax*;:] be waa called ao, for not having that due value for tbe prieat'e office which he should Mve had; and, therefbn^ though I think it doea not ^pear that he waa cut off tmm being the heir of the promiaes by any particular action in his fife, yet hia turn of mind and ihoushta do apprar to have been auch, aa w evidence, that God's purpose towards Jacob waa founded on dw trueat wisdora."-~9BVCKrOBD'a Ctmnexion^ vol. II. p. 174, Ac

The truth i^ Ibe Hesnab muat apring from tome om family; and God chose Abraham's, through Ttaae, Jaeob, &c. rather than the some through lAmael, Eiau, and the others in that linei but from this choice it doea not follow, dial the firat were all neceeaarity emed, and tha others necteearily hut,

2. To some dw genei^gteal Hete in tbia cbuiler will doubtleaa appear umnterestn^, enecially dam which con> eem.Esau and hia dsacendante: Int it was aa oecewHur to regiater the generations of Eeau, aa to register thoae ta JacM, in order to show that the Measiah aid not spring from the former, but that he (ttrf epring from ihe latter. llie gmealcwIcaJ tables, ao frequently met with in the Sacred Wriunga, and so little regarded by Christians in general, are extremely useful. 1. As they are atanding proofs of the trudi of tbe prophedea, which atated that dia jfessiab should coma from a particular ftunity; wbieb Ko^iaeieawm clearly fUfilled in tbe birdi of Off^ 2. Aa tcaliiy, to the conne|^ of Ow Jew^ that dw.

ND Jacob dwelt in the land ' whereis his father was a stranger, Id the land of Canaan,

feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad ■was with the sons of Bilhab, and with the sons of Zilpah.hiH father's wives: and Josejdl brought unto his father • their evil report.

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

4 And when his brethren saw that tneir father loved bim ipore than all his brethren, they '' hated him. and could not speak peaceably unto him.

6 And he said imto them. Hear, I pray you, this dream which 1 have dreamed:

7 For, ■behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright J and, behold your sheaves stood round aGout, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

8 And his brethren said to nim, ehalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? and they hated him yet the more for hie dreams, and for bis words.

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said. Behold, I hava dreamed a dream more: and, behold, ^ Uie sua 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 fbther rebuked hun, and said onto him, 'What t* this dream that thou hast dreamed? Stutll I, and thy mother, and ' thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth 1

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

12 IT And his brethren went to feed their fiither's flodt in Shechem.

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy

Heasinb, thus promiaed, i> found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who inconteaiably sprane from the loat, the only remain iw branch of the family of David. Theie rcKiaters ■were religioualy preaerved among the Jews till the de- •tnictionof JeruBoJem, after which ihey were all deitroyed; inBomudi, (ttat there is not a Jew in the universe who can trace himself lo the fiunily of David: consequently all expectation of a Messiah to come, is, even on their own pnncipleB, nugatory and absurd; as nothing remains to legitimaie his birth. When Christ came, all these registtn were in existence. When Sl Matthew and Sl Luke wrote, all these registers were still in existence; and had Aey pretended, what could, not have been supported, an appeal to the registers would have convicted thetu of a falsehood. But no Jew attempted to do this, notwiifa- ■uoding the excess of their malice against Chrut and his fidtawera; and because they did not do it, we may aafely auert, no Jew eou&l do it. llius the/ounoation ataodein sun.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXVII. Verse 1. Wherein kU JiUher wom a ttranger] ^"vao v>3K megurejf abaiv, Jacob dwelt in the land qf ki» fatiur^a sojoumings, as the margin very properly reads iL This place was probably the vaU of Hebron, see

Verse 2. Uuse are the generaiione\ nn^n toledoih, BuhiatoryqfOu Uvi* and actions Jacob and hit aona: toe in this general sense the original must be taken: as in the whole of the enauing history there is no particular ao~ count of any geneaU^teal succession. Yet the words may be understood as referring lo ihe tables or genealogical lists in the preceding chapter; and if so, the original muit be understood in its common acceptation.

The lad was iciik the son* qf SUhwi] It is supposed thai our word lad comes from the Hebrew yeled, a AOd, s mn, and that last ia a contraction of laaesa, the ftmaie of lad, a girl, a yoittig uoman. Some have supposed that King James desired the tranalolors to insert diis word: but uiia must be a mistake, as the word occurs in this place in TKndaTa traiulatiun, printed in 1549.

Brought unio hia father their evil report] Conjecture has been busily employed to find out wmit this evil report mig^t be. It is needless to inquire what it was, as on this head the nored ten is jt^rfectly silent. All the use we can make of this infbrmatiun is, that it was ooe cause of increasing hia brothers' hatred to him, which was first »• cited by his fiuher's parHaliii/, and secondly fay his own dream*.

Verse 3. A coat of many coloura] avD rans ketonei jMunm, a coat maae up of stripes of differenilv coloured cloth. Similar to this waa the fdja pratexlaoi Uie Roman yeulh, which was vhUe, striped or fringed with purple; this they wore till they aeeenleen years of age, wlieu Ihey changed it for the togavirilis, or togapura, which was all lehite. Such vestures, as clothing of dittinction, ore womallova-PerMa,India,andChinatothepresentda7. Jiia BO womkr that his tmtbren should envy. him, when his HI father bod thus made him such a disiinguished object of tus partial love. We have already seen some of the evils produced by this unwarrantable conduct of pare nia in preferring one child to all the resL The old fable of ^ ape and her favourite cub, which site hugged to death through kindtun, was directed against such moli^ parental fondnesses as tueee. - Verse 4. And amid not apeak peaeeaUy vnlo Um} Does not this imply, in our use of the term, tiuu ibey were continually Tuarrel^in,^ with him? but this ia no meaning of the original; aivh i'>3i I'jy wV" t' to yaXe/u dabiro leshalom, they could not &pe*k peace to. him, i. e. they would not accost him in a friendty mauuer. Ilimr woout not even wisii him vidl. The eosUim method 01 salute tion is, Peace be to thee! -1^ cVyc sAo/oia leca, antoi^ die Hebrews; and f VXm salam, U^lc f\XM» or iSe- Idm Sleek or &letku.in, peace to thee— be in proaperity, or ^f^^ f Uul aalim hebi, peace, or peace to Inee, my friend, among Uie Arabs. Now as peace among dtose notions comprehenda all kinds of blessings spirituaJ and temporal^ so they ore careful not to say it to those whom they do not cordially urish well. It is not an unusiAl Uiing for ba Arab or a Turk to hesitate to return tlie salam, if givim by a Christian, or by one of whom he Itaa not a favourable opinion: and this, m their own country, may be ever coo- Bidered aa a mark of hostility, not only as a proof that they, do not wish you well, but iliat if iltey nave aninpeftanity, they will tlo you an inntry. This was precisely the use with respect to Joseph a Brethren; they would MA gm him the soAlm, and therefore felt ihemselve* at liber^ to take the first opportunity to injure lum.

Verse?. Tfewere binding aheavea in the Jleld] Tlioogh in these earl^ times we read little of tillage, yet it is evident from til IB circumstance, that it was prortieed by Jacob and his sons. Tlie whole of this dream is so very plain aa to require no comment, unleaa we could suppose that the sheaves qf grain might have some reference to tfat plettty in Egypt under Joseph's supcrinlendoticet and die scarcity in Canaan, which obliged uie brethren to go duwir to Egypt for corn, where the dream was most liierally fultillea; his bredjren there, bowing in the moat abjed manner before hitn.

Vecse 9. Be dreamed yet another dream} lltia ia as clear as the preceding. But how could Jacob asy, shaii i and thy mouur, Aic when Bachel his mother was dead, some time berore thial Perhapa Jacob might hint, by tliis explanittion, the tmpoasibility of such a dreeni being &lfllledi because one of the persona wh« sfaoidd. be a diief actor in it, was already dead. But any ooe wife or concubine of Jacob woa quite sufficient to fulfil this part of the dream. It ia posaible, some tliink, that Joseph may have had iheee dreams before his mother Rachel died i iMit were even this die case, she certainly did not live to fulfil the part Vhich appears to refer ts heneH.

Yhe mn, and the moon, and the eleven stars] Why elepen stars 1 Was it merely to signiiy that bis brothen might be represented I7 stars 7 Or ooeebe notraiher there. ftuude to us Zodiaci his ckvcn Wethren ana vi'e ring to brethren feed thti jlock in Shechem? come, and 1 will eend thee unto tliein. Aod he said to him, Here am I. -.. „,

14 And he snu to him, Go, I pray thee, ■ see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and brinf me word again. So he RDt him out ctf the vafc of " Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

- 15 And a certnin man found him, and behold he vas wandering in the field: and the man asked him, my'tng. What seekest thou?

16 And he said, I seek my brethren: ' tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their Jlocks.

17 And the man eaid, They are departed hence; for I heard them say. Let us eo to Dotl^. And Joseph went aAer his brethren, and fomid them in 'Dothan.

18 I And when they saw him afar off, even ^Defore he came near unto them, * they conspired

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

80 * Come now therefbre, and let us slay him, wad cast hhn into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we ■hall see what will become of his dreams.

81 And ^Reaben heard t^, and he delivered him out of ^eir hands; and said, Let us not Idn him.

S3 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him: that he mif ht rid him out of their hands, to deuver him to his father again.

23 II And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that tliey stript Joseph

elereo of the celeotjal ligna, and bimKlf to die hoei/Vi? Thu is eertsinly not an uDnnturoI thought, as it is very Hltsly that the beavcns were thus measured in the davs of for the zodiacal eoostellations have beendutin- ^nimd BDioog the eastern naiiona from time inunemonsl.— See the notes st the end of chap. xlix.

Verse 14. Go — ew wkei/ur it be well imth. thy breifiren] Literally, Go, I beseech tltee, and tee the peace of thy brethren, sod the peace of the flock. Oc and see whether they an all in ptwperily. — See on ver. 4. As Jacob's sons were now Kone to leed the flock on rhe parcel of gT<MiBd they haoDought from the Shechemites, see chop, zzxiii. 19. and where ihey hod committed mich a horrible ■laugbtcr, their iuher mi^hl £eei more KliciCoiu about their weibre, leet the neighbouring tribes should rise against llwm, and revenge t&e murder of the Shechemites.

As Jacob appears to anvt been at thia time in the rale of Hebron, it im suppwed that Shechem was about tixty Ew'Iiah miles disumt ftom it, and that Dothan was about tignt miles farther. But 1 must again advertise my readers, that all these calculations are rery dubious; for we do not even know that the tame place is intended, as there an moity proof^ that different places went by the same

Verse 19. ffAoUt, tkU dreamer eomelli] nmSnn ^pa boat hadtalamoth, tliis master of dreams, tliis master dreamer, A form of speech which conveys great contempt.

Verse 20. Coine noio — and let tw elay him] What unprineipled savages tbeae must have been, to talk thus eoolhr about imbruing their hands in an innocent brother's blood! Hbw necessary is a divine revelaiioi^ to show man what God haie* and what be lores. Ferooioua eruelty is the principal characteristic of the nations and tribes who receive not the law at his moutli.

Verse 21. fteuien heard it] "niougb Reuben appears to have been a trait^ressor of no ordinary magnitude, if we lake chap. xxxv. 22. according to the letter, yet bis bosom WIS not the habitation of eruelitf. He determined, if possible, to save his brother from death, and deliver him safely to his father, with whose fondnesn for hiro he was suflleientty acquainted. Joaepktu, in liis usual way, puts a long flcairishing speech in the mouth of Reuben on the oecasMD, spoken in order to dissnadc bis brethren from their baHmrous puiposei but as it is lolalty JoIm^ it is worthy of no regard. Verse 23. 7%et/ atript Jateph out of hU Qm£\ Hits

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

25 * And they eat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eves and looked, and, behold, a company of ' Isnmeelites came from Gitead, with their camels bearing epicery, and "balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt,

26 And Judoh enid unto his brethren, What profit IS it if we slay our brother, and " conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmcelites, and ' let not our tiand be upon him; for he Pi« our brother and <> our flesh. And liia brethren •■ were content.

28 Then there passed by ■ Midianitea, merchant-men; and tbey drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, > and sold Joseph to the Ishmeel- {tea for "twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 If And Reuben relumed unto the pit; and, behold, Joeeph vhu not in the pit; and he * rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto hia brethren, and said, The *ehild is not; and I, whither shtUl I go?

31 IT And they took ■ Joseph's coat, and nUed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

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

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my eon'a coat; an ' evil beast iioth devoured him j Joseph ia without doubt rent in pieces 1

probably was done, that if ever found, be might not be discerned to be a. person ^ dUttwUitm, and crasequent|y no inquiiT made concerning him.

Terse 25. TTiey sat down to eat bread[ Every act is perfectly in character, and describes forcibly the orutiA and diabolic nature of their ruthless souls.

A company ^ tihmeeliles'\ We may naturally siippoee that this was a caravan, composed of different tribes, that for their greater safety were travelling together, and of which ImmeelUu ana S/EdianiUt made dte wief. In the Choldee thsy are called ArtUtians, ii4iich from av &rah, to mtn^Ie, was in all probability used by the Tar' gvmut, as the word Arabians is used among us, which comprehends a vast number of clans, or tribes of people. The Jerusalem Targum calls them Serakin, what ve term Sarazens. In the Persian, the clause stands thus Wr (:>W>c ^VVlwf i^\i)\skarataTiieiAm&a^ leem 'Sraban &ya. "A caravan of Islimaelites and Arabs came." "niis seems to give the true sense.

Verse 28. For tieenty pieces of silcer] This, I think, is the first instance on record of selling a man for a slave; but ilie practice certainly did not commence now; it had doubtless beeii in use long before. Instead of pucM, which our translators anmtly, the Persian has Jl:aji^ miskat, which was probahly mtendcd to signify a shekei, and if shekels be intended, taking them at three shillings each, Joseph was sold for about three pounds sterling. I have known a wliole cargo of slaves, amounting to eight hundred and thirteen, Mugbi by a slave captain in Bonny river, in Africa, on an average, for six pounds each | and this payment was made in guns, gui^toiBder, and trinkets I As there were only tai of the brethren present, and they sold Joxph for tventy shekels, each had ^tco shekels as his share in this most mfomoua transaction.

Verse 29. Reuben rtturned unto the pU] It appears he was absent when tin; caravan passed by, to whom the othor brethren had sold Joseiih; probablv some of diem fed ^leir flocks separately; tnou^ tlua noes not ^>pear to have been a eensrat case.

Verse 32. Sent Ou coal of m(u»y eotoure— to their faiher] Wiat deliberate enuUy to lomue the feelings of Uteir aged father, and thus harrow up his soul t

Verse 33. Jonoih is without doubt rati in ^tees!\ It is likely be infixrvTthis firom the laaerated slate of the cosii

34 And Jacob ■ rent his clothea, and put sackcloth upon hia loina, and mouroed for his eon

:i5 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort himj but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For ' 1 will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

36 Tl And the Midianitee Eold him into Egypt, unto Potiphar, an 'officer of Pharaoh's, ana ' captain of the guard.'

AND it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brelhrea, and

which, in order the better to cover their wickedness, they had not only besmeared with the blood of the goat, but it probable reduced to tatUra. And whtd tnuat a bther's bsut ban felt in Mich a ease I As dus coat im rent, ao is the body of toy beloved son rent in pieces 1 and Jaeob rent hi* tiolhet.

Veree 36. AH hU aant and all hit dowcfttora] He had only one daug;hter, Dinah, but hit toiur wiees may be here included; but what hypocrisy in his sons to auempt to comfqrt him concerning the death of a son whom they knew was alive; and what cruelty to put tl;i^ aged father to Buch torture, when, properly speaking, there was no ground for it!

Verse 36. Potipltar, an oflUxr qf PharatA's] The word D^'w aaria, which we translate qfflcer, Bi^;iufies properly a rnnueh, and kst any person should imagine, that because this Potiphar had a wife, therefore it ia absurd to suppose him to have been a eunuck, let such persons know, that it is not uncomrooD in the east, tor eunudis to have Acives, nay, some of them have even a harem or seraglio, where they keep many women, though it does not appear that they have anv progeny i and probably disctmlent o.n thia ground, mi^ht have contribut«d as mucli to the unfaithtulnesB of Potiphar's wife, as that less principTed motive, through which, it is commonly believed, she acted.

Captain ({f the guard.] a>n^a^ ear halabachim, "chief oif the butchers," a most appropriate name for the suards of an eastern despoL If a person oSend one of Ue desixMic eastern princes, the order to one of the lifeguards is, Ga.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 ais displeasure. Reader, if tl^ hast the hapjnnen lo live under the Brm^ constiiutkm, be thanknil to Qod. Here the will, the power, and utmost influence of the king, were he even so disposed, cannot deprive ihe meanest subject of his property, his liberty, or his life. AH the solemn, legal forms of justice, must be consulted; the culprit, howevur accused, be heard by himself and his counsel; and in the end, twelve honest impartial men, chosen from among his fellows, shall decide on tlie validity of the evideoea produced by the accuser. For the trial by Jury, as well as for innumerable political blessing may God make the inhabitants of Great Britain thankful I t. With this chapter the history of Joseph commences, and Kta before our eyes such a scene of wonders, wrought fay divine providmce, in such a variety of surpriaing luatsnoes, as cannot (ail to confirm oiu* faith in God, show the nroprieiy of resignation to hia will, and confidence in hia diapenaaiiona, and prove that all things woric h<gciher for good to them that love him. JoMpu haa often been considered as a type of ClirisI; and this subject, in the hanils.of diflercnt persons, has assumed a great variety of colouring. The following parallels appear the most probable, but I shall not pledge myself lor the propriety of any of Ihem. "Jesus Christ, prefigured by Joseph, the beloved of his father, and by him sent to visit his brethren, is the innocent person whom his bretl\ren sold for a few pieces of silver, the bargain proposed by his brother Jadah, (Greek, Judas) the very namesake of that disciple and brother, for so Christ vouchsafes to call htm, 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 -, wluch hod not happened, but for this plot of destroying him, this act of rejecting, and exposing nim to sale. — In ooih examples we find the some fortune and the same innocence: Joseph in tlie prison between two criminals; Jesus on the cross between two tliieves: Joseph fort^ns deliverance to one of his companions, and death to the other, from the same omens! <^ the two thieves, one reviles Christ, and perishes in his crimes; the other beUevea, and is assured of a needy entrance into paradise. Joseph requests the person that should be delivered, to be mindful of him in his glory: the persoti saved by Jesus Clirist, entreats his deliverer to remembtt^ him when he came into his kingdom."— Parallels and coincidences of this kind should cuvrays be received eantiously; for where the Spirit of God haa not marked a direct resemblaooe, and obviously referred to it as such, in «ome other part of his word, it is bold, if not dang^tna to say "such and such things and persons are types a Christ." Wo have instances safficiently numeroua, Wittmately attested, without having recourse to those wuch are of dubious import, and precarious iqiplicuifln. — See the observations on chap. xl.

2. Envy has been defined, " Pain felt, and malignity conceived, at the sight of ezceUence or h^iuneaa in another." Under this detestable passion, did the brethre* of Joseph labour; and hod not God particularly interposet^ it would have destroyed both its subjects utd its object. Perhaps there is no vice which so directly filiates itaen on Satan as this does. In <mpoaition to the assertion that w cannot envy thai by iMA ws prott; it may be safely replied, that we may envy our ne^boin^s wisdon^ tbtmgh he gives us good counsel; his ruAe*, though he avp^ies our wonts; and his griatnesSf thoi^h he emplt^ it bm our proteclioD.

3. How ruinous are family distractions! A house di> vidad against itaelf cannot stand. Parents should talu good heed that their own conduct be not the first and most powerful cause of such dtseensions, 1^ exciting envy in some of their children, tlii-ough imdue parito/t^vio ochers: but it is in vain to speak to most parents on tne subject; they will give way to foolish predilections, till, in the pravoiling distractions of iheii families, they meet with the punishment of their imprudence.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXVHI. Verse I. And it eama to pass at thai time] The beta mentioned here, could not nave happened at the tines mentioned in ihe preceding chapter, as those times are all ungueBiionnbly loo recent, for the very earliest of the transactions here recorded, must have occurred long befbre the selling of Joseph. Hr. Ainsu-orth remark^ "that Judoh and his sons must have married when very you^ else the chronology will not agree. For Joseph was bom six years before Jacob left Laban, and eante uto C^mm, XXX. 26. xxxi. 41. Joseph was «eren<em years old wtun he was sold into Egypt, xxxvii. % 25. he was thirty jan old when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, diap. xfi. 16. And nine years after, when there had been seven yean of plenty onif tico yeais of famine, did Jacob wiih his bnily go down into Egypt, chap. xli. C3, B4. end xlv. 6, 11. And at their going down tlmher, Pharez, the son of Judoh,. whose hinh la set down in the end of tliis chapter, had two sons, Hezron and Hamu), chap. zlvi. B, 12. Seeing then from the selling of Joseph, unto larael's going down into Egypt, there cannot be above twcnli/-three yean; how is it possible that Judnh shotild take a wife, and hare by her three sons succeBsively, and Shelfdi the youngest M the three be marriageable wlien Judah begat Ptuucz IVmar, chap, xxxvni. 14, 24. and Pharez be grown an. married, and have fiM ions, all witlitn so short a specel The time therefore here spokpn of, seems 16 have been soon after Jacob's coming to Shechem, chap, xzxiii. IR before the history of Dinali, chap, zxxiv. thoitgfa Hoses, for special cause, relates it in this place." I shcnild imdwr suppKise that this chapter originaHy Blood after chap, xxxiiian<l that it got by accident into this place. Dr. HeJoB, observing that some of Jacob's sons must have married remarkably young, says, that " Judah was ahouljbrly-sereit years old when Jacob's family settled in Egypt. He could not therefore have been above Jiftecn at the birtfi of his eldest son ISr; nor Er more than Jl/teen at his marrii^ with TVunor i nor could it have be«i more than fwojtu* aitex Er's death, tiU the birth of Judah's twin sons m Iw dattghter-m-lsw Tuhsr; nor co^ Pharez, cms trf" tbsn,

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

and Judah ■ was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold uiy father-in-kiw goeth up > to Timnath to shear his sheep.

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

15 When Judah saw her, he thoueht her to be a harlot; because she had covered her face.

16 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 eheiMuhisdaaghter in law.) And she said. What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17 And he said, ' I will send t/tee * a kid from the flock. And she said, » Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

4 And she conceived arain, and bare a son; and she called nis name

a a S. ii3 ^ '1^^ azain conceived, and bare a «m; and called his name ■ Shelah: and he was at GhezU>, when she bare

7 And ■ Er, Judah's first-boroi was wicked in the sight of the Loan; ^ and the Lord stew him.

S And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto ■ thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed unto thy brother.

9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be ■■hia; and it came to pass, when he went in unto

hie brother's wife, that he si^illcd it oa the ground, lest that he should give seed to his orother.

10 And the thing which he did " di^leased the Lord: wherefore he slew ' iiihi also. ftcSfS 11 Then said Judah to Tamar his

thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: (for be said. Lest pefadventure he 'die also, as his brethren did.) And Tamar went and dwelt ^ in her father's house.

A.u.ci<.»n. 12.^ And 'in process of time the daughter of Shoali,Judah'8wife,died;

be more dianjt/Ie«R &t ihe birth of his two sooh Hezron ud HamxU, suf^iMiiig they ware twins, just bora before the departure from Ctuiaan. For the a^rcgate of tlieiie numben, 15+15+2+15 = 47 years, gives ihp age uf Judaic compare chop, zzxviii. with chof. xlvi. 2."

AduUamtJe] An inhabitant of Adiillum, a city of Canaan, afterward given for a possesaioD to the sons of jucloh, Josh. XV. 1, 36. It appears (u if this Adnlltxmitehad kept a kind of hmiM9 ^ enlerlainmaU, for Hirah the Conoaniie and his family lod^ with him; and tlurt Judah lotted also. As the womao was a Oanaanitess, Judah had the example of his fathers, to prove at least the impropriety of such a connexion.

Verse 6. And he (Judah) waa at Chezih vken she bare fUm] lUs town is supposed to be the same with A(Axib, which fell to the tribe of Judali, Josh, xv, 44. The name, say> Ainswortb, has iit Hebrew the signification of lying; ana to it the prophet alludes, saying the houses of Adizib Aall be {Aehzab) a lit tothf. kingt qf hraeL Mic. i. 14.

Verse 7. Er — leoM viieked in the sight qf the Lord] What this wickedness consisted in, wc are not told; but the pbr«se, aig\t qf the /jord,he\ne; added, proves that it was some very great evil. It is worthy of remark, that the Hebrew word used to express Er'e wickp<Ini^3B, is hit own name, the letters rercrs£d, Kr ijl, wicked, jn rii. As if the inspired writer had said, " Er was nllugedier wicked, a completely ab-indotied charticter."

Verse 9. Onan kneui that the seed should not he Aw] That ji^ that tlie child Iv^ortcn of bis brother's widow, ■bouILte reckoneil as the chili of his deceased brothT; and luf idun'}, though the ri-:i1 father of it, Bhould not appe.v I'n tlia genealogical Lib^-B.

Ten" 10. Whtryore he sleie him also.] 'Hie s^n of Onan has geneiully bean np^vned to be $^f-poflutim. But this is certainly a mistake: his crimt was hU r^fiual to raist up seed to his brother; and n'her thnn do it. he, by ih.? act mentioned altovc, rMdered himnelf in'^.ipilile of it, Wc fi^d from thisbiatory,^!at long be'or^ ih" Mos-iic lav, it n-as an es'AblishoJ rnltAm, prububly founded on a divine premtpt, that if a m:tn diitl childless, his brother was to take his wife; and ih? children produced by this MCKid marriage, were considered as the cluldren of the 0rat hwtmod, sod hi conse7i»>nce inherited ht^iosseuions. Verse 12. tn proew qf tiotc] Thu phrase^ whieh is in

thee? And she said, '•Thy signet, and ihr bracelets, and thy staff that is m thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19 And she arose, and went away, cmd '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 Way side? And they said, There was no harlot m Uiis place.

^nerol use in Ihe Bible, needs explanation; die original IS iTDvi vaiyirbu ha't/amim, wad the days were mrftiplied: thotigh it implies an indefinite time, yet it generally embraces a pretty long period, and in this place may coean eercral yearn.

Verse 15. ITumghl her to be a harlot] See tlie original of iliis term, chap, xxjtiv. 31, The Hebrew is nn 7onaA, and signifies generally a person who prostitutes herself to (he public forfiire; or one who lives by the public; antl hence very liksly uplied to a vubtiean, a laTem-kr^ter, or AoafeM^Joeh. ii. I. translatea by the Sepmagint, and in the New Testament, <r»^.i|, from to sell, which certainly may as well apply to her goods as to her person.

It appears il>at, in very ancient times, there were pubKo persons of fitis description: tliat thev generally veiled themselves; s.it in pabfic pl<u:os by the hi^way side; and received a certain aire, l^ou^ aduUery was reputed a very flagrant crime, yet dlis public prostitution' was not: for persona whose charactem were, on the whole, morally good, had connejcions with them. But what could be experts! from an age, in which there was no wrftlen divine revelation; and conpeqnently the bonnds of right and wrong] not sufficientlv ascertwned. This defect was supplied in a considerable measure by the tate B,ad the prophets: anr] now. completely, bv the' Gospel qf Christ,

Verse 17. IVUt thou give mt a pledge tOt thou tend it t] The word arabon signifies an eament of something promised — a part qf the price asfreed for, herwcfn a btiyer and seller, hj- giving and receiving of which, the bargain was ratified i or a deposit, which was to he restored, when the thing promised should be given. St, Paul ubps the same word in Greek tptiprs, 2 Cor. i. 22. Kphea.

i. 14. From (he use of the term tn this historv, we raaysik onee see what the apostle means by the Holy Spirit being (Se EARHBTT, «f ft« promised inheritaneet vix.

a seritrity irivm in hand for the ftilfilmenf of all Qod's promises relative to greu-e and p.temAl life. Wn may learn from this, that eternal life will he gi*-en, in the ^reat day, to all who ran produce this arahon or pledge: he who has the earnest of the Spirit then in his heart, shall not only be s.^ved from death, but have that eternal life of which it is the vtettge, end the evidence. What the pledge given by Judah was, see on rer. 26. Verse 31. H%«rs it the kartot that was opmiy by th*

22 And he returned to Judah, and said, 1 cannot find her; and al:^o the men of tlic pluce said, that there was no harlot in this placfi.

23 And Judah said. Let her take it to her, lest we ■ be 6hain<:d: behold, I seut this kkl, and thou hast not found her.

24 And it came to pass about three months afler, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law haih ''flayed the harlot; and also, behold, she u with child by whoredom. Ana Judah said, Bring' her forth, ' and let her be burnt.

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

26 And Judah ' aeknowledged lAem, and said.

way ndc?\ Our truisUtors ofiKa renderdifferent Hebrew «ords by the same term iu EnglUk; and thus mcuiy important shadea of tnetuiinr, which involve trails of cha-, racter, ore lost In ver. 16. Tamar ia called a harlot, Twr ronah, which, bb we have already seen, sig^nifiea a person who proaLitutes herself for money. In thia terse site ia called a harlot in our version, but the ori^nal ia not run xonah, but ranp ktdeahah, a holy or coruecrated person, from np kadaah, to tnake holy, or to consecrate to reUgiotu purposes. And the word here muat nereaaarily unify a person conaecral«d proetitution, to (he worship oT some impure goddess.

The public proatitutes in the temple of Vemu are called •tf*tn\tt yvMoic, or consecrated female tenants, by fSrofto.' and it appears from the words zmiah anikade^ia above^ that impure rites and [Hiblic prostitution prevailed in Ihe worship of the Canaanit«s, in the time of Judah. And among these people we have much reason to believe, that AOarti and iufenrfft occupied the ttme place in their theology, M VvKM did among the Greeks uid Romans; and were worshipped with the same impure riles.

Terse 23. Lett uv be AaiMd\ Not of Ihe act, for this he does not appear to have thought criminal; but lest he ahoiild foil under the raillery of his companions and neighbours, for baviog been tricked out of his signet, bracelets, and staff by a prostitute.

Terse 24. Bring her/ortk, and let her be burnt] As he had ordered Toxnor to live as a widow in her own father's house till his son Shelab diould be marriageable, he coiuiders her, therefore, as the wife of his son; and as Shelah was not yet given to her, and ahe is found with child, is reputed by him as an adulteress; and burning, it seems, wosanciently the ptmiahment of this crime. Jiutah, being a patriarch or headofafiuaily, had, according to the custom of those Umea, the supreme magisterial authority over all the branches of his own family; therefore, he only acts here in his jiu-idical copocity. How strange dial in the very place where adultery was punished by the most violent death, prostitution for money and religious purposes, should be considered as no crimes]

Terse 26. Tht nrnt(\ norm chotemetk, properly a teai or instrument with which impressions were mode to ■■certain properw, Ac

Braeeleit\ tfvnB pelilim, from?ni> patat, to twist, wrealli, twine, probobly signifies a girdle, or a collar by which preceden^,&c.miKhibeindicalMl; not the muslin, silk, or linen wreath of his tuibao, as Mr. Hanner and cithers have conjectured.

JSxtf.] rm mattA, nther what we would eail a common walking-stielE, or the staff whidi was the ensign of his tribe.

Srobflble that Tamar was influenced bv no other motive tan that which woe common to all the Isroelitish women, Su dtsire to have children %cho might be heira ijf the promiM made to Abraham, &A. And as Judah had obliged her to aooiinue in her widowhood, tuiderthe promise of giving her his son Shelah, when he should oe of age; oonsei]uoady, hia refusing or delaying to accompludt utis promise, was a breach m truth, mS an iogury dona to Tamar.

Terse 28. T7te midwife — bound upon hia hand a scarlet thread] The binding of the scarlet thread about the wrist <of the child, whose arm appeared first in Ihe birth, serves to show us how toUeitotuly the nrivilegea of the birthrfg*< ware preserved. Had not this cautim been taken by the midwile^ Phartx would have had the right of primogt- Tiiture to the praiudice of his elder brother 2oraJL AdA ■ 148

E She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my boil And he knew her again ' no more.

of her travail, that, behold, twins were ■ in her womb.

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

29 And it came to pass, as he drew badi his hand, that, behold, bis brother came out: and she said, '■How hast thou broken forth? breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called ipharez."

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

Set Pharez is usually reckoned in the genealogical tahlea:fore Zaroh; and irom him, not Zfu-on, does the line of our Lord proceed. See Matt. i. 3. Probably the two brother*, as being twin^ were conjoined in the privileges belonging to the btrthright.

Verse 29. Sow hast thou broken forth] rvTMi rvj mak pharatsta — ^ITiia breach be upon thee—r* T^? alsj/ca pAare/s— thou shall bear the nome uf the breach tbou nut made, i. e. in coming first into the world. 'ITierefore his name was called r>* I^tarets, i. e. the person who made the frrwA, as the word literally signifies. The frreucA here mentianed, refen to a certain eircumitance in parturition, which it is unnecessary to explain.

Verse 30. HU name was called Zarah] rrt Zarack, risen or sprang up, applied to the sun, rising and dtRiising his light "He had tnis name," says Ainsworthj "because he ahouM have risen, i. e. have been btvn firat, but for the breach which his brother made." Thbbi are several subjects in this chapter on which it iiot be unprofijaUa to spetid a few additioaa] mODientB.

1. Ilie insertioa of this chapter is a ftrdier proof of die impartiatity of the sacred writer. T*ie fiwjts detailed, considered tn thsmselves, can reflect no credit on thepttriorchal histoiy: but ^udoA, Tamar, Zarah, and PhartM were progenitors of the Messiah, and tlierefore th«r birth must be recorded; and, as the birlh^ so also die eirrumstancea of that birth, which, even bad tfaey not a higher end in view, would be valuable aa easting light upon aoma very ancient ctwfdms, which it is interesting to undervtand. These are not forgotten in the preceding notes.

2. On what is generally remited to be the sin ^ On an, something very pointed uiould be spoken; but mo dare* and will do it, and in such language that it may neitber pollute the ear by describing the evil a« U nor M)} of its effect by a language so refined and so laboriously delicoM astocov<rfhenn,«duch it pK^lMseatodiaclosel jBfe> borate treatises on the subject will never be read fay those who need them most; ana anonymous pompA/efs are noc Ilkehr to be regarded.

The sin of eeff-poUution, which is generally considered to be that of Onan, is one of the most destructive evils ever waotised hf f^en man. In many respects it is several o^frees worse than common whorettom, and has in its train more awful consequences, thmuh nractifed fay numbers who would shudder at the thought oi criminal connexions widi a prostitute. It excites the powers of nonu^ to mdua action, and produces violcTit secretions, which necessarilj and speedily exhaust the vital principle and en«r^: hence the muscles become flaccid and fMble, the tone sad natural action of tlw nerves relaxed and impeded; the underslond ins confused, the memory oblivious, the jndgmeot perverted, the will indeterminate and wholly without energy to resist: the eyes appear languishing, and without expression, and the countenance vacant. The o^petits eaues, for the slomacli is incapable of performing its proper oifici^ nutrUUm fails, tremor^ fears, and terrors are generated, and thus uic wretched victim dregs out a most miserable existence, till n/pcrannita(«f even ueforebehad time to arrive at man's eafa^ with amind often d^litated even to a state of idiotism, Us worthless body tiunbles into the grave, and his guilty soul (guiltv of self-murder) is humed into the awful presence oftts Judge I— Header, this is no caricature: nororethecokiuringsoverchargedindus shockiiw picture. Worse woes than my pen can relate^ I have wiineascd in those addicted to this Euciaaline^ unnatural, and moat deatriictive of crimes. If thou bast enfeand into this snare, flee from the destruction both of body aad aoul that awaits diM I Chxl alone aan i«Ta thae. AdviM^

AND Joseph was brought down to Egypt j and • Potiphai*, an ofF^er of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, aa Ee^pliaD, bought hun of the hands or the Ishmcfuites, which had broaght him down thither.

2 And * thp. Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was m the bouse of his master the Egyptian.

3 And his master saw that the Lord was with bim, and that the Lord <> made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4 And Joseph ■ foond grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made liim ''overseer over bis house, and all that he had be put into bis hand.

5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that > the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the Uwsine of the Lord was upon all that he had in the nouse, and in the fidd.

6 And be left all that 'be. had in Joseph's

wmminga, thrc&Uningn, increasing d^lity of body, mentRl decay, tnedn of eoiueieoce, expostulations <rf judgment sod medical sniatance vill aU be loat on thee: 0km, and God aioiu, cam save ihee from an evil which hu in its ieaue Um destnicti(»i of thy body, and the GnaJ perdition of thy soul I Whether this may have been the sin of Onan or Bot, IB a matter at present of small moment, it maybe thy m: tbersfiirs take heed, lest God Aet/or U. Hie intelligent reader will see that wudence forbids me to enter ■By further into this busineas. See flw remarks at the end «t chsjk xuix.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIX. Verse 1. An officer qf Pharaohj captain of Hu gaar^ Mr. Ainswortht not eonsidering that we Eeypiiaos never adojAed the Scotch political regime, calls Fotijriuir, in his own country's phnwc^ ptvumt martkaH — See on ch. xxxvit. 38.

Vene 4. He mada him overtur] fpsn hJpekid, from tps jiakad, to vinA c^^'c <lf\ tuptrinlma, the same aa sviratmcoMnMr, or biahop, amtng the Or^ks. Hub is the terra by which the Septuagint often express the mmninii; of die origioal.

in Aw peraon, ana ttantiful in am countenance. Tlie «ras expressions are used relative to Rachel: see them explained, ch. xrix. 17. The beauty of Joseph is celebntted ever all the Bast; and the Pnaian poets vie with sash oOiflr in dosor^tioni of Ins comeliness. Uohammed •psnds ihs tvelfth timptn of the Koran entirely on Joseph, and pppresents him as a perfieot beau^, and the most aeeompliBtaBd of mortala From his account, the passion of ZmUMa (for so die Asiatics call Potiphar's wife) being known to (h« ladies of the court, they cast the severest refiestions upon her: in order to excuse herself she invitad far^ of them to cUne with her, put knives in their faanAh lad save them ranges to cut, and caused Joseph to MMlt men they saw hun, they were struck with adiiiiilWiiil. and so confounded, that, uistead of cutting their isaafi dtMr out and hacked their own haoda, crying out,

HluMmahadhibatharanSnhMihaiUamalakonkar^ mmn "O Oodl this is not a human being, this is none other than a glorious angel 1"— SuraL xii. ver. 34.

Two of the fUiest poems to ^ Persian language were written by the poets Jamy wti Nixamy on the ai^ject of Josepfa and his mistress: they are both entitled Yva^ w SSitiickha. These poems represent Josqih as the most beantiAil and pious of men; and Zuleddmlhe most chaMs, virtQOUB, sod sxcelloDt of women, previous to hw hsmng smJonepbi hut diw state, that when riu Bawhiak,sba wns so deeply aflbeisd by his bssn^, that die lost aU selfgovcmmsnt, and became a slave to her passion. Hafix

hands; and he knew not aiight he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph *• was a goodly perMon, and well favoured.

7 If And it came to pass after these a c'S mt

8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, mv master wotteth not what is with me in the house,. and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

9 There ia none greater in this house than I j neither hath he kept back any thing Irom me but thee, because thou art his Wife: « how then can I do this great wickedness, and > sin against God?

10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that be hearkened not tmto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

11 And it came to pass abont this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there wot none of the men of the house there within.

12 And "she caught him bv his garment, saying. Lie with me: and he left his garment ia her hand, and fled, and got him out.

13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left bis garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

14 That she called tmto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying. See, he hadi

Xrt <qwM«» paHtM atmta Wow, ani tuhMmra. "I aiiilBi(iiBd,b«ii the duly iiKnuinc hnolT wMcli JoMh dohm, Hdw low tm nrmj itmnUul dMiir feam TihilrS« llie Persian poets and eoaters historians, however, contrive to carry on a sort of guiltless passion between them till tlie death of PoiijAar, when Zuleekha, grown old, is restored to youth and beauty by the power of Gtod, and beeofflca the wife of Joseph. What traditions they had beside the Mosaic text, for what they say on this subject, are not now known: but tlie whole story, with innumerable embellishments, ia so generally current in the East, diat I thought it not amiss to lake this notice of it. The twelfdi chapter of ihe Korftn, which celebrates tlia beauty piity, ana acts of this patriarch, is allowed to be one die finest specimens of Arabic composition ever finmed; and the history Itself aa told by Moses, U one of the most sbnpte, natural, affecting, and well-told narratives, ever pinlieiied. It is a masterpiece of composition, and never foils of producing its intended elTect on the mind of a careful reader. Trie Arab lawgiver sew and islt the beauties and excellencies of his model, and ha certainly put forth all the strength of hie own language, and all the energy of his mind, in order to rival it.

Verse 8. My maettr wjtteth not] Enoweth not, from the old Anglo-Saxon plcan, wUan, to knowi hence f\K, wit,inielUd, understanding, wiwfom, jyrudence.

Verse 9. How then?] T"*^ ^■^i ^"d how? Joseph gives two moot powerful reasons for his non-compliance with the wishes of his mistress. 1. Gratitude to his master, to whom he owed all that he hod. 2. His /tar Iff Cha, in whose sight it would be a heinous offence, and who wouU not foil to nmiBh him for iL With die kiodneas of his moaler, and the diq>leasure of God before his eye^ how fould he be capable of committing an act of transgression, which would at once liave distinguished him aa the most ungral^'at and the most vor&Ueaa of men.

Verse 14. He hath ^nghi in a Hebrew unio us] Podfba^M wife afibcts to throw great blame on her husband, whom we mav reasonably suppose she did not greatly love. Hb ha& brought in — be haUi raised this person to all his dignity and eminence, to give him the greater opportunity (o mock us. J>n'i le-tsaehaJc, here translated to mock, is the same word used in ch. xxvL 8. relative to Isaac and Kebekah, and is certainly used by Potidbar's wife, in ver. 17. to signify matrimonial intercourse. From this we may at ooce see, why it waa that Abimeleeh knew (having seen them through a window) that Isaac and RebdiBh were man and wife.^^^

brouf^t in a Hebrew unto ub to mock ub; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried With a • loud voice:

15 And it came to pass, when he beard that I lifted npmy voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

16 And she leud up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

17 And she ■> spake unto him aocordioff to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came m unto me to mock me;

18 And it came to pass, as I lifled up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, sayine, Atter this manq,er did thy

prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

21 If But the Lord was with Joseph, and ' showed him mercy, and ' gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

82 And the keeper of the prison * committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that icere in the prison; nnd whatsoever they did there, be was the doer of it.

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing tkat ita* under nia hand; because ' the LoRn was with him, and that whicb he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Tem 20. Put him iiUo the. prirnm] tns nia beiih tohar, literally tlie rmiTid-katut — in euch B,form. the prison was probably builded.

Verse 21. 7\e Lord umt with JmepUl It!■ but of liule consequence where the lot of a aervant of Qod may be cast: like Joseph, he is ever employed for hii matter, and Ood honours him, and proapeni bis work.

1. Hs who aeknowled^ Ood in all his ways, has the promise that Ood shall direct all his steps. Joseph's captivity shall promote Ood's gloi^; ana to this end, Ood works in him,./br him, and by him. Even the irreligious «an see when the Most High distinguishes his followers; Joseph's master saw that Jehovah •aan with him; and from this we may learn, that the knowledge of the true God was io Egypt, even before the time of Joseph, though hifl xirorship was neither established, nor even tolerated there. Both Abraham taut Uaae had been in Egypt, and they had left a savour of true godliness behind them.

2. Joseph's virtue in resisting the solicitations of his mistress, was truly exemplary. Had he reasoned after the manner of men, he might have soon Found that the proposed intrigue might be carried on with the utmost secrecy, and greatly to bia secular advantage. But he ^loae to risk lul, rather than injure a kind bachelor, defile his conscience and sin against Ctod. Such c<mduct is so exceedingly rare, that his example has stood on the records of time, as almost unique, admired 1^ all, applauded by most, and in similar circumstances, I am afraid, imitated by few. The fable of the brave and virtuous Bellerophron and Sthcnobrao, wife of Pneins, king of the Argives, was founded on this history,

3. Joaeph Jled, and got him out. To know when to Sehi, Aad when to jfy, are of great importance in the Christian life. Some temptations must be manfully met, resisted, and thus overcome: from others we mtistjly. He who stands to contend or reason, especially in such a

. case as that mentioned here, ia infallibly mitted. Prtn- Hpiis obala — " resist the first overtures of sin," is a good maxim. After- re medics come too late.

4. A woman of die spirit of Potiphar's wife is capable of any species of evil. When she could not get her wicked ends answered, she began to accuse. This is precisely Satan's custom; he first tempts men to sin, and then accuses them at having committed it, even wherethe temp* tation has been fkuthntlly and penevniuly resisted I By this means he can trouble a tender conseienee, and weaken &ilb, by bringing confusion into the mind. "lims the inexperienced especially, are often distracted and cast down — benoe Satan is properly called the aeautrqf the brethren. Rev. zii. 10.

TlKlru«rw,& The i*M baUsr Ub bkdnui, >— II. JaMfc kamm*k,)X, la Gl>a> rfkM AcMcf hbUun to UiidiMlwla.uftaHlbiaikU ■lun Ua *)iai mund to hta aOcH, 14, la Tto elU baktr MB U ifanB, IS, II. Joata kninina ihk (In, 18. la Boih dnm in MlUled Bemd^i B

AND it came to pass after these things, that the k batler of the kins of Egypt and hi* baker had offended tbeir lord the kii^ of Egypt.

8 And ^laraoh was i wroth i^amst two qf his officers, against the chief of rae butlers, and against the chief of the bikers. ^ And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph vim bound.

4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season In ward.

of them, each man his dream in one

night, each man according to the interpretation oThis dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which vrere bound in the prison.

6 And Joseph came in Unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they ■were sad.

7 And he asked Pharaoh's officers that wert with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore ■ look yH so sadly to-day?

S And they said imto him, " We nave dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, ■> Do not interpre-

Very useful leseooa may be drawn from evenr part of the relation in this chapter; but detailing the acta, and reasoning upon them, would be more likely ta produce than prevent the e%-il. An account of diis kind cnnnat be touched with loo gentle a hand. Others have bcCTi profiue here — I chose to be parsunonioiM, for reasoos whicii the intelligent reader will feel aa well as myself. Let thia remark be applied to what has been said on the ain of Onan, ch. xzxviii. ■

Verse 1. 7^ bu^J npv sAefteft, the same as c^d^tM eaky among the Arabians and Persioiu, and aignmea & eup-bearer.

Sad offended] They had protmbly been aceused of attempting^ take away the king's life, (me by poiwwng his drink^ihe other by poisooingliis bread or eonjectiem ariea.

Verse 3. WTiere Jowph was bound] The place ia vdiidi Joseph was now con/lned — ^Iltia ia what is implied in being bound; for, without doubt, he had his perrnwl liberty. As the butler and the baker were stale crimlnajst they were put in the same prison with Jok[^ whidt m learn from the preceding chapter, ver. 20. was the Kii^s prison. All the officers in the employment of the onciem Kings of Egypt were, aceordinf to Diodoru*. ^enbtt, taken from me most illustrious nmilies of the priesthood tn ihe countiy — no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the preeutce of the kiw. As these persons, therefore, were 6t the most noble finiilie^ it is natural u> expect they would be put, when accused, into the state ■priBtm.

Verse 4. TAey continued a season] cr*D'' yamim, literally days I how long, we cannot tell; but many siqipoM the word signifies a anwUUvear; and as Pbarub csBed them to an account on nia btrtltday, ver. 20. Colniei onppoees (hey had ofoided on the preceding birOidaif, and thus had oeen one whole year in i^ison.

Verse 6. Eofh man aceordiHg to the interprttation\ Not like dreams in general, the disordered workii»B of die mind; the eonseooenee of disenae or rajrfationi uwae were dreams that baa an innqwelatioa; that i% ihsi were prophetic.

Veree 6. Tkey were »ad] They concluded that their dreams portended something of great importance, but they could not tell what.

Vcree 8. TTiere is ne interpreter] They either had access to none^ or diose tn whom imy an>lted oould giva them naoonnstsnt ■atisfartory meaning.

9 And the chief butler told bis dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behotd, a Tine was before me;

10 And in the vine were three branchea: and it 1000 as thouffh it budded, and her bloesomB shot forth} ana the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapcB:

11 And Pharaoh's cup weu in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cap, and I gave the cup into PharEu>h'B

12 And Joseph Eaid unto him. i This t« the interpretation of it: The three Dranches * are three days:

13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh * lifl • up thine bead, and restore thee unto thy place: and tibou ahalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his buuer.

14 But ■ think ' on me When it shall be well with thee, and " show kindness, I pray thee, unto me. and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

Id For indeed 1 was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: 'and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dunxeon.

lb When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, be said unto Joseph I also wof in my dream, and, behcM, / had three ' white baskets on my head:

17 And in the uppermost basket tiiere was of all manner of » bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the

birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.

13. And Joseph answered and said, * This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:

19 *> Yet within three days shall Pharaoh ' lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

20 1| And it came to pass the third day, lekich teas Pharaoh's <' birthday, that he * made a feast unto all his servants: and he ' lifted • up the head of the chief butler and of tlie chief baker among his servants.

21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and < he gave the cup into Pharaoh'^B hand:

22 But he ' hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

S3 II' Yet did not the Chief butler remember Joseph, but > forgat him.

Do not interpretationa belong to God] God alooe, the Supreme Bein^ knove what is in Aibirity i and if he have sent a Mgnifieant dream, ha alone can give the solution.

Terae 11. And I look Ou ^rapa, and weaaed them tfito PharaoKa cup] From ibu we find tnat vint anciently wu the mere expreaaed juice of the grape, without Jarmeniation. Tho taky, or cup-bearer, took the buQch, pressed the juice into the cup, and inatantly delivered it into the hands of hia master. TiuM vaa andentlv (he p* ytqriA of the Hebrnoa, the um of the Oreeka, aai Ifae miattm of the ajicient Liatina,

Verae 12. 7*Ae Utrea brajuhea are three dai/a] That ia, the three brancbea ei^if^ three days — so, thia ii my body,• that is, this bread aignifiea or reatreaenta my bo*^ — ihia cup I* my blood, ssraxfiEirrB iny olood — a form of speech mi|uently used in the Sacred Writings; for the Hebrew has no proper word by which our terms aigv^aa, rwrementa, 4c- are expressed; iherefore it says, such a thing

Sfor repreaeata, poiiUa out, dkc And oecause Beveral our ancestors wouU understaiid such words in tbeir tnte, genuinr, critiaal, and aoU meaning ({ueen Mary, biahopa Gaidine^ Bonner, and die neat of that demoniacal erew, reduced them la aahea in Smithfieid, and elsewhere.

Verse 14. Mike menlion tif ma unto Pharaohl One would have suppoaed that the very eirciimslance of hia reslonuioo according to the prediction of Joseph, would have almost necessarily prevented him from forgetting so extraordioary a person. But what have mere courtiera to 4<i either witii gratitude or kindnaaa 7

Verse 15. For ituietd I waa atoUn\ "tmu 3v genob gmabH, aMen, I hate been alolen — moot auurcdiy 1 was stolen— a rui Aer;^ alto hate I date nothing. Theae were aimple assertions, into ihs proof of which he was ready to enter, if called on.

Verse 19. lA/l up thy head frora ojf Que\ Thus we find that hAeoAing, hanging, and gibbeiing, were modes of puaiHhmsnt among the ancient Egyptians: but the criminal was beheaded before he was nanged, mid then either hailed on hooks or by the hands— See Lam. v. 12.

Verse 2d. PharaMa blrt}uiay\ Tho disiinguishing a birthday by a feast, appears from thin place to have been a very ancient custom. It probably tm<l its origin from a correct notion of the immortality of dw soul, aa the com. manceiitenl of Ufe roust appear of great consequence to thai person who believed tie was to live for ever. Sl Xatm. xiv. 6. mentions Herod* a kee^ng his birthday;

AND it came to pass at the end of two feafS full years, that Pharaoh dreamed;

lAJted up the head (ffthe chief butler, Ac] By lifting up the head, probably no more is meant than bringing them to trial, tantamount to what was done by Jezebel and the nobles of Israel to Naboth; Set Naboth on high among the people, and act two men, sons qf BeliaLlo bear witneaa against him, &c. 1 Kings xxi. 9^ &c, l%e issue of the tnal wa% the baker, alone was found guUty and hanged; and the butler being acquitted was restored to hia office.

Verae23. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joaeph\ Had he mentioned tlie circumstance to Pharaoli, there ia no doubt that Joseph's case would have been examined; and he would in consequence, have been reatored to his liberty: but owing to the ingratitude of the diief butler, he waa left tieo yean longer in priaon.

Makt commentators have seen in every circumattmee, in die hietory of Joseph, a parallel between him and our blessed Lord. So, ''Joseph in priaon, represents Christ in the custody of the Jews; the chief butler and the chief baker represent the two thieves which were crucified with our Lord: and as one thief was pardoned and the other lef^ to perish, so the chief butler waa restored to his office, and the chief l>aker hanged." I believe God never designed such parallels; and I am astonished to find eomparativcly grave and judicious men trifling in this way, and forcing the feauires of truth into the moat distorted itnamorphosiB; ao that even her friends bludi to acknowledge her. This is not a light matter: we aliould beware how we attribute designs to God diet he never had, and employ the Holy Spirit in fbrming Iriffing luid unimportant eimiliuides. Ofniain direct tniAi we shall find aa much in the Sacred Writings as we can receive and com-

Erehend: let ua not therefore hew out unto oursehea roken cisterns thai con hold no water. Inteipretadons of this kind, only tend to render the Sacred Writings uncertain, to expose to ridicule all the solemn types and figures which it reuUy containa, and to furnish pretexts to infidels and irreligioua people to scoff stall spirituality,- and lead diem to reject the word of God entirely, as incapable of being interpreted on any fixed or rational idaa. The mis<^ief done by diis system is really incaleonftde. See die observations on chap, xzxvii.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XLL Verse 1. 7Vo full years] ovov ahanalayim yamim, two yeszs of days, two eomplete solar revolutjoni^ after the events mentioned in the preceding chapter.

2 And, behold, there came up out of the river, seven well favoured " Idne and fiitfleshed; and they f'ed in a meadow.

3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed: and Btood by the other kioe upon the brink of the river.

4 And the ill favoiired and leaoileshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. 8o Pliaraoli awoke.

5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of cofn came up upon one stalk, ' rank and good.

6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blagted with the cast wind sprung up after them.

7 And the seven tbin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awtrice, and, behold, it was a dream.

8 And it came to pass in the mornine, ^ that his spirit waa troubled; and he sent and called for all 1 the magicians of Egypt, and all the ' wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them hie dream; but there toaa none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

9 If Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:

10 Pharaoh was 'wroth with his servants, » and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chierbaker:

Terse 2. Hurt eanu up out qf the river seven %Dellfavoured Mne] Tftiie must certainly refer to the hippopotamus, or river horse, M the circumatancea of eornxng up out the riter, and feeding in the Jteld, characterize that aniimU alone. The hippopotomua is the well-known inbalHtant of the Nil<^ and frequently, by nig;ht. comes out of the river to feed m fielda, or io toe toag^ hy the river ' aids.

Yem 6. Blamed vith &e eatt wind\ It haa been very properly observed, that all the mischiefs done to com or nruit blasting, smuitiDg, mildews, locusts, &c. are attributed to the taat wind. — See Exod. Jt. 13. xiv. 21. Psal. ijy'm. 26. Ezek. ivil 10. John iv. 8. In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes throu^ the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numberB of men and women. The destructive nature of the tivUwm, or mnoom, is mentioned 1^ almost all umvellera. Mr. Bruce thus speaks of it in his travels in Egypt On [lieir wajr to Syene, Idris, their guide seeing one of these destroying blasts coming, cried out with a loud voice to the company. " Fall upon your faces, for here is the »imoom f " I saw," ■a^ Mr. B. " from the S. East a haze come, in colour like the purple port of the rainbow, but not so compressed or thick. It did not occupy fteeniy yards in breadth, and was about ficeZre feet high from the eround. It was a Idod of blush upon the air, and it moved very rapidly, for I scarce could turn to fa]l upon the ground, with my head northward^hen I felt the heat of its current plainly upon mvfiBGe. We all lay flat upon the ground as if dtatd, till lario told us it wa« blown over. 'Ine meteor, or purple haze wliich I saw, was indeed passed, but the liglit air that still blew, was of a hent to threaten sufTocation. For my part, I fotmd distinctly in my breast that I had imbibed a port of it; nor was I free from an asdimatic eeimation dll I had been some montlis in Ilalv. at the baihs of Poretts^ near two years afterward." travels, vol. vi. p. 462. On another occarion, the whole company were made ill by the effects of one of these pestilential blasts, so that they had scarcely sireng'h sufficient left to load their camels. lb. p. 494. The action of this destructive wind is particularly referred to by the prophet Hosea, chap, xiii. IB. Tmu^ he Ite fruitful among kit breihren, an BUT WIND akall come, the wind qf the Lord ehall come up PBOH TlUE wiLDBitNKB^ and hi* spring thaU dscome SIT, and hit fountain thait be dubd up, he thall spoil the treasure <f aU pteasaniJUlds.

VerseS. Calledfor the magicians] D-wr\n cltaretummim, the word here used may probably mean no more dian interpreters of abstruse ana difficult eubjectt; and especially of the Egyptian hieroglyphics, an art which is DOW emuely lost It is most lively, (Hat ibe term is EnrpdoOt aitd consequently its e^mology nnut remain I nainowatoiu. if Hebrew, Mr. parkfaunfa definitioDl

1 1 And * we dreamed a dream in one niffbt. I and he; we dreamed each man according to' the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there teas there with us a voungman, a Hebrew, ' servant to the captain of the guard j and we told him, and he * interpreted to us our dreams; to each man, according to his dream, he did interpret.

13 And it came to pass. « as he Interpreted to us, 80 it was; me he restored onto mme office, and him he hanged.

14 IF ' Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they » brought ' him hastily out of the dungeon: arid he ^m.ved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there ia none that can interpret it: ' and I have heard say of thee, thai ^ thou canst iinderstand a dream to interpret it

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ■ /C t« not in me: ^ God shall give Fbaraoib an answer of peace.

17 And Pharaoh sud unto Joseph, ■ In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank or tM

13 And, behold, there came up out of the rivw seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; ana they fed in a meadow:

may be aa good as anv, "s^n charet, apen w inMrumeat to write or drav) with, and-on tarn, w pcrftc/ or tuxampKsft, those who were perfect in drawing their aacred. aatrologicaL and hieroglvphical figures or cliaracters, and by means of them pret^ded to extraordinary feats, among which was the interpretatioo of dreams. They seem ta have been such psTsons as Joae]Au% (Ant, lib. ii. e.9.*.2.\ calls 'ht'vtw-rt'i, taered eeribee, or professors of sacred Icartiing."

Wise men] rresri diahmu/tA, the persons who, aecording to Porphyry, " addicteathimsclves to d>e worship of God and the snidy of wisdom, passing their whole lila in the contemplation of divint^ thtnga. Contemplation of tlie stars, self-purification, arithmetir, and geometry; and singing hymns in honour of their goda, was their continual employmenL" — See Dodd. It wofi probably among these that PythagMoa conversed, and from whom he borrowed that modest name \py whicli he wished his cotmirymen to distingui^ him: viz. 4>(i.9(rgfe;, a philosopher, simply, a lover qf viiedom.

VerseS- 1 do rmtembtr mtj faults] It is not poasible he could have forgollen the circumaianre to wnich he here alludes: it was too intimately connected with oil that was dear 10 him, to permit him ever to forget it. — But it waa not convenient for him to remember tliia before; and probably he would not have remembered it now, had he not seen, that giving this infonnalitm in siich a cast^ was likely to serve his own interest. We are justified ta thinking evil of this man, because of his ecandaloas neglect Ola person who foretold the rescue of his life from imminent destruction, and who being nnjustly confined, prajred to have his cose fairly represented to the kine, ihal justice might be done him; but tliis rourtier, itiou^ then m the same circumstances hiniEcIf, found it convenient to forget the poor friendless, Hebrew slate.

Verse M. liiey brmight him hastily out the dungeon] Pharaoh was in perplexitvon account of hisdreams; and when he heard of Joseph, dc sent immediately to get him brouriit before him. He shared himself, — having let his beora grow all the time he wns id prison, he new trimmed it: iIip change of miment was, no doubt, fiirnished out of the king's wardrobe; as Joseph, in his present circumstances, could not be supposed to have any changes of raiment.

Verae 16. It is noi in me, &c.] ^ly^a Milrfi, without, or independently qf me; i am not eswnlini to ihy comfort, God himself has dire undler his care, and he vblsend thee, or answer thee, peace; diou sluilt have prosperity {a\'ytr shelom,) howsoever ominous thy dreams may appear, lly this answer he not only concfliaied the mind of the kine, but led him to expect his hslp from that Gon^ from nliom alone al) comfort, protection, and prosperity must proceed.

Verse 18. Seven l^ne,fat-JUehed] See on verse 2. And olverve fiuther. that the acvcn fet ud the seven Isan kini

19 Aod^ beliold, seven other kine came up after tbem, poor, and very ill favoured and lean- Seshed. such as I never saw ia all the land of BQpt for badneBB:

lO And the lean and the ill Tavoured Une, did eat up the first seven fat kine:

21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they itere still ill lavoured, as at the beginning. Sot awoke.

23 And I saw in my dream, and. behold, seven ears came up in one statk, full ana good:

23 And, behold, seven ears, ' withered, thin, and blasted with the cast wind, sprang up aRer them:

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and ^ I told this unto the magicians; but there w£u none that could declare tT to me.

^ ^ And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: i God hath showed Plwraoh vrhat he is about to do.

26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears ore seven years: the dream u one.

27 And the seven thio and lU ftvonred kine that came up after them, are seven years; and tile seven empty ears, blasted with Ihe east wind, shall be ■ seven years of famine.

28 "This i* the thine which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is. about to do, he ehowetfa unto Pharaoh.

vomioK OM of tbtt nine riv«r, pUinly ■how, at onoe, the MMM mfa of dM pf flUy and the dearth. It a veil kaawn that dwe M aoarcoly any rote in Egypt; and that the aounCiy depaoda far ila Cniili^, on the overflowing -of the Nile; and that the fertility is in proponioa to the (fura- Hon and quantity of the overflew. We may therefore ■tfely ooBohide, thai the seven yean of pfen^ were owinff to an txtraenUnairy nerjlmnng of the Nile; and ibai aw wven yeara of dearth were oocaaioned by a very lantial, or latal want of ihia emntiallf Mcenary inimdatisn. Hhm then, the tu>o aorta ^ eaUU, wignifjisM yean of ftenh/ and woni; might be eaid to oomt mU <if m mne rip«r, aa the inundaiioa was eidier camjriete, partial, or whoHy reamined! aee on ver. 31.

Tone 21. And w/uk Huy had taten tk«m up, Ac] Nodung can more powerfully mark the exceaa and aeverity •f the fiutdne than creaMrea of the beeve kind eating eaeh «dier, and yet wiibout any effiseti remaining u lean and •swrMchadaattaiy were before. A aenae of wajittiieKaaea Ifae appMiia and ■ftmuhrtea the digeetive powera to unuaual aetion; hence tba oooeoction « the »od beeomea very Mpid, and it ia bmriad throngh the inteotinea, befbre Ua nutritive partidoa can be aultoieBtly abaorfaed; and thua, though moch ia eaten, very little nouri^Hnent ia derived (torn iL And leltm auy luid aofm Hum iqt, it amid not U kstamn that thty had eaUn Atm t but they were atiU iU-/mmqvrtd aa at Uu burning. A moat nervous and

^irtrm^6^(MS!ASS^ Phartuk uhat ht im abmd f» do.] Joaeph thua dxtwa the EgyiMtaa king, that though the oidiaary eauae of plenQr or want ia the nver Nile, yet ita inundations ate under the direction of Ood-niie dretuna are aent by him, not only to signify beforehand the plenty and tacnA but to show also, that all those eircumitaacea, hoaeier fcruotoua thay jnay appear to man, are tmder dinatfaa of aa ovBirtiling novidenee. Terae 31. T%t pttthf not fre Jrnom te As lafuf, by rmson of that famuu /Mnaiiur] Aa Emt depends fcr its (utiUtf on tha flowing of the Nile, aiMthis flowing ia not aHnya equal, then must be a point to which it moat rise, to saturate the land luffieienUy, in ordar lo |»o- 4aet gram siiSieient for die ■npport « ita inhabitants. PUny, HiaL IVit. Uk. S. Mp. 0. baa given oa a aeoi^ by whiifa the plMgr aad dearth may be asawtainadt and from what I have been able to eoUeet final teedera travaDera, thu aeale may be yet conaidered aa pifrfen\f earncL Jtutttm imrommtiim mt eubitorum zvi. Mlnoru aqmm mm^»mmiarifMmt, ampHortadaUMMU tarditttret*- dsmdo. Hjb termai Umpora ahmimant toio madaUa, JUM Man dtaU titUnit. l^rvmqm reputat provinda. Im nL aihitU fam-em mUU. Im sUamnum mtritt xiv. oMta- kiiarUaism qfbnuu; sv. awitrifaleai, xvi.

29 Behold, there come "seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

30 And there shall p arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the ftmine ■i shall consume the land;

31 And the plenty Bhall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very ' erievous.

33 And, for that the dream was doubled onto Pharaoh twice; it is because the ■ thing ^ « emtablished 1^ God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

S3 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set hnn over the land of

Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint ■ officers over the land, and * take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the sevoi jdenteoiu

35 And * let them gather all the food of those

Sood years that come, and lay up corn under le baad of Pharaoh, and let uemkeep food in the cities.

36 And that food shaU be fbr store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shell be in the land of Egypt; that the land *perudi ' not through the famine.

37 And ■ the thing was eood in the eyea of Pharaoh, and in the eyes or bU his servants.