just as all the People of the seven united Provinces are now commonly called Hollanders who are the most Potent of all the rest CHAP. XLIX Ver. 1. JAcob called unto his Sons When he had done speaking with Joseph perceiving his end approaching he sent one to call the rest of his Sons to come to him Gather your selves together Come all in a Body to me Let me see you all together before I die What shall be in the last Days The Condition of your Posterity in future Times Jacob is the first that we read of who particularly declared the future state of every one of his Sons when he left the World But it hath been an ancient Opinion That the Souls of all excellent Men the nearer they approached to their departure from hence the more Divine they grew and had a clearer prospect of things to come Whence Xenophon L. VIII makes his Cyrus say when he was near his end That the Souls of Men at the point of death become Prophetick Which never was universally true for Prophecy is not a natural thing nor were all excellent Men partakers of it and God communicated it in what measures he pleased to those who had any thing of it and to Jacob more than had been bestowed upon his great Ancestors For these last words of his may be called Prophecies rather than Benedictions Some of them containing no Blessing in them but all of them Predictions Ver. 2. Gather your selves together This is repeated to hasten them as the two next words hear and hearken are used to excite their attention It was the manner of good Men among the Hebrews to call all their Children before them and give them good Counsel together with their Blessing when they drew near to their end The words then spoken being likely to stick fast in their Mind Ver. 3. Reuben c. It is commonly observed that the Style wherein he speaks to his Sons is much more lofty than that hitherto used in this Book Which hath made some fansie that Jacob did not deliver these very words but Moses put the Sence of what he said into such Poetical Expressions But it seems more reasonable to me to think that the Spirit of Prophecy now coming upon him raised his Style as well as his Understanding As it did Moses's also who delivered his Benedictions in Deut. XXXIII in a strain more sublime than his other Writings Thou art my first-born So we read XXIX 32. To whom the Jews commonly observe belonged three Prerogatives a double Portion of the Father's Estate the Priesthood and the Kingdom as they speak i. e. chief Authority among his Brethren The first of these saith the Chaldee Paraphrast was given to Joseph the second to Levi the third to Judah because Reuben had forfeited all the Rights of his Primogeniture by his Incest with his Father's Wife But Mr. Selden himself who gives a full account of the Jews Opinion in this matter acknowledges the Priesthood was not confined to the First-born before the Law as appears by Abel's offering Sacrifice as well as Cain and Moses being a Priest as well as Aaron Psalm XCIX 6. unless we understand thereby the Office of Chief Priest And so Jonathan here reports the ancient Opinion of the Jews that Reuben lost the High-Priesthood L. I. de Synedr cap. 16. pag. 643 c. My might Whom I begot when I was in my full Vigour The beginning or the first fruits of my strength The same thing in more words Or it may be interpreted the prime support of my Family The First-born is called the beginning of strength in Deut. XXI 17. Psalm CV 36. The excellency of Dignity Who hadst the Preheminence among thy Brethren being the First-born if thou hadst not fall'n from it by thy Folly as it follows afterwards And the excellency of Power Who wast born to the highest Authority among them The Hebrews referr Dignity to the Priesthood and Power to the Kingdom But there being no solid ground to think the Priesthood as I said before was confined to the eldest Brother I take Dignity to signifie the double Portion of the Estate and Power Authority among them while they remained in one Family Ver. 4. Vnstable as Water The Hebrew word Pachaz signifying haste and in the Chaldee having the signification of leaping the Interpretation of St. Hierom seems most reasonable which is poured out like Water out of a Vessel upon the Ground And then it denotes Reuben's falling from his Dignity and losing his Preheminence as Water suddenly disappears when it is poured out on the Earth and suckt up into it Many referr it particularly Ca. Vitringa in his late Sacred Observations Lib. I. cap. 12. unto his unbounded Lust But that is taken notice of in the latter part of this Verse and given as a reason of his being degraded Others therefore translate the Hebrew word Pachaz by the Latin word Levis a light or vain Person as we speak at this day and then the meaning still is Water is not more prone to flow when it is poured out than thou wast to lose thy Dignity So Georg. Calixtus Thou shalt not excel There is nothing Great said to be done by this Tribe in Scripture And they were not so numerous to which the Vulgar Latin referrs this by more than a third part as the Tribe of Judah to whom God gave part of Reuben's Prerogative when Moses by God's Command took the Summ of all the Congregation Numb I. 21.27 Because thou wentest up to thy Father's bed Committedst Incest with my Wife XXXV 22. Then defiledst thou it He went up to my Couch Or rather When thou defiledst my Couch it vanished i. e. his Excellency departed For the word Halah which is here translated to go up signifies often in Scripture to vanish or perish As in Psalm CII 25. Isai V. 24. which makes the easiest Sence of this place in this manner Ex quo polluisti thorum meum ascendit ut vapor aut fumus excellentia dignitas tua i. e. dilapsa est extincta est evanuit From the time that thou defiledst my Couch thy Excellency and Dignity went up like a Vapour or Smoak i. e. it slid away it was extinct it vanished They are the words of the fore-named Calixtus Who well observes that this is explained in 1 Chron. V. 1. Ver. 5. Simeon and Levi are Brethren So were all the rest but the meaning is they are alike in their Dispositions and linkt together in the same wicked Designs for so the word Brother sometimes signifies a Companion or Associate that agrees in the same Inclinations or Undertakings with others As Prov. XVIII 9. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations The word Mecheroth which we translate Habitations is no where else found nor is there any root in the Hebrew Language from whence it may derive that signification Therefore Lud. de Dieu from the Aethiopick Language translates it Counsels For so the word signifies in that
variety and excellent order Ver. 2. And on the seventh Day God ended his Work Or rather had ended as it may be translated for he did not work on the Seventh Day But rested from all his Work which he had made haing so compleatly finished it that there remained no more to be done An Emblem of the Rest that we shall have when we have done our Work faithfully and left none undone as Origen's words are L. VI. contra Celsum Ver. 3. And God blessed the seventh Day and sanctified it As God sanctified Jeremiah in after-times from his Mother's Womb Jer. I. 5. by ordaining him to be a Prophet So he now determined and appointed the Seventh Day from the very beginning of the World to be observed in Memory of its Creation And this setting it apart and consecrating it to that Holy Use was his blessing it or recommending it to be observed as a Day of blessing and praising him in all his Works of Wonder And I know not why I should not add of his bestowing Blessings upon all his pious Worshippers There is no mention indeed made of Adam's or Abel's c. observing this Day which hath inclined many to conclude these words to have been written by way of anticipation This Day being set apart in after-times by the Law of Moses for God's Service but in their Opinion not till then To which I cannot agree because it seems to me far more reasonable to think That God took Care to preserve the Memory of the Creation in the Minds of Mankind and the Worship of Him the One Only God by whom it was created Which could not be done by any means more effectually than by setting apart this Day for that purpose Which if he had not appointed yet Men being made Religious Creatures I cannot but think they would have agreed upon some set time for the Exercise of their Religion as well as some set Place though that be not mentioned neither where to meet for Divine Service And what time more proper wherein to Honour their Creator with their Sacrifices Praises and Thanksgivings than this Day Which Philo well stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the birth-day of the World Which was so much observed all the World over though they forgot the reason that the Seventh Day he observes may be truly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vniversal Festival kept by all People Josephus speaks to the same purpose and there is a great deal more said by Aristobulus a Peripatetick Philosopher out of Hesiod Homer and others in Eusebius his Praepar Evang. L. XIII c. 12. concerning the Sacredness of the Seventh Day Which though Mr. Selden L. III. de Jure N. G. cap. 17 c. endeavours to prove is meant of the Seventh Day of the Month not of the Seventh Day of the Week yet we may look upon that as a Remain of this ancient Tradition Which in time Men forgot as they did the most Natural Duties having so corrupted their ways as we read Gen. VI. 10 11. that there was nothing good among the generality of them And therefore no wonder if they did not regard the Service of God every Seventh Day To which I shall show in due place Noah the only righteous Man among them had some regard Which continued in the Family of Abraham after the Flood Moses speaking of it not long after their coming out of Egypt where it is likely they were not suffered to observe it having no time free from their intolerable Labours as a Day known to them before the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai Exod. XVI 23 25 26. Which is not to be understood as if the Patriarchs before and after the Flood kept such a Rest as God enjoyned the Israelites by Moses For that was proper to them for a peculiar reason because they had been Slaves in Egypt and therefore were commanded to keep the Sabbath without doing any manner of work upon that Day Deut. V. 15. Which is all the Christian Fathers mean when they say the Patriarchs did not Sabbatizare keep the Sabbath as the Jews did See Tertullian adv Judaeos cap. 2 4. Irenaeus and others For in Religious Offices I doubt not they observed the Seventh Day as a proper time for that Sacred Hymn which Galen himself L. III. de usu Partium says we should all sing to the Creator of all if we our selves first know and then tell others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. how wonderful he is in Wisdom how great in Power and how rich in Goodness Because that in it he had rested from all his work This is the reason why this Day was distinguished from the other Six That a remembrance of God's resting from all his Works on this Day might be preserved by Mens laying aside their other Employments so long as to praise him Solemnly by whom this great World was made Which God created and made Or as the Hebrew phrase is created to make i. e. rested from all the Six Day 's Work For he created something at the first out of which to make all the rest in six Day 's space and now he ceased from all Ver. 4. These are the generations c. That is this is a faithful Account of the Original of the World Which Moses here repeats more deeply to imprint on the Peoples Minds that the World was not a God but the Work of God Which they were to acknowledge every Seventh Day In the Day i. e. At that time so Day often signifies when the LORD God made the Earth and the Heavens It is observed by Tertullian That exinde Dominus qui retro Deus tantum c. from henceforward verse 7 8 9 15 c. he is called LORD who hitherto was called only God Of which he endeavours to give a reason L. adv Hermog cap. 3. The Hebrew Doctors observe that Jehovah Elohim LORD God joyned together is the full and perfect Name of God And therefore fitly reserved till this place when the Works of God were perfected and not before Ver. 5. And every Plant in the Field before it was in the Earth c. That is before there was any Seed to produce them God made them to spring up with their Seed in them as was said before in the first Chapter And Moses here mentions these alone because they were the first Productions out of the Earth without which there had been no Food for living Creatures For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the Earth and there was not a Man to till the Ground Here are two reasons to confirm that Plants were not produced in the way they are now For there had been no showers of Rain nor was there any Man to prepare the Earth to receive the Seed if there had been any both which are necessary in the ordinary Method of Divine Providence ever since the World was made From hence some collect there were no Praedamites People before Adam for then
when the Mind is weary with enquiring it is satisfied with a false Reason rather than have none The promise also of Knowledge was very tempting especially of such Knowledge as he gave her hope would raise and advance her to a more noble Condition And it is likely she thought an heavenly Minister as she took him to be might understand God's meaning better than her self Ver. 6. And when the Woman saw the Tree was good c. This Verse gives a further account of that which seems very strange the Disobedience of our first Parents She look'd so long upon the forbidden Fruit till she not only had an Appetite to it as excellent Food but was taken with its beautiful Colour and was also strongly possessed by the persuasion of the old Serpent that her Mind would be no less pleased than her Palate by an increase in Knowledge and Wisdom These were powerful Temptations expressed in these words good for Food pleasant to the Eyes and to be desired to make one Wise and she could see no Evil in the thing it self it being the mere Pleasure of God of which she did not apprehend the Reason that made the eating of it a Crime This Fruit also was planted not in an obscure place but in the midst of the Garden Verse 3. near to the Tree of Life Which made it the more inviting by its being always in her Eye as well as very beautiful and raised perhaps the greater wonder in her that God should forbid a thing which he had made so eminent for its Beauty Hereupon she yielded and as it follows took of the Fruit thereof and did eat And gave unto her Husband with her Who returned to her it is likely as she was eating the Fruit and was soon persuaded to bear her company for it immediately follows and he did eat It is a question whether he debated the Matter with her till he was satisfied with the Arguments that moved her to eat or his great Affection to her drew him in to do as she did Without any other Consideration perhaps than this That he chose rather to die than out-live one whom he loved most passionately To this last the Apostle's words seem to incline 1 Tim. II. 14. Adam was not deceived Though they do not necessarily signifie it must be confessed That he was not seduced by the Tempter's Arguments but only that Eve was first seduced and then help'd to seduce him So that he might be wrought upon both by those Arguments and by his Affection also to his Wife But could have been deceived by neither had he not been first guilty of a great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Chrysostom calls it heedlesness and non-attention arising from sloth and negligence The Reflection which Gregor Nazianzen makes upon her gazing upon the beautiful Fruit is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Orat. XLVII p. 700. D. Ver. 7. And the Eyes of them both were opened Not in the Sense the Serpent promised but a very much different For they soon saw their Folly and made sad Reflections upon what they had done And they knew or felt that they were naked A cold shivering seized on them and they perceived also that they were stript of their intellectual Ornaments as Athanasius expounds it contra Gentes p. 4. and blush'd also at their Bodily Nakedness of which they were not before at all ashamed And they sewed Fig-leaves together Or twisted the young Twigs of the Fig-tree with the Leaves on them Which are very broad in the Eastern Countries Pliny reckons this among the Trees that have the largest Leaves L. XVI cap. 24 and cap. 26. where he saith it hath folium maximum umbrosissimúmque the greatest and most shady Leaf of all other And made themselves Aprons A covering which they girt about them Ver. 8. And they heard the Voice of the LORD walking in the Garden The Sound of the Majestatick Presence or the Glory of the LORD approaching nearer and nearer unto the place where they were For the walking may be referred to Voice as well as to the LORD Signifying that the Sound as I said for so Voice is often used in Scripture of the Divine Majesty's approach came still nearer and made a louder Noise to terrifie them For thus the word walk is applied to the Voice i. e. Sound of the Trumpet at the giving of the Law when Moses says of it Exod. XIX 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it walked or increased and grew stronger Just so I conceive the Sound which the Motion of the SCHECHINAH made did at this time And that In the cool of the Day When the Wind began to rise so it is in the Hebrew in the wind of the Day that is towards the Evening as most understand it For then there was wont to be a gentle breath of Wind as Aristotle observes of his Country 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the West Wind was wont to blow towards the close of the Day Which being a soft and gentle Gale the Sound they heard was the more astonishing which seemed to threaten a dreadful Storm Onkelos thus paraphrases the first words they heard the Voice of the WORD of the LORD That is of the Son of God who appeared in very glorious Clouds or rather in flaming Fire of such an amazing Brightness that they were not able to endure the sight of it For so it follows Adam and his Wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God c. It 's plain by this there was the appearance of an extraordinary Presence Which affrighted them and made them run among the Trees of the Garden i. e. into the Thickets or the closest places they could find there I cannot but think the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty appeared quite otherwise than formerly That is not in so mild a Lustre as when they were first acquainted with him but in a more terriole burning Light as if it would consume them For so we read in after-times that the same LORD who appeared unto Moses in a flame of Fire out of the midst of a Bush Ex. III. 2. came down in a more dreadful manner at the giving of the Law from Mount Sinai When the Mountain was altogether on a smoak Exod. XIX 18. because the LORD descended upon it in Fire And that Fire so great that it flamed unto the midst of Heaven Deut. IV. 11. with darkness clouds and thick darkness Ver. 9. And the LORD God called unto Adam As he did to Moses out of the Bush Exod. III. 4. and to Israel out of the midst of the Fire Deut. IV. 12. And said unto him With a Majestick Voice against which he could not stop his Ears Where art thou Why dost thou run into Coverts like the wild Beasts Such Questions do not argue Ignorance in him that asks them but are intended to awaken the Guilty to a confession of their Crimes As appears from IV. 10. Where is Abel thy
Cain and Abel brought these Sacrifices we have no means to know It was no doubt when they were grown Men and perhaps had more Brothers and Sisters besides themselves See Verse 17. Cain brought of the Fruit of the Ground an offering unto the LORD These were the most ancient Sacrifices among the Gentiles both Greek and Romans as their Authors tell us and therefore it is most likely that Adam began with these Oblations of Herbs Flowers Frankincense Meal c. in which Cain followed him being of the same Profession and provided with store of such things Now as there were some solemn Times of making their devout Acknowledgments to God So I doubt not there were some set Places where they met for that purpose For the word in Hebrew for brought is never used about Domestick or Private Sacrifices but always about those Publick Sacrifices which were brought to the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation to be offered by the Priest As Lev. IV. 4. He shall bring the Bullock to the door c. Which occurrs all along especially in the ninth Chapter of that Book And therefore I suppose they brought these Sacrifices here mentioned to some fixed Place looking towards the SCHECHINAH or Glorious Presence of God at the Entrance of the Garden of Eden from which Adam had been expelled For there being no doubt some setled Place where they performed Sacred Offices it is most reasonable to think it had respect to the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty Wheresoever that appeared there they appeared as the Scripture speaks before God Because there he manifested his special Presence which moved them to go thither to Worship him to give him Thanks or to enquire of him as we read Rebekkah did XXV 22. What kind of Sacrifices these were is a Question among learned Men. The Talmudists are of Opinion they were whole Burnt-Offerings and that there were no other before the Law was given which I shall not now examine nor would the Jews after the giving of the Law permit the Gentiles to offer any other at their Temple It is their Opinion also That Cain and Abel brought these Sacrifices to Adam to be offered by him For which I see no convincing Reason But rather they themselves seem to have offered them And then this place effectually confutes their Opinion who say the First-born were separated to the Office of Priesthood For by these words it is plain the youngest sacrificed as well as the eldest And so they did in following Ages when we find Jacob performing the Office of a Priest Gen. XXVIII 18. XLVI 1. Which proves their Opinion rather to be true who say That every Man anciently had the Power in his own Family to do the Office of a Priest as Job did I. 5. But when Families combined together under one Head Prince or Governor he had the sole Right of Sacrificing devolved to him as their common Father Thus Melchizedeck was both King of Salem and Priest of the most High God All which was taken away by the Law of Moses which permitted none to officiate among the Israelites but the Family of Aaron and no Sacrifices to be offered but at the Tabernacle of the Congregation Lev. XVII 3 4 5. It is a much harder Question How they came to sacrifice at all either Meal or Beasts Since we read of no Command from God requiring them to bring him such Oblations Which hath led some to conclude That Men did this out of a grateful Inclination to return him some of his own Blessings though they had no Directions from him about it But if this were true how came Abel to believe that his Sacrifice of a Beast would be so acceptable to God as the Apostle says it was by Faith Heb. XI 4. That Faith had something else to warrant it than barely his own Reason Adam in all likelihood had received some order concerning it and began to Sacrifice as I noted before III. 21. by direction from the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty From whence a Voice spake to him upon several occasions II. 16 17. III. 8 9 c. This Order indeed is not recorded no more than many other things which Moses in this short History omitted as Enoch's Prophecy Noah's Preaching the peopling of the World c. See Verse 15. but it doth not seem probable that Adam would have presumed to invent a way of Worship by killing Beasts and burning their Fat Especially since one cannot perceive any inclination to it in Nature And therefore Eusebius very judiciously resolves in my opinion that this way of Worship was not taken up by chance or by a Humane motion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but suggested to them by a Divine Intimation L. I. Demonstr Evang. Cap. 10. Of which Plato one would think had some Notion when he forbids his Law-maker in his Epinomis to make any alteration in the Rites of Sacrificing because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not possible for our mortal Nature to know any thing about such matters Ver. 4. And Abel he also brought of the Firstling of his Flock c. Many have fansied from hence that Cain's Guilt lay in this that he did not bring the first of his Fruit as he ought to have done and as the Heathens ever did or were bound to do by their Pontifical Laws as Mr. Selden observes Chap. I. of his Hist of Tythes in their Praemessum i. e. the First-fruits of their Corn or their Calpar which was the richest of their Wine For it is only said he brought of the Fruit of his Ground when Abel brought of the firstlings of his Flock And Moses also adding that Abel brought of the Fat thereof that is the very best they think Cain's fault was that he brought not the fullest Ears of Corn which he kept for himself but the lankest or brought them with a niggardly Hand or a grudging Mind Thus Palladius in the Life of St. Chrysostom says He was the first that tasted the First-fruits and kept the best things for his own Belly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 108. But there is no certainty of this and the Apostle to the Hebrews hath directed us to a better account XI 4. Abel offered with a pious Mind Cain without a due Sense of God and sincere Affection to him He offered the Fruit of his Ground but did not devote himself to God Therefore it follows The LORD had respect unto Abel and his Offering He graciously accepted them and his Offering was accepted because he himself was accepted It is a Metaphor from those who when a Present is made to them look kindly upon the Person that brings it if they like him and his Present or turn away their Face if they disdain them How God testified his acceptance of Abel's Sacrifice is the only difficulty Which the Jews say was by Fire coming from Heaven or rather I think by a Stream of Light or a Flame from the SCHECHINAH or glorious presence of God to
to preserve thee and all that are with thee in the Ark. For so the word Covenant is sometimes used And it is reasonable to think God made him such a Promise which is plainly enough implied in verse 8. Or otherwise we must understand this of the Covenant about the promised Seed III. 15. which he saith he will establish with him and consequently preserve him from perishing Thou thy Sons and thy Sons Wives with thee This Passage shows the Ark was not an hundred Years in building as some have imagined For none of these Sons were born an hundred Years before the Flood and we must allow some Years for their growth till they were fit to take Wives Compare V. 32. with VII 6. And if we observe how Sem though he had a Wife before the Flood yet had no Children for Arphaxad his first Child was not born till two Years after the Flood XI 10. it will incline us to think that Noah received the Command for building the Ark not long before the Flood came Ver. 19. Two of every sort i. e. Of unclean Beasts as it is explained VII 2. They shall be Male and Female To preserve the Species Lucian in his Book of the Syrian Goddess where he describes the Flood saith all Creatures went into the Ark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by pairs Ver. 20. Of Fowls after their kind c. In such Numbers as is directed afterward VII 3. Which seems to some to be so very great there being many sorts of living Creatures that they could not possibly be crowded into the Ark together with Food sufficient for them But such Persons never distinctly considered such things as these First That all those which could live in the Water are excepted And so can several Creatures besides Fishes Secondly That of the Species of Beasts including also Serpents there are not certainly known and described above an hundred and fifty as Mr. Ray hath observed and the Number of Birds about five hundred Thirdly That there are but a few Species of very vast Creatures such as Elephants Horses c. And Fourthly That Birds are generally of so small a bulk that they take up but a little room And Fifthly That if we suppose creeping Insects ought to be included they take up less though very numerous And Lastly That less Provision would serve them all when they were shut up close and did not spend themselves by Motion and besides were in a continual confused Agitation which pall'd their Appetites From all which and many more Considerations it is easie to demonstrate there was more than room enough for all sorts of Creatures that God commanded to be brought into the Ark And for their Food during the time they stayed in it Two of every sort shall come unto thee c. In the foregoing Verse he had said Two of every sort shalt thou bring into the Ark. Which he might think impossible for by what means should he get them all together Therefore here it is explained in these words they shall come unto thee by the Care of God who made them and moved them to it R. Elieser c. 23. of his Pirke is commonly censured for saying The Angels that govern every Species of Creatures brought them thither But setting aside the Opinion of Angels peculiarly presiding over every kind of Creature I see no incongruity in affirming that God by the Ministry of his Angels brought them to the Ark But it is rather agreeable to the Holy Scriptures which represent the Divine Majesty as employing their Service in all Affairs here below Ver. 21. Take unto thee of all Food that is eaten c. Either by Man or Beast Food suitable to every Creature Among which though there be many that feed on Flesh yet other Food as several Histories testifie will go down with them when they are accustom'd to it See Philostratus L. V. c. 15. Tzetzes Chil. V. Hist 9. Sulpit. Severus De Monacho Thebaid Dial. I. c. 7. Ver. 22. Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him c. i. e. He made the Ark of such Dimensions and laid up Provisions for all Creatures as he was directed This he did when the hundred and twenty Years drew towards an end See Ver. 18. CHAP. VII Ver. 1. COme thou and all thy House into the Ark. When the time of God's Patience was expired he required him to enter into the Ark which he had prepared and unto which all sorts of Creatures were gathered For I have seen thee c. I have observed thee sincerely Obedient when all the rest of the World were impious Ver. 2. Of every clean Beast c. The distinction of Beasts clean and unclean being made by the Law of Moses hath given some a colour to say that he wrote this Book after they came out of Egypt and received the Law Which made him speak in that Style But it may be answered to this That though with respect to Mens Food the distinction of clean and unclean Creatures was not before the Law yet some were accounted fit for Sacrifice and others not fit from the beginning And then clean Beasts in this place are such as are not rapacious which were not to be offered unto God In short the rite of Sacrificing being before the Flood this difference of Beasts was also before it The only Question is How Men came to make this difference Some imagine That they considered the Nature of Beasts and by common Reason determined that ravenous Creatures were unfit for Sacrifice But it is more likely that they had Directions from God for this as they had for Sacrificing Which though they be not recorded yet I think are rather to be supposed than imagine Men were left in such Matters to their own Discretion Abarbinel indeed here says That Noah out of his profound Wisdom discerned clean from unclean And if he had stop'd here and not added That he discerned the difference from their Natures he had said the truth For he being a Prophet may be thought to have had Instructions from above about such Matters though others who first were taught to sacrifice had them before him By sevens Seven couple it is most probable that they might have sufficient for Sacrifice when they came out of the Ark and if need were for Food if other Provision did not hold out At least for Food after the Flood when God inlarged their former Grant IX 3. Ver. 4. For yet seven Days c. So much time he gave him for the disposing himself and all things else in the Ark. Ver. 5. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him He had said the same before VI. 22. with respect to the preparation of the Ark and provision of Food And now repeats here again with respect to his entring into it himself with all other Creatures For so it follows verse 7 8 c. Ver. 6. Noah was six hundred years old c. Current as we speak
dwell in the Tents of Shem. i. e. His Territories shall be so dilated that in future times he shall possess some of his Brother's Countries Which is also prophesied of Numb XXIV 24. where it is said they of Cittim shall afflict the Children of Assur and Eber i. e. Afflict the Assyrians and the Hebrews who were of the Posterity of Shem. And so both the Greeks and the Romans did who invaded and conquered that part of Asia which belonged to Shem. The Chaldee Paraphrast gives a Spiritual Interpretation of this Passage which is very apt That the Gentiles should come into the Church which was in the Family of Shem. And it is very remarkable which is observed by our Mr. Mede B. I. Disc 48. That all the Offspring of Japhet are at this day Christians Magog only excepted i. e. the Turks whom God seems to have reserved as he did some of the Canaanites in the Land of Israel to prove and punish us withall Our learned N. Fuller gives a quite different Interpretation from all these making God the Subject of this Speech not Japhet and thus translates it God shall dwell in the Tents of Shem among them shall be the Schechinah or the Divine Majesty But this doth not agree with what follows And Canaan shall be his servant The Greeks and Romans descended from Japhet conquered Canaan And whatsoever Relicks there were of them any where for instance at Tyre built by the Sidonians at Thebes by Cadmus at Carthage by Dido they were all cut off by the Greeks or Romans It is observed by Campanella That None are descended from Cham but Slaves and Tyrants who are indeed Slaves Cap. IV. De Mon. Hispan But Mr. Mede's Observation is more pertinent in the fore-named Discourse p. 358. There hath never yet been a Son of Cham that hath shaken a Scepter over the Head of Japhet Sem hath subdued Japhet and Japhet subdued Sem But Cham never subdued either Which made Hannibal a Child of Canaan cry out with amazement of Soul Agnosco fatum Carthaginis I acknowledge the Fate of Carthage Livy L. XXVII in fine Ver. 28. And Noah lived after the Flood three hundred and fifty Years Which was of great Advantage for the certain Propagation of the Knowledge of those things before related and of those that follow in the next Chapter For he died not above two and thirty Years before Abraham was born CHAP. X. Ver. 1. NOW these are the Generations of the Sons of Noah c. As he had often before mentioned the three Sons of Noah so now he mentions them again being to give an Account of their Children by whom the Earth was peopled after the Flood And he reckons them in the same order he had always done VI. 10. VII 13. IX 18. first Shem then Ham and last of all Japhet But it is observable that in the next Verse he gives an Account first of the Sons of Japhet Who was indeed the eldest There is great use of this Genealogy as Maimonides shows Par. III. More Nev. c. 50. because the Doctrine of the Creation of the World which is the Foundation of the Law i. e. of Religion would not have been so easily believed if Moses had not given an Account of the Succession of Mankind from the first Man to the Flood and from the Flood to his own time Showing from whom all Nations were derived and how they came to be dispersed Shem is named first of Noah's Sons because the blessed Seed was to spring out of his Family In which the true Religion was preserved Which was soon lost in the Posterity of the other two among whom their Names remained in great Honour For Ham was the Heathen Jupiter who was called Hammon in Egypt which it will appear was part of Ham's Portion and is called the Land of Ham as every one knows in many places of the Psalms And accordingly the same Country is called by Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Japhet also seems to have been the same with Japetus whom the Greeks own to have been their Father Nor do they know any Name of greater Antiquity which made them give it to decrepit Persons as many particularly Bochart have observed and it became a Proverb in that Country Older than Japetus Whom their Poets feign to have attempted War against Jupiter because of the Dissentions which the unlikeness of their Manners begat between them Which seems to be nothing but the Story in Chapter IX of this Book verse 22. For Ham as I said is the Heathen Jupiter Ver. 2. The Sons of Japhet Were seven the eldest of which Gomer had three Sons and the fourth Javan had four Whose Names we have in the following Verses Gomer It 's hard at this distance to find what Country was peopled by his Posterity but Bochartus in his Phaleg hath made such probable Conjectures about this and all that follow from other Scriptures and from neighbouring Places and the Relicks of their Names in ancient Geographers and such-like things that they carry a great appearance of Truth in them Our famous Cambden in his Account of the first Inhabitants of Britain thinks that the Cimbri and Cimmerii descended from this Gomer who gave them their Name and that the old Britains came from him because they call themselves Kumero Cymro and Kumeri which seems to denote them the Posterity of Gomer But this as also the Notion of Ludov. Capellus in his Chron. Sacra p. 104. who if this of Mr. Camben be not accepted propounds another of the Comari and Chomari a People in Scythia mentioned by Ptolomy within the Mountain Imaus near Bactriana is confuted by what we read in Ezekiel who makes Gomer to have been a Neighbour of Torgamah Ezek. XXXVIII 6. And Torgamah was a Nation that usually went to the Marts of Tyre XXVII 14. and consequently were not seated in the furthermost part of the North but as will appear afterward not very far from Tyre And in some Country thereabouts we must seek for Gomer Who it 's likely gave Phrygia its Denomination For a part of it was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Diodorus and Hesychius because it look'd as if it were burnt Such was all the Country about Cayster Maeander and the City Philadelphia Now this is the very signification of Gomer For in the Hebrew Gamar is to consume and so the Chaldee and Syriac frequently use it Whence Gumra or Gumro is a Coal And Phrygia is of the same signification for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek is to torrifie which being the Name of part of the Country in time became the Name of the whole Magog The second Son of Japhet was in all likelihood the Father of the Scythians which is the Opinion of Josephus Theodoret St. Hierom and others For all that is said in Scripture about Magog exactly agrees to them as Bochartus hath shown at large out of Ezekiel L. III. Phaleg c. 13. Madai From him the Country of Media
Bread and Wine This he did as a King not as a Priest For it was not an act of Religion but of Hospitality Thus Heathens themselves understood this History as we find by Eupolemus quoted by Eusebius L. IX c. 17. who saith he received Abram as they were wont to do strangers in a City called Argarizin which he interprets the Mount of the most High We know not in what Language it so signifies or whether it be misprinted for Harelion But I think the plain Sence is that he treated Abram and his followers by causing Provisions to be brought forth for their Refreshment after the Fight For Bread and Wine comprehend all sort of Provision for their Repast As to eat Bread with another in this Book is to feast with him XLIII 25. And thus Tertullian it is certain understood it who saith expresly he brought them forth to Abram and offered them to him and not to God L. adv Judaeos c. 3. And Epiphanius observes that the word in the Greek is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not he offered but brought out So it seems his Copy had it Ver. 19. And he blessed him This he did as a Priest which Office is just before mentioned as he did the other as a King Blessed be Abram of the most high God He prayed God to confirm the Blessing which he had pronounced upon him Possessor of Heaven and Earth Rather Creator as the LXX and vulgar Latin translate it See Dr. Spencer L. I. De Leg. Hebr. c. 4. § 10. and Lud. de Dieu before him in his Notes on this place and Hotting Smegma Orient p. 87. By this and the next Verse wherein he gives Glory to the most high God for Abram's Victory it is apparent that he was a worshipper of the One only True God the Maker and Governor of all things To whom he also ministred in the Office of a Priest who blessed Men in his Name And he gave him i. e. Abraham gave to Melchizedek as the Apostle explains it Hebr. VII 2. But the words are so doubtful as they lie here that Eupolemus in the place above-mentioned thought Melchizedek had bestowed Gifts upon Abram Tithes of all He doth not say of what all but that which goes before leads us to think he means Tithes of all the Spoil which he had taken from Chedorlaomer c. For he had nothing else there to Tithe unless it were the remainder of the Provisions he had carried along with him in this Expedition All the rest of his own Estate being many Miles off at Mamre And thus Josephus interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tithe of what was gotten by War And thus the Apostle himself seems to expound it Hebr. VII For having said Verse 2. he gave him the tenth part of all When he comes to argue from this he calls it the tenth part of the spoils Verse 4. And indeed it was a very ancient Custom to offer to God whose Priest Melchizedek was the tenth part of what they took in War Diodorus Siculus reports it of the Greeks and many Authors of the Romans From whence we cannot inferr that they gave only Tithe of such things but rather that these were extraordinary Acknowledgments of God's Mercy to them Which it was usual to make out of those Possessions which he had blessed them withal For why should they give Tithe of the Spoils if they were not wont to pay Tithe of other things And therefore St Chrysostom makes this Reflection upon this Practice of Abram That it should teach us to be willing and ready to offer unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the First-Fruits of all that he hath bestowed on us This is confirmed by the Story of Jacob Which together with this of Abram shows plainly the Custom of paying Tithes was before the Law of Moses And that not only of the Spoils of War but of their Flocks Corn and other Fruit which Jacob vowed unto God XXXVIII 22. See there Ver. 21. Give me the Persons c. A truly generous Disposition becoming a King to love the Persons of his Subjects better than their Goods Ver. 22. I have lift up my Hand i. e. Sworn as the Phrase is used in many places Exod. VI. 8. Numb XIV 30 c. Possessor of Heaven and Earth See Verse 19. Ver. 23. I will not take from a Thred c. i.e. The meanest thing I have made Abram rich He would have this to be only the Work of God who promised a great while ago to bless him and had now renewed his Promise by Melchizedek And he would not have it thought that love of Spoil had carried him to the War but only love of Justice In short here is a most noble Example as Maimonides observes P. III. More Nevoch c. 50. of Contentedness with what he had of despising Riches and seeking Praise rather from Vertue Ver. 24. Except only that which the young Men i. e. the Soldiers have eaten For which he did not think it reasonable they should pay And the Portion of them that went with me He could not bind his Confederates by his own Act but left them to deal with their Countrymen as they pleased In either keeping their share of the Spoil or parting with it as he had done The Jews truly observe that they who staid with the Stuff and Carriages had their Portion equal with those that fought As we read in the Story of David 1 Sam. XXX 25. But it is not certain that this Custom was as old as Abram's time which they would gather from this place For here they take the young Men for those who fought and pursued the Enemy And Aner Eshcol and Mamre staid to guard the Carriages But I see no ground for this it being most probable as I observed before that they attack'd the Enemy as well as Abram's Servants and thereby acquired a Title to part of the Spoil But whether we consider it this way or the other Abram could not give away their Right when he generously parted with his own CHAP. XV. Ver. 1. AND after these things After this great Victory and his generous refusal of the King of Sodom's offer The Word of the LORD came to Abram God revealed himself more clearly to him For this is the first time we read of the Word of the LORD coming to him and of his having a Vision That is being made a Prophet and that in an high Degree God revealing his Mind to him not in a Dream but in a Vision when he was awake but having his Senses as Maimonides explains it bound up from their ordinary Functions during the time that the heavenly Influence came upon his Mind and diffused it self to his Imagination where it represented several things to him More Nevochim P. II. c. 41. But these words may be understood of his having these things represented to him by the Divine Majesty when he was perfectly awake and used all his
Senses Fear not Abram He heard these words while he was in the Ecstasie according to Maimonides's Explication incouraging his hope in God that he and Lot should be safe from any new Invasion by these or any other Enemies For perhaps there were some Rumors abroad of the Assyrians recruiting their Forces with an intention to renew the War I am thy Shield I will protect and defend thee And thy exceeding great Reward Will give thee far more than thou hast lately denied to take for my sake Ver. 2. LORD God what wilt thou give me c. What good will all the Riches in the World do me if I have not a Child to inherit my Estate To go childless Is to die to go out of the World without Children as Luke XXII 22. truly the Son of Man goeth i. e. must die shortly He doth not slight God's Promise made in the foregoing Verse but only desires him to be so gracious as to give him a Child for his Reward And the Steward of my House is this c. He that takes Care of all I have and therefore deserves best of me is not of my Kindred Eliezer of Damascus Some think this signifies no more but that he was born of a Syrian Woman Ver. 3. And Abram said c. He repeats the same again out of a great Concern to have God's Promise fulfilled Which he did not disbelieve but earnestly long'd for more than for all the Riches in the World One born in my House is my Heir It is likely that Eliezer was one of those Souls i. e. Servants gotten in Haran XII 5. and had been such a wise and faithful Manager of all things committed to his Care that Abram intended before the Promise made to him to have left him his Heir Thinking he should have no Child of his own Sarah being barren as we read XI 30. Ver. 4. And behold the Word of the LORD came to him c. A new Assurance is given him from the Schechinah or Divine Majesty that he should have an Heir begotten by himself Ver. 5. And he brought him forth abroad and said c. Maimonides thinks More Nev. P. II. c. 46. that all this which follows was done in a Vision But others will have it that he was really conducted out of his Tent into the open Air and look'd upon the Stars The former Opinion is more probable because the Sun was not yet gone down verse 12. and therefore the Stars were not to be seen with the Eye but were represented only in a Vision So shall thy seed be Nehem. IX 23. He not only promises him an Heir but that this Heir should have a numerous Posterity Which as before XIII 16. he compared to the Dust of the Earth so here he compares to the Stars of Heaven Showing say some of the Jews by the former their Humiliation and by this their Exaltation and Advancement And indeed in this Chapter he speaks of both Ver. 6. He believed in the LORD Was fully persuaded that God both could and would perform his Promise though it seemed to be very difficult if not impossible according to the ordinary course of Nature He and Sarah both being very old And he counted it to him for righteousness The Lord esteemed it a most noble Act and high Expression of a pious Confidence in him as that Act of Phineas was in after-times Psalm CVI. 31. and thereupon graciously owned him for a righteous Person Though he was not free from all Sin whatsoever but was guilty of some that were not consistent with perfect Righteousness It is here to be considered That Abram believed this Promise before XII 1 2 3 4. but now his Faith was the more remarkable because notwithstanding some time had passed since the first making of the Promise and he had no Issue he still persisted in the belief that God would bestow a Son upon him though it grew every day more and more unlikely Ver. 7. I am the LORD that brought thee c. He re-minds him of what he had already done for him that he might confirm him in the belief of what he promised further to do To give thee this Land c. To bestow it upon thy Children for their Inheritance Ver. 8. Whereby shall I know c. This is not spoken doubtingly for the strength of his Faith is highly commended but he desires to have it more and more strengthned and confirmed As some good Men did in after-times when they were put upon very difficult Services So Gideon Judg. VI. 37 c. Ver. 9. And he said unto him Take me an Heifer c. i. e. Offer unto me so it should be rendered as Mr. Mede observes Book II. p. 472. the following Creatures Which are of four Sorts From whence the Hebrew Doctors would persuade us the rise and the fall of the four Monarchies are signified in these words But it is a better Observation That God hereby fore-signified their Sins should be expiated by Sacrifices For these were the Creatures and these alone which were appointed to be offered in sacrifice to God by the Law of Moses And it justifies their Opinion who think there were clean and unclean Beasts with respect to Sacrifice before the Law though not with respect to Meat Yet here is something singular That God required Abram to offer an Heifer of three Years old with a Goat and a Ram of the same Age whereas afterwards under the Law they were commonly of one Year old I know not the reason of this difference but certain it is that a Ram of three Years old is in its full strength and the vigour of its Age as Bochart observes Whence it is that Lucian introduces Ganymede proffering to offer unto Jupiter if he would dismiss him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. A Ram of three Years old a big one the leader of the Flock Hierozoic P. I. Lib. 2. c. 46. A young Pigeon The Hebrew word Gozal signifies the young Ones of Ring-Doves Wood-Pigeons or any other of that kind as he also observes Ver. 10. And he took unto him Now we must suppose he was come out of his Ecstasie and really performed all that follows Until he fell into it more profoundly than before Divided them in the midst There is no footstep of this Rite any where in the Scripture save only in the Prophet Jeremy XXXIV 18 19. But this place shows it to have been very ancient And St. Cyril in his Tenth Book against Julian derives this Custom from the ancient Chaldaeans As others derive the very word Berith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Covenant from the word used both here and in Jeremy viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Batar which is the very same by a transposition of Letters and signifies to divide or cut asunder Because Covenants were made by dividing a Beast and by the Parties covenanting passing between the parts of the Beast so divided Signifying that so should they be cut
heinous Iniquities were abominable Idolatries Cruelty beastly Filthiness to a prodigious excess Levit. XVIII 22 23 c. See Theodoret upon Psalm CV 44. and P. Fagius upon Levit. V. 1. But in Abram's time their Iniquity was not full i. e. There were several good Men still remaining among them as Mamre Eshcol and Aner seem to have been who were confederate with Abram and Melchizedek certainly was who being Priest of the most high God had some People sure worshipped together with him And therefore God staid till there was an universal Corruption and they were all ripe for Destruction For we read of none but Rahab whose Faith saved her and her Family when the time of their Destruction came Ver. 17. Behold a smoking Furnace If the great horror Verse 12 represented the extream Misery of the Children of Israel in Egypt Then this seems to signifie God's Vengeance upon the Egyptians for oppressing them in the Furnaces wherein they wrought Exod. IX 8. A burning Lamp or a Lamp of Fire i. e. The Schechinah or Divine Majesty appeared in great Splendor so Maimonides rightly explains it P. I. More Nev. cap. 21. like to a flaming Fire So it appeared to Moses when God came to deliver them from the Egyptian Bondage Exod. III. 2 6 c. Passed between the pieces In Token as it follows verse 18. that he entred into a Covenant with Abram and with his Posterity For passing between the pieces he consumed them as St. Chrysostom rightly understands it and thereby testified his Acceptance of the Sacrifices which Abram offered I noted before that there is no such Rite we read of any where in Scripture but in Jeremiah of making a Covenant in this manner But there are those who think they find this Custom in other Nations For if Dictys Cretensis do not Lye after the manner of the Cretians as Bochart speaks both the Greeks and Trojans from the time of Homer did make Covenants in this fashion Certain it is the Boeotians and Macedonians passed on some occasions through the parts of a Beast dissected But it was for Lustration not for Covenanting as the same Bochart observes P. I. Hierozoic L. II. cap. 46. Ver. 18. Vnto thy Seed will I give this Land c. Here is the utmost extent of the Donation made to Abram Which began to be fulfilled in David 2 Sam. VIII 3 c. for till then they did not inlarge their Borders as far as Euphrates The River of Egypt So Nile is commonly called but cannot be here meant because the Israelites never enjoyed all the Land of Egypt on this side Nile Therefore we are to understand by it that little River which came out of that Branch of Nile called Pelusiacum Brachium From whence a small River not Navigable ran toward Judaea falling into the Egyptian or Phoenician Sea For this River was the Bounds of Palestine and is mentioned by Strabo and others whom G. Vossius cites L. II. De Idolol c. 74. It is called Amos VI. 14. the River of the Wilderness because it run through the Wilderness which is between Egypt and Palestine into the Sea Ver. 19. The Kenites and Kenizzites These are put into the Number of the Nations whose Country God gave to Abram but whether they were descended from any of the Sons of Canaan we cannot tell Nor are we certain where they dwelt Only Eustathius Bishop of Antioch says the Kenites dwelt about Libanus and Amanus And the Kenizzites it 's likely were their Neighbours But the Names of these People were quite extinct between the times of Abram and Moses for we find no mention of them by Joshua in the Division of the Land of Canaan nor in the Account he gives of the Nations he conquered We read indeed of the Kenezites Numb XXXII 12. Josh XIV 6 14. but they were of the Children of Israel And of the Kenites Judg. I. 16. IV. 11 17. but they descended from the father-in-Father-in-law of Moses And therefore those whom Moses here speaks of it is probable lost their Name being incorporated into some of the seven Nations who inhabited this Country when Joshua subdued it The Kadmonites These are no where else mentioned But are thought by Bochartus to be the same with the Hivites Who living about Mount Hermon toward the East of the Land of Canaan were thence called Kadmonites i. e. Orientals See X. 17. Ver. 20. Hittites See X. 15. Perizzites They were a People inhabiting the Mountainous and woody Country of Canaan as appears from Josh XI 3. XVII 13. From whence we may gather they were a wild sort of People who lived far from Cities in little Villages and thence perhaps had their Name For Pherazoth in Hebrew signifies Pagi Villages But from which of the Sons of Canaan they descended there is not the least signification in Holy Scripture Rephaim They dwelt in Bashan and perhaps in other Countries thereabouts See XIV 5. Ver. 21. Amorites These were the mightiest People in the Land of Canaan See X. 16. Canaanites These were some of the Posterity of Canaan who peculiarly inherited his Name living upon the Sea-Coast and upon the Banks of Jordan Num. XIII 30. Deut. I. 7. XI 30. And it is a reasonable Conjecture That they sprang from such of Canaan's Sons as had for a time the greatest Power and Authority in that Country And therefore had the Prerogative of being called by his Name Or else they were so called because they were Merchants and great Traders by Sea For so the word is used in Scripture Gergasite See X. 16. Jebusite See there also CHAP. XVI Ver. 1. SArai bare him no Child Still the fulfilling of God's Promise was deferred for the greater trial of Abram's Faith Which now had held out ten Years Verse 3. without seeing any Fruit of it She had an handmaid an Egyptian An Egyptian by Nation but a Proselyte to the true Religion St. Chrysostom thinks Pharaoh bestowed her upon Sarai when he took her into his House or when he sent her away XII 15 20. Which he learnt from the Jews who say the same as may be seen in Pirke Elieser c. 26. who says also as R. Solomon Jarchi doth that she was Pharaoh's Daughter by his Concubine But it is more likely she was such a Servant to Sarai as Eliezer was to Abram born in his House of an Egyptian as he was of a Syrian Woman Ver. 2. And Sarai said unto Abram c. It is likely he having acquainted her with the Promise she grew impatient to have it fulfilled some way or other Go in unto my Maid i. e. Take her to Wife Verse 3. It may be I may obtain Children by her Being born of her Bond-slave they would be Sarai's Children according to the Custom of those Times XXX 3. Exod. XXI 4. And Abram hearkned to the Voice of Sarai Thinking perhaps that God might fulfil his Promise this way because he had only told him he should have Seed but had not as
the Night not in a Dream and said Jacob Jacob XLVI 2. See More Nevoch P. II. c. 41. God was not a Stranger to other Nations when he was peculiarly kind to Abraham But spake to them in Dreams and sometimes in Visions as appears in Eliphaz and Elihu Job IV. 13. XXXIII 14 15 c. Thou art but a dead Man viz. If thou dost not restore Abraham his Wife verse 7. She is a Man's Wife Or married to a Husband as we translate it in the Margin so compleatly that he hath enjoyed her as his Wife For from this place the Jewish Doctors prove that the Marriage Contract was not perfected in these Days till the Parties had lain together After which if any other Person lay with the Woman he was to be put to death as an Adulterer but not if he lay with her after the Contract before it was consummated by actual Enjoyment See Mr. Selden de Jure N. G. L. V. c. 4. p. 551. Ver. 4. But Abimelech had not come near her To use her as his Wife Wilt thou slay also a righteous Nation He was afraid as became a good Man and a good King lest his People should suffer upon his account who in this Particular had no Guilt upon them Ver. 5. Said he not unto me c. The Fault is in them not in me For I had both their words for it that he was her Brother and he said nothing of her being his Wife In the integrity of my heart Not with any Intention to defile her but to make her my Wife And innocence of my hands I did not take her by Violence from Abraham but he and she consented to it Ver. 6. And God said unto him in a dream The same Expression is still retained which we had verse 3. to show that this was a lower Degree of Divine Manifestation than was in Abraham's Family I know thou didst this in the integrity c. i. e. That thou didst not design any Evil. For I also c. Or rather And I also withheld thee I dealt well with thee because of thy Integrity Some think he was withheld by a Disease in the Secret Parts verse 17. From sinning against me From committing Adultery Ver. 7. He is a Prophet This is the first time we meet with the word Nabi a Prophet And Abraham is the first that is honoured with this Name Which signifies one familiar with God who might come to him to consult him upon all occasions and be authorized to declare God's Mind and Will to others and also prevail with him by his Prayers for a Blessing upon them So it here follows He shall pray for thee Obtain Life and Health to thee The greater any Prophet was the more powerful he was in Prayer As appears by the Stories of Moses Elias and Samuel See Psalm XCIX 6. It appears by this whole History of Abimelech that he was a Man of great Vertue in those Days And not an Idolater but a worshipper of the True God as Melchizedeck the High-Priest of that Country was Yet not so well acquainted with Divine Revelations as Abraham was Ver. 8. Abimelech rose up early in the Morning This is a further Token of his Goodness that he delayed not to obey the Divine Command Called all his Servants His Privy Council as we speak who were all of the same Mind with him That this was a Divine Admonition which it was not safe to disobey From whence we may probably gather his Court was not so corrupted as Abraham suspected Ver. 9. What hast thou done unto us Into what Danger hast thou brought us Thou hast brought on me and my Kingdom a great Sin Run me into the hazard of committing a great Sin or suffering an heavy Punishment for so Sin is sometimes taken in not telling me the Truth Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done This is not fair dealing such as I might have expected from thee Ver. 10. What sawest thou c. What didst thou observe in my Country that made thee think we would meddle with thy Wife What Tokens of Injustice or Impurity didst thou see among us Ver. 11. Because I thought surely c. The word Rak which we translate surely signifies only And may be thus well translated here this only I saw wanting in your Country the fear of God i. e. A Sence of Religion which restrains Men from all manner of Wickedness It seems the People were not so good as their King Ver. 12. And yet indeed she is my Sister Do not condemn me of telling a Lye for she is truly my Sister Such was the Language of those Days to call their Wives Sisters and their Nephews Brothers As he calls Lot XIII 8. who was his Nephew and the Brother of Sarah as was observed upon XI 29. She is the Daughter of my Father i. e. His Father's Grand-Daughter who are frequently in Scripture called the Children of their Grand-Fathers For she was Daughter to Haran elder Brother of Abraham But not the Daughter of my Mother It seems Terah had two Wives by one of which he had Haran the Father of Lot and Sarah and by the other he had Abraham So Sarah was Daughter to one who was his Brother by his Father's side but not by his Mother And with such a Niece they thought it not unlawful then to marry No regard being had to consanguinity if we may believe R. Solomon Jarchi by the Father's side before the Law of Moses but only by the Mother's The more received Opinion indeed of the Hebrew Doctors is as Mr. Selden observes L. V. de Jure N. G. cap. 2. that Sarah was indeed the Daughter of Terah by his second Wife and so Abraham's half Sister And Said Batricides Patriarch of Alexandria above seven hundred Years ago in his Arabick History tells us the Name of Terah's first Wife was Jona and the Name of his second Tevitha by whom he had Sarah But there is no other Authority for this Ver. 13. When God caused me to wander The Hebrew word which we translate wander being in the Plural Number the LXX render the word Elohim God the Angels Who by the Command of God led him from his Father's House through divers Countries But the Chaldee translates it when because of the Idols of Chaldaea I was called away from my own Country c. For so the Gods that is the Idol Gods might be said to cause him to wander Because it was by reason of them that God would not have him stay any longer in his own Country But there is no need of these Devices Nothing being more usual in the Hebrew Language than for the Plural Number to be put instead of the Singular especially when they speak of God as Bochart observes in many places Gen. XXXV 7. Exod. XXXII 4. Psalm CXLIX 2. Eccles XII 1. See Hierozoic P. I. L. II. c. 34. Nay Hackspan hath rightly observed that there are Nouns of the Plural
of a quiet possession of that Well Ver. 30. A witness unto me that I have digged this Well By this Token it shall be remembred hereafter that I digged this Well and that thou didst grant me quiet possession of it Ver. 31. Called the place Beer-sheba The Hebrew word Sheba signifies both an Oath and also seven Perhaps for both reasons this Place had this Name We are sure for the first which is here mentioned Because they sware to each other Ver. 32. Thus they made a Covenant c. By giving and accepting those Sheep and Oxen mentioned verse 27. and perhaps by offering Sacrifices or at least by eating and drinking together As Isaac and Abimelech did in after-times XXVI 30. Here some observe it was not unlawful by the Law of Nature to make Covenants with Infidels and Idolaters for mutual Defence and Commerce or such like reasons But I see no proof that Abimelech was such a Person In future Ages the People of Canaan were so corrupted by this as well as other Sins that God commanded them to be exterminated and made it unlawful to enter into a Covenant with them Exod. XXXIV 15. But as the Philistines were none of them So it still remained lawful to make Leagues with other Gentiles who were not of the seven Nations of Canaan as we see by the Examples of David and Solomon and others They returned into the Land of the Philistines Into that part of the Country where they dwelt For both Abimelech and Abraham were now in that Land as appears from the last Verse of this Chapter Ver. 33. Abraham planted a Grove For a solemn and retired Place wherein to worship God For as Servius says upon the IX Aeneid Nunquam est Lucus sine Religione There never was a Grove in ancient times without Religion And therefore here we may well suppose Abraham built an Altar Which was fenced and bounded with an Inclosure and shaded with Trees as Mr. Mede Discourse XIX observes their Proseucha's or Places of Prayer to have been in after-times For that this was intended for a Place of Prayer appears by the following words and called there on the Name of the Lord c. From hence some think the Custom of planting Groves was derived into all the Gentile World Who so prophaned them by Images and Filthiness and Sacrifices to Daemons that God commanded them by the Law of Moses to be cut down But Abraham made use of a Grove before this XII 6 8. where we find he built an Altar on a Mountain which I question not was compassed with Trees See XIII 18. Therefore I take this only to have been the first Grove that he planted himself Called upon the Name of the LORD the everlasting God I find that Maimonides in several places of his More Nevochim translates the last words The LORD God of the World or the LORD the Almighty Creator of the World For this was the great Article of Faith in those Days That God made the World Par. II. cap. 30. Par. III. c. 29. Ver. 34. Sojourned many days c. The word Days often signifies Years And it is likely signifies so in this place For here Isaac was born and here he was weaned And after that Abraham found so much friendship from Abimelech and so many conveniencies of Life that they invited him to stay a long time in this Country CHAP. XXII Ver. 1. AND it came to pass after these things That which follows fell out while Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba or near it verse 19. God did tempt Abraham Proved or tried his Faith in a very difficult Instance The Hebrews take great notice that the Name of Elohim which they call Nomen Judicii is here used as it is in several of the following Verses And said unto him Abraham I suppose there was such a visible appearance of the Divine Majesty to him as he had often seen XV. 1. XVII 1. XVIII 1. Here I am A Phrase expressing readiness to hearken and to give answer verse 7 12. Ver. 2. Take now Immediately Thy Son A hard thing had it been Ishmael Thy only Son Isaac His only Son by Sarah and the Child of the Promise XXI 12. Whom thou lovest Who was far dearer to him than any thing in this World dearer than his own life For Men will venture that to preserve their Children According to an old saying in Euripides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children are to all Mankind their very Life or Soul Whence it was that Pacatus Drepanius said in his Panegyrick to Theodosius the Great Instituente Natura plus ferè filios quam nosmetipsos diligimus We are taught by Nature to love our Sons in a manner more than our selves But the love of God in Abraham was stronger than either Get thee into the Land of Moriah So it was called afterwards from God's appearing there verse 14. for the Deliverance of Isaac as many think Certain it is that the Temple of Solomon was built upon Mount Moriah 1 Chron. III. 1. But this Name belonged not only to that Mountain but to all the Mountainous Country thereabouts Which is here called the Land of Moriah Which Aquila translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conspicuous For it is derived from the word Raah to see And the LXX translate it not amiss 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 high Country Which is very conspicuous But Mount Sion and Acra and other neighbouring Mountains being also very high this Name of Moriah belonged to them because they were very conspicuous In so much that Mount Sion is often used in Scripture for Mount Moriah For all that Mountainous Country went by one and the same Name And offer him there The Hebrews observe the word is ambiguous and may be translated make him to go up But Abraham understood it in the usual Sence That he should kill him as they did the Beasts for Sacrifices A very hard injunction which some think God would not have laid upon Abraham if he had not had a Power thus to dispose of Isaac inherent in him as his Father See Dr. Taylor Duct Dubit L. III. c. V. Rule 2. n. 1. Vpon one of the Mountains There were more Hills than one thereabouts Psalm CXXV 2. as I observed on the foregoing Verse And it may be further here noted That in ancient Times they chose Mountains or high Places whereon to worship God and offer Sacrifices XII 8. Which God himself approved of till they were prophaned as the Groves were see XXI 33. and then he commanded Abraham's Posterity not to worship in high Places but only in one certain Mountain where he ordered his Temple to be seated Nothing is plainer in the Gentile Writers than that they chose Mountains for Places of Worship And herein Celsus the Epicurean compares them with the Jews observing particularly out of Herodotus that the Persians offered Sacrifices to Jupiter going up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the top of the highest Mountains as his words are in Origen L. V.
Hebrews look upon this as Mr. Selden observes in the place before-named on verse 55. as an Example of the solemn Benediction which was wont to be given even before the Law of Moses when the Spouse was carried to her Husband Thou art our Sister Near Cousin or Kinswoman For all that were near of Kin called one another Brothers and Sisters Ver. 61. Her Damsels Who waited upon her and were given as part of her Portion Ver. 62. Well of Lahai-roi Mentioned XVI 14. By which it appears that Abraham after the death of Sarah returned to live at Beer-sheba or thereabouts for that was nigh this Well And it is probable Abraham and Isaac were not parted Ver. 63. To meditate c. The cool of the Evening and Solitude are great Friends to Meditation Ver. 64. She lighted off the Camel As they always did who met any Person whom they honoured Ver. 65. Took a Veil Not only out of Modesty but in Token of her Subjection to him Many will have this to have been a peculiar Ornament belonging to a Bride called by the Romans Flameum by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Mr. Selden observes L. V. de Jure N. G. cap. 5. Whence those words of Tertullian de Veland Virgin c. II. Etiam apud Ethnicos velatae i. e. sponsae ad virum ducuntur Even among Heathens Brides are brought to their Husbands with a Veil over their Faces Ver. 66. And the Servant told Isaac all things that he had done How she had consented to be his Wife Ver. 67. Brought her into his Mother Sarah's Tent. That Apartment wherein his Mother dwelt Which was distinct from that of the Husband 's And Isaac was comforted after the death of his Mother The Love he had to his Wife helpt to alleviate the Sorrow he had conceived at his Mother's death Which was so great that now it had continued three Years Such was the pious Affection Children had for their Parents in ancient Days Isaac was forty Years old when he married Rebekah XXV 20. and if we can believe the Jews in Seder Olam she was but fourteen CHAP. XXV Ver. 1. THEN again Abraham took a Wife Sarah being dead and Agar long ago sent away and his Son Isaac lately married he wanted a Companion in his old Age. For having given up Sarah's Tent unto Rebekah XXIV ult it is probable he gave up his own to Isaac and so dwelt in a Tent by himself where he found it necessary to have a Wife to look after his Family And her Name was Keturah We are not told what Family she was of But it is not unlikely she had been born and bred in his own House as Elieser his Steward was and perhaps was Chief among the Women as he among the Men-Servants Many of the Jews will have her to be Hagar whom Sarah who was the cause of her expulsion being dead he now received again So the Hierusalem Paraphrase and Jonathan also But Aben Ezra confutes this Opinion with good reason for no account can be given of Abraham's having more Concubines than one verse 6. unless we make Keturah distinct from Hagar Nor can any Body tell why he should call Hagar by the Name of Keturah here when he calls her by her own Name verse 12. Ver. 2. And she bare him He was now an hundred and forty Years old But so vigorous as to beget many Children Which need not seem strange considering the Age to which they then lived for he lived thirty and five Years after this Marriage verse 7. and that now in our time Men have had Children after they have been seventy nay eighty Years of Age. To the Truth also of this History we have the Testimony of Pagan Writers For Alexander Polyhistor mentioned by Josephus and by Eusebius L. IX Praepar Evang. cap. 20. tells us that Cleodemus called by some Malchas writing the History of the Jews reports just as Moses doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Abraham had a good many Children by Keturah Three of which he mentions by Name Zimran This Son of his with all the rest of his Brethren were sent by Abraham into the East Country as we read verse 6. and therefore we must seek for them in those Parts viz. in Arabia and the Countries thereabout where some footsteps of them have remained for many Ages particularly of Zimran from whom we may well think the Zamareni were descended a People mentioned by Pliny with their Towns in Arabia Foelix L. VI. cap. 28. And Jokshan Concerning whom I can find nothing but only this That Theophanes a Chronographer in the beginning of the IX Century after he hath treated of the Ishmaelites and Madianites the latter of which came from one of Keturah's Children and the Parts of Arabia where Mahomet was born immediately adds that there were other People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more in the Bowels of Arabia descended from Jectan called Amanitae that is Homeritae Perhaps it should be written Jokshan not Jectan For Philostorgius expresly says of the Homerites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That they are one of the Nations descended from Keturah and Abraham L. III. Hist Eccles § 4. where he relates a famous Embassie which Constantius sent to them to win them to Christianity and the good success of it And there is this strong proof of their descent from some of Abraham's Family that they retained the Rite of Circumcision even when they were Idolaters For he says expresly That it was a circumcised Nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and circumcised also on the eighth Day Which was not the Custom of all the Arabians if we may believe Josephus L. I. Antiq. c. 23. and Eustathius in Hexaemeron c. who say the Arabians staid till they were thirteen Years old before they were circumcised Medan From whom the Country called Madiania in the Southern part of Arabia Foelix it 's likely had its Name Midian From whom Midianitis in Arabia Petraea had its Denomination And Ishbak I can find no footsteps of his Posterity unless it be in Bacascami which Pliny says was one of the Towns of the Zamareni who descended from his eldest Brother Zimran There were a People also hard by called Bachilitae as he tells us L. VI. Nat. Hist cap. 28. And Shuah Perhaps he had no Children or so few that they were mixt with some of their other Brethren and left no Name behind them Yet Pliny in the next Chapter mentions a Town called Suasa in that part of Arabia which is next to Egypt L. VI. cap. 29. Ver. 3. And Jokshan begat Sheba I observed before upon X. 7. that there are four of this Name or near it all comprehended by the Greek and Roman Writers under the Name of Sabaeans One of them the Son of Raamah had a Brother called Dedan as this Sheba here hath But they were the Fathers of a distinct People as is evident from the Scripture-Story and from other Authors For besides the
blessed In this is contained the Promise of the Messiah the highest Blessing God could bestow Which he assured Abraham should spring out of his Family XXII 18. and now assures the same to Isaac Ver. 5. Because that Abraham obeyed my Voice In going out of his own Country when God called him in circumcising himself and his Family but especially XXII 18. in offering his Son Isaac And kept my charge i. e. Observed the Sabbath-Day says Menasseh Ben-Israel out of the Hebrew Doctors L. de Creat Problem VIII But it seems more rational to understand by this word which we translate charge all that he commanded him to observe The Particulars of which follow My Commandments my Statutes and my Laws These are nicely distinguished by some of the Jews especially Abarbinel Who by Commandments understands not only that of Circumcision but of expelling Ishmael And by Statutes Hebr. Chukkothai which always relates to Ceremonial things not only binding his Son Isaac to offer him in Sacrifice but his offering a Ram afterwards in his stead And by Laws which include the Judicial part of Moses his Writings his taking a Wife for Isaac out of another Country and bestowing Gifts upon the Children of his Concubines reserving the Land for Isaac But this may seem too curious And so many words may be thought rather to be used only to express his exact Obedience to God in every thing whether belonging to Religion or to Justice Mercy or any other Duty According to what he required of him XVII 1. Walk before me and be thou perfect Ver. 6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar. This is a fresh Instance of his constant Obedience in trusting to God's Providence here and not going down into Egypt as he was inclined Ver. 7. She is my Sister Or Cousin for so she was He told part of the Truth but not all For he feared to say c. He imitated his Father as Children are apt to do Ver. 8. Sporting with Rebekah his Wife Using such familiarity with her and blandishments as were not allowable between Brethren and Sisters but common between Man and Wife even openly As embracing her in his Arms and kissing her perhaps very often He having an exceeding great love to her XXIV 67. Ver. 9. Of a surety she is thy Wife It seems he took Isaac to be so good a Man that he lookt upon the Liberties he took with Rebekah as tokens of conjugal Love not of incestuous Desires Ver. 10. Brought guiltiness upon us It is likely the Punishment inflicted upon his Father and Family XX. 17. only for taking Sarah into his House with an intention to make her his Wife was yet in memory among them Ver. 11. He that toucheth this Man or his Wife c. This looks like a modest word as it is used XX. 6. and 1 Cor. VII 1. But the Chaldee Paraphrast and the Hebrew Doctors interpret it of not doing them any injury Because he speaks of the Man as well as his Wife and so it is explained verse 29. Ver. 12. Then Isaac sowed in that Land Most take this to have been in the time of Famine Which makes it the greater wonder that the Ground should then bring forth so plentifully But it seems more likely to me that the Dearth was at an end For it is said Verse 8. that he had been in that Country a long time when Abimelech saw him sporting with his Wife An hundred fold This in it self is not wonderful though at this time it was a singular Blessing of God after there had been some time ago a dearth and perhaps the Soil not rich which afforded so large a crop Otherwise Varro says L. I. de Re Rustica c. 44. that in Syria about Gadera and in Africa about Byzacium they reap'd an hundred Bushels for one ex modio nasci centum Pliny and Solinus say the same of that Country Byzacium In so much that Bochartus fansies the Metropolis of that rich Country viz. Adrumetum had its Name from hence signifying in the Phoenician Language as much as the Region of an hundred fold Lib. I. Canaan cap. 24. Nay some places in Africa were so rich that they produced two hundred yea three hundred fold as he shows out of several good Authors in the 25th Chapter of that Book Whence he thinks Africa had its Name being as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Terra Spicarum a Land of Ears of Corn. All which I have noted that this Passage may not seem incredible to any Reader And the LORD blessed him Or for the LORD blessed him This is the reason of the fruitfulness of that Soil which naturally would not have yielded so much Ver. 13. And the Man waxed great c. I suppose he had many such friutful Years so that his Riches increased till he grew very great and bought more Cattle than he had before For in them consisted the ancient Riches as Servius tells us on the first of Virgil's Eclogues Omne Patrimonium apud majores peculium dicebatur a pecoribus in quibus universa eorum substantia constabat Vnde etiam PECVNIA dicta fuit à PECVLIO The same also we find said by Columella Ver. 14. Great store of Servants The Margin hath store of Husbandry Which is very likely because he was incouraged in it by his great Crops Which could not likewise but increase the Number of his Servants The Arabick set forth by Erpenius hath only a great revenue or vast increase Which among the Eastern People as I said was principally from their Cattle But God blessed him with abundance of Corn also Ver. 16. Thou art much mightier than we As the People envied him verse 14. so the King himself it seems began to fear him And therefore desired him in a friendly manner to leave his Country For they were not yet grown so wicked as to attempt to destroy those who lived quietly among them when they apprehended they would become richer and stronger than themselves Ver. 17. The Valley of Gerar. Where that was is uncertain but at some distance from the City where Abimelech dwelt and near to which Isaac had inhabited before Ver. 18. Which they had digged in the days of Abraham He chose to open the old ones rather than dig new both because he was certain there to find a Spring of Water and because it was most easie and less obnoxious to Censure or Envy And because he would preserve his Father's Memory for which reason he did not give them new Names but those they had in his Father's Days Ver. 19. They digged in the Valley c. In process of time they found a necessity of more Water and so digged till they met with a new Spring in the Valley Ver. 20. The Water is ours Because it was found in their Soil as Menochius observes But they having let the Ground to Isaac the Water was truly his as long as the Contract lasted Ver. 21. And they digged another Well I suppose in
Parables as he calls them in one of which every word hath some peculiar signification In the other the whole Parable represents the thing intended but every word hath not it's weight some serving only for Elegance Among the first sort he reckons this In which the Ladder may be thought to represent the Divine Providence which governs all things and particularly now directed Jacob in his Journey every step of which was under God's Guidance It being set upon the Earth denoted he thinks the stedfastness of Providence which nothing is able to shake And the top of it reaching to Heaven signifies that it extends it self all the World over to every thing great or small high or low And the several steps in the Ladder the Motions and Actions of Divine Providence The Angels which went up and down signifies that they are the great Ministers of God's Providence by whom he manages all things here below And that they are never idle but always in motion to serve those especially who serve God faithfully Their ascending represents their going to receive the Divine Orders and Commands and their descending the execution of his Orders Or with a peculiar respect to Jacob's present Condition the one signified their safe Conduct of him in his Journey to Padan-Aram and the other their bringing him safe home again This is infinitely more solid than the Conceit of almost all the ancient Rabbins that God represented in this Ladder the rise and the fall of the four great Monarchies For where is there any mention in this Dream of four Angels Or of seventy Steps representing the seventy Years Captivity in Babylon Or of two and fifty Steps representing the time of the Reign of the four Kings of Persia and Media according to their computation c. All this is the pure invention of idle Men who dream upon the Holy Scriptures Ver. 13. And behold the LORD stood above it Finally he saw the Divine Majesty or Glory so the Targum here expounds it as the unmovable Mover of all things From whom all comes as the first Cause and to whom all returns as the last End I am the LORD God c. This is the first time that we read of God's appearing to Jacob And it was only in a Dream But it made such a deep impression upon him that he doubted not of the Truth of what was now expresly promised him by God himself that he should have the blessing of Abraham as his Father had told him verse 4. Ver. 15. Behold I am with thee Or will be with thee i. e. My peculiar Providence shall be over thee and take Care of thy safety as Maimonides well expounds it in his More Nevoch P. III. cap. 18. I will not leave thee c. This shows the intent of the Dream was to comfort Jacob in his solitary and poor Condition by an assurance that God's watchful Providence should attend him till he had accomplished all his Promises to him Ver. 16. Surely the LORD is in this place By his special extraordinary Presence For here he had manifested himself to him and given him singular Assurances of his Favour and that the very first Night after he went from home Which made this place more acceptable to him than his Father's House For now he was become a Prophet as Maimonides observes More Nevoch P. II. cap. 45. where he says That they who Prophesie in a Dream do not call it a Dream after Prophecy is come to them in a Dream but simply say it was a Prophecy Thus the Patriarch Jacob after he awakned out of his Prophetick Dream wherein he heard the LORD speak to him verse 13 14. he doth not call it a Dream but roundly says Surely the LORD is in this place c. And I knew it not I did not expect to meet with such a Divine Appearance and Revelation to me Ver. 17. And he was afraid Possessed with a Religious Awful Apprehension of God Which made him say How dreadful is this place With what Reverence ought I here to behave my self This is none other but the House of God The Divine Majesty dwells here This is not a common Place but a Sacred having a Divine Presence in it And this is the Gate of Heaven Here God keeps his Court attended by his Holy Angels Whom he had seen come from Heaven hither and go up from hence thither So Mr. Mede explains it Book II. p. 436. The Presence of God in one Place more than another consists in his Train or Retinue A King is there where his Court is And so God is there specially present where the Angels keep their Station Which is the meaning of the Gate of Heaven i. e. Heaven's Court For the Gate was wont to be the Judgment-Hall and the Place where Kings and Senators used to sit attended by their Guards and Ministers Ver. 18. Took the Stone and set it up for a Pillar Upon the top of some other Stones which he heaped up together That it might remain as a Monument of the Divine Mercy to him and preserve the Memory of this Heavenly Vision And that by this Token he might know this Place when God brought him back again and commemorate his Goodness to him here This Stone was held in great Veneration by the Jews in future times and translated to Jerusalem After the destruction of which by Titus they were wont upon that Day when it was taken which was the only Day they were permitted to come thither with great Lamentation and rending their Garments to go and anoint this Stone Such is the Power of fond Superstition See Vossius de Idolol Lib. VI. cap. 38. Poured Oil on the top of it Not in honour of this Stone as Bonfrerius himself confesses much less of any Idol to which it was dedicated But to consecrate it as a Monument of God's great Mercy to him in the before-mentioned Celestial Vision Oil it appears by this was anciently used in consecrating things before the Law of Moses And not only in this Family but in others also it is probable from whence the Pagan Custom came of anointing Stones which by Theophrastus are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon which Superstitious People were wont when they met with them in the High-ways to pour Oil and fall down and worship A great many Authors mention them which are collected by Elmenhorstius in his Observations upon Arnobius p. 37. They that would be satisfied how wretchedly some of the Romish Writers plead for the worship of Images from this very place may read Dr. Jackson's Treatise of the Original of Vnbelief Chap. XXXV where he excellently explains this action of Jacob n. 5 6 7. Ver. 19. And he called the Name of that place Bethel From this word Bethel came the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Scaliger in his Animadv upon Euseb p. 198. and others think among the Heathen Whereby they denoted rude Stones which they worshipped either as Symbols of Divinity or
as true Gods animated by some heavenly Power Of which worship see Photius in his Bibliotheca CCXLII. But especially Bochartus L. II. Canaan cap. 1. where he shows the Phoenicians at least as the Jews think first worshipped this very Stone which Jacob anointed And afterward consecrated others which they called Baetylia and Baetyli in memory of this Stone anointed at Bethel See p. 785 786. Certain it is this Idolatrous Practice came very early into the World Which made Moses forbid the erecting of such Pillars they being in his time converted to a prophane use Lev. XXVI 1. Deut. XII 3. XVI 22. But the Name of that City Which was near to the place where this Pillar was set up Was Luz at the first So called perhaps from the many Almond-trees which grew there for Luz signifies an Almond see XXX 37. among which it is probable Jacob took up his lodging because they were a kind of Covering to him Both this Luz in the Tribe of Benjamin and the other among the Hittites in the Tribe of Ephraim Judg. I. 26. Bochart doubts not had there Name from this Original L. I. Canaan cap. 35. Ver. 20. Jacob vowed a Vow This is the first Vow that we read of in Scripture Which all Men allow is a part of Religion and so was acknowledged by the Law of Moses Deut. XXIII 21. Psalm L. 12. Psalm LXV 2 c. Perhaps Jacob was the first that in this manner expressed his devout Affection towards God If God will be with me c. Perform his Promise to me verse 15. Give me Bread to eat c. Support and maintain me which is the explication of the Promise Ver. 21. Then shall the LORD be my God I will most Religiously worship and serve him Which doth not imply that he would not worship him if he did not bring him home in Peace But that if he did he would perform some special Service to him and worship him with extraordinary Devotion Consecrating as it follows this Place to his Honour offering him Sacrifice and giving him the Tenths of all he had to maintain his worship Ver. 22. And this Stone which I have set for a Pillar All Pillars were not unlawful but such only as were for Idolatrous uses As Maimonides resolves L. de Idol cap. VI. § 8. And therefore the Jews so expound those words before-mentioned Thou shalt not set thee up any Statue or Pillar which the LORD thy God hateth Deut. XVI 22. concerning Pillars set up for worship not of those for memorial Shall be God's House Here will I set apart a Place for God's Solemn Worship and Service Build an Altar and offer Sacrifice c. See XXXV 3. Give the tenth unto thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Josephus the Tithe of all his In-come for the maintenance of Burnt-Sacrifices and such like pious Uses and perhaps for the relief of the Poor As for the Priests we do not yet read of any Tithe given to them Though Mr. Selden in his History of Tithes p. 4 c. and Review p. 451. thinks they were paid to Isaac who was then Priest of the Family And so Bishop Montacute in his Book against him p. 199. who observes that we read only of Abraham and Jacob paying Tithe not of Isaac Because Isaac was a more special Type of Christ than either of these And Abraham and Jacob were Types of those two People who were to have part in the true Isaac for Abraham was Father of all the Faithful and Jacob was the Type of the Synagogue as St. Ambrose handles these Matters in the Life of Abraham Yet the same Bishop confesses That many doubt whether Jacob paid the Tenth of all to Isaac or immediately to God Because Jacob also was a Priest himself See p. 205 c. This I think we may certainly conclude from this place That Jacob the Grand-Child of Abraham vowing the Tenth of all as Abraham had given the Tenth of the Spoil he was induced to it by the Custom which was then among Religious People How they came to pitch upon this Portion rather than a Fifth Sixth or any other is not so easie to be resolved But they seem to speak with much Reason who observe that in this Number Ten all Nations in a manner end their Account Aristotle in his Problems § XV. L. 3. and then begin again with compound Numbers Or as others phrase it This is the end of less Numbers and the beginning of greater So that it was lookt upon as the most perfect of all other and accordingly had in great regard But after all it seems most likely to me that they had some Divine Direction for it as they had for Sacrificing And it may be further noted That what they gave to their Kings was the Tenth Part as well as what they gave to God And nothing more common among the Gentiles than Tenths paid to their Kings and that very anciently for it appears from 1 Sam. VIII 14 15 17. that it was part of the Jus Regium among the Eastern People Aristotle himself mentions it under the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ancient Law in Babylon And it was also used in Athens which was a Commonwealth as Dr. Spencer shows in his Learned Work de Leg. Hebr. Ritual L. III. cap. X. § 1. And Bishop Mountague shows they were paid among the Romans p. 248 c. CHAP. XXIX Ver. 1. AND Jacob went on his journey Because the Hebrew Phrase for went on is lift up his Feet some will have it that he proceeded most cheerfully in his Journey after this Glorious Vision Which we may believe to be true though not signified by this manner of speaking To the People of the East To Mesopotamia which lay Eastward from Canaan Ver. 2. A great Stone upon the Well's mouth To keep the Water clean and cool Ver. 5. Laban the Son of Nahor Grand-Son of Nahor Who is mentioned rather than Bethuel because he was the Head of the Family Ver. 6. Rachel his Daughter Her Name in Hebrew signifies a Sheep For it was anciently the manner to give Names even unto Families from Cattle both great and small So Varro tells us Lib. II. de Re Rustica c. 1. Multa nomina habemus ab utroque pecore c. a minore PORCIVS OVILIVS CAPRILIVS a majore EQVITIVS TAVRVS c. See Bochart P. I. Hierozoic Lib. II. cap. 43. Ver. 7. It is yet high day c. A great deal of the Afternoon yet remains It was the Custom of those Eastern Countries where the Sun had great Power in Summer time to bring their Flocks towards Noon into shady places where there was Water to refresh them Otherwise the extream Heat would have killed them There they rested it appears by many places of Scripture particularly Cantic I. 7. till the Heat of the Day was over and then having watered them again they carried them out to feed till Sun set Ver. 9. For she kept them It
change only of a Letter who they imagined declared the Mind of God by them For in those Countries where the SCHECHINAH or Presence of the Divine Majesty did not appear as it did in Abraham's Family they had at least some Tradition of it and of the Angels that were its Attendants The resemblance of which they made in hope they might by that means have a Communication with them and gain Intelligence from Heaven Of which evil Spirits made their Advantage and abused Mankind by the lying Answers they gave to their Enquiries For there is no reason to think that God allowed much less appointed the making of these Teraphim Which Gaffarel adventures to say were Piously used before the Law of Moses and God manifested his Mind and Will by them This had been to lead Men into Idolatry by Image-worship Unto which they were too prone of themselves Expositors differ very much about Rachel's Intention in stealing them Some fansie she still retained a tang of Superstition But I take it to be more likely that Jacob who loved her extreamly and was no less beloved by her had brought her off from the false Notions and bad Customs of her Country And then she did not carry them away for fear Laban should enquire by them which way they were gone for she knew they were but vain Idols which could give no Direction But rather designed to convince her Father of his Superstition by letting him see that his Gods as he called them could not preserve themselves much less do any service to him Or perhaps she intended to give her self some Portion of his Goods which she thought justly belonged to her And so took these Teraphim which were of some value though small Images because they are generally supposed to have been made of Silver Ver. 20. Jacob stole away unawares Without the knowledge of Laban For the word Heart as it is in the Hebrew is here put for the Vnderstanding and Will Laban the Syrian There being no necessity of mentioning his Country which was well known from the preceeding Story some think he is here called the Syrian to denote that as cunning as he was Jacob was too hard for him For the Syrians in ancient Authors are observed to have been a very crafty subtil People But there is no certainty of this there being a frequent redundance very obvious in this Language See verse 25. Ver. 21. So he fled c. Pack'd up his Baggage as we now speak and made all ready for a speedy flight And as it follows rose up and made all the haste he could to get over the River And passed over the River i. e. Euphrates frequently called in Scripture the River in regard of its eminence Mount Gilead So called afterward from what Jacob and Laban did there verse 48. It joyned to Mount Libanus Ver. 22. On the third day There was such a distance between Jacob's Flock and his XXXII 36. that he could not hear sooner Especially when he was taken up with other business verse 19. and did not make enquiry Ver. 23. Took his Brethren Some of his near Kindred They overtook him The Hebrew word imports They came close up to him Ver. 24. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a Dream c. See concerning this Expression XX. 3. Speak not to Jacob either good or bad About his return to thee Unto which God charges him he should neither allure him by Promises nor affright him by Threats Ver. 25. Then Laban overtook Jacob. This is a different word from that in verse 23. signifying he came near or approached just to him So that they might conferr one with another Now Jacob had pitched his Tent c. For Jacob and Laban had both pitched their Tents in the same Mount not far from one another This Josephus thinks they had done in the Evening when Laban came up so close to him that if the Night had not parted them they might then have discoursed together Which they did next Morning when they came nearer one to another after God had warned Laban not to stop his Journey Here Gilead is redundant as the word Syrian was before in verse 20 24. Ver. 26. As Captives taken with the Sword As Prizes in War which are wont to be carried off with force and violence Ver. 28. Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing He seems to pretend that he would have been very kind to him if they had parted with mutual Consent And would have him think he had lost by stealing away not only the Musick and Merriment before-mentioned verse 27. but such Gifts as he would have bestowed upon him Ver. 29. The God of your Father spake unto me c. There is no ground to think that the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty appeared to him for we do not read either here or verse 24. of his seeing any thing but hearing one speak to him and that in a Dream Who told him I suppose that he was the God of Isaac and of Abraham Or if he saw a glorious Appearance it was in his sleep only not when he was awake Ver. 30. Stolen my Gods See verse 19. Ver. 31. Because I was afraid This is an Answer to the first part of Laban's Expostulation verse 26 27 c. Ver. 32. With whomsoever thou findest c. This is an Answer to the last part of it From which some gather that Theft was punished with death in those days Sacrilege perhaps was Ver. 33. Laban went into Jacob's Tent c. This shows that Men and Women had every one of them their distinct Tents apart by themselves as was noted before XXIV ult Ver. 34. Camels furniture The Saddle upon which they rode or laid their Carriage Searched all the Tent. Except that place where she sat Ver. 35. Let it not displease c. She begs his Pardon that she did not stand up to do him Reverence as became a Child to her Father And excuses it by an Infirmity which was upon her And he searched He looked all about the place where she sat Ver. 36. Jacob answered and said c. He proceeded farther in his Answer and expostulates with Laban as he had done with him Setting forth the causlessness of his Pursuit the injustice of charging him with Theft and all his unkind usage of him from the time he came to him till his departure notwithstanding his faithful Services which he represents most admirably Ver. 38. Thy Ews and She-Goats have not cast their young I lookt so carefully after them and such was the Blessing of God upon my Care none of them miscarried A most high Commendation of his Service Who would not have valued such a Servant for whose sake God bestowed such an unwonted Fecundity upon Laban's Flock The Rams of thy Flock have I not eaten Under Rams are comprehended the Lambs also For if he had eaten any of them it had been no great Commendation to abstain from the Rams But he contented himself with
I will agree to them Ver. 12. Ask me never so much Dowry and Gift This shows more fully That the Custom of those times was as was noted upon XXIX 18. for Men to give Money for their Wives But there was a greater reason for a Dowry now and a large one too that he might make compensation for the wrong he had done For there was a natural Equity in those Laws of Moses Exod. XXII 16. Deut. XXII 28. by which Men were bound to make satisfaction to the Fathers if either by Inticement or Violence they had abused their Daughters Dowry and Gift seem to be distinct things The Dowry being given to the Parents the Gift to the Kindred Ver. 13. The Sons of Jacob answered c. Hence some inferr that by the Custom of those Days the Consent of the Brethren was required rather than of the Parents For the Sons of Jacob here make the Contract as Laban had done with Abraham's Servant XXIV 50. But it is more reasonable to think that Jacob left it to them to consider what was fit to be done in a matter which required great deliberation and then to report their Opinion to him Who had the greatest interest in her and right to dispose of her Ver. 14. We cannot do this thing It is against our Religion Which was partly true for though Jacob himself had married one whose Father was uncircumcised as Isaac had done before him yet by degrees this Opinion prevailed among them till it was established by the Law of Moses For that were a reproach to us They plead Honour as well as Conscience Ver. 15. In this will we consent unto you Upon these Terms we will agree to the Match Ver. 17. We will take our Daughter and be gone By this it appears they treated in their Father's Name as was noted before verse 13. Ver. 18. And their words pleased Hamor c. It may seem strange they should so easily consent to be circumcised till we consider how passionately Shechem loved Dinah and the great Affection Hamor had to Shechem Who was his beloved Son verse 19. Besides this was but a poor Prince and his City little and mean Which he thought to inrich and strengthen by Jacob's Family who were very wealthy being incorporated with them verse 23. Ver. 19. He was more honourable In greater esteem with his Father and all the Family than any other belonging to it Ver. 20. Came unto the Gate of their City Where all Publick Affairs were transacted And communed with the Men of the City Such great Matters could not be concluded without the Publick Consent See XXIII 18. XXIX 22. Ver. 21. These Men are peaceable They use many Arguments to persuade the People to Consent And the first is that the Israelites had hitherto lived inoffensively among them Let them dwell in the Land and trade therein By a Publick Decree or Law For the Land is large enough This is the second Argument there was Land enough in their Country uncultivated which these Men would improve Ver. 23. Shall not their Cattle c. This is the greatest Argument of all taken from the Profit they should have by them the gain of no less than all they had Which is not to be understood as if they intended to over-power them and seize upon all their Stock But that by inter-marriages their Estates would be inherited by them as much as by the Israelites Ver. 24. All that went out of the Gate of his City i. e. All the Citizens XXIII 18. who were met together in the Common-Hall or Place of Publick Assemblies and were soon persuaded to yield to the Reasons which had persuaded their Rulers Ver. 25. On the third Day when they were sore And began to be a little Feverish For the greatest Pain and Anguish the Jews observe was upon the third Day after Circumcision which very much indisposed them See Pirke Elies cap. 29. and Vorstius his Annotations p. 195. And indeed Hippocrates observes the same of all Wounds and Ulcers that they are then most inflamed by a conflux of sharp Humors to them Two of the Sons of Jacob c. With their Servants For they two alone could not destroy a whole City though but small Slew all the Males The Women and Children in those Days were always spared in the most deadly Wars As when the Midianites were killed Numb XXXI 7 9. and the Edomites 1 Kings XI 16. And so Moses commanded they should do even with the Canaanites Deut. XX. 13 4. See Bochart P. I. Hierozoic L. II. cap. 56. Selden de Jure N. G. Lib. VI. cap. 16. p. 745. and de Synedr L. I. p. 81. Ver. 26. Took Dinah out of Shechem's House Where it seems she remained after the Rape he had committed in hope of a Marriage And went out Carried her home Ver. 27. And the Sons of Jacob. The rest of his Sons who were able to bear Arms came after the slaughter and helpt to plunder the City Thus they were all involved in the Guilt which was very great and manifold as Bonfrerius and out of him Menochius have observed Because they had defiled Their Prince had defiled her Whose Fact it seems they did not disapprove And therefore it is imputed to them all as the cause of their slaughter Ver. 28. They took their Sheep c. It is a reasonable Conjecture of Bonfrerius That Jacob caused all these to be restored to the Wives and Children of the slain Whom he set at liberty And spoiled even all that was in the House Of Hamor and Shechem Which perhaps they kept to themselves in compensation of the wrong he had done and none of the Family perhaps surviving to own them Ver. 30. Ye have troubled me Disturbed my Quiet and made it unsafe for me to live in this Country where I hoped to have setled Made me to stink c. Made me odious to all the Country as a Murderer a Robber and a breaker of my Faith Ver. 31. Should he deal with our Sister as with an Harlot As with a common Whore that prostituted her self to his Lust If she had done so there had been no ground for their Quarrel according to the Hebrew Doctors because Shechem had not then offended against the Laws of the Sons of Noah as they speak i. e. The right of Nations Which was not violated by a Man's lying with a single Woman by her free Consent But Dinah being forced and violently ravished as they take the Sence of verse 2. to be they tell their Father they might right themselves by making War upon them For there was no other way to deal with Princes whom they could not implead in any Court and therefore betook themselves to Arms. See Mr Selden L. VII de Jure N G. juxta Hebr. cap. 5. CHAP. XXXV Ver. 1. AND God said unto Jacob. There were several ways as Maimonides observes whereby God communicated himself unto the Prophets Unto whom he is said sometimes to
Esau did Isaac by marrying the Daughters of Heth. Whose name was Shuah Her Father's Name was Shuah verse 12. He took her To be his Wife verse 12. Ver. 5. And he was at Chezib when she bare him Some think this Town the same with Achzib belonging to Judah Josh XV. 44. But why Moses mentions his absence when this Child was born and why he sets down the Place where he then was we cannot give an account Though there was no doubt some special Reason for it Perhaps it is to show why she gave the Name to this and to her former Son whereas he himself named the first verse 3. because he was not at home when they were born Ver. 6. Whose name was Tamar She seems also to have been a Woman of Canaan but not an Idolater Ver. 7. Was wicked in the sight of the LORD i. e. Exceeding impious and that notoriously See Gen. X. 9. What particular Sins he was guilty of is but conjectured Some fansie they were of the same nature with his next Brother's See Bonfrere or Menochius out of him And the LORD slew him Cut him off suddenly by some unusual stroke Ver. 8. Go in unto thy Brother's Wife c. This say the Hebrew Doctors was an ancient Custom in force before the Law of Moses Which only enacted what had been formerly practised Maimon P. III. cap. 49. More Nevoch that when a Man died without Issue his next Brother should marry his Wife Deut. XXV 5. Which Custom afterward extended to the next Cousin if no Brother remained And raise up Seed unto thy Brother Preserve thy Brother's Name and Family by begetting a Child which may be accounted his and inherit his Estate For so the Law was that the First-born of such a match was not to be lookt upon as the Child of him that begat him but as his Brother's who was the Mother's first Husband All the following Children were to be his own Ver. 9. Onan knew that the Seed should not be his i. e. The First-born should be reputed his Brother's Child Lest he should give Seed to his Brother Or lest a Child should be born in the name of his Brother as the Vulgar Latin interprets it very exactly according to the Opinion of the Hebrews as Mr. Selden observes L. VII de Jure N. G. cap. 3. Ver. 10. The thing which he did displeased the LORD This made his Sin the more heinous that he acted against the Divine Promise made to Abraham concerning the multiplying of his Seed Especially against the Belief of the Promise of the Messiah that Seed for which all good Men longed Ver. 11. Remain a widow in thy Father's house c. It seems the Contract of Marriage at first was so understood in those Days that if the Husband died without Issue the Woman must marry his next Brother and as long as any of his Brethren remained they were bound to marry his Wife and preserve their Brother's Memory Or else solemnly renounce her to their great infamy and disgrace This was so well known that there is nothing in the Law that enjoyns any new solemn Contract in such a Case Because the first Husband being dead she and the next Brother were Man and Wife without any further Agreement by Virtue of the Original Law Until he renounced her Yet by the Constitutions afterwards made by their Elders it was ordained that he should espouse and endow her solemnly before Witnesses As Mr. Selden shows in his Vxor Hebr. Lib. I. cap. 12. and Lib. II. cap. 2. and 10. But Judah thought Selah was too young to perform this Contract and therefore desired her to stay till he was grown up And to abide in her own Father's House rather than in his that Selah might not think of Marriage too soon For he said Lest peradventure he die also This some make an Argument that he never intended to give her his Son But it is more agreeable to verse 24 and 26. to think that according to the Custom of those Days he could not refuse it And therefore he thought it was their youthful Folly which made his two other Sons perish Which made him resolve to keep this till he had more Discretion and was better instructed in his Duty Or if we imagine their Sin was known to none but Tamar the meaning may be that he thought their marrying too young was the cause of their death And therefore he determined to keep this only remaining Son till he was of a riper Age. Ver. 12. In process of time In the Hebrew the words are The Days were multiplied i. e. after some Years To Timnath A Town not far from Adullam it is probable for it was also within the Lot of the Tribe of Judah Josh XV. 57. He went up to Timnath Some have made a difficulty about this Phrase For Sampson is said to have gone down to Timnath Judg. XIV 5. But they should have considered as Bochart observes P. I. Hierozoic L. III. cap. 4. that these were two different Places one called Timnah the other Timnathah This in the Tribe of Judah the other in the Tribe of Dan. To this they went up because it was in a mountainous Country To the other they went down because it was in a Valley To his Sheep-shearers It was the Custom at such times to make a Feast as we do now and to invite their Kindred and Friends to it as he doth his Friend Hirah which appears sufficiently from the Story of Absalom 2 Sam. XIII 23. For in those Countries where they had vast Flocks Sheep-shearing was a kind of Harvest Which made that time to be observed with such Joy as there used to be in Harvest Whence David's Servants said to Nabal that they were come to him on a good Day for he was shearing Sheep 1 Sam. XXV 8. Accordingly Judah having finished the time of mourning for his Wife went to recreate himself with his Friends at this Festival Season Ver. 14. She put off her Widows Garments In which it seems such Persons continued till they were married to the next Brother But she at this time laid them aside that he might not have the least suspicion she was the Person whom he courted Covered her with a Veil As all Women did in the Eastern Countries when they went abroad And there are Examples of it also in the Western Parts of the World as Mr. Selden at large shows in his Vxor Hebraica L. III. cap. 17. Where he produces several Passages out of the Alcoran requiring this Wrapt her self Muffled her Face with it as we speak that she might not be known And sat in an open place Where two Ways met as the Hebrew words seem to import Unless we take it for a proper Name as it is in the Margin of our Bibles Either way it signifies in a Publick Place where every Body might see her It is commonly noted That there was so much Modesty left in those ancient Days that Harlots both
might not lie under any suspicion of having offered Violence to her Ver. 24. Bring her forth Out of her Father's House into the place of Judgment Where he would have her sentenced to the severest Punishment Let her be burnt Not presently for that had been the highest Injustice and Cruelty to burn the Child in her Belly but after she was delivered Till which time he would have her kept in such safe Custody that this Execution might be done upon her Some think burning was the Punishment for Adultery in those Days Others think the Punishment depended on the Will of the Supreme Governor whosoever he was Whom some also take to have been Judah himself as Chief in his own Family And that he was so severe against her because she had disgraced his Family and he was glad to be rid of her that he might not give his Son Selah to her But there are those who think by burning is meant no more but branding her in the Fore-head to denote her to be an Whore See Mr. Selden L. VII de Jure N. G. cap. 5. If Judah did mean burning her at a Stake as we now speak it was a Punishment not then commonly used but inflicted as his words are L. III. Vxor Hebr. cap. 12. ex more seu lege aliqua singulari By some singular Custom or Law All this proceeds upon a supposition that she really was Selah's Wife though not solemnly married as the Jews pretend it was necessary after the Law was given by Virtue of the first Contract with his eldest Brother Which was the reason of her being kept at her Father's House that no Body else might pretend to her but she be reserved for him Otherwise there could have been no ground for proceeding against her as an Adulteress Ver. 26. She hath been more righteous than I. These words do not signifie that she had in this matter committed a less Sin than he for she had committed a greater but that in another matter which was the occasion of this he had broken his word with her when she had till now kept her Faith with him and lived a Widow honestly in expectation of his Son Besides she committed this Fact out of desire to have a Child he to satisfie his Lust And he knew her no more Which some have translated quite contrary and he ceased not to know her i. e. he solemnly married her and took her to be his Wife Which was unlawful after the Law of Moses was given but as lawful before as many other things which they practised And two of the Chaldee Paraphrasts have feigned a Bath-coll to have come from Heaven to countenance the Fact See Mr. Selden L. V. de Jure N. G. cap. 9. and L. VII cap. 5. But it is not likely he would take his Son's Wife to be his own And likewise having known her though by an Error most think Selah himself afterward had her not to Wife But she rather did Penance as we now speak in Widowhood all her Days For Selah we find had Children by another Numb XXVI 19. Ver. 28. This came out first Perceiving there were Twins struggling in her Womb the Midwife to distinguish this from the other as the First-born bound this Thred about his Wrist Ver. 29. How hast thou broke forth What is the Cause of this Or what a Violence is this Speaking as one astonished at his eruption For it was without Example and therefore the Novelty of the thing made her break out into this Exclamation Though if it be true which a learned Anatomist affirms that where Twins are of the same Sex they are wrapped in the very same Secundines as they call them whereas those that are of a different are separated by distinct Inclosures the other Son being stronger and more vigorous might force his way the more readily when his Brother was nearer to the Birth Fernelius L. VII Physiolog cap. 12. This breach be upon thee Take thy Name from this Breach Be thou ever called Eruption or Breach as Bochart interprets it Hierozoic P. I. L. II. cap. 30. Ver. 30. Called Zarah Which most think signifies as much as he ariseth being used commonly of the Sun 's rising because this Child appeared first by putting out his Hand before the other CHAP. XXXIX Ver. 1. AND Joseph Having ended this Story of Judah he returns to that of Joseph which he had begun before in the XXXVII Chapter repeating where he left off how he was sold to Potiphar Brought down It is a descent from Judea to Egypt Which lies very low Ver. 2. And the LORD was with Joseph To guide him in his Deportment and in the management of all Affairs committed to him So that as it follows he was a prosperous Man He was in the House of his Master One of his Domestick Servants Ver. 3. His Master saw that the LORD was with him c. Found by Observation and Experience that he was an extraordinary Person It is not likely that Potiphar knew God by the Name of Jehovah But the meaning is he observed the happy Fruits of Joseph's Service which Moses not he ascribes to the LORD 's peculiar Blessing Ver. 4. And he served him Found such Favour with his Master that he took him to wait upon his Person And he made him Overseer over his House In time he advanced him to a higher Station to be as they now speak his Major Domo to whom all the Servants in the Family were to be Obedient And put all he had into his Hand Committed all his Estate both within Doors and without as appears by the next Verse to his Care and Management Ver. 6. He left all he had in Joseph's Hand Did not call him to a daily Account nor concerned himself about any Business But trusted intirely to his Prudence and Fidelity And he knew not ought he had save the Bread which he did eat This is the highest Expression of Confidence signifying that he was utterly careless about any thing that concerned his Estate Not minding what his Expence or Receipts were but taking his Ease left all to Joseph's Honesty In short he thought of nothing but only to enjoy what he had without any Care or Trouble And Joseph was a goodly Person c. Being the Son of a beautiful Mother Ver. 7. Cast her Eyes upon Joseph Lookt upon him Amorously or rather Lasciviously He being young as well as handsom Ver. 9. How can I do this great Wickedness c. Here are three He Hajedia's as the Hebrews call them pointing us to so many remarkable things How shall I commit such a Wickedness as Adultery Such a great Wickedness Against so kind a Master who so intirely trusts in my Integrity Especially since it cannot be committed without the highest Offence to God Ver. 10. Day by day Took all occasions to solicite him Or to be with her He avoided as much as was possible to entertain any Discourse with her shunning her