Division„/i?,.BSLc- Section ,.,, No Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/notescriticale1873jaco NOTES, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY, ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS TWO V^OLUMES IN ONE. BY MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, FB0TS8S0B OP BIBUOAI. LITEBATUKE IN THE TV^ESTEBN THEOLOaiCAl SBanNABT A» ALLEGHENY CITY, PA. NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 530 BROAD WAY. 18 73. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Western District of Pennsylvania. PEEF ACE It is now more than a quarter of a century since any pop- ular Annotations on the Pentateuch have been given to the American public, if we except only Jamiesoii's very briel notes reprinted in this country. During all this period Bush may be said to have been the only commentator on this portion of the Scriptures accessible to the mass of readers. And yet, this is the period in which the literature of the Pentateuch has most immensely in- creased. The questions lying at this threshold of revelation have become the leading questions of religious inquiry : and skepticism, seeking the darkest and most remote places for its operations, has labored around the origin of things, to throw obscurity upon God's revealed word hereabouts, to question the historical verity of these pages, and to bring to bear, with an inspiration of the Evil One, "the oppositions of science ^falsely BO-calledP God's word suffers nothing from such captious queryinga and cavillings as deface the pages of the modern destructive school. The Pseudo-bishop's criticism bewrayeth itself. The animus of this Pilate-judgment, that pronounces Christ fault- less, but gives Him over to His cru ciders, is too manifest -to mislead sober inquirers, even though the official robes of the iv PREFACE. Colensos, like those of Pilate himself, might seem to carry some authority. The great vital question, urged, whetlier in pretence or otherwise, by so many, at this moment, is, " W/iat is triUh V And Jesus answers, that " to this end was He born, and to this end He came into the world, that He should bear witness unto the truth," and true enough is it, and must ever be, that " every one that is of the truth heareth His voice." The author has had constantly in eye the recent efforts of a specious infidelity, burrowing at the gateway of revela- tion, and assaulting the historical accuracy of these original records, to undermine, if possible, the foundations of scrip- tural truth. The various questions broached hereabouts, have been carefully treated, in this volume, without parading the na>mes of the cavillers or their works, but by a simple exhibition of the subjects, such as may serve to answer the inquiries of multitudes, and to place in their hands the ma- terials for "putting to silence the ignorance of foohsh men." It may here be observed that the apostate bishop already re- ferred to, fills his pages mainly with the weaknesses of certain commentators, and with the flaws which he picks in their defences of the truth, and then sets all this to the account of . the Scripture itself, as though the word of God could be held responsible for the follies and imbecilities of tliose who, in different ages and on different principles, have professed to il elucidate this revelation. The aid of science is invoked by skeptics, to overthrow God' written word, and scientific men claim to interpret the docu ments in nature's volume without reference to these inspired oracles. It is judged unscientific to refer to these pages in evi dence ; and the specious dictum has gone forth, from such schools, that the Scripture does not profess to teach science. PREFACE. 1 But surely it has utterances in tlie department of natural science which belong to the yery foundations, and which science cannot ignore, because, this is the highest testimony in the case, — testimony to facts that are beyond the reach of mere natm-alistic inquiry. And it must always be a " science false- ly so called " which ignores these diyine records, as though they were not the very cream of well-attested truth. Here are real histories, the only written histories of the events. They are amply authenticated. They are histories with which all true theories must harmonize. "We point to the fact that ad vancing discoveries in natural science, while they have over- thrown proud theories of scientific men, have sustained the Biblical statements. We point also to the fact that this nat- uralism, which would explain away the first principles of re- vealed truth, aims also to explain away God Himself from the universe ; and thus, while it would deny future retribution and even Divine Providence, would tear away from men all their precious hopes for another world. In treating the vexed question of " the creative days," the author has confined the discussion to the Introduction, with- out disturbing the comments. He has adopted the view which is now most commonly accepted among orthodox writers, — the view of Chalmers and Wardlaw, and more lately of Dr. Murphy of Belfast, — which adheres strictly to the plain sense of the scriptural passage. For, as Keil in his late work, well remarks, " Exegesis must insist upon this, and not allow itself to alter the plain sense of the words of the Bible from irrelevant and untimely regard to the so-called certain inductions of natural science. Irrelevant we call such considerations as make interpretation dependent upon natural science, because the creation lies outside the limits V\ PREFACE. of empirical and speculative research, and, as an act of the Omnipotent God, belongs rather to the sphere of miracles and mysteries, which can only be received by faith, (Heb. xi. 3.) And untimely^ because natural science has supplied n certain conclusions as to the origin of the earth, and geology especially, even at the present time, is in a chaotic state of fer mentation, the issue of which it is impossible to foresee."— p]). xlviii-ix. It is enough for all lovers of the Scriptures that what is fixed in science — science truly so- called — agrees with what is found in this written revelation. INTRODUCTION. GENESIS. This opening Book of tlie Holy Scriptures is called Genesis, wliicli is tL'3 title given to it in the Septuagint (Greek) version, B. C. 285. The term is a Greek one, signifying a Mrth, a generation, or origin. The book is properly so called because it gives an inspired account of the origin of all things — especially of mankind and of all earthly things. It is here declared that the material universe was created by God — that the earth is not Eternal, nor of chance origin, as some heathen philosophers have held, nor self-created, (as others maintain), but that it had a beginning at the command of God, the only Creator. So all the Books of the Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses — are entitled according to the main subject of each. The Hebrews call the Book " BeresMth," according to their custom of naming the several Books of Scripture by the j&rst word in the book. This first word " BeresMth " means " In (the) beginning." In the Alexandrine Codex the title is Teveaic koc^ov. And the Rabbins entitle it the Book of the 'beginning, or of the Genesis. Beginning with the creation of the heav- ens and the earth, and ending with the death of the patriarchs Jacob and Joseph, this book records for us not only the beginning of the world and of mankind, but also of the redeeming preparation for establishing the King- dom of God. GEI^ESIS HISTORICAL. The effort of the modem skepticism has been to throw doubt upon the origin of Revealed Religion. Historical criticism has subjected both Tes- taments to the most severe ordeal, to find, if possible, some lack of evidence in the records, whereby they may be set aside as " unhistorical." The chief assaults have been made upon the Pentateuch and the Gos- pels, as lying at the basis, respectively, of the Old and New Testaments. Both Genesis and the Gospel by John treat of " the beginning." Both com- mence with the phrase " In {the) beginning." Both treat of the Creation and the Creator. Both have been very specially assailed of late. In both cases the aim has been to deny their authorship and their antiquity — and to prove them to have been the product of another hand, at a later period. In both cases, the object has been the same — to throw obscurity upon viu INTRODUCTION. the first things of Revelation and Religion, and to unsettle the jjopulal faith in the Bible as the very loord of Ood. It is i)lain that the Scrii^tures, in both Testaments, rest upon the histor ical truth of the Pentateuch. Just as Genesis is presupposed by the othei four books, or parts of the Pentateuch, so all the five boohs of the Penta- teuch, as Ave shall show, are presupposed by the remainder of the Scrip- tures. Hence the strenuous effort to impugn the substantial verity of these original records, and to resolve them into mere myth, legend, or story founded on fact. The zeal in this destructive criticism can be accounted for, only on the ground of man's natural aversion from the foundation truths of Scripture. It is an opposition to any Divine, written rule of faith and practice. It is a deep seated alienation from a personal God. It will be observed that these critics start out with a denial of any plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures. They assume that all miracle and prophecy is impossible — that is — any thing of the supernatural, in power, or in knowledge. But the foundation fact of the Old Testament is the Miracle of the Creation ; and the foundation fact of the New Testament is the Miracle of the Incarnation, in the work of New Creation. And this written Revelation itself is a Miracle. But how have they ascertained that a Miracle is impossible with God ? A Miracle is only His extraordinary working, according to a higher law of His operation. And to say that He cannot transcend natural law, is to say, that He cannot work out of His ordinary mode, and that He is limited to natural law, and Himself inferior to nature, instead of superior to it. The result of such a doctrine must be to deify nature and to undeify God. The object of this destructive criticism is not merely to set aside the supernatural from the Scriptures, but to deny what is supernatural in all the universe — under the guise of science to install natural law in the place of a personal living Jehovah. So it is alleged, by the same critics, that all human history is only the development of natural law in human affairs — and that every thing in the world's annals proceeds according to such a law as admits no Divine intervention in history. But there is an historical basis of this Divine Religion apart from any questions as to the possibility of liispiration or Miracle. For the main facts are interwoven with the world's history, and the miraculous facts have come down to us equally attested with any others. That there has been a creation and a deluge is indisputable. The proofs are every where found. These documents of Hebrew Scripture are also the annals of Jew- ish History — and no history has such ample evidences. And the miracles of Moses are as much part of the history as anything that is recorded. To deny them, is to destroy the foundations of all history. So, in the New Testament, the Apostles appeal to the most enhghtened cities for the mi- raculous facts of their mission. And what is supernatural, in the record, somos to us on the same historical basis as any thing that is recorded INTRODUCTION. It (See Bestoraiion of Belief.) So also the Jews, in our Lord's time, appealeti to tlie writings of Moses, and the New Testament accredits them as his, and cites the contents as inspired. Hengsteriberg has well said that the denial of the Pentateuch has its origin in the proneness of the age to Naturalism, which has its root in es- trangement from God ! If objectors can so far impugn the Divine authority of these Mosaic records as to hold them to be " unhistorical" this wiU fuUy answer theii purpose. If they can make men believe that this is any thing less than veritable history, then no matter for them, nor for us, ichat it is, or whose it is. But this is not by any means so easily done. They have the advan- tage of the remote antiquity of these writings for starting their skeptical conjectures. But (1st) the whole presumption is, that what has come down to us through 'long ages as history is really so, unless the contrary can be established. (2nd) They have to account for these records if they be not historical. They have to show us how they could have originated — and how they could have obtained such universal currency and credence, and how such a people, so jealous of these sacred records, as comprising the institutions of their religion, and the annals of their nation, and as being the basis of their legislation, and as containing the registers of their family descent, and the title deeds of their property, could have been so utterly deceived for long ages. They have, also, (3d) to account for it that it should be reserved for this late day, and for them, to make such a discov- ery as that these primitive histories of the world are fable. Besides (4th) they must show in themselves some spirit of true historical investigation, apart from irreligious prejudice, — and some superior learning, apart from empty speculation and fancy, before they can make the world believe that these ancient and consistent records are not true. It is not enough to carp and cavil at alleged discrepancies and impossibilities in the narrative, for still the great, chief impossibility remains for them to dispose of — the " im- possibility " of the whole Jewish history — and of the world's history — if this be not history — the impossibility of any satisfactory account of these records, if they be any thing less than real historical truth. I. The Mythic theory, which, at most, admits only a certain substratum of history, refers the leading narratives, especially sach as involve any thing miraculous, to myth. Or, these critics aUege that the origin of these records is something purely legendary, such as belongs to many of the earliest heathen annals. But these critics have opposed each other in regard to any theory of the origin of such myths which would be at aU in keeping with the plain facts of the case, or furnish any probable solution. This theory, therefore, is even more difficult than that which it opposes. And, only when the whole Scripture is taken as historical truth, is it foun(? to be simple, clear, consistent, and in keeping with aU the kno-\vn facta, X INTRODUCTION. and witli the long established belief, and with the universal teutimony, Especially the first chapters in Genesis are alleged to be mythical — as the Creation and Fall, etc. But the impossibility of these narratives being mythical, appears hence : (1.) That instead of being diffuse and imaginative, these records are the most sublimely brief, concise, compact statements ; farthest removed ftom idle stories or legends, such as are found in heathen annals (2.) These accounts are found in the midst of plain, geographical state- ments, and they bear every mark of genuine history. (3.) If these records be myth, it is impossible for any one to tell us how they originated, and when ; and when and how they took documentary form, and received their present shape ; and how far they are founded on fact, or what basis they could have had, which would properly account for them. (4.) On all these points the mythical critics dispute with each other as earnestly as they dispute with us. (5.) These narratives were committed to writing nearly a thousand yeara before the myths of the most ancient nations. (6.) These records are connected — not disjointed and fragmentary as myths are. (7.) These narratives have nothing of the fictitious and fabulous air which mythical legends have, but they refer to the only living and true God, as Creator and Redeemer — and give a simple and intelligible account of the great first facts of human history. And all history may as weU be resolved into myths as this. II. Some hold the narratives of the creation and fall of man, etc., to be allegorical; setting forth these ideas of man's natural and moral relations, in the garb of history, as a kind of parable. This stands on no better ground than the former. Others admit the historical basis, and allegorize — finding another sense besides the historical, underlying the history. Doubtless the narratives have pregnant import. But the "allegorical sense " is often made to be anything but the simple, plain, substantial sense of the history. III, Akin to the mythical and allegorical theories is that of those who hold that these records have originated in the "floating tradition," or pop- alar story, which came afterwards to be put into this form by one oi" «,uother hand. INTRODUCTION. xi Bat, on this theory, also, it is impossible to accoiint for the facts, or to ferret out the authorship, and most of all, to account for the universal be- lief in the history up to the time of the modern skepticism. These false critics can not agree upon an author, nor upon a date for the book ; and they differ among themselves on this latter point by a thousand years. AUTHORSHIP, CREDIBILITY, ETC. " It is an admitted rule of all sound criticism, (says Bawlinson,) that book is to be regarded as proceeding from the author whose name it bears^ unless very strong reasons, indeed, can be produced to the contrary." In deciding upon the authorship of the Pentateuch, it is important to observe that originally it was one book. The term TvevTarevxoc — from ttevte, (five), and revxog, (volume), means simply a fivefold volume. This division into five books, or parts, seems first to have been mentioned by Josephus, and probably occurred subsequently to the captivity, and after the reading of the Pentateuch in the synagogues had been commenced. It is more commonly supposed to have originated with the Septuagint version. In the Old Testament it is constantly referred to as one book. It is called " the Law," Neh. viii. 9 ; " the Book of the Law" Joshua, i. 8 : Neh. xiii. 1 ; " the Book of the Covenant," 3 Kings, xxiii. 4. The imity of the Book is clearly seen in the contents, which form a closely connected whole. This Book is plainly not composed of scattered and disjointed fragments, but gives us a narrative of the origin and early history of the human race in brief ; leading to the history of the patriarchs — their Divine treatment — God's covenant with them — their development from a family to a nation — their institutions, civil and religious, with a view to their special culture in the Holy Land — the Land of Promise. These five por- tions belong to each other — each being the proper key to what follows, and each being presupposed by the following. The Pentateuch is in one vol- ume in the MSS. rolls to this day, called the Law. This Book of the Laic — the Law of Moses — " the Book of the Covenant " so often referred to, and referred to as written by Moses, (Mark, xii. 26), which book was deposited in the ark of the covenant, and given into the special charge of the Levites, to be read publicly every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles, in the hearing of all Israel — and which must have descended thus with the people of Israel, along with their sacred institu- tions there recorded : this book, which the king was to write a copy of, for special reverence and preservation, could have been none other than the Pentateuch ; imless, indeed, any can suppose that the genuine woxk was lost, and that a spurious one was substituted in its place, and was received as genuine and believed to be such, without ever a suspicion be- ing raised, among friends or foes, during many centuries. This is mora incredible by far than the true theory. See BawUnwn'a Hist. Ed. p. 55-6. rii INTRODUCTION. If Moses was indeed the autlior of the Pentateuch, then we see that th« hig'ory is given us by an eye witness, and it follows that it must be true and historical, unless we can suppose that he meant to deceive. They who wish to destroy the force of the book as Divinely inspired, labor to pr'^ve that it was not written by Moses, but by whom it was written they cannoi agree even to conjecture. Vacillating between the times of Samuel and Ezra, through so many years, they can fix upon no author. And what won- der ? For there is none of these to whom the history is ascribed in the Scripture, but it is uniformly ascribed to Moses. The proof of the Mosaic authorship is clearly established thus : 1. Beginning with the time of the historian Manetho, who is so boasted in early Egyptian history, we have the Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament, made about 285 B, C, and this shows us that the Penta- teuch, in its present form, existed at that time. 2. Passing back to the era of the Jews' return from Babylon, we find them acknowledging the Pentateuch as the book of their national law. It could not have been produced at that period else its acceptance must have been local, and its language more modern. 3. Passing still further back we find the Samaritans receiving the Pen- tateuch— alone of all the Old Testament Scriptures — and the same Penta- teuch which the Jews possessed, and simply because it was the Book of the Law given to Moses. This shows that its authority Avas not confined to Judah alone. For surely, as the Samaritans received it from a priest of the ten tribes, and these tribes would not have received from the kingdom of Judah a book which established the religion of Judah, and the form of civil government, and the laws by which it was to be administered, it must have been already a long time in use before the separation of the ten tribes. It must, therefore, be as old as the time of the Judges, and that was too near the time of Moses for a forgery of it as Moses's, by another, as Samuel ; even if any one could suppose Samuel to be a forger. They who ascribe the authorship of the Pentateuch to Samuel, while it all along purports to be from Moses, must believe this monstrous absurdity. But 4. The Mosaic writings could not have been produced at any period subsequent to Samuel, since they make no mention of the order of kinga which was instituted in Samuel's time. The Mosaic code refers to a kingly government as an innovation, which the people would introduce after the heathen custom. Deut. xvii. G. Again 5. The whole history of Samuel and his time recognizes the Mo- saic ritual as already in use, and presupposes the entire Mosaic history ftud can not be understood if these writings of Moses, in the Pentateuch, INTRODUCTION. xl« be not taken as fhey stand — the necessary preliminary and basis of tor whole subsequent history. Further 6. "If the Mosaic Law had not been univ(;rsally kuown and revered as of Divine authority long before the time of Samuel, it could never have been compiled and received during the kingly government. Samuel would not have ventured to oppose the wishes of the people in appointing a king, on the pretext of its being a rejection of God for thei king ; nor would he have attempted to impose such restraints on the mon arch of the Jews, if unsupported by a previously admitted authority Such a fabrication would never have escaped detection and exposure, eithe by Saul, who, for the last years of his life, was in constant enmity with Sam uel — or by Solomon, who, amidst his power and prosperity, must have felt his fame wounded and his passions rebuked by the stern condemnation of the Mosaic Law. Samuel, therefore, could not have been the compiler of the Pentateuch." See Bean Graves's Lectures. But the theory of those who ascribe this work to Samuel is that he *' gathered up the legendary reminiscences which he found floating about in his time, and endeavored to give them unity and substance by connect- ing them into a continuous narrative for the instruction and improvement of his pupils, as a mere historical experiment.^' But who, upon any refec- tion, could receive such a theory of these writings ? To say nothing fur ther of the wilful fraud, in which Samuel is supposed to wrice as if ho were Moses, is it meant that Samuel framed the Levitical law with its minute institutes and exact ritual, and made it appear to the people as if it had been instituted long before in th^ wilderness, and practiced by their nation then and ever since, for five hundred years ? Or, is it meant that these details, composing so extensive and thorough a system of laws and worship, were gathered up from floating traditions, or legendary reminis- ences? This, indeed, would be miraculous, and, therefore, according to the assumption of these theorists, it is not supposable, since a miracle is in their view impossible. Can any one who reflects a moment believe that aU this closely con nected history — this extensive journal of a forty years' sojourn, with names and dates, and daily incidents, is a mere compilation of legendary reminiscences afloat among the people ? The theory is simply absurd, and requires far greater credulity than is charged upon the believers in Inspi- ration, and jMiracle, and Prophecy. If then, (1) it were pretended that Samuel gathered all these exact and minute details of laws and histories from floating traditions, and framed them into a connected whole, as we have them in the Pentateuch, this would be supposing an impossibility, except by miracle, for such minuto and connected details could not have been gathered from floating traditions. If (2) he received them by revelation, then the object of the false critics Is not gained, which is to deny the Divine origin of the records. xiv INTRODUCTION. If (3) Samuel merely represented these Institutions, (the laws and cua. toms,) as supernaturally revealed — merely as the heathen legislators did, to attach authority to their lessons — then Samuel would need to be regarded in the light of an impostor. And so, also, (4) his representing these Institutions as revealed of old to the fathers, or leaders, of the Hebrew people, and so representing, merely for public effect, and without any basis of truth, for this is the theory referred to, would be utterly inconsistent with his character for veracity and honesty. (5.) This being a system so complicated and expensive as to require the highest authority for its enforcement upon the people, how could he make them believe all the history of the Exodus, the giving of the law, etc., without any substantial foundation in fact ? " Could any one suppose that a book of statutes might be now forged, or could have been forged at any time, for any modern nation, and imposed upon the people for the only book of statutes that they and their fathers had ever known ?" Whence came the tabernacle, with all its ordinances, if we do not presuppose the historical facts connected with its establishment ? And if all this be " un- historical," are we to suppose that Moses also is a mythf and that the whole history is a fable ? Then why not all ancient history, and, indeed, all history ? Observe (1.) — The New Testament sets forth, in the Epistle to the He- brews, the profound meaning of the Mosaic institutions, and argues the superiority of the New Testament economy, by proving Jesus to be greater than Moses. • Observe (3.) — There are, at least, two distinct citations of the Penta- teuch to be found in the Books of Samuel — 1 Samuel ii. 13, compare Deut. xviii. 3 ; and 1 Samuel ii. 23, compare Exodus xxxviii. 8. Jahn has well said that the point to be proved by objectors is that it is impossible that the Pentateuch should be, or, on historic grounds, should be conceived to be, the genuine work of Moses ; and that it must necessa- rily be a more recent work, and be so reputed — this is what should have been proved by historical and critical arguments to make the objector's position good. It is by no means sufHcient to have started doubts — to have urged suspicions — to have framed conjectures. " That the testi- mony for the genuineness of these books may be rendered suspicious by little sophisms proves nothing. Since it is possible by conjectures and artifices of this sort to render the veracity of the most honest man so doubtful as that even an upright judge may hesitate." "The least that can be re- quired is to prove first that the author himself, and all subsequent wit- nesses, either could not, or would not speak the truth ; and secondly, that the Pentat'euch can in no wise be, or be considered, a production of Moses or his age." John's Int., page 195. INTRODUCTION. xv 1. That Moses himself wrote the Book of the Law, or the Pentateuch, and "all the words of it until they were finished," is expressly stated at the close of the whole, and just preceding the narrative of his death, (Deut sxxi. 9-14, and 22-24.) The book was most carefully delivered by him to the charge of the priests to be placed in the ark, Deut. xxxi. 26, and to be read before Israel every seven years at the feast of tabernacles ; that feast which specially commemorated their sojourn in the wilderness. In Exo- dus xvii. 14 it is referred to Sis"t?ie Book" — the volume well known as ** written by Moses," and here, and from time to time, he received direc- tions to write further records in this same book — as, for example, the Deca- logue ; see Exodus, xxiv. 4-7 ; Exodus, xxxiv. 27 : " And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord," etc. Indeed, we have the author's name expressly indicated in many places, and these are such important and prominent portions as to carry with them aU the rest — so closely connected — as of the same authorship. Throughout Deuteronomy, excepting a very few minor passages, we have Moses speaking in his own person, of himself, and of the. history in which he was so immediately concerned. We have " t/ie Song of Moses," chapter xxxii, and " the Blessing of Moses" chapter xxxiii, before his death. In chapter xxxi, 9 we find that Moses himself not merely dictated the law, but actually wrote it himself : " And Moses wrote this law," etc. And further, that it was written " in a book " by him, verses 25, 26. And then we have his own exhortations and addresses, Deut. i. 29-31 ; ii. 26; v. 5 ; xi. 2, 3, 5, 7; xxxi. 2. See, especially, Deut. xxviii. 61. 2. At the close of the Book of Numbers it is expressly stated that the records are "the commandments and the judgments which the Lord com- manded, dy the hand of Moses," etc., Numbers xxxvi. 13. This is a formal notice of the Mosaic authorship of the book. And then, after the recapit- ulation in Deuteronomy, with additions and explanations, it is there again formally stated to the same effect. No one would take any other impres- sion from these passages than that these are the records as given by Moses. 3. In the historical books next following, this " hook of the laio of Moses " is distinctly referred to : Joshua, i. 7, 8 ; viii. 31, 32-34 ; xxiii. 6-16. Thus, there is testimony, within some few years after Moses' decease, and froni one who must have personally known ISloses. Meanwhile, in the Books of Ruth and Judges, there are plain traces of the Pentateuch. See Ruth, iv. 3-5 ; also. Judges i. 20, " as Moses said," iii. 4, etc. So, also, historical references. Judges, i. 2, 5 ; ii. 11, 12 ; v. 4 ; vi. 8, 9,13; X. 11, 12. So, also, in the Books of Samuel, the Pentateuch is clearly referred to — as the tabernacle and ark : 1 Sam. iii. 3 ; vi. 13 ; 2 Sam. vii. 2 : and the Exodus r-1 Sam. XV. 3-6 ; and the various ordinances of the law — 1 Sam. xiv. 82-87 ; XX. 5 ; xviii. 27 ; xxi. 3, 4 ; xxviii. 30 ; xxx. 7, 8. Many narratives in the Books of Samuel are unintelligible, except by a reference to the Pea XTi INTRODUCTION. tateuch, 1 Samuel, ii. 13, (see Deut. xviii. 3, and Leviticus, vii. 29.) So 1 Samuel, vi. 15, (see Numbers, i. 50, 51.) And 1 Samuel, xiv. 37 ; xxii. 10 ; xxiii 2, 3 ; XXX. 7, 8 (see Exodus, xxviii. 30, Numbers, xxvii. 21.) "In this book we find all tliese ordinances of the Pentateucli — tlie tabernacle of the con- gregation— the ark of the covenant — the yearly visitation — the rejoicing with the whole household — the duties of the priests and Levites, the altar, the incense, and the Ephod, the Urim and Thummim, the priest's dues, and the manner in which they were to be received, the inquiring of the Lord by the priests, the new moon, the laws concerning ceremonial un- cieanness, wizards and possessors of familiar spirits. Many of these are described in the exact and peculiar language of the Pentateuch." Dr Alexander McCaul. So, also, in 1 Kings, David enjoins upon Solomon to observe all the pre- cepts, and keep the charge " as it is written in the laic of Moses" 1 Kings, ii, 3. In 2 Kings, xiv. 6, " the book of the law of Moses " is expressly re- ferred to. And in 2 Kings, xxii. 8, this " book of the law," called, also, the book of the covenant — and " the hook of the law of the Lord, (written,) hy Moses," is related to have been found in the temple by the High Priest, Hilkiah, after a long period of its neglect ; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14. See also 2 Kings, xxiii. 3, and 2 Chron. xxiii. 18 ; xxv. 4. And Josiah, the king, is said to have " turned to the Lord with all his heart, aecording to all the Law of Moses" 2 Kings, xxiii. 25. And this bringing out of the law of Moses before the people, was the means of a great reformation in his time. He kept a great Passover, " as it is written in the Book of Moses," 2 Chron. xxxv. 12, 18. Some well known sacred volume is here evidently referred to, comprising the law, (Hebrew, Toi^ali teaching,) which God gave to Israel, including the history of the nation " by the hand of Moses." Some have supposed that this was the original copy which was commanded to be laid up in the ark of the covenant, and which was now found, Deuterono- my, xxxi. 24-26. That this " Book of the Law " was not merely the Book of Deuterono- my, much less the Decalogue, as some have contended, is plain from the fact that the Passover was celebrated on the basis of the directions found in this Book, and it could have been only in Exodus, (see Ex. xii. 1-20,) and Numbers, (see Numb, xxviii. 16-25,) that the full directions were found. In Deuteronomy they are few, (see Deut. xvi. 1-8.) But the former two Books plainly presupposed the Book of Genesis, as introductory to them, and in- complete and unintelligible without them. Indeed, this very Book of Deuteronomy presupposes throughout the other four books of the Penta- teuch, and they are constantly spoken of together as the Law. The Psalms, also, constantly refer to " the Law," as the 119th Psalm — a manual of devotion — in every verse of it. And the 1st Psalm, which was, y^rhaps, written by Ezra as an introduction to the whole Book of Psalms, INTRODUCTION. xvij or selected from David's or others' Psalms, as most proper for an introduc- tory Psalm, refers entirely to " tlie Law of the Lord," as a whole — some- thing to be read, and meditated on, and kept in the daily conduct. Psalm Ixviii. is remarkably full of historical references. Psalms Ixxiv., Ixxvi., Ixxviii., civ., cv., cvi., cxxxiii., cxxxv., cxxxvi., and others, refer to the his- tory in the Pentateuch most strikingly and conclusively. See Ps. xxix. 10 ; see, also, Ps. viii.'referring to Genesis, and Ps. cxxxii. referring to the Levit- jcal service. Psalm, ex. 4, refers to Melchisedec, and so it is cited and expounded by the Epistle to the Hebrews. The Law is also spoken of as a written volume, see Ps. xl. 7. The Proverbs, also, make constant reference to the Pentateuch, and hold up " the Law " as the basis of all wise and happy living, and as accordant with all men's experience of truth, and duty, and prosperity in this life. The peculiar phraseology of the Pentateuch is frequently used, showing that these writings of Moses must have been in use ia the time of Solo- mon, Prov. X. 18 ; Heb. Numb. xiii. 32. Prov. xi. 1 ; xx. 10, 23 are from Lev. xix. 36, and Deut. xxv. 13. In Prov. xi. 13 ; xx. 19, the peculiar phrase is from Lev. xix. 16 ; Prov. xvii. 15 is from Exodus, xxiii. 7, and Deut. xxv. 1. So, also, the Old Testament prophets constantly base their warnings and threatenings upon " the Law of the Lord," as something in documentary form, and well known and in use among the people. Isaiah, and his con- temporaries in the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, speak of "the Law of the Lord," chapter v. 24; xxx. 9. He calls it "the Book," as we say the Bible, chapter xxix. 18. See, also, most remarkably, chapter Ixiii. 11-14. So Hosea speaks of the Law as icritten, chapter viii. 12 ; see, also, chapter vi. 7 ; see, also, Hosea, ii. 15 ; xi. 1, 8. And compare ii. 17 and Exodus, xxiii. 13 ; compare iii. 1 and Deut, xxxi. 16 ; compare iv. 10 and Levit. xxvi. 26. So Micah, vii. 15-20, refers to the history of the pa- triarchs— and chapter vi. 5, to Balaam, and vi. 4, to the Exodus. Amos, ii. 4, also, chapter iv. 11 ; ii. 10 ; iii. 1 ; v. 25. So compare Amos, ii. 7 and Exodus, xxiii. 6. Amos, ii. 8, compare Exodus, xxii. 25 , Amos, ii. 9, com- pare Numbers, xiii. 32, 33 ; Amos, ii. 10, compare Deut. xxix. 3. In Jeremiah, also, the Law is very frequently referred to and cited, chap- ter ii. 6, 8 ; vi. 19 ; %dii. 8 ; ix. 13 ; xvi. 11 ; xxii. 22. Chapter iv. 4, com- pare Deut. X. 16. In his days, " the Book of the Law," long neglected, was found in the temple by Hilkiah, who refers to it as a volume which had been well known and lost, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 15. So, also, the prophet Ezekiel, see chapters xviii. and xx. throughout. This prophet 3mploys terms and figures peculiar to the Pentateuch, chap- ter v. 11 ; vii 4, 9 ; viii. 18 ; ix. 5, 10. Compare chapter v. 2 13 ; xii. 14, J xviii INTRODUCTION. "witli Es.()dus, XV. 9 ; Leviticus, xsvi. 33. He refers to the Law as known by priests and people as of Divine authority, Ezek. xi. 13 ; xviii. 21. It is not disputed that such a writing was known to the prophets of the Restoration, and to the people of their time. So, also, the historical bookg subsequent to the Captivity, plainly refer back to the Pentateuch as weU known, and acknowledged to be written by Moses. Ezra, iii. 2 refers to the laws about burnt-offerings in Leviticus, " as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God." Again, in Ezra, vi. 18, at the dedication of the second temple, the priests and Levites were arranged expressly according " as it is written in the Book of Moses." So, also, Nehemiah makes frequent references to the Pentateuch, show- ing that the Jewish people, through all their changes of exile and return, acknowledged this written book of the law of God by Moses. Even De Wette admits that " in Ezra and Nehemiah the mention of the Penta- teuch as we now have it, is as certain as it is frequent." By some the Pentateuch has been ascribed to Ezra. But Ezra is shown to be witness against this when he says, " as it is written in the Book of Moses," see chapter vi. 18. But Daniel, also, mentions the Pentateuch before the time of Ezra, Dan. ix. 11-13. Ezra may, indeed, have copied the Pentateuch at the Reformation in hia time — in which case he would naturally have appended certain notices, as of Moses' death — yet by the same Divine inspiration. This gives, then, the testimony of the continuator. And so Malachi, at the close of the Old Testament revelation, says : " Re- member ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." The passage which is, also, adduced against the Mosaic authorship, (Numb. xii. 3,) " Now the man Moses was very meek," etc., is accounted for by the Divine inspiration Avhich dictated it. It is not the mere word of Moses, but the word of God, That the death of Moses is recorded at the close of Deut., (chapter xxxiv. 5,) is argued by objectors as proof that the books were not written by Moses ; as though such a notice could not have been appended by another, and upon the same Divine authority as directed the writing of the books bytMoses. Keil, in his recent work, (p. xxii., note^ refers to a similar in. stance in a well known work by John Sleidanus, {see Hengst. Beitrage, 2, Ixxx.,) at the close of which the death of the author is narrated. Of course, it is not necessary to note that such an addition must have been from an- other hand, and could not claim to be from the author of the book, inas- much as no one could be supposed to write an account of his own death. Besides the narrative of the death and burial is not given until after it has been expressly elated that he had finished his work, and transferred it to INTRODUCTION. xil the JiCvites, from wliich it would at once be tmderstood that the closmg and supplementary paragraph did not claim to be from him. INTERNAL EVIDENCE. That the Psntateuch could not have been compiled from "floating tradi- tions," after the time oi Moses, nor by any one from Samuel to Ezra, is plain. For, 1. The Book is written evidently by a contemporary of the events and an eye-witness, as Moses was. If written by any other than Moses, then it is a forgery claiming to be by the hand of Moses, but really by an- other, and thus imposed upon the nation in his name. But this cannot be. No motive could be imagined for such an imposture. Nor could it have been possible if we can give any weight to the internal evidence of author- ship. The style is every where simple and artless. The history is full of mi nute detail, precisely such as supposes the author to have been an eye- witness. And this is every where claimed. The minutiae are such as must have been recorded at the time — details of marches — geographical sites — routes, etc., and with the origin of the names often in the events themselves • — and all the items of the history agreeing together as a consistent whole, and agreeing, also, with the known character of Moses, and with the sup- position that he, and no other than he, is the author. Moreover, that the Books of the Pentateuch belong to this period, is indicated by the command of God to Moses, " to write the discomfiture of Amalek for a memorial in a book," (Exodus, xvii. 14,) (literally, in the Book, showing that there was or hook for these memorials, and that this book was the writing of Moses.) 2. The language of the Pentateuch is a further proof of its Mosaic au- thorship. If it had been written at a later period, there would have been found such modern words and phrases as would indicate the later date. But antiquated words abound, such as fix its antiquity. Jalin notes two hundred words peculiar to the Pentateuch, besides phrases. There are, also, Egyptian terms, or traces of such, which only an Egyptian would use. The style, especially in Deuteronomy, could have been feigned by no one, nor could any one have so completely assumed the person of Moses, or have spoken to the people, as they were then circumstanced, in the manner in which he speaks. " See Ja?m'* 3. The Pentateuch is manifestly written according to the progress of thA events. Statutes are recorded as they were made, and their subsequent alteration, or repeal, is afterwards recorded as it came to pass, and as per« Bons of a later ag 3 could not have known, in such connection ; all bearing XX INTRODUCTION. tlie clear mark of a contemporary authorship — shewing that the author narrated the history of his own legislation. See Exodus, xxi. 3-7, com- pare Deut. XV. 12-23 ; Numb. iv. 24-33, compare Numb. vii. 1-9. Now no compiler of floating traditions could ever have produced such a narrative, bearing such clear marks of contemporaneous history. He would not have arranged the writings "in the manner of a journal, following the order of time, so as to introduce, now a law, then a historical fact, then an admonition, and then again a law " — he would not have repeated some laws as often as they were published — or, at least, he would have omitted, f A the former parts of the work, the laws which are altered in Deuterono- my. Nor would he have repeated the minute description of the taberna- cle and its furniture at its completion, which he had already given in the directions for its building. All these features clearly show that the author wrote according to the successive unfolding of the history in which he was BO eminently concerned; and wrote his history as a public and official record of his time. 4. The genealogies show a writer of the earliest time, such as Moses ; and these genealogies being the basis of the distribution of property, carry all the proof which such a necessary public register must have among the national archives. 5. The different portions of the book, written evidently at different times, show coincidences so minute, so latent, so indirect, and so evidently undesigned, as to prove one hand throughout, always taking for granted that the notice of Moses' death at the close is by the hand of another — which it was not at all necessary to state. 6. The details, geographical, historical, and personal, show the hand of Moses. The Book of Exodus, describing the conduct of Pharaoh, in such keeping with all that is known of the Egyptian court, and the route of the exodus, showing one well acquainted with Arabia and the peninsula of Sinai, coiild most naturally have come from one who had spent forty years in the land of Midian, and who, himself, traversed this route. _ We have seen, then, that to suppose any other author than Moses, is, at lest, to suppose a forgery, and is to charge the author, or compiler, with for- gery—for he icrites as being Moses himself, and none other. And 1. Forged records would not venture upon such minute detail. 2. They could not furnish bo many and various particulars with any such perfect consistency. 3. They would be most easy of exposure, especially ^s they involved all the affairs of a great people. And that they have passed for ages as their acknowledged archives in church and state, involving their family lineage, INTRODUCTION. xxi and tLeii tenure of property — any sucli theory is simply incredible ; "while the theory of the Mosaic authorship is accordant with all the facts and features of the history. And that Moses is the author, accords with the unanimous testimony of the Jewish and Christian church. PROOF FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT. The crowning proof, however, is found in the New Testament. Our Lord and His apostles frequently refer to the writings of Moses, as well known and recognized among the Jewish people. And we perfectly know that these were the five books of Moses, which were ascribed to Moses without any dispute. Our Lord's testimony, therefore, is clear and conclu- sive. He also receives and recognizes these books as the writings of Moses — argues from them — bases His own claims upon them — declares that Moses wrote of Him, and with authority — charges the Jews that if they had be- lieved Moses they would have believed Him, John, v. 46. And He even introduces father Abraham, from the heavenly world, as testifying to the writings of Moses, along with those of the prophets, Luke, xvi. 29. John, V. 4G, 47, is a very explicit "testimony to the subject of the whole Penta- teuch. It is also a testimony to the fact of Moses having written those books, which were then, and are still, known by his name." Alford. " Moses and the prophets," is the phrase by which the Old Testament ia often referred to, Luke, xvi. 29, 31, and xxiv. 27 ; Acts, xxviii, 23. " The Law of Moses," " the Law given by Moses," " the Law of Moses and the prophets," " Circumcision is of Moses." " Moses wrote, K a man's brother die," etc., Mark, xii. 19. " The customs which Moses delivered us," Acts, vi. 14, are evidently the whole ceremonial law. " To forsake Moses," Acts xxi. 21, is to forsake these. " When Moses is read," 2 Cor. iii. 15, is equiv alent to saying, " when the Pentateuch is read," for no other books of the Old Testament are ascribed to Moses. The scattered references in the New Testament to the several books of Moses would make up a clear, con current testimony to the Pentateuch as being from his hand. Luke, xx 37, refers to Exodus, iii. 4, and refers to Exodus as written by Moses. It if what " Moses shewed at the bush." And John, i. 45, " we have found Him of whom Moses in the law did write," refers to Genesis, in which is the firsi piophecy of Christ. In Matt. xix. 4, 5, our Lord refers to the law of marriage as given in Genesis, i. 27 ; ii. 24, and to this He adds a reference to Deuter onomy and the law of divorce there given by Moses, Matt. xix. 7, 8. In John, vi. 32, is a reference to Numbers, where the miracle of the manna is recorded, and our Lord refers to Moses in that connexion. And He as much testifies to Moses' writing, (for the universal belief was that he wrote the history,) as He testifies to the existence and leadership cf Moses. If xxii INTRODUCTION. we could rejsct the proof of tlie one, we could, also, equa.iy of the other. So when He says, " Moses gave unto you circumcision," He endorses tho history of that ordinance as given by Moses, and recorded by Moses, Levit. xii. 3 ; and He in the same sentence endorses the account given by Moses In Genesis, xvii. 10, and received by them as his — that the ordinance of circumcision was " of the fathers." See, also. Acts, iii. 33, referring to Deut. xviii. 15 ; Acts, xxviii. 33, Rom. x. 5, 6, referring to Levit. xviii. 5, and Deut. xxx. 13, 13. The only way in which this positive testimony of the New Testament can be evaded, is by denying the inspiration and Divine authority of the New Testament writings. And the extremity to which deniers of the Mo- saic authorship of the Pentateuch have been driven appears from the fact, that a late assailant discredits the testimony of our Lord Himself — and as- cribes it to His human ignorance ! that as man, He knew no better ; and hence, that in this particular, of course, the assailant claims to know more than our Lord Jesus Himself. So utterly demented must a man become who would reject the Divine authority of the Scriptures. Some, indeed, soften the harshness of this denial by the theory that our Lord and His inspired apostles merely accommodated their language to the Jewish notions. But no such shift can be fairly made. How should we know to what portion of our Lord's sayings this theory could not be ap- plied ? It would destroy the Divine authority, even of our Lord's gospel teachings. But it is plain that Jesus bases His claims upon the testimony of Moses — challenges the faith of the Jews by their faith in these very writings of Moses, and plainly makes Moses' authority as an inspired wri- ter, one witli His own. A belief in Christ stands in closest connection with a belief in Moses and his writings. This is the declaration of Christ Him self to the Jews. And by the writings of Moses, literally, " the ScrijJtures of Moses" He means those Scriptures which the Jews, whom He addressed, acknowledged to be the Scriptures, or writings of Moses. And these, we have shown, were never any other — neither more nor less — than the five Books of Moses, called, at that time, by the Greek translatont, the Penta- teuch. So, also, it is recorded by Luke, that " beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things con- cerning Himself," (Luke, xxiv. 37.) So, also, " Moses and the prophets " are spoken of repeatedly, precisely as would he the case if these writings are the writings of Moses. But if they are not, there are no other books ascribed to him, and this language of the New Testament cannot be understood. Besides, if we could believe that Christ and His apostles either accommo- dated themselves to the current Jewish notions of their day, or that Christ Himself was on a level with men of his age, in knowledge of such matters, and, therefore, ascribed to Moses the authorship only because He knew no better, mg must believe that they ascribed to God " words that were never INTRODUCTION. ' xxiU ^oken, (as, at tlie busli, Luke, xx. 37,) that they founded lessons and <*rarnings upon transa( tions wliich never happened, (as the Deluge, Luke, xvii. 26,) accredited mii-acles which were never performed, (John, vi. 49 , X Cor. X. 1-10 ; Heb. xi.)" See N. Brit. Bev. Mb. '63. p. 26-7. So, it is said by Christ Himself, " Did not Moses give you the Law ?'* And John, the evangelist, says, " The Law was given by Moses," John, vii. 19-23, and John i. 17. It must be plain that this implies that those writ- ings, ascribed to Moses, called " the Law," were meant to be declared by Christ as written by Moses. And the theory that they were written by Samuel, or any other, is inconsistent with the giving of the law by Moses. The books themselVes, as has been seen, purport to have been written by, Moses, and this is the whole presumption of the case. So, also, the apos- tles and elders at Jerusalem declare at that time, (A. D. 50,) " Moses, of old time, hath in every city them that preach him, ieiiig read in the synagogues ecery Sabbath day" Acts, xv. 21. This passage plainly refers to the writ- ings, which were then, and all along of old time, believed to have been written by Moses ; and the fact is thus endorsed by the highest authority. And what adequate motive can be ascribed to Samuel, or any other, for creating the false impression that Moses was the author if he was not — or, that the history was true if it was not ? And what motive had all the in- spired writers quoted above, to propagate this impression if it was false ? And what has any one gained by maintaining that Moses was not the author, when this is plainly the whole presumption of the writings, and of the entire history — and when this has been the universal belief of the Church in all ages — and when it was the behef of the inspired writers, and of Christ Himself ? . Again. The general credibility of these records may be arrived at from the notorious and admitted facts, and upon the commonest principles of historical evidence. For example, the Jewish nation, as it exists in the earth a most remarkable people, has a liistory which cannot be disputed. They are admitted to be the descendants of Abraham. That they lived in the Holy Land under a peculiar system of religious institutions, no one will deny. That they migrated thither from Egypt, under Moses as their lead- er, is equally plain. This great fact of the Exodus is so bound up with all the other parts of the history as to be a key to it, and yet no one hesitates in admitting this event. How, then, is it to be accounted for, except we suppose their history in Egypt to have been what it is here declared ? Then, how is their separate living in Egypt to be explained, if we do not take the account of Jacob's migration with his family as here given ? All that is known of Egypt as a grain-growing country, and of its government under the Pharaohs, and of its relations to Palestine and the people there, makes the whole history natural and credible of itself. And we cannot suppose it possible that the Jewish nation would have received the history from the earliest ti mes, or at any time, as correct, if it had n( t ample proof ndv INTRODUCTION. "within its3lf, in accordance with all the testimonies. The very fact that the uniform belief of the Jewish nation from the beginning has accorded the authorship of these writings to Moses, is in itself a presumptive proof which cannot easily be overturned. None could claim to know better than they. None were more careful to know, and to transmit the knowl- edge than they. THE HISTORICO-SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. Theology is the highest of all sciences. As regards its domain of inves- tigation it comprehends all truth, and subordinates to itself all research. The knowledge of God is the most exalted of all knowledges, and all that is really known within the broad compass of human learning, must illus- trate this. The findings of natural science have all along given ample confirmation to the truth and Divine origin of these inspired records. Though the direct object of the Scriptures is not to teach science, yet neither is the Bible unscientific — nor has it been found at variance with well-estab- lished science in any particular. The Scriptures do not even give us a sys- tem of theology, nor aim to teach theology scientifically, but they give us the truths themselves, which must form the only true system and science of theology. It is an evidence of the Divine structure of the Bible, that while ita records have been assailed by every advance of science, they have been so framed in scientific matters as to be received in all ages, and, yet, as won- derfully adapted to the advance of scientific discovery — giving no detailed theories, nor technical, scientific systems, but simply the ultimate facts- - always true — and in such compact narrations as have been found wonder- fully to inclose within themselves the kernels of the most advanced science ; and though not yet fully understood, while science was in its infancy, yet adapted to the infancy of research, and standing on record to be more fully opened to view along with the progress of investig?. 'on — a kind of prophetic statement, indeed, with a cumulative fulfilment ; while aU along, there has been a " searching of what, or what manner of time, the Si)irit that was in them did signify." Geology points to the recent creation of man, and to the general order of creation as here recorded. The records of geology, however, are very much out of reach, and only, in very small part are yet examined. Where they have, at first view, appeared to contradict the Mosaic accounts, tbe further research has decidedly confirmed the exact statements of the Strip, tures ; while, aU along, the question must occur whether the geologicaJ record refers to the same events as the Scriptural record in question. INTRODXjCIIvjN. iiv Physiology decides in favor of tlie miity of the species as liere alleged, and the origin of the human family from a single pair. — (See Notes, chap, ter i. 27.) Coj^iPARATivE Philology shows that aU the globe had originally one language, and there is good ground for supposing that all the different tongues of the earth can be reduced to one alphabet, which already Lepsius claims to have done. — (See Bopp, Lepsius, Burnouf, etc., and Commentary, chapters x. and xi.) So, also, Ethnology testifies to the same effect. It is commonly admitted that the tenth chapter of Genesis furnishes the best outline of ethnological science, and is in keeping with the latest discoveries in this department. " Independently of the Scriptural record we should fix upon the Plains of Shinar as a common centre, or focus, from which the various lines of migration, and the several types of races orig- inally radiated." — {Raw. p. 75.) The ancient heathen knew nothing of the unity of the human races. Moses, therefore, shove's that the source of his information was Divine, as he speaks so entirely in advance of his age, and speaks of things in this department as they could be known only by Divine revelation. Universal History attests these records. The Mosaic annals are found to be in striking agreement with the best profane authorities, so far as pro- fane history can reach. For example, a thorough knowledge of Egyptian customs and institutions is manifest in the Pentateuch such as would belong to Moses, and such as all the monuments have confirmed. (See Hengsteiiberg's Egypt and Moses) The mounds of Mesopotamia, lately opened, furnish records buried for nearly three thousand years, which show the existence of such places as were before supposed to be only names, perhaps of imaginary localities. " Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar," all unknown before, come thus to light. " Calah and Resen, in the country peopled by Asshur." Ellassar and Ur of the Chaldees, are found thus to have been real and well known places of that remote age. The confusion of tongues at Babel, and the consequent dispersion of mankind are facts confirmed by an in- scription discovered at Birs Nimroud, read by Oppert before the Royal So- ciety of Literature. The threescore cities of Og, fenced with high walls, east of the Sea of Galilee, are certified to by modern discovery of the ruins of such walled cities. So, also, the researches in the Dead Sea, and the vaUey of the Jordan, aU confirm these ancient Scriptures, as being true history. Oftentimes tho very things which sceptics have regarded as proof of ignorance in vha writer, have only proved the ignorance of the objector. *' Each accession to our knowledfi'e of the ant lent times, whether histori®, 2 xxvi INTRODUCTION. or geograpliic, or ethnic, lielps to, remove difficulties, and to produce a per- petual supply of fresli illustrations of the Mosaic narrative." — {BawUnson, pages 76, 77.) The universal traditions of the Creation and Fall, the Deluge, the Dis- persion, etc., show this to be the great original record, and all the rest to be derived from this source — this being concise, and all others being dif- fuse, as legendary accounts commonly are. It is plain that the legends which have sprung up among various heathen nations are modificationa and perversions of this history. It would seem that God has it in His plan, by means of the recent con- troversies about the Pentateuch, to exhibit the true place of the law in tho Divine record, and in the Biblical system ; calling attention to its wonder- ful features, and its permanent, essential excellence and value. The Pentateuch has come down to us in at least four independent chan- nels. The Jewish, Greek, Syrian, and Roman Churches, have each a Pen- tateuch, differing from one another only in small i)articulars, and enough to show that they have been handed down independently, and were all substantially the same as that known in the time of our Lord. Besides these, there is the Samaritan Pentateuch, still more ancient, and agreeing with the Hebrew — only in different characters, and handed down by a different and hostile people. HEATHEN TESTIMONIES. The Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch is referred to by the historians Manetho, Hecateus, Lysimachus, of Alexandria, Eupolemus, Tacitus, Lon- ginus, Juvenal, and others, among eminent heathen writers. These speak of Moses as the author of the Hebrew code of laws, and most of them speak of him as having committed his laws to writing. These authors cover a space extending from the time of Alexander, when the Greeks first became curious about Jewish history, until the time of Aurelian, when the Jewish literature had been thoroughly sifted by the acute and learned Alexandrians. — (See BawUnson, page 54.) TIME. { Another and kindred line of ai^ ament leads to the same conclusion, not only that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, but that it was Avritten during the forty years' sojourn in the wilderness. After the brief outline of the origin of the human race, which is intro^ ductory, the early Jewish history is given in these books up to the eve of entering into Canaan under Joshua. This was the great Old Testament INTRODUCTION. xxvU promise made to jiltraliam and his seed, which pointed forward to the blessing of the heavenly Canaan. The book, as a whole, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, inclusive, bears the marks of having been written during the wilderness sojourn, and prior to the settlement in Canaan. The people are spoken of as dwelling in tents, and the place of their religious worship was a tent, portable, because of their transition state, travelling from Egypt to the Holy Land. And all the Levitical service was given in detail to suit such a condition of emigrants. The book pur- ports to have been written during their passage. It gives directions for the people as travellers, and as travelling worshippers. Besides, the book, as has already been noticed, details the progress of this Jewish system, political and religious, and was evidently uritten during its progress. It gives the occasions of these institutions — how they were called for — and the unfolding of all the peculiar Mosaic legislation as it grew out of the conditions in which the people were placed, and the objects had in view. Plainly, the law was given for the establishment of an exclusive religious system, • aider which the people were to be trained for the promises of the covenant in the Land of Promise, And all along Moses speaks to them, charging them with these great objects of their dis- cipline, and pointing them onward to the results. Throughout there are clear marks of an author who is contemporary with the events, and him- self a party in the transactions — and the whole narrative calls for such an one as Moses. The familiarity of the writer with the Desert of Arabia, as well as with Egypt — his acquaintance T^ith the geography of the route — names of places — face of the country — people scattered through the various districts, with their known peculiarities, and the productions of the respective regions, with all the natural features, point to such an author as Moses, and show by the exactness and minuteness of detail that the writings belong to that period. Besides this we have the traces of Egyptian life throughout the history, such as the embalming of Joseph's body, the taskmasters, and we have the agreement of the history of the plagues with the natural fea- tures of the country, and the use of Egj^ptian tei-ms such as one like Moses would naturally use. There is no other one of that age who would answer to these features of the case. And to suppose it was the work of a later age, is to suppose a forgery of some one who wished to palm his work upon the public as that of Moses. But to suppose that any one could so have de- ceived the entire Jewish nation, who were so jealously careful about their national annals, is absurd — to say nothing of the impossibility of Samari- tans, Jews, and the Ten tribes being aU so imposed upon, when they were each so jealous of the others. One of the most recent and learned of German commentators shows, at length, and most conclusively, that the Pentateuch could not have had ita origin in any post Mosaic time. He says : S^viii INTRODUCTION. " It could no more have originated in the times of tlie Judges, tlian fhe New Testament could have originated in the middle ages. That period, (of the Judges,) is one of barbarism — of the disintegration of Israel into sepa/. rate and alienated dans, and even of manifest mingling of Israelitish and heathen Canaanitish customs. There were then no considerable prophets. The priesthood lay prostrate, and the last of its incumbents knew how to wield the sword, but not the pen. Samuel, alone, at the end of that period — the founder of the schools of the prophets, might possibly be thought of in connection with the origin of the Pentateuch — but this supposition is untenable, as appears from this that Samuel, so far from adhering rigidly to the law which he had reduced to the documents.ry form, is, on the con trary, a personage exempting himself frcia the law in troublous times. For example — he was no priest, nor of the priestly tribe, yet he statedly offered sacrifices, no doubt with the Divine sanction. The sacrifices were not offered at the altar of the tabernacle, but at Mizpeh, Gilgal, Bethlehem and Ramah, the place of his residence. The anointing of kings was no part of the Mosaic prescription, and the monarchy itself was an innovation. " The time of Saul does not come into the question, since its only signifi- cance in the history of Israel's religion and literature lies in its being the time of David's birth. " The times of David and Solomon, however, exhibit so lively an activity in organization and literature, that the law of Moses might, far sooner, have been recorded then and set in its historical framework. And many glancings of the law into the future of that golden royal era offer to that hypothesis some foundation. But over this very period the fountains of history flow forth to us most richly, yet without affording any where, even in the Psalms, a ground for the supposition that this Book of the Law be- came then reduced to writing. And, moreover, the great deviation in the structure of the temple from that of the Mosaic tabernacle, is on tha+ assumption hard to explain. "If we descend to the separation of Israel into two kingdoms, the hypothesis that the Pentateuch received its first documentary form after that separation, is improbable for this reason, that in the kingdom of Israel there never arose any opposition against the force of the law that bound Israel in the same manner as Judah. Had not the letter of the law been already fixed it is not easy to comprehend how there could have been that objective unity of the severed body, and the common ground of the pro- phetic function, and the conscience of Israel ever breaking forth in all] times of apostasy, and the ever uniform law of religious renovation in Israel, after long secularisation. "Shall we, then, assume that the Pentateuch first originated in the oxile, or that Ezra wrote it as it lies before us ? How can it have originated in the exile, since the people on their return from the exile, remind them- lelves of tho Law as the Divine basis of their commonwealth, long deeti INTRODUCTION. xxix tute of practical effect, but now demanding a tiiie realization? (See tlie wliole strain of tlie prophets of tlie Captivity and tlie Restoration.) Were the Pentateuch a compilation of laws like the Codex Justinianus, it might, indeed, be conceived of as the work of an exile. But it carries us into the midst of the historic process of the law-giving, and is a pragmatic history of it. And how could such careful and definite recollections have remained in an oral and unrecorded state till that time ? " And as to Ezra, he is a Luther, who, in a time when the masses had sunk into heathenish barbarism and religious ignorance, as a scribe, brings back the written word to honor and efficiency. His activity in reference to national life and literature is, throughout, only restorative, for even the uncertain tradition goes no further than to ascribe to him the transfer of the Scriptures from the Hebrew to the Assyrian text, or the restoration of lost books from memory. In other words, history and tradition fully con- cur to show that any assumption of his authorship in the case would bo gratuitous and baseless. So does the whole post-Mosaic history of Israel send us back to the Sinaitic law-giving, and a written record of the same.'* —{Delitsch, pp. 9, 10. See Bib. Sac. pp. 51, 52.) Kurtz well remarks : " Not only is the whole hook the basis and necessary antecedent of the liistory of the Jewish people, its commonwealth, religion, manners, and literature, but, also, the very time in which Moses appeared as the leader and legislator of the people is the very time when the Penta- teuch must have been composed." — (See Kurtz, vol. i. pp. 58-65.) " Almost every marked period from Joshua down to the return from the Babylonish captivity has been fixed by different rationalistic writers, as a period appropriate to the produfction of the Pentateuch." But supposing it to have been written by Moses, as we have already shown, Eusebius judged that it was during his sojourn in Midian, as keeper of the flocks of Jethro. Theodorefs opinion is the more probable one, that it was after the giving of the Law at Sinai, and during the wildernesa march, when we know that some of the records were penned by him ac- cording to the Divine command. Num. xxxiii. 3 ; Deut. i. 5 ; xvii. 18 ; xxviii. 58 ; xxix. 19, 20, 27 ; xxxi. 9, 19, 24. HISTORICAL CANONS. The modern scepticism claims that these writings are " unhistorical " — by which is meant that they are not true in the plain sense of the records. It is not pretended that the author, whoever they make him to be, pro- fessed to write unhistorically ; no such passage can be produced, but all the contrary, and, hence, the hypothesis does, in effect, charge the author with wilful deception, and makes the book an imposture. This would set the Bible even below a common uninspired book. But this is not alleged by the objectors. XXX INTRODUCTION. Tliere are certain canons of historical criticism wliicli are commonly accepted. 1. When the record is that of an eye-witness, or, "of a contemporary of the event who is himself a credible witness, and had means of observing vhe fact to which he testifies," the fact is to be accepted as possessing the first, or highest degree of historical credibility. " It would most imque? tionably be an argument of decisive weight in favor of the credibility of the Biblical history, could it be, indeed, shown that it was written by eye witnesses." — {Strauss.) 2. The second degree of historical credibility is when the narrative is given at second hand, as received directly from those who witnessed it. 3. The third degree is that of a narrative handed down from a contem porary of the event, where the event itself is of such great moment, and of such notoriety, as to associate itself with the life of a nation ; or, other wise such as to be celebrated by any public rite or practice. 4. A fourth, and lowest degree of historical credibility is where the traditions of one race are corroborated by those of another, especially if a distant or hostile race — then, this double testimony gives a degree of cred- ibility, worthy of acceptance, "if it be nothing very unlikely in itself." This is a circumstantial evidence which may rise to the height of strongest proof. — (See BaioUnson's Hist. Ev) It will be seen from the foregoing investigations, that Moses was such a witness as to give to his writings the highest degree of historical credi- bility, to say nothing of his Divine inspiration. When sceptics assume to lay down as a rule that there can be no true history into which the supernatural enters — that is — that any record which relates a miracle, or a prophecy fulfilled, or claims inspiration, must be " unhistorical," on the ground, that there can be no such thing as miracle, or prophecy, or inspiration, they beg the whole question, and under the guise of reason they deny what is most reasonable in itself, considering the nature and object of a Divine revelation. HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION. I. An inspired historian should be treated fairly, and we should accept from him what we would accept from another credible historian, as evi- dence of truthfulness. If there seem, at first "slew, to be discrepancies in different parts of the record, then we explain one part by another — we canvass the nature and object of the history — and the internal evidence of INTRODUCTION. xxjd truth— and before we condemn it as false, we inqiiire for some plausible motive whicli the autlior could have had to falsify. And hence, we adopt the principle of August me — that, in case of seeming discrepancies, any solution which presents a possible mode of reconciling the diificulty must be accepted, before we can admit that there is a contradiction. (a.) There may be errors of the copyist in transcribing the original text. (6.) The antiquity of the history, and the brevity of the narrative may account for some things not understood by us. (c.) Idioms of the original language may be overlooked, or misunder- stood. (d.) Often, it is the ignorance of the objector, and not his superior knowl- edge, that makes the seeming difficulty — as, a blunder in the Hebrew, or in the history. (e.) It is, as with the four narratives of the Evangelists, that if we knew all the minutim, we could harmonize them fully. (/.) Objectors seize upon certain minutim which they are unable to solve, however unimportant, and they allow these to overthrow all the array of testimony. ig) The difficulty may be in the translation, and not at all in the original. (Ji) The spirit of contradiction makes the plainest narrative " unJiistor- ical." He who will find difficulties in the Scripture, will always have diffi culties to find. This Divine revelation is not so given as to compel belief. Men may stumble at it if they will. Thus, it administers a silent, but potent test of a man's inward principle. (^.) The Scripture is given in every variety, so as to meet every reasona- ble demand. In history, poetry, philosophy, prophecy — in precept and example — in discussion and illustration — in travels and epistles — in simple patriarchal narrative, and in pictorial illumination — we have it in every various form and style, adapted to all ages and people. It is all the word of God in the very words of man. Each Book must, therefore, be read and studied, in its relation to the whole volume, and each in the light of its particular object, author, age, region, etc. In the Book of Job, for example, the truth is to be elicited as the result of a dis- cussion, which is there recorded touching a great problem of the Divine government. Satan's words there given are not inspired. It is the narra- xxxii INTRODUCTION. dve that Is inspired — an inspired narrative of the debate. And from thia true record of tlie discussion, as the question is argued on either side, and Bummed up by God Himself, must the truth be carefully gathered. Con- trary sentiments, thus introduced, are no contradiction of the writer, ncr any disproof of the Inspiration of the Book. So, in Ecclesiastes. If Satan is introduced in the inspired narrative, this does not make Satan inspired, nor his wicked language. (Jc.) There is special liability to error in the manuscript copy, where -figures are given. As letters were used for numbers, and as some of the letters so nearly resemble each other, they could easily be mistaken, one for another, in certain instances. Some hold to a special system of inter- preting the numbers of the Old Testament, as the number seven is taken for a sacred number — and the number tioelve for the number oi completion, etc. So Hengsteiibcrg holds m interpreting the Apocalypse. It is this de- partment of figures in the Old Testament which has lately been searched for evidences of the unMstorical. (l.) In treating the Pentateuch, it may be borne in mind, that it is com- monly admitted to have been revised by a later hand, as Ezra, also inspired — who added such passages, as the record of Moses' death, at the close — and, possibly, some other items, as that of Moses' transcendent meekness, etc. Though we see no difficulty in supposing Moses to have penned this under the guidance of Inspiration. (m.) It may, also, be that certain marginal notes of explanation — for ex ample, of geographical sites, or names, or historical records or events — may have crept into the text. The phrase, " unto tJiis day," may be sometimes an addition by a later hand. See Deut. xi. 30, and compare Josh. v. 9 • Deut. i. 2 ; iii. 9, 11. {n) Men who enter on the interpretation of the Scripture as a trade, for professional aggrandizement or emolument, as many of the Germans have done, without reference to the gospel here embodied, and without tha teaching of the spirit, must signally fail. THE SOURCES OF THE HISTORY. The sources from which these historical materials have been gathered could have been only either, 1. Traditional, or 3. Documentary, and uninspired, or 3. Inspired. Some, or all of these — that is, or%l tradition— uninspired INTRODUCTION. 2.xxiii doc timents— or, else suspwation, with or without these, must have furnished the materials. Oral tradition would naturally have furnished some of the early facts prior to Moses' time, and these could have been used imder the guidance of inspiration. Such oral traditions could have been by transmission through few hands : e. g. The facts of the Temptation and Fall, Moses could have received at fifth hand ; the facts of Abraham's history, and even of the deluge at third hand. It is admitted that the great events of a nation's history will be remembered through five generations, or one hundred and fifty years. Even as histories, apart from Inspiration, we have as good authority for these records (e. g., of the Exodus,) as we have for the history of Cesar and Xenophon. Neicton fixes eighty or a hundred years as the extent of oral tradition. Sir O. Leicis thinks that leading events in a nation's history would be remembere'd among them for one hundred years — and special circumstances might extend the tradition to one hundred and fifty or one himdred and eighty years. But, it would seem probable beforehand that if there were already exist- ing documents — any written records of the earliest time — an historian of such a remote period would have made use of them. This is held, by many, to give additional confirmation to the history. — (So Yitringa, Calmet, and Rawlinsan) It should be understood, however, (1) that such use of documents, is not, in itself, inconsistent with the inspiration of the writer, or the writings. In Matthew and Luke, the genealogies may as well have been inserted from the genealogical tables under Divine Inspiration, as to have been received directly by Revelation. And so, in the-Book of Genesis. But what proof is there of other dociiments being used, and how exten- sively ? It has been doubted by some whether writings existed at so early a period. But this can no longer be questioned — even if they were semi- hieroglyphical ; writing must have been known and practised, at least, soon after the flood, if not before that event. It is reasonable to suppose that the art of writing was given by God to man, along with language itself, as indispensable to social progress. We know that in Egypt and Babylonia writing was in very early use — as early as the time of Moses, and even dating twenty-two centuiies before Christ. The remains of the Babylonian writing, which are extant, show that the art had already made considerable progress. And in Egj-^^t, the hiero- ^- glyphics of the Pyramid period — sometimes wri^,ten in the cursive style — tBhow that writing had been long in use, as Wilkivwn has remarked. After the Exodus, it would naturally find place among the Hebrews, even if they could be supposed to have first learned it in Egypt. This is suffidtsnt to xxxiv INTRODUCTION. remove the objection against the knowledge of writing in Moses' time " Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." (See Introduc- tion to Stackhouse's History of the Bible ; Kitto's Cyclopedia, " Writing ;" Rawlinson's Hist. Ev. See Job, xix. 33, 34 • xxxi. 35. It is alleged that Moses has made use of several documents, or histor- cal fragments, in compiling his history, and that there are traces of these. I. In the different headings, " These are the generations" etc., (so Maw- Unson, p. 58.) But this would not prove such a source. Havernick ably COD tends that these are only appropriate marks of transition from one sub- ject, or department, to another, in the simplicity of that ancient style. Such headings occur chiefly in the record of genealogies — and of laws : both of which require such formal and marked announcement. The author thus, also, gives an indication of the plan and arrangement- of what fol- lows, and connects paragraphs thus with foregoing ones. II. The use of different names of God has been thought to denote the incorporation of different documents. In some passages the title " Elohim " is used — in others, " Jehovah " — and in others these are combined in one, " Jehovah-Elohim," — " the Lord God," — or, " Jehovah God" It is inferred by some that these names mark different documents, " Elohistic " and " Jehovistic." But it would be quite as necessary to suppose a third — in which the joint title is used. And some claim to have found traces of as many as twelve and fourteen different documents. There is evidence against all this. In chapter ii. 4, to chapter iv — where the compound name is used twenty times, the name Elohim is three times used alone, chapter iii. 1-5. This shows that there is no proof here of different documents. Nor is this use of the different names in different paragraphs, confined to Genesis, or the Pentateuch. In Jonah, iv. 1-4, the title is Jehovah. In verse 6, it is Jehovah-Elohim. In verses 7, 8, 9, Elohim is used ; and in verse 10, it is Jehovah again. Yet it has not served the purpose of these theorists to insist that the Book of Jonah is made up of divers documents. Even some who broached this theory, and have maintained that the dif- ferent documents could be traced by the use of the names Jehovah and Elohim, have given it up in despair of these criteria ; because the names are found so intermixed in some parts of Genesis as to make the theory unten- able. Chapter xxviii. 16-33 ; chapter xxxi.; chapter xxxix., etc. Ewald has shown that the principles proposed for separating the original eources of Genesis might be applied as well to the Book of Judges ; and thus has proved the fallacy of such a system. Havernick attributes this attempt to the overlooking of the essential unity of the Pentateuch, and directing the research to the discovery of disconnection and isolation in the paragraphs. INTRODUCTION. xxxr But tlie furtlier arguments on whicli tMs document Tiypothesia is rested, are such as these : 1. That the names and dates given in chapters v., vi., ix., x., etc, could not have been orallv perpetuated — that there must have been, for Moses' information, brief records of the earliest date. But Inspiration provides for this. And we are not to reason about the sources, as though Inspira- tion were not the great sufficient source — in all, and above all. 2. That there are repetitions, or double narratives, of the same event. But here, as in the history of the creation, (chapter i. and chapter ii. 7, and verses 18-23,) there is only an enlargement in the second record, on some point, leading to the further history in a given direction, (e. g.) The fact of the creation of man on the sixth day is first given. Then, it is taken up to give further, the mode of his creation as to his higher nature, and the habitation assigned to him with reference to his trial, and destiny. The alleged repetitions, as we shall see, are not proved to be such. Pharaoh and Abimelech both acted in the same selfish manner about Sarah. Abraham may have been twice guilty of the same cowardice, etc. Besides, it is to be remarked that the history was written at diflPerent times, find without any regard to mere style, quite according to the manners of the Hebrews. We observe that God HimseK assigns a reason for the difierent use of His names — and explains the sense of the name Jehovah as most impor- tantly bearing on the whole plan of His dealings. The difficulty here is stated thus — that in Esod. vi. 3, the name is re- ferred to as follows : " I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of Gcd Almighty, {El Shaddai ;) but by my name Jehovah was I not known (made known,) to them." Yet, in seeming contradiction to this, the name " Jehovah " is repeatedly used in the earlier parts of tb*9 history, throughout the whole Book of Genesis. And not merely by the historian, in his narrative, but by the patriarchs, and others of earliest time, whom he introduces as using the name ; as by Eve, chapter iv. 1 ; by the sons of Seth, iv. 26 ; by Lamech, v. 29 ; by Noah, ix. 26 ; by Sarai, xvi 2 ; by Rebekah, xxvii. 7 ; by Leah, xxix. 35 ; by Rachel, xxx. 24 ; Laban, xxiv. 81 ; Bethuel, xxiv. 50, etc. Now, this is explained by the theory that some other writer must have inserted these passages bearing the name " Jeho- vah,"— whence they are termed " Jehovistic," — or, at least, that the his torian incorporated these separate documents which he foimd written fey linother hand. Now this theory would not account for the plain fact that God waa known by the name "Je^ot'^^" in the earlier times — as already quoted but seemingly denied in the passage, Excclus, vi. 8. We mufct, therefor*. xxxvl INTECD CJCTION. look for another and better explanation. And the meaning, prohahly, is, that God had not distinctly revealed Himself to the patriarchs as " JeJi^' 'cah," that is, as the God of Redemption. The term Jdiovah, from the fu- ture form of the substantive verb to he, does not mean self-existence — eter- nal, independent Being — as was formerly held, but rather, in this future form, " the coming One " — He who shall &e— -as the title was also applied to Christ in the Greek, ('O epxofievo^ — Matt. xi. 3, — THE coMER.) The other sense of " independent Being " is in no such striking contrast with M Shad- dai. Now, thougn ohi«t name was known in the earliest time, and was used as applied to God, yet \1) it was not known in its redemptive import, or, as belonging to God as carrying on the work of redemption, until the eecret was disclosed to Moses in the bush, and in Egypt. (2.) It was by the name " El Shaddai," — the Almighty God — that the Angel of the Cove- nant had been revealed to the patriarchs, until this time, and now He was to be revealed to them as Jehovah. The patriarchs had not known this second Person of the Trinity — this Angel of the Covenant — by this name until it was first revealed to Moses in the bush. In the nine instances in Genesis in which God Himself uses the title in His communications to the patriarchs, it is not once distinctly applied to the Angel of the Covenant, Gen. XV. 7; xvi. 11; xviii. 13, 14; xviii. 17, 19; xix. 13; xxii. 15-17; xxviii. 13. There are forty other instances in which the title is used in Genesis by others than the historian himself, and in no one of these instances does it seem to be applied distinctively to the Covenant Angel, but in some instan- ces it is applied with a hint of the redemptive idea — as Genesis, iv. 1, where Eve says : " / have gotten a man — Jehovah, {or the coming One," — yet not with any distinct idea of its application to the Covenant Angel, who visibly manifested God to the patriarchs. Plainly then, it is not without a profound reason that this title is thus used in the history. And the explanation given by the Covenant Angel Himself is conclusive. It was not expedient that He should be revealed to the patriarchs, at first, as the coming One. His hour for such revelation had not yet come. And so He was first revealed as an Angel — afterwards as the promised Redeemer. So in the New Testament it was first as a man that he was revealed, and then as God Himself, the Redeemer. Hengstenberg understands that the name "^?(97im " indicates a lower consciousness of God, and " Jehovah " a higher stage of that consciousness • "Elohim " becoming "Jehovah" by an historical process, and the aim of the sacred history being to show how He became so. Kurtz considers Elohim as the name belonging to the beginning, and Jehovah as the name belonging to the development. Elohim the Creator — Jehovah the Media- tor ; and that Jehovah is shewn to be the same Being as Elohim, by the use of the double name, Jehovali-Mohim. More especially at the beginning of the record, and until the names are understood, we are to look for some ground of these different titles Id th^ INTRODUCTION. xxxvii connection in wliich tliey are used. So, also, Psalm, xix. i, " Tlie heavens declare the glory of God, (EloMm ;") and verse 7, " The law of Jehovah 4. Further. As the Pentateuch is not a connected history of the world, but only of the theocrac?/, we might look for some disconnection of the records as if fragmentary, but only in accordance with the special pl§.n of the history, to give simply such events and details as would bear upon the great object. It will be found that there is, throughout the records, a unity of plan, and consistency, and connection of historical details, show ing the great idea and aim to be to set forth God's covenant relations with His people. Besides the document hypothesis, some have broached what is called a fragment-hypothesis ; while others, have started a complement hypothesis^ and still others, what is called a crystallization hypothesis — none of which is entitled to further notice here. DESIGN OF THE HISTORY. The Five Books of Moses are to be regarded not as disconnected frag- ments, but as one work in five volumes, or parts, having for its end not the history of the world, but of the theocracy, with its origia, laws, and institutions ; serving, also, as national annals, for the church and the state. God — the people of God — the law on Sinai — the Promised Land — ■ are closely connected ideas in the structure of the history. Creation and Redemption are not separate, but allied facts. It is the God who created the world who is the God of the Hebrew nation, and He has revealed Him- self in nature and in grace, the same God. The First Adam is a precursor and figure of the second Adam. Noah and Abraham are heads of the hu- man family. But the latter is head of the chosen race — as, also, is Christ the Father of the faithful. Moses was the Mediator, and Lawgiver, and Prophet of the chosen people, as Jesus Christ, also, is in a higher sense. Hence, the great leading facts here narrated are elementary to the whole system of revealed religion. The object of the Pentateuch is to show how God dealt with the human family in His covenant relations — through Adam, Noah, and Abraham, leading to the separation of a chosen covenant people — to whom He gives laws and institutions, with reference to their establishment in a Land of Promise for the best working of that peculiar economy — and all in order to the coming of "the promised seed," and the consummation of the church as " Abraham's seed, the heirs according to the promise." " This is the clew to all those curious insertions and omissions which \iave astonished and perplexed mere historians." The five great names Kxxviii INTRODUCTION. whicli mark the progress of tlie history in Genesis, and aromid which it clusters, are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The great corresponding items in the history are the Creation and Fall, the Flood, the Covenant, the sacrifice of the Covenant Son, and the bond- age in Egypt. Adam, Noah, and Abraham appear as three successive heads of the human family. The last of these three, however, is rather the father of the faithful, and his son, Isaac, is the covenant son— the per- sonal type of the great covenant sacrifice. There is a Messianic prophecy belonging to each of the three head persons and periods just named, while Isaac is, himself, the Messianic promise of the covenant son, the New Tes- tament Isaac, here " received from the dead in a figure." Heb. xi. 19. See chapter xii. CHRONOLOGY. The chronology of the Old Testament has a great importance in view of certain scientific questions, much agitated among scholars of our day. It is founded very much on the genealogies, and these are invested with some uncertainty. The Hebrew text gives the shortest chronology — while the Septuagint and the Samaritan extend the periods. For exa.m-ple—f)'om the creatioji to Abram's departure out of Haran, the Hebrew gives 2023 years ; the Septuagint gives 3279 years ; the Samaritan gives 2324 years. The common Hebrew reckoning dates the creation at 3760 B. C. The more commonly received computation is that of Usher, which is 4004 B. C. The chronology in the margin of our English bibles cannot be said to be a matter of faith, so much as of opinion ; and it is open to investigation and possible correction, at least, in some of the details. From such data Moses is sometimes charged with blunders which do not belong to him, nor to the Inspired Volume. The events which he re- cords are not always given in chronological order, and from overlooking this fact mistakes have occurred among chronologers. The longer chronology advocated by Hales makes the creation 5411 B. C; and that by Jackson, 5426 B. C; while some, as Bunsen, have arrived at fabulous figures. In the modern controversies on this subject some would set us quite afloat, by utterly discarding the received chronology. There is a possibil- ity that the genealogies prior to Abram have been condensed by Moses, as Matthew has confessedly condensed the genealogy of our Lord. But the New Testament confirms the reckoning which makes " Enoch the seventh from Adam," (Jude, vs. 14,) and there would seem to be little margin for any very important difierence in the results. Much speculation and discussion has been raised by the fabulous figures of the Egyptian and Babylonian chronology. But the result of most care- ful research is, that according to the Egyptian system, after we have INTRODUCTION. xxxis stricken off the dates of gods and demigods, Menes, the first Egyptian king, takes the throne. We have only an excess of about two thousand years at utmost to account for, in what is plainly the historical period. In the Babylonian system, similarly viewed, we find the chronology ex- tending to 2458 years B. C. But in the former case, Manetho himself reduced his list of da tes by one thousand five himdred years, which would leave the diflerence but a few hundred years at most ; Menes, the first historic date, being 2660 B. C, in the view of some of the most eminent Egyptologists. (See BawUnson's Hist. Ev.) HarHs says : " Tho different dates assigned to the period from the Fall to the Flood, give an extreme difference of 1142 years, (or between Peta- vius and Hales, 1428 years.)" He adds, " I adopt the chronology of the Septuagint, which is that of Josephus, as exhibited substantially by Vos- sius, Jackson, Hales, and Russell. I do this on the evidence there is that the chronology of the Bible was corrupted by the Jews (as to the ages of the patriarchs at the birth of their eldest sons,) in order to vut hack the dial of time for the coming of the Messiah — leaving it to be inferred that the computation of the Septuagint is the true transcript of the original Hebrew chronology. This reckoning makes the deluge to have occurred A. M. 2256 ; a difference of 600 years in this period, from the commonly received reckoning. (See Patriarchy, page 32, note.) An eminent modern authority, {Poole, in Smith's Bib, Diet.,) contends for the long chronology on specified grounds, and adopts 1652 B. C. as the most satisfactory date of the Exodus ; and that of the Flood, as 3099, or 3159 B. C, and that of the Creation as 5361 or 5421 B. C— the outside fig- ure being 1,417 years longer than the commonly received date. The difference between the short reckoning of Usher and the longest above named, (not speaking of Bunsen, who arbitrarily claims 10,000 years,) is found altogether prior to the date of Solomon's temple. Here the extremes agree very nearly. He gives a tabular view : Hales. Creation 5411 b. c. Flood 3155 " Abram's departure from Haran. . . . 2078 " Exodus 1648 " Solomon's temple 1027 " Hales, we see, would make the Creation 1407 years older, and the Flood 807, and the Exodus 167, older than the received dates. KaliscJi makes the Creation to date 4160 B. C, thus : "As the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt took place 1491 B. C, and the uninterrupted numbers of Genesis place this event in the 2669th year after the Creation, the first year of the Christian era is the 4160th year of the world," (p. vii., riii.) He makes the sojourn of Israel in Egypt to have been 430 years, Jackson. Usher. 5426 B. c. 4004 B. c. 3170 " 2348 " 2023 " 1921 " 1593 " 1491 " 1014 " 1012 " xl INTRODUCTION. Instead of 215. B. 8 Poole makes it 215. The more received modem reck- oning places the Creation at 4102 B. C. According to this scheme a very convenient arrangement for memorizing, is presented : I. The Antediluvian Period — from the Creation to the Flood, A. m. 1656. B. c. 2446. II. Period of the Dispersion — from the Flood to the Promise, or Covenant, 430 years A. m. 2086 B. c. 2016 III. The Period of the Patriarchs— from the Covenant to the Exodus, 430 years -. A. M. 2516 B. c. 1586. IV. The Period of the Wandering — from the Exodus to the Passage over Jordan, 40 years A. m. 2556. B. c. 1546. V. The Period of the Theocracy. The Judges from Joshua to Samuel, 450 years a. m. 3006. B. c. 1096. VI. The Period intermediate from Samuel to David, as king, 40 years a. m. 3046. B. c. 1056. VII. The Period of the Monarchy — from David to the Baby- onish Captivity, 450 years A. M. 3496. B. c. 606. VIII. The Period of the Captivity — from the conquest of Jadea to the close of the Canon of the Old Testament, 206 years, a. m. 3702. B. c. 400. From Malachi, the last of the prophets, to Christ, 400 years. . A. M. 4102 Some noteworthy parallels are found in these figures. We have, aftei the Flood, two periods of 430 years each — then a minor period of 40 years — followed by two periods of 450 years each, with an interval of 40 years, and then the closing period of 400 years. The period of the Dispersion is equal to the period of the Patriarchs. The period of the Theocracy is equal to the period of the Mouarctiy. And the period of the Wandering, (between the patriarchal and the theocratic period,) is equal to the period of Interregnum — from Samuel, of the Judges, to King David. About midway between the Creation and the Incarnation stands Abraham b. c. 2016 About midway between Abraham and Christ stands King David B. c. 1056. INTRODUCTION. xli DAYS OF CREATIOJST. Tlie question liere, at tlie threshold, arises as to the length of the creative ilavs. (1.) We do not require any longer period than the twenty-four-hour days on the ground of any impossibility with God to do the work within thio shorter time. We can only inquire, how is it revealed that God proceeded in the creation ? (2.) Neither can we so interpret Scripture by science as to set science above the Scripture. True science and Scripture are the harmo- nious records of the one only God, and they throw light upon each other. (3.) Neither are we to allow that to be true science, which is only " science falsely so called," — full of its " oppositions" — whose aim is plainly to deny the Divinely inspired word. (4.) Whatever is really science — something positively known — we can always welcome, as an auxiliary to our investi gations of the truth ; for truth is one, always. While we have no right to look to the Scripture as the text-book of science, we find that there is here no contradiction of science, and that Scripture and science can be ex- plained in harmony. (1.) It must be borne in mind that it is not nature which creates, but God who creates nature. (2.) It is not to be supposed that the work of creation was itself according to the laws of nature as we see them now ia operation. The creative work, as it originated those laws, so it must have been superior to them, rather than subject to them. Nature's laws, as we call them, are simply God's ordinary modes of operation. Creation was His extraordinary work, setting those laws in their course. We must be- ware of so tjang the creative power to the processes of nature as, in efiect, to make nature the Creator — for this would be to make nature the creator of herself — to deify nature, and undeify God. (3.) If the creative wort was thus necessarily above nature, then we know not how it was carried on, except as we are here informed by Divine revelation. Science cannot Lnform us. It can only, at most, confirm the sacred record. Our first business, therefore, is with the simple text of Scripture. (4.) On this very subject the New Testament speaks, and declares that here, in regard to this Mosaic narrative, is a leading call for faith — and that only hy fcdfh can we understand it. It is not that by understanding we believe, — but " through faith we understand, that tlie worlds {aiuveg — the historic ages, or eeons including time and space,) were framed, (or fitted,) hy the word ' of Ood — so that not out of things phenomenal, were the things which are seen made," Heb. xi. 3. Of this first chapter of Genesis, there are three principal interpretations (I.) That the first verse is a mere heading, or summary of the n^jTative — stating in brief and general terms what is detailed in the rest of the ihapter. Some, however, understand that verse 1, records simply the ere- xlii INTRODUCTION. ation of tlie materials out of wliicli the heavens and earth were perfecteG afterwards ; and that this, along with the creation of light was the work of the first day — that the creation of the material universe was completed within six natural days, and that this was about six thousand years ago (II.) A second view is, that the first verse relates the creation of the heav- enly bodies along with our earth — " the heavens and the earth" — far back '*in the beginning," — that nothing is here revealed as to the age of our globe — that verse 2, tells us of a chaos in which the earth was found at the beginning of the creative week — that between verses 1 and 2 is ample room for all the strata and fossils which geology discovers, while the record here is of the Almighty fiats which formed " the heavens and the earth, which are now," (2 Peter, iii. 7,) in six successive days, from morning to evening III. A third view is, that the days are periods of indefinite duration. IV. Quite another theory is that the narrative is poetic. But this is plainly a shift for a summary avoidance of the difficulties. Y. Still another theory is, that the record here is of a vision, in which Moses was given to see a panorama of the creation — that it was made to pass before him during six days, or, as if it were a six days' work, when it was not. But this is i)Ositively contrary to the plain Scripture — that " in six days the Lord made heaven and earth," etc. — not that He made Moses see it as if it had been a six days' work. This is too visionary to notice further. Besides, the revelation of past events by a vision is without a parallel in the Bible. We cannot be held bound to reconcile the Mosaic account with either one of these theories at the demand of science, since science, so called, has different theories, and is not, by any means, decided upon either. Neither can we tie the Scripture to our theories. We can listen to the teachings of true science, and note what light, if any, is thrown upon the interpretation of the word. I. If we adopt the first view we must believe that God created the strata of the earth with all the fossils imbedded, (as we find them prior to the appearing of man,) and that this was, perhaps, as " an archetype of natural * forms," — and a distinct department of creation. We can scarcely suppose that the vegetable and animal tribes, now found in fossils, existed, died, and were embedded in the rocky formations within three or four days of wenty-four hours. We can understand that God created man on the Bixth day, and all the animal tribes in this system to which man belo»igs •—full grown, and without parentage — and that the first man, and all the* INTKODUCTION. xluJ various Bpecies of animals were created as tliey would have been if tliey had coine to maturity by the present processes of infancy and growth. Se we can understand the miracle of feeding the thousands — that the bread was created in such state as it would have been if it had been made by the ordinary mode — all the loaves for the five thousand like the five loaves, if you please. And as the creation here recorded is miraculous, there can be no objection from any impossibility on the part of God. All the strata and fossils imbedded therein could have been produced by the Almighty fiats, as if they had been ages in forming. Nor can it be objected, that this would have been a deception, any more than in case of Adam's crea- tion, or that of the miraculous bread — nor any more, indeed, than it would be a deception to write the word " day " in the narrative, when a period of ages was meant. The one is a question of the imrlxr-record ; the other of the word-record. This theory is possible, but not probable. But there seem to be sufficient grounds for preferring the second view. II. If we hold this view we must understand that verse 1 reveals a cre- ation out of nothing, far back " in the beginning " anterior to this six days' work — that this latter, alone, is detailed by Moses here ; and that this is a creation and formation in reference to man, comprising a system of the vegetable and animal world belonging to man — that the old world is here noted as being cTiaos, with no account of its previous conditions or furniture — that for these we are left to the loo^rk-recordj in the strata and fossils of the earth's foundations. Accordingly, we have nothing to do with the geological records in interpreting the Mosaic narrative. This view is not a mere shift for avoiding scientific difficulties. It was held by Augustine, Theodoret, etc., fourteen centuries ago, and is now the view most commonly received among students of the Word. According to this view we understand that the natural day is spoken of by the historian, who, therefore, defines and limits it, by evening and morning. To object that no natural day as yet existed before the fourth day, when the sun was " set (appointed) /(9r days," (verse 14,) is no objection to the record — for sun and moon do not make the day or night, they only govern it, and mark it. The day was known to the historian, and he so records the facts, knowing that the record would be so understood, namely, that " there was evening, and there was morning — a day — even before the Bun's definite appointment in this capacity — and that it was God's pleasure to divide the work into that time which should be known as a week of days. Accordingly, verse 1, reveals to us an original creation of the heav- ens and the earth — the material universe — far back " in the heginning," of which we have here no further account. Then, verse 2, reveals to us tho earth's condition as chaos, immediately prior to the six days' work — then, (verse 3,) reveals the first day's work in tliis creative week. We may leave geology to find out what tribes of plants and animals occupied our earth Xliv INTRODUCTION. in those distant ages, prior to tliis present creation. Tlio narrative of fhe creative week, as here recorded, accounts fully for all species now extant, but lias not revealed to us the details of the original creation — whether of the heavenly bodies, or of the fossils which are imbedded in the rocks. Accordingly, we find that the waters were already existing, and the land, before the first day's work. They were created " in the 'beginning.'^ The term " evening morning," (*ij?2i "^rp) is used in Daniel to denote the day. Dan. viii. 14. The metaphorical, or poetieal use of the word " day " is not to be ac- cepted in so plain a historical statement. A day, here, means a day, else we are much misled by all the phraseology. " It is philologically impossi- ble," says the learned Hebraist, KaUscIi, " to understand the word ' day ' in this section, in any other sense than as a period of twenty-four hours." There are passages which need here to be considered. 1. (Exodus, XX. 11.) "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." It should be noted that here, in the Decalogue, it is not said that God created the heavens and the earth in six days, but " in six days the Lord (Jehovah,) made heaven and earth." The verb translated " made," is, in the Hebrew, to be distinguished from the verb created. The latter, as we shall show, is carefully used to introduce each new department of the crea tive work, while the work, as a whole, detailed by Moses from verse 2 to the end of chapter I., is rather the making, or forming of the " heaven and earth, the sea," etc., as specially named in verses 8, and 10, and spoken of as " the earth and the heavens," (appertaining to it, chapter ii. 4. Even the great reptiles, (verse 21,) and man himself, (verse 27,) in reference to both of which the term to create is used, were also made, fashioned by a Divine fiat, out of material already created " in the beginning." This dis- tinction throws light upon the remarkable phrase in chapter ii. 3, 4, where, referring to the whole preceding narrative of the six days' work, both words are used — " all His work which God created and made," — or, liter- ally, created to make, showing a distinction between what was creative and what was only formative. 2. Again. 2 Peter, iii. 8, referring directly to this very question of time, as to the creation past, and to the consummation future — charges us : " Be- loved, be not ignorant of this one thing that ' one day,' (Gen. i. 5,) is with the Lord as a thousand years ;" not that a day with God is a thousand years, or, was so in the creation, but that one day is, to Him, as a thou- sand years — serves Him as if it were a thousand years — and that this is of utmost importance to be known and considered in interpreting the record of cieation. And so in history, while men wonder at the slow progress of INTRODUCTION. xlv tilings, " a thousand years are to Him as one day," and the question of time is, therefore, no limitation, or restriction, of God's works and ways. So Psalm, xc. 4, in the same connection with the creation. 3. In chapter ii. 3, the phrase is omitted, "the evening and the morning were the seventh day." It is argued, hence, that the seventh day was not finished, and is yet going on. But (1.) is it not necessary for the argTiment in the Decalogue to suppose that He rested throughout the seventh day, not merely that He then began to rest — nor that He rested at the dawn of the day, and thus far to the present date, since that would not be an argument for our resting throughout the Sabbath day as is plainly intended. (2.) K the seventh day be yet unfinished, how can we arrive at the length of the days from this day, of which some six thousand years have already passed ? Can it be a day of millions of ages, as is claimed, for the other days ? How can it even be said that God rested the seventh day — as it is not yet an accomplished fact — the day not yet being finished by this hypothesis. 4. The commandment gives the clear impression that the days of the creative week were like our days — that it was in six days like ours — that God made heaven and earth, (" the heavens and the earth which are now," 2 Peter, iii. 7,) and that He rested on the seventh day, and made a Sabbath of it by His so hallo v/ing it in His rest ; and that this day of God was the natural day which we understand when we speak of the Sabbath day. It is argued that it is only the proportion of one in seven, or a seventh portion of time which is to be understood as hallowed, and claimed as Sab- batic by the Divine example. But, in order to this, it would need to be proved that the seventh day, which such suppose to be not yet finished, and of unknown duration, is equal to each of the other days, and one-sev- enth Gi the whole creative week. But this equality of the days is by no means provided for, according to the geological theory. And unless we have greatly miscalculated the period yet remaining to the end of time, there will not be found any such duration of the seventh day, (even sup- posing it to be yet unfinished,) as will answer the demands of the geolog- ical school, who talk of ages upon ages for each day of the creation. 5. So, also, Hebrews, iv. 4 : " For He spake of the seventh day on this wise. And God rested the seventh day from all His works." This seventh day rest is here referred to as an act accomplished, and a definite period past. And the argument is that " the rest of God," here spoken of in the He- brews, is something more than that mere seventh day rest of His — only foreshadowed by that — that it is something yet to be experienced by be- lievers— a glorious future of rest with God. So the Apostle argues. Wo find Him swearing in His wrath to the Israelites: "If they shall enter into my rest — although the works were finished from the foundation of xlvi INTRODUCTION. tlie "world," — and although the seventh day rest is long since past. Sc Jesus said, " My Father worketh hitherto" (John, v. 17,) — up to this time— active in all the universe — creating and upholding it, and preserving and govern- ing all His creatures, and all their actions. (See John, xiv. 10.) 6. The theory of indefinite periods is used to do away with the fiat prin- ciple, and resolves the creation into a development through secondary causes. But, plainly, the Scripture teaches that the work of creation wag not by natural agencies, but by preternatural acts — not by processes and operations, but by " the word of God," — not by nature's laws, but intro- ducing nature's laws. " He spake, and it was done ; He commanded, and it stood fast." The record of the first day's work is simply, " God said. Let there be light, and there was light." Could this be meant to convey to us the impression that instead of any fiat of the Almighty, on the first day, there was a gradual coming forth of light, through secondary causes, during millions of years ? " God commanded the light to shine out of darkness," (2 Cor. iv. 6.) This error is especially aimed at, and guarded against by Peter, though the theory claims to be so scientific, " For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of Ood the heavens were of old, and the earth standing (consisting, or subsisting,) out of (the) wa- ter and in (through, between, by meanS of,) {the) water, (above and be- neath :) Whereby, (or hy means of which waters, above and beneath) the world (the kosmos) that then was, perished. But the Heavens and the Earth which abe now, by the same word are kept in store," etc. This perishing of the old world, (or kosmos, including the old heavens and earth, as distinct from those now,) by means of waters, may refer to the destruction of our planet which left it chaos, covered with the deep, or abyss, of waters, and even more strikingly than to the destruction at the Deluge. This passage brings strongly to view the essential point that the creation was on "the fiat principle," — "by the word of God," — an'l then we see that the hea'dens and the earth which are now, await a destruction by fire, like that original destruction by water ; to be followed by a new heav- ens and a new earth, (Isa. Ixv., Rev. xxi.) The geologists who hold to a partial deluge, will surely not contend that it is a deluge of only a part of the earth by fire that is revealed by Peter. (2 Peter, iii. 5-8.) 7. A crowning passage, (Heb. xi. 3,) sets forth the special call for faith in this very matter of the Mosaic record. As if referring to the natural tendency to exalt reason above faith, and science above the Scripture in this department, the apostle notes, first of all, this sphere of faith as that in which we lead the procession of patriarchs and heroes of the Old Tes- tament. "TnnouGH Faith we understand — perceive, (he says not through imderstanding we believe,) — that the worlds, (the a)ons, the historic ages, including time and space,) were framed, (fitted, adjusted,) hy the word INTRODUCTION. xlvL Gf God, so that the things which, are seen, were made, 7iot out of things phe- nomenal." The call is for faith. The doctrine is that this is a sphere for heroic faith, rather than for science and reason. The question is of *' aeons," and it is here revealed that the 03ons were fitted, prepared bj the icord of God. The question is of "phenomena," and the teaching is, that the creation was not out of things phenomenal — not out of phenomena. As to the records of the strata, Huxley admits that " supposing even the whole surface of the earth had been accessible to the geologist, and man had had access to every part of the earth, and had made sections of the whole, and put them all together, even then his record must of neces- sity be imperfect." — {Origin of Species, page 37.) And he adds : " It is only about the ten thousandth part of the acc^jsibla portions of the earth that has been examined properly, and three-fift}i.8 of the surface is shut out from us because it is under the sea." (Page 38.) (III.) It is claimed that science has positively decided in favor of the days of indefinite periods ; and that no other interjpretation is consistent with scholarly views, or abreast of the time. But geological science is less and less satisfied with this concession. The order of the creation, as here given, is disputed — and the long periods are used to favor a notion of pre-Adamic man, and a theory of development that would push the creative fiat far back out of view, and enthrone impersonal nature in the place of the per- sonal God. " No attempt which has yet been made to identify these six periods of the Mosaic days with corresponding geological epochs can ba pronounced satisfactory." — {Smith's Bib. Dictionary) Some would place the whole of the primary, secondary and tertiary for- mations, with their flora and fauna, within the first two days, instead of "in the beginning." So Dr. McCaul, and he adds : " The impossibility of identifying the six days of the Mosaic record with the periods of Geology, is evident from the fact that of the work of two days in the Mosaic account. Geology knows nothing, and Astronomy nothing certain — namely, that of the first day and the fourth day." Indeed, to those who have no theory to establish, it is apparent that they (the Mosaic days and the geologic periods,) — do not agree, neither is it necessary that they should. — {Aids to Faith, p. 250.) Geology speaks doubtfully as to the precedence of animals or vegetables, in the order of creation. Nearly all eminent geologists admit that there have been successive creations corresponding with successive conditions of the earth : creatures having, all along, been created, such as could live and enjoy life upon its surface. There have been found the plainest marks of these destructive catastrophes, and of the reappearance of living organ- xlviii INTRODUCTION. isms in multitudes after sucli destruction, and all caused by the 8iiccessi\ e throwing up of earth's various mountain chains. Geological phenomena, so far as they depend on mechanical agencies, require for their manifestation and accomplishment, both force and time. They depend on the combined effect of both. If a large effect is to be ac- counted for, the time may be sup^DOsed to be short, if the force be great. The gigantic and rapid operations of nature, in the older geological periods, are to be taken into account, as in the more recent periods, the force of glacial agencies, lately discovered, amply illustrates. The idea of a uniform action and operation of natural causes from the beginning, must clearly be abandoned. The elements, therefore, of this wonderful problem are time and force — the former to be reckoned according to the unknown, but mighty workings of the latter. Time, even millions of years, could not have excavated the valleys through which certain rivers -flow — accord- ing to the present operation. — (See 'Whewdl, and Edinb. Bev., July, 186S.) The choice of diflBculties between the second and third views is thus stated by Prof. Dana, most favorably for the geological interpretation : " Accepting the account in Genesis as true, the seeming discrepancies be- tween it and geology rest mainly here. Geology holds, and has held from the first, that the progress of creation was mainly through secondary causes, for tlie existence of the science presupposes this. Moses, on the contrary, was thought to sustain the idea of a simple fiat for each step. Grant this first point to science, and what further conflict is there ? The question of the length of time, it is replied. But not so. For if we may take the record as allovring more than six days of twenty-four hours, the Bible then places no limit to (the) time. The question of the days and periods, it is replied again. But this is of little moment in comparison with the first principle granted. Those Avho admit the length of time, and stand upon days of twenty-four hours, have to place geological time before the six days, and then assume a chaos and reordering of creation on the six day and fiat principle, after a previous creation that had operated for a long period through secondary causes. Others take days as periods, and thus allow the required time, admitting that creation was one, in progress, a grand whole — instead of a first creation excepting man by one method — and a second, icith man by the other. This is now the remaining question between the theologians and geologists — for all the minor points, as to the exact interpretation of each day, do not affect the general accordance or discordance of the Bible and science." — {Bib. Repos., 1856.) In answer to this statement of Prof. Dana we would say : 1. That " the fiat principle " is precisely that which cannot be given up for any . principle oi "secondary causes." The Scrifiture is, everywhere, INTRODUCTION. xlix most explicit ir declaring- tliat " hy the icord of Jeliovali the heavens wera made," etc. " By the word of God the heavens were of old," etc. 2. This same is true, also, of the original creation, " in the beginning ;" and we need not suppose, according to our theory, that it "operated through secondary causes," any more than the present creation — the crea- tion, in either case, having originated those laws, by which Pvll physical agencies proceeded — according to the constitution and course of nature. Hugh Miller has plainly shown that every different kind of existence, ani- mate or inanimate, must be the result of a direct fiat of the Creator— and that " nothing higher can possibly be produced by anything lower in kind." —{Teat, of the Bocks.) Kurtz argues against the geological interpretation as follows : 1. "It is evident that Scripture describes the creative days as natural and ordinary days, (having morning and evening, light and darkness,) wlule in order to identify the geological with the Biblical creation it is necessary to represent them as periods of ' Divine duration,' each compris- ing thousands, nay, perhaps, 'millions of terrestrial years.' 3. " It is evident that we read only of one general inundation within the six creative days, (Gen. i. 2-10,) to which, on the third day, bounds were assigned which were not to be passed till the flood. But the above theory requires that we should suppose a number of inundations to have taken place in order to account for the numerous secondary and tertiary stratifi- cations which are thought to have occurred during the fifth and sixth days. 3. " Scripture plainly states that the moimtains of the earth existed, at any rate, on the third day. But this theory requires us to believe that the secondary and tertiary, if not the primary strata and rocks, had becxi formed on the fifth and sixth days. 4. " Scripture plainly teaches that plants only, and not animals of any kind, were created on the third day, and animals only, but not trees and plants, on the fifth and sixth days. But, according to this theory, these Biblical are the same as the Geological periods of which each has both its plants and animals. 5. " It is evident that the six days' narrative here only speaks of three periods of organic creation, while Geology recounts as many as there are stratifications. Yet the above theory identifies the Biblical with the Geo- logical creation. 6. " Lastly, it is plain on the one hand that the flora and fauna of the primeval world had perished tefore man appeared — and hence, could not VOL. I. 3 1 INTRODUCTION. have been destined to continue along with man on the earth — and, on the other hand, that according to the 'clear and unequivocal statements of Scripture, the flora and fauna created during the six days were created for man, and destined to continue on earth along with him. Yet the above theory confounds these two kinds of flora and fauna." — {Introduction to Kurtz's History of the Old Covenant) And the literal view exalts our estimate of the week and of the Sahbath, that God actually made the present heavens and earth in six days, and actually rested on the seventh day ; and blessed and hallowed the Sabbath day for us — not by any flction, nor according to any forced construction, but as a hona fide pattern for us, and as the foundation of the statute in the Decalogue for a permanent obligation as long as weeks and days shall last. Nor, does this at all interfere with our exalted estimate of the immense Geological ages preceding, (as indicated by the rocks,) which, as we have suggested, may have really belonged to six immense periods — and of which this six days' work is but an after hint — introducing the human period. The develoi^ment, here, is not of one animal species from another, but it is a gradual unfolding and development of creation, according to God's plan of progression, from the lower to the higher forms and orders, culminating in man. To this view it is objected that Geology shows no such break in the con- tinuous chain of organic life as this chaotic period would require, but that all the different tribes of the vegetable and animal world have been grad- ually introduced in one unbroken succession, connecting the present with the pre-Adamic periods. But in answer to this objection it is declared to be well established that the tertiary period was closed by such a catastrophe as this record calls for in verse 3. Archdeacon Pratt quotes to this effect from the Paleontology of M. d' Orbigny — that " between the termination of the tertiary period and the beginning of the recent, or human period, there is a complete break." Other such breaks answering to other chaotic periods are indicated — followed, as Prof. Huxley admits, by " the seemingly sudden appearance of new genera and species." But these he attempts to account for by migration. Yet, these new organisms are plainly of ad- vanced creatures — showing a progress in the order of creation, and thus proving new creations to supply the place of those destroyed by these con- vulsions of the chaotic periods. But it may be inquired, how frhis theory, which supposes death to have been at work among the animal tribes prior to the fall of man, consists with the Scriptural account of the introduction of death by the fall ? But it will be observed. 1. That the curse denounced death upon mai? <*B the consequence of the Fall. " Thou shalt surely die." 3. The passages referring to the introduction of death have reference to INTRODUCTION. i hnnian deatli. " By one man sin entered inta the world, and death by Bin ; and so death, passed upon aM men, for that all have sinned," Romans, V. 12. " For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead," — where the resurrection shows that man, and not the lower tribes, are referred to. " As in Adam all die, etc. But every man in his own order," (1 Cor. xv. 21.) 3. May not Adam have known something of death among the lower animals before the Fall, in order to understand something of death aa denounced against transgression? Besides,^ the anatomical structure of carnivorous animals shows that they must always have lived on flesh. 4. Some suppose that death existing before the human period was a con- sequence of the fall of the angels — Satan being " the prince of this world.** 5. Others suppose that God gave the world its present constitution, and subjected the animal tribes to death in the certainty of man's apostasy — that death must constitute a feature of the system of the world, because a free agent would certainly introduce sin. Hence, that all creatures would, of needs, be made mortal, at whatever period created. (See Hitchcock.) The myriads of shells, and skeletons of insects and animals which com- pose the tripoli rock, and the coral reefs, show plainly that death must have existed for ages prior to the present, or human period. The ox could scarcely graze, nor the bird live, without destroying the life of infe- rior beings. It is enough for us to know that death passed upon mankind as the penalty of sin — death in the higher, spiritual sense, as involving physical death. See chapter ii. 17. Some hold, however, very plausibly, that physical death belonged to man's constitution as an animal, and that the curse denounced was the higher, spiritual death — the death of the soul, in addition to the natural death of the body. This would account for the preexistence of physical death in the world, and for the fact that physical death was not seen to follow immediately upon the first transgression. But see Rom. v. 14. Dr. McGaul in his essay on the Mosaic record of creation thus notices the agreement of science with the Sacred narrative : (1.) " Moses relates how God created the heavens and the earth at an indefinite period past, before the earth was the habitation of man. Geol- ogy has lately discovered the existence of a long prehuman period. (2.) " A comparison with other Scripture shows that the ' heavens ' of Moses include the abode of angels, and the place of the fixed stars, which existed before the earth. Astronomy points out remote worlds, whos« light began its journey long before the existence of man. lii INTRODUCTION. (3.) " Moses declares that the earth was (or became,) covered with water, and was desolate and empty. Geology has found, by investigation, that the primitive globe was covered with an uniform ocean, and that there was a long azoic period, during which neither animal nor man could live. (4.) *■* Moses states that there was a time when the earth was not depend- ent upon the sun for light and heat, when, therefore, there could be no climatic difference. Geology has lately verified this statement by finding tropical plants and animals sca^itered over all parts of the earth. (5.) " Moses aflirms that the sun, as well as the moon, is only a light- holder. Astronomy declares that the sun itself is a non-luminous body, dependent for its light on a luminous atmosphere. (6.) " Moses asserts that the earth existed before the sun was given as a luminary. Modern science proposes a theory which explains how this was possible. (7.) " Moses asserts that there is an expanse extending from earth to distant heights, in which the heavenly bodies are placed. Recent discov- eries lead to the supposition of some subtle fluid medium in which they move. (8.) " Moses describes the process of creation as gradual, and mentions the order in which living things appeared — plants, fishes, fowls, land-ani- mal b, man. By the study of nature Geology has arrived independently at the same general conclusion." — {Aids to Faith, pp. 268-9.) ANALYSIS. KcUisch, in Lis recent commentary, divides the Book of Genesis into twj parts: I. Tlie OenerallntrodiLction, chapters i. to xi. — to Abraham. II. The History of the Hebrew Patriarchs, chapters xii. to 1. But it is the Covenant with Abraham which, properly, forms the turning point of the history : and we prefer, therefore, to make the first division ex- tend to that event, and include the sealing of the covenant — chapter xvii. Book I. Creation to the Covenant with Abraham sealed — chapters i. to xv. Book II. Patriarchal History of the Covenant — chapters xviii. to 1. The two salient points in the history of Redemption are the Covenant with Abraham and the Advent of Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant. It is the same Covenant of Grace under both Economies. And the Abrahamic Covenant is that household pledge, which points steadily forward to the Gospel Church — the New Testament household of be- lievers and their children, in which Christ is the Elder Brother, and wa have our sonship by virtue of His, as Himself the Head of the body, and the Captain of our salvation, leading many sons unto glory, (Heb. ii. 10.) SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY BOOK I. FROM THE CREATION TO THE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. Part I. The Creation and Fall of Man to the First Promise of the. Messiah. A. § 1. The Original Creation, Heavens and Earth. . • Ch. 1 : 1 § la. The Chaos and Transition to the Creative Week. ' . Ch. 1 : 2>. % 2. First Day's Work— Light Ch. 1 : 3-5L § 3. Second Day's Work — Firmament — Dry Land — Seas. . Ch. x . vy-10 liv SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY. § 4. Third Day's Work— The Vegetable World. . . Ch. 1 : 11-ia § 5. Fourth Day's Work— The Luminaries Ch. 1 ; 14-19 § 6. Fifth Day's Work — ^Animal Life — Fishes and Birds — Creation of Great Reptiles Ch. 1 : 30-23 § 7. Sixth Day's Work— Beasts— Creation of Man. . . Ch. 1 : 24-31. Aa. Recapitulation and Enlakgement of the Naeeative. Creation of Man (Adam and Eve) in its Reference to Redemption. The Sabbath — Eden — Marriage; § 8. Transition Clause Ch. 2 : 1 B. § 8a. Institution of the Sabbath Ch. 2 : 2-3 § 9. Fuller Account of the Creation — Vegetable Laws. . Ch. 2 : 4-6. § 10. Formation of Adam detailed in Reference to his Moral Destiny Ch. 2 : 7 § 11. Adam's Location in the Garden of Eden. . . . Ch. 2 : 8-17. § 12. (Supplementary Narrative.) Formation of Woman — Institu- tion of Marriage . Ch. 2 : 18-25. § 13. Temptation and Fall of Man Ch. 3 : 1-7 § 14. Consequences of the Fall — Curse upon the Serpent. . Ch. 3 : 8-14. Part II. From the First Promise of the Messiah to the Flood. § 15. First Promise — Curse upon the Woman and the Man. Ch. 3 : 15-19. § 16. The Fallen Pair clothed — Driven from Eden — Cherubim, &c. Ch. 3 : 20-24. § 17. The Two Classes of Men — Cain and Abel — Sacrifice and Murder Ch. 4 : 1-16. § 18. Development in the Worldly Line of Cain — City Building — Art— Polygamy Ch. 4 : 17-24. § 19. Development in the Godly Line of Abel — Seth, Enos — Formal Separation of the Church Ch. 4 : 25-26 C. § 20. Sethite Line to Noah and his Sons Ch. 5 : 1-32 ^21. Climax of Antediluvian Wickedness. . . . Ch. 6 : 1-8 SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY. Iv O. %21a. Iiine of Noah— Flood threatened— Noah directed to build the Ark • . Ch. 6 . 9-33 Part III. From the Flood to the Covenant with Abraham sealed, % 32. The Flood— The Ark Ch. 7 : 1-24 § 23. Subsiding of the Flood— Ararat Ch. 8 : 1-14 § 24. Departure from the Ark— Noah's Sacrifice. . . Ch. 8 : 15-23. § 25. God's Blessing upon Noah's House — Food and Protection. Ch. 9 : 1-7. § 26. Covenant wi^i- tvt^Jj — Covenant Seal — Second Head of the Race . . . . . Ch. 9 : 8-17. § 27. Shem, Ham, and Japhet — Their Conduct and Predicted Future— Further Promise of the Messiah. . . Ch. 9 : 18-29. F. § 28. Ethnological Record— Peopling of the Earth. . . Ch. 10 : 1-33. % 29. Heathenism — Tower of Babel — Confusion of Tongues — Dis- persion Ch. 11 : 1-9. § 30. Semitic Line of Blessing. . . . . Ch. 11 : 10-2a U. Age of the Patriarchs. §30a. Generations of Terah Ch. 11 : 27-32. § 31. The Calling and Migration of Abram — Third Head of the Race— Chosen FamUy Ch. 12 : 1-9 § 32. Famine — Abram in Egypt — Sarai and Pharaoh. Ch. 12 : 10-30. § 33. Return to Canaan — Abram and Lot separate. (Siddim — Mamre) Ch. 13. § 34. Chedorlaomer and the Kings of Siddim— Lot's Capture and Recovery. , . . Ch. 14 : 1-16. §35. Abram and Melchizedek Ch. 14 : 17-24 Ivi SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY. § 36. Covsnant-Sacrifice and Promise Cli. 15 § 37. Hagar and Ishmael. . Cli. 16. § 38. Covenant-Seal — Circumcision — Abraham — Sarah. . , Ch. 17. BOOK II. PATEIAECHAL HISTOEY OF THE COVENANT. g 39. The Covenant-Angel appears to Abraham at Mamre — Inter- cession for Sodom, . . . . . . . . Ch. 18. § 40. The Two Angels appear to Lot — Destruction of Sodom — Lot's Flight to Zoar Ch. 19. § 41. Abimelech and Sarah at Gerar Ch. 20. § 43. Birth of Isaac — Hagar and Ishmael cast out. . . Ch. 21 : 1-21. § 43. Abraham and Abimelech Ch. 21 : 22-34. § 44. Trial of Abraham — Isaac and the Sacrifice — Covenant Promise renewed Ch. 22. § 45. Death of Sarah — ^Purchase of Burial-Place. . . . Ch. 23. § 46. Isaac's Marriage to Rebekah Ch. 24. § 47. Death of Abraham — His Burial in Macpelah. . . Ch. 25 : 1-11. J- § 47a, Generations of Ishmael Ch. 25 : 12-18. § 48. Isaac's Sons, Jacob and Esau Ch. 25 : 19-34. § 49. Covenant renewed to Isaac in Gerar — Abimelech and Re- bekah Ch. 26. § 50. Jacob overreaches Esau and obtains the Birth-right Blessing. Ch. 27, § 51. Jacob's Vision and Vow Ch. 28. § 52. Jacob serves Laban for Leah and Rachel. . . , . Ch. 29. § 53. Jacob's Increase and Prosperity. Ch. 30. § 54. Jacob's Return to Canaan Ch. 31. § 55. Jacob's Wrestle with the Covenant Angel — Israel. . . Ch. 32, § 56. Jacob conciliates Esau with Presents — Arrives in Canaan. Ch. 83. SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY. Ivii § 57. Jacob and Hamor tl;e Hivite. . . ... Cli. 34. § 58. Covenant Promise renewed to Jacob at Betbel — Jacob at Mamre — ^Isaac's Death Ch. 35. K. § 59. Generations of Esau— The Edomites. Ch, 36 § 60. Generations of Jacob— Joseph sold to Midianite Merchants. Ch. 37, § 61. Judah Ch. 38. § 63. Joseph sold to Potiphar in Egypt — ^His Temptation and Im- prisonment. Ch. 39. § 63. Joseph interprets Dreams CL. 40, § 64 Joseph interprets Pharaoh's Dream — Seven Years Famine. Ch. 41. § 65. Joseph's Brethren arrested in Egypt as spies — Simeon held for Benjamin Ch. 43 § 66. Benjamin sent — Reception by Joseph. .... Ch. 43 § 67. Silver Cup in Benjamin's sack — Judah's Plea. . . . Ch. 44 § 68. Joseph discovers himself to his Brethren — Sends for Jacob. Ch. 45. § 69. God appears to Jacob — The Migration of Jacob's House. . Ch. 46 § 70. Joseph introduces Jacob and his Family to Pharaoh — ^Pro- vision for the Famine Ch. 47- § 71. Jacob's last Illness — Blesses his adopted Sons Ephraim and Manasseh Ch. 48 § 73. Jacob's Blessing upon his Twelve Sons — Further Messianic Promise in the Line of Judah — Jacob's Death. . . Ch. 49 § 73. Birial of Jacob at Macpelah — ^Death and Burial of Joseph. Ch. 50 ^ ».»*»»»» ABBREVIATIONS. 4~«-> Jew. Bib., or ) jy^, Benisch's New Translation of Heb. Bible. Jew. Fam. Bib., ) CI ^ T w \ Greek Translation of the O. T. called ** tbe Septua* Sept., or LXX., • • i . ^ „ oj ^ ^ ( gint," 3d century B. c. 8am Vers., .... Samaritan Version, 2d century. Jerus. Targ., . . . Jerusalem Targum. Syr., Syriac Version, 2d century. Yulg., Vulgate Version of Jerome, 4tli century. Saad., Arab. Version of Saadias, lOtb century, TT f (Greek Version in St. Mark's Library, Venice, 10th ( century. Onk., Onkelos, Chaldee Paraphrase, 1st century Syrn., Symmacbus, Greek Version, 3d century. p J jPseudo Jonathan — a Chaldee Paraphrase, 7th cen- '' ] tury. Aqu., or Aquila, . . A Greek Version, 2d century. Theod., Theodotion, Greek Version, 2d century. Pers., Persian Version, 9th century. (58) THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 1 CHAPTER I. N the * beginning God ^ created the heaven and tho earth. 2 -And the earth was without form, and void; and dark- a John 1 : 1, 2. Heb. 1 : 10. I»a. 44 : 24. Jer. 10 : 12 ; 51 : 15. Rev. 4:11; 10:6. b P3. 8 : 3 ; 33 : 6 ; 89 : 11, 12 ; 102 : 25 ; 136 : 5 ; 146 : 6. Zech.l2:l. Acts 14 : 15 ; 17: 24. CoL 1 : 16, 17. Heb. 11: 3. BOOK I. FROM THE CREATION TO THE COVENANT. PART I. The Creation and the Fall of Man to the First Promise, CHAPTER I. § 1. The Oeigixal Ckeation — Heaven and Earth. Ch. 1:1. 1. In the beginning. Heb. In be- ginning. Of old — originally : indica- ting, not the order of things but rather the period — hence indefinite — without the article — (as Sept. Greek version also — ev apxrj) at an undefined period past. John the Evangelist uses the same phraseology {ev apxn John 1:1) to denote the period prior to all created things when the Personal Word — the Logos — already existed — originally the word already was. Of course He existed before all created things. See Prov. 8 : 23 . — ^where the personal " Wisdom " — the same Second Person of the Blessed Trinity speaks. " I was set up from everlasting— from the begin- ning, or ever the earth was." And vs. 22, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of His way before His works of old." The beginning is thus defined, as being " before ever the earth was " and " before His works of old." See Eph. 1:4. Of course there is no such idea here as that of the eternity of matter, which is absurd: but that, when as yet there was no material existence, God brought the material universe into being, by His creative power. Some have held that this vs. 1, is only a summary declaration of what is given in the sequel of the chapter. But the conjunction " and" or but, which opens the next verse, shows the connexion of the narrative ; viz : that this act in vs. 1, is the original creatioa and that vs. 2 proceeds to narrate what afterwards occurred. First it is stated that in the beginning — originally — whenever that may have been — at the outset — without giving, here, any key to the absolute antiquity of our earth — the ma- terial universe was created by God. ^ Oodr-^B.Q\i. Mohim. Some take thia form to be from the Arab root At iahc^-io adore — to worship — {Heb. alah) as expressing the worshipful GENESIS. [B. C. 4103. aspect of the Divine character — Heng^tenberg maintains that it calls attention to the infinite richness and exhaustless fulness there is in the One Divine Being. The form is plural — which most have taken to be the plural of eminence, while others have regarded it as a proof of the plurality of Persons in the Godhead. It is used of heathen gods and of angels, but in such cases the words agreeing with it are in the plural ; but here, and always when it is applied to the true God, the verb, or other qualify- ing words, will Ido found in the singular — showing that one person and not more, is spoken of. It is commonly referred, for its root, to the verb which means to be strong — (Vw) to be powerful; and so it is *;he original absolute name of God, appropriate to His Creatorship, and distinguished from that other name "Jehovah," by which God reveals Himself more specially in the history of redemption. See Intro- duction, " The Sources." The plural form has been vainly supposed by some to have been derived from polytheism. Instead of :his it points rather to the fulness of all power and resources in God : and it points to polytheism only as claim- ing for the One True God, in per- fection, all that which the name, in its utmost force, signifies. Thus un- derstood the name is rather a protest against idolatry. Here then is a flat denial of all atheism, polytheism and pantheism. It is the sublime revelation of a Personal God — the Great First Cause, Creator of the Universe. Observe. — There is no attempt here to prove the existence of God. It is assumed as granted. So it is one of the first dictates of reason and of the moral sense. *\\ Created, Kifi (Bara.) This is the strongest term in the Hebrew to denote original creation. It is used in its different forms fifty -four times in the Old Tes- tament, and in all cases, excepting nine, it is rendered in our transla- tion by OMK word create. The Sept. {Greek) version has e-rronjae. It is used elsewhere, as here, of bringing into being the material universe Ps. 89:12. Isa. 40:26. It is ap- plied, also, to the Almighty work of Regeneration (Ps. 51 : 10,) which is a new creation : and so the corre* ponding Greek term is used Eph. 2 : 10. Of course if God created all things, then He must have created the original material out of nothing. Though the verb here used does not necessarily, nor in all cases, express this idea, yet it is the only term used to denote this— and it is everywhere applied to God only. There are other Heh. terms which signify to form — to arrange, &c.; and they are also used in this narrative. This term is used in three separate instan- ces in this chapter (and repeated in vs. 27,) and in each case it expressly introduces a new department of the creative work. It is used 1st of the creation of matter — the Heaven and the Earth— ch. 1:1. 2d. Of the crear tion of Life, as conscious life (ch. 1 : 21,) therefore not applied to vegeta- ble life since this is not yet life, but rather only matter in a shape to be used by conscious (animal) life. 3d. It is used of Man, as Life and Spirit ; (ch. 1:27,) the highest style of life in this creation. Jesus is God and Man — the God-man. Man is now created "male and female." But ultimately, and as united to the God-man, it is no longer male and female — neither in the completed Church nor in the Resurrection, (Matt. 22 : 30 ; Gal. 3 : 28.) Prof. 0. M. Mitchel, who advo- cates the day periods and the nebular theory, mistakes when he says that " the word here rendered ' created ' (vs. 1,) is nowhere else employed throughout this narrative," (p. 180. Astron. of the Bible). He argues, hence, that " there was but one creation and that was of matter, in the hegmmngJ' -^ Oesenius makes the word to mean primarily to cut, to polish, as in the Piel conjugation. But this meaning seems rather to belong to a kindred term of a differ- B.C. 4102.] CHAPTER I. 61 ent lermination — tliougli tLe original biliteral form may liave had that sense as woxild seem from the Airib root, meaning to cut, d-c. Usage, however, plainly distinguishes the two words and gives to hara as it here occurs, the original sense to create — to produce out of nothing. The three terms which are employed in the narrative and by some re- garded as synonymous, are Bara (x-^s). He created. AsaJi {^'i) 'ke made. He did. Yatzar ("is\) He farmed, fasliioned. Of these, the first is applied only to God. The latter two are used of men. Gesenius shows that the term Bara, (ch. 1 : 1), cannot mean merely the conforma- tion of matter, as if matter could be eternal. Hence the creation is else- where referred to in the Scripture as a Divine act, bv an Almighty fiat. Ps. 33 : 9. Ps. 148 : 5. This word is indeed used of the creation of man, and this is held by some as an ob- jection to this view because man was made out of the dust of the earth. But man was also created as spirit (ch. 1 : 27,) and hence this term is used in reference to man's creation in the image of God (ch. 1 :27,) and the other term {Yatzar) is used of man's formation as matter out of the dust, (ch. 2 : 7.) Thus the distinction between the terms is accurately ob- served and illustrated. " God created man in His own image," and "He formed man of the dust of the ground." And speaking of all God's work, the inspired historian uses both terms. ''All His imrh icliich Ood^ created and made." Ch. 2 : 3, (lit. created to make) In ch. 5:2, both lara and asah are used. "In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him." We are here taught : 1. That the world is not eternal, but created. 2. That it was created by a Persona' God. 3. That this creation comprised all the material universe, and not merely the ma- terials of the imiverse. and that " without Him was not any one thing made which was made," John, 1 : 3. •[ The hea ven . Jew. Bib. — th e hea ven. This term is found only in the plural — from the root shamah, to he Jiigh — properly, the heiglits. The whole phrase, "the heaven and the earth," is meant to denote the material uni- verse. It can not here mean the firmament, which God called " Heav- en," on the second day, (vs. 8,) any more than "the earth" here can mean " the dry land," called " earth," as distinct from the uaters. Noth- ing is recorded of the creation of waters v?xcept as it is found included in the comprehensive sense of this verse. Nor does vs. 16, as we shall see, announce the creation of the stars. Nor does this record inform us of the creation of angels, or of any of those higher orders of being. The phrase, " the heaven and the earth," is to be taken in its widest meaning: and the historian opens here with the statement that all things were created by God — both the heavenly worlds and their ten- ants, and the globe which we in- habit. It is no part of the histo- rian's object to tell us when Jupiter, or Saturn were created, nor when the original form was given to the materials of our globe, or cf any of tlie globes. He will only assert dis- tinctly that God, (Elohim,) vi the begin ning — originally — at first — cre- ated the material universe — all things — and, of course, out of nothing. ^ The earth. This planet of ours, as distinct from all other globes — for it is the history of this earth that is now to be further detailed; and with which we are here specially concerned. The tenn here denotes, not " the dry land," as in vs. 8, but the original earthy, universal mass of our globe. By what processes it took its original form is not stated. Nothing is hinted of any aqueous, or igneous, or nebular theory. The historian, true to his proper object, simply declares the fundamental fact. He coiild have no personal knowledge of what was anterior to GENESIS. LB. C. 4103 ness icas upon the face of the deep : ^ and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. c Ps. 33 : 6. Is. v40 : 13, 14. all human experience, and he gives it as a dictate of Divine Inspiration. We may here observe the relation of the successive days' works. The first three days give us, in their or- der, light and air, with an adjust- ment of the waters and the earth — the elements of things. Next came the compound organisms. The sun and moon arranged on the fourth day, answering to light of the first day. Birds and fishes of the fifth day, answering to atmosphere and clouds of the second. Creeping things, and cattle, and man of the sixth, answering to fields, seas, and plants of the third day. Hugh Mil- ler holds himself bound to account for only* the last three days, on his geological principles. But this is rather a confession of the difficulty he meets on his plan of interpreta- tion. Here is a threefold arrange- ment. Geology, also, finds a three- fold arrangement of strata which it calls the primary, secondary, and tertiary. § 1. a. The Chaos and Transition. Ch. 1 : 3. 3. And the earth. Jew. Fam. Bib. — But the earth. The copula- tive conjunction shows that this is the second fact in the narrative. The sacred historian now proceeds from the general statement to what more particularly concerns mankind — the condition of our earth imme- diately prior to the creative week. Without detailing the history of the material universe up to this time, he passes at once to human affairs. Without indicating the age of our earth, he simply informs us of its condition when the Creator entered upon the work of the six days. It is not as some read it, "And the earth, it, or she was. As no reference is made to the history of the chaos — how the earth came into this des- olate state — but only the fact is given, it is not said " And the earth hecame," but loas thus. Between the initial act of creation (vs. 1,) and the subsequent details of Genesis, the world, for aught we know, might have been the theatre of many rev- olutions, the traces of which geol- ogy may still investigate. This is the view of Chalmers, and the more commonly received view at present. T Without form and void, (Heb. thohu_ vavohu.) Wiclif — Idil and voyde. Aquila — nacuity and nothingness. Sept. — invisible and unformed, aopa- To^ Kai aKaraaKEvaoTog, or, dark and unfinished. Chald. — desert and empty. Syriac — waste and unculti- vated. .Jew. Bib. — desolate and void. Ainsworth renders without inlmbit- ants and without produce. Tremel- lius — without plants and without ani- mals. The same phrase is used, Isa. 54 : 11, confusion and emptiness. The terms are no^ adjectives as would seem from our version, but nouns, pieaning devastation and destruction. From this it is argued that this chaos was not the primitive condi- tion of things, but the wreck of some primeval creation of this earth to which it had been reduced by some unrecorded catastrophe. It is distinctly stated, (Isa. 45 : 18,) that the earth was not created without form {thohu, desolate.) " He created it not in vain," (para and thohu both used as here,) and then it is added : " He formed it {yatzar,) to be inhab- ited,"— referring in the first clause to the original creation, and in the second clause to the six days' work. In 1837, Prof. Bessel, of Germany, commenced a series of astronomical measures for getting the exact dis- tance of the fixed stars, a thing that had never been done. The instru ment which he used in connection with a powerful telescope, in his ex. B C. ii02.] CHAPTER I. 63 periments, was called the great Kon- igsberg heliometer. After three years' hard labor, he was so fortunate as to obtain a parallax, but so minute, that he could hardly trust his repu- tation upon it. But after repeated trials and working out the result, he was fully satisfied that he could give the true distance to 61 Cygni. But who can comprehend this immense space? We can only convey an idea to the mind of this distance, by the fact that light which travels 13,- 000,000 of miles in a minute, requires not less than ten years to reach us ! Just let any one try to take in the idea. One hour would give 720,000,- 000 of miles ; one year, then — 8,760 hours— this gives 6,307,200,000,000, and this multiplied by teL, gives 63,072,000,000,000. This, according to Bessel, is the distance of the near- est fixed star to the sun. All as- tronomers confirm the correctness of Prof. BesseVs calculations. But this distance, great as it is, is nothing to be compared to the distance of the Milky Way. Sir William Herschel says that the stars, or suns, that compose the Milky Way are so very remote, that it requires light, going at the rate of 12,000,000 of miles in a minute, 120,000 years to reach the earth. And he says there are stars, or rather nebulae, five hundred times more remote ! Now make your cal- culation: 120,000 years reduced to minutes, and then multiply that sum by 12,000,000, and the product by 500. What an overwhelming idea ! The mind sinks under such a thought ; we cannot realize it ; it is too vast even for comprehension. David says, (Psalm 103 : 19,) " The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom (or government) ruleth over all." Observe. — It is not said, " the heaven and the earth were without form," as we might expect on the nebular theory of this chapter — but the earth only. It seems not, there- fore, to refer to the original condition of the universe as if the chaos here Were the nebulous matter in a for- mative state. The full phrase, as here found, is used by Jeremiah (4: 23,) as descriptive of the utter desolation denounced upon Jerusa- lem and Judah, as if all were reduced to this primitive chaos. " I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void ; and the heavens, and they had no light." ^ Without form, (wn, thohu.) This word occurs nine- teen times in the Old Testament, and is rendered waste, tain, wilderness, confusion, 'canity — the one idea of desolation running through all. *![ Vend, (^.na, Ihohu) This term occurs only three times — once ren- dered emptiness, (Isa. 34 : 11,) where the reference is to a threatened des- truction. " He shall stretch out upon it (the land) the lines of confusion, and the stones of emptiness." He shall devote it, that is, to utter deso- lation and ruin. In such condition of chaotic confusion and disarrange- ment the earth was — devoid of ani- mal and vegetable life, and empty of tenants. If geology finds that certain species of animals, now ex- tinct, must have existed upon our earth long prior to the Mosaic period, and before such chaos reigned, we find ample room for such facts here, and without violence to the inspired narrative. The six days' creative work, as now to be narrated, is not interfered with. The only additional fact is that our globe itself is older than six thousand years, and that vs 1, refers to its original creation, in the far remote beginning. While the six days' work was a new crea- tion and formation, with man as the crowning creature, and the crowning feature of the work. The narrative does not tell us of the age of our earth, nor of the convulsions and revolutions which preceded its pres- ent state. — (See Introduction — Crea- tive Days) The researches of M.M. OrUgny and Eli de Beaumont show that im- mediately prior to the human period, the earth did pass through its great- est convulsion — that four of the largest mountain ranges wore then 64 GENESIS, [B. C. 4102 thrown up — the principal Alps, the ^^immalayas, the Chilian An- des, and the mountain ranges of Persia and Cabul. ^ And dark- nes8. "Apart from the record, we have the proofs of the occurrence here of a vast interval, altogether unnoted in the sacred volume — an interval in which all pre-his- toric geology finds place. The re- mote past is thus brought down to tlie gate of the present ; but not yet is it to be introduced and inaugura- ted. As though to exclude ever- more the argument which would educe the present from the past by some inevitable process, there is to be an intermediate condition of dark- ness and apparent ruin, which shall render the creative power of God the more striking and illustrious. " Geology reveals to us that this was not a phenomenon preceding all order whatever, but a marked interruption in the sequence of physical events." — {Pattison.) This was the aspect of that chaos out of which the Creator is now to evoke light, and life, and beauty. 1[ " Darkness (was) upon the face of the deep." Lit. — of the abyss. Sept. — over the abyss. Jew. Bib. — upon the face of the murmuring deep. The deep, or abyss, is understood by some who advocate the nebular theory to mean the abyss of unformed matter in a nebulous state pervading space. But it is the term every where used of the depths, the great deep, etc., of waters. It occurs thirty -five times, and uniformly in this sense. (See Prov. 8 : 24, etc.,)—" Who layeth up the depth (deep) in storehouses," Ps. 33 : 7. " The deep " here must, there- fore, mean the mass of waters envel- oping the earth, and shrouded in this darkness of chaos. It is de- scribed by the Psalmist with refer- ence to this narrative, (Ps. 104 : 6,) " Thou coveredst it (the earth) with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains." The Hebrew word means, properly, —■murmuring waters, as of the ocean —waters in commotion — which further expresses the condition of the chaos. Observe. — There is no distinct mention of any creation of the waters, or of the earth, ex- cept as it is included in verse 1. ^ And the Spirit of God. — Onkelos and Jonathan read it icindv. The an- cient Jewish tract Bohar explains it of ''the Spirit of Messiah." The glorious Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is here referred to, whose life-giving agency was engaged in the material creation. Some would understand this merely of the wind as a natural agency. There is no inconsistency in supposing that there was such a natural phenomenon as of a rushing, mighty wind, just as there was at the Spirit's advent in the new creation. But this was only an outward sign and symbol of the Divine Spirit, Himself acting in both cases. " By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens," So the Psalmist refers to this narrative and says, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath {spirit) of His mouth," (Ps. 33 : 6.) " Thou send- est forth thy spirit, they are created : and thou renewest the face of the earth," (Ps. 104:30.) ^ Moved. Lit. — was moving, or brooding as a bird over her young — used in Deut. 33 : 11, of the eagle flutter- ing over her young. Jew. Bib. — was hovering. Sept. — was sicecping along. Almost the same form of the word is used in Acts 2 : 2, "rushing." Over the chaotic deep the Spirit of God — the Holy Ghost — was brooding —fluttering — actively mo\dng, as the preliminary of the six days' creative work. The form of the word here used denotes continuous action. " It was, (says Oesenius,) the creative and quickening power of God, which hovered over the chaotic earth as if brooding." But as we know from the Scripture that the Personal Word wrought in the creation, (John, 1 : 1,) so we are here informed tliat the Personal Spirit also wrought, and that thus the Trinity of Persona was enga^jed. ^ Upon the face of B. C, 4L02.] CHAPTER I. 65 3 ^ And God said, ^ Let there be light : and there was light. d P6. 33 : 9. e 2 Cor. 4 : 6. the icatera — the, abyss. This was tlie preparation for tlie stupendous crea- tive results. This is the deep already spoken of, upon which the darkness hung, and over which now the Di- vine Spirit brooded. We are fore- warned that skeptics who shall arise in these last davs shall be iciilingly i-gnorant of this, that hy the loord of God the heavens icere of old, and the earth standing (consisting, subsisting) out of (the) icater and in (through, by means of) the water," (2 Pet. 3 : 5.) § 2. The First Day's Wobk, or Fiat— Light. Ch. 1 : 3. 3. And Ood said. This phrase is used to introduce the creative fiats. Here we may notice a hint of the Personal Logos, or Word of God, by whom all things were made, (John 1:3.) Here is the original germ of the doctrine of the Trinity which all along comes more fully to view. In vs. 1, it is simply God. In vs. 2. The Spirit of God. In vs. 3, the word of God, as a hint of the Personal Word. ^ Let there he light. Let light he. And light was. Jew. Pam. Bib. Be there light. Sept, Let light hecome, or come to pass. Light, which is so important an element in the whole economy of nature — so necessary to animal and vegetable life, as well as to order and inorganic form, is here noted as the first created agency. And this is precisely what the whole economy of nature would indicate. The creative act is here recorded as ac- companied by a Divine utterance, Ps, 83 : 9. He spake and it was done, &c. Not that we need suppose any spoken word of God, or any audible voice. There was no man to hear it, as yet. But the Scripture fre- quently declares that the creation was by means of the Personal Word of God — as the Revaaler of the Godhead — Himself the expression of the Father's mind and the utterance of His AviU, (John 1 : 2, 3.) Eph. 3 ; 9. Heb, 1:2,10-12, Col, 1:16. This was by the mighty fiat o God, God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, (2 Cor. 4:6.) And it was none the less so, what- ever may have been the physical processes or phenomena. It required almightiness to bring second causes into such orderly action, and to clothe them with such power as to effect the stupendous results, '^ And there was light. (Sept. — and light he- came) A question here arises how light could have been called forth at this early stage, when the making of " two great lights " is assigned to the fourth day. It must be remem- bered that light does not belong to the sun as such. It depends upon the structui-e of our atmosphere, as well as upon the lumin( us atmos- phere of the sun adapting it to our use. The sun is rather in reality a " light-hearer.'" And this is the very term employed, as we shaU see, to designate the sun and moon, in vs. 4. It is not said that the sun was created on the fourth day as we shaL. see. Neither is the sun the sole source of light in creation, as the fixed stars show. The solar system was most probably created long before — (vs, 1,) and the sun and moon may have shed light upon the earth in its former conditions, when it was tenanted by those animals whose remains are imbedded in the rocks. But they had not been light-bearers to our earth since the reign of Chaos. Now the Divine word is reciuisite to evoke light from the darkness, 2. Cor, 4:6. Ps. 104:2. Job 36:30. ^ Let — the word of command here used in the Hebrew is a short form of the future of the substantive verb, which is often used in Hebrew for the imperative. That light has existed for agep, is 6ft GENESIS. [B. C. 4102 4 And God saw the light, that it was good : and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light ^ Day, and the darkness he called Night : and the evening and the morning were the first day. ~~ fPs. 74:16; 104:20, ' " " clear from the fact that there are distant nebulae whose light we can see with the naked eye, and whose distance is such that it would take that light 130,000 years to reach us. A distinction is made between light as an element, and the bodies af- terwards constituted as light hearers ; the sun in which the light is stored being ascribed to the fourth day. This was formerly a stumbling block in the record. At last (says Prof. Dana,) through modern scientific research we learn that the appear- ance of light on the first day, and of the sun on the fourth — an idea foreign to man's unaided conception — is as much in the volume of nature as in that of Sacred Writ. Bib. Sac, Jan. 1856, p. 48. 4. God sato, &c. What God did thus evoke by this creative word. He approves and commends to us as good — as answering its great end, and as, in itself pleasant (good) to behold. Eccles, 11 : 7. So we ought to contemplate it with adoring delight. T[ And God divided, (sepa- rated.) Heb. — between the light and between the darkness. Darkness itself, of course was not created — being only the absence of light. This separation was such a division of the two into different periods, as we have in the succession of day and night. We may infer that it was the result of the earth's revolution on her axis, and that the sun shone, though not yet so clearly and fully as afterwards — or that the light was not yet emanating from the sun — (see vs. 14.) It would seem that the light may have been generally diffused at the first command, and afterwards, on the fourth day, gathered into the o.-b. Bat we have only to do with the fact here recorded — that the darkness and the light were sepa rated by the Creator. This was pre liminary to the more fixed arrange ment of the fourth day. We are not bound to explain all these facts on scientific principles, because this was the originating of nature's laws and not necessarily the working of those laws, as we find them in their pres- ent operations. This is the Divinely inspired narrative of preternatural acts introducing the natural opera tions. " Where is the way where light dwelleth ; and as for darkness, where is the place thereof." See Job 38 : 12, 19. 5. And God called the Light Bay. We may understand by this that God here formally gives the name, and appoints the day for the time of light — and the night for the time of darkness. This latter is the sense in which we often read of a thing being called by a name. It is a designa- tion of its laws, qualities, or charac- teristics. " Day," — in Heb., is from a term signifying icarrath, heat. And night signifies a rolling up, or wrapping up. This is the first use of the word " day," and refers to the artificial day, and not to the natural day, which includes, also, the night. ^ And the evening. Lit. — And even- ing loas, and mourning toas, day oiu — or, and there was evening, and there was morning, one day. It is argued by some that the use here of the cardinal number one, for the ordinal first, is to be explained by the use of the same term often to express something peculiar, special — Whence that a day of peculiar length may be inferred — a period of indefinite duration. But the use of the ordinal is found in the record of all the other six days. Yet there ^ would be the same B. G 4103.] CHAPTER I. 67 6 % And God said, s Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. gJob3T:18; Ps. 136:5; Jer.lO: 12; 51:15. need, (and greater) for supposing indefinite periods for tlie other days as for this dav, while there would not be this same ground for it, in the use of the terms. For it is not })retended that the term ' second ' is also used in the sense of peculiar, special. It is obj ected to the ordinary sense of "clay" in this narrative, that the solar day did not exist until the fourth day. But this is not to be assumed. The sun doubtless existed — and there was light, and the light time was here called by the name of " Day," which it has ever since borne — and it is said that " there was evening and there was morning" on the first day, which would seem to imply the earth's rotation on her axis, in reference to the sun, the centre of the system, making the day. And though it was not until the fourth day that the sun and moon were formally set and designated as the light bearers, with reference to the earth, this does not by any means prove that the earth did not revolve on her axis, with ref- erence to the sun on the first d.ay. The sun does not make the days ; it only marks them. The day was not from evening to evening, but from morning to morning. Evening came — " there was evening " — and morn- ing came (of the next day) making "day one," just as we date year one, after the twelve months are finished, and we have come to the opening of the second year. § 3. Second Day's Work — Fir- MAJiENT. Ch. 1 : 6-8. 6. After the subjugation of the darkness on the first day, comes the subjugation of the icaters on the Becond day, so that in the light, the earth might now appear, which was yet wrapped ii» the waters of the abyss. *l Let there he. This is stiU the form. The expression of God's creative v^ill, precedes in the narrative the creative act. The act is expressly recorded, vs. 7. ^ A firmament. (Heb.) an ex- panse; from the verb, to spread out. So God is spoken of as stretching out the heavens as a curtain. The Sept. and Vulg., render the word by a term which means a solidity, from which we have firmament. But the Heb. term conveys no such idea. The expanse, as an outstretching — having elasticity and thinness — is the very idea of our atmosphere. " Who alone, spreadeth out the heavens. Who stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain." Job 9 : 8. Ps. 104 : 2. It has the appearance of fixedness as a veil or curtain of blue, and the language of Scripture is phenomenal. In Isa. 40 : 22 the term for " curtain " means something tremulous — a cur- tain hanging, so called from its tremulous motion. This describes the undulating motion of the ethe- real fluid by which light is evolved. The firmament is the vacant region of the atmosphere, above which, (to the higher part) rise the lighter particles of water — the vapory clouds — and below which the heavier masses of waters were now precipi- tated into seas and oceans. Hence it is placed in the midst of the icaters — meaning, as a dividing space, placed in the midst of (between) the waters, celestial and terrestial. The effect of this Divine mandate was to make the region of the atmosphere a separating expanse — which at once would become transparent and could be breathed, and would serve as a medium of light and life to th^ objects which werB to be brought forth on the earth. 68 GENESIS. [B. C. 410S. T And God made the firmament, '^and divided the waters which xoere under the firmament from the waters which were ' above the firmament : and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven : and the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 ^ And God said, ^ Let the waters under the heaven be gath- ered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear : and it was so. h Prov. 8 : 28. i Ps. 148 : 4. k Job 26 : 10 ; Prov. 8 : 29. Jer. 5 : 22. 2 Pet. 3 : 5. P3. 33:7; 95:5; 104:9; 136:6. The law of this department is here introduced. Next to the light is the law of the atmosphere so es- sential to life in the vegetable and animal world. Here it is set forth as supporting the floating vapor, and keeping in suspense a fluid of greater specific gravity than itself. The for- mation of clouds is referred to by Job in language which reveals an acquaintance with the laws here established by the Creator. " Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds," etc. " He maketh small the drops of water." ^ Let it didide. Heb. — Let it he causing a didision, (separating.) Let this be its province, and let it continue so to do. The form here used denotes continuous action. 7. And Ood made. The Divine command went immediately into effect. The term here rendered " made " is here first used, and six times afterward in this chapter. It is not the same as " created," (vs. 1.) It signifies rather to prepare, to pro- duce, and is not so strong a term as the former in its common use, (see vs. 1, note.) *![ And, (lit.) caused to divide between the waters loldch are from under the expanse, and (between) the waters which are from above the expanse — to separate the cloudy vapors, from the mass of waters yet enveloping the earth. ^ And it was so. This came to be the fixed arrangement. Here was the insti- tution of natural law. 8. It only remains to mention that God called the expanse " heaven," lit., the heights — ^by which it may be meant that He assigned to it this name already, by anticipation, and appropriately, also, fixed the atmos- pheric region on high. An atmos- phere over forty miles high sur- rounds our earth. The clouds form in this atmospheric region. § 4. Thibd Day's Work— Laitd, Seas — The Veg^etable Would, Ch. 1 : 9-13. 9. The waters, etc. Jew. Bib. — The waters shall he draicn together under the heaven, unto one place, and let the dry land appear. Tiie atmos- pheric region having been now fixed and assigned its province of separa- tion between the waters above and beneath, the next step is to gather together the mass of waters on the earth's surface, unto one place — that is, unto their fixed locality — within the boundary assigned to them. ^ One place — not necessarily within one basin — but into one collection — as vs. 10 — as separated from'the land. This was a necessary step in order to the reclaiming and separation of the land from the waters, and in order to its preparation for the next day's work, and to the occupation of it by the animal tribes about to be created. *^ Let the dry land appear — lit., he seen. There were, as yet, no human eyes to see this land. But God ordered now this new phenom- enon. He beheld it, and other be- ings, doubtless — the sons of God be- held it. The dry land would appear in mountains jutting out toward the sky, making basins for the waters — ■ in extensive continents separated by B. C. 4102.] CHAPTER I. 10 And God called the dry land Earth ; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas : and God saw that it was good 1 1 And God said, Let the earth ^ bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding "i fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth : and it was so. 1 Heb. 6 : T. m Luke 6 : 4i. seas and oceans, and in plains trav- ersed by rivers, and dotted with lakes, (see Job 28.) These irregular- ities of surface are necessary, as Buffon remarks, to preserve vegeta- tion and life on the terrestrial globe. If the land were even, and regular, and level, the sea would cover it. It is said by the Apostle Peter that the scoffers of the last days are " willingly ignorant of this one thing that by the word of God the heav- ens we're of old, and the earth stand- ing out of the water, and in (through) the water," 2 Peter 3 : 5. (See Intro- duction.) Job 33 : 8 refers to this Divine act of creation, " Who shut up the sea with doors, and said. Hitherto shalt thou come, but no fur- ther." See, also, Ps. 33 : 7 ; Prov. 8 : 29. Doubtless this change, so sudden, so universal, must have been attended with violent convulsions of nature, upheavals, etc. But of this we have here no account. A striking picture of this scene is drawn by the Psalmist in Ps. 104 : 6-9, " the hymn of creation" See, also, Ps. 136 : 6 ; 24 : 2 ; Neh. 9 : 6. The great rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, are but one mass of different waters running one into the other. Job 37 and 38 ch ; Prov. 8 : 29. 10. Earth. The name which Moses, by inspiration, uses of the entire globe, (vs. 1,) is here given by God to the " dry land." ^ Seas. This term is from a root meaning noisy agitation, as of the roaring deep, and is a general term including all waters — according to the Heb. usage. It is now declared that this work of God's creative power was good. This is an important deiaration as against the heathen view of the essential evil of matter — and to show that God's work, which has since been polluted and despoiled by sin, was, in the beginning, unequivocally good. 11, Thus far th-^re were mountains and valleys, seas and rivers — but there was as yet no vegetation. This was, therefore, now to be pro- duced by the same Almighty power of God. The earth had no germi- nating principle ot itself. All its products must now proceed from God's ordering. This producing of the vegetable tribes was prior to the - calling forth of sun and moon, to show God's creatorship as being prior and superior to natural laws. ^ Let the earth, etc. Jew. Bib. — The earth shall sprout forth sprouts. The term here rendered grass — is, prop- erly, the tender blades first shooting from the earth. The margin reads tender grass ; and it is often rendered "tender herl" Deut. 32 : 2 ; Job, I 38 : 27, and "-tender grass," 2 Sam. I 23 : 4 ; Prov. 27 : 25 ; Job, 6 : 5 ; Ps. I 23 : 2, (margin.) It includes, not j merely the grass, but the whole tribe I of grasses just sprouting from the I ground. ^ The herb, etc., (lit.) herb ! seeding-seed. This covers, properly, j aU the vegetable world not included in grasses and trees. They were I to be seed-producing, and such as j are propagated by seed. But the I power so to propagate was here given [ by God. The three terms here used j answer to the three great subdivis- 1 ions of the vegetable kingdom. j We should expect this order to j be followed — that vegetation would I clothe the earth before animals were created. If some indica^ons are found in geological strata that ani- mals and plants coexisted from earli- 70 GENESIS. [B. C. 4102. 12 And \he earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed nfter his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind : and God saw that it loas good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 *^ And God said, Let there be » lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night ; and let them be for signs, and « for seasons, and for days, and years. ■ B _____^ n Deut. 4 : 19. Pb. T4 : 16 ; 136 : 7 o Ps. 74 : IT : 104 : 19. est times, there is no disproof of a previous period of vegetation alone, of which no records are extant except in the Inspired history. The proof from science of the existence of plants before animals is inferential and still may be deemed satisfactory." — Dana. We further learn, in the next chapter, (ch. 2 : 5,) that God made every j)lant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew— that this was not spontaneous growth, nor from nat- ural causes, but hj the Divine com- mand, introducing natural causes. 1" {The) fruit-tree, etc., rather — fruit-tree yielding, (lit., making, or iwoducing) fruit. The same term is used here (rendered yielding,) as is used of God "maJdng," (verse 7.) T[ After Ms kind. This was to be the law, of like producing like. And this law, like every other law of nature, is derived from the creative power of God, and dependent always on His wiU. *f[ WJiose seed. This is an explanatory clause. The law is, that the plant, or tree, should have the seed in itself— xdXixQv, in it — in the fruit, as the element of propaga- tion ; and so it should be a principle of self-propagation upon the earth by means of the seed which it has in it. '^ And it was so. It came to pass, as God Almighty commanded. " He commanded and they were crea- ted," (Ps. 148 : 5.) " By this statement we are taught that each species (kind) ?s permanently reproductive, varia- ble within narrow limits, incapable of i^ermanent intermixture with other species, and a direct product of creative i)ower." — Dawson's Ar- cJiaia, p. 163. And thus revelation and science agree. 12, 13. And the earth brought forth (lit.) sprouts, herb seeding seed after its kind, and tree producing fruit whose seed (was) in itself (in it) after its kind ; and God saic that (it was) good. And it loas evening and it loas morning, a third day. Observe. — The term " create " ia not used in reference to vegetable life — as this is not life in the higher s«nse of conscious life — and so it comes in, under the head of matter. The term bar a, which is used in this narrative only to introduce a new department of creation, does not, therefore, occur again, (after vs. 1,) until animal life is introduced, (vs. 21.) The analogy which the first three days' work bears to the work of the last three days, is remarka- ble— the last three perfecting the arrangements of the first three. On the first three days were produced the elements, and on the last three, the compound organisms. The first and fourth days' work has reference to the light — the fourth day giving us the luminaries, or light-bearers, while the first had given us the light itself — and as on the fifth day we have the birds and fishes, so on the second, we had the air and waters. And as the earth and the plants are arranged on the third day, so the creeping things, and cat- tle, and man, on the sixth. § 5. FoiTRTH Day's Work — Thh Luminaries. Ch. 1 : 14-19. 14. After the earth was thiM B. C. 4102.] CHAPTER I. 71 clotlied with vegetation — the fields covered with grass and herbage — which had in them also the elements of propagation, God now called forth the two great luminaries for the globe. ^ Let there he. Heb. — Be there luminaries: The term here rendered lights is not the same as before used, but- means, properly, light-hearers — properly, places of light — receptacles of light. It would seem that the sun and moon had not been constituted such light hearers to our earth, (at least in its present state,) until this fourth day. Liter- ally it reads, " Be there light hearers" etc. The same word of command is used as in vs. 3, " Be there " — let there be — and then it is added, " And let them he for light bearers in the fir- mament of heaven," the same phrase as in the first clause — " to give light upon the earth." The clauses show that here was no original creation of the luminaries, but an arrange- ment, adjustment of them for the purpose of giving light upon the earth, and for marking out time and seasons, etc. The sun is not in his own essence, luminous — -though he is con- stituted the chief depository and source of light to our earth, and to all the solar system. He may not always have possessed this light-giving power. He is, in himself, a dark mass like our earth, and surrounded by two atmospheres — the one near- est him being like ours — the other being phosporescent ; luminous, and giving light and heat. The spots on the sun's disc are supposed to be the dark body of the sun seen through openings in the outer at- mosphere occasioned by great com- motions in it. . These might even lead to its total obscuration. 1" In the firmament, etc., (lit.) In the ex- panse — [which was already made, see vs. 6 and ?,] to cause a division between the day and {between) the night. These terms " expanse," and ** heaven," previously applied to the atmosphere, are here combined to denote the more distant starry and planetary heavens. The object of these luminaries is here staled. Astronomy tells us how it is by iho regular, diurnal rotation of the earth that this division is produced. But here we find the origin of this law of nature — in the creative work of God, without which it would have had no such province or function. Some understand this of the entire clearing away of the mists by which the earth was yet partially envelop- ed— and that by this means, the luminaries were made visible, the phenomena only being here des- cribed. We may suppose that the sun was now made a Ughthearer to our earth by the constitution of his atmosphere, or the reconstitution of ours for this purpose. The solar system, from " the beginning," has required the revolution of the earth around the sun. The sun, moon and stars must have existed, along with our planet, from " the begin- ning," and were doubtless included in the original creation, (ch. 1:1.) The work of the first day of this creative week was the evoking of the light, (vs. 5,) which may, in past ages of our planet, have shone upon the earth prior to the reign of the chaos, and which is now commanded to shine out of darkness. The work of the fourth day is the manifest adjustment of these luminaries for their natural work, as here designa- ted. Whether there was any change now made in tlie velocity of the earth's rotation, or in the obliquity of the ecliptic is not here stated. These celestial phenomena are noted as they may be observed by the be- holder. Here is an advance upon the first days' work. Beyond the primary division of time into night and day, marked by the diurnal ro- tation of the earth on its axis, here, is the further division which is marked by the revolving of the earth around the sun, which is " for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years." Such a manifesta- tion of the planetary heavens and of their relations to earthly affairs had not been necessary until now 73 GENESIS. [B. C. 41(13. 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth : and it was so. 16 And God P made two great lights ; the greater light to rule the day, and q the lesser light to rule the night : he made "^ the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upcn the earth. 18 And to s rale over the day, and over the night, and to di- vide the light from tlie darkness : and God saw that it loas good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. p Ps. 136 : 7, 8, 9 ; 148 : 3, 5. q Ps. 8:3. r Job 38 : 7. s Jer. 31 : 35. that animal life is to be created. 1" For signs. The term means, 1st, indentations or marks ; 2nd, portents, tokens. Here it means indications of things belonging to the order of nature — signs for the intelligent be- holder who is soon to be brought upon the stage. They are to serve as the natural chronometer of man- kind. The mariner and the astron- omer are to take their observations of them all along the ages. The year is marked by the sun's course. So the weather is indicated by the aspects of the sun and moon—the coming t^n of heat, or cold, or storms. So, also, of portents it is said, " There shall be signs m the sun, moon, and stars," Luke 21 : 25. ^ Seasons. The seasons of the year — as spring, summer, autumn, and winter — the season for sowing, prun- ing, reaping. So, also, appointed seasons, or set times, are regulated and denoted by these heavenly bodies. The Babbis explain this as referring to their festivals. But though the same term is used by the Jews of their set times for feasts, there is no reason to suppose that these luminaries were here divinely appointed and set apart for that use. " The moon and stars to rule by night." They were to serve, also, for days and years. This is only an amplification of the idea. They were to serve for marking days and years — fixing their limits, and regu- lating, by their motions and influ- enoe, the progress and divisions of time. " He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knoweth his going down," Ps. 104:19, 20. See Job 38 : 33. 15. This verso only farther defines the office of these luminaries — to give light upon the earth. ^ And it was sc. " He spake and it was done ; Ho commanded, and it stood fast." 16. And God made. (Heb. — Yaas.) Not the same term as " created.' Rather, He formed., fitted — adjust- ed. ^ Oreai lights. Lit. — The two great luminaries, (the sun and the moon,) the great luminoA'y for ruling the day, and the small luminary for ruling the night, and the stars. Here, as in former instances, the very things just commanded are noted as performed. The sun, the great light bearer, was made — {set, constituted,) for ruling the day — to regulate it; always marking the day-dawn by his rising, and the close of the day by his setting. ^ And the stars. Our translators have here introduced the words, " 7ie made." But the original shows that this last clause stands immediately connected with the pre- ceding, in the sense — He 7nade the small luminary and the stars to rule the night, or, as it is elsewhere ex- pressed, " the moon and stars to rule l3y night," (the same terms being used in the last clause as here,) Ps. 136 : 7-9. See, also, Jer. 31 : 35, 36. Or, as Benisch translates, the " lesser light to rule the night and (to rule) the stars." We have supposed that I B. C. 4103.] CHAPTER I. 73 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. tlie sun, moon, and stars were in- cluded in the original creation of the heavens and the earth, " in the be- ginning," (Qen. 1 : 1,) — and that they are only now set, or constituted, in the relation of light^earers to our earth. This, also, accords with all that science finds out from its ma- turest investigations. "An exami- nation of the visual organs of the earliest animal remains, proves that light, as far as it can be traced back in time, was of the same nature and properties as that which is now shed down upon the earth." § 6. Fifth Day's Wokk — AinMAii Life — Fishes and Biiuhb — Cre- ation OF Great Reptiles. Ch. 1 : 20-33. 30. We come now to that portion of the creative work which geology claims to investigate with most mi- nuteness. Until the fifth day we have had only the lowest form of life, (in the vegetable world,) and not as yet any animated, conscious life. This forms a new and advanced department of the creative work, and hence we find the term for the original act of creation used in verse 21 as in verse 1. It would seem that geology does not decide clearly as to the priority of vegetables or animals. But we see plainly the important use served by vegetables in rendering the atmosphere fit for ' respiration of animals, as well as for • the supply of food. All the earth's ' physical features were perfected on ■ the fourth day, and immediately be- - fore the creation of animals. " Ge- £ ology produces amongst the earliest c fossil remains nearly as many speci- ■; mens of animal life, (in its lowest ' forms at least,) zoophytes, moUusca, 1 etc., as it does of vegetable life. ' Also, many forms of fishes — many, j* even of the most perfect, occur in VO^. I. — 4. strata far below those which contain the great sea monsters and birds, and which are supposed to answer to the * fifth day.' Some refer this to the deluge. Others suppose an unrecorded, but highly probable, fecundity of the primeval waters, producing the lower forms of animal life before terrestrial vegetation. It is held that marine vegetation, ap- proaching to the animal life, may have preceded the terrestrial." But the better solution is that we have nothing to do with the record of the rocks in the interpretation of the Mosaic account. These geological remains belong to a prior state of the globe, of which we have here no account except the general statement in verse 1. And it is not our busi- ness, therefore, to harmonize the two records, one of which relates to a far anterior period of the earth. The earth that was (tna,) "void'* is now to be peopled. Here the Al mighty Creator proceeds to com- mand into existence the immense tribes that swarm in the sea and in the air. Next to the last step in the progress of the creative work is this. The phrase here rendered the mov- ing creature, is more exactly the swarming, living creature. (Jew. Fam. Bib.)— ^olific creature. It is — Let the waters swarm with swarming ^ living creature. The noun corres- ponds with the verb here rendered, "bring forth abundantly." So Mil- ton has it, " Let the waters generate reptile with spawn abundant." It is known that the finny tribes are immensely prolific, and that the eggs of fish, called spawn, produce vast multitudes. Thus the roe of a cod- fish contains nine millions of eggs ; of a flounder nearly a million and a half; of a mackerel half a million, etc. So, also, in regard to birds. A flock of petrels has been seen that was computed to number one hun- u GENESIS. [B. C. 4103. 21 And " God created great Avhales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their iind, and every winged fowl after his land: and God saw that ii was good. uCh. 6:20; 7:14; 8-: 19. Ps. 104:26. dred and fifty millions. The passen- fer pigeon of North America has een seen in flocks a mile broad that took four hours in passing", at the rate of a mile a minute, calculated to contain two thousand two hun- dred and fifty millions of birds. The Psalmist exclaims, " So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping (swarming) innumerable, botJi small and great beasts, {crea- tures," Ps. 104 : 25. The torm WB5, (nephesJi,) here first occurs. It is de- rived frem a root which means to breathe — from which it naturally comes to mean life, which is indica- ted by breath — also, creature and hodp, or person i. e. who breathes. Taken with its kindred term, {hay ah) signifying living — it means an ani- mated creature, (vs. 21, ch. 2 : 19, etc.) It denotes the vital principle not only in man, but also in brutes. It is often in our version rendered "soul," — more commonly meaning person, self. It occurs about seven hundred times in the Old Testament. (See vs. 24, notes.) ^ And fotcl (flying thing,) may fly. Or, And let fowl fly. The term here rendered ''fowl" includes all flying insects. Lev. 11 : 20. In the next verse it is "every flying thing that hath wings." The idea is not that the fowl are to be produced by the wa- ters, (see ch. 2 : 19,) as naight seem from the addition of the word "that" by our translators — printed in italics, as not being in the original. ^ Above (lit. upon) the earth — {upon '■■he face of) in front of the expanse jf heaven. This designates the respective elements in which fishes and birds were to live and move. The reading — "in the open firma- ment " gives the sense. The phrase (■^saVy) is often read "before," "in front of," " in presence of" 21. Here follows, as before, the creative act ensuing upon the creEi- tive word. In the order of nature, the one would seem to follow the other, of course. But really in the order of time the creative word was the creative act. "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God." " He spake, and it was done." ^ Created. This act of creation marks the sec- ond stage of the creative work, and here the second time in the narra- tive occurs the use of the term bara. As the first department of the crea- tive work was that of matter, (vs. 1,) so here is the department of anima- ted, conscious life. The first act which thus results in life is here dis- tinguished from the foregoing work which had reference to inanimate matter. ^ Great ichales. Lit. — the great reptiles. The noun here used is used of the serpent, Exod. 7 : 9, 10, 12 ; Dent. 32 : 33 ; Ps. 91 : 13 ; also, of the crocodile, Isa. 51 : 9 ; Neh. 2 : 13 ; Ps. 74 : 13 ; and of sea mon- sters, Job 7 : 12 ; Ps. 148 : 7. The term seems sometimes to mean^'ac^- als. See Mai. 1 : 3, where the word is than — {tannoth, pi.) akin to the term Jje\is.than. The Jewish Fam. Bible reads — the great, huge creatures. It may be rendered the great monsters. And (created) every living creature that creepeth, which the imtcra brought forth abundantly. These two classes of the sicarming creor tures mentioned collectively in the previous verse, are here specified. The term rendered whales, is not to be understood of the class commonly' known as such, bui literally meana the extended, or long stretched — whjci B C. 4102.] (CHAPTER I. 711 22 And God blessed them, saying, ^ Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. wch. 8: IT. may refer either to size or number, but probably to size. T[ That moveth. The verb is here used which corres- ponds with " creeping thing," — and not the same with "moving crea- ture," vs. 20. It refers to a class of the swarming, or prolific creatures. The microscope shows that there are beings with perfect organs of nutri- tion, locomotion, and reproduction, a million of which would not exceed in bulk one grain of sand — eight millions of which might be com- pressed within a grain of mustard seed ! Others so minute that live hundred millions of them could live in a drop of water. The polishing slate, named after Ehreiiberg, is formed of infusoria, each of which when living, was covered with a silicious shell, and of these creatures forty-one thousand millions are con- tained in a cubic inch. There are ! animalcules of which a cubic inch : would contain a million millions. Tf Which the waters, etc. It was no I less the Divine creative act, though it was done in making the waters bring forth abundantly. T[ Winged fowl. Created every fowl of icing. 22. Blessed them, and said. The blessing follows in the command. God's commands are blessings. His obligations are golden ties. The high- est privilege of creatures is to be bound fast to God. The first bless- ing pronoimced on earth is this — upon the living tribes — and the Di- vine command became to them the law of their being. God, by His creative word, gave them such power to reproduce their several species, vss. 24, 25. li Fill the waters in the seas. The waters are here spoken of as in the seas — and the finny tribes as in the waters — the waters filling the beds depths and shores of the seas. ^ And let fowl multiply — that is, every winged creature, including winged insects. 23. This day closes, as the preced- ing days had done, by the coming on of evening, and the ushering in of a new morning. Some understand that this period of creation is that which is known by geologists as the age of reptiles. Fossils are found of gigantic reptiles, such as the icthyo- saur, whose remains are found thirty feet long, having the head of a croc- odile, the body of a fish, and the general form of a lizard ; and the plesiosaur, with a long neck, like the body of a serpent, and the iguano* don, of lizard shape, some sixty feet long, and it is held by some that these belong to the great " whalet," or tanninim, dragons, monsters of this period. — {McDonald, p. 281.) The facts claimed by geology are held to be thus in remarkable keep- ing with the Mosaic account. And it has been suggested that " no geol- ogist, with the facts of his favorite science before him, could, in so brief a compass, furnish so full and accu- rate a description as that of Moses here, written long before geology began its explorations, or was ever dreamed of as a science." — {McDon- ald.) We may imderstand, however, that these gigantic tribes of geology were altogether prior to the Mosaic account, and were buried in their rocky gravel before the Adamic cre- ation of which Moses here tells us — that they were animal tribes be- longing to a previous state of our earth, and had nothing to do with man, and were not such as were suited to the human period. — ( Introduction) 76 GENESIS. [B. C. 4103. 24 ^ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living crea- ture after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind : and it was so. § 7. Sixth Day's Work— Beasts — Cbeation op Man. Ch. 1 : 34-31. 34, "We note here a still further advance in the creative work. From the plant there was an advance to the lowest forms of animal life in " the swarming creatures," and from these again to tha sea monsters and reptiles, and feathered tribes. But the dry land was still untenanted by its proper races. The creation of ani- mals stretches over two days. And here on the sixth we have the land animals, and above all, man is crea- ted as the highest type of animal life — and the lord of the lower animals distinguished by the image of God. This is held by some to be the age of great mammalian quadrupeds — the third and last of the great geological periods. Geology testifies that man is the latest of the animal tribes, and that his introduction among the ten- ants of the earth is of recent date. " It is only in the latest diluvial deposits of the tertiary period — the newest on the earth's crust that the remains of man are to be found." ^ And God said — As before, it is " by the word of God." ^ Let the earth bring forth living creature, njH tt;S5. Elsewhere rendered " living soul," — meaning simply animated being. The term animal indicates it. 1" Beast. Collectively, the ruminating animals — such as feed on grasses — (ri^ns, from which behemoth) ^ Creeping thing. The term here used is from a verb, meaning properly to tread — referring rather to the smaller kinds of land animals. ^ Beasts of the earth. Lit. — living thing of the earth. Jew. Fam. Bib. — animal of the earth, or field, (wild beasts,) mean- ing the various classes of beasts of prey. Some suppose that these were not at the creation such, in their tabit, but only of a class more vig- orous and less adapted to man's do- minion than others. But they were probably so created ; because carniv- orous animals require a different structure from others. Such are found, also, among the fossil remains of pre-Adamic animals. It is alleged by some skeptics that because the phrase here rendered "living creature," is in ch. 3 : 7, ap- plied to man, and rendered living soul, we must understand that a cre- ation, or formation of the human species out of the earth is here re- corded. And that this refers to races of men as existing before the crea- tion of Adam. But this does not at all follow. All the animated tribes are called " living creatures," or " living soul," as man, also, is an animal. It would only show that animals — animated creatures, are here referred to, whereas, after this, and as a higher step in the creation, man, who is also an animal, was cre- ated, whose characteristic it was that he was made in the image of Ood. And in ch. 3 : 7, it is recorded that " God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," — a high distinction — and that man became " a living creature " such as this, having a higher life inbreathed by God. If there were now, or should ever be, any ground for believing that any animal most nearly approaching to man in form and physical constitu- tion ever existed prior to Adam, it would still be altogether a different being from man, whose distinction is the image of God, and the " breath of lives " inbreathed by God, But it is enough to say that the geological record is not so clear as the Scrip- tural one, and does not need to be. The animals here created are such as belong to existing tribes, made for this human period — after those mon- sters of the past geological eras had perished from the earth. B C. 4102.] CHAPTER I. 77 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind : and God saw that it was good. 26 ^ And God said, ^Let us make man in our image, after our likeness : and J let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. X ch. 5: 1; 9 : 6; Ps. 100 : 3 ; Eccl. T : 29; Acts IT : 26, 28, 29 ; 1 Cor. 11 : 7. y ch. 9 : 3 Ps. 8 : 6. 25. Made, (fashioned,)not the same term as created. Here the order of the three classes is different — the beast of prey coming first, and the creeping thing, or smaller classes of animals coming last. ^ After his kind. It is important to observe that we have here the creation of distinct species, which are to preserve each its kind, and so maintain a per- manent likeness to its original type. This is the fundamental law of the creation. Variations in external forms are produced by certain agen- cies— ^but these varieties are only Buperficial. Nothing is here known of "the transmutation of species, equivocal generation, or creation by natural laws," so much talked of by certain in our day. Though the waters and earth are commanded to bring forth their tenants, yet, in re- cording the fact it is distinctly stated that Qod made them, not the waters nor the earth. The permanence of species in opposition to any notions of their transmutation, is shown by the fact cited by Prof. Agassiz, that in the coral reefs of the Gulf of Mexico, which, according to his cal- culation, have been seventy thou- sand years in forming, no change has occurred in the species of these coral insects themselves, whose skeletons form these curious reefs, — {Methods of Study, p. 190.) i 7. a. Creation of Man. 1 : 26, 27. Ch. 26. The crowning work of tlj 3 cre- ation is now to be performed Ac- cordingly, to indicate how superior it is to all the foregoing, and to show that all the preceding work of the six days had been only as a prepar- ation for man's residence on the earth, the Creator says not as be- fore, Let there he man, but " Let us make man." This form of expres- sion conveys the idea of counsel and agreement — and suggests that the work was done in wisdom and love. It is not at all inappropriate lan- guage when we know that there are three Persons in the Godhead. Then, at once, we can understand the meaning of the terms. And though this plural form of the verb is not, in itself, reason sufficient for the doctrine of the Trinity, yet, ta- ken with other and more direct pas- sages, it is strongly confirmatory of it. See ch. 3 : 22 ; 11:7; Isa. 6 : 8. He was to be God's representative on earth, clothed with dominion over all the inferior tribes. ^ Man. This is the generic term for the human race. It is sometimes used with the article to denote the man Adam — the first of the human fam- ily. In the second and third chap- ters it occurs in this sense nineteen times. The term is derived by some from the word which means red, either because of his redness of com- plexion, (which is not likely,) or be- cause he was taken from the ground, and accordingly the kindred term means ground. Josephus so explains it. Ant. B. 1. C. 1. Others, more re- cently, derive it from the Arabic verb, which means to bring together, to Und,'(yr hold together. {See Hoff- 78 GENESIS. [B. C. 4103. 27 So God created man in his own image, ^ in the image of God created he him ; ^ male and female created he them. z 1 Cor. 11 : 7. a ch. 5 Mai. 2 : 15; Matt. 19 : 4; Mark 10 : 6. man, Art. Adam, Herzog's Cyclope- dia;) as our term husband is from houseband, and conveys a similar idea. The old Heb. verb means to Iring together — and thence to compact — and man here is said to have been made in the likeness of God. Hence the term Adam may mean image, or likeness. The second Adam is said to be the express image of the Fa- ther's person — and He is the Man ! Behold the man, who is the " Son of Man," — the God-man ! 3 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1 : 15 ; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8 : 39 ; Ps. 80 : 17. Tf In our image, t^?.' A distinction has been urged by Bome between the " image " and the "likeness." But in vs. 37, imme- diately following, only one of the terms is used, and plainly as includ- ing both. " So God created man in His (own) image." They who make the distinction hold that the image denotes the natural attributes, and the " likeness " the moral attributes, or conformity to the Divine nature. So some of the early fathers. It is expressly on this ground of the Di- vine image in man at his creation, that the murder of a man was to be punished with death ; "for in the image of God made He man," ch. 9 : 6. This image did not consist in an erect posture — nor merely in an immortal future, nor in intellect alone. It consisted of high moral qualities mainly. These are desig- nated in the account we have of the Tiew creation, whose object it is to restore man to his original relations to God. With a reference to this passage we find that the " image of Ood" consists in knowledge, right- eousness, and true holiness. Col. 3 : iO ; Eph. 4 . 34 ; Eccl. 7 : 39, and that man Was to represent (shadow forth) God on the earth. Pres. Edwards says : " There is a twofold image of God in man — His moral or spiritual image Which is His holiness, that is, the image of God's moral excellency, (which image was lost by the Fall,) and God's natural image, consisting in man's reason and understanding, his natural ability and dominion over the creatures, which is the image of God's natural attribute." Accord- ingly, man wears still a memorial in so far of this lost dignity, as that the murderer of man is to be visited with capital punishment, ch. 9:6. In the high moral department the image of God was lost by the Fall, or so far defaced as to bear only the faint- est reminder of it. " The very mind and conscience are defiled," — " hav- ing the understanding darkened." Accordingly the ground on which murder is summarily visited with condign punishment is rather what man was by his creation than what he is by his Fall. " For in the image of God made He man." ^ Let them have dominion. Not only the man, but man, {mankind) is here contem- plated. The individual first pair we have referred to in detail in ch. 3. His posterity are included in the grant. The race of man was to have dominion over the earth, and over every department of the animal creation. Doubtless this dominion was impaired by the Fall — so that when man rebelled against his right- ful lord and sovereign, the lower tribes rebelled against him. Fish, fowl, cattle, and every thing that creepeth (moveth, vs. 38,) are here * named — as well as the earth itself. He was to be monarch of the earth, and to possess and use it for his own benefit, and for God's glory. Ana- lyze Ps. 8, "Behold the Man," in whom its highest idea is fulfilled — Jesus Christ. 37. Created. The creative work of God reaches now its highest de- partment. We have had conscious life in the animal tribes (v. 31,) as an advance beyond the mere vegetable B. a 4102.] CHAPTER I. 79 being, and now we have life and spirit. To mark this new stage of the creative work we have the orig- inal creative term used. It is that found in vs. 1 and vs. 21, and differs from that used in vs. 2Q', where the term " make " is that often used in the preceding narrative, and in the fourth commandment, and which means rather to form, or fashion. Man was formed out of the dust of the ground, so far as his frame is concerned. Yet he was also " crea- ted " in his highest qualities of mind and spirit, by which he is chiefly distinguished from the lower animal tribes. Hence in ch. 3 : 3 both terms are used. Yet in Gen. 9 : 6 that milder term is used of this making man in the Divine image. The Sam. Vers, has it, " So God created and formed man." Jerus. Targ., " So the word of Jehovah created man." The Arab., " So God created Adam." This creation in the Divine image is a fact so important as to be re- peated, and it is thought by some that the fourfold repetition in the two verses is intensive, and the same as to say, in the image of God and none other. 1" Man. Lit. — the man, definitely referring to the individual Adam — "in the image of God crea- ted He HIM," (in the singular, mas- culine,)— meaning that her-'*, ^.t first, only one human beinT^ .^ne male, was created. But immediately the state- ment is made so as to show that, at that time, there was a plurality of persons created — that He "created man, male and female," two persons in one — as the woman was taken out of the man— and in the two sexes, distinguished as " male and female." So they were created and not other- wise, as it may be read, " a male and a female created He them." So in ch. 5 : 1, 2, it is clearly implied that only one pair was created, and that this pair propagated the human spe- cies by generation, and brought torth children of the same form with that which they received at the crea- tion. The materialistic spirit refers the production of man to certain chem- ical processes of nature, working out the hidden seeds of organic life which the earth was anciently sup- posed to enclose within herself. Man, therefore, is said to be only a higher species of monkey, and hence to have had his origin in the Indian Archipelago, where the highest spe- cies of monkeys existed. The mon- keys are held by these philosophers to be the parents or ancestors of the Negroes, and the Negroes of the Ma- lays, and so on to the highest type of man, the Caucasian. Nay, more, man is held by these theorists to have passed up from a fish to a rep tile, and thence to a bird, and so on to an ape, and thence upward to man kind. But this relationship cannot be proved. Gradation in God's cre- ative work is mistaken for natural descent, and the utmost that is at- tained by such empty and ignorant theorizing is the satisfaction, if it be such, to the authors, of having found their paternity in the ape! Some who make man to be a development from the lowest tribes of creation, make " his thoughts to be the pro- duct of oxidized coal and phosphor- escent fat — make his will to depend on the swelling of the fibres, and the contact of different substances in the brain — and his emotions the move- ments of electric currents in the nerves." So that crime and murder are referred to a dislocation of a train fibre. Hence the greatest re- gard is had for criminals — they must be sent to hospitals and not to pris- ons, to the physician and not to the judge — and even murder is thus the result of an unfortunate brain struc- ture, which ought not to be capitally punished. Thus, by such a vile falsity, all moral sense and responsi- bility are denied along with the very nature and essence of man. — (See Kalisch, p. 29.) Agassiz says, " It is my belief that naturalists are chasing a phantom in their search after some material gradation among created beings by which the whole animal kingdom 60 GENESIS. [B. C. 4102. may have been derived by successive development from a germ or germs." And again, " the resources of Deity cannot be so meagre that in order to create a human being endowed with reason, He must change a monkey into a man." — Methods of Study, p. 4. And we may add, this in itself would be quite as miraculous as the creation of man out of the dust, according to the Biblical account. •[[ Male and female. This is the general statement of which we have the fuller detail in ch. 2, narrating the formation of man out of the dust, and of the woman out of the man, in connexion, also, with the prepar- ation of Eden, and man's location in it, (ch. 2.) This is the same as is recorded in regard to the former cre- ations, only in a diflPerent form of speech, that man was made after his kind, etc. We have here the simple statement that God created the man, individual, yet it was as the root of the human race, "male and female cre- ated He them." In ch. 2 the individ- ual man is more particularly spoken of, and the more detailed account is given. It might seem from the nar- rative there that some time elapsed between the creation of Adam and that of Eve — ^more than the few hours of a natural day, judging from what took place in the interval. Yet Adam and Eve appear both to have been created on the sixth day. Modern scepticism, imder the guise of science, has labored to account for the origin of man by the working of natural laws, and without a Di- vine creative fiat. Some would trace man by a process of slow de- velopment through ages, to his paternity in the Ape tribe. In reply to this we quote from Prof. Dana : " It is possible to conceive that a being with such mental endowments as man possesses, and with even the throat of a gorilla might originate an intelligible language ; but it is incomprehensible how the gift of speech coidd develop man's mental qualities in a brute, however long tiie time allowed. Moreover, it is a natural question, why there are ncfc man-apes in the present ago of the world, representing the various stages of transition, and filling up the hiatus, admitted to be large, if such a process of development is part of the general system of nature. We think this question a fair one, notwithstanding the reply which may be made, that the more devel- opable individuals long since passed out of the ape-stage, leaving behind only the unimprovable ones. The resemblances between the skeletons of man and the apes, and between ova generally, mentioned by Prof. Hux- ley, may, to the uninitiated in sci- ence, appear to make the transition by development feasible : yet they are of no weight as argument, since the question is as to the /act whether, under nature's laws, such a transi- tion has taken place as the gradual change of an ape into a man, or whether apes were made to be, and remain, apes. In the ape, the great muscle of the foot, the flexor longus poinds, divides and sends a branch to three or more of the toes, while in man, it passes to the great toe alone : is it a fact that this and the many structural differences of the foot and other parts of the body were brought about by gradual de- velopment in a -progressive ape? Why have aU the existing descend- ants of the one or more develo-pahle man-apes lost the grasping character of the feet ? If to some of a better sort it became useless and comported ill with the progressive elevation of their natures, there are multitudes of others that have not yet emerged from the savage state, some in Aus- tralasia, it is said, who still follow a sort of tree life ; and these would always have found the grasping foot a great convenience — good enough for standing erect — good for climb- ing crags and trees. Was it through an inflexible law, h>st> that in the case of a growing enihrvo, which de« termined, along the lines of " natural sekiction," the successive steps and the final results in all their details? B. C. 4103.] CHAPTER I. 81 But why, after progress had began, might not groups of individuals have been thrown out of the line of progress, according to the same law of "natural selection," as this is an . admitted effect under it, so that some to whom the grasping foot would prove a great convenience, might have retained it ? To this question comes the reply, that the interme- diate types which have existed, have become extinct. The reply will be satisfactory when such fossil speci- mens shall have been discovered." Darwin's theory of " the transmu- tation of species," which is b\-oached for its application to this question, has been well replied to by Prof. Hitchcock, as follows : " It is a significant fact that very few of the advocates of the trans- mutation hypothesis refer to man as an example of it. Yet if it be true, man ought to be a conspicuous illus- tration of it. For in his case we have the most perfect of all animals and vastly the superior of them all, appearing suddenly at a very recent period; for though geologists may contend about the precise period of his appearance, all agree that it was very recent, and none contend that it was earlier than the alluvial period. Whence came he? If he is only one of the lower animals metamorphosed, we ought surely to find a multitude of intermediate varieties. But not one has ever been brought to light. The monkey tribe must have been his immediate progenitor. But only a very few species of these have been found fossil, and none below the tertiary, and all of them differ as much from man as do the living monkeys. La- marclc had the boldness to attempt to describe the process by which the monkey was transformed into a man. But the picture was so absurd and ridiculous that few have attempted to make a sober philosophical de- fence of it. Yet if it fails in a spe- cies so conspicuous as man, it fails as to all others. But it is less revolt- ing to common sens© and experience to represent obscure radiate, or artic- ulate, or molluscous animals as slowly transmuted from one species into another, than to bring man into the same category. Therefore, si- lence in respect to him is the wisest course. For what philosophic mind, free from bias, can believe such a being, the highest of all animals in anatomical structure and intellect, and possessed of a moral nature, of which no trace exists in any other animal, is merely the product of transmutation of the radiate monad through the mollusk, the lobster, the bird, the quadruped, and the mon- key, either by Lamarck's principle of ' appetency,' and ' the force of cir- cumstances,' or Darwin's principle of ' selections ?' The fact is, man's appearance at so late a period in the earth's history, and so independent of all other species, seems a provi- dential testimony to the absurdity of this hypothesis. "Opinions of Eminent Naturalists. " We have seen, however, that it has been adopted by some natural- ists. How is it with the distin- guished paleontologists and zoolo- gists to whom we have referred as the highest authority on such ques- tions? We quote first from Prof. Pictet, who says, ' the theory of the transformation of species appears to us entirely inadmissible, and diamet- rically opposed to all the teaching of zoology and physiology.' Says Agassiz, ' nothing furnishes the slightest argument in favor of the mutability of species; on the con- trary, every modern investigation has only gone to confirm the results first obtained by Cuvier, and his views that species are fixed.' * It cannot be denied that the spec? eg of different successive periods are supposed by some naturalists to derive their distinguishing fea- tures from changes which have taken place in those of preceding ages ; but this is a mere supposition, supported neither by physiological 4t* 63 GENESIS. [B. C. 4102. nor geological evidence, and fclie as- sumption that animals and plants may * change in a similar manner during one and the same period. On the contrary, it is known by the evi- dence furnished by the Egyptian monuments, and by the most care- ful comparison between animals found in the tombs of Egypt with the living specimens of the same species obtained in the same coun- try, that there is not the shadow of a difference between them, for a period of about five thousand years. Geology only shows that at diiferent periods there have existed different species ; but no transition from those of a preceding into those of the fol- lowing epoch has ever been noticed anywhere.' " Says Owen, referring to the hypothesis of Wallace, Darwin, and others, ' observation of the effects of any of the above hypothetical trans- muting influences, in changing any known species into another, has not yet been recorded. And past expe- rience of the chance aims of human fancy, unchecked and unguided by observed facts, shows how widely they have ever glanced away from the golden centre of truth.' " Compelled thus by the principles of true philosophy to discard an hypothesis so unreasonable, these distinguished savans have felt as if special acts of creation by Divine power were the only alternative to account for the successive introduc- tion of new groups of organisms upon the earth's surface. * The two first explications ' (that of the dis- placement of contemporaneous fau- nas— deplacement des faunas contem- foraines — and that of transmuta- tion,) says Pictet, ' being inadmissi- ble, there remains the third, which is known under the name of the the- ory of successive creations, because it admits the direct intervention of creative power at the commencement of each geological epoch.' " Professor Owen is more decided. * We are able/ says he, ' to demon- strate that the different epochs of the earth were attended with corres- ponding changes of organic' struc. ture ; and that in all these instances of change the organs, still illustra- ting the unchanging fundamental types, were, as far as we could com- prehend their use, exactly those best suited to the functions of the being. Hence we not only show intelligence evoking means adapted to the end, but at successive times and periods producing a change of mechanism adapted to a change in external con- ditions. Thus, the highest genera- lizations in the science of organic bodies,''like the Newtonian laws of universal matter, lead to the unequiv- ocal conviction of a great first cause, which is certainly not mechanical.' " With still stronger emphasis does Agassiz speak of the original ani- mals. * All these beings," says he, " do not exist in consequence of the continued agency of physical causes, but have made their successive ap- pearance upon the earth by the im- mediate intervention of the Creator.' " To the unsophisticated mind, un- trammelled by theories, the inevita- ble conclusion from all these facts is, that the successive appearance of numerous groups of animals and plants on the globe, forms so many distinct examples of miracles of cre- ation. For in the view of all except the advocates of the development hypothesis, they demanded a force above and beyond nature in her or- dinary course, and this is the essen- tial thing in a miracle. What be- liever in the Bible ever doubted that the creation of man and contem- porary races was a miracle in this sense? Indeed, what stronger evi- dence of miraculous intervention have we anywhere than the creation of organic beings, especially of man ? and his introduction is one of the facts of geological history. But the mere creation of these successive races is not the whole of the matter. For they were nicely adapted to the altered condition of things at the different epochs. They showed, also, a gradual elevation in the scale of B. C. 4103.] CHAPTER I. being, as we rise higher and higher, ^f it was not a miracle to introduce Bucceeding groups under such cir- cumstances, that is, a special divine intervention, then we despair of finding a miracle anywhere. — Biblio- theca Sacra. Sir Charles Lyell, though receiv- ing with favor the alleged evidences of man's prehistoric antiquity, is not ready, by any means, to derive man from the lower animals by any pro- cess of development. He quotes, also with favor, M. Quatrefages, who says, in his work on the unity of the human species, that " man must form a kingdom by himself, if once we permit his moral and intellectual en- dowments to have their due weight in the classification." He quotes, also, the Archbishop of Canterbury. " It has been alleged, and may be founded on fact, that there is less difference between the highest brute animal and the lowest savage than between the savage and the most improved man. But in order to warrant the pretended analogy it ought to be, also, true, that this low- est savage is no more capable of im- provement than the Chimpanzee or Orang-outang." Lyell is free to admit that we can not push the comparison of man and lower animals beyond what is mainly physical. " We cannot imagine this world," he says, " to be a place of trial and moral discipline for any of the inferior animals, nor can any of them derive comfort and happiness from faith in a hereafter. To man, alone, is given this belief, so conso- nant to his reason, and so congenial to the religious sentiments implanted by nature in his soul; a doctrine which tends to raise him morally and intellectually in the scale of being, etc." — Arkiqwity of Man, p. 498. An eminent representative of the development school. Prof. Huxley, in his late work says, " there is but one hypothesis regarding the origin of the species of animals in general, which has any scientific existence — that propounded by Mr. Darwin,** and he contends tlmt tut for the lack of one linJc in the chain of evidence, Mr. Darwin has demonstrated " the existence of a true physical cause, amply competent to account for the origin of living species, and of man among the rest." This lacking link is this — the fact that " distinct spe- cies are for the most part incompe- tent to breed one with another, or to perpetuate their race, like with like. And he admits that this is. at present a fatal objection to the theory, for he adds, a true physical cause must be such as to account for all the phenomena within the range of its operation — else it must he re- jected. He, however, seems deter- mined to adopt the theory, " subject to the production of proof tlmt phy- siological species may bo produced by selective breeding." Alas ! the world, by wisdom, knows not God ! — (pp. 126-128.) Antiquity of the Humam Race. As regards this important ques tion, it is only of late that any scien- tific men have succeeded in agitating the learned world with their pre- tended discoveries. In 1840 the gravel beds of Abbeville were al- leged to have yielded such human remains as to prove an antiquity for the race far back of that allowed by the received understanding of Bibli- cal chronology. But recently the Abbeville jawbone, about which al- ready the English sai'^ns were much in doubt, is pi^ved to have been a fraud practised by the French laborers. A London paper thus exposes this latest imposture. " Al- though nothing has been said in the newspapers, we believe dis- coveries have been made of the character of the osseous fragments, which now change the doubt felt by the English geologists into cer- tainity. Mr. Godwin Austen, after skillfully conducted inquiries of one of the French laborers, procured the exhumation of certain remains that k 9i GENESIS. [B. C. 4109. had been interred by the individual referred to ; and on tbe examination of a particular skeleton which wanted the jaw, the Abbeville bone was found to fit exactly !" It has been, also, claimed that cer- tain flint weapons, arrow-heads, etc., have been found — occasionally in heaps, as if indicating a manufac- tory of the article, and in such local- ities as to intimate that the human workman must have existed long prior to the date commonly assigned to our race. As early as 1797 Mr. Jno. Frere published an account of such articles found in the gravel of Hoxne, in Suffolk, England, and he remarked, "the situation in which they are found may tempt us to refer them to a very remote period indeed, even beyond that of the pres- ent world !" They were found in a gravel bed two feet thick and twelve feet below the surface. Little or no notice, however, was taken of his publication. More recently the sub- ject is reSgitated with more public interest, and now, with the help of greater names. The flint weapons, arrow-heads, etc., in the gravel beds, and the Egyptian pottery of the Nile deposits, are adduced as vestiges of man's pre-Adamic antiquity. But it has been clearly shown that no certain law of the Nile deposits can be fixed upon for ascertaining the age of the pottery. — {London Quar. Bev., No. 210, pp. 419-421.) And as to the flint weapons, etc., they can- not be claimed in evidence until it be shown (1.) whether they are of the same age as th# formations in which they are found. (2.) Whether that formation itself is of a very remote antiquity. — (See Blackwood's Mag., No. 540, pp. 422-439; see Aids to Faith, Essay VI., p. 297, note. Am. edition.) (3.) Whether these implements themselves are certainly artificial. Many very striking formations of stone, shaped by the waters, or other natural forces, are found, quite as closely resembling art, as the arrow-head in %uestion. (4.) If these flints are artificial, why are not the tools also found by which they were made. (If there were metallic tools in use, would not the metal have superseded the flint. But none are found.) (5.) Why are not human bones, or other remains of man, found along with these articles if they be of hu- man production ? (6.) Even should such be found, may not these depos- its be due to earthquakes and floods, which have had such great power in shifting bones, rocks, gravel beds, etc. And it is to be noticed that these deposits in question are found chiefly in caves. (7.) Why may not the extinct animals among whose remains these flints are found, have belonged to post tertiary times ? Prof, Lubbock finds ample evidence for ranking the mammoth, rhinoce- ros, cave-bear, hyena, etc., as of this later age. The urus now found only in fossil state is mentioned by GcBsar. There is ground to believe that near- ly all the extinct species found along with human bones, or human re- mains, have become extinct at, or even since, the deluge. Instead of the discovery of man's bones and implements among the remains of these extinct animals proving that he existed before the time commonly fixed for his creation, such discover- ies would, at most, only give evi dence that those animals existed up to a later period than has usually been supposed. It is known that thirty-seven species of mammals and birds have become extinct during the recent period. Neither the be- hemoth, the dragon, the leviathan, nor the unicorn can certainly be identified with any existing species. Besides all this, the indisputable fact that no animal can be pointed to by geology as having been introduced later than man is a striking confirma- tion of the scriptural record. For- merly the fossiliferous strata were referred to the deluge. But this was argued against on the ground that human fossils were not found accom- panying the other animal remains. The present state of the question may B. C. 410!S.j CHAPTER I. 83 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto thera, ^ Be fruitful, and multiply, and 7-eplenisli the earth, and subdue it : and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. b ch. 9 : 1, T; Lev. 26 : 9 ; Ps. 12T : 3. revive the deluge theory of the fos- sils, as no more impossible, scienti- fically, than the notions of pre- Adamic races of man. The aim of these antiquarian theorists seems to be to find time for the development of mankiud out of the brute crea- tion, as if such a leap could be con- ceived if time enough be given. But if, as Bunsen imagines, the hu- man race has existed during two hundred centuries, where are the remains of their works? What have they been doing during the fourteen thousand years which pre- ceded the advent of Adam in his view? Are these few flints, called arrow-heads, and flint knives, all that remain of him and his works ? The facts, with the utmost findings of geology, do not call for any such lapse of time for the human race. But it is not presumed that these imagined prehistoric races could be of the Adamic family — and the Mo- saic record has nothing to do with any such — neither have we any sub- stantial evidence of any such. Farther. As regards the claim that human remains — as of earthen wares, have been found at such depths in the mud of the river Nile as to prove the prehistoric antiquity of man, experiments have been made with a view to ascertain the rate at which the mud of the Nile has been deposited during three thousand years. Various estimates have been made — M. Oirard fixing the rate as about five inches for a century; M. Horner at three and a-half inches for the same time. A bit of earthenware found at the depth of thirty-nine feet would thus indicate thirteen thousand years and more ! M. Bonere, however, calcu- lates tTFo and a-quarter inches per century — which would give us about twenty-five thousand years. But this is a muddy calculation. What could be more uncertain than the annual deposits of such a river ? For any basis of calculation it must be proved (1.) that the deposits of the Nile have proceeded uniformly year by year. How can this bt proved for thousands of years past (2.) That the river bed is even, and has undergone no change. (3.) Na lamina can be found to indicate the strata year by year. (4.) It must be shown that these stray bits of pot- tery could not have gone to that depth through some fissures, or by some upheavals, (5.) It is alleged that these investigations have not been conducted on satisfactory principles, as Sir Ghas. LyeU has aJso indi- cated. 28. As God blessed the first living creatures, (vs. 22,) and as He wo aid comprehend in His paternal blessing, all His creatures from the lowest to the highest animal form, so here, after the word of creation, follows the word of benediction— looking to- wards the propagation of the human species from this one pair — and by virtue of God's blessing on them. Unity of the Human Race. That the races of men have aU sprung from this one pair has been questioned and denied by some. But it has been now conclusively proven, as the result of most scien- tific investigation, that the difleren ces which are noticed among men of various climes and races, are only such as consist with a common parentage. The microscope has clearly shown that to be scientific* ally true which Paul alleged at 86 UBNESIS. [B. C. 4102L Athens, tliat "God hatli made of one blood, all nations of men, to dwell on all tlie face of the earth," (Acts 17 : 26.) The blood of all man- kind is found to be the same, and can be distinguished from the blood of all other animals. Sir Charles Lyell quotes from an elaborate re- view of Darwin by one " who is an eminent geologist." " If we embrace the doctrine of the continuous varia- tion of all organic forms from the lowest to the highest, including man as the last link in the chain of being, there must have been a transition from the instinct of the brute to the noble mind of man. And in that case, where are the missing links, and at what point of his progressive improvement did man acquire the spiritual part of his being, and be- come endowed with the awful attri- bute of immortality ?" For the unity of the human race we remark : 1. The varieties found among dif- ferent races of men are not such as to interfere with the law of propaga- tion, by which varieties, or races of the same species reproduce, while really distinct species of animals do not reproduce. No instances of mixed races from intermixture of distinct species have been found. Besides, and most conclusively it is found, that all various races of men do intermix freely and fruitfully. 2. The varieties of man are not greater than those that are found in the lower animals of the same spe- cies— as the dog and the hog. 3. There are ways of accounting for the varieties found among men, as the effect of climates by which the human color is so modified — modes of rearing, and habits of life, also account for many modifica- tions.— (See Prichard, Dr. Bachman, Dr. Gahell's " Unity of Mankind." 4. Tlie unity of language which all modern discovery more and more finds out, is a striking proof of unity in the race. Eminent scholars who claim the greater antiquity of man admit the unity. LepsiiuS claims to have reduced all languages to ona original alphabet. A higher anti- quity is claimed in o;"der to allow for the development cf such varie- ties from an original tongue. But no account is made by such of the miracle of the confusion of tongues at Babel, (ch. 11.) The scriptural testimony is conclusive, " God hath made of one blood all nations of men, (Acts 17 : 26.) Cuvier, Blumenbach, Dr. Prichard have all argued conclusively as to the unity of the human race. Even the author of " The Vestiges of Crea tion " admits the result of researches to be that conditions, such as cli- mate and food, domestication, and, perhaps, an inward tendency to pro- gress under tolerably favorable cir- cumstances, are sufficient to account for all the outward peculiarities of form and color observable among mankind !— (p. 262.) "Physiological ethnology has ac- counted for the varieties of the hu man race, and removed the barriers which formerly prevented us from viewing all mankind as the mem- bers of one family." — Prof. Max Midler. Dr. Bachman sums up the proofs of the unity of the human race, in the following sixteen items : 1. That all the varieties evidence a complete and minute correspon- dence in the number of teeth, and two hundred and eight additional bones contained in the body. 2. That in the peculiarity in the shedding of the teeth so different from all the other animals, they all correspond. 3. That they all possess the same erect stature. 4. That they are perfectly alike in the articulation of the head with the spinal column. 5. That they all possess two hands. 6. That there is universally an absence of the intermaxillary bone. 7. That they all have teeth of equal length. 8. That they all have smooth B. C. 4103.] CHAPTER I. 89 ekins on the b )dy and heads covered with hair. 9. That all the races have the same number and arrangement of muscles in every part of the body — the digestive and all other organs. 10. That they all possess organs of speech and the power of singing. 11. They are all omnivorous, and capableof living on all kinds of food. 12. That they are capable of in- habiting all climates. 13. That they possess a slower growth than any other animal, and are later in arri-ving at puberty. 14. That in every race there is the same peculiarity in the physical con- stitution of the female differing from all other mammalians. 15. That all the races have the same period of gestation, on an av- erage produce the same number of young, and are subject to similar diseases. 16. They differ most of all from every other creature, and most agree in this, that they all possess mental faculties, a conscience, and a hope of immortality. Alex. Von Humboldt says, " While attention was exclusively directed to the extremes of color and form, the result of the first vivid impressions derived from the senses was a tendency to view these differences as characteristics, not of mere varieties, but of originally distinct species. The permanence of certain types, in the midst of the most oppo- site influences, especially of chmate, appeared to favor*this view, notwith- standing the shortness of the time to which the historical evidence ap- plied. But in my opinion more powerful reasons lend their weight to the other side of the question, and corroborate the unity of the human race. I refer to the many Intermediate gradations of the tint of the skin, and the form of the skull, which have been made known to us, by the rapid progress of geo- graphical science in modern times, to the analogies derived from the history of varieties, both domesti- cated and wild, and to the positive observations collected respecting the limits of fecimdity in hybrids. The greater part of the supposed con- trasts to which so much weight was formerly assigned, have disappeared before the laborious investigations of Tiedemann on the brain of Negroes, and of Europeans, and the anatom- ical researches of Vrolik and Weher." " The great and important princi- ple of the unity of the human race, was to be proclaimed and enforced. One couple were, therefore, made the progenitors of the whole human family! All other considerations were deemed of minor importance compared with that momentous doc- trine which twines a tie of brother- hood around all nations and all ages. And though a plurality of first couples would have prevented mar- riages which were later justly re- garded with abomination, yet it would have destroyed a fundamen- tal truth, which is the germ of noble social virtues, which sheds brilliant light over the confusion of national strife and warfare." — {Kalisch, p. 99.) The varieties which we find in races of men so far from proving a difference of origin, according to " the appropriate zoological districts in which they are found," are to be explained in consistency with the record — that " Eve was the mother of all living," — and that " God hath made of one blood all nations." A clew is given to the facts by the record of what occurred at Babel. God's plan for mankind, as settlers of the globe, was not concentration, but dispersion. Man's plan was the opposite, (Gen. 11 : 4.) At Babel God did interpose to scatter men " over the face of the whole earth." And we are led, from the record, to understand, what no one can pro- nounce impossible with God, that cer-"" tain changes, whether of complexion or of constitution, (as well as of language,) suited to such "zoology ical districts," were miraculously wrought in the race at that time — ao cording to the declared object of Go Eden ; and there P he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow entative capacity. Yet all by the like "fe,ith may live. (See Dr. Gand- lish and McDonald.) This view will be more apparent if we consider, 1. The connexion in which this lan- guage is spoken, not immediately after the fall, and as a part of the sentence, but immediately after the clothing of skins, and as part of the fruits of redemption. 2. It re- fers to the man in his individual ca- pacity, and not to the race. 3. It is followed by an exclusion from the seal of the covenant of works, which is now supplanted by the covenant of grace. 4. It occurs after Adam gave the name to Eve, which signi- fied his faith, calling her the mother of all living. 5. It is said. He is be- come as one of us. Here is the coun- cil of grace at the new creation, as at the old creation, ch. 1, bringing to view the diflferent pei-sons in the Godhead. And here the man is said to have become as one of us. Alting understands that this refers to the second person of the Godhead and lunts of the God-man, and of the like- ness to Christ. It was therefore a most gracious and merciful procedure on the part of God to drive our first parents from the garden of Eden, to place them beyond the reach and even the sight of the tree of life, that they might therefore feel how helpless and hope- 6* less was their condition, except for the promise of the Saviour ; that they might be shut up to a simple reli- ance on Him as the only way to re- cover the life they had forfeited, and thus look longingly for the promised seed of the woman. See Gordon. As Adam had forfeited the life of which this tree of life was the sign, he had forfeited all right to the sa- cramental partaking of it, and was therefore justly excommunicated from the paradise. The Divine ap- pointment had been that life immor- tal was to be enjoyed in connexion with the partaking of this tree as the symbol and sacramental seal of the covenant : and here is simply God's declaration that this covenant has been broken by man, and this constitution is to be broken up. The church in Paradise is no more. It was not the mere eating of that tree that could give immortal life, for it had been partaken by them, and yet death had ensued by sin. God would also now exclude man from that which might be a vain confidence to him, and a delusive hope iu the out- ward sign. 23. Therefore. To abolish that original constitution, and to declare the covenant of works void by the fall of man, the Lord Ood cast him out — sent him forth from the garden of Eden — {drove him out, vs. 24,) by force — however reluctantly they might leave it — to till tJie ground. This was the Divine appointment, that instead of tilling the rich and fertile garden of Paradise, he should by hard labor till the ground out- side of the garden — the outside ground, or region where he had been created, and from whence he was taken to be placed in Paradise. Ob- serve.— (1.) There was mercy evea in this expulsion from the garden; for living forever aow ia this fallen estate of sin and misery wf»uld ha-ra 130 GENESIS. [B. C. 4103 2 4 So he drove out the man : and he placed ™ at the east of the garden of Eden " cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of Hfe. m ch. 2 : 8. n Ps. 104 : 1 ; Heb. 1 : 7. been only the curse of Cain infinitely- prolonged, (ch. 4 : 15, 16.) (2.) Though the fallen pair were driven out from the garden, they were driven out clothed — provided with the clothing which God gave them, as symbolical of a vicarious righteousness. 24. So, etc. The act of expulsion is here repeated. ^ The cherubim — {and he placed, lit., caused to dwell the cheruMm, and the flaming sword un- folding itself to keep the way of the tree of life.) This word is found nine- ty-one times in the Old Testament, chiefly in the plural, more rarely in the singular. Here it is the cherubim as something already known, though the word first occurs here. The use of the term symbolically would im- ply the existence of the real crea- tures; either as a complex person, or perhaps only in the constituent ardmal types named. From the use of the verb shakan, conveying the idea of shekinah, as the visible mani- festation of the Divine presence, we understand that the place of divine worship was shifted from within the garden to the outside. But though outside, it was at the gate. Here they appear as mediating be- tween the tables of the law enclosed in the ark and the shekinah, or visible presence of God enthroned above their folded wings. This would eeem therefore to have been here a symbol of the Divine human pres- ence. These may have been living creatures, or glorious symbolical forms. To Ezekiel they appeared only in vision. As regards their form, they were the combination of the highest orders and offices of life in the creation. The four living creatures in a complex person — the lion, the ox, the eagle, and the man in one, (Ezek. 1 : 10,) as types of the highest animated beings, seem to have symbolized the Divine attri- butes or the most exalted agencies in combination with humanity. lu this wondrous, complex Person, there- fore, would be dimly shadowed forth the Ood-man — " the Lion of the tribe of Judah." So in the temple God had His seat between the cherubim. His visible presence in a cloud was seated on their wings over the mer- cy-seat. So God was there at the gate of Eden to commune with fall, en man from between the cherubim, the symbols of His incarnate pres- ence. The human face, among those features of most exalted attributes, would be a symbolic representation to man of the glorious coming One, and of the glory to which man should attain through Him. In the visions of John we find a further develop- ment of the idea belonging to these same cherubic forms. The four liv- ing creatures, unhappily rendered, " the four leasts," appear in the heav- enly state as prominent in the wor- ship, and associated with the four and twenty elders. They are dis- tinct from the angels, and they seem, along with the elders, to represent that highest style of life to which the redeemed church attains in glory, as one with Christ, Rev. 5 : 6- 14; 7:11; 14; 3. See also Exod. 25:18; 26:1,31. Num. 7:89. Ps. 80 : 1 ; 99 : 1 ; 18:10. Ezek. 1:5; 10 : 2. 1 Kings 6 : 23, 29, 35. It is now established that composite ani- mal forms, such as the cherubim of Scripture, and what was probably a traditional imitation of them — the winged human-headed lions and bulls of Nineveh, and the sphinxes of Egypt, were intended to repre- sent beings, or a state of being, in which were concentrated all the pe- culiar qualities and excellencies which distinguished the creatures entering into the combination. — McDonald. Creation and Fall, p. 474. B. C. 4103.] CHAPTER IV. 181 CHAPTER IV. ND Adam ^new Eve his wife ; and she conceived, and bare . Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Loed. Accompanying this composite being or symbolic form was tJie flame of a eword turning itself about — tlie flash- ing of a brandished sword — symbolic of the Divine law ; " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," actively operating as it was flashed and brandished in connexion with this complex, personal cheru- bic form. This whole figure would represent therefore the personal word along with the written word, the law along with the gospel. Mercy and truth met together, righteousness and peace kissing each other, and operating in perfect harmony, to keep the icay of the tree of life. The way of life was hitherto represented by the tree of life, as the seal of the cov- enant of works. That covenant hav- ing been broken by man, he is thrust out from the application of this seal, and here he sees access to it debar- red by this glorious cherubic form, accompanied with a flaming sword. This, however, was not only judicial, but merciful. This was God's decla- ration, that " the way of the tree of life " should be guarded and preserv- ed, not forever to be kept from man, but to be kept also for man under the guard of the highest offices, and most exalted life. This conquering " seed of the woman " is found open- ing it again to man, and excluding from it " whosoever loveth and mak- eth a lie," Rev. 22 : 14, 15. Accord- ingly, we find the "inheritance in- corruptible and undefiled, reserved (preserved) in heaven for us who are kept (as with a military guard) by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time," (1 Pet. 1 : 5.) And so we find the tree of life again exhibited in the midst of the paradise of God, (Rev. 2:7; 22 ; 2.) " And there shaU be no more curse." "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life." " Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life," Rev. 22 : 14. Observe. — 1. There is no hint in this only primitive history of oui race, that different portions of the human family proceeded from differ- ent pairs of progenitors, but there is all along the clearest presumj^tion of only a single pair — Adam and Eve, from whom all mankind have de- scended. 2. The church of God already exist- ed in the family of Adam, and pub- lic worship was required and per- formed at an appointed place, and with appointed observances. 3. It is plain from the record that Adam was constituted the covenant head of the human family, and by this Divine arrangement, acted under that covenant for his posterity also. And this is the more fitting, from the fact that he was the natural head of the race, and that they were in him, as being in his loins. This judicial constitution was not arbitrary, but had its basis in the natural constitu- tion, which was itself according to the sovereign plan of God. 4. The fall of man had been eter- nally foreknown to God, and the provision for his redemption had been made from eternity, (Eph. 1 : 4,) Therefore God created man in order to display all His moral attributes, and to show His grace and truth in the second Adam. CHAPTER rV. § 17. The two Classes of Men — Cain and Abel — Sacrifice AND MURDJIR. Ch. 4 : 1-16. Here occurs the history of two sons of Adam. Each representing a class of men ever since in the world. GENESIS. [B. C. 4103 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was keeper of sheep, but Cain was * a tiller of the ground. a ch. 3 : 23 ; 9 : 20. Two opposite principles and tenden- cies are here exhibited at the out- set of our fallen history. The ques- tion is still, as at the Fall, between faith and self-sufBciency — God's plan or man's. 1. The birth of Cain and Abel probably occurred soon after the Fall. These births have their high- est importance from the promise of 'the woman's seed," who was to conquer the serpent. This is the first step in that lineal descent by which Christ was to come. All the genealogies, henceforth so minutely recorded, are important as tracing the lineage of Christ. The whole Old Testament history is but an introduc- tion to the history of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Luke, therefore, traces the genealogy of Jesus up to Adam, (Luke, ch. 1.) All the hopes of the first pair being now based upon their promised seed, it could scarcely be wondered at that Ei^e regards the birth of her first-born in this light. The name Cain indicates this, meaning possession. And this, in connexion with her remark at his birth, seems to be a kind of joyful * Eureka " of this first mother over her first born. ^ I have gotten (pos- sess,) a man Jehovah. The name " Jehovah," as we have seen, is the redemptive name of God — that in which He displays Himself as the Coming One — He who shall be. And here Eve, the life-mother, says, " I have gotten a man, the Coming One," — " the seed of the woman " promised as the Deliverer, This was her natural confidence that she had, in the person of this male first born, acquired the object of her faith and hope. So Ps. Jon reads, ' I have gotten a man, the angel of Jehovah." Syr., A man Jehovah. Others read it, a man from or with Jehovah. So KeU. . The Heb. parti- cle before " Jehovah " is the same aa before " Cain," and is the sign of the objective case. It is objected by Bathe that if she knew that the Messiah must be Jehovah, how could she think that Cain was the Messiah, when she knew him to be the off- spring of Adam." But it was as the seed of the woman that she looked for the glorious Coming One — and here is the first instance in which the name " Jehovah " is used alone by any of that time. Moses first uses it in the history in connexion with Elohim in ch. 2 : 4. As Eve here first used the name she meant only the Coming One, who was to be the woman's seed, without under- standing the name as Moses did, and as we now do, in its application to God alone. But God, it would appear afterwards, was graciously pleased to apply the name to Him- self— the name by which the com- ing Deliverer had been previously known — thus further disclosing the great truth that the conqueror of the serpent would be a Divine Person- age, and no ordinary descendant of Adam. God would then be known not only as Elohim, but as Jehovah- Elohim — the Redeemer God. " Then, also, men began (in the days of Enos,) to call upon the name of Je- hovah." 2. And she again hare. Lit., And she added to hear his hrother Ahel. It is commonly inferred from the phraseology here that these were twins. The name Ahel is significant also, meaning vanity. It may bo supposed, however, with Kurtz, that she soon became aware of her error, and called her second son Ahel — " vanity," on this account. Or the name may have been Divinely or- dered as an incidental prediction of the vanity of her fond maternal hopes, as to be developp4 i?i the JjU B. C 8975.] CHAPTER rv. 13d 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought b of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Loed. 4 And Abel, he also brought of ^ the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Loed had ^ respect unto Abel, and to his offerino^ : b Num. 18 : 12. c Num. 18 : 17 ; Prov. d Heb. 11 : 4. tory. Others tMnk the name was suggested by her sense of their fall- en condition, and of the misery she had entailed upon her offspring. ^ Keeper of sheep. lAi., feeder of a flock — (sheep and goats.) The re- spective occupations of these brothers in after life are now mentioned, as bearing on the after history. The race was not first in a savage state, and only afterwards gradually civil- ized. They were first in this state of civilization in which such dis- tinct and honorable callings are pursued. The first occupation by which the godly man is here distin- guished from the ungodly, is that of a shepherd. Who can fail to think of " the Good Shepherd," as already typifying Himself in history. His calling seems to have had an effect in shaping his conduct. Cain was a "tiller of the ground," — a husband- man. It was no fault of his occupa- tion that Cain took so opposite a course from Abel. 3. In process of time. Lit., at the end of the days. It is doubted whether this refers to the end of the week or of the year — to the Sabbath, or to the time of ingathering. More likely this phrase denotes the Sab- bath— which was then the seventh day — tJie end of the week days. And as it is plain that the Sabbath was observed as holy time since its for- mal institution by God in Paradise, it was doubtless kept holy by such appointments of worship as would distinguish the day. All the nations of antiquity have agreed without exception, in the use of sacrifices as a mode of worship. And it is clearly traceable to this original appoint- ment of God. It continued four thousand years to be the chief cen- 6* tral feature of all Divine worship. It was the problem of ages, the full solution of which was not reached till its goal was attained in the ful- ness of the time, on Calvary. ^ Cain brought. There was a vital differ- ence in the material of these offer- ings as presented by Cain and Abel. Here was already the very distinc- tion afterwards made in the Levit- ical service. The bloody sacrifice had always in it the idea of death, as the desert of sin — and this pro- vision of an animal as a substitute, carried with it the idea of a vica- rious death, as required for atone- ment. But there was, also, an offer- ing, or oblations,(lit. minhhah,) which was unbloody — made of flour or meal, and called meat offering, though properly a meal offering. This was usually a thank offering — and was also appointed to be offered along with bloody offerings. Cain would naturally enough bring this kind if he had had no direction. But in the nature of the case it is plain that the animal sacrifice was ai^pointed by God as indispensable — whether with or without the other. So we find it in the Law afterwards, (Levit. 2 : 1, 4, 7.) Here is the blood of " the Lamb slain from the foun- dation of the world," (Rev. 13 : 8. 4. Accordingly we find Abel bring- ing a bloody sacrifice. This was his confession of faith — that "without shedding of blood is no remission," His faith led him to bring this kind of offering — and his faith accompa- nying the act also, made the offering acceptable. So Paul declares, (Heb. 11 : 3, 4,) "By f?ith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable (lit., a fuller) sacrifice (more of a sacrifice) than CaiQ," i Of the firstlinys. Th- 134 GENESIS. [B. C. 8975 5 But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, ® and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth ? and why is thy countenance fallen ? e ch. 31 : 2. first-born and unblemislied — first and best. This is in the spirit of the Divine command and runs through the law of Moses, (Exod. 13 : 12 ; Dent. 13 : 6.) T[ And the fat. The cream of the matter God claims — lit., the fatness of them. In the law it was " the fat of the inwards," — representing the best affections, Ex- odus 29 : 13. It would seem alto- gether probable that these offerings were presented before the cherubic form at the gate of Eden, — and that this was " the presence of the Lord " from which Cain afterwards " icent out," (vs. 16.) It is also probable that tjiese brothers had been used to bring their offerings, as divinely ap- pointed ; but that now Cain departs from the prescribed method and from his own custom — and acts the apostate — unless we understand that this was their first offering — at ma- ture age. Cain incurred, also, special guilt as being the eldest — the first- born son. Observe. — Here already in the second generation we find divi- sion of labor, and the rights of per- sonal property. ^ Had respect. Lit., looked to — approvingly. (Ar., accept- ed.) Paul declares that God testified of Ids (Abel's) gifts, (offerings,) Heb. 11:4. How this testimony was given we do not know. In other cases it was by fire from heaven sent down to consume the offering, (1 Kings 18 : 38.) So it may have been here. By means of it, his sacrifice, offered in faith, Abel obtained loitness (was witnessed to,) that he was righteous, (justified,) Heb. 11 : 4. It is the faith of Abel that Paul celebrates. And the faith was a faith in that which the sacrifice set forth — a faith in the vicarious sacrifice that was repre- sented there as indispensable for rec- ODcilation of God and man. It seems most probable that the flame from the Shekinah may have darted out so as to consume the offering of Abel — signifying that the justice of God was satisfied in that which the bloody offering symbolized. 5. But unto Cain, etc. This ele- ment of blood-shedding was that which Cain's sacrifice lacked, and his choice of such a bloodless offering, against the Divine requirement, was his open profession that blood-shed- ding was not requisite, at least for him. Of course he lacked the faith in the coming sacrifice, which was indispensable to righteousness. He professed no sense of sin's deadly nature and deserts, and no faith in the Divine provision as the only mode of reconciliation. He set up his own plan against God's — his own reason- against faith — and, of course, he found no room in his system for the gospel of the Old Testament. It was not that Cain's sacrifice was less costly than Abel's that it was incomplete — but that it lacked the essential element oi faith — both as to the matter and as to the manner. ^ Very wroth. Lit., It was kindled to Cain. As we say — his anger was kindled. He was angry against God and against his brother, as the friend of God. " Thus Cain, the first-born of the fall, exhibits the first fruits of his parent's disobedi- ence in the arrogancy and self-suffi- ciency of reason rejecting the aids of revelation, because they fall not in with its apprehension of right." — Magee. And from this proud rejec- tion of the Divine provision, he went on to harbor enmity and malice, leading to revenge and murder. " Of sin because they believe not on me," (John 16 : 9.) T[ His counte- nance fell. He became mori^se and B.C 3975.] CHAPTER IV. 185 1 If thoa doest well, shalt thou not be accepted ? and if thou doest not Av^ell, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Burly in his expression, carrying in his very face the ill-humor that was rankling in his bosom. 6. Jehovah, though well knowing the evil spirit in Cain's bosom, stoops to expostulate with him — most ten- derly urging upon the poor, soured spirit, the only provision — and press- ing the grace upon his acceptance as though it were a merchant urging his wares. " I counsel thee to buy of me." 7. The Divine expostulation refers to the unreasonableness of his anger — and sets forth the case in its true light. ^ If thou doest icell. Lit., If thou shalt do good — is there not lifting up — acceptance — the same as with Abel, or, the excellency, (i. e., the birthright above Abel which Cain had by birth as the elder, but which he felt that he had now lost,) — and if thou shalt not do good, sin (a sin offering) is crouching at the gate. As much as to say, the great principle of the Divine administration is holy, and just, and good. There is accept- ance to the well doer, or, as between yourselves, birth-right privilege to you. If you will stand upon your own merit, as you propose, in reject- ing the sin offering — then do good and live — ^keep the law and stand if you can, upon your spotless inno- cence, (Rom. 10 : 5.) But if thou shalt not do good (this is the law,) a sin offering is crouching at the gate — at the gate of Eden — the sanctuary — in presence of the Shekinah there is the provision for a sacrificial offer- ing. The verbs here are in the future — the form for the declaration of the law. The meaning of the latter clause is, that if Cain would own himself to be a sinner, and stand on the plan of grace, there was a provision in the animal sacrifice for that very purpose, testifying of the desert of sin, and of the need of blood-shedding for reconciliation. To understand it as some do, " If thou doest not well, sin lieth at tho door," — is nearly, if not quite a tau- tology. " If thou sinnest, sin is chargeable against you." The term here used (hattach,) is the Levitical term for sin offering, and so, also, Hos. 4 : 8, and in the New Testament the term " sin " is sometimes so used, 2 Cor. 5 : 21 ; Heb. 9 : 28. The term rendered " lieth " is more properly rendered " croucheth," and is used of animals lying down, and the partici- ple here in the masculine belongs to the animal referred to by the femi- nine noun, according to the Hebrew custom. Whereas in places where the noun is used to mean sin, the verbal form is in the feminine, di- rectly agreeing with it. The nature of the transaction is fully set forth by Paul in the Hebrews, (ch. 11 : 4.) It was by faith that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice (a fuller, more complete sacrifice,) than Cain. Faith led him to bring a bloody sacrifice — as a sacramental memorial of the blood-shedding to come — and faith in that which his offering sym- bolized made it acceptable to God — "for without faith it is impossible to please Him," (Heb. 11 : 6,) and " whatsoever is not of faith is sin," (Rom. 14 : 23.) •[[ And unto thee, etc. This clause evidently refers to the ill-feeling of Cain against his brother — on account of Abel's acceptance in preference to himself. And in an- swer to the inquiry about the cause of his anger, it suggests this relief from the difl&culty. By the sin-offer- ing provided, you may be restored to your forfeited birthright relation, and thus his desire shall he unto thee, and thou shalt rule oxer him. This language " Jiis desire shall he unto thee," expresses subjection and de- pendence, and as we have seen, (see notes, 3:16,) it might be paraphrased, He shall look up to thee, as his head. 136 GENESIS. [B. C. 3975 3 And Cain talked with Abel his brother ; and it came to pass "when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and ^ slew him. f Matt. 23 : 35 ; 1 John 3 : 12 ; Jude 11. etc. The sense given to this passage by many is, " If thou doest not well, sin is crouching (lion-like is lurking) at the door — and to thee is its (his) desire, (i. e., it (he) wishes to over- come you, 1 Peter 5 : 8,) but thou shouldst overcome it." See Magee, on the Atonement, No. 65, p. 384. The Septuagint reads it, " Though you may have rightly offered, yet, if you have not rightly divided, have you not sinned? Be at rest. To you shall he submit himself, and you shall rule over him." Some under- stand the passage as explanatory of the foregoing transaction. Others understand it as pointing Cain to the provision yet witliin his reach. But the former may include also the lat- ter, Gandlish understands the allu- sion to Adam's relation to Eve, (Gen. 3 : 16,) as expressed in the clause, "Unto thee shall be his desire," thus, namely, that like the hus- band's command over the wife is the believer's command over sin. It shall no longer have dominion over you, but shall be in subjection — as Eve to Adam.— (Vol. I., p. 140, note.) Dr. Murphy, in his recent commen- tary, understands this to be all in the tone of warning, " Sin lieth at the door," — sin past in its guilt — sin present in its despair — and above all, sin future as the growing habit of a soul that persists in an evil temper, and goes on from worse to worse. So that sin is represented as await- ing him at the door like a crouching slave to do the bidding of his mas- ter. " And unto thee shall be his desire," etc., would then mean, the entire submission and service of sin will be yielded to thee as thy wil- ling slave. Or, if the reference be to Abel, then he understands it — his (Abel's) desire and forced compliance will be yielded unto thee, and thou wilt rule over him with a rigor and a violence that will terminate in hia murder. But this would confound the mastery of sin with the slavery of sin, and is based on a misan- derstanding of the passage, ch. 3 : 16. (See Notes.) Keil under- stands it that the allusion is to the serpent. Sin is here personified as a crouching animal seeking to de- vour, (a roaring lion, crouching at his door,) 1 Peter 5 : 8. But by restraining his wrath, sin should be brought into subjection, and he should get the mastery of the mon- ster. 8. And Cain talked, etc. Lit., And Cain said to Abel. It is not the common phrase of speaking (V,) to any one, as next clause, vs. 9, vs. 13, ch. 3 : 14. The preposition here (V») conveys the idea of against. What he said is not here recorded. Some have understood it as denoting a general fraternal talk. Others, that he told Abel what God had said — {"said it to Abel.") Others supply certain words as, " Let us go into the fields," which is mere con- jecture. The record is brief, and it matters not what he said. The omision would seem to be designed to point attention to what he did, 'diz., that he entered into conversa- tion with his brother, against whom he felt such enmity, and the idea is conveyed by this brief record, that what he said led on to slaying his brother. See 1 John 3 : 13 ; 2 Sam. 20 : 9, 10. ^ And it came to pass lohen they were in the field. Most suppose that Cain had f signed kind feeling, to put Abel off his guard till a convenient time and p] ace should occur for the murder. But it would seem that he spake reprovingly, (see below.) The root of his enmity wjifl B. C. 3975.] CHAPTEB IV. 137 unto Cain, know not: s Where is Abel thy Am I my brother's 9 1" And the Lord said brother ? And he said, ^ I keeper ? 10 And he said. What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's l)lood i crieth unto me from the ground. g Ps. 9 : 12. h John 8 : 44. i Heb. 12 : 24 ; Rev. 6 : 10. his brother's purity, in contrast with his own sin and shame. " Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous," 1 John 3 : 12. Oecolampadius remarks that " when the Divine counsel has profited noth- ing, matters commonly grow worse," ^ liose up against. The preposition here is the same used in the pre- ceding clause — and Cain spake to (against,) — and is in this context sev- eral times used and to the like effect — as in vs. 9, where Jehovah speaks to Cain after the murder — and in vs. 13, where Cain replies complainingly to God, and in ch. 3 : 14, where in- troducing the language to the ser- pent, it is " God said to (against) the serpent." So ch. 3 : 2, 4. 1" Ms brother. So much the more cruel and criminal that it was " his Irroth- er " whom he slew. Observe. — (1.) Here occurs the first death, showing the terrible consequence of the curse, not only in the death of the body, (Abel's,) but what is worse, in the death of the soul, (Cain's.) (2.) One Bin against God leads to other sins against Him. " Evil men and sedu- cers wax worse and worse," (2 Tim. 3 : 13.) How long Cain harbored this enmity against Abel we do not know. He never lost the grudge which kept rankling in his bosom tiU he did the deed. As human death was imknown till then, he could not have known to what an awful issue his enmity would lead. How must he have been shocked to witness the result of his rage. So, "sin when it is finished bringeth forth death," (James 1 : 15.) It is inierred from ch. 4 : 25, that this murder must have occurred nearly one hundred and thirty years after Adam's creation, and just before the birth of Seth — when Adam must have had a large number of descend- ants. 9. As in the case of his fallen father so here, the criminal is addressed by God in terms of searching in- quiry. ^ Where is Abel thy brother ? This is the very point. " Thy broth- er " is the emphatic part. " Where is he f" God asks not for informa- tion, but to bring Cain to see his awful wickedness, and to confess his sin and shame. Cain had thought to be rid of the presence of his enemy. But he had forgotten the presence of God which now he cannot escape, and which is the presence of infinite goodness, infinitely terrible to the sinner. ^ I know not. First of all, he stoutly lies unto God. This is the impulse of sin to grow bold and hope to escape by further and bolder sin — especially to conceal crime by lying. So did his father Adam. \ \ Am I, etc. The next step is to , charge God foolishly as if He asked of him something unreasonable, or laid upon him a responsibility not his own. As much as to say, " You have no right to demand of me an account of my brother. I know not where he is — and I should not be required to know." This is both falsifying and finding fault with God. " Hence it appears how great is i ■> depravity of the human mind ; since when convicted and condemned by our ownn^onscience, we still do not cease either to mock or to rage against our Judge." — Calvin. God has a right to demand of us this sort of brother's keeping — neither to do violence nor to allow it to be done — the first on the score of jus- tice, the second on the score of love. 10. If Cain yet hoped that God 138 GENESIS. [B. C 397». 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath open- ed her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength : A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. did not know of his crime, now lie must confront the naked charge. Now, upon this wicked denial and cavil of Cain, God presses him with the bloody deed, and shows that he cannot escape His strict judgment. As He replied to Adam exposing his plea of nakedness, (ch. 3:11,) so here to Cain — (lit.,) " It is the voice of the blood of thy hrother crying to me from the ground." Heb., " the bloods, (plural.) This plural form in the Hebrew expresses eminence. I hear the voice of the precious blood of thy brother which is crying, etc. The Chald. paraphrases it, " The voice of the bloods of (the genera- tions of good men who might have sprung from) thy brother." The apostle, in the Hebrews, is thought by some to refer to Abel's blood in contrast with that of Christ — ^but others understand it of the blood of Abel's sacrifice, (Heb, 12 : 24.) If the former, it would mean that Abel's blood cries for vengeance — and that of Christ cries for pardon. If the latter, it would mean that the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel's sacrifice and all the bloody offerings of the law. Observe. — (1.) God takes note of men's crimes though there be no accuser present. (2.) He visits on the murderer his penalty. (3.) He cares for the good, even after death, vindicating them. 11. God now pronounces on Cain the curse. 1st, as regards the ground. Just as the very ground itself sym- pathized with the death of Christ, so here with that of Abel. In Adam's case, the ground was cursed for his Bake ; in Cain's case, he himself is personally cursed from the earth, (lit., ground.) " So that it shall no more afibrd him a secure resting place." And the ground would re- fuse to him her strength, (even with aU his labors) because the blood of his brother, which she had drunk up, would be a kind of poison in her bo- som to spoil the fruit of his toil. 12.. Shall not henceforth yield, Heb. shall not add, etc. — shall not any more yield, etc. The original curse upon Adam had been that he should gain his subsistence only by the sweat of his brow ; yet he should gain it thus. Upon Cain the curse is, that though he should tiU the ground, yet, in a kind of revenge, it would refuse to yield to him her strength, and so he should roam from place to place, all along reminded in his daily living and by his fruitless labors of his dreadful crime. Mean while he should carry about with him the materials of his own torture in a guilty conscience, such as a mur- derer alone can know. " In the case of the first murderer, God designed to furnish a singular example ol malediction, which should remain in all ages." — Calvin. ^ A fugitive, Heb., a wanderer and a fugitive. Roaming about unsettled, and flying from the face of man. The very ground turned against him, he would be homeless, and his con- science condemning him, he would flee even when no man pursued. " He found, -vrhere'er be roamed, uncheered, iinblest, No pause from suffering, and from toil no rest." All his comfort must be on the earth, and this God takes away from him. 13. My punishment, etc., lit., great is my punishment from (beyond) bea/r B. C. 8975.] CHAPTER IV. 13d 14 Jf Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth ; and ^ from thy face shall I be hid ; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth ; and it shall come to pass, *" that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him, ^ seven-fold. And the Lord <^ set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. k Job 15 : 20-24, 1 Ps. 51 :4,6. 11. m ch. 9 : 6 ; Num. 85 : 19, 21, 27. n Ps. 79 : 12. o Ezek. ing ; or, my sin from taking away. He complains of the insufferable se- verity of his punishment, but lie gives no sign of repentance. Some read it, " My iniquity is greater than can be forgiven." The noun may mean either sin, or punishment of sin, but here probably the latter, as he goes on more fully to express the idea. Cain was filled with anger and fear, perhaps also with remorse and despair. Hdvernick says. The unbloody offering of Cain stands in remarkable agreement with the ex- pression, " My sin is greater than can he taken away." The verb is that which is used for bearing or taking away sin. 14. Cain here recites and dwells upon his sentence, " Behold thou hast driven me out this day from upon the face of tJie ground, and from thy face I shall be hid." Luther reads, *' Out of the land." The same word is used i^'the ground,") as in ver. 11, and refers to the same. He regarded the sentence as a virtual exile from the face of the soil, which should refuse him food. What he adds in the next clause means, "From thy favoring and protecting face I shall be hid ; from thy kind presence — such as made Abel happy, as it beamed in the glorious cherubim. The mur- derer begins to feel himself thus abandoned of God, And now, full of terrors for the future, he sees nothing in the prospect but revenge to be visited upon him by every one he should meet. Every one of Adam's family, however multiplied, now, and in the future, would seem to be pur- -foing him to slay him. Poor Cain ! He dreads death, which he first saw so horribly in the case of his brother. Observe. — Much as he must have dreaded to meet God, he dreads also more to be cast away from His pres- ence and favor forever. Besides, he seems to have expected that his com- plaint would be heard and answered in the presence of the Shekinah, but that if exiled beyond its precincts, he should be driven forth beyond the circle sacred to the worship of God, and to the highest earthly en- joyment in the*visible display of His presence. 15. Therefore. God spares the life of Cain. This is in mercy to give him opportunity for repentance, and to save him from the just retribu- tion that the murderer should al- ways expect. Capital punishment Cain felt to be his desert, and what he should certainly receive at the hands of outraged society. Con- science witnessed to the desert of it before the law was proclaimed to Noah, (ch. 9 : 6,) showing thus that the law had its foimdation in the very nature of things, God here forbade the natural law of capital punishment to take its course. God was pleased in this case to keep the punishment in His own hands, and to make Cain a fearful living exam- ple to men, which would be more ef- fective in that early state of society. Cain would thus go about the ] and a wanderer and a fugitive, %vitli a visible warning also to every pur suer against the sevenfold vengeance upon him who should slay Cain, thus witnessing of the Divine ven- geance reserved against this firat 140 GENESIS. [B. C. 8975 16 % And Cain P went out from the presence of the Loed, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. p 2 Kings 13 : 23 ; 24 : 20 ; Jer. 23 : 39 ; 52 : 3. murderer. Besides, God would not have every man allowed to take this fearful vengeance into his own hands, else the earth would be turned into a hell. This right has therefore since been formally intrusted to so- ciety. Any fresh murder (though it be of Cain) should be pimished seven- fold. What would the world be if God did not thus set a bridle to hu- man fury ? ^ Seta mark upon Cain — a sign. The Heb. Eng. Bib. renders it, " Appointed a sign for Cain, that none finding him should smite him." Heng. says the word here rendered " mark," signifies in general a thing or an event, or an action which shall serve as an assurance that something future shall come to pass. (Christ. 1, p. 319.) The same phrase is used, Ezek. 21:19. Appoint to thee two ways. Ps. 19 : 4. Hath he set a tab- ernacle to the sun. Dan. 1 : 7. Ap- pointed to them names. Delitzsch un- derstands it of a guaranty given, and that somehow God stamped the mark of inviolability upon him. This was to be somehow a visible mark of the Divine punishment — that men might have before their eyes an example of the Divine pun- ishment upon murder. The most various conjectures have been made as to this mark or sign set upon Cain. Some have thought that it was only a sign given to and wrought for Cain — an assurance from God. So the Sept. reads. But this should have been differently expressed. Here it reads, God put, placed, imposed to him, (Dan. 1 : 7.) What this mark was, we can- no^i say, and it is idle to conjecture. Calvin says, " It may suffice us that there was some visible token which should repress in the spectators the desire and the audacity to inflict in- jury." The terms clearly indicate this. And this would also seem part of the plan, that while this mark should be Cain's brand as a murderer, it would be God's mark of his protection from others who would murder him, in a natural retaliation, and thus it would express God's ven- geance against the awful crime as reserved to himself. This sign is held by many to have been a wild ferocity of aspect, that made every one shrink from him. But " oth" in the Hebrew does not mean a " brand," but a token, as the rainbow was a token. 16. Went out. According to the sentence just pronounced upon him, Cain went out a wanderer and a fu- gitive in the land. In so doing, he, of course, went out from the presence of Jehovah — the place of His public worship at the gate of Eden, where the family of Adam had, from the time of the fall, held public worship, as the church of God. Cain was therefore an apostate, and excom- municated by this sentence of God upon the murderer. Of course he was now separated from aU godly associations, his forebodings were now realized, and from the face (or presence) of God he was hid. Alien as he was, at heart, from God, he had some sense left of the value of His worship and favor. He had seen the happiaess of the household church, with which he had been connected by tenderest ties, and could not but dread to be banished forever from it. So the worst men, even murderers, often feel the bonds of parental religion, and dread the thought of exclusion from all the good and the blest in heaven. ^ He dwelt in the land of Nod. This coun- try has a name which means exile, fijight, and is like the word for warh- derer, (vs. 13.) This stands in op- position to Eden — delight — pleasure It was located eastward beyond Eden Grotius places it in Arabia, MkhaeUs in India ; Huet, in Susiana ; Ewald, in Iconium ; Hasse, in the Caucasian B.C. CHAPTER IV. 141 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch : and he builded a city, 1 and called tlie name of the city- after the name of his son Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael : and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 ^ And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. q Ps. 49 : 11. mountains; and BuUmann, near Cashmere. Some say in Arabia Pe- trea, cursed with barrenness on Cain's account. These are only con- jectures. It is plain that Eden, in whicli was the garden of Paradise, was a district of country noted for richness of products, and that this land of exUe was beyond — outside of this. § 18. Development in the line OF Cain — City Building, Art, AND Polygamy. Ch. 4 : 17-24. 17. It will now appear what was the tendency of Cain's progeny in the direction of his own alienation from God. Whom Cain married we do not know. In the earliest time of course it was allowed to marry the nearest relatives, from the ne- cessity of the case. Adam had many more sons and daughters than are expressly mentioned. See ch. 5:4. T[ Enoch. This name means initiated, or dedicated, and may refer to his being the first of Cain's posterity, at least since the murder, or to his being the intro- duction of a new r^^^e in opposition to the portion of tnat irom which Cain had been cut off. *[[ And he huUded; lit., teas building a city, or teas buUder of a city. This seemed also the introduction of a new epoch, and he affixed to the city the name of his son. While it appears con- trary to the idea of his being a wan- derer and a fugitive, it is only his effort to fix himself in a home. This was the development of Cain's world- liness and independence of God, which reached its height in the building of Babel. We must not understand this of *' a city" like those of modem times, but of a fixed place, in contrast with the tents of wandering shepherd life. Cain is here represented as founding a king- dom of the world, the opposite of the kingdom of God. Cain's family in- vented the arts and pleasures of life, and deified themselves and their an- cestors.— Kurtz. 18. Here we find the first genea- logical table. The names here are strikingly similar to those of the family of Seth, (ch. 5.) But the two series are differently arranged, and some names are omitted. Hater- nick refers this similarity to the scarcity of names. Baumgarten un- derstands it as showing that the de- scendants of Seth, by adopting the names of the family of Cain, had in- tended to show that they had taken the place of the firstborn but degen- erate line. The names here given seem to be those of the firstborn, in whom the genealogy was traced. 19. Lamech. The notice of Cain's descendants extends to this man, the sixth from Cain, " in whom the un- godliness of a family, who only sought after the things of this world, reached its climax, as may be gath- ered from his polygamy — from his godless confidence in and hymn to the sword — and from what is record- ed of his sons, who directed their energies to cultivate exclusively the worldly side of life by arts and in- dustry. His, family foreshadowed the later stage of heathenism in its twofold aspect." — Ku 'tz. Two mves. This first breach of the marriage law on record is noticed of Lamech, show- 142 GENESIS. [B.C. 3973. 20 And Adah bare Jabal : he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the ^father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron : and the sister of Tubal-cain was ISTaa- mah. r Rom. 4 : 11, 12. ing the wicked development in Cain's line. Lamech was the first bigamist, and here was the origin of polygamy, which has been attended with so much corruption and crime. "The Lord willed that the corruption of lawful marriage should proceed from the house of Cain, and from the per- son of Lamech, in order that poly- gamists might be ashamed of the ex- ample."— Calvin. Observe, — In this seventh gene- ration wickedness is developed along with art, but the piety of Enoch also along with the wickedness of La- mech. 20. Here in the eighth generation we have still further developments. " Adah " means beauty, and " Zillah " shadow. In the line of one of these wives is here traced the origin of no- madic life. ^ Jabal. He was the fa- ther— the founder, or head of such. He instituted this class of men ; lit., he was (tJie) father of the inhabiter of a tent, and of possession, {wealth, as consisting in cattle) Gr., cattlefeed- ers. According to the Heb. idiom, the instructor of a class, or the orig- inator, founder of a body is called the father of such. The patriarchs were afterwards such dwellers in tents, having their wealth in cattle, as Job, Abraham, Isaac, etc. Thus Cain's progeny settled in an unfruit- ful region, and driven to their in- genuity and skill for subsistence, ap- plied all their powers to inventions and worldly aggrandizement. 31. Jubal. From the same mother sprang the founder of instrumental mil sic — the inventor of musical in- p' amoats, and of musical perform- „,nces. Of aU taking hold Eva* 2. Cain and Abel, 2. Seth. brothers. - B C. 3777-3480.] CHAPTER V. 149 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven yoars, and begat sons and daughters : 8 And all the days of Seth were nme hundred and twelve years ; and he died. . 9 ^ And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan : 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters : 1 1 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years ; and he died. 12 ^ And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel : 1 3 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight htindred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters : 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years ; and he died. 15 ^ And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared : 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters : 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years ; and he died. 18^ And Jared Uved an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat * Enoch : i Jude 14 : 15. Cainites. Setuites. . 3. Enoch. 3. Enos. 4. Irad. 4 Oaiuan, — Posses- sion. 5. Mehajael. 5. Mahalaleel— 7%.e praise of God. 6 Methusael. 6. Jared Coiide- scenaion. 7 Lamech. 7. ^-Aoch. — Dedica- ted. e Jabal (Adab) Jn- 8. Methuselah. bal, Tubal - Cain, (Naamah.) 9. Lamech. 10. Noah. We have seen that the tliird gen- eration was distinguished for the more formal separation of the godly in the time of Enos. That the next three generations have nothing of special interest but record the genealogy while the corruption of the age was on the increase, and the material progress seems to be im- plied. In the se'centh generation we have the development of evil in the polygamy of Lamech — and of piety In the history of Enoch. Enoch was " the seventh from Adam," {senen be- ing the sacred number, it was at the sacred distance,) a type of " the ful- ness of the time " when the redeem- ed church shall " walk with God," (Rev. 3:4; 21 : 24.) Enoch Uved a year of years, and was taken up without death to heaven. In the eighth generation Jabal gave an im- pulse to nomadic life. Jubal be- came a famous master and inventor in music — and Tubal Cain in metals. These departments of industry and discovery advanced together — as is commonly to be noticed — progress in one branch stimulating others. Here, also, human life had its fur- thest development in Methuselah, so far, at least, as we have any rec- ord. The ninth generation is distin- guished by theTDredictive name given by Lamech to his son Noah. And the tenth generation — the number of completeness — Noah, whoso name signifies " rest " appears — prefi^r* 150 GENESIS. [B. C. 3415-3115. 19 And Jared liv^d after he begat Enoch eight hundred years and begat sons and daughters : 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty and two years; and he died. 21 ^ And Enoch hved sixty and five years, and begat Methu. selah : 22 And Enoch ^ walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters : 23 And all the days of Euoch were three hundred sixty and five years : 24 And ^ Enoch walked with God, and he was not : for God took him. k ch. 6 : 9 ; IT : 1 ; 2 4 : 40 ; 2 Kings 20 : 3 ; Ps. 16:8; 116 . 9 ; 128 : 1 ; Mic. 6 ; 8 ; MaL : 6. 12 Kings 2 : 11 ; Heb. 11 : 5. ing the consummation — tlie Ark be- ing also a type of the Christian church, thus prefiguring the rest as well as the security and safety of the church in the last days. 21. Methuselah. Some understand this name to mean, " He dieth, and the sending forth," — and they take it to be prophetic of the flood — viz., that at his death the flood would come — which was the case. The great preachers of this antediluvian age were heads of families. It is re- garded as a Divine sanction of the marriage state that even Enoch, in such a life as this, walking with God, begat sons and daughters. 22. Walked icith God. Onk., walked in the fear of God. Syr. and Sept., pleased God. Ar., walked in the service of God. Ps. Jon., served God in truth. This phrase denotes personal and familiar association — in the habits and pursuits of life. Enoch, as we learn from the New Testament, was a prophet, and in that early age of abounding wicked- ness, foretold the coming of the Lord to j udgment. Overleaping thus all intervening history, he stretched his prophetic vision to the very end of time, (Jude, vss. 14-15.) So that the doctrine of a future and general judgment was thus early revealed to men. Besides, in what followed, % Divine seal was set upon his preaching by his removal from earth to heaven without death — "for be fore his translation he had this tes timony that he pleased God," (Heb 11:5.) Whether, therefore, his trans- lation was visible or not, it was in keeping with other Divine testimo- nies which he had — and it was a method in which God chose most impressively to rebuke the material- ism of that wicked age and to reveal the reality of another world, and so to confirm his preaching of coming judgment. Plainly it was the tes- timony of this event that a better life could be hoped for, and that distinc- tions would be made in the awards of that future world — even between the righteous, and "according to their works." The doctrine of the resurrection was also involved in the preaching of Enoch — a founda- tion truth which God's ministers have always more and more clearly unfolded. Three hundred years this godly patriarch kept up this close, habitual intercourse with God. 24. And he (teas) not— for Ood took him. Sept., " He was not found, for God translated him." Ethiop., "For God translated him to Para- dise." Ps. Jon., " For he was taken away and ascended into heaven by the word which is before God." lie was not, means plainly, as the Sept. has well rendered it, " 7ie was not found," — " he was not extant in the sphere of sense," — ^he disappeared. B. C. 422&-3046.] CHAPTER V. 151 25 1" And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hun- dred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters : 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years ; and he died. 28 ^ And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son : 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall com- fort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground ™ which the Lord hath cursed. m ch. 3 : 17 ; 4 : 11. vanislied from human sight, when he had filled only half the common term of life. The apostle (Heb. 11 : 5,) settles the fact of Enoch's translation which is not here so clearly expressed, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, (so as not to see death,) for before his translation, (fieradeaeug.") It was a well authenticated belief of the Jews. All the Targumists so understood it. ^ Fa?' God took Mm. The Hebrew verb here is the same as is used to express the translation of Elijah, (2 Kings 3 : 3, 5, 9, 10.) The immortality of the soul is plainly taught in this passage. The only nat- ural death on record that precedes this translation of Enoch is that of Adam. Abel died by violence — then Adam by natural death — and now Enoch is removed without death. Thus life and immortality were brought to light as fuUy as was need- ful, or possible at that early stage of the world's history. Note. — To Moses was granted a similar privilege — as his burial by God himself in an unknown grave was probably followed by an almost immediate resurrection, as he ap- peared in the glory of the resurrec- tion bodv on the Mount of Transfig- uration,'(Deut. 34 : 6 ; Matt. 17 : 3.) The privilege of translation was also granted to Elijah, the prophet — that so in each of the Dispensations, the Patriarchal, the Levitical, and the Prophetical, there might be a lively type and example of the future state. Note. — (1.) During this seventh generation, the Chaldean records, aa copied by Berosus, testify that Alorus reigned the first of the Antediluvian kings. And it would seem from the Biblical narrative that about this period the patriarchal form of gov- ernment was invaded by the " mighty men/' "men of renown," who then, appeared. {Harris, p. 162.) (2.) Mythological inventions of classic heathenism have been framed on the basis of this and such like simple historical statements of God's word, while these are the remotest from any myth or legend in the brief, compact record, giving only the fact. 28. Lamech — not the same, of course, as the polygamist of this name, who was in the line of Cain. Adam lived till Lamech had reached his fifty-sixth year. 29. Noah. The name means rest^ comfort — and an explanation is given in the following clause, " This same shall comfort us" — the verb being used here which is kindred to the noun. The world was evidently growing worse — and with the abounding iniquity human misery was increasing at an awful rate. The curse was felt even in the ground — and the husbandman groan« ed under it, at his grievous toils. Lamech, either because in the tenth generation he looked for completi ^n. 153 GENESIS. IB. C. 2546-2451 30 And Lamech lived after he begat N'oah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters : 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years : and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and !N'oah begat ^ Shem, Ham, « and Japheth. CHAPTER VI. AND it came to pass, ^ when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, n ch. 6 : 10. o ch. 10 : 21. a ch. 1 : 28. .^iv or because it was definitely signified to Mm by God, hoped in tliis son for a realization of the promise made to Eve. It would seem that this must have been revealed to him by God, that in Noah he might look for a Deliverer, in whom, at least, in part, the first promise might be accom- plished, and through whom present relief would be enjoyed from the burdens of fallen nature. Noah was, indeed, to be a new head of the hu- man family. We see here, too, that they already began to seek a better coimtry — to sigh for rest. This was to be fully realized in the Coming One, who was the " Son of God," and in whom alone the world has rest and peace. Note. — The significance of names, as we find it, was for the purpose of keeping prominently in mind those leading Divine truths which were thus taught for long generations. 33. Five hundred. Heb., the son of five hundred years — a Heb. idiom. The record here given that Noah was five hundred years old, and begat, etc., is not necessarily intended to mean that he begat no children be- fore this — as it is the line of the faithful that is traced by this gene- alogy ; and as there were two classes now — the church and the world — the children would naturally become allied to one or the other. Nor is it meant that these three were born in this order. 8hem is named first as being of the faithful line through whom the church is to descend— himself the progenitor of Christ. Ham is counted the youngest — though some suppose that he was born between the other two. Ja- plieth was, perhaps, the oldest, though others think Shem was older than he. ( Smith's Bib. Die. ; see ch. 4 : 21, 7iotes.) Shem means, namey fame. Ham means heat. Japheth means wide-spread, enlargement. Observe. — It seems that the length of human life before the deluge was ten times its present average. Hu- man physiology founded on the pres- ent data of man's constitution, may pronounce upon the duration of his life, supposing the data to be the same. But it cannot fairly affirm that the data were never different from what they are at present. There was the primeval vigor of an unimpaired constitution holding out for a comparatively long period. There was the growing degeneracy, and there was also the deterioration of soil and climate after the deluge, which reduced the average of human life. CHAPTER VI. § 21. Climax of ANTEorLUViAii Wickedness. Ch. 6 : 1-8. The sacred historian, having now given us the godly line of Seth (ch. 4 : 26,) as distinct from the wicked and alien lineage of Ckdn — traces the B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 163 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of meii that they were fair ; and they ^ took them wives of all whicli they chose. "" b Deut. 7 : 3, 4. growing wickedness of men as it culminates toward the deluge. Thus we see that man's first state was not that of the savage, gradually becom- ing exalted by the progress of society — but that he was first exalted, and became afterwards debased by sin. The former is the heathenish view of human history, which the Scrip- ture every way contradicts. It is probable that a disappointment among "the sons of God," or the church, as to the advent of the Prom- ised Deliverer, was one cause of the apostacv which is here recorded. So 2 Peter's : 3, 4. 1. Began to multiply. The term *' began" is the same Hebrew verb used in ch. 4 : 26, where some read it "profanely began" as the word originally means, {niphal, V^h, to he profane.) Here it may have that sense, or at least it may carry the idea of profane, ungodly increase, as tlie context further explains — for men had begun to multiply long be- fore this. The fact that daughters were horn unto tliem is here given to introduce the narrative of their mar- riage relations, (vs. 2.) The develop- ment of iniquity occurs now in the FAMILY: and in a way to prevent the godly seed, by which God would build up His church in the world. He has always propagated'His church by means of a godly posterity. And this great principle is developed in the earliest records of human his- tory. The church was at first in the family of Adam, There there was a division — not all of the true cov- enant seed, through whom the Prom- ised " Seed " was to come. And here it is shown that ungodly mar- riages were the fruitful source of corruption and alienation from God. When the church thus allies itself to the wicked world, it is a profana- tion, which is called by the prophets adultery. So the Hebrews were for- bidden to intermarry with the Ca- naanites. And this matrimonial alli- ance with the heathen was denoun- ced by the last prophet of the Jews as the grossest adultery, (Mai. 2 : 11.) MalacM refers plainly to this prim- itive history, setting forth the great principle of God's dispensation in all ages. So Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, " "What concord," etc., (1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14.) This relation is held so sacred, (1.) For God's covenant is a liousehdld cove- mant, and (2.) Marriage is the beau- tiful figure of Christ's relation to His chui'ch, and (3.) As He is the Promised Seed, so the seed of be- lievers ought always to be holy. ^ Daugliters were horn unto them. That is, the profane and ungodly parents had daughters born unto them. These daughters, of course, as the next verse implies, were pro- fane— like their parents. They were such as the people of God should have shunned and kept separate from, " for what concord hath Christ with BeUal," (1 Cor. 7 : 14 ; 2 Cor 6 : 14-17.) 2. Tfie sons of Qod. (1.) Some un- deratand this of " men of rank" emi- nent persons, as " trees of God," for majestic trees, etc. So Stmiar. Jon. Orok. Symm. Ahen-Ezra, etc. But this is generally abandoned. (2.) A second view understands them to be angels who are here meant. So some of the most ancient fathers. And the passages in 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude, vss. 6, 7, are adduced to prove some such profane intermingling of fallen angels with mankind. So Kitto understands it. But Chrysos- tom, Augustine, Theodoret, etc., for- cibly opposed this view, and exposed its absurdity. Those moderns who have held to a mythical interpreta- tion of these early records, have re- vived this notion. It would seem to be contrary to our Lord's description 164 GENESIS. [B. C. 2567 !7f the angels, (Matt. 22 : 30,) i. e., that they neither marry nor are giv- en in marriage. Besides the sin in such case would have sprung from the angels, not from men. The phrase, " sons of Ood" is used of an- gels in Job ; but not the same exact- ly as here. In Job 38 : 7 it is with- out the article, and limited by the parallelism of the sentence — the morning stars — the sons of Ood. In other passages in Job, where the tef- erence is, as here, to the pious, in distinction from the wicked, it is ex- actly the same phrase as here, i. e., with the article, (Job 1:6; 2:1.) But (3.) It is plain from the context that the godly are here called " sons of God," in distinction from the worldly ; as already the descendants of the JSethite line had been distin- guished from those of the Cainite line. The fact already noted, (ch. 4 : 26,) that a separation had taken place in the public worship of God, " calling on the name of Jehovah," would prepare us for some such pub- lic distinction in the name they would bear. And observe ; " the entire He- brew idiom left the author no choice of expression." (See ch. 5 : 32, notes) Just as the early disciples came soon to be called " Christians," after the name of the Master. And this new name they received at Antioch from the lookers on — the Gentiles, (Acts 11 : 26 ; see Deut. 14 : 1 ;) so the people of God are called " the sons of God," (John 1 : 12 ;) 1 John 3:1. So also Rom. 9 : 26 ; Gal. 3 : 26. Tf Saic. The fact and manner of the declen- sion which took place among the people of God are here set forth. The children of those pious Sethites iust named began to form an unholy union with the wicked world. This gave a fresh impulse to the abound- ing iniquity, for it introduced degen- eracy into the church, led to aposta- cies, and called for a destruction of the race, saving only one pious fami- ly. This accords with the analogy of Scripture. The principle is a vital one in God's plan for His church. Bee Ma.. 2 : 11. 14. " Did not He make one," (not two created from the ground, but Adam only, and then Eve taken from Adam, to set forth the essential unity in the mar- riage relation.) " And wherefore one V That He might seek a godly seed, (vs. 15.) The complaint of the prophet against the church was, " Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god," (vs. 11.) So Hosea 4 : 12 ; 5 : 3. So ch. 27 : 46 ; 28 : 1 ; Exod. 34 : 15, 16 ; Deut. 7:3, 4 , Num. 25 : 1 ; 1 Kings 11 : 1, 2. "f[ Daughters of men. As in vs. 1, the multiplication of men is spoken of, and also in vs. 3, this passage plainly refers to two classes of man- kind, of which the husbands belonged to one class, the wives to the other. These are not necessarily confined to the daughters of the Cainite line ex- clusively, but of this line chiefly, and so of this class. The former are such as those of whom John speaks as " sons of God," who believe on His name, and describes them which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, hut of God, (John 1.) And the latter are such as are " lorn of the flesh, (John 3 : 6,) and which are " flesh," in contrast with such as are " born of the Spirit," and are spirit. These are of the natural birth, unregener- ate ; hence called " daughters of men," such as the Cainites. ^ That they were fair, (lit.,) good. These marriages were physical, and not founded on any high and worthy considerations. It was here evident- ly " the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye, which are not of the Fa- ther, but of the world," (1 John 2 : 16.) Proceeding on such a carnal principle, " they took to them wims of all whom they chose " — ^looking no higher than to their own carnal grati- fication. This low, degrading view of marriage is the root of family degra- dation. So it is among the heathen. Christianity alone has elevated the female, and dignified and sancti- fied marriage. It may here be im- B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 155 3 And the Lord said, ^ My Spirit shall not always strive with man, ^ for that he also is flesh : yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. c G-al. 5 : 16, IT ; 1 Pet. 3 : 19, 20. d Ps. 78 ; 39. plied also that they took more wives than one, as they pleased. The fam- ily disorganization and open apostacy from God which had hitherto been confined to the descendants of Cain, now gained ground among the pos- terity of Seth. Family after family was founded in filial insubordination and disregard of the law of God. What could be expected to result from marriages which were thus based upon sensuality, self-will, and apostacy, but a progeny of evil ? 3. The awful crisis was thus brought on. God appears now as speaking, and announces His deter- mination to bring His controversy with this apostate generation to an end. *|[ Ml/ Spirit shall not always strive vyith man. This is the person- al Spirit — the third person of the Godhead, (ch. 1 : 3.) The first sense of the verb rendered stride is to be low, to be inferior. Oesenius, therefore, renders it, le JiumUed. If so under- stood, it can be only as conveying the idea of heing grieved — quenched — {trampled on) — resisted, as elsewhere in the Scripture. The word means also to strive, contend. From the New Testament we find that Christ " went and preached by the Spirit to those (who are now) spirits in prison, who aforetime were disobedient in the days of Noah, etc., 1 Pet. 3 : 19, 20. And here Jehovah declares that His Spirit shall not always be quench- ed in men, (or strive with man.) The verb in Eccles. 6 : 10, is akin to this. But the preposition is (oy) ioith, instead of {^) in, as here. Therefore, as the original sense is intransitive, Gesenlus gives the meaning to be humbled. ^ For that, etc. This clause may be connected with the foregoing ; and instead of being an unusual combination of three particles, it would seem to be a preposition with a verbal infini- tive, and the pronominal suffix; meaning — in their aberrations. So V. Gerlach. Heb. Fam. Bib. reads, " Through their bachsUdings." Gese- nius reads. Because of their errings. God's Spirit had wrought with men of that wicked age by the preaching of such as Enoch and Noah, and by His providence and their conscience. And yet, in their departure from him, that Spirit was quenched, until now He declares that such depraved de- spite to the Spirit of His grace should not always be borne. He would set a limit to men's daring wickedness, and to His forbearing kindness. This has always been His method of dealing. It was so with Israel, " say- ing in David to-day, after so long a time ; as it is said. To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Luther imderstands the passage of God's work by the minis- try of the prophets, as though one of them should say, " It is an unbecom- ing thing that the Spirit of God who speaks through us should any longer weary Himself in reproving the world. It is now added, He (that is man) is flesh — carnal — imspiritual. This term carries with it the idea of debasement,. as the context has al- ready distinguished the " sons of God " — those of the divine nature — from " the daughters of men " — the natural, unregenerate ones. John, who, also with Moses, begins with " the beginning," distinguishes the " sons of God " from those who are " born of the flesh," and are "flesh," instead of being " born of the Spirit," (John 3 : 6.) This is the New Testa- ment sense of "flesh" and "fleshly,'* that is carnal, Rom. 8. A perfect agreement is found, therefore, in the terms here used throughout. W# 156 GENESIS. [B. C. 3567 4 There were giants in the earth in those days ; and also after that, when the sons of God came in nnto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them : the same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown. may read, ''My Spirit shall not al- ways he liumbled in riian, in Ids er- ring— 7ie is flesh." ^ And Ms days shall he, etc. Some miderstand that this was a shortening of man's ordi- nary Hfetime. Others, and more prob- ably, regard it as referring to the period that should be allowed the race for repentance before the flood should sweep away the wicked. If so, the narrative here runs back to the period before the birth of Noah's sons. So says V. Gerlach. None of God's greater judgments have ever taken place without a time for repentance after the threatening. To the Ninevites it was forty days ; to the Jews, after their rejection of Christ, it was forty years. To the Amorites it was four hundred years, eh. 15 : 16. Tuch, Ewald, Hdvernick, and others, understand the period here named as the limit set to hu- man life. While the antediluvian patriarchs lived from seven hundred and seventy-seven years to nine hun- dred and sixty-two years, not includ- ing Enoch, the postdiluvian patri- archs lived from one hundred and ten to one hundred and eighty years. Hengstenherg, Delitsch, Banke, and the Jewish interpreters understand it of the space given for repentance, (2 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 11 : 7.) 4. There were giants; lit., Tlie Nephilim were (had been) in the earth, (the land) in those days — also, after that the sons of God loent in unto the daughters of men, etc., i. e., there were men of that kind in those days — well-known men, of giant stature and force, defiant and con- trolling ; and after these mixed mar- riages, the progeny were of this sort — the mighty men tchich were of old — men of renown. The Nephilim, rendered " giants," are, literally, the fallen, or those who fall upon, or vio- lently assault others. So Aquiki, " attackers." Some of those who un- derstand this narrative to be of the angels, read it, apostates. The Sept and Vulg. read giants; Onk. anc Samar., mighty ones ; Symm,, poioer- ful ones. Moses here shows the prevalent corruption. 1. From the apostacy of the pious race in their carnal associations. 2. From the wide spread violence, which was even increased by reason of this wicked alliance referred to. The bodily strength of this ungodly progeny w mentioned. The Nephilim, it would seem, are a class referred to, as well known, who arose in those days — such as breathed the spirit of Cain and Lamech, and were already fore- shadowed and represented in them. And the progeny of this ungodly al- liance gave rise to the Oihhorim — mighty men — such as Nimrod, who is called Gibhor, ch. 10 : 8 ; men oj name— fame — renown. The ancient mythology, based mainly on scatter- ed traditions of these events, and on distant traces of these inspired an- nals, represents the giants as sprung from the earth, and warring with the gods, and being overcome, they were buried in the earth by the mountains and rocks being piled upon them ; and that earthquakes occur from their struggles to get re- lease. The Nephilim are referred to in other passages, and rendered " tlm dead," in Prov. 9:18; 21:16, and " unto death," Prov. 2 : 18, — the con- text referring to the carnal lust by which the rebels before the flood perished. These were men of re- nown — often referred to in the most ancient traditions. And so also they have found their way into the an- cient mythologies. Hdvernick imder- stands Nephilim to mean great (giant,) but better understand tho term to mean fallen ones — apostates. In these roving plunderers (ajid i B. C. 3567.] CHAPTER VI. 157 6 1" And God saw that the wickedness of man loas grea": in the earth, and that every ^ imagination of the thoughts of his heart loas only evil continually. 6 And f it repented the Lord that he had made man on tho earth, and it & grieved him at his heart. e ch. 8 : 21 ; Deut. 29 : 19 ; Prov. » ; 18 ; Matt^. 15 : 19. f See Num. 23 : 19 ; I Sam. 16 : 11, 29 ; 2 Sam. 24 : 16 ; MaL 3:6; Jam. . j IT. g Isa. 63 : 10 ; Eph. 4 : 30. Bins perhaps) as well as in tlie wan- dering habits of the followers of Ja- bal, the sentence was fulfilled against Cain — "A fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth," ch. 4:12. 5. God is now introduced as be- holding and contemplating this abounding and high-handed iniqui- ty. This is to show the notice which God takes of human conduct, and especially that He does not act without knowledge and considera- tion. This abounding iniquity He saw in its true light— as it really was — that it was great in the earth. Sept., That the icickednesses were mul- tiplied. So, everywhere in the Scrip- ture, God is spoken of as looking down upon the inhabitants of the earth to take note of their ways — to see if there were any that did under- stand— that did seek God, (Ps. 5 : 19 ; 14 : 2.) God saw also every fabrica- tion of the thouglits (or purposes) of his heart, only evil all the day. This was the condition of the human race. " Their mind was so thoroughly im- bued with iniquity that the whole life presented nothing but what was to be condemned." The language is most full, and exclusive of all good or right affection. Not only the wicked- ness of action, but of heart ; and not only so, but every fabrication of the thoughts of the heart was evil, only evil, and only evil continually. There could be no stronger language to express the absolute and utter de- generacy of the species. And this was man in a natural state — as fall- en. Only such as Noah was an ex- ception, and he was a new creature — a child of God. " The obstinacy of the men who had greatly abused the goodness of God is condemned in these words ; yet at the same time the true nature of man, when de- prived of the grace of the Spirit, is clearly exhibited." Calvin. (1.) The wickedness was great (abundant and gross.) (2.) It was internal and uni- versal— "every fabrication of the thoughts of his heart." (3.) It was total — " only evil." (4.) It was hab- itual and persevering " continually." 6. It repented. " The repentance here ascribed to God does not prop- erly belong to Him, but has refer- ence to our understanding of Him.'' — Calvin. The change in the mani- festation of the Divine dealing with these sinners was such as among men would be ascribed to repent- ance. It was as though — to use hu- man language — God had repented of making man. This phraseology strongly expresses also the deep grief which is felt by the loving heart of God. And the feelings which sin excites in the Divine mind are represented in Scripture after a human fashion — grief, anger, hatred, repentance — though these exercises are infinitely beyond these which are found in creatures. We under- stand what is meant, and these terms are used to make it intelligible to us. See Num. 23 : 19 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 10, 11. Of course God cannot change. And what seems to us a repenting of His former course, is only a change in His visible procedure; yet always exercising the same unchangeable attributes — " without variableness or shadow of turning," Jas. 1 : 17 ; Mai. 3:6. 1" A7id it grieved Him at Mi heart ; lit.. He grieved Himself to Hia heart. God's love of what is holy, and Hia pleasure in it, necessarily .58 GENESIS. [B. G 2567. 1 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth ; both man and beast, and the creep- ing thing, and the fowls of the air ; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But ^ N"oah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. h ch. 19 : 19 ; Exod. 33 : 12, 13, 16, 17 ; LuJiJ 1 : 30 ; Acts 7 : 46. im| lies His displeasure and grief at what is wicked ; so that He is said to be angiy (with the wicked) every- day, (Ps. 7: 11.) Here the verb is in the reflexive form, and means He grieved Himself. The Holy Spirit is said to be grieved when that is done which would provoke His withdraw- ment. " It may be said that God is offended with the atrocious sins of men, as if they wounded His heart with a deadly grief." — Calmn. 7. The Lord said. Lit., Jehovah said. The awful judgment denoun- ced upon the wicked world by God is here set forth as the result of ma- turest counsel, and based on the purest principles. God has just now been represented as repenting and grieving Himself at having made man, and what is here narrated is only another mode of expressing the same thing. God, in His infinite holiness, could not be otherwise than hostile to such wickedness. He could not but punish it and ban- ish it from His presence. Men often argue that God is bound to save all His creatures because He has made them. Here it is shown that such sin in creatures is the most flagrant, and that men, because they are His creatures, are all the less excusable in their sin. (See Isa. 27 : 11.) ^ I loill destroy. Lit., will wipe away — blot out, (2 Kings 21 : 13.) When one is led to destroy what he has created, it can only be when it has proved itself utterly unfit to be pre- served. The interest of the Creator in His creatures cannot be small. He surely will not destroy what He has created except it be necessary. T[ Both man and beast. Lit., From man unto beast. But why need the lower animals be destroyed w::h man. Because they are involved with him in his standing before God — as they are under His dominion — and they are the lower creation of which he is the head and crown". Besides this gives a most impressive exhibition of the dreadful evil of sin in the world. The whole crea tion is cursed with man. And the whole creation will share with man in the glory and joy of his redemp- tion, (Rom. 8 : 21, 22, 23.) 8. But Noah. There is always " a remnant according to the election of grace," (Rom. 11 : 5.) Even in those most degenerate times, when the whole world had become so bold in sin, there was a godly man — the head of a godly family, whom God would save from the coming destruction. ^ Found grace, etc. This phrase means, " found acceptance with God." " Grace," in the Scripture, commonly signifies "free fawr." And it was because of the grace of God that Noah foimd grace with Him. The New Testament informs us that it was by faith in the plan of grace that Noah was led to such distin- guished piety and perseverance, (Heb. 11 : 7.) It was by Divine grace that he, a poor sinner by na- ture, foimd acceptance with God, and thus he became heir of the righteous- ness which is by faith, (Rom. 11 : 6.) Noah is also called a " preacher of righteousness," (2 Peter 2 : 5.) The grace of God in men leads to gra- cious conduct. This free, unmerited favor of God to sinners where it is ap- prehended and embraced leads them to gratitude, and to a grateful obedi- ence. Noah is said to have been " moved with fear " in the building of an ark. But it should be noted that the Greek term thus rendered B. C 3567.] CHAPTER VI. 159 9 1" These are the generations of Noah : » Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations, a7id Noah ^ walked mth God. i ch. 7 : 1 ; Ezek. 14 : 14, 20. k ch. 5 : means, "actuated by a spirit of piety" — which, is, indeed, a godly, filial fear, (Heb. 11 : 7.) And faith wrought — wrought with his works — as in the case of Abraham — and " by works was faith made per- fect," (Jas. 3 : 33.) And the principle of the Divine economy is that " with- out faith it is impossible to please God," or to " find grace in His eyes." This statement prepares us for the narrative that follows of all the dis- tinguishing favor shown to Noah in His preservation and salvation. Note, — The great promise of " the seed of the woman " to come, who should be victorious over the powers of evil, was so far from having yet been fulfilled that there seemed to be a triumph of the kingdom of evil in the world. One godly man, with his family, stands as a witness against the prevailing iniquity — and a pledge of some better things to come. Meanwhile Noah was to be- come the second head of the race, and as such, a type and shadow of the Coming One — the builder of an ark for the salvation of his house, by which, also, he condemned the world. This verse ends the first pa/rash, or section of the law. In the Sab- bath readings in the Jewish syna- gogues they divided the Pentateuch into fifty -faur sections called Par- shioth, answering to the number of Sabbaths in the Jewish intercalary year, and made to answer for the common year, by reducing two sec- tions to one. This method complet- ed the reading of the law during the year, commencing with Genesis on the first Sabbath after the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the closing feast of the year. So we find that in Paul's time, and from of old, Moses was read in the synagogues every Sabbath day, (Acts 15 : 31.) When the readmg of the law was forbidden by Antiochus Epiphanes, they read sections from the prophets instead ; and when after that perse- cution they had liberty again, they combined the Law and the Prophets, reading sections from both, (Acts 13 : 15,) § 31. a. Like op Noah — Flood Thkeatened — Noah Dieected TO BUILD the Ajrk. Ch. 6 : 9-33. 9. At this point the particular his- tory of Noah is taken up. He is now to appear as the leading charac- ter— and the formula is the same as before. ^ These are the generations. The same term as is applied to the heavens, etc, (ch, 3 : 4,) and to Adam, (ch. 5:1,) and means births, issues, with special reference to the geneal- ogies— and whatever concerns him personally, and domestically — ^in the immediate connexions. ^ A just man. Noah is the first person in the Scriptures who is so called — a just man — righteous. Jesus is " that just One," (Acts 33 : 14,) " The just shall live by his faith," (Hab. 3 : 4,) So Noah was just by his faith by which he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith," (Heb. 11 : 7.) ^ Perfect in Ms gene- rations— among his contemporaries. He was a most eminent specimen of piety in that degenerate age. This does not mean that he was sinless, or that he was just in the sense of having no impurities or faults of character. But he was godly among the godless world— and this prepares us for the narrative of God's signal mercies towards him. " There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not," (Eccles. 7 : 30.) The sense of "perfect," in Paul's Epistles, is "mature," full-grown, in contrast with the state of " babes " in the Divine life. Noah, as a " pieacher of righteousness," one who published 160 GENESIS. [B. C. 3546 10 And Koah begat three sons, ^ Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt "^ before God; and the earth was ° filled with violence. 12 „4nd God « looked upon the earth, and behold, it was cor- rupt : for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 1 ch. 5 : 32. m ch. 7 : 1 ; 10 : 9 ; 13 : 13 ; 2 Chron. 34 : 27; Luke 1:6; Rom. 2 : 13 ; 3 : 19. a Ezek. 8: 17; 28 : 16; Hab. 2 : 8, 17. o ch. 18 : 21 ; Ps. 14: 2; 33 : 13, 14; 53 ; 2, 3. and urged upon men the only true righteousness which is by faith — did not claim to be a man of sinless per- fection. He put his simple trust in God's promise — looked for the Com- ing Seed, as the Great Divine Deliv- erer— he saw and embraced the promises and confessed that he was a pilgrim and stranger upon the earth, "declaring plainly that he sought a Tiome, {TvarpLda.) " We are complete in Him : Of His fulness we receive," (see John 1 : 16.) Thus Noah walked with Ood, as Enoch did, had his fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, (1 John 1 : 3.) It has been held by some modern writers that the faith of the patriarchs was only a general trust in God's pro^'idence, according to the knowledge of their time ; and that it was not in any proper sense a faith in Christ. But Christ had been promised. They believed in Him. And the New Testament is particu- lar to show that theirs was a Christ- ian faith — a faith in the Promised Seed. And Christ Himself declares that Abraham saw His day and was glad, (John 8 : 56.) Especially does Paul, in the Hebrews, show that the patriarchs, and all the Old Testa- ment worthies, had the Christian faith, (Heb. ch. 11.) 10. It is here again recorded that Noah hegat three sons, (ch. 5 : 32.) Shem is named first, as being (not the oldest, but) the head of the sacred line — through whom the Me- siah was to come with all His bless- ings. 11. A general statement is here made as to the universal corruption among men. This is introductory to the account of the deluges This has already been given in substance. 1" The earth also. Rather, And the earth was corrupted. The whole hu- man family in all the inhabited earth was in a state of moral corrup- tion, as is expressed in the next verse, " All flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth," — (the same word.) When it is said that this was before God, it is meant that it was open, heaven-daring, ^ And the earth was filled with violence. Sept., injustice. This accords with aU the foregoing narrative. In the spirit of Lamech, the Cainite, and in the character of the Nephilim, and of the " mighty men of renown," the race had become more and more abandoned — the corruption display- ed itself in all forms of violence — until the earth was filled with stripes, oppressions, murders and outrages, which called for the Divine judg- ments, in mercy to the human fam- ily. Note. — All this desperate ini- quity had its special impulse in such family corruption as polygamy and carnal alliances, which polluted the race at the fountains. When the marriage relation was profaned by taking a plurality of wives — then murder grew bold and daring, and claimed to be protected, as in La- mech. And when marriage was con« tracted without the fear of God, and according to mere carnal principles then domestic j)iety was banished from the earth. The single contrast was in the solitary case of Noah and his pious house ! And God puts dis- tinguished honor upon this eminent example of steadfast family piety. He saves him and his hous*^. 12. God took note of this state of things. In Ps. 14 and 53, the Psalmisi B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 161 13 And God said unto Noah, P The end of all flesh is come l^foreme; for the earth is filled Tvdth violence through them: ^ and behold, I will destroy them Avith the earth. p Jer. 51 : 13 ; Ezek. 7 : 2, 3, 6 ; Amos 8 : 2 ; 1 Peter 4:7. q vs. IT. •well describes this condition of man- kind. And God is represented as looking down to see if there was any exception to tlie prevailing wicked- ness, (Ps. 14 : 2.) t AU flesh had cor- rupted his loay. The whole race had grown corrupt in conduct and practice. "Tliey are corrupt," (Ps. 14 : 1.) " They are all gone aside," — (" out of the way.") " They are alto- gether become jBlthy," (Ps. 14 : 3 ; 53 : 3.) 13. God now declares His purposes of judgment in view of this univer- sal crime. 1" An end of all fl£sh is come before me. Sept-., A season — a crisis — not reloc, but Kacpog. This is the warning with which God pre- faces to Noah His declarations of judgment, and His directions of mercy. How startling must have been this announcement to Noah ! The awful iniquity could not longer be borne. The period of long-suffer- ing (one hundred and twenty years,) was to that generation only as nine years would be to men of our time. During this interval Noah was " a preacher of righteousness," warning the. wicked race of the judgment that would surely come from God. How long he was engaged in build- ing the ark does not appear. It would seem from the New Testament that the ark was preparing during the one hundred and twenty years, (1 Peter 3 : 20.) Noah was, perhaps, the most remarkable example of faith in the list of Old Testament worthies, (Heb. 11 : 7.) The whole world against him — the six score years to continue at his work, and in his conflict with the ungodly, while as yet no symptoms of the flood appeared — the simple word of God to rest upon ; his faith ridiculed and scoffed at, as most unreasonable, silly, and contrary to all experience. 1" Behold I will destroy them. The verb here used is the same as is sev- eral times used before, and rendered corrupt, and means also to destroy, (Hiphil.) The corruption of the world referred to, was most destruc- tive and ruinous. And God only gives them up to their self-destruc- tion when He sweeps them away from the earth. Behold I am cor- rupting them. The same term is used of God's destructive work as was used of their corrupting and destructive works — to show the con- nexion between the two — as if it were said. As they have given them- selves up to this universal corrup- tion, so I will cause their corruption to seize upon them in all its bitter fruits — and thus " destroy them that destroy the earth," — (Gr.,) corrupt them which corrupt the earth, (Rev. 11 : 18.) God's retributive justice is this, to give men up to sin in its bitter power and penalty, to experi- ence its awful consequences forever. T[ With tJie earth. (See vs. 7.) AU the animal tribes, and the fair face of the earth were to be overwhelmed with this judicial destruction. This language implies that great geolog- ical changes were produced by the deluge. Who can tell what tremen- dous agencies are indicated by the expressions, " All the fountains of the great deep were broken up," — " The windows of heaven were opened." The universality of the deluge seems -to be clearly taught hi the narrative, and confirmed by other passages of» Scripture, Gen. 7 : 4, 23. "Every living substance was de- stroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle; and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heavens, and they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah alone r( mained alive, and they 162 GENESIS. [B. C. 2567 that were witli him in the ark," ch. 7:21-23. "The flood came and de- Btroyed them all," Luke 17 : 27 ; Matt. 24 : 37-39. " God spared not the old woiid, but saved Noah, the eighth per- son— a preacher of righteousness — bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly," 2 Pet. 2:5. Be- sides, it is recorded that the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills that were un- der the whole heaven were covered ; fifteen cubits upwards did the wa- ters prevail, and the mountains were covered," ch. 7 : 19, 20 ; 8:5. It is objected that this height of fif- teen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains (five miles high) would require a greater quantity of water by far than is contained in all the seas and oceans of the earth. But the water of the globe is to the land in the proportion of three-fifths to two-fifths, and there is no natural impossibility as to the sufiiciency in the diflferent seas and lakes for cov- ering the whole earth. And the whole earth might have been sub- merged for a twelvemonth, as stated here, or even for a much longer pe- riod, without any trace of such sub- mersion being now discernible. Be- sides, this objection takes for granted that the mountains were as high be- fore the deluge as since, when (1) some of the high mountain ranges were probably thrown up as a result of the deluge. And (2.) The face of the earth may have been otherwise changed in connexion with the del- uge, so as that high mountain ranges may have been depressed, and the sea-beds may have been elevated, to accomplish this result of overflowing the earth. (3.) The objection pro- ceeds on the false assumption that God could not have produced the deluge; as it claims, also that He could not have created the earth in six natural days, and could not have produced the chaos. It admits no miracle in the case, and demands that these great effects must be ac- counted for by second causes, that %xe natural, instead of preternatural, i But admitting, as we do, that God can and does work miracles, the ob- jection is set aside. Nay, admitting, as they must do, that geology and all natural science attests the fact of miracles, and of miracles such as these convulsions and deluges, and their objection falls, even on their own groimd. Could God produce water enough for such a universal deluge is the question. 2. It is objected that such an in- creased mass of water, as is reckoned to be necessary for the deluge, would alter the action of gravity upon the earth, and the nutation of the axis. This also proceeds on the assump- tion that God could not do it. 3. It is further objected as to the capacity of the ark — that it was not large enough for all the species oi animals and living tribes ; but this has been disproved by accurate cal- culations. 4. That the animals, belonging to diffbrent zones, could not all have been preserved alive in the same at- mosphere or climate. But every menagerie and zoological garden dis- proves this, where tropical animals and those of most northern latitudes subsist in the same climate. 5. As to the dilficulty of gathering the food for so many, it is simply the difficulty which God is supposed to have had in provisioning this house of His — this ark of salvation — as though He has not always bread enough, and to spare. As though He would give the order for all to enter, and then shut them in with- out providing food sufficient. 6. But it is further objected that trees have been found, whose age, as ascertained by their rings, must be greater than the deluge of Noah. For example, a tree of tropical Afri- ca, calculated by the rings of its trunk to be five thousand two hun- dred and thirty-two years old, which, it is alleged, could not have lived under the waters of the deluge during a hundred days. But it has been discovered by Dr. Carpen- ter in the West Indies that tropical B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 163 trees shed their leaves two or tliree times in a year ; and tliat these rings or circles in tlie fonnation of the trunk are fcrnied by the check of vegetation at the shedding of the leaves, and are not annual layers, as was formerly j udged. This of course would reduce the age of ihese trees — the Boabab, an African tree, and the Taxodium, a Mexican tree — at least by one half. This objection is thus providentially answered. 7. How the animals could have so spread after the flood is queried. To this Priclmrd replies that a partial creation of animals probably took place after the flood ; and in favor of this, he adduces the fact that fresh creations have marked every new geological epoch. It has been quite too hastily assumed that there have been no creations on earth since the sixth day. Agassiz truly remarks that " since man has existed upon the earth no appreciable change has taken place in the animal or vegetable world." But this does not by any means forbid the belief that there may have been a re-creation of the same species as were destroyed in the deluge. 8. A further objection is urged from the cones of volcanoes, as of Etna, where the cinders and dust, which it is calculated must be older than the deluge of Noah, would have been washed away by it, but which show no traces of the deluge. This is argued especially from the volcajio of Auvergne and Dauphine in the centre of France, which it is held could not have had an eruption since Europe was peopled, because there is no tradition of such an event. And, moreover, that the geological formations between difierent layers of lava, and the wearing of river courses through great depths of the rocky substance, prove a far longer antiquity than the deluge of Noah. But these may have been volcanic in a previous geological period of our earth, and afterwards may have be- come submarine volcanoes, and being upheaved again when the deluge subsided, they may have resumed their action. This would account for most of the phenomena. But (1.) These volcanoes may have had erup- tions since the time of the deluge without any extant record or tradi- tion of the event. (2.) The loose dust that now forms these volcanic cones may have become light, as it now is, by the disintegration of atmospheric agency during so long a period, while at the time of the deluge it may have been much more solid, like the lumps of lava that form the sides below ; especially the carbonic acid gas which issues from these volcanic districts, softens and dissolves the rock. — Lyell. (3.) It is maintained on good authority that there are historic traces of such eruptions in the years 458-460, A. D., and that the rogatian, days in the ritual of the English church were instituted by the Bishop of Vienne, and are a commemoration of these catastrophies. 9. It is admitted by aU geologists that there have been successive del- uges, and that every geological epoch is marked by such an event. But it is contended by some that the last convulsion and overflow was ante- rior to man's creation, because hu- man bones or fossils are not found in any strata of earlier date, and be- cause no remains of human works have been found in such pre-Adamic strata. "No deluge, therefore, de- stroyed a wicked and disobedient race of men," says Kaliscli. But just now these very geological authori- ties are clamoring about the alleged discovery of such human fossils, and remains of human works in strata, or caves or gravel-bed-s along with the remains of extinct mammalia, and are claiming therefore that they have found traces of pre-Adamic man. But if it can be proved that they have found human fossils in such geological quarters, then the strongest objection which they have hitherto urged against the fact of the deluge of Noah, and its univer- sality, together with the mighty geo- logical changes which were formerly 164 GENESIS. [B. C. 3567 referred to that event, is set aside, and thus tliey contradict their own theories. Especially thej show ns that their theories are so liable to charge from new discoveries, that they cannot be relied on. "Who can tell 'what fossils may yet be found in ocean-beds ?" they say. True. And what if human remains are found there? Yet their argu- ment is based on the mere negative evidence — the absence of human re- mains in the tertiary beds, while so small a portion of the geological field has yet been explored. If they find such tertiary human remains, they are bound, by their own theo- ries, rather to admit not only the universality of the deluge, but all that was claimed by the deluge the- ory in accounting for the geological formations. 1. Universal tradition points not only to a deluge during the human period, but to the deluge of Noah's time. See "Bryant's Analysis of Ancient Mythology," " Harcoitrfs Doctrine of the Deluge" etc. The ark, the dove, the rainbow are all incorporated with the traditions. The medal struck in the reign of Philip the Elder in the city of Apa- mea, represents a square box afloat on the water, with a man and wom- an inside, and also two birds and an olive branch, and the name Noe on the box. Hindu traditions, as well as Chaldean, and Qreeh and Ameri- can, all agree even in the leading details of the flood, so as to call for this historical basis. 2. To argue from the alleged find- ings of geological science that the deluge of Noah must have been lo- cal, and confined to a narrow dis- trict of country, is to sink the plain Scripture record below the indistinct and partially explored and poorly understood record of the rocks. For if the waters rose fifteen cubits above the highest mountains of the then inhabited countries, their level would have been sufficient to make the deluge universal. Kalisch main- tains that such interpreters " violate all the rules of a sound philology, distort the spirit of the language, and disregard the dictates of com- mon sense." Introduction, p. 144. 3. A volume of water thirty feet above the top of Ararat, (which, ac- cording to Parrot, is sixteen thou- sand two hundred and fifty-four feet high,) and which prevailed for al- most a year, must have found its equilibrium, and thus covered the face of the whole globe. According to the calculation of Lilienthal, the quantity of water necessary to cover the surface of the earth to the height of a mile above the level of the sea is only equal to the two hundred and seventy-second part of the volume of the earth. See Kurtz. Partialists compute that there were at the time of the deluge about four millions of inhabitants on the globe. 4. But if the flood was not univer- sal, but local, where did it take place exactly — over what amount of ter- ritory ? Hugh Miller and others ar- gue that it was local, on the ground that in sach case " the necessity for preserving all the species of animals in the ark disappears. For in the first place there was nothing to pre- vent the birds and many of the large mammals from getting away, and in the next, the number of species peculiar to that geographical area, and which would be absolutely de- stroyed by its being flooded, sup- posing they could not escape is in- significant." And thus the deluge itself is made " insignificant." Pe- rowne (in Smith's Bib. Diet.) "Noah " argues that " imless we suppose that a stupendous miracle was wrought, we must believe that the flood ex- tended only over a limited area of the globe," But we do suppose such a miracle was wrought. This is the plain impression which the Biblical narrative gives. 5. But if all the language which seems so universal, refer only to what is local, and the deluge did not cover "the whole earth," then we must regard God's covenant witb Noah, sealed by the rainbow where B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 165 14 1' Make thee an ark of gopherwood ; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it, within and without, with pitch. this same phrase occurs, as referring only to that locality, wherever it was ; and we have no covenant that there shall not be a deluge to drown this continent, and other continents and localities not included in Noah's deluge. But who believes that to be the meaning of the Scripture ? 6. Besides, if the passage in Peter refers to the destruction at the del- uge, as is most generally understood, though it would seem perhaps more forcibly to refer to the chaos, (see In- troduction, p. 46,) then it is distinct- ly said that the kosmos (world) that then wa^, perished ; and this is not the oikmimene — the inhabited world — but the kosmos — the world itself, of creatures and products, (3 Pet. 3 : 5-8.) Though most of those who advocate a partial and local deluge imderstand it to be altogether con- sistent with the Biblical narrative, yet we adhere to the more obvious meaning of the record, until it is clearly disproved. 7. It would seem to be conclusive that as the passage in Peter predicts a deluge of fire analogous to the del- uge of waters, so we cannot under- stand it in either case of any other than a universal deluge. " The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat — the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up," 3 Pet. 3 : 10. This surely cannot mean a local and partial destruction. Even Golenso admits that "mathematical and phys- ical science forbid our believing in a partial deluge, such as some have supposed, since that involves an uni- versal flood." Page 18, Vol. 2. But it is held by this last writer that the narrative is not historical. And to this it is sufficient to reply that it manifestly claims to be history, and nothing else ; that to deny its his- torical character, is in effect to deny Uie whole Bible history — ^nay, more. it is to deny the author.ty and di- vinity of Jesus Christ himself, who gives His explicit sanction to the historical truth of the narrative, Matt. 24 : 37. Compare Luke 17 : 36. But this would be more incredible than any thing found in the narra- tive. Many who hold to a partial deluge, understand that such a.view is perfectly consistent with the Bib- lical terms, in that the expressions are universal only in reference to the earth as inhabited at the time. One of the latest writers on the subject (Peroicne) admits that "a imiversal deluge cannot, on geological grounds alone, be pronounced impossible," though he holds that " there is other evidence conclusive against it, mira- cle apart." The difficulty which this school of writers find is in admitting a miracle. And the tacit concession also is, that to those who can believe in a miracle — that is, in an extraor- dinary interposition of the Almighty — there is no difficulty at all in the narrative. 14. Make thee — to, or for thee. ■[[ An ark. The term here used is not the word for an ordinary ship, but rather for a vessel without mast and rudder — being intended only for a floating structure. The word is tebhah — a tiib — or chest. See Exod. 2 : 3, used of Moses' ark of bulrushes. The ark of the covenant was also a hollow chest, though the term for that is different in the Heb,, but the same in the Greek. •[[ Gopherwood ; lit., of trees of Gopher — ^planks or timbers of Gopher ; which was prob- ably a general term for resinous or pitchy timber. If the term were the common designation of a particular tree, it would not have been the plural form. Some understand it to be the cypress, as there is an affinity in the letters oiWie^ovdi gopher, (Gr. kupar^ others, the cedar or jumper ; but it may, and most probably does include all these. This resinous wood wai 166 GENESIS. [B C. 2567. 15 j^nd this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The lengtli of the ark shall he three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above ; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof: loith lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. to be used as it would not rot, nor be liable to worm-eating'. This latter was the chief injury done to timber, which made it very insecure for building. It is still the case in Pal- estine, that the worms perforate such timber as is not resinous, and heavy beams are soon eaten by them so secretly, that the houses are liable to faU in. Therefore Solomon was so particular to use the cedar of Lebanon for the temple. And this wood is, on this account, very scarce and costly. " Pine forests," says Col. Ghesney, " abound in Armenia. Cy- press groves abound there." Among the Mohammedans they are selected for cemeteries. 1" Booms. The word means cells — stalls — sm.sill apart- ments : elsewhere (twelve times) in the Scripture unifonnly rendered nests — as here in the margin — lodg- ing places. See Obad. 4. "f Pitch it. The word is that which is the basis of our English word cover, and here plainly means to smear. Lit., it reads, Smear it tcith a smearing. Some bituminous coating was to be applied to the wooden vessel, both inside and out, so that it would turn the water, and would harden, so as to be impervious. The Sept. uses here the term aspJialtum. 15. And, etc., lit., and this which thou shalt make it. Thou shalt make it this, thus, after this fashion. ^ Three hundred cubits. Winer makes the Mosaic cubit equal to nineteen and a-half of our inches. Bockh, and oth- ers, make it nearly two inches more. Theniiis is judged most correct, as his cubit agrees best with those '^ >imd on the Egyptian UKmuments. He holds the dimensions to have been, in round numbers, four hun- dred and seventy-seven feet long", seventy-nine feet broad, and forty- seven feet high. Others make it five hundred and forty-seven feet long, by ninety-one feet two inches wide, and forty-seven feet two inches high. Reckoning the cubit at 1.8 feet, we find the length to be about five hundred and forty feet, the breadth ninety feet, and the height fifty-four feet. The Great Eastern is six hundred and eighty feet long, (six hundred and ninety-one on deck,) eighty-three feet in breadth, and fifty-eight feet in depth — thus longer and deeper. Tiele shows that it was suflBciently large to receive all those animals which were to be preserved in it, that it contained three million six hun- dred thousand cubic feet — and reserv- ing nine-tenths for the victualling department, and assigning fifty-four cubic feet to every species — each pair of animals — there was room for nearly seven thousand different species. The structure was made, not for sailing purposes, but for freight. Fishes, worms, and in- sects were not received into the ark. Dr. Hales has estimated that it was a vessel of about forty-two thou- sand tons in capacity. It has been proved that these proportions are admirably fitted for the greatest amount of tonnage, but not for sailing. 16. A icindow. This term, used in the dual number, means noon- day light, and it is commonly render- ed in the singular, " noon," and no where else " icindow." Junius and Tremellius render this in the singu- lar, a clear light. Heb. Fam. Bible reads, A transpa/rency. It is quite a B. C. 2567.] CHAPTER VI. 167 17 '' And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven : a?id every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant: and ^ thou shalt corae into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy Bons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, * two of every sort r vs. 13 ; ch. 7 : 4, 21, 22, 23 ; 2 Peter 2:5. b ch. 7 : 1, 7, 13 ; 1 Peter 3 : 20 ; 2 Peter 2 : 5. t ch. 7, 8, 9, 15, 16. different word from that rendered window., (cli. 8 : 6,) and wliich. Noah is said to have opened. It seems to have been a sky-light of some un- known transparent substance for the admission of light. ^ In a cubit, etc. This must be understood to be a direction for raising the roof of the ark in the middle, so as to form a gentle slope for turning off the water. The feminine suffix makes it refer to the ark, and not to the window. '" The cubit is possibly the height of the parapet round the lighting and ventilating aperture. The opening occupied probably a large portion of the roof, and was covered during the rain with an awning, (mikseh, Gen. 8 : 13,") which was removed by Noah. An entrance was to be made in the side of the ark — and there was no need of more express direc- tion about it. It was this door by which the Lord shut Noah in, ch. 7 : 16. ^ Lower, etc. These three terms are in the plural. The word " stories " is not expressed, but seems to be understood. Lit., Underneath, middle and upper (stories,) thou shalt make it. It is impossible for us from these few data to arrive at the exact structure of the ark. But it was no house set in a boat as the pictures commonly give it. It was designed as a float, not as a sailing vessel. 17. God now declares his object in the erection of this vessel. /, behold I am bringing the flmd. It is refer- red to as the flood by eminence, or OS that already mentioned to Noah. The find to be accomplished by the flood is stated — to destroy all- flesh. It was to be a universal destruction of living creatures from off the face of the earth, excepting only the remnant who should be saved in the ark. Murphy calculates that the population of the earth at the time, was less than four millions. The bloody stains of murder were to be washed out, such as appear in La- mecli, who boasts his impunity in defiant song. The deluge occurs not by natural laws, but by direct interposition of the Creator. It is to be exjjlained not by natural phil- osophy, but by the word of Goi. ^ In the earth. This clause excludes fishes, whose domain is in the wa- ters. The deluge was brought on the whole world as a pimishment of man's sin, (Kom. 8 : 22.) 18. But icith thee. Here is the gracious provision for saving a rem- nant— according to the election of grace. It was all of grace, God cov- enanting with Noah, to save him and his. This covenant was a household covenant. It has always been God's plan to propagate and transmit His church by means of a pious poster- ity. His church is the same in aU ages, only under different outward dispensations. By this announce- ment Noah was animated to .obedi- ence in his most tedious and difficult task — and thus his faith was exer- cised in God as a Covenant God. There were eight persons in all — • Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives, (1 Peter 3 : 20.) 19. Directions are here given as to the lower animals which he should take with liim into the ark. Pairs of each he should take to preserve 168 GENESIS. [B. C. 2567. shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee : they shall he male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind ; two of every sort " shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee ; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 w Thus did Noah ; * according to all that God commanded him, so did he. u ch. 7, 9, 15 ; see ch, 2 : 19. w Heb. 11 : 7; see Exod. 40 : 16. x oh. 7 : 5, 9, 16. the species alive. The number is given in ch. 7 : 2. 20. Shall come unto thee. All the animals had been brought to him be- fore, (ch. 2 : 19.) It seems here to be intimated that the reptUes even should come to Noah by some extra- ordinary impulse. No insects nor worms were included. All the varie- ties may be referred to species, and the species now claimed as belong- ing to a genus may, perhaps, be re- duced in numbers. Space, we have seen, was afforded by the area of the ark for nearly seven thousand spe- cies. Many objections have been raised against the assembling of an- imals from all quarters of the earth into one place. But we need not suppose that any differences of cli- mate existed then — and if there did, it was surely in the power of God to assemble the animals, as easily as He could assemble the waters for the deluge. Besides, we know not how widely these animals had spread. Some have sought to explain it by supposing that the deluge was only partial, and not universal, (see vs. 13, notes.) More than a thousand species of mammalia — and fully five thousand species of birds are alleged to exist. In Johnson's Physical At- las, (1856,) the number of species of maitamalia is given as one thousand six hundred and fifty-eight. Of birds, the number of species reckoned by Lesson is six thousand two hun- dred and sixty-six. Of reptiles six hundred and forty-two are reckoned by G?ias. Bonaparte. The clean ani- mals alone have been computed at one thousand one hundred and sixty- two individuals, supposing that seven of each species was taken. But even if we coTild not see how the stowing of these creatures took place, it is much easier to infer that there are particulars which we do not know, or cannot appreciate, than to deny the plain statement of the Scripture. Some suppose that a partial new creation of animals took place after the flood. The various continents were probably connected at the first, and this would allow of their migra- tion to the ark from all quarters. The food could the more easily be collected, as the deluge occurred in the second month of the year, in Autumn. 22. Here is the power of Noah's faith. In so gigantic an undertak- ing, against such a world of opposi- tion, in the face of all natural appear- ances Noah's faith achieved the work. It produced a simple, earnest obedi- ence to the Divine command in all things. Thus his faith wrought wonders. Noah is a hero in history. " I admire," says Ghrysostom, " the virtue of this just man, and the un- speakable mercy of the Lord, when I consider how he was able to live among the wild beasts, having had conferred on him that former dignity of man which the animals acknowl- edged and obeyed," The apostle's comment in the Hebrews is full of force. (1.) Noah did this great work B. C. 2447. CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER yjl. 169 AND the Lord said unto Xoah, ^ Come thou and all thy house into the ark: for ^ thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. a vs. Y, 13 ; Matt. 24 : 38 • Lake 17 : 26 ; Heb. 11 : 7; 1 Peter 3 : 20 ; 6:9; Ps. 33 : 18, 19 ; Prov. 10 : 9 ; 2 Peter 2 : 9. 2 Peter 2:5. b ch. hp faith — in God's word, and in God Himself, and in God's standing prom- ise of a Messiah to come. (2.) He was, also, " moved with fear," — that fear of God which is filial, not ser- vile, and which leads to cheerful obedience. (3.) The result of this was " the saving of his house," and the condemnation of an imgodly and disbelieving world, and his own heir- ship of that righteousness or justifi- cation, which is by faith alone. PART III. Fro?n the Flood to the Covenant with Abraham. CHAPTER VII. § 23. The Flood— The Ark. Ch. 7 : 1-24. The long period of warning and preparation had now nearly passed. The one hundred and twenty years had rolled on, and were now within a week of their termination. The ark itself was at length completed and ready for occupancy. Against all the reviling of men and the temp- tations of Satan, Noah's faith had triumphed. Now it remained to in- troduce to the majestic structure its tenants, and God's time has come for them to enter. 1. Come thou. The command is a gracious command. So is it in the gospel. Christ is the Ark of the New Testament, and the invitations to enter in are commands also, while the commands are invitations of grace — co7ne, come. 1" And all thine house. The plan of God from the beginning has been to dispense His grace by a household covenant. He has pleased to propagate His church by means of a pious pos- terity. "I will be a God to thee, VOL. I. — 8. and to thy seed after thee," (ch. 17 : 7.) Hence we have the house- hold baptism in the Christian church, (Acts 16 : 15.) This does not indicate, however, that the children are regen- erate, but provides that they may become so, by God's blessing on the parental fidelity. The children of Noah were not all regenerate as we infer from the sequel. But God encourages the parental endeavor to that end, and favors the children of be- lievers with the extraordinary means and promises. So under the New Testament the children of believers are still bidden to come into the ark, Temporal mercies and deliverances are often granted to them for the parent's sake — they are bom within the pale of the church, and favored with its oversight and tuition, and they are specially bidden to come to Christ as children of the church and of the covenant, (Acts 3 : 25.) If For thee, etc. This was " the righteous- ness which is by faith " which Noah had, as Paul is particular to mention, (Heb. 11 : 7.) The modern skepti- cism denies that the patriarchs had the Christian faith. But plainly Paul brings them forward as instan ces of the same faith with us>of the 170 GENESIS. [B.C.2447. 2 Of every ^ clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female ; ^ and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. c vs. 3 ; Lev. fh. 11. d Lev. 10 : 10 ; Ez. 44 : 23. New Testament, and not a mere gen- eral belief in God and in Providence, on the basis of natural religion. Noah could well embrace the great doctrine of salvation by the Messiah in the ark which he built. And that ordinance of the ark upon the waters was a figure like unto the bap- tism of the New Testament church, (1 Peter 3 : 21.) It was according to a household covenant, in which the very mode of baptism was pre-figured —surely not by immersion, but by af- fusion. Noah had faith in the prom- ised seed — and faith in the Divine threatening against a wicked world — and faith in the gracious provision of the ark. Noah's work was altogether in the line of God's gracious direction and provision — it was work upon the ark which God had appointed for a refuge. It was, therefore, nothing meritorious — as if the ark had been provided because of his work. It was fit that he and his should enter into the ark of God, to which he had, in faith and patience, set his hand, ^i Before me. This is God's clear testimony given to Noah, in distinction from the whole world of ungodliness besides. Observe. — (1.) Noah's family are bidden to enter in, because of God's re- lations to Noah himself. (3.) Though Noah was so long a time a preacher of righteousness (1 Pet. 3 : 20 ; 3 Pet. 2 : 5,) he had been instrumental, it would seem, in the salvation of no one outside of his household. Ministerial faithfulness is not always to be meas- ured by the manifest fruits in num- bers converted. ^ In this generation. Though they are so wicked and alienated from God. :'^. Of every clean beast. As noth- ing had been said about such distinc- tion of clean and unclean, before this time, some understand this to be spoken by way of anticipation and prophetically, of those which should afterwards be so distinguished. But this would not ezplain to Noah what kinds were meant. We must sup- pose that there had already been a distinction made of clean animals as those that were to be used for sacri- fice, and perhaps distinguishing the food of the sons of God, in the ante- diluvian theocracy. Afterwards the distinction related also to their uses for food, (Lev. 11.) ^ By sevens. Heb., seven seven. (See Zech. 4 : 2, Heb. seveii and seven.) He had been directed to take by pairs for the pur- pose of keeping alive the species, (ch. 6 : 19, 20.) Here it is more fully and expressly directed to take three pairs of each clean animal, and a single seventh one besides. Calvin, Belitsch, Tuch, Baumgarten, etc., un- derstand that seven of each species, and not seven paii-s, is meant. So Bosenmuller says that the repetition of the number is not to signify du- plication, but distribution among the Q-pecie^—" seven seven" being seven of each species, as in vs. 9, and ch. 32 : 16. By sevens, that is three pairs and one single one of clean animals, for preservation, for food and sacrifice. Some imderstand sev- en pairs to be meant, Noah sacrificed " of every clean beast " at least one, on Ararat, upon leaving the ark; hence he must have had more than a pair or he could have used none for food and sacrifice in the ark. These went in also in pairs, ch. 7 : 8, 9, that is, (as is added,) male and fe- male. Seven is the sacred number in the Scriptures. It was fit that they should be taken by sevens, to keep up this sacred association. There was here also a reference to the Sabbath, as a seventh part of time. Observe. — It is specified (ch. 6 : 19, 20,) that the tame cattle, and creeping things, (smaller animals^ B. C. 2447.1 CHAPTER VII. 171 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female ; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth ^ forty days and forty nights': and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 f And Noah did according unto all that the Lord command- ed him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of wa- tei*s w^as upon the earth. 7 ^ ff And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his e VBS. 12, 17. f ch. 6 : gvs. 1. and tlie fowl were to enter tlie ark. The wild beasts are not included in the specification. Hence some have inferred that these were created after the deluge, of the same species as before, while those who regard the flood to have been partial and local, imderstand these to have been pre- served in other districts, than that inhabited as yet by man. Leaving out this* whole class would relieve very essentially the difficulty of many as to the room for such a mul- titude with the necessary stores. But miracle must be admitted to account for the deluge at all. And why not admit it also to account for these particulars of stowage? " JeTwvah shut Mm in." 3. The same rule of sevens was to be observed in regard to all fowls. There were to be none of the fishes taken into the ark, Obsekve, — If, as some would have it, new species have originated by selection, then how could this distinction have been kept up of clean and unclean ? 4. For yet. Lit., Because to (or at) days yet seven. See vs. 10. A week of further and most special warning was thus given to the world, includ- ing a Sabbath. Seven more days for repentance, if peradventure any would repent. This very significant step was now taken to show that God was in earnest. The ark was finished. Noah and his family were now to go aboard — and take with them a given number of the animals ani fowls — aU showing an imme- diate preparation for the great event ! What now would the scoffing world presume to say. Jesus Himself who beheld it, and wept over it as we may suppose, tells us that they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, (Luke 17 : 27.) ^ Forty days, etc. This is a period of special solemnity in Scripture. Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. Nineveh had a warning of forty days, and Israel a wandering of forty years. ^ Every living sub- stance. This is not the term for liv- ing thing, creature — but is more properly rendered substance, includ- ing all created things, and not merely the animal creation — " whatever lives and flourishes." — Calvin. ^ destroy. Lit., I am wiping out, or, about to wipe out. 5. The faithful obedience of Noah is still further recorded. 6. Six hundred years. Lit., And Noah was a son of six hundred years and the deluge of waters was upon the earth. It was " in the six hun- dredth year of the life of Noah," (vs. 11,) that the flood commenced. He lived after the flood three himdred and fifty years, (ch. 9 : 29,) or nine hundred and fifty in all. 7. Noah's family entered the ark because of — or rather, lit., from the face of— or, from before the waters of the flood — showing not that they entered only by compulsion, but that in confident anticipation of the wa» 173 GENESIS. [B. C. 2447. eons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 1 0 And it came to pass, after seven days, that the waters ol the flood were upon the earth. 11 ^ In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all h the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the ^ windows oi heaven were opened. 12 k And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. hch.8:2; ProT. 8:28; Ezek.26:19. i ch. 1 : 7; 8:2 ; Ps.78 : 23. kvs.4,17. ters they entered — as though they were already rising. 9. It woidd seem from this, that all the animals and fowls went in, in pairs, and that there were no odd ones, (see vs. 3.) Also that they went in by a Divine impulse, as by instinct. It has been computed by some, that there are not more than three hundred distinct species of beasts and birds. See ch. 6 : 20, notes. 10. After seven days. So the ver- sions commonly render it, after the seven days. The same phrase occurs in Heb. ; 1 Chron. 7 : 25. The mar- gin here reads, on the seventh day. The precise day is given in the next verse. This was in the year of the world 1656. •[[ The waters — were — began to fall — upon the earth. 11. The month here given is thought by some to correspond with our November as the civil year of the Hebrew at this time commenced about the autumnal equinox, or 22d September. This would bring the date (17th of 2d month,) about the 7th November. Others conclude that since the Hebrews begin their eacred year in March, at the vernal equinox, and since this was the reckoning of time that was divinely appointed, and since also it is more agreeable to nature, the deluge com- menced in spring time, when the minds of all were elated in the hope of the new year. So Luther, Calvin, etc. Matt. 24 : 37. T[ All the foun- tains, etc. The deep, or abyss, was mentioned in ch. 1, vs. 2, which some understand of the atmosphere, but others of the seas. The waters of the deep, or abyss, had been separ- ated by God at the creation, (ch. 1 : 6,) and confined within appro- priate bounds. Now all the springs or fountains where those waters have their seat, from beneath, were broken up (rent — broken asunder — ) so that there was a return again to the original chaos in this respect — that the waters enveloped the face of the earth, ch. 1 : 2. The masses of waters from above also were let loose — the barriers were removed — and instead of rain distilling in drops from the clouds, as usual, the tor- rents poured forth from above, as if from open windows. The margin reads floodgates ; Greek, cataracts. T[ Were opened — were broken up. See Job 26 : 8. There is yet in the East a phrase like this — " the heav- ens are broken up " — to denote very heavy rains. It is held by some that it had never rained before this time, but that the earth had been watered by dews, ch. 2:5, 6 ; 1:9 But this was no natural rain. 13. And the rain was uj^n, etc B. C. 2447.] CHAPTER VII. 173 13 In the self-same day l entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark: 14 ™ They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they ^ went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 1 vs. 1, T ; ch. 6 : 18 ; Heb. 11 : T; 1 Pet. 3 : 20 ; 2 Pet. 2 ; 5. m vss. 2, 3, 8, 9. n ch. 6 : that is, the rain fell upon the earth daring this period, according to the threatening and prediction, vs. 4. This is a definite and parenthetical statement in regard to the continu- ance of the outburst of waters. 13, 14. Here is a repetition of the statement in vss. 7, 8, given with more precision. ^ In the self-same day ; lit., in the hane of this day, (mentioned in vs. 11) — in the artide or substance of this day ; that is — in this very day. .It is here recorded that the sons of Noah who entered the ark were the same three sons as have been previously mentioned (ch. 5 : 32,) and none others were born to him during the building of the ark. 14. The statement here is very definite to show that specimens or representatives of all beasts and fowl that were then on the face of the earth were taken into the ark, and that without any confusion of the different species. T[ Emry Mrd of every sort. Heb., of every icing. Ob- serve.— This would imply that each species was distinct, and to be pre- served after its kind, according to the original law ; and that there was DO such thing as a formation of new species by selection. 15, 16. They went in unto Noah, etc. This indicates the extraordinary im- pulse by which the various tribes of creatures went into the ark — unto Adam — as they had been brought to Noah before by God to see what he would call them. Observe. — The creatures went in unto Noah, as God commanded Noah. God evidently gave here what He required. He enabled Noah to carry out the plan of His grace. Where Noah's faith sought to accomplish God's com- mand, there God moved the animals to do their necessary part. We ob- serve that in entering the ark of their salvation these various tribes put aside all their mutual enmities, as it shall be at last, when the lion shall lie down ■with the lamb, under the glorious reign of grace and re- demption by Christ Jesus. ^ 8hut him in; lit.. And Jehovah shut in unto him. Shut close around him. (Greek) Shut the ark outside of him, or outside of it — from the outside. It is well rendered, shut him in. Af- ter the great fabric had been built, and all had entered, it yet remained that the door be closed f7'om icithout. Noah had yet to rely for the con- cluding act upon God alone, and without this there had been no sal. vation. Jesus is the author and fin- isher of our faith. This change here in the name of the Most High is to be noticed. It is the covenant God — Jehovah — the Redeemer — • who here shuts him in. And such direct and special interposition ol God seemed necessary to give ade- quate security to what Noah had built, and to give protection against the riotous crowd, who would des- perately struggle for entrance in the final hour. So also is it in the ark of the New Testament. All believ- ers are " kept (as with a garrison) by the power of God, through faith^ 174 GENESIS. [B. C.2447. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, o as God had commanded him ; and the Lord shut him in. 17 PAnd the flood was forty days upon the earth: and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth : *1 and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; '"and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. ovss. 2, 3. pvss. 4, 12. qPs. 104:26, r Ps. 104 : 6 ; Jer. 3 : 23. unto salvation," (1 Pet. 1 : 5.) Ob- serve.— How silly are all the calcu- lations and cavils of skeptics as to storage and stowage, in the light of this declaration, that Jehovah shut him in. He also made room for all the inmates. So in the para- ble of the marriage feast, " they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage, and tJie door was shut." The New Testament gives us some particulars of the state of society at the outbreak of the flood. Instead of being at all moved by the warn- ings and preparations of Noah — "they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away," Matt. 24:38, 39. They were most immersed in worldliness — entering into new relations, as if their houses were to continue to all generations, and they were rioting upon the bounties of God. So it is declared it shall be at the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus Himself gives to us this warning, " Watch, therefore." 17. The continuance of the out- pouring of waters is here given. .Forty days. It is not meant that the waters remained forty days, for it was one hundred and fifty days that the waters prevailed (vs. 24,) before they were abated. It is also i Btated that the waters increased so as to lift up the ark and set it afloat 18. Prevailed — became mighty. The allusion is to the prevailing of an army. The waters came on with such resistless force as to overwhelm every thing in their mighty tide. And the arh icent (Heb,, walked) upon the face of the waters. He would say, the arh rode upon the flood. (Greek,) Was home above the waters. This is a detailed descrip- tion of the gradual rising of the waters, lifting and floating the ark. 19. Here again attention is called to the mighty prevalence of the wa- ters. They became mighty, very ex- ceedingly— and all the high moun- tains iDhich were under all the heav- ens were covered. This language is as strong as could be given to ex- press the universality of the deluge. It has been objected that the end might have been accomplished by a local deluge — such as could have come from the waters of the Cas- pian sea, submerging the regions round about. But it has been shown to be most probable that the popula- tion of the globe was greater then than since, and that the destruction of the race could not have been accom- plished by a partial deluge. Be- sides, as some have objected that water enough could not be found, it has been shown that there is water enough on the earth to drown it, as at the chaos. We know nothing of the height of mountains before the deluge ; and such a convulsion would naturally change the earth's surface so that the present plains may be primitive ocean-beds ; and E C. 2447.] CHAPTER VII. 175 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail: and the mountains were covered. 21 sAnd all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man : 22 All in ^ whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry la?id^ died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven ; and they were destroyed from the earth ; and " Noah only remained alivej and they that tcej-e with him in the ark. 24 w And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. sch. 6:13, 17; u 2 Pet. 2 : 5 ; 3 : vs. 4 ; Job 22 : 16 ; Matt. 24 : 39 ; Luke 17 : 27 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 6. 5. -w ch. 8: 3 ; ch. 8 : 4; compared with vs. 11 of this chap. t ch. 2 : T the landing of the ark may havo been on a lower part of Ararat than the present summit. See p. 163. 20. Fifteen cvMts. Twenty-two feet and a half is here given as the height to which the waters prevail- ed, or overreached the highest sum- mits. 21, 22. The imiversality of the de- struction is here recorded. All flesh that maveth upon the eaHh died- — of all the animal tribes, fowls, and creeping things — all which (had) the breath of the spirit of lives in their nostrils — of all which was in the dry land — died. This includes every va- riety of creatures on the face of the earth, excepting the fishes, that ten- ant the waters. 23. Emery living substance. Heb. And it (the flood) destroyed; lit., blotted out every siihstance. This re- sult was so awful (and so incredible, but for the miraculous work of God) that it is again stated almost in the same terms. •[[ Both man; lit., From man to least — to creeping things. It is also expressly stated that Noah and those who were oc- cupants of the ark with him, were tlie only ones who were left. ^ And *My were destroyed — were blotted out. Showing the utter destruction. 24. It is now stated that the wa- ters prevailed — became mighty — upon the earth one hundred and fifty days. The outpouring had contin- ued forty days, and this period of one hundred and fifty refers to the violent and overwhelming rise and force of the waters though they be- gan to abate. They continued to rush on and overwhelm the earth dur- ing this period of about five months. It has been computed that to over- come the height of the loftiest mountains (of India,) say twenty- eight thousand feet, the rise per day would be one hundred and eighty- six feet. This would at once sweep away every thing before it, and leave no opportunity for men and animals to flee to higher peaks, as they would be almost instantly overtak- en. Such velocity and fury must the waters have had, in their terri- ble overflow, while the outbursting floods, from above, and from be- neath, must have left no hope of escape. Partialists estimate that the population in Noah's time was probably less than four millions. Observe. — It is said by Peter that Christ went (as on a journey) and preached by the Spirit in the dayg of Noah, while the ark was prepar- ing, to the spirits (who are now) in prison, which once were disobedient , that is. He preached through Noah^ and by means of the ark, as a sym- 176 GENESIS. CHAPTER VIII. fB. C. 2447 i AND God * remembered Noah, and every living thins:, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark : ^ and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the watere assuaged ; a ch. 19 : 29 ; Exod. 2 : 24 ; 1 Sam. 1 : 19. b Ex. 14 : 21, bol of Himself — the ark of salvation, 1 Pet. 3 : 19, 30. And Peter adds, in explanation, " For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, (1 Pet. 4 : 6.) 2. All nations liave preserved tra- ditions of a general deluge, and these agree most commonly and strikingly witli tlie Scriptural nar- ratives. Noah appears under the names of the righteous Manu of In- dia, with his three sons, Scherma, Chasma, and lyapeti — Xisuthrus of Chaldea, Osiris of Egypt, Fohi of China, Deucalion of Greece. So among the Peruvians, Mexicans, and Greenlanders, similar traditions are found. Coins of the Phrygian city of Apamea (third century) rep- resent the flood as it is recorded in Scripture, with the letters " no " in Greek. 3. It is generally agreed that traces of such an event as the flood are found on the earth's surface. The diluvial land, so called, is such as would be deposited, as the sedi- ment of a deluge, and it is found all over the earth's surface. Immense fragments of rock have been carried from Scandinavia to Northern Ger- many, and from Mt. Blanc to the Jura mountains. This could have been done only by such a flood, and by gla- cial agency. Bones of the mastodon or mammoth have been deposited in the Cordillera mountains, at a height of eight thousand feet, and bones of deer and horses have been deposited on the Himmalayas, at a height of sixteen thousand feet, whence they have been brought down by ava- lanches. At Desolation island, S. E. of Cape of Good Hope, fossil shell- fish and whales have been discover- ed two thousand feet above the level of the sea. See Kurtz, Sac. Hist. (p. 57.) " The Biblical account of this event is equally free from all mytho- logical and merely national ele- ments, and presents the only faithful and purely historical representation of a tradition which had spread over all the nations of the world." — De- litsch. CHAPTER YIII. § 23. Subsiding op the Flood- Ararat. Ch. 8 : 1-14. As Adam was the first head of the race, so Noah is to be the second head. The ark had now rode on the raging waters about five months, and long after every creature had been swept away and died. And long after the universal flood had overreached all points of the earth's surface, the ark continued to ride on, and the faith and patience of Noah were exercised. How, during this season of confinement within his prison, with no revelation from God, himself and family alone preserved, he was tried to the utmost, we can only in part conceive. His tempta- tion was probably to feel that God had forgotten him. It is therefore recorded here that Ood remembered Noah, and gave him a token of His remembrance. And not only so, but He remembered every liding thing. " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Fa- ther," Matt. 10:29. God's faithful care extends to all His creatures. B. C. 2447.] CHAPTER VIII. 177 2 c The fountains also of the deep, and the windows of heaven were stopped, and ^ the rain from heaven was restrained ; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually : and after the end ® of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. c ch. 7 ; 11. d Job 38 : 3T. e ch. 7 : 24 And " the whole creation " shares with man in the fall and recovery, (Rom. 8 : 22.) T[ Made a mnd to pass (yver. This agency God was pleased to employ. As He had used the waters, so now He uses the winds to accomplish His purpose. So at the Red sea, what He could have done without any second cause. He does by appropriate means. The wind would serve to dissipate the clouds, and admit the heat of the sun for evaporating the waters, and draining them into their channels — dividing the waters from the waters — " a natural means applied to bring about a supernatural effect." So the Holy Spirit, whom the wind symbol- izes, milst be sent to recover the earth from the deluge of sin. See Ex. 14 : 21. ^ Were assuaged — ^were abated — diminished, so much that the ark rested. If the waters began to a- bate midway in the five months, there would have been eight months and over for the subsiding, and nine months and more for the whole pas- sing off and drying up of the flood. 2. All the outpouring . of water from above and beneath was now stopped, and it would seem that after the first forty days this had been the case, though it is specially noted here to show that all the sources of the water-floods were closed up. 1" TTie rain. Here the rain is men- tioned, in addition to the fountains of the deep, and the windows of heaven. Doubtless the floods had burst forth in every way, and per- haps the rain continued after the first flooding of forty days until this time. Was restrained — was hindered. 3. The waters returned — continual- ly/. (Heb.) Going and returning — that is, continuing to return. All the particulars of time and circum- stance are here given, so as to com- plete the historical narrative. It is said that after the end; (lit., from the end) of the hundred and fifty days, (during which "the waters prevailed upon the earth," ch. 7 : 24,) the icaters were abated ; lit., decreas- ed. (Same word as is used in vs. 5.) The decrease of the waters would be at the rate of one hundred feet per day during two hundred and seven- ty-five days. 4. Bested. The great saving event is now recorded. God brought sal- vation to Noah, as He had promised. The ark did not run aground with any violent shock. It rested. The term here is the verb, corresponding with the noun Noah, which means rest. (Nuah.) It was in the seventh month of the year. The flood had continued five months though begin- ning to abate, and soon afterwards the ark rested. Observe. — This was the very day on which our Lord rose from the dead, and rested from His work — namely, the seventeenth day of the seventh month — the day that the ark rested upon Ararat. ^ Ararat. This mountain is called by the Ar- menians, Massis; and by the Turks, steep mountain, and by the Persians, Noah's mountain. It is in the plain of the river Araxes, and terminates in two conical peaks, called the greater and lesser Ararat, about seven miles distant from each other, and respectively seventeen thousand two hundred and sixty feet, and fourteen thousand feet above th« 178 GENESIS. LB C. 2447 5 And the waters decreased continually, until the tenth month: in the tenth months on the first day of the month, were the tops of 'Ihe mountains seen. 6 •[[ And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened ^ the window of the ark which he had made : f ch. 6 : 16. level of the sea. The higher peak has a summit of three thousand feet covered with perpetual snow. It was long judged to be inaccessible, but was ascended in 1829 by Parrot, who thinks that the ark rested on a gentle slope between the two sum- mits. " The mountains of Ararat " may be understood as embracing the range from the peaks just noticed to Kurdistan, south. This range is a central region with reference to the great rivers, seas, and nations of an- tiquity, and was, therefore, the spot most wisely adapted for the distri- bution of the families of mankind to the various quarters of the world. Lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian on the north, and the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean on the south, connecting with three of the great rivers that watered Para- dise— the Tigris, Euphrates, and Araxes — it stood along the high- ways of ancient colonization, near the seats of the great nations of an- tiquity— the Babylonians, Assyrians, Medes, and Colchians. And " Ararat is now the great boundary stone be- tween the empires of Russia, Tur- key, and Persia." — Smith's Diet. We may suppose that the ark rested not on either of the loftiest peaks, which are yet so rarely scaled, but on the range of that region known as Ararat; hence called moiintains of Ararat, as we say, mountains of Africa, Italy, Spain. It is supposed by some that ihe Taurus range an- swers best the necessary conditions, and that along the valley of the Eu- phrates the human race must have journeyed "from the East to the plains of Shinar," ch. 11 : 1, 2. In 2 Kings 19 : 37 it is called a district in Armenia, situated between the two lakes Wau and Urumia (Ooroo- miah) and the river Araxes, Isa. 37 : 38. In Jer. 51 : 27 it stands for the whole of Armenia. It is not al- leged that the ark rested on the highest mountain peak in the world or even in that region. Some sum- mits higher than this would possibly have begun to dry. 5. The waters decreased, etc. Lit., The waters were going and decreas- ing— that is, continually. During about two and a-half months this gradual abatement was going on, until the mountain summits, not merely the loftiest, were seen. The outline of the mountain ranges be- came visible above the decreasing waters. The rate of daily decrease was about one hundred feet per day. 6. "The end of forty days" here spoken of, must be reckoned from the landing of the ark on Ararat, not from the sight of the mountain summits. Calvin seems to reckon it thus from the former period : and tins would be before the summits of the mountains became visible. And we could scarcely suppose that Noah would send forth any bird from the ark (" to see whether the waters were abated,") after the mountains were in view. Besides, the dove would have found a resting place in such case. At this time he opened the window of the ark. The word here and elsewhere rendered " iciii' dow " is not the same as occurs ch. 6 : 16 — which is more properly a sJcy- light. There was " a covering of the ark " which Noah removed, vs. 13. Yet the clause here added, "which he had made," referring to the wiTi- doic, not to the ark, seems to point back to ch. 6 : 16, and the same may B. C. 2447.J CHAPTER VIII. 179 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground ; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 1 1 And the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth 2vas an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the wa- ters were abated from off the earth. be meant througliout, only differ- ently called in reference to different uses. 7. A7id lie sent forth tJie raven — probably because this bird lives on carcasses, and if the dead bodies of animals that had perished were yet exposed, this bird would not be ex- pected to return. Thus Noah, would have a sign of the state of the earth.. The raven went forth to and fro — lit., went out going and returning — that is, continuing to fly to and fro— probably flying away and coming back to the ark, but not re-entering it. The Vulg. and Or, render it — returned not again. But the idiom is Hebrew, and is to be understood as often elsewhere. In vs. 9, the re- turn of the dove to the ark is differ- ently expressed. 8. And he sent forth the dove from him. This bird was sent to prove the condition of the earth, whether the waters were abated — (lit., light- ened,)— and whether tbe land was sufficiently exposed to afford the dove a resting place ; or whether, in lack of this, she would return. The raven did not furnish sufficient proof of the state of things : and it is prob- able that the dove was sent forth very soon after the raven — probably seven days, (see vs. 10.) 9. But the dove found no rest — ^lit., resti.ig -place. The term here used is Manoah. Her return to Noah was her return to the only resting-place. There were, doubtless, some sum- mits bare, but not near enough for the timid dove to venture to them over the face of the waters. The waters were yet prevalent, though they had so much abated. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and hrought her — (lit., caused her to come) unto him to the ark. 10. And he stayed — rather, waited patiently — yet seven days other — or after. This may be other seven days — or, seven days besides — but as it is the same phrase which occurs rn vs. 13, we may suppose pur version to be the correct one — implying a seven days* period already observed by Noah. This is an incMcation of Sabbath ob- servance during the deluge. There is certainly a clear hint of a seventh day as a sacred day — and this goes to prove the original iastitution of the Sabbath in Paradise — as the fourth commandment also implies. *f[ Again — lit., added to send. He sent out the dove a second time because he would repeat the test he had already made, since he could rely on the dove to return if she found no resting place, or to bring him back some evidence of the earth's condition. 11, It would seem that the gentle dove was flying at some distance, as she did not return untU evening. And the dove came to him to (or at) the time of evening — when she \70uld naturally seek her nest. An olive- leaf— oi, twig of olive -plucked ojSh* 180 GENESIS. [B. C. 2446 12 And lie stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove ; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 1" And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, m the first months the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from oflT the earth : and N'oah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. (not picked up,) torn from the tree (freshly,) by whatever means, it mat- ters not. See Neh. 8 : 15. This was a decisive proof to Noah that the wa- ters loere abated (lightened) from upon the face of the earth. The olive branch has always since been an em- blem of peace. 12. And he waited patiently yet other seven days, (and after another Sabbath,) he sent forth the dove, and she did not add to return to him any more. God made use of this gentle bird, and operating through her nat- ural instincts, and also supernat- urally guiding her, he thus instruct- ed Noah by her movements. 13. The flood had commenced in the second month and seventeenth day of the month of Noah's six hun- dredth year, (ch. 7 : 11.) It was ended on this first day of the first month of Noah's six hundspd and first year. This would make the continuance of the flood to have been about ten months and a-half. Others, includ- ing the forty days of rain, make it one year and ten days to the entire drying of the ground and the de- parture of Noah from the ark on the twenty-seventh day of the second month. Some imderstand the Jew- ish year to have had only three hun- dred and fifty-four days — adding to this the eleven days diflerence be- tween the day of the month on which they entered (seven Leenth) and departed (twenty-seventh) reck oning both days, we have three hun- dred and sixty- five days, or a full solar year. The days we give aa follows : The rain lasted 40 days The waters prevailed 150 " They subsided 29 " Noah delays 40 " Sending raven and dove . . 20 " Another month 29 " Interval till 27th of second month 57 " Total 365 This is within a fraction of the solar year, and it is the lunar year of three hundred and fifty-six days and ten days additional, making out fully the days of the solar year — a " tacit agreement with the real order of nature." TEAK. MO. DAY. 600 2, 17, (ch. 7 : 11,). . . .Noah enters the ark — Flood commences. ** 3, 27, . . . .After the forty days' rain the ark floats. " 7, 17, ( ch. 8 : 4, ). . . .Five months having now elapsed the arlf begins to rest. ** 10, 1 ( ch. 8 : 5, ). . . .The mountain tops are seen. " 11, 11, (ch. 8 : 6,7,). . . .The raven is sent out, and the dove. " 11, 18, ( ch. 8 : 8, ) The dove is again sent out — returns. ** 11, 25, (ch. 8 : 10,). . . .The dove is again sent out — returns. ** 12, 2, (ch. 8 : 12,). . . .The dove is again sent out — does not re. turn. 601 1, 1, (ch. 8 : 13,) Waters dried ofl*. " 3, 27, (ch. 8 : 14,). . . .Ground fully dried— Noah leaves the ark (See DdUzsch, p. 256-7.) B. C. 3446.] CHAPTEE Vni. 181 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 ^ And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, s thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' Avives with thee. g ch. T : 13. A volume of water thirty feet above the top of Ararat, (at least seventeen thousand two hundred and fifty-four feet high,) and which pre- vailed for a year, or thereabouts, must have fovmd its equilibrium, and thus covered the face of the whole earth ! According to the cal- culation of Lilientlml, the quantity of water necessary to cover the sur- face of the earth to a height of one mile above the level of the sea is only equal to the two hundred and seventy-secondth part of the volume of the earth. One of the most re- cent cavillers admits that " a partial deluge involves a universal flood." — {Colenso, Vol. ii., 18.) A good math- ematician finds " that the rate of subsidence of the waters (as given in the eighth chapter of Genesis) from the top of Ararat to the sea- level, proves that at the same rate, the highest mountain on the globe would be twenty-seven thousand feet. In other words, if the subsi- dence of one hundred and sixty-three days left Ararat exposed (whose height we know,) then the subsidence of the waters for two hundred and seventy-three days would leave a mountain of twenty-seven thousand feet high dry to its base. Now geo- graphers tell us that this is the exact height of the loftiest peak of the Himalaya. So science is confirming God's word as she revolves on the poles of truth." ^[ Removed the cov- ering, '^ptte. This term is applied in Exodus, etc., to the covering of skins which composed the roof of the tabernacle — and here it would seem to denote the roof, or some movable part of it. We need not suppose that the entire covering was removed, but only so much of it as was necessary for the purpose. It may be, however, that Noah, seeing that there would be no further use for this movable roof, or covering, re- moved it altogether. This is not the same term used in vs. 6, nor that in ch. 6 : 16, both of which are rendered " icindow." This, probably, belonged somehow to that part of the roof referred to in ch. 6 : 16, which was to be finished " in a cvMt above." 14. Noah waited nearly three months after the dove's final depart- ure before he ventured to leave the ark, waiting the Divine direction. It was not until the close of the sec- ond month that the earth was fully dried, and now we hear the same covenant God, who had bidden him to enter the ark, directing him to leave it. He who "shut him in" now opens the way for his departure. Let us patiently wait the Divine summons to go hence — from the church on earth -to the church in heaven. He who has brought us into the ark of safety will carry us through, and appoint all our times and seasons till we depart hence. " Here is a sacred timidity of Noah, which comes from the obedience of faith." § 24. Departube from the Ark — ' Noah's Sacrifice. Ch. 8 : 15-23. 15, 16. How cheering to Noah must have been this Divine word at length — the flood at an end, and dried up — and the long year of gloom and desolation finished. His confine- ment in the ark is now over — and he is to go forth the second head of the human family — he and his house, the sole population of the glob©— 183 GENESIS. [B. C. 244a 17 Bring forth with thee ^ every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth ; that they may breed abund- antly in the earth, and ^ be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 1 8 And ISToah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his eons' wives with him : 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, a7id whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Loed, and took of * every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt- offerings on the altar. hch. 7:13-15. i ch. 1 : 22. kLev. ch. 11. Ihe sole remnant of a guilty and perished race. Observe. — The del- age was a type of baptism — and of 'household baptism ; Noah and all his touse, being covered by the provis- ion. The ark was a type of Christ —and Noah was also a personal type )f Christ — as the head of the family »f saved ones, pointing forward to ihe Second Adam. ^ Thou and thy seife, etc. God's whole plan contem- ■^lated as much the family of Noah, HiS himself. It has always been the plan of God to propagate the church oy means of the household cove- nant, providing for a pious pos- terity. 17. TJie renovation of the earth f s promised to Noah. Here is shown the plan of God in ordering a cer- tain specimen number of animals to be taken into the ark. It was for preservation of the species — that they may breed abundantly and multiply in the earth. The intimation of ch. 7 : 14, is that each distinct original species was preserved thus — and this would go to show that they were carefully kept AC-ch after his kind — the original law— &Kd that there was no such law as the making up of new spe- cies by " selection." 19. Here it is distinctly stated that all the animal tT'?hw went forth from the ark " after thc^ir kinds,^' as they went in, see ch. 7 : ii. The criijsaal species were to be carefully pre- served. If there had been any such law as the making up of new species by "selection," this would most likely have occurred in the ark — whereas the whole tenor of the nar- rative is that the identical species, in every case, was preserved, and that they came out as they went in, each " after its kind." 20. An altar. Here is the first mention of an altar, which, as the word indicates, means a place for offering sacrifice. Cain and Abel had offered sacrifices. Noah here built an altar— of his own motion — it would seem. This is introduced here as though it was a familiar thing —and doubtless this had been the custom before the flood. As early as during our first parent's abode in the garden at the fall, God is said to have clothed them with the skins of ani- mals, (ch. 3 : 31,) implying the use of sacrifice, which carried with it the idea of propitiation as expressed in the covering — as with the right- eousness of the Great Sacrificial offering. Noah selected of the clean beasts. These were, from the begin- ning, of certain species, carefully separated from all others, and sp preserved in the ark, according to the Divine institution. This institution siipposes the most exact preservation of the animals and fowls, etc. after B. C. 2446.J CHAPTER VIII. 183 21 And the Lord smelled ^ a sweet savor ; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again ^ curse the ground any more for man's sake ; for the " imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth : « neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 1 Lev. 1: 9; Ezek. 20: 41; 2 Cor. 2: 15; Eph. 5: 2. m ch. 3 : 17; 14:4; 15; 14; Ps. 51:5; Jer. 17 ; 9 ; Matt. 15: 19; Rom. 1: 21; 3: 6 : 17. n ch. 6 : 5 ; Job 23. o ch. 9 : 11, 15. their kind, or family. It was burnt offerings that Noah oflfered. Here is the first mention of burnt offerings. The Second Head of the race — the head of the renovated earth— the head and father of the saved ones — here Bets an example of offering of every clean animal and fowl, a burnt offer- ing to Jehovah. The term is from the verb, to go up, meaning such of- ferings as go up upon the altar, or such as are biirnt up, whose smoke goes up : and the literal reading is, " he caused to go up the goers up on the altar. Observe. — (1.) The first busi- ness of Noah is to express thus his gratitude for such signal preserva- tion of himself and household in distinction from all the world beside. Gratitude for the great salvation should be the ruling principle of our living. (3.) There is, also, on Noah's part, a confession of sinfulness, and a hope of salvation expressed in the sacrificial oflering. The burnt offer- ing was at the head of all the sacri- fices— the most ancient, the most general, and the most important. Its chief idea was expiation and the reconciliation of God with man. It set forth Christ, the Great Lamb of sacrifice, as wholly given to God — consumed on the sdtar. In all the other sacrifices a part was re- tained for the priest or the offerer : but not so with this. In the burnt offering there was expressed a gen- eral confession of guiltiness, and not, as in other offerings, of particu- lar sins. These latter were all com- prised in the burnt offering, which was also a thank offering. Noah hereby made solemn confession that he and his house had been saved by grace and not b/ their own right- eousness— and that their sins re- quired expiation before God. It also expressed their faith in God's plan of grace and salvation by the Promised Messiah, and their confi dence in this their deliverance as a grand step in the execution of the plan, and as a pledge of its consum- mation. 21. And Jehovah smelled, etc. This mode of expression arose from the fact that the smoke of incense, or of an offering, ascends, and may seem to go up to God, as pleasant or not, according as the offering is ac- ceptable or not to Him. *[\ A sweet savor ; lit., the savor of rest — refresh^ ment. Bathe explains it rather in the sense of appeaMng — " odor placa- minis " — the odor of expiation — or an appeasing odor. Heb., (hanihoah) — a verbal reference to the name Noah. See 1 Sam. 26 : 19, where the Eeb. word rendered "accept" means to smell. Lev. 26 : 31. The same terms which are used in the Greek version to translate this phrase are used in the New Testament in regard to the sac rifice of Christ, Ephes. 5 : 2 — " Who hath loved us, and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor." I" And Jehovah said in His heart. This is an emphatic expression. Lit., Said to His heart. Elsewhere it is ex- pressed as an oath. "As I have sworn that the waters of Noah," etc., Isa. 54 : 9. T[ / uMl not again curse the ground ; lit., / vnll not add to curse. This is connected with the closing clause — " as I have done " — meaning that thi^re should not be repeated such a universal deluge. So it is expressed (Isa. 54 : 9) that " the waters of Noah shall no moik 184 GENESIS. [B.C. 244a 22 P While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, <1 and day and night, shall not cease. p Is. 54 : 8. q Jer. 33 : 20, 25. go over the earth." See vs. 22. ^ For. This particle in Heb. often means "tJiough," and so many un- derstand it — that though every mo- tion of man's heart is evil, (ch. 6 : 5,) continually, from the beginning, yet God would not visit upon the ground his desert any more. But we may un- derstand the clause to be closely con- nected with the former, and explan- atory of it—for man's sake, because (as the reason why, or the sense in which it would be for man's sake.) This was distinctly the ground on which God had brought this deluge upon the earth — because " God saw that every imagination of the thought of man's heart was only evil continually." Here He says that He will not again thus visit as for this reason. He had done. He would spare the sinful world in view of the great salvation by Christ Jesus. See ch. 9 : 11. " Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great," Ps. 25:11. Kurtz remarks that "for" is here significant ; that the Lord admits the fact of universal sinful- ness as something actually existing. It forms an element in the economy of His government, and in part de- termines its direction. His compas- sion and forbearance, illustrated in this transaction, keep back the final judgment until His grace accomplish all that it had devised and deter- mined for men's salvation. Von Gerlach remarks that it was because He had accepted the sacrifice, that He could forgive. Note. — God graciously accepts Noah's sacrifice, as he was actuated by faith in Christ as the ark of safe- ty (Heb. 11 : 7.) 22. While the earth remaineth. The natural succession of seasons, as here named, is now promised to con- tinue so long as the earth remaineth. 1'his, howeve,', wiU not be always. The earth, and all that therein is, shall be burned up, 2 Pet. 3 : 7. The six seasons here named are the agri- cultural seasons adopted by the Jews, and recognized also among the Arabs. The meaning here is, that there shall be no absolute and permanent interruption of this established order of things in the natural world. This promise is precious, and none can tell how it has become the ground of a universal confidence, which is so necessary among men. The steady and regular succession of the sea- sons, as observed by all men, is the basis of a general and settled confi- dence in what are called " the laws of nature," which are only the ordi- nary operation of God's power. This is also a covenant of grace with Noah — the consequence of having smelled a sweet savor of his sacri- fice, as exhibiting Christ, and thus we are taught that all the ordinan- ces of nature are under the economy of grace — that God spares the worst of sinners for Christ's sake, and that the globe rolls on its axis and wheels round the sun in the succession of natural seasons, and the operation of physical laws, all because the Lamb of God was slain before the founda- tion of the world, and because all nature is under the mediatorial dis- pensation. Note (1). — In the days of Noah, while the long-sufiering of God wait- ed during the one hundred and twen- ty years of warning, Christ preached to the spirits who are now in prison, 1 Pet. 3 : 19, 20. There is nothing in this passage nor anywhere in Scripture to warrant the idea \ hat they who perished in the flood en- joyed any future offers of grace. Note (2.) — This judicial visitation was also an act of salvation to a remnant. The flood is also a type of baptism (1 Pet. 3 : 21.) To be in tho B. C. 3448. CHAPTER IX. 185 CHAPTER IX, AND God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, a Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 b And the fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. a cli. 1 : 28 ; v8. 7 : 19 : ch, 10 : 32. b ch. 1 aos. 2: IS. ark is to be saved, while the exter- nal ordinance is that of water (with the blood,) which signifies our spirit- ual cleansing — " not the washing away of the filth of the flesh," as though the mere outward ordinance could be all — ^but the answer, etc. Observe. — The great promise of the coming Deliverer had not been fully realized as yet, but only shad- owed forth. Salvation from a uni- versal deluge was now the further idea ; salvation, amidst the destruc- tion of a sinful world, is the fuller unfolding of the Messianic promise and hope. A new stadium in the development now occurs in history. CHAPTER IX. § 35. God's Blessing upon Noah's House — Food and Protection. Ch. 9 : 1-7. It had pleased the God of all grace to spare Noah and his family — eight Bouls in all — " a remnant, according to the election of grace." And now, with this new head of the race, God (1.) establishes His covenant, repeat- ing the grant made to Adam, of do- minion over nature, and of the bless- ing of fruitfolness ; and giving also " a preliminary law " to be their first elementary schoolmaster to lead to Christ, (Gal. 3:24.) (2.) God sets His brilliant and manifest seal to this covenant — His bow in the cloud. Vs. 1 provides for the prop- agation of the race. Vs. 2 guarantees this small household against the ferocity of the animal tribes by promising to ijnplant a fear of them in the brute creatures. Vs. 3 is a grant of animal food, implying the subjugation and use of the animal tribes. Vs. 5 gives further a guar- anty of protection against the law- less ferocity of ^^dcked men, by insti- tuting the civil magistrate as a di- vine ordinance, armed with public and oflBcial authority to put down capital violence and crime by capital punishment, (Rom. 13 : 4.) The re- striction contained in vs. 4 against the separate use of blood, is an ex- pression of the Messianic idea. Blood, being the standing symbol of expiation, was to be regarded and treated with awe, and was to be ab- stained from in any separate parta- king. Thus the race was to be train- ed to the great elementary idea of a sacred significance in hlood. This is more fully expressed in Lev. 17 : 10, 11. — "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atone- ment for your souls." 1. As Noah and his sons are to be- come the progenitors of the whole hu- man race, we find here an exact re- announcement of the blessing upon Adam and Eve, (ch. 1 : 28.) It has also the form of a command. But G ^'8 commands are also invitations — lua of privilege and blessing. This first part of God's covenant with Noah relates to the transmission of Hfe. 2. The second part of the cove- nant reestablishes man's dominion over the inferior animals. ^ The fear of you. Unlike the Paradisai. cal state, the animal tribes were now to be governed by the fear and dread of man, and not as then — ^by the law 186 GENESIS. [B. C. 2446 3 c Erery moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you ; even as the ^ green herb have I given you ^ all things. 4 f But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. c Deufc. 12 : 15 ; 14 : 3, 9, 11 : Acts 10 : 12, 13. d ch. 1 : 29. e Rom. 14 : 14, 20 ; 1 Cor 10 : 23, 26 ; Col. 2 : 16 ; 1 Ties. 4 : 3, 4. f Lev. 17 : 10, 11, 14 ; 19 : 26 : Deut. 12 : 23 ; 1 8am. 14:34; Acts 15 : 20, 29. of gentleness and willing subjec- tion. Enmity is put between fallen man and all the brute creatures, as well as the serpent. But though they are so greatly superior in strength, their instinct is commonly to flee from the presence of man. If it were not so, how full of terror would men be in new settlements, where civilized society crowds upon the wilderness tribes. ^ Into your hand, etc. The whole animal crea- tion are given into the power of man, and their instinct of shrinking away from man's presence, is the clear indication of this divine law. Even the strongest and most fero- cious animals — as the lion, the tiger, etc. — when they are not irritated, flee from man, though they could so easily overpower him. (See Ps. 8.) 3. This third section of the cove- nant relates to the means of sustain- ing life. Some understand that here, for the first time, man is allowed the use of animal food. Others under- stand it as abolishing an antedilu- vian restriction of unclean meats, which separated the sons of God in the antediluvian theocracy. ^ As the green herb. Just as freely were they henceforth permitted to use flesh for food, as they had been granted the use of all green herbs at the beginning. See ch. 1 : 29. 4. Bui. Here is a positive restric- tion set upon the use of flesh for food, viz., that with the blood — that is, without the blood of the animal hav- ing first been shed, it was not allow- ed. Blood was not allowed to be used separately. The reason here .mplied is, that the life was some- how mysteriously contained in the blood Lev. 17:10; Deut. 12:23. The ground ot this restriction was that blood was appointed by God as the standing symbol of expiation. And as the people were to be trained to great leading ideas of sin and sal- vation by means of these ritual ordi- nances, so they were to be taught of a special sanctity attaching to blood in the system of Divine grace. " For without shedding of blood is no remission," (Heb. 9 : 22.) The natural horror of blood which obtains among men is evidence of such a Divine regulation. Some have thought that " the sole intention of this prohibi- tion was to prevent the excesses of cannibal ferocity in the eating of the flesh of living animals, to which men in earlier ages were liable." But a much more weighty reason we have already given. "For the life (soul) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls (lives.") Lev. 17:11. The blood would seem to be so connected with the life, as its channel or ve- hicle, that it may be regarded as having the life in it. Oerlach re- marks that after Christ, by his own blood (and not by the blood of goats and calves), has made an atonement, the eating of blood became a matter of indifference." But it was decided at the apostolic Synod at Jerusalem, that it should be abstained from at that time. The principle of that de- cision seems to have been this — that all idolatrous usages and associations should be abstained from, and so also any thing that woidd needlessly prejudice the Jews, especially every thing that would throw dishonoi upon the blood of expiation. See Acts 15 : 29. (Notes.) 5. This fourth section of the cove- nant relates to the protection oi' life, B. C. 2446.1 CHAPTER IX. 187 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require : s at the tand of every beast will I require it, and h at the hand of man ; at the hand of every i man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 ^ Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed : ifor in the image of God made he man. g Ex. 21: 23. hch. 4 Matt. 26 : 52 ; Rev. 13 : 10 9,10; . Ich. Ps. 9 : 12. i 1:27. Acts IT : 26. k Ex. 21 12, 14: Lev. 24 IT; and institutes a new guardianship of it, in the civil magistrate — who is armed with Divine authority, as a public officer, to repress violence and crime. .This ordinance of the civil magistrate had not existed before this time. See Rom. 13 : 4. From this preliminary legislation the sjTiagogue has derived " the seven Noachic J>recepts," which were held to be obligatory upon all proselytes. These forbid (1.) Idolatry. (3.) Blas- phemy. (3.) Murder. .(4.) Incest. (5.) Theft. (6.) Eating blood and strangled animals. (7.) Disobedience to magistrates. ^ Tour Nood of your lives — Your Uood 'belonging to your lives — or, in which the life is contained. Here are two restrictions set to vs. 3, (1.) AVhile animal life is given to man for food, human life is not given to animals for food, but would he judicially required of them in retribution. (2.) Human life blood would be required at the hand of man — that is, men would be held accountable to the Divine judgment for shedding man's life-blood. The term here rendered require, means to require judicially — to make inquisi- tion for — the same verb as in Ps. 9 : 12. T[ At the hand of every beast. This is not to be understood to mean that beasts were to be made the in- struments of God's avenging the blood of men, (as Bush ;) but, that God would ordain the retaliation upon beasts of prey, such as obtains among men — in a spirit of extermi- nation for their ferocious love of human blood. This contains the Divine sanction of that Mosaic regu- lation (Exod. 21 : 28,) that the ox that gored a man or woman should die, by stoning. ^ Of every man's brother. Here is a further restriction upon the grant in vs. 3, and a further ordinance for the protection of hu man life — lit.. Of every man, his brother. This does not m,ean that God will require of every man's brother satisfaction for mm-der. But it means that God will require it of man, his brother — who has shed the blood of his brother man. So the Chald. reads, " At the hand of the man who shall shed his brother's blood will I require the life of man." At the hand of does not mean, by the hand of— (as Bush) This is ex- pressed by another preposition, as in Mai. 1:1. Here it is, literally, from the hand of. It is not, therefore, (as Bush supposes,) the origin of the institution of Goelism. God here only proclaims His fixed and imiversal law that the murderer should die by the hand of the civil magistrate. The institu- tion of the Goel, or blood-avenger, belonged to the patriarchal times — as the temporary substitute for the civil magistrate in that informal con- dition of society — and it was after- wards incorporated, with modifica- tions, into the Mosaic code. 6. Here the Divine ordinance is more explicitly stated, with the rea- son, making it applicable to aU ages. ^ Whoso sheddeth, etc. Civil magis- tracy is here instituted and armed with the right of capital pimishment. The taking of life, which is wilful and malicious, is here condemned — not that which is accidental, or judicial. That this is the law of God, for all ages the same, is clear from the reason annexed. ^ For in thfi image, etc. The fact that laan wau made in the Divine image (ch. 1 : 27,) is here given as the reason ^r this Di« 188 GENESIS. [B. C. 2446 7 And you, »" be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abun- dantly in the earth, and multiply tlierein. 8 % And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, m vss. 1, 19 ; ch. 1 : 28. vine law of capital punishment. And this is a reason which is equally good at all times, and equally appli- cable among all people. This image of God, in which man was first form- ed, so belongs even to fallen man that such wilful destruction of hu- man life is to be regarded as a crime against the Divine majesty, thus imaged in man. Accordingly this law has lost none of its force by the gospel — for the gospel has rather added to the sanctity of human life, and to the value of the Divine im- age as yet to be reclaimed in the new creation. It is often argued against capital punishment that aU punish- ment is remedial. But God Himself has instituted capital punishment which is not remedial, because it is eternal. And so human governments have always had a capital pimish- ment which so far as they can make it so, is eternal — and which is not intended as reformatory, but as judi- cial and exemplary, for the good of society, and for an example to all offenders. BusJi understands this latter clause as giving the reason for this authority of the civil magistrate — that " he bears a visible impress of the Divine image in the legal sov- ereignty with which he is invested." This is aside from the meaning, as we have seen. This would prove too much — as it would imply that this image of God in which man was created, refers to the civil magistracy, and surely, every man was not crea- ted a civil magistrate. "By the Divine image is meant not merely the moral perfection of man in his communion with God, (which was lost by the Fall,) but likewise his capacity for this which could never be lost." — Qerlach. If may further be intimated that since God had now permi tted the kLling of animals for man's subsistence, man was hence- forth to hold the life of his fellow man as so much more sacred in his sight. The experiment which has been made by some States, of abol- ishing capital punishment has been generally abandoned, as of mischiev- ous effect. The magistrate (says Paul,) "beareth not the sword in vain," Eom. 13 : 14. This law, therefore, looks on one side to a firm ordinance of nature which arms man against beasts of prey — and on the other side, points to a fundamental ordinance of society. It is also of universal application, recognizing, in this respect, the universal brother- hood of man. 7. After this protection of man's life by such enactments the com- mand is again given for the propa- gation of human life, vss. 1, 19, and ch. 1:28. Observe. — Here, at this transition point — at the close of the antedilu- ■ vian history, and the opening of the postdiluvian records, we find God delegating to man the authority to punish the murderer by death, and thus clothing the civil magistrate with the high function of enforcing all the minor sanctions of the law for breaches of the civil compacts. It, therefore, points out the institu- tion of civil government as coming from God, and clearly shows the duty of obedience and loyalty, (Rom. 13 : 1-3,) and the accountability of all governments to God, for all the powers they hold, and for the mode in which they are exercised. A great historical lesson for all ages is here. § 36. God's Covenant with Noah — The Covenant Seal — Second Head op the Race. Ch. 9 : 8-17. 8. JHfoah and Ma sons. God's cov B. C. 2446.1 CHAPTER IX. 189 9 And I, " behold, I establish o my covenant with you, and with your seed after you ; 10 P And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth witn you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 1 1 And q I will estabhsh my covenant with you ; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood ; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, ^ This is the token of the covenant which I nch. 6:1S. o Isa. 54: 9. p Ps. 145 : 9. q Isa. 54 : 9. r ch. IT : 11. enant with Noah, as the head of his household included with him, his sons, according to the Divine plan perpetuated to us in the house- hold covenant. So with Abraham. 9. My covenant. This covenant with Noah and his sons marks a new development of God's gracious plan : starting with Noah, as the previous covenant had started with Adam ; Noah being now the second head and father of the race. On the part of man, the starting point is that confession of his sinfulness, and of his hope of salvation, which finds in sacrifice an appropriate expression. On the part of God it is a gracious acceptance of the sacrifice as ex- pressed in the promise, (ch. 8:21.) This promise is here conveyed in covenant form, and sealed with a covenant seal, (vss. 11, 12.) ^ Cove- nant. This term usually refers to a solemn compact entered into between two parties, with mutual engage- ments in due form. But it often refers, also, to God's definite promise, or decree, in which He deigns to bind Himself to His creatures, with- oui conditions or terms, absolutely, (Jer. 33:20; Exod. 34:10; see 2 Chron. 7 : 18.) Here the gracious object is to assure the race that no deluge of waters should again be eent upon the earth. A deluge of fire is to destroy the present earth, (2 Peter 3 : 7.) The term is derived by Gesenius from the verb to cut, be- cause the Heb. phrase is to cut a cov- enant, and the custom was to di\-ide an animal into parts to ratify it solemnly. Others derive it from the verb to eat together, which would explain the phrase a covenant of salt. Others refer it to purifying. See Mai. 3 : 2. 10. This covenant promise extends to the animals who went out of the ark with Noah, and through them to every beast of the earth after them. As the flood destroyed aU the animals who entered not into the ark, so they were interested with man, in the terms of this Divine promise. " The whole creation " is represented by Paul as groaning and travailing in pain together in sympathy with the curse upon man, (Rom. 8 : 22.) God, by the prophet, represents this covenant as confirmed by aU the solemnity of an oath. "I have sworn," etc., (Isa. 54 : 9.) 11. The purport of blessings se- cured by this covenant is here given (1) as regards " all flesh," and (2) as regards " the earth." The flood was sent to destroy not only all fle^h out- side of the ark, but the earth also. Here the promise refers to both, as to be exempt from this visitation in future. Peter refers to the destiny of the present earth, in contrast with that of the old world, (2 Pet. 3 : 6, 7,) " Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God." As He had included the inferior creatures in the curse, so He now includes them in the blessing. 12. Tlie token. God is pleased to give a token or sign of His covenant, by which the race might in all ages be certified of God's fidelity to Hia 190 GENESIS. [B. C. 2446. make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations. 13 I do set * my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud : B Rev. 4 : 3. word, by such, a sign of His faithful remembrance of His covenant. The sign or token of a covenant was sometimes a heap or pillar, ch. 31 : 52. Sometimes a gift, ch. 21 : 30, as a witness, or memorial. 13. I do set; lit., I give, constitute, appoint. ^ My loio. God is pleased to call the rainbow His own — that is, it is to be regarded as His own covenant token, set in the clouds for the assurance of aU creatures against a deluge. Naturally, after so dread- ful a dispensation, the gathering of clouds would strik-e terror, which the appearing of this bow on the face of the storm was to allay. Ho- mer refers to the rainbow as the pe- culiar sign and token of God. The question has been raised whether the rainbow had appeared before this period, or whether it is only now appointed by God for this cove- nant sign. It is argued by some that there had been only a mist prior to the deluge, cb. 2:6. Of this we cannot be certain ; nor is it impor- tant to know. A mist can produce a rainbow; but it is not in every rain that we have a rainbow, and there must have been rain before the deluge, (ch. 2 : 6,) yet this may have been the first appearing of the rainbow. This seems to be the im- pression we get from the narrative. Delitzsch imderstands that, though it had rained before the flood, yet the atmosphere was differently consti- tuted after the flood ; and that to this fact is due this new phenomenon of the rainbow, as there was also a difference of climate before and after the flood. It is certain that the rain- V>ow has had attached to it a Divine fiififnificance by this appointment, and that otherwise it could have had no such association. The sig- nature of it is sufiiciently legible when we understand it as God's hoio. Though it is produced by nat- ural causes, yet since it is not always an accompaniment of rain, even now, and since its imj)ression as a token for the purpose intended could not have been so strong if it had been already familiar, we must rather sup- pose that it was not known to Noah and his family before this, or per- haps that it was now exhibited in the sky, (vs. 16.) Most admirably is it adapted to its purpose of certify- ing the tender regard of God for His creatures. And as it is the sun's rays shining through the rain drops that reflect this glowing image on the black cloud, so is it also a fitting symbol of the Sun of Righteousness reflected, in His glorious attributes, upon the face of every dark and threatening dispensation towards His church. The rainbow is always used in Scripture as the symbol of grace returning after wrath. Com- pare Ezek. 1 : 27, 28 ; Rev. 4 : 3 ; 10 : 1. The cloud serves as the best back- ground for the display of the glori- ous covenant seal. 14. When I bring a cloud, (Heb.) in clouding a cloud. This form oi expression denotes intensity in bring- ing thick clouds — as, in the sudden and violent showers of the Eastern world. Such as these more com- monly display the rainbow. The whole detail of the description im plies something new; and a new covenant required a new seal. T[ Shall be seen. As if not seen be- fore. 15. And I vM remembe/r. Thia B. C. 2446.] CHAPTER IX. 191 15 And " I will remember my covenant, vvhich is between me and yon, and every living creatnre of all Hesh ; and the Avaters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud ; and I wall look upon it, that T may remember ^ the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. 18^ And the sons of Noah that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth : ^ and Ham is the father of Ca- naan. u Ex. 28 : 12 ; Lev. 26: 42, 45 ; Ezek. 16 : 60 w ch. 17 : 13-19. x ch. 10 : 6. token is for God as well as for man. God deigns here to appoint it as a remembrance to Himself. "It is a bow, (says Dr. GiU,) yet without ar- rows, and pointed upward to heaven, and not downward to earth." "^ iVo moi'e. The waters which first en- veloped the earth in chaos were sep- arated by the Divine command, so that the dry land appeared. But this was contrary to the original law. And when we reflect how easily again the fountains of the great deep, which are held back by forced constraint, might be let loose again upon the earth, we can understand the Divine mercy in this covenant. See Cal- mii. 16. This detail, so minutely given, to show the token and its meaning, would seem to imply that the rain- bow was a new phenomenon, and perhaps was now to be seen in the sky. 17. This is the token. This verse may be understood as a summary repetition for further confirming the faith of Noah. Or it may be that to illustrate most forcibly what was meant, God at once spread out His clouds in the sky, and set His bow upon them — a most gorgeous and beautiful exhibition of His love — the rain drops separating the sun-rays into all the colors of the rainbow, and making a glorious arch, span- ning the horizon. § 37. The Three Sons of Noah — Their Conduct and predicted Future — Further Promise of THE Messiah. Ch. 9 : 18-29. The judgment of the flood, so uni- versal, had destroyed sinners, but sin remained, even in the small fam- ily of Noah. As before the flood the two classes of men were repre- sented in the Sethites and the Cain- ites, so now these classes reappear in the races of Shem and Ham. 18. In the development now to appear, we naturally turn to the sons of Noah, to see wjiether the promised salvation is soon to come. Here for a fourth time the sons of Noah are mentioned, (see ch. 5 : 33 ; 6:10; 7:13,) to show that these alone came out of the ark as the branches into which the human family was now to be divided. In the new development now to be traced out, the character of these sons of Noah is to be given to show that the hope of the race in the Mes- siah was to be not in the line of Ham, nor of Japhet, but of Shem — leading also to an enlargement of Japhet. This is in accordance with what is seen in the- conduct of the brothers. The names of these broth- ers, like that of Noah, are signifi- cant. Shem means name, fame, re- nown ; Ham signifies heat ; Japheth means enla/raement, or 193 GENESIS. [B. 0. 2446 19 y These are the three sons of Noah : ^ and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to he ^a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard : » 21 And he drank of the wine, ^and was drunken ; and he was uncovered within his tent. ych. 5:32. z ch. 10:32; 1 Chron. 1 : 4, etc. a ch. 3:19, 23; 4:2; Prov. 12 : ll- bProT. 20:1; 1 Cor. 10:12. Though Japheth was the eldest, Shem is named first, as having the birth- right and the blessing of the Messi- anic line. Shem is so named, as be- ing most exalted ; Ham, perhaps, as occupying afterwards the torrid re- gions. The same name is applied to Egypt, and in the Coptic and Sahidic signifies also blackness, as well as lieat. Japheth — (spreading) as father of the largest portion of the human family — Celtic, Persian, Grecian, and German occupying the northern part of Asia, and all of Europe. ^ And Ham. It is here mentioned that " Ham is the father of Canaan, (so vs. 22) to prepare us for the impor- tant fact that Canaan was cursed because of Ham's iniquity — that is, that Ham was cursed in his genera- tions. Besides, as Moses lived and wrote at a time when the people of God were to enter the land of Prom- ise, and drive out the Canaanites, it was important for them to under- stand that the curse of God rested upon the descendants of Canaan. Besides, Canaan is named as being of great importance in the history of the Israelites. 19. Whole earth overspread; lit., divided— parcelled out — (or dispersed — naphtzah) because men dispersed themselves through it. These broth- ers were the forefathers of those who have scattered themselves over the earth, and divided it among themselves for a habitation. See ch. 10:25. Notes. 20, An husbandman; lit., a man of the ground — as a man of war means a warrior. When it is said, he " began to be " this, it is not meant that now, for the first, he took up this occupation, but that this was his business. It may refer also to the interruption that the building of the ark and the deluge had occasion- ed. Tf Planted a vineyard. Tho culture of the grape is here first mentioned. It has been an ancient occupation of Western Asiatics, es- pecially in Syria and Palestine. The vine probably grew spontaneously in the region where Noah dwelt. He gave it more attention, and pressed the juice from the cluster perhaps far the first. Armenia is noted for its vines. {Bitter, Erd., Vol. 10, p. 319.) 21. The folly and crime of Noah here recorded are such as have dis- graced all ages. He may have beeti overtaken in this fault from being unused to the intoxicating effects ol the wine. But it was probably sen- sual indulgence and excess which led to his disgrace. This only shows us how insidious and ruinous is this crime of intemperance — degrading the fairest character. No wonder that the law of Mohammed in the Koran forbids the use of intoxicating drink. Near the Dead Sea, as we were journeying in the heat, one of our attendants, a Mohammedan, fell to the ground exhausted. A physi- cian of our company urged upon him some brandy from his flask, as the only remedy at hand. He stoutly refused, however, regarding it as most strictly prohibited. ^ He was uncovered — rather, he uncovered him- self. So intemperance leads to shame, degrades the most respecta- ble to the level of the brute, and subjects the wise and good even to derision and scorn. Therefore habit- B, C. 2446.] CHAPTER IX. 193 22 And Ham, the fatber of Canaan, saw the nakedntES of his father, and told Iiis two brethren m- ithoiit. 23 <^ And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the naked- ness of their father : and their faces were backward, and they saw- not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his young- er son had done unto him. 25 And he said, 'i Cursed he Canaan; ^a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. c Ex. 20 : 12 ; Gal. 6 : 1. d Deut. 27 : 16 ; Josh. ; ; 1 Kings 9 : 20, 21. ual indulgence in intoxicating drinks forfeits Cliristian cliaracter, puts a man's actions out of his own con- trol, and sets a most pernicious ex- ample in the family and in society. "Drunkenness in itself deserves as its reward that thej who deface the image of their heavenly Father in themselves, should become a laugh- ing stock to their own children." — Calcin. 23. The sin of Ham against his erring and disgraced father is here recorded to his shame. That he did something to his father besides in- dulging himself in the disgusting Bight, and shamefully making it known, is implied in vs. 24. What he did to him beyond this we are not told. See Lev. 18 : 6, 7. He seems to have mocked his father, and in the spirit of derision, doubt- less, he told his brethren. % WitJi- out. Outside of the tent. The char- acter of Ham sufficiently appears in this conduct, so opposite to that of his brothers. 23. The modest and filial charac- ter of these brothers appears here, • and is quite in keeping with the dis- tinction made in the prophetic pas- «age below. 24. Hoah awoke, and knew. On his awaking, the patriarch, by some means, knew the wrong that had been done to him by Ham. It may have been told to him on his inquiry of the two brothers. j[ Jlis younger son ; lit., his son, tJie little ; meaning tlie younger. Some infer that he was the youngest son of Noah. So Tuch, Delitzsch, Kndbel, etc. Rosen- muller and others contend that Shem was the youngest, as in five other places Ham is placed second in the list. Kurtz makes Ham the young- est son. And this seems the more plausible, as the fact here stated may imply the kindred fact that Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. Oe- senius and Eicald so understand the term. So ch. 42 : 13, 15, 20, 32, etc., 1 Sam. 17 : 14. The names seem to some to be arranged according to their rhythm and sound. Others hold that they stand in the order of their theocratic importance. Shem first, as most exalted ; nam next, whose posterity was most important to the theocracy. 25. Noah here, in the language of prophetic blessing and curse, pre- dicts what is to come to pass in the history of those nations which should descend from his sons. Some have sought to evade the force of the prophecy by denying its prophetic character, and pretending that this is only the rash language of Noah, recent from his wine. But how will such profane dealing with Scripture evade the force of history, which so confirms the prophecy ? Observe. — The manner of Scrip- ture prophecy is illustrated here. 1. The prediction takes its rise from a characteristic incident. The con duct of the brothers was in itself seemingly of slight importance, but it betrayed dispositions that were 194 GENESIS. [B C. 2446. Mglily significant. 2. Tlie predic- tion refers in terms to the near fu- ture, and to the outward condition of the parties concerned. 3. Under these familiar phrases, it foreshad- ows the distant future, and the in- ward as well as the ou.tward state of the human family. 4. It lays out the destiny of the whole race from its very starting point. These sim- ple laws will be found to charac- terize the main body of the pre- dictions of Scripture," — Murphy. ^ Canaan. Ham receives in his own son the recompense for that wicked conduct, of which he himself, as the son of Noah, had been guilty. It was grievous to Noah that the son who, as being the youngest, would be most looked to for the farthest transmission of his religious heri- tage, had proved the transgressor. So Ham is given up to the gloomy prospect of a curse resting upon his remotest posterity, through his youngest son, as some suppose. (But it is not certain that Canaan was Ham's youngest son. Compare ch. 10 : 6 ; 10 : 1 with 9 : 24.) Hengsten- herg says, " Ham is punished in his eons, because he sinned as a son ; and in Canaan, because Canaan fol- lowed most closely in his father's footsteps." Whether or not we are to regard Ham as the youngest, Ca- naan is named — it may be as being most specially related to the history of Israel. The prophecy has become history. The curse of temporal and spiritual bondage has, in fact, rested upon the descendants of Ham. A por- tion of the Canaanites became bond- men to Israel, who were Shemites. The early Babylonians, Phenicians, Carthaginians, and Egyptians, who were all Hamites, were subjugated by the Assyrians, (Shemites,) and by the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans, who were Japhetites. And in modern times, most of the European nations have traded in African slaves. As the other de- scendants of Ham are not mentioned in the prophesy, we may presume that they are included here with Ca- naan. Candlish understands that "Canaan specially and singly is cursed," though the prophecy says nothing against the participation of Ham's other children in their broth er's doom ; and further, the posterity of Canaan mixing themselves by dispersion and by colonization with the other descendants of Ham, may have involved them more or less in their doom ! The curse is upon Ca- naan as representing his descendants generally, it is upon his race in their collective character. Yet the Syro- Phenician woman is sought out by Jesus ; and the Canaanite, though judged to be too bad even to be en- slaved to the chosen people, could, after the third generation, be receiv- ed into fellowship. When God would bless Shem and Japheth, Canaan should vainly resist it. And if God please to bless Ham in the last days, other races shall resist in vain. It is not said that Ham shall never receive blessings through Shem, only that he shall bo " a servant of servants to his breth- ren." Even through this servitude God might appoint to give him the gospel blessings and the liberty wherewith Christ makes free. The facts of history are wonderful in this direction ; and it stands on record, "Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God," Ps. G8 : 31. Just as the blessing pronounced on Shem was to be concentrated on the Jew- ish people, so was the curse pro- nounced on Ham to centre upon Canaan. " Ham is so far from being exempt from the curse, that God, by involving his son with him, aggra- vates his condemnation. While God held the whole seed of Ham as obnoxious to the curse. He mentions the Canaanites by name as those whom He would curse above all others. And hence we infer that this judgment proceeded from God because it was proved by the event itself." — Galmn. It is reason enough for this curse upon Canaan being named here, that this gives the cleW B. C. 2446.J CHAPTER 195 26 And he said, ^Blessed be the Lokd God of SLem; and Ca- naan shall be his servant. fPs. 144:15: Heb. 11 : 16. j to an important chapter iu the after i history of the covenant people when ! they had to deal with the Canaan- 1 ites so severely, under the Divine I authority and direction. ^ A ser- vant of servants. This phrase means a TTbost abject servant. See Num. 3 : 32. Slavery is here denounced as a curse. It is involuntary servitude, with all its attendant evils, that is here meant. Nor does this doom upon a cursed people justify a system of chattel slavery on a plea of exe- cuting God's wall. This is too ab- surd to be seriously pretended. ^ To his brethren. If we limit the curse to Canaan, then his brethren here may mean the other descendants of Ham. The Africans have been mer- ciless slave dealers. But the sense is wider. Canaan became a menial servant of Shem, for the Israelites took possession of the promised land, and those of the Canaanites who were not exterminated, became the lowest slaves to them. (See Josh. 9 : 23.) So also was Canaan enslaved to Japheth, when Tyre and Carthage submitted to the yoke of Greeks and Romans. (So Hannibal cried out, "I own the fortune of Carthage.") So also the negro race have become the most abject of slaves. And it is well understood that the African continent was peopled by the de- scendants of Ham. " Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan." Some of these also peopled Western Asia, which has groaned under the Turkish yoke. Mede remarks, " There never has been a son of Ham who has sha- ken a sceptre over the head of Ja- pheth. Shem hath subdued Japheth, and Japheth hath subdued Shem, but Ham never subdued either." Baw- limoti's researches have shown that the Canaanites proper were not Shemites, but had a common origin with the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Libyans, and which he calls Scythic or Hamite. They may have adopted the Shemitish tongue by contact. Gerlach remarks that " Noah curses here that son of Ham, who, before all the rest, was the principal propa- gator of his father's sins, and the most conspicuous in the history of the kingdom of God. True, the Phenicians and the Egyptians had an earthly and sensual culture ; but all the other people of this wide spread family of Hamites, especially the negroes in Asia, Africa, and Au- stralia, from the aboriginal popula- tion in those lands, are sunk in deep degradation, and almost brutal- ized. It is the office of Christianity to remove this original curse, when the Morian's land shall stretch out their hands unto God." Egypt is called in Scripture " the land of Hamr (Ps. 78 : 51 ; 105 : 23 ; 106 : 22 ) It is conjectured by some that Ca- naan was a partaker of his father's sin, somehow, on this occasion ; but of this we have no proof. This branch of his family was that which afterwards most perpetuated the fa- ther's sin and shame. This appears from their gross sensuality in wor- ship, as is shown in the case of Sod- om-, and all the cities of the plain. See also the description of the sins of the people inhabiting the Holy Land, Lev. 18 : 20 ; Deut. 12 : 31. Observe. — The Hebrews after- wards took possession of the Holy Land, and drove out the Canaanites by Divine direction, and in accor- dance with this denouncement of servitude upon that people. 26. Blessed be, etc. Lit., Blessed ba Jehovah, the God of Shem. Blessing is ascribed to Jehovah, (the redeem- ing name of God,) who is here called the God of Shem. Thanks are ren- dered for the covenant relation into which God is to stand to this branch of Noah's posterity. Here we hava a second great Messianic prediction. W6 GENESIS. [B. C. 2446. 27 God shall enlaige Japlieth, s and he shaH dwell in the tents of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his servant. gEph. 2: 13,14; 3:6. ' M^liich contains an important unfold- ing of tlie gospel promise. As at the Fall, there was a promise appro- priate to that time, so here, at the Flood, is a further advance in the Messianic idea. The promise is here further defined to be in the line of Shem, as the progenitor of the Mes- siah. The idea, which is afterwards more fully expressed, that the salva- tion of man is to flow down the ages in the line of Shem, (Gen. 12 : 3.) i^ here given for the first time, Ana in the most general OTitllne. The bless- ing impli^ tnat Jehovah's gracious presence is to be with Shem — that " Jehovah, the God of salvation, who decrees and executes the counsel of salvation, is the God of Shem. Shem is the chosen one of Jehovah — the promised salvation is to come not from the race of Japheth, nor from that of Ham, but from the tents of Shem." — Kurtz. " Jehovah " being the name by which God was to re- veal Himself in history as the Cove- nant God and Redeemer — implying the advent of Him who was to come — the prophetic idea contemplates this development as to be in the line of this son of Noah. "Evidently this blessing refers in the first in- stance to the line of Eber, who is singled out from all the other de- scendants of Shem, (ch. 10 : 21,) and ultimately to the family of Abraham, with whom the covenant was estab- lished, (ch. 12.) It is the high dis- tinction of Israel that is here fore- told."— Candlish. '^ And Canaan. This is a repetition of what was said in the preceding verse — and is now applied to each of the sons by name. The Heh. reads more exactly, serva7it to them — and the plural form refers to those who should descend from Shem — not as Bush understands it, "to Shem and Jehovah conjointly." This was fulfilled when Israel be- came possessors of the land of Ca- naan, and extirpated the Canaanites for the most part, and reduced the remainder to entire subjection — " bondmen and hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the house of my God," (Josh. 9:23.) "The Ca- naanite was in the land," (ch. 12 : 6 • Exod. 3 : 8, etc.) 27. God shall enlarge Japheth. Some have understood the verb here to signif} , shall persuade, or, allure. It, Is found once in that sense, but in a bad sense of alluring to deceive, (Jer. 20 : 7,) besides that it is followed by an accusative, and not as here by a dative with a preposition. The meaning is doubtlegs, God shall make broad — extend — spread out Japheth, or, make room for Japheth, referring to local extension, and not used here in a tropical sense. So Sept., Chal., Arab., Vulg,, Syr., who understand it of enlarging the territorial bounds of the Japhetic race. This has come to pass. The Japhetites had the north of Western Asia, a large por- tion of the interior region, and aU of Europe. So the Japhetites are found to have the colonizing spirit, and are characterized by extensive migrations as the Europeans of this day. ^ And he shall dwell — slidli tabernacle. Some understand it, " God shall dwell," etc., (as the Sche- kinah.) So Baumgarten, Kndbel, etc. But the verse is si^oken of Japheth, as the other verses have referred to the other sons — Japheth shall dtcell in the tents of Shem — that is, as this phrase implies — he shall be intimately associated with him, and shall partake of his inheritance — " he shall dwell in the (spiritual) tents of Shem, and be received into the fellowship of that salvation which is to proceed from the race of Shem." — Hengstenberg. It would seem that the filial conduct in which Shem and Japheth had acted to. gether was to be rewarded by a blea*- B. C. 2097.1 CHAPTER IX. 197 28 ^ And IsToah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of ISToah were nine hundred and fifty years : and he died. ing in wHcli, as brothers, they should share and be brought into most cordial agreement, and com- munion. " It points, also, to the ideal imion in which these brothers should combine for highest pur- poses." Some make it refer to the conquests which Europeans have made over Asiatics and to the Brit- ish possessions in India. But it is replied that this could scarcely be the idea, as Noah does not curse Shem, but bless him — and this would be a prophecy of damage to Shem, and subjection by means of the Japhetites, which seems foreign from the idea. In the Greek mythology Japetus was regarded as the ancestor of the human race, and it would seem to be founded upon this history. See ch. 9 : 27 ; 10 : 5. And we may suppose that the European conquests in Asia are embraced in tiiis proph- ecy of Japheth's enlargement, in the sense before given, of their com- mingling as brothers. The chief reference is to the most important fact that the Japhetic race were to receive spiritual blessings through the line of Shem — as the true relig- ion has been received by them from the Oriental world. In Paul's mis- sionary journey that was a very remarkable call which came to him in vision from a man of Macedonia, entreating him, "Come over and help us." So Peter's vision of the ingathering of the Gentiles was on the coast of the sea, looking out towards the isles and the western world. The great results were in the line of this prediction, and so have continued ever since — in the extensive conversions of the western, races to Christianity. The Japhetic nations embody the activity and progress of history, both commercial and political, and fulfil the idea of 3nlargemeut, while they have re- ceived the true religion from the Asiatics, and the Gentile church has even supplanted the JoT^ash. See Isa. 46 : 10 ; 1 Peter 1 : 25 ; 2 Peter 1 : 19. ^ And Canaan, etc. Canaan should also be a servant, of the Japhetic, or European races. This has notably come to pass in the enslave- ment of Ham's descendants to the nations of the western world. There has always been manifest a sym- pathy between Shem and Japheth in their descendants, and an antipa- thy between them and the Hamites. It was Canaan, who, more than any other of Ham's descendants was to come into contact with Shem and Japheth, and was to interfere with them in their enjoyment of the priv- ileges implied in their respective benedictions. When the blessing was ready to descend upon Shem, and Israel was to inherit the bless- ing of the Promised Land, " the Canaanite was in the land," and in the way of the blessing, (ch. 12 : 6.) And so in the course of Japheth's predicted enlargement, the main ob- struction with which he met arose from Canaan. Carthage, a colony of Tyre, sprang from Sidon, one of the sons of Canaan, and was the rival of Rome. See Candlish. "The historian recognizes these as the salient points in the e"Epe- rience of the three races, so long as they continue apart. The time is approaching when this strange inter- mediate development will come to a happy issue in the re-union of all thf members of the human family ac- cording to clearer and farther reach- ing prophecies yet to be delivered." — Murphy. 28. A few figures here given close the history of Noah, and the next paragraph occupies us with that of his sons — in their dispersion. 198 GENESIS. CHAPTER X. [B.C. 209? IVTOTV these are the generations of the sons of Noah ; Shem, W Ham, and Japheth : ^ and unto them were sons born after the flood. a ch. 9 : 1, 7, 19. ' CHAPTER X. § 38. Ethnological Record — Peopling of the Earth. Ch. 10 : 1-33. This chapter furnishes a table of national descent and dispersion most important at this stage of the his- tory— showing us, in general, how the earth was settled by the descend- ants of the three sons of Noah ; and giving us the most valuable docu- ment which ethnological science has ever found. Now when in the his- tory, the nations are to be left to walk in their own ways, for a sea- son, (Acts 14 : 16,) this register of them is kept, to show that none of them are omitted entirely from the councils of eternal love. — Kurtz. The special interest attaching to this map of the nations, is that in the sacred history it shows the gene- alogical position which Israel holds among these seventy nations of the world. Accordingly we find the dif- ferent people brought more or less prominently to view, according as they more or less concern the history of the covenant people. Here occurs a separation and dispersion over the earth on the basis of the predictions which Noah has just uttered ; point- ing to a re- union of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues in Jesus Christ, which has been already realized, in the miniature, at Pente- cost, (Acts 3:5.) This chapter occurs here in the history to show the connexion of the event with Noah's prophecy. But properly it is preceded by the events recorded in' the following chapter, (ch. It,) where the immediate cause of the dispersion is given. This table is constructed so as to show the descent and the geograph- ical settlements. The course of development, since the flood, had nov/ to be arrested again, by still another Divine inter- position— not a flood, to drown, but confusion of tongues to scatter — and thus, to accomplish, also, the settle- ment of the whole earth, in view of the great and glorious plan of re- demption, (Rev. 7 : 9.) The stamp imprinted on the three great classes of nations by this prophetic utter- ance of Noah, remains impressed upon them to this day, and the far- reaching prediction is still working out towards the glorious consumma- tion. Some have objected that such a register of the nations implies a knowledge of national genealogies quite too extensive for Moses' time ; and that, therefore, this could not be from his pen. But this objection leaves out of view the Divine sour- ce supposed in Inspiration. Besides Hengsteriberg has shown {Egypt and the Books of Moses) that, on the Egyptian monuments, not a few of these names have been found. RaW' linson has also shown that some of these names, which were long thought to have been fictitious, are found on the bricks of Nineveh, (e. g,j Erech, Calneh, vs. 10, etc.) This table brings down the devel- opment and spread of the nations to the time of Moses. (See vs. 19, where Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, cities of the plain, are spoken of as yet existing.) All researches in ethnology, or the science of national origin and devel- opment, have found this table to be most fully consonant with all the facts, and the only ancient and au- thentic synopsis of the earth's settle- B. C. 2097.] CHAPTER X. 199 2 ^ The sons of Japheth ; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javau, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer ; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and To- gavmah. 4 And the sons of Javan ; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. b 1 Chron. 1 : 5, et"ho are mentioned in connex- ion with the Hebrews. (2.) The de- scendants of Canaan are placed in special prominence, (eleven in num- ber,) and those of Arphaxad (seven- teen in number,) on account of the position these races occupy in the subsequent transactions. 2-5. The sons of Japheth. Though we find the sons of Noah elsewhere in the inverse order of this tabular list, yet the reasons for thus invert- ing the order here is to close with Shem, so as to proceed in his line with the patriarchs leading to Abraham. A. Of Japheth. Seven sons, and their descendants, including the na- tions of the north and west — -four- teen primitive nations. I. GoMEK. — These seem to be the powerful mountain tribes, war- like and formidable. These are the extended race of the Cim- merians, Cymri, Cymbri, who migrated from this central re- gion of Ararat to the north- west, and settled north of the Black Sea, whence we have, with the ancients, the mention of the Cimmerian Bosphorus, and the modern peninsula of the Ciimea. This people is named 800 GENESIS. [B. C. 209t in Ezek. 38 : 6, as one who should come with the host of Gog. Some trace them to Cambria (Wales,) and Camheriand. Jose- pJius calls the Galatians, " Go- marw." The Ghomari, a people in Bactria, near the Oxus, is mentioned by Ptolemy, one of the most remote northern nations. {a) Ashhenaz. Some under- stand this to be the Asen race. {As — genu^ — (/Gns^ who with Odin migrated from the east, according, to ancient tradition, and the same as the Germans. The first king of the Saxons was called Aschams. Traces of the name appear in the names Scan- dinavia, Asia, Azof and Sachsen, (Saxon.) Kalisch identifies these with the Bhegenes, as JosepJius seems to do — the ancient town, Ehagse, being the capital — one day's journey south of the Cas- pian Sea. In Jer. 51 : 27, this tribe is associated with Ararat and Minni — who were to join an alliance for the destruction of Babylon, Their district is the western part of Asia Minor. (6.) Ripliath. This is under- stood of the Celts. The namj3 is traced in the Riphasan moun- tains and perhaps in the Car- pathian. Their district is the southern coast of the Black Sea. (c) Togarmah. These are the Armenians, whose historians say that their first king was named Thorgom. — {Eitter's Erd., vol. x., p. 258.) These are located by Kalisch on the Tauric peninsula, (Crimea,) a valiant nation of the north, prepared to join Gomer in the expeditions of Gog, Ezek. 38 : 6, — partly agricultural and partly military in their charac- ter, Ezek. 27 : 14. n Magog. — These are the Scythians — the people of the Caucasus, who bear the name of Oog, and the prefix ma is local, denoting the place, region ; so that Magog woiQd be, those of Gog ; which is the name of a region in the extreme north. Gog and Ma gog are mentioned together Ezek. chs. 28, 39, and in Rev 20 : 8, as they who are to invada the camp of the saints. Tha name Magog seems to com- prise several nations in the re- gion beyond Media and the Cau- casian mountains, to the north and east. The king of Magog is called Gog, an appellative like Pharaoh, Csesar, Czar. But in later times Gog is coupled as a nation with Magog, and so in the New Testament. See Ezek. 38:2; 39:1-8; Rev. 20:8. III. Madai. — These are the Medes. Rawlinson calls attention to the fact that here is indicated what ScJilegel discovered, that the principal nations of Europe have an affinity with the Aryan, or, Indo-Persic stock, a fact which the term Indo-European embod- ies ; since here we find the Madai, or Medes, in conjunction with the Gi/mri, and javan, or the lonians. Media, as the name indicates, was held to bo the centre of Asia. They were subject to the Assyrian Empire, but rebelled against Shalmane- ser and won their independence. They became incorporated in the Persian empire. Medes and Persians are thence spoken of together. IV. Javan. — The lonians, or Greeks, (Sanscrit, Javana.) " The bar- barians call all the Greeks lon- ians." (Schol. ad Aristoph.) The Old Persian, " Juna.' The Old Egyptian, " Jounan," (Champol- lion, Gr. Egypt.) Alexander is called " the king of Javan " in a wide sense, (Dan. 8:21.) The name Javan, among the Greeks, became Ion, which was also changed to laon. The lonians were the original inhabitants of Greece, who called themselves " Autochthenes," as claiming to be sprung directly from the earth, in opposition to the Dori- ans. In Isa. 66 : 19, the nama B. C. 3097.] CHAPTER X. 201 6 By these were ^ the isles of the Gentiles divided in their c Ps. 72 : 10 ; Jer. 2:10; 25 : 22 ; Zeph. 2:11. JawM is coupled with. Tarshisli, Pul, and Lud, and more partic- ularly Avith Tubal, and " the isles afar off" as representatives of the Gentile world. Also in Ezek. 37 : 13, the name occurs coupled with Tubal and Meshech. So, again, in Zech. 9 : 13, in refer- ence to the Grseco-Syrian Em- pire. The name occurs in the Assyrian inscriptions in the time of Sargon, b. c. 709, in the form of Tavnan, or Yunwi — as describing the Isle of Cyprus, where the Assyrians first came in contact with the Greek pow- er. The lonians are spoken of as those to whom Hebrew cap- tives were sold by Assyrian kings, and the prophet Zecha- riah announces the avenging of that wickedness. Javan seems here used for all the western islands of the Mediterranean Sea. {a.) Elishah. The Eolians. So Josephus, Knobel and Fiirst. Mis was an Eolian settlement, and seems like another form of the name. It was the western territory of Peloponessus, or Hellas, the middle of Greece. Ezekiel mentions Elishah as an island, from wldch purple stuffs were imported into Phenicia ; and we learn that on the coasts of Peloponessus and of many Greek islands, the shell-fish was found, from which the far famed Tyrian purple was extracted. The name may here include Greece, generally. (6.) TarsMsh. The Tyrseni, Tuscans, or Etruscans. This Pelasgic-Tyrsenic race, the great traders of remote antiquity, col- onized the east and south of Spain, and north of Italy ; per- haps from Tarsus, in Cilicia. According to Isaiah, (23 : 10,) the original inhabitants of Tarslush were much oppress- ed by their Phenician masters. The famous merchant ships which these traders used, were models, and the " ships of Tarsh- ish " became the prophetic name for the largest commercial ves- sels of the latter days. Strabo states it as the current belief that Tarshish was located on the Delta of the river Gaudalquiver, which bore, also, the name of " the silver-bedded Tartessus.'* And it may be, that, as the whole region of Andalusia was called Tartessus, so it was meant here to designate the whole of Spain, as Javan denoted all the Greeks. (c.) Kittim. The original in- habitants of Cyprus, where was the town Cituim, in old times inhabited by the Greeks. Alex- ander is called the king of Chit- tim, 1 Mac. 1:1; 8:5. Knobel and Belitzsch regard these as em- bracing also the Carians. Cy- prus was an important station for the Phenicians in their wes- tern expeditions. It furnished ship-timber, copper, gold, silver, and precious stones, oil, wine, and honey. The inhabitants are called "^Gitkei by the Romans, and KittiH by the Greeks. In later times the term Ghittim or Kittim was used to comprise many Mediterranean islands and coasts, as Italy, Sicily, Rhodes, «tc. Here it would seem to de- note the island of Cyprus. {d). Dodanim. The Darda- nians. The Sam. Sept., and Jer ome read Rodanim, (Rhodes?) The Dardani were found in his- toric times in Illyi-icum and Troy, the former being consid ered as their original seat. They were probably a semi-Pelasgia race. They are held by Kalisch to denote the Dau nians, occupy ing the whole south-east por tion of Italy, including Calabria GENESIS. [B. C. 2097 lands ; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6 ^ ^ And the sons of Ham ; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. d 1 Chron. 1 : 8, etc. and here the term may denote the whole of Italy, peopled by Greek settlers. 5. Thus we see the ancient seats of Japheth lay around the Caspian, Euxine, ^gean, and Northern Medi- terranean, spreading over Europe, and Northern, Western, and South- em Asia, and into America by Beh- ring's Straits. It is here stated that hy these, (lit., from these) sons of Japheth — so enlarged and spreading — the isles of the Gentiles icere divided — they divided to themselves that portion of the earth known to the Hebrews as " the isles," or " the isles of the nations." ^ In their lands, a man according to his language-; that is — the several peoples being diverse in habitation and language. The differences of language now origi- nated would band them together sev- erally, and determine their locality. Tf After their families-— in their na- tions— according to their colonies, as belonging to their several nations. Note. — The characteristics of a na- tion. 1. Common descent ; 2. A com- mon country ; 3. A common language ; 4. Different families, or colonies. V. Tubal. — The Iberians are thought to be meant — Tibareni — lbe?i. Josephus says, " Thobel begat the Thobetites, who are now called Iberes." — Ant., B. 1, 6, 1. Tubal and Meschech are named together in the Old Tes- tament as warlike nations, and a terror to the world, or as subjects of Gog, and as supplying the Tyrians with copper and slaves, (Ezek. 38 : 3.) The district is the southeast shore of the Black Sea. VI. MESCHEcn. — These are proba- bly the Muscovites (Moschi) ac- cording to Enobel, the represen- tatives of the Iberians and Ligu- rians. As Meschech and Tubal are here associated, so are they elsewhere, (Ezek. 27 : 13 ; 32 : 26 ; 38 : 2, 3 ; 39, : 1.) So in Her- odotus, 3 : 94 ; 7 : 78. So also in the Assyrian inscriptions. In the Egyptian monuments, like- wise, Meschech and Tiras ap- pear together as here. They were located along the south eastern shores of the Black Sea. VII. Tiras. — These are the Thra- cians — the dwellers on the river Tiras, or Dniester. The name is found only in this passage. Some identify it with the great Asiatic mountain chain of Tau- rus, and comprising all those tribes whose territory is trav- ersed by the Taurus proper. It is clear that thus only the diffusion of the Japhetites is com- pleted. They extended, there- fore, from Bactria and the Imaus, almost in a straight line west- ward to the Taurus and Asia Minor, and thence again west- ward to the shores and isles of the Mediterranean Sea, includ- ing Greece, Italy, and Spain, whilst they occupied in the North the vast but indefinite tracts of Scythia, from the Black and Caspian Seas up to the fab- ulous regions of the Rhipaean mountains, and of the Hyperbo- reans. See Kalisch. B. Of Ham. Four sons and theii descendants, including the nations of the south — thirty primitive nations. 6-20. And the sons of Ham. The name appears perhaps in Chemi of the Coptic — ^;^?/z«a of Plutarch, and Chme of the Rosetta stone, an old name of Egypt, which is also in Scripture called " the land of Ham," Ps. 78 : 51 ; 105 : 23, 37. B. C. 2097.] CHAPTER X. 203 7 And the sons of Cush ; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtab, and Raa- mail, and Sabtecha ; and the sons of Raamah ; Sheba, and Dedan, I. Cush. — Tliis name refers not only to Ethiopians, but also to Soutli- ern Asiatics. One of the most recent and unexpected results of modern linguistic inquiry is the proof which it has furnished of an ethnic connexion between the Ethiopians, or Cushites, who adjoined on Egypt and the primitive inhabitants of Baby- lonia." Sir H. Rawlinson found from most ancient Babylonian documents a connexion in the languages of these two districts, and that the traditions, both of Babylonia and Assyria, pointed to a connexion in very early times between Ethiopia, South- ern Arabia, and the cities on the lower Euphrates. He thus has established the fact of an Asiatic Ethiopia, so long doubted, but now acknowledged. Lepsius has found the same name "Cush" at Sahara (Egypt) on monu- ments of the sixth dynasty. (Lond. Eth. Jour. VII. 310.) So we have the brief statement, vs. 8, 10, Cush begat JSimrod, " the heginning of whose kingdom was Babel, etc." Cush had five sons and two grandsons, who are here reckoned as founders of nations. Traces of the name Cush are found perhaps in Cau- casus and Cosssei of Khusistan. See also Amos 9 : 7, where his migration to the country south of Egypt is referred to. 1. Seta. Meroe — Ethiopians living from Elephantine to Me- roe. This name is prominent in the Old Testament as desig- nating a people of great wealth and power. Josephus and Stra- bo speak of it as the royal city of Ethiopia. It is a tract of A. land three hundred and seventy- live miles in circumference, a peninsula extending to the junc- tion of the river Astaboras with the Nile. It had mines of _ and iron and copper, forests of precious woods, with fine pas- tures and cattle, and all the ma. terial of prosperity. Large cit- ies were in this district, and traversed by the caravans from Libya and the Red Sea, from Egypt and Ethiopia. The proph- ets represent the accession of Seba to the church of God as one of the glories of the latter day triumphs, Ps. 72 : 10. See Isa. 43 : 3. Gandace seems to have been the queen of this re- gion. See Notes on Acts 8 : 27. 2. Hadilah. Ethiopians who dwelt partly in Arabia and part- ly in Africa, and mingled with immigrating Joktans, vs. 29. (See notes on ch. 2 : 11 — " Ha- mlah") They are called AvOn litm, or ChaulotcBi. Some under- stand this as the general term for the eastern countries. 3. Sdbtah. Sabatha, or Sabo- ta in Arabia Felix. Josephus explains this of the tribes along the river Astaboras in the region of Meroe. 4. Raamah. The inhabitants orf Regma, in south eastern Ara bia, or the Persian Gulf. {a) Sheba. These are the Sa beans, in the vicuuty of the Per sian GuK, from which the Sa- bean and Dedanish Cushites spread to the northwest, and mixed with the Joktans. So it occurred that, as with Canaan, there came to be a preponder- ance of the Semitish element from a Cushite stock. Saba is the chief city of Yemen or Ara- bia Felix. " Yemen " means the right hand land — that is, the south. Kaliscli gives the terri- tory as bounded on the west by the Arabic Gulf, on the south by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the territory of the Idu 204 GENESIS. [B. C. 2097 8 And Cush begat ISTimrod : he began to be a mighty one in the earth. ^ He was a mighty ^ hunter ^ before the Lord : wherefore it ia said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. 10 ? And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. e Jer. 16 : 16 ; Mic. 7:2. f ch. 6 : 11. gMic. 5:6. means, and on tlie east by the Persian Gulf, but varying by the incursions of hostile tribes. The Sabeans are spoken of. Job 1:15; Isa. 45 : 14 ; Ezek. 23 : 43 ; Joel 3 : 8. They were for a long time almost the sole agents of an extensive and lucrative trade between India and Egypt, and between Egypt and Phenicia, or Syria, and afterwards carried on a rich trade with India on their own account. They are spoken of as men of stature, and of com- mercial note, Isa. 45 : 14. (&.) Dedan. Neighboring peo- ple on the Persian gulf, where is the island Baden — a trading post between India and Central Asia ; also on the northwest coast of the Arabian Gulf. It is reckoned both among the Cushites and the Shemites. 5. 8abtecha. Samudake. A river and city of Caramania. Some identify it with the Ethi- opian name Suhatoh. 8. And Gush begat Nimrod. The historian here turns aside from list of nations to notice the origin of the first great empires that were estab- lished on the earth. Of the sons of Cush, one is here noted as the first potentate in history. His qualities and characteristics are here given. •[]' He began to be a mighty one in the earth {a hero in the land.) He came into notice as a mighty man — a con- queror, and a builder of cities, 9. When it is added. He was a miglity hunter before the Lord (Jeho- vah) it seems to be implied that he carried on his bold and powerful schemes with a high hand, and with a defian' air. He was a heathen, but not ignorant of God, as we sup- pose, but boasting of worldly power and prowess, and pushing forward his incursions so as to become the most noted representative of the world-power, in contrast with the kingdom of God. He rises before us in the history as of the same worldly line with Cain, trusting to bow and spear for lordly dominion among men. The eminence he at- tained in warfare is coupled with that of the chase. The sculptures lately found in the Assyrian palaces show the king as levelling his spear against the bull, or his arrow at the lion. Physical strength displayed in warlike prowess or in the chase were lauded, as of kindred merit. The name Nimrod means let us rebel, and thus may indicate his high-handed exploits. His name passed into a proverb of physical and heroic achievement, " Wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord." 10. And the beginning of his king- dom was Babel. Babylon, whose ori- gin is described in the next chapter, from the tower of Babel, is connect- ed with most important events in the history of the race. The site of Babel has been discovered by late explorers in the ruins at, or near, Birs Nim- rud, chiefly on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where there is a huge square mound, called by the natives Bahil. This was the first of the four cities here named as " the beginning of his kingdom in the land of Shinar." We were pointed, near Damascus, to the tomb of Nimrod, on one of the hills. ^ Erech. This site hag been identified about one hundred miles southeast of Babel, and abou B. C. 2097.] CHAPTER X. 205 11 Out of that lai.d went forth Asshur, and builded Kineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 1 2 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah : the same is a great city. half way between it and the conflu- ence of tlie Euphrates and Tigris, on the eastern bank of the former river, and now called Irak. It is the Or- choe of the Greeks, and the ruins now bear the name of Urka, or War- ka ; and on the cuneiform inscrip- tions Huruk, a holy city consecra- ted to the moon. "J Accad. This site is also traced by recent discov- eries of the Nineveh explorers, about sixty-five miles northeast of Babel. The name is found by Raidinson often occurring in the inscriptions, and it is thought to be the same as the present Akkerlioof, northeast of Babel, and about nine miles west of the Tigris. The mound of ruins is called "Tel Mmrud." *|f Calneh, Isa. 10:9, Kalno — probably Ctcsi- •phon on the Tigris, about eighteen miles below Baghdad. The prophet Amos mentions it as a powerful hold, (ch. 6 : 2.) It is the district of Ghal onitis. These towns are in the land of Shiuar, the south of Mesopotamia, called Babylonia and Chaldea. 11. Out of the land icent forth As- shur; rather — came Tie forth to As- shur. Nimrod is doubtless here spo- ken of, and not Asshur, and out of that land of Shinar his conquests ex- tended. Asshur has been named hitherto only as a country, and in- cluding the part of Messopotamia north of Shinar, ch. 2 : 14. Nimrod proceeded from Babel, and the other towns named, to bmld Nineveh. This became a great city, opposite Mosul on the Tigris. Its immense ruins have lately been exhumed by Layard, Botta, and others, and its inscriptions on burnt brick, so im- perishable, throw much light on the Scripture history. Its ruins are known by the sites of Nebi Yunas and Koyunjik. Its greatest palaces were erected as lately as b. c. 700 to 900, when it was the seat of the As- syrian monarchs, and commanded the vast and rich commerce of the East. The prophet Jonah, who was sent to preach to this Gentile people as a missionary, and who so revolted at the unwelcome task of recogni- zing the heathen as subjects of salva- tion, speaks of it as an exceeding great city of six hundred thousand inhabitants — that is one hundred and twenty thousand children not yet able to tell their right hand from their left — and as a city of three days' journey. About 625 b, c. it was de- stroyed by the king of Media and the king of Babylon, so that it has not been traced since, until the recent explorations. *\ Rehoboth. The broad way, or market — is not clearly identified — as it was a name quite commonly given to towns. Huins still bearing this name are found about four miles southwest of the town Mayadin. ^ Calah. This is identified as the site called Calah Serghat, about fifty-five miles south of Mosul, It is mentioned on the obelisks as the royal residence, and contained one of the grandest pala- ces. Some make it Nimrud. 12. And Resen. This city, whose site is given as between Nineveh and Calah, is also called a great city ; lit., that is the great city. Some make this refer to Nineveh. So KeU, etc. Others make it point to Resen, and trace it to the site called Nim- rud, about twenty miles south of Nineveh. This is the enlargement of Nimrod's kingdom, begun at Ba- bel. This is the origin, in brief, of the great Babylonian and Assyrian monarchies. They were so near as to be rent by mutual jealousies and strifes, which resulted in the ruin of Nineveh. The founder of this first world-monarchy was a Cushite de. scendant of Ham. At the same time another Hamite power arose iu zm GENESIS. [B. C. 2097. IS And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabira, and Naphtuhira, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluliim, (h out of Avhom (fame Phil- istim,) and Caphtorira. h 1 Chron. 1 : 12. Egypt, while still anotlier branch spread eastward in India, and a fourth through Southern Arabia, crossing into Africa, sometimes in conflict with the Egyptian mon- archy, and sometimes in alliance. The Eastern empire of this Ham- itic line is specially noticed because of its relations to the nations de- scended from Shem. BaioUnson, however, regards it as well estab- lished by the Assyrian and Baby- lonian inscriptions, that Calah is to be found at Nbnrud, and Resen at Galali Sherghat. Gush was then strictly the southern zone. It com- j)rised the known countries of the South both in Africa and Arabia. In the former part it is bounded by Meroe, in the latter by Sabsea. And whenever the nations inhabiting these districts extended beyond the southern region, either to settle in more eastern or in more northern parts, they separated from the stem of Cush, and associated with difler- ent branches of Shem ; as in case of Havilah, Sheba, and Dedan. Cush also migrated (vs. 8-12) to the dis- tricts round the Euphrates and Ti- gris, where was the cradle of the race, and the earliest civOization and wealth. Invaders from the south were tempted by these rich settle- ments. And the leader of such in- vading hordes was Nimrod, a Cush- ite, who advanced to this district of the old Paradise, and founded Baby- lon. Thence advancing, he reached the country called Asshur, from the son of Shem, where he founded, on the banks of the Tigris, the city of Nineveh, whose stately ruins have been brought to light in our day. 13, 14. And Mizraim. He had seven sons, from whom sprang eight uations. II. Mizraim. — This is the name for Egypt, or the Egyptians. (Old Persian. Mudaraya. Med., Mut- sariya) It is called the land of Ham, poetically, Ps. 78 : 51 ; 105:23. The form is dual — a doubling of the singular Mizr {MatzoT, Is. 19 : G.) Some under- stand it of Upper and Lower EgjT)t. The title, " Lord of Up- per and Lower Egypt," is fre- quently found on the monu- ments. (Osburn, Egypt, p. 5, 11, etc.) The plural forms oc- curring here, mark the people who are descendants of Mitzraim. 1. Ludim. These are to be distinguished from the Semitish Lud (vs. 22.) Some, as Ewald, take these to be Libyans, (but see 3.) Some place them south of Ethiopia, some in northeast- ern Egypt. See Isa. 66 ; 19 ; Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10; 80:5. 2. Anamim. Kndbel takes these to be the inhabitants of the Delta of the Nile, (Sept. Enemetirim) the Egyptian " So- nemhit" — region of the north. Some as Targ. — the inhabitants of Mareotis, or "the Alexan- drines," (Saad.) 3. Lehabim, or Lubim, denotes the southern Libyans — the Nu- bians. Knobel makes it to be the Egyptian part of the Hamite Put (Libya,) that is, in Egyptian Libya, west of the Delta. See 2 Chron. 12 : 3 ; 16 : 8 ; Nahum 3 : 9. 4. Naplituliim. The inhabit- ants of middle Egypt, or people of Phthah, na-phthah, the Mem- phites. The ancient name of Memphis was ma-m-phthah — the place of Phthah, {Ghampollion Egypt, p. 155.) 5. Patlrvsim, Inhabitants o/ B. C. 2097.] CHAPTER X. 207 15 ^ And Canaan begat Sidon his first-bom, and Heth, Upper Egypt to tlie south. Egyptian " Petrds," or the south — Pathros. Hence the Pathur- itic name. {Pliny's Nat. Hist., V. 9, 47.) See Isa. 11 : 11, where it is located between Egypt and Oush. 6. GasluMm. The Colchians, who had evidently an Egyptian origin, as Herodotus and others show ; and who afterwards were expelled from the south and fled to Colchis, near the Black Sea. {a) PhiUstim. These their descendants settled on the Pal- estine coast, from the border of Egypt to Joppa. Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron are their cities. 7. Gaphtorim. This people dwelling between Egypt and Greece, as some think, in the island of Crete, may have been descendants of the GasluMm, though the Heb. does not so read. From Jer. 47 : 4, it appears that Kaphtor was a coastland, and from Amos 9 : 7, we learn that the Philistines came from this land. Hence some locate them on the coast of the Red Sea. Kalisch identifies them with the people of Coptos, in Upper Egypt, a few miles north of Thebes, extensive caravan tra- ders between Libya and Egypt, and Arabia and India. fli. Phut.— This is the third Ham- ite 'people of Africa — (Egypt, phet) — (Copt., pMt) This is identified with the name But, or Butos, the capital town of the Delta of the Nile, on the south shoi? of the Butic lake. 15-19. And Ganaan. From Ca- isaan we find eleven nations to have eprung. Iv. Canaan — The name of the coun- try and people west of the Jor- dan, from the Sea of Gennesaret to the foot of the Dead Sea. See N jmb. 13 : 29. (Old Egypt- ian, Ganana.) "■ The Hamito descent of the Canaanites can- not be doubted notwithstanding their Semitish tongue." — Del. Even as Abraham adopted the language of the later Canaan- ites, if, indeed, they had not brought it with them. The Hamitic descent of the early in- habitants of Canaan, which had often been called in question, has recently come to be looked upon as almost certain, apart from the evidence of Scripture." — RaiDlinson. All the Canaan- ites were Scyths, and had a common origin with the Egypt- ians, Ethiopians, and Libyans, wliich was Scythic, or Hamite. The Hittites were the dominant Scythic race from the earliest times, and they gave way, very slowly, before the Arameans, Jews, and Phenicia.ns, who were the only extensive Semitic im- migrants."— Sir. H. RaiDlinson. "Even in that India, where physical life attains the utmost limits known to our earth, the indigenous man is a tlacTc. The white race, history compels us to believe it, has descended thither from the temperate regions of western Asia." — Q-uy- ofs Earth and Man, page 214. It is impossible, says Kalisch, to conceive a greater national difierence than that which existed both in the feeling and the life of the two na- tions, the Hebrews and the Canaan- ites, as the war of destruction carried on between them shows. Especially was the one a religious people, believ- ers in the tn>3 God — the other, hea- then and idolatrous — the former the covenant people of God, the latter the accursed people — servants of ser- vants to their brethren. ^ Sidon, hii first lorn. The name is still retained as that of the city on the Phenician coast, renowned along with Tyre. The name, however, was used so as 208 GENESIS. [B. C. 2097 16 And the Jebiisite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite ; and afterwards were the famiUes of the Canaanites spread abroad. to include all tlie Phenicians as Si- donians. The present town is Saida, of about eight thousand inhabit- ants, and west of the ancient site. The Sidonians were the navigators who were first to steer by observa- tion of the stars. Sidon was called " the great city," and sent out num- erous colonies to Sardinia, Spain, Britain, Africa, and had very exten- sive commerce, though Tyre sur- passed in power, and in the seventh century before Christ held the con- trol. ^ HetJi. This tribe dwelt in the hill-country of Palestine, around Hebron — the Hittites — from whom Esau took wives, (ch. 26:34, 35.) They seem to have extended north also, toward the Euphrates, (ch. 23 : 3 ; Numb. 13 : 29 ; Josh. 1 : 4.) " The land of the Hittites " came to be used for Canaan, indicating their extensive spread. They occupied the land in the time of Abraham. 16. The Jcbusite. From Jebus, the ancient name of Jerusalem, where this tribe was located. They spread also into the hill country, which they occupied along with the Amorites and Hittites. Their capital, Jebus, was unsuccessfully attacked by Ju- dah and Benjamin, and the citadel was" wrested from them only in Da- vid's time. *I[ The Amorite. These seem to have been the most power- ful of the tribes of Canaan, as well as the most numerous. They are frequently named for the whole peo- ple of the land. They lived on both sides of the Jordan, and founded powerful kingdoms, five on the west- ern side and two on the eastern. The latter were subdued by Moses — the former by Joshua. But they were not exterminated. A remnant were made bondmen by Solomon, (1 Kings 9 : 20,) and 'hey survived the captiv- ity, (Ezra 9:1.) *[] The Girgashite. These were on the west of the Jordan. Some have supposed the name " Ger- gesenes" to be a trace of them — southeast of the lake Gennesaret, Gen. 15 : 21 ; Deut. 7:1; Josh. 24 : 11. 17. And the Himte. These seem to have had two central seats ; one about Shechem and Gibeon, and the other north at the foot of Lebanon and Hermon. They are associated with the Amorites,' (Gen. 48 : 22 ; 2 Sam. 21 : 2.) They were defeated by Joshua, excepting four cities of the Gibeonites, (Josh. 9:17; 11:3, 19.) Yet in the time of David we find them still inhabiting their own towns, and Solomon imposed on them a tribute. ^ The Arkite. These are supposed to have dwelt at the foot of Lebanon, northwest, where is the town of Area, and ruins called Tel Arka, between Tripoli and Autaradus, near the sea. Near this locality there was a mountain fortress called Sirmas and Sini, where dwelt a band of marauders who in- fested Lebanon. This is probably the seat of the Sinites. 18. And the Arvadite. These are traced by a town called Arvad, on the north coast of Phenicia, on an island, Aradus, about two miles from, the shore. It is described by Strabo as a rock rising in the midst of the waves, about seven stadia in circum- ference. Yet it became a most flour- ishing and wealthy place, second only to Tyre and Sidon. The vil- lage called Buad still remains, with about three thousand inhabitants, and mass.'ve Phenician walls. ^ Ze- marites. These are traced by a town called Zimgra, by Straho, and now known as Siinra, at the vvest foot of Lebanon. ^ Tlie IlamatMte. These were the inhabitants of the Syrian town Hamath, or Hamath RdbbaJi — the great, (Amos 6 : 2.) It lies on the Orontes. The land of Hamath was of great extent, including the town of B C. 2445-2380.] CHAPTER X. 209 19 i And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest unto Sodom and Gc- morrah, and Adinah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sous of Ham, after their famiUes, alter their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. 21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. i ch. 13 : 12, 14, 15, 17 ; 15 : 18-21 ; Numb. Bi : 2-12 ; Josh. 12 : 7, 8. Riblah, and reaching to Antioch, (2 Kings 25 : 21.) " The entrance of Hamatb," the north part of the val- ley, between Lebanon and Anti-Leba- non, formed the utmost boundary of Palestine to the north, (Numb. 13 : 21 ; Josh. 13 : 5 ; 1 Kings 8 : 65.) It is stiU a large and prosperous town of Syria, having a large population. Its king was in alliance with David, (2 Sam. 8:9,10.) 'S ^nd afterwards. These descendants of Canaan, were formed as nations after the confusion of tongues. Where they originally dwelt, or how their dispersion occur- red, is not distinctly mentioned ; only that they came to settle in the land of Canaan, whose boundaries are here given. They would seem to have driven out the Shemites and taken violent possession, (Gen. 40 : 15,) and they, in turn, were driven out by command of God, and scat- tered, as colonies, to the remote shores of the Mediterranean, Greece, Spain, Africa and Britain. 19. The torder, etc. This ran from Sidon towards Gerar, — (Gen. 20 : 1,) Wady el Jerur, — ^unto Oaza, whence it crosses to the Dead Sea, the site of the cities of the ^Dlain, terminating at La^ha, supposed to be Callirhoe, northeast of the Dead Sea. Some suppose that Laish is meant, near the sources of the Jordan. In their after spreading abroad, the Hittite went to the northeast, the Amorite went across the Jordan to Peraea — while others of them went further north. 20. This verse sums up the list of the Hamites. They occupied Afri- ca, and the east coast of the Mediterranean in Asia, besides the i southern part of Asia, in the regions of the Old Paradise. Japheth occu- pied the larger territory — all of Europe, and a portion of Asia. Shem, however, holds the most important place in the sacred history, and Ham has the most prominent relation to Shem ; as " Babylon, Kush, Egypt and Canaan are the powers which come into contact with Shem in that central line of human history which is traced in the Bible. Hence it is that in the table of nations special attention is directed to Kush, Nim- rod, Mizraim, and to the tribes and borders of Canaan." — Murphy. C. Of Shem:. Five sons, and their descendants — twenty-six na* tions. 21. TInto Shem also. It is plain that the historian has placed the name of Shem the last in the series, in order thus to proceed with the patriarchal line for unfolding the covenant history. Hence Shem is designated as " the father of all the children of Eber." and attention is called to Shem in this relation. Shem is also called significantly " the elder brother of Japheth," while nothing is mentioned of his being brother of Ham, who was "a servant," by the curse. It is not here said that Japh- eth was the eldest, (though this would seem to be implied,) but that Shem was the elder one of the two brothers of Japheth, that is, elder than Ham. It would seem that Ham was the youngest, (Gen. 9 : 24,) and that Shem was born when Noah was in his five hundred and third year, (Gen. 11 : 10,) and that Japhet was born when Noah was in his five hundredth year, (Gen. 5 : 32.) See 210 GENESIS. [B. C. 2445-2380 22 The k children of Shem ; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram ; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat ^ Salah ; and Salah begat Eber. k 1 Chron. 1 : 17. 1 ch. 11 : 12. cli. 5 : 32, notes. Others think that Shem was the eldest. 22. Elam. Five of the nations issuing from Shem are here given as immediate descendants. Elymais retains the name, and is a large dis- trict, whose capital was Shushan, or Susa, (Dan. 8 : 2,) in the vicinity of Assyria, and Media, and Babylonia, comprising the more modern Persia, and now included in Khusistan. In the time of the Persian Empire the whole country was called Elam. It was a very powerful nation, (See Isa. 22 : 6 ; Jer. 49 : 34 ; Ezek. 32 : 24,) ^ Asshur. This is here included among the Shemites though its chief towns were peopled by Hamites, (see vs. 11, notes) T[ And Arphaxad. This name points to the northern district of Assyria, called Arrhapa- chitis, adjoining Media. From vs. 24 we learn that from this stem came forth " the children of Eber." And here is the only instance given of a genealogical descent to the fourth generation. " The nations de- scended from Arphaxad are noted at the close (vs. 24,) on account of their late origin, as well as their import for the subsequent narrative." Tl Lud. This name points to the Lydians, who migrated to Asia Mi- nor, and gave the name to a j^art of the west coast. This is a region more removed than the previous geographical connexions would lead us to expect. But the history of Asia Minor is such as to relieve this difficulty. The people who origin- ally occupied this region were called the Mfeonians. But they were in- vaded by the Lydians from the east and subdued. The ancient Lydians were exceedingly brave and warlike, renowned for their cavalry. ^ Aram. This name points to Aramea, and designates the parts of Syria north of Palestine, as well as the upper parts of Mesopotamia. It was im- derstood to comprise the territories between the Tigris and the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean. We read of " Aram of the two rivers," (Naharaim,) and the Aram of Damas- cus, (Dammesek,) etc. The Aramaic dialects (Syriac and Chaldee,) are of the Semitic stock, slightly varying from the Hebrew, which itself, in later time, became strongly impreg- nated with the Aramaic. The Ara- means extended from the Taurus range on the north, to the Arabian tribes on the south. The descend- ants of Ai-am are now given. ^ Uz. This was the land of Job, the patri- arch. It was located in Arabia Des- erta, and between the territories of the Idumeans and the Euphrates. Their government was monarchical. See Jer. 25 : 20. The habits of the Ijeople are referred to in the early chapters of the Book of Job. T[ Hid. This is uncertain, though Huleh, near the sources of the Jordan is supposed by some to be a trace of the name. In this vicinity is a fertile district called Dshaukm. ^ Gether. This is taken, by some, to be the kingdom of Geshur, whither Absalom fled, belonging as it did to Aramea, and located on the right of the Orontes. ^ Mash. This name is identified with the Mysians, who probably mi- grated to Asia Minor from the north, ern border of Mesopotamia, where is a chain of mountains called Ma- siiis, extending from the Tigris to the Euphrates. 24. Here follow the descendants of Arphaxad. ^ Salah. The Salah- ites spread along the east side of the B. C. 2346-2107.] CHAPTER X. 211 25 ^ And unto Eber were born two sons : the name of one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided; and his broth- er's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begat Ahnodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmav- eth, and Jerah, m 1 Chron. 1 : 19. Tigris and in the mountains of the Median highlands. ^ Bber. Here we have the progenitor of the He- brews. The name " Eber," however, was originally applied to all who crossed the rivers of Mesopotamia to the west or south. The Israelites ^ere called " Hebrews " originally, ."vs designating those who came over from beyond the Euphrates — though this was their distinctive name as a nation — and only afterwards were they called " Israelites " as their the- ocratic name. But the name " He- brews" is in the Old Testament applied to no other nation than this people of God. 25. Eber's two sons are here nam- ed. Of the one it is simply men- tioned that a great event occurred in his day. Of the other, the list of descendants is given, with particu- larity, to vs. 29. •![ Peleg. " With Peleg and his descendants the order of families breaks off, since a point is now reached where, in the history of the kingdom of God a new era commences through the confusion of tongues. Only after the narration of this important event is the genealogy of Peleg's family continued," (ch. 11 : 18.) — Gerlach. " Some have fixed the date of the dispersion of nations at the year 101 after the flood, be- cause in this year Peleg was born. But the expression, 'in his days,' seems to indicate a later period, when Peleg was already a man of note. He lived two hundred and thirty-nine years, and we may, there- fore, place this event towards the close of the third, or the beginning of the fourth century after the flood." — See Kurtz. The want of definite- ness in the Biblical statement is to be accounted for from the fact that the narrator purposely follows the chronological thread only in and f&r the race to whom the promise bo- longs. The name Peleg signifies " division.'" The kindred verb oc- curs only three times elsewhere in the Old Testament, (1 Chron. 1 : 19 ; Job 38 : 25 ; Ps. 55 : 9.) In the lat- ter passage it is found in the sen- tence, " Dimde their tongues" which may rather confirm its reference here, to the event of the confusion of tongues, and the consequent dis- persion of mankind. Supposing that this event may have occurred at, or soon after the bii-th of Peleg ; it is estimated that there were five hun- dred families of men at that time. This question, however, is of small importance. Some have understood this division of the earth to refer to a severance of the continents. I)i\ Gandlish understands it that when men were about to burst the boimds of their former habitation, led on by Nimrod, and inspired by him with a new spirit of enterprise, God was not willing that they should go forth in disorder. Eber, then, he supposes, received a commission from God to divide the earth among them — to announce to the several tribes and families their appointed homes, and to lay down as on a map, their diflerent routes and destina- tions. It is of this work of settling the earth that Moses speaks in his song, referring to the days of old when the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, separating the sons of Adam, and setting the bounds of the people according ta the number of the children of Israel, Deut. 32 : 7, 8 ; Acts 17 : 26. But against this plan of God they rebel and aim to consolidate at BabeL 213 GENESIS. [B. C. 2300. 27 And Hadoiam, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab : all these were the Bons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar, a mount of the east. God's plan, however, is not frus- trated. 26. Joktan. We have the pro- genitor of the thirteen Arabian tribes here designated. A province and town of KacMan, (the Arab name for Joktan,) is found three days* journey north of Nedsheran. ^ Almodad. This is .commonly traced to Yemen, but it is not certain. The Arab article Al, with Mudad, a name in Arab story as the step-father of Ishmael, is thought by some to explain this term. The Allimiaio- tai of Ptolemy belonged to the inte- rior of Arabia Felix. ^ Sheleph. The Salapheni also belonged to the interior of Arabia Felix. ^ Hazar- mamth. A district on the Indian Ocean called Hadramant, abounds in spices. *t[ JeTah, near Hadramant. The term signifies moon, and desig- nates here the coast and Mountain of the Moon. 27, 28. Hadoram. This points to the AdramitoB, who occupied a part of the same province with Hazar- maveth. T[ TJzal. This name was, perhaps, Azal, that of the capital of Yemen, and is, perhaps, still tracea- ble in its present suburb Oseir. It was one of the oldest commercial districts of Arabia. ^ Diklah — and the next two, Ohal and Abimael, are not any longer to be traced with cer- tainty. " The frequently shifting tribes of Arabia defy our identifica- tion, the more as they seldom leave lasting monuments of their stay, and their earliest written documents which have reached us are consider- ably older than the beginning of the Christian era." ^ Sheha. See vs. 7, notes. A queen of Sheba, who vis- ited Solomon, was the mistress of a rich realm. 29. OpTiir. It would seem from the connexion here that Ophir must be located in Arabia — for the tribes of Joktan are Arabians, and for their localities see vs. 30. It is here named between Sheba and Havilah, which are beyond question in Arabia. The goods which Solomon imported from Ophir were native products of eastern Arabia, or were transported thither from India, to be carried thence to Syria. As to the precious metals the testimony of antiquity is that they abounded in Arabia, though now the mines may be ex- hausted. The name OpJiiy- is Arabic, and means " an opulent land." That the ships of Solomon v/ent every three years to Ophir, may refer to the slowness of navigation, and not to any great distance of the port. And the three years' voyage was probably to Tarshish, ( 1 Kings 10 : 22 ; 2 Chron. 9 : 21.) Besides the idea is not that they were three years in making the trip, but only that this was as often as they went, regularly or commonly. ^ Havilah. See vs. 7. T[ Jobah. This is a dis- trict in Arabia Deserta. 30. The boundaries of these tribes are now given. ^ Mesha. Gesenivs finds this in Mesene, an island at the head of the Persian Gulf. Their dwell- ing was from the extreme northwest- ern coast of the Persian Gulf towards Sephar. This is Tsafar, or Isfar, a group of villages between the port of Mirbah and Sadgir, along the coast of the Indian Ocean, where are found the stately ruins of Sephar, once the seat of Himyaritic kings. The boundary runs from north to south, and south- west to the mountains of the east, which intersects Central Arabia frona the vicinity of Mecca and Medina tc B. C 2446.] CHAPTER XL 213 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 " These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations : ^ and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. CHAPTER XI. AND the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. n vs. 1. o ch. 9 : 19. the Persian Gulf. These lines are ample enough in their extent to em- brace all the Joktanites, and we infer that they all, Oi)hir among the rest, were first to be found in Arabia, though they wandered thence after- wards. "In this table there are seventy names, exclusive of Nimrod, of heads of families, tribes, or nations, de- scended from the three sons of Noah : fourteen from Japheth, thirty from Ham, and* twenty-six from Shem. Among the heads of tribes descended from Japheth are seven grandsons. Among those from Ham are twenty-three grandsons, and three great grandsons. Among those of Shem are five grandsons, one great grandson, two of the fourth generation, and thirteen of the fifth. Whence it appears that the subdi- visions are traced farther in Ham, and much farther in Shem than in Japhet, and that they are pursued only in those lines which are impor- tant for the coming . events in the history of Shem." — Murjahy, p. 266. CHAPTER XI. § 29. Heathenism — Tower of Ba- bel— Confusion of Tongues — Dispersion. Ch. 11 : 1-9. " The families of the sons of Noah " having now been given, " after their generations, in the nations," to show by whom the nations were divided (or distributed) in the earth after the flood, the historian pro<".eeds to relate the Divine interposition by which these families and people became scattered, in order to the settlement of the earth. Mount Ararat is the starting poiat and centre of civiliza- tion, languages, and races. There was as yet but one language spoken among men. This would furnish every facility for oneness of purpose and execution. They agreed upon a project for building a lofty tower, whose top should " reach to heaven." The object is stated — "let us make us a name (vs. 4.) These words in- dicated the hour of the Urth of hea- thenism.— Kurtz. Lest we he scattered abroad, etc. This plan involved some antagonism to God — perhaps a hostility to the race of Shem, and to the salvation which was predicted as to come through that line. This may be expressed in the words, "Let us make us a name." Shem means name, fame. They rejected God's command, to "replenish the earth," and sought to concentrate there. God interposed, and by a miraculous dividing and confusion of their speech, broke up their plans, and scattered them over the earth. Here follows the narrative, explain- ing the nature of that marvellous change, by which mankind passed from being one family, with a mutu- ally intelligible speech, into many nations of diverse tongues and lands The sacred historian goes back in the Becord just given to the time of Pel eg, and here explains the table of nations, and the future history of the race. 1. Tlie ichole earth. The whole 214 GENESIS. [B. C. 244(\ population of tlie earth was of one language ; (lit., one lip) and of one speech; (lit., of the same words.) Heb. Bib., of few, (lit., single) words. In the table of nations this idea of language was expressed by the word "tongue," (ch. 10 : 5.) Here the fact of the unity of language is expressed by a double phrase, the " lip " prop- erly referring to the form of speech, and this followed by a phrase de- noting the material of language, or stock of words. Many have held that this original language spoken among men was the Hebrew. This has been argued from the evident antiquity of that language, and from the fact that the names used in these earliest chapters are plainly of Hebrew origin, as Adam, Eve, Noah. But more recent scientific researches have shown that the languages now existing are all traceable to one original tongue, and are nearly of the same age. The Hebrew may have most direct and close afiinity to that original tongue, and hence the early Biblical names transferred into the Hebrew would undergo but slight modification — no more than from different dialects of the Semit- ish languages, as Hebrew and Ara- bic. The connexion between the Semitic and Indo-Germanic lan- guages shows their original unity. Sanscrit has been claimed by some as the original tongue. The affinity between the Sanscrit and the Per- sian, German, Latin, and Greek was remarked by Sir Wm. Jones, and further set forth by F. Schlegel and Dr. Prichard. Lepsius has made an alphabet, to which all languages of the world can be traced back or con- formed. This result of learned in- vestigation goes also strongly to prove the oneness of the human race, having their origin in a single pair. The American languages, about which there was difficulty, are de- cided to be of Asiatic origin. See Delitzsch, p. 311. " Comparative phil- ology, after divers fluctuations, set- tles into the belief that languages will ultima^ sly prove to have been all derived fiom a cc-mmon basis." — Bawlinson. Sir H. Rardinson re- marks of the different races of western Asia, that " if we icere to be guided ly the mere intersection of linguistic paths, and independently of all ref- erence to the Scriptural record, we should still be led to fix on the plains of Shinar as the focus from which the various lines had radiated." It is not at all necessary to suppose that seventy languages were pro- duced from one at this crisis, but that laws of variation were now in- troduced, which at once served the Divine purpose, and started a pro- cess, which in combination with the new circumstances, issued in all the varieties of human language which have since existed. Max Muller con- tends that the problem of the com- mon origin of language has no ne- cessary connexion with the problem of the common origin of mankind. And as races may change their lan- guage, as in several instances they have done, any attempt to square the classification of races and tongues must fail. It was usual formerly to speak of Japhetic, Hamitic, and Semitic languages. The first name has now been replaced by Aryan, the second by African, and the third is retained, though with some change in its scientific definition. See p. 328. " We have examined all possi- ble forms which language can as- sume, and we have now to ask, Can we reconcile with these three dis- tinct forms, the radical, the termina- tional, and the inflectional, the ad- mission of one common origin of human speech? I answer, decided- ly, yes. Every inflectional language was once agglutinative, and every agglutinative language was once monosyllabic. This is the only pos- sible way in which the realities of the Sanskrit, or any other inflec- tional language can be explained.'* " The four hundred or five hundred roots which remain as the constitu- ent elements in diiferent families of languages are not interjections, nor are they imitations. They are pho B. C. 2446.] CHAPTER XI. 215 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plam in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt tliere. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said. Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower a whose top may reach unto heaven ; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. a Deut. 1 : 28. netic t jpe8, produced by a power in- herent in human nature. Though when we say hy nature, we mean by the hand of God. Man possessed in- stinctively the faculty of giving ar- ticulate expressions to the rational conceptions of his mind." " The for- mation of the Sanskrit," says Prof. Pott, "as it is handed dowTi to us, may have been preceded by a state of the^ greatest simplicity and entire ab- sence of inflections, such as is exhibit- ed to the present day by the Chinese, and other monosyllabic languages." " Indeed," says Midler," it is impos- sible that it should have been other- wise." Observe. — Unity of language was necessary to united action. The breaking up of this confused their plans. 2. As they journeyed; lit., in tlieir breaking up. This term is used in speaking of an encampment of nomades (or wandering tribes) break- ing up for removal from place to place. ^ They journeyed from the east — rather, eastward. In this gen- eral direction of east — strictly, south- east. They shifted their location (after the manner of the nomades — not "journeyed") along the course of the river Euphrates, which runs "from the east" — that is, the east- ern branch of it, and afterwards southeast. •[ The land of Sliinar is a natural centre for the human fam- ily, and their distribution from this central locality could most easily have oeen made. The valley of the Euphrates was also the route best Buited for conducting them to the place so peculiarly fitted for their subsequent dispersion. See Bush. 3. They said; lit., a man said to his neigliLor. ^ Oo to. As we woidd say, come on. A verbal form used as an adverb, or interjection — from sn^ to give. "[ Let us make 'bri<;h. The noun and verb here are kindred to each other in form. The noun is plural, meaning bricks, and the verb means to make bricks — both of these forms are from the word meaning to be white — referring to the whitish clay of which the bricks were made. The soil of this region consists of such a clay, which is found mixed with sand on the river bank. This, when wet, forms a brick, which, ou exposure to the sun, becomes hard as stone. These are the remarkable bricks of Babylon, that bear the ar- rowhead inscriptions, and have stood for ages proof against the action of the elements. Many of these have also been unburied in this very re- gion, and there have been brought to light thus most valuable inscrip- tions under the eye of Layard, Botta, Baidinson, and others. The bricks, as they -are now found, show that they must have been exposed to the action of fire. These fire-burnt bricks were the more durable, and were sometimes laid as an outer covering to walls of sun-dried brick. The pyramids of Sakhara in Egypt, near the great pyramid of Cheops, are built of brick. The ruins of the palace of the Cesars at Rome, still standing on the Palatine hill, are oi brick, hard as stone. Tf Slime ; lit., bitumen. This is a mineral cement 216 GENESIS. [B. C. 3445 5 b And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, "which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, ^ the people is one, and they have all ^ one language ; and this they begin to do : and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have ^ imagined to do. V Go to, flet ns go down, and there confound their language, that they may S not understand one another's speech. b ch. IS : 21 ; c ch. 9 : 19 ; Acts IT : 26. d vs. 1. e Ps. 2 : 1. f ch. 1 : 26 ; Ps. 2 : 4; Acta 2 : 4, 5, 6. g ch. 42 : 23 ; Deut. 28 : 40 ; Jer. 5 ; 15 ; 1 Cor. 14 : 2, 11, — a pitchy substance, called,' in its solid Btate,\asphaltum; and so the Heb. word^here is rendered in the Septua- gint. It abounds on the shore of the Dead Sea. A most remarkable series of mounds are found on the western bank of the Euphrates, called Birs Nimrud (Nimrod's tower) and tradi- tion has marked these as the remains of the tower of Babel. This slime is used to this day in Assyria for mortar. 4. This was part of the plan of which the making of bricks is first stated in the narrative. ^ A city and a toicer, and its head in the heav- ens. This is a figtirative phrase, to express a great height. (See Deut, 1 : 28 ; 9 : 1.) We need not sup- pose that they entertained a thought of building up to the heaven. They aimed probably at military defence, and perhaps meant to use their build- ing for astronomical observations. Yet it was in a spirit of proud boasting and defiance of God that the work was undertaken, ^ A name. Their declared object was to make to themselves a name. (Heb., Shem.) This was the proud aim of heathenism — to attain to glory, without God, by human wis- dom and might. The nations hence- forth walk in their own ways, (Acts 14 : 16,) until from their vain and ecattered attempts they are reunited at Jerusalem in the Pentecost — a specimen only of what remains to be realized. The words above may ex- press a hostility to the race of Shem. " Let us make us a Shew, "—(a name.) T[ Be scattered. The result that they would avoid in building the city and tower, was the very dispersion, or scMttering, that God enjoined upon them for the populating of the earth. Nimrod was probably the projector of this atheistic scheme, and he was- the man of sin of that time. But observe (vs. 8) God took other meas- ures for scattering them, and accom- T)lished His will, 5. Jehovah came doiDn, etc. This is spoken after the manner of men, to show that God took notice of that wickedness, and set Himself to inter- pose against it. 6. The Lord {Jehovah) said. This language is used to convey to ns the idea of the principle upon which Je- hovah proceeded in putting a stop to this iniquity. What He said — that is, the view that He took of it, and the plan He adopted is here narrated. Lo, the people is one, and they have all one language ; lit., {one lip to all of them,) and this is their heginning to ■ do — their undertaking. And 71010 it shall not be restrained to them, {nothing will be too hard for them) which they icill purpose to do. Job 43 : 2. This is perhaps an intimation that they would carry out their scheme but for the Divine interference. 7. Go to — com,e, let us go down, and confound there their Up. The term here rendered confound, means to X^o'r^r together — in a way to produce confusion of sounds, or dialects. ^ That they may not hear, a man the lip of ?iis neighbor. Whatever was the precise change wrought in hu- man language, it was with the ex- press object of making the builders unintelligible to each other— so as B. C. 2444.J CHAPTER XI. 217 8 So h the Lord scattered them abroad from thence i upon the face of all th 3 earth: and they left oiFto build the city. _ 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel, ^ because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth : and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 10^1 These are the generations of Shem : Shem was an hun- dred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood. h Luke 1:51. i ch. 10 : 25, 32. k 1 Cor. 14 : 23. 1 ch. 10 : 22 ; 1 Chron. 1 : 17. to 'break up their unity of action. The Scripture gives us here the only history of the division of mankind into peoples by means of different tongues. And the Scripture also tells us how, under the gospel, na- tional distinctions were broken down in order to introduce a imiversal church, (Acts 8 : 14.) 8. This is the history of men's dis- persion over the globe. Jehovah, by means of thus confusing human Bpeech, scattered ■ them alroacl — dis- persed them//'OTO thence upon tJieface of all the earth. All unity of counsel was thus destroyed, and as a natural result — the very result intended — they ceased to build the city ; and the further consequence was that they were separated and scattered to all quarters. Nothing is here said of the tower, and it may be that the tower had already far progressed. Tradi- tions relate that the tower was demol- ished bv the lightning, with terrible tempest. Yet it has been supposed that the immense pyramidal tower built thereabouts by Nebuchadnez- zar, was erected on the site and ruin of this tower. In the ruins that are now found in that vicinity there is the appearance of a conflagration — the bricks seeming to have been run into solid masses by the action of ex- treme heat. A Jewish tradition, given by Bocliari, declares that fire fell from heaven and split the tower through to its foundation. The dis- tance of the modern Birs Nimrud from Babylon is the great difficulty in the way of its identification. Yet the Birs temple gives us the best VOL. I. — 10. idea of the ancient Babylonian tem- ple tower, and may show us the proba- ble character and shape of the build- ing,iat least better than any other ruin. {Baw. Herodotus. Smith's Bib. Die.) Observe. — They projected the tower to avoid being scattered, as God commanded them ; but they were scattered after all, in spite of their utmost opposition. So God will not be baffled. 9. Babel. This name is connected w4th the Hebrew verb, meaning to confound, and would mean properly confusion. But the native etymolo- gy is Bah 11 — the gate of II, or El — " the gate of God." This may have been a name given to it by Nimrod, {Smith,) signifying his proud and atheistic designs, but afterwards applied (the same name) to express the confounding result more em- phatically. ^ The language of all the earth, which was originally of one speech — (one lip,) ch. 11 : 1 — was thus broken up into divers dialects, so as to be thrown into confusion. This was God's plan for bringing about a dispersion of the people, in order to the peopling of the whole earth. This would render consolida- tion impossible, until at last, under the gospel, a miracle of tongues should bring all mankind together in Christ, (Acts 2 : 5.) § 30. Semitic Lixe — Terah and Abram. Ch. 11 : 10-32. 10. SJiem. TJie generations of Shem are given here only in part. This ia often the case with the genealogies. 218 GENESIS. [B. C. 2410-210a 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arpliaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and dan.ghters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, ^ and begat Salah. 13 And Arpliaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred i>nd. three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber : 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 " And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat ^Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu : 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and bega.t sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat P Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat ISTahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat ISTahor two hundred years, and begat sous and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat q Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. m Luke 3 : 36. n 1 Ghron. 1 : 19. o Luke 3 : 35. p Luke 3 : 35. q Luke 3 : 34. and is the occasion of much misun- derstanding of them. But the wri- ter's object is now to introduce us to Abram, as coming in the line of Shem, according to the promise. This would be through ten gene- rations — Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Te- rah, Abram. T[ An hundred years old; lit., son of an hundred years. 11. 8hem lived, etc. During this lifetime of six hundred years this eminent patriarch had been contem- porary with Methusaleh and La- mech before the flood, and with Abram and Isaac a few years after the flood. 13. Between Salah and Arphaxad Luke inserts Gainan, following the O^eek Septuagint version, as it was -iP Bible in common use among the people at the time. One hundred and thirty years is added by the Greek,for this name. See Table, p. 222. 14-26. It is to be noted here that the lifetime of men rapidly sinks from Noah's nine himdred and fifty years and Shem's six hundred years to Ari^haxad's four hundred and thirty-eight, Selah four hundred and thirty-three, and Eber four hundred sixty-four. But from Peleg (ch. 10 : 25) the age of man further de- creases from two hundred and thirty- nine years to Nahor one hundred and forty-eiglit years old. This ia due, in part, to the change of cli- mate after the flood, and in part also to the change of habits by sej:>- aration of men in nations. But Shem began to have children in his hundredth year, Arphaxad in his B. C. 2155-2025.] GENESIS XI. 219 26 And Terali lived seventy years, and ^ begat Abram, Xahor, and Havan. 27 ^ Now these are the generations of Terah : Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran : and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah, in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name ol Abram's wife icas ^ Sarai ; and the name of JN'ahor's wife * Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But " Sarai was barren ; she had no child. 31 And Terah ^^ took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Ha- ran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife ; and they went forth with them from ^ Ur of the Chaldees r Josh. 24 : 2 ; 1 Chron. 1 : 26. s ch. 17 : 15 ; 20 : 12. t ch. 22 : 12. wch. 12:1. xNeh. 9:7; Acts7:4. u ch. IG : 1, 2 ; 18 : 11, thirty-fifth, and so on, till Terah, who first was a father in his seven- tieth year. 26. Here the genealogy closes with naming the three sons of Terah (as in ch. 5 : 32, with the three sons of Noah) and these have reference to the further history, e. g., Abram as the progenitor and head of the chosen people, Nalior as the ances- tor of Rebecca, and Haran as the father of Lot, (compare vs. 29 with 22 : 20-23.) It is not to be under- stood that these are mentioned in the order of their birth, but of their importance in the history, as in the case of the sons of Noah. The young- est is here first named. Abram was born when Terah was one hun- dred and thirty years old, (compare vs. 32 with ch. 12 : 4.) Haran was the eldest. See vs. 29. See Notes, Acts 7 : 4. 26. Haran died,and before Ids father — ill presence of Terah his father; (lit., before the face of) and of course before the death of his father. ^ Ur of the Chaldees. This place is proba- bly the modern Orfa (Edessa.) Some make it to be Ur, between Hatra and Nisibis, near Arrapachitis. — Keil. Stanley, (Jewish Church, Ap- pendix 1) argues for Orfa as the an- cient Ur, from five considerations. 1. That it was on the eastern side of the Euphrates, and thus agrees better with the term "Hebrew," which was applied to crossing the river. 2. The general tenor of the narra- tive closely connects Ur with Haran and Aram in the northwest of Meso- potamia, and within reach of Orfa, (say a day'e journey,) Gen. 11 : 27-31 : 12 : i-4. 3. The "Chasdim," or Chaluees, were in the north, as would seem, whatever may have been the later usage of ths term, Gen. 11 :10, U- 28. 4. The local features of Orfa art guarantees for its remote antiquity as a city. 5. The traditions are at least aa strong as those which may have originated in the anxiety of the Jew- ish settlement of Babylonia to claim their ancestor's birthplace, and change the name of Chaldea. Ur in Heb. means light, and was probably so called from the Persian idolatry of fire ^corship, prevalent among this people. Abram was called by God out of this region of idolaters, to be a follower of the true God. ^ Iscah. The Jewish tradi- tion, as given by Josephus, (Ant. 1, 685,) as also Jerome and the Tar gum, understand this to be the same person as Sarah, with another name. 31. Terah took Abram. We are elsewhere more expressly informed 220 GENESIS. [B. C. 2025 to go in to y the land of Canaan : and they came unto Ilaran, and dwelt there. ych. 10: 19. that this movement was made on ac- count of the Divine call to Abram, (ch. 12 . 1.) In ch. 12 : 5 Abram is spoken of as taking Lot and Sarah, etc., because there begins the more special history of Abram. Here we are informed that Terah, as the father of the family, was in the expedition, and this brings us to the close of Terah's history. After Abra- ham's departure from Haran, Terah no more appears. See Notes on Acts 7 : 4, where Stephen says that Abram departed from Haran "af- ter his father (Terah) died." The name Abram, compounded of the two Hebrew words (av — father, and ram — high) means " father of eleva- tion, or eminence " — or high father — progenitor, ancestor. He is called by this brief name until ch. 17 : 5, where a slight change makes for him a new name, meaning fatlier of a multitude. We give the genealogy from this point onward. TERAH. Haran. I^cah, Milcah, Lot. I Na (of Mil her cah.) ABRAM. I (ofHagar,) Ishmael, (of Sarah.) ISAAC (of Rebekah.) Moab, Laban, Rebekah. Leah, Esau (Edom) Jacob (IsraeU) (of Le aW Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah. of Ei: Dan, Napthali. (of Zilpah) (of Ra Gad, Asher, chel) Joseph, Benjamin. Ephraim, Manasseh. Kurtz, Keil, and others think that Terah was not indeed dead before Abram's departure from Haran, but that as the call of Abraham is first mentioned in ch. 12 after the death of Terah is recorded, the order of the narrative is so far followed, without reference to the precise chronology. See the explanation in Notes on Acts 7 : 4. Obsehve. — The promise was four hundred and thirty years before the exodus, (Ex. 12 : 40.) This is also incidentally stated by Paul, (Gal. 3:17.) It was declared that his seed was to be a stranger in a land that was not theirs for four hundred years, (ch. 15 : 13.) It is hence inferred that Isaac, his seed, was born about thirty years after the call of Abram. Abram was one hundred years old when Isaac was born, and hence the call was when Abram was seventy years old, and five years before he entered the land of Canaan, (Gen. 12 : 4.) Terah was two hundred years old when he started for Canaan, and died at two hundred and five, when Abraham was seventy-five. Terah seems to have been ill at Haran, and the ex- pedition was probably delayed there some five years. Tf From JJr of tM Chaldees. Abram's native place-^a region of idolaters. (See Acts 7 : 5^ B. C. 20^.1 CHAPTER XI. 221 82 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years ; and Terah died in Haran. notes.) See vs. 28, notes. T[ Came unto Haran, (Eng. version, Acts 7 : 4, " GMrran' ) This place is called *' the city of Nahor," (Gen. 24 : 10. Compare 27 : 43,) where Nahor's de- scendants were settled. It was in Mesopotamia (Padan) Aram ch. 25 : 20, where it is still found bear- ing the same name. The people of " Harran," as the name still stands, retained till a late time the Chaldean worship and language. It is now inhabited by a few Arabs, and is on a small branch of the Euphrates. About the time of the Christian era it seems to have been included in the kingdom of Edessa, ruled by king Agbarus. Note. — Rawlinson states that Ur which he takes to be the modern Magheir, has furnished some of the most ancient of the Babylonian inscriptions. It seems to have been the primeval capital of Chaldea, Note, p. 253. But this is on the loestern side of the Euphrates. See Notes, vss. 28-28. 32. Two hundred and Jim years are here given as the days of Terah. In Acts 7:4, Stephen states that Abraham removed into this land (Judea) when his father was dead — when his father died. Abraham was at that time seventy-five years old. He was born, as we infer, when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old, and sixty years after the time spoken of in ch. 11 : 26, when Terah "begat Abram, Nalior, and Haran " — that is, began to beget these — when the eldest of them (Haran) was born. See vs. 29. See notes on Acts 7 : 4. The Samaritan version has changed the age of Te- rah from two hundred and five to one hundred and forty-five, in order to get rid of the sixty-years account- ed for above. This change is wholly arbitrary and groundless. See vs. 31, Tiotes. It has been estimated that of the ten generations, from Noah to Abram, there would be about fifteen millions of inhabitants when Abram was thirty years of age. Taking a liigher average of eight for a family, it is reckoned that there were thirty millions at the one hundredth year of Abram. . The boundaries of the land of Canaan, as inhabited by the Canaanites, are given in the table of nations, ch. 10 : 19. Terah wished to accompany Abram and Sarah, though he had been involved in the idolatry of the Chaldeans. The revelation made to Abram probably served as a means of removing from his mind this de- lusion. The true God was acknowl- edged in some quarters in and about the land of Canaan. Job lived about this time in the land of Uz, in Idu- mea, and his friends in that vicinity. And in Canaan there was Melchize- dec, king of Salem, and priest of the Most High God, who ministered, doubtless, to not a few. Note 1. — God had already twice revealed His grace, viz. — to Adam, and to Noah— in the formality of a covenant, looking also distinctly to the whole race, as within the sphere of salvation. We have seen that the revelation of God's grace to the antediluvian world was confirmed and enlarged by that made to the postdiluvians. And now a further step is to be taken in the unfolding of the plan of grace by a Redeemer. Note 2. — During the period from Noah to Abraham sin appeared chiefiy under four leading forms: unholy marriages, drunkenness, filial infidelity and defiance of God. These were high crimes against society. Insubordination in the family strikes at the root of all government, human and divine. But Noah preached, and God enforced his preaching by warnings, followed at length by overwhelming judgment. Man was established in his headship of the earth by the grant of animal food- civil government was formally insti- 233 GENESIS. FB. C. 2020. CHAPTER XII. NOW the ^ Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee : - a ch. 15 : 7 ; Neli. 9:7; Isa. 41 : 2 ; Acts 7:3; Heb. 11:8. tuted in the investiture of tlie mag- istrato with, the riglit of capital pun- ishment, as a protection to human life, and the covenant of grace vt^as repeated to Noah, as a security against a deluge in future. The drowning of the ungodly race, and the salvation of the godly household is a powerful enforcement of God's daims for all time. See Notes, ch. 13 : 13. CHAPTER XII. § 31. The Call and Migration OP Abram — Third Head of the Race — Chosen Family. Ch. 13 : 1-9. The history of Abram from his call to his death divides itself into four stadia, whose beginnings are in- dicated through Divine revelations of remarkable significance. The first stadium (ch. 13-14,) begins with the call of Abram and his wandering in Canaan. The second stadium (ch. 15 and 16,) opens with the promise of an heir and a solemnizing of the covenant. The third stadium (ch. 17-31,) begins with the confirming of the covenant, through the chango of name, and the instituting of the covenant seal of circumcision. The fourth stadi um (ch. 33-35 : 11,) begins with the trial of Abraham for the assuring and fulfiling of his faith. — Keil and DelitscJi, p. 131-3. A new stadium in the economy of grace begins with the history of Abram as called of God. Here opens the Patriarchal history. God had interfered with the natural human development, as it was godless, to check and prevent it by the confusion of tongues. He here further unfolds His gracious purpose — not now in judgment as before, but in mercy. His judgment at Babel was "with a view to bless in Abraham. As one who should become the father of the faithful, the patriarch must be sep- arated from his people, who we^o idolaters, in order to form a distin/jt 1. Adam 2. 8eth 3. Enos 4. Cainan. . . . 5. Mahalaleel. 6. Jared T. Enoch 8. Methuselah 9. Lamech 10. Noah HEB3E-W. SON'S BIRTH. 1.^0 105 90 70 65 lG-2 65 187 182 500 100 1,656 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 11. Shem 12. Arphaxad.. 13. Salah 14. Eber 15. Peleg 16. Reu 17. Seru- 18. Nahor 19. Terah (Haran.) 20. Abram. Call SAM. PENT. SEPT. - 130 2.35 105 205 90 190 70 170 G5 165 62 102 65 105 67 1S7 53 ISS 500 500 100 loo 1 HEBREW. SAM. PT. (97) 2 (97) 2 ( 35 30 135 1.30 34 134 30 130 32 1.32 80 130 29 79 ( 70 \ 60 70 60 70 70 1,307 2,262 422 1,056 Flood Dat^e of Ah: urn's call. (Browne's Ordo Saeclorum, a. c. 2020) 2,0T8 1,072 1,307 2,379 SEPT. (97) 2 1.35 Cainan 130 1.30 134 130 132 13) 179 70 60 70 1,802 2,262 8,564 B. C. 2020.'J CHAPTER XII. coven»nt lineage. This separation was, however, only to prepare the way for a dispensation that was to embrace all na,tions. On Abram's part it now appears that to reach this high distinction of a covenant head, the world and self must be renounced, and God's call must be implicitly obeyed. The covenant grace which was to stand in the place of nature '(as in regard to the miraculous seed,) called for faith, and the Divine command called for obedience. The call of Abram occurs now about midway between Adam .and Christ. The first two thousand years of the human his- tory are thus comprised within eleven chapters. This is the greatest re- move from legendary or mythical narrative, which would have been most diffuse. It is compact, histor- ical statement — and the most ancient is the most compact — just where all other histories (so called) most abound in fable. Abram appears as the tenth in the list of patriarchs from Noah, and the third head of the human race, following Noah and Adam. So, also, Noah was tenth from Adam. And as there was a promise and a prophecy belonging to each of these former personages, BO here, to Abram, the prophecy of Christ is further given and still more unfolded. The victory over the serpent prom- ised to Adam was not yet achieved. So far from this, the Japhetic branch of the human family had departed from the true religion, and even the Semitic line had become corrupted by idolatry — contrary to the hopes held out to Noah in the blessing on his sons. It is out of this Semitic branch that Abram is now chosen, according to the intimation given to Noah in the blessing upon Shem. "Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem — Japhet shall dwell in the tents of Shem," etc., (ch. 9 : 26, 27.) Abram is to be the head of a faith- ful line to be taken into covenant with God, and to be brought into lX)Ssession of a land of promise, and I there to be put in training for tha blessing. See Notes, ch. IB : 17. I "The history of the Old Cove- 1 nant," as Kurtz remarks, "begins with the strictest particularism, that is, with the selection of a particular individual and of his seed; but it immediately opens a view of the widely extended, or general plan of the salvation of all nations. The purpose and end of the election of Abram is the salvation of the whole world," There are six stages of the Cove- nant History : (1.) In the first stage it is that of a Family. (3.) In the second stage it is that of a Nation. (3.) In the tJiird stage it is that of a Kingdom — with the institution of the royal and prophetical lines. (4.) In the fourth stage, the his- tory is that of the nation's exile and return. (5.) The fifth stage is that of more immediate expectations, commencing with the cessation of prophecy. (6.) The sixth stage is that of the fulfilment, when the salvation is to be exhibited in Jesus Christ. Here we are concerned with the first stage of the covenant history — which is that oi a. family. The fam- ily encloses within itself, in all their original vigor, the germs and vital powers of the character, tendency and piu'suits, which are gradually developed in the people. This is the childhood of the history of Israel, in which accordingly God appears as the tutor, advancing in his communica- tions with the progress of the pupil. Hence, as Kurtz remarks, this period exceeds all others in the number of theophanies, or manifestations of God. It is now about four and a-quarter centuries since Jehovah's last com- munication to Noah, that He again speaks, here to Abram. 1. Now the Lord had said. More literally this may read, " TJie Lord mi(Z,"— and may refer to a caU to leave Haran, and not to that which 224 GENESIS. [B. C. 2((30 2 ^ And I will make of thee a great nation, ^ and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ^ and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 e And I will bless them tlmt bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee : ^ and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. b ch. 17 : 6 ; 18 : 18 ; Deut. 26 : 5 ; 1 Kings 3:8. c ch. 24 : 35. d ch. 2S : 4 : Gal. 3 : 14. e ch. 2T : 29 ; Exod. 23 : 22 ; Numb. 24 : 9. f cb 18 : 18 ; 22 : 18 ; 26 : 4; Ps. 72 : IT ; Acta 3 : 25 ; Gal. 3 : 8. Abram received in Ur, of wliicli Steplien speaks in Acts 7 : 2, and which was ?» short time previous. Auram seems to have waited in- Ha- ran for Terah, who was ill, and whom he hoped to take with him to the land of promise, but who was re- n\oved to " the better country." He was to sunder three ties — country, kindred, and home — and he was to go hy faith. Here is illustrated the implicit and powerful faith of the patriarchs as it is presented in the New Testament, in reference to its great principle of substantiating things hoped for, and evidencing things not seen. Abram " went forth not knowing whither he went," but what was far better, " knowing whom he had believed," The highest rea- son is to trust in God. Though. He gives us no reason for His command, it is our wisdom to rest upon the certain reasonableness of it, and obey, with cheerfulness, assured that He will call us to go nowhere but He will make it our advantage to go — and no where but it shall prove to be on the way to the possession of Canaan. God promises enough — to slioic him the land — and that is the land of promise. Dear to him as were his country, and kindred, and father's house, he was the more will- ing to go out at God's direction, for they v/ere idolatrous. He is chosen as the founder of a new family, and a new order of things. 2. Here are four clauses of the stipulation, all full of encourage- ment, even in the lower and natural aspect, ^1" / will make of thee a great nation. God had large plans for him — a great work to accomplish by means of him — as the head of a great people. This was the promise of a numerous posterity — a promise which the apostle Paul notices as requiring that eminent faith of Abram — because it could be mainly fulfilled not until after his death, (Heb, 6 : 15.) *|[ / will bless thee. This, of itself, God's benediction promised, is enough. For what is good v.^ithout God's blessing, and what is bad, if His blessing accom- pany it! ^ And make thy name great. Such honor He would put upon his name as to make it celebra- ted and far-famed — and instead of his father's house, he should be himself exalted as the j^atriarch of a new and preeminent house among the natioiis. ^ Shall he a blessing. Lit,, Be thou a blessing. Sept., Thou shalt be blessed. But the promise is that Abraham should be a blessing, in the highest sense, to others, and to the whole family of man. This looks to the benefits and blessings of re- demption, which were to flow to all men through Abram's line — salva- tion by Jesus Christ and all the fruits of the covenant of grace, through all time. This is the higher aspect. 3. Iioill bless them, etc. God prom- ises further, so to take sides with Abram in the world, as to make common cause with him — share his friendships, and treat his enemies as His own. This is the highest possi- ble pledge. This threatening against hostile people was signally fulfilled in case of the Egyptians, Edomites, Amalekites, Moabites, Ammonites, and the greater nations — Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, Greek and Ro- man, which have fallen under the curse of God a« here denounced B. C. 2020.] CHAPTER XII. 225 4 So Abram departed, as the Lokd had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him : and Abram was seventy and five years old w^hen he departed out of Haran. against enemies of the church and kingdom of Christ. The church is God's. Her enemies are His. Her friends are His also, and no weapon that is formed against her shall pros- per, for He who has all power given unto Him shall be with her faithful servants, even to the end of the world. •[[ And in thee, etc. This is Messian- ic. It looks to tlie world-wide bene- fits of redemption, which should come through Christ, the seed of Abram. In ch. 18 : 18, the lan- guage is, " All nations of the earth," — and there also the promise is based upon Abram's known fidelity as a parent, and honor is thus to be put upon the household covenant. " For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him." In ch. 22 : 18, the same cove- nant promise is repeated, where it reads, " And in thy seed shall^ll the nations of the earth be blessed," and here it is based upon Abram's fidel- ity to God in the offering of his soo Isaac — "because thou hast obeyed my voice." God's household cove- nant is gracious and precious — in compassing the children of believers ^vith the arms of His covenant love. But it requires parental fidelity in training the children, (ch. 18 : 19,) and that fidelity is evinced in yield- ing up our children at God's call, an offering and sacrifice to His service, (ch. 22 : 12, 16.) ^ All families. God pleases to propagate His church by means of a pious posterity. He blesses the world in families, and through a family : and God is God to us in a fatherly relation, as the God and Father of His only begotten Son. And we are admitted to be sons of God, and members of His household by virtue of the Sonship of Christ Jesus. Note. — (1.) The covenant with Abram is the covenant of grace, like that with Adam and with Noah, only 10* now more expressly and plainly looks to the inclusion of all nations and people in the benefits of Christ's salvation, (Gen. 3 : 15 ; 6 : 18, 19; 9 : 8.) The gospel was designed from the beginning to go abroad to all the families of man, (1 John 1:1* 3:8.) The bo«=t of lineal descent from Abram, which made the Jews so bigoted and exclusive has no war- rant in a right understanding of the Abrahamic call and covenant, and so Jesus protested to the Pharisees, The apostle Paul expounds the prom- ise, (see Gal. 3 : 16,) showing (1.) thaf by its express terms, it was made to extend to the Gentiles, (vs. 14,) and (2.) that by the term " seed " is meant Christ Jesus. " He saith not, ' And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ." Though the person of Christ is not yet clearly pointed out, and no men- tion is made of the God-man, yet the general terms of the first prom- ise are constantly narrowed. And here, instead of "the seed of the woman," it is " the seed of Abram." Abram must have seen that the bles- sing to come through him, and hig seed upon the Gentiles must be spir- itual blessings ; for some of the nar- tions were to be driven out of the land of promise by him and his, and all their own blessings were known to be connected with the mainten- ance of the true religion. Christ Himself declares that "Abram re- joiced to see (that he should see) His day. He saw it and was glad," (John 8 : 56.) And Peter explains the promise, as referring to the sending of Jesus, (Acts 3 : 25, 26.) And Paul declares that God in this promise preached the gospel unto Abram be- forehand, (Gal. 3 : 8-16.) (2.) Jesus embarks in the same vessel with His disciples, who need not fear any storm upon the seas. (Luke 8 : 22-24.) GENESIS. [B.C. 2020 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and S the souls that they had gotten h in Haran ; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan ; and into the land of Canaan they came. g ch. 14 : 14. h ch. 11 : 31. (3.) The promise of the earthly Canaan and of temporal blessings through Abram, was designed as typical of higher and spiritual real- ities— of the better country, that is, an heavenly — the heavenly inherit- ance, (Heb. 11 : 16.) The external is the symbol of the internal — the mate- rial of the spiritual. And so God edu- cates us — giving us the tangible and visible, to lead us along to the better things and more real, which are un- seen and eternal. And so, all along, fulfilled pramise and prophecy in re- gard to what is more immediate and temporal is meant to encourage our expectancy of the more glorious things to come. (4.) This is the record of Abram's overcoming faith. Paul makes the record (Gr.,) " By faith Abram when he was called to go out unto the place which he was about to receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he comes. By faith he sojourned unto the land of the promise as a strange country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow-heirs with him of the same promise — for he looked for (expected) the city having the foundations, whose architect and master - biiilder is God," (Heb. 11:8-10.) Paul, in addressing the Hebrew converts, to fortify them against deserting the Christian faith presses on their attention this case of their ancestor Abraham, that they be followers of him in faith and patience. God confirmed to him the promise by an oath, and so after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise. The power of his faith appears in this that it was a prom- ise which could be fulfilled in regard to all nations, only after his death — and his faith reached the utmost issues in the long futurity, (Heb. 11 : 12-16.) "[[ And Lot loent idth Jiim. Lot was Abram's brother's son, (see vs. 5,) that is, the son of Haran. Kurtz understands that, "God had not intended that Lot should join Abram on his journey. This (he says) is sufficiently manifest from his later history. But God alluwed it, probably, from condescension to Abraham's attachment to his fam- ily." It would be more strictly proper to say that as the narrative presents it. Lot joined the company of his own prompting, and not by the Divine command, as in case of Abram. It was, therefore, upon his own responsibility. ^ Semnty and five years old. Abram's age is now stated^t this second stage of the ex- pedition. Supposing, according to the previous calculation, that he was ftt, or about, seventy years old at the call from Ur, there would be an in- terval of five years at Haran, where Terah's death meanwhile occurred, (ch. 11 : 31, notes) ^ When he de- parted. Heb. — In Ms going out. 5. Abram took. Abram now leads the expedition, as Terah had done at the outstart as the father of the family. The relation of Sarai to Abram is here given, as well as that of Lot. T[ All their substance. Heb., All their gain which they had gained — as sheep and goods. This includes all their substance, whether brought from Ur, or acquired in Haran. ^ And all the souls. Heb., And the soul which they did, {or made.) Neph- esh, here used, denotes collectively the persons {servants) taken with them from Haran — as in Ezek. 27 : 13 The 8ept. renders it, -rcaaav tpv^vv, every soul The verb to do, or make, here used is rendered by the Sept.j EKTTjcavTo, acquired — as 30 30 ; Deut B. C. 2020.] CHAPTER XII. 227 G ^ And Abram ' passed through the land unto the place ot Sichem, '^nnto tlie plain of Moreh. ^ And the Canaanite was then in the land. iHeb. 11:0. k Dent. 11 : 30; Judg. T: 1. 1 cb. 10: 18, 19 ; 13: T. 8 : 17 ; Gen. 1 : 12. The Ghald. ren- ders, " All the souls lie had subdued unto the law." Some underst&s'l it, therefore, of pi'osel^'lj^ made to the true religiun from among the heathen at Haran. But the general understanding which best suits the context is of bond-servants, which Abram had acquired. These were gotten commonly by conquest, or by money. Here it seems to be the latter. Servants were needed in proportion to the increase of his flocks, and the Lord was already making him great, as promptly as his obedience was rendered to the Divine command. Jacob became quite rich in sis years, (ch. 30 : 43.) Abram is enriched in five years. True prosperity is found in the path of God's commandments. ^ And they went forth to go — and they came. This is the record of their successful 'ourney, that as they went in obedi- ence to the Divine direction with a purpose to follow the Divine leading, BO they came to the land of the prom- ise. Ps. 1 : 3. 6. The Sept. omits the last clause of the preceding verse. The Vulg. and Germ, connect it with this vs. as the opening clause. "And when they had come t» the land." ^ And Abram passed through the land. Heb., And Abram passed over in the land to a place Shechem. This may express what Paul gives us in other words, "He sojourned in (or unto) the land of promise as a strange (land), "belonging to others — in pos- session of the Canaanites as here mentioned. ^ The plaes of 8ichem. This phrase is taken by some as meaning the site of Shechem, where it was afterwards located — implying that it is here spoken of by anticipa- tion, and that the town was not yet in existence. But there is evidence to the contrary. And the same ex- pression is used where it does not so mean, ch. 18 : 24 ; 19 : 12 ; 29 : 22. It may more likely mean "town or village of Shechem." At the time of Jacob's arrival here, after sojourn- ing in Mesopotamia, Shechem was a Hivite city, of which Hamor, Shech- em's father, was chief man. And it was at this time that Jacob pur- chased from him "the parcel of ground " (of the field) which he gave to his son Joseph, where was Jacob's well, John 4 : 5 The name means " shoulder,'' or " ridge," and describes its location as the water-shed, from which the streams divide east and west, flowing into the Mediterra- nean, and into the Jordan. Instead of Shechem, the son of Hamor, having given his name to the place, it is more probable that he took his name from the place. For the name, if first given to the city in Hamor's time, would, according to Oriental usage, have been taken from the fa- ther, rather than the son. Besides, the situation of the place is so re- markable and eligible, that it would most likely have been occupied by the earliest settlers in the land. From Sinjil, an easy day's ride from Jerusalem, we came to a ruin named Shiloh, in about an hour. And about four hours' distance from this point we came upon Jacob's well, a mile from Shechem. The town, as now found, lies on a slope be- tween Mount Gerizim and Ebal. The present population was reported to us as about twelve thousand. The city is well built — has fine ba- zaars. It is not improbable that in our Lord's time the city extended more nearly to Jacob's well. We rode on our horses with great diflEl- culty up to the top of Mount Geri- zim. The paths are fiUed with 228 GENESIS. [B. C. 2020 sharp stones, as from a quarry. The Biimmit is eight hundred feet ahove the plain, and two thousand six hundred feet above the sea level. The scenery is extremely beautiful, perhaps unsurpassed in the Holy Land. Streamlets gush from the mountain side along your winding path. The people boast of eighty springs of water in and around the city. Olive-yards enrich the land- scape, and the rich valley spreading to the east and west from this ridge connecting Gerizim with Ebal, and the city occupying this ridge, or saddle, in the narrow gorge not more than five hundred yards across at the base of the mountains, is al- together most picturesque. An im- mense ruin of large bevelled stones crowns the summit of Gerizim, which some have thought to be the ruin of the ancient Samaritan temple ; but it is doubtless more modern — proba- bly dating with the crusades. The present town has five mosques, two of which, according to a united tra- dition, were originally Christian churches. And here the few Sa- maritans yet making their head- quarters in Shechem offer their an- nual sacrifice of lambs at Passover time. We saw the man who recov- ered Bonar's Bible from where he or McCheyne dropped it, in Jacob's well, and he exulted in the prospect that the sixty-eight Samaritans then left would soon reach seventy, and then he said they would be the greatest people in the world. Here they show a very ancient copy of the Samaritan Pentateuch on parch- ment leaves, which they claim to be an original. In the New Testament the city is called SycJiar, " a city of Samaria," John 5 : 5. The modern name, " Nablous," is a corruption of the Greek name "Neapolis," mean- ing "new city." The name Sychar some take to be a name of reproach given by the Jews to this Samaritan town, as 8hecher means a lie. But it may be only a provincial corrup- tion of " 8hecliem." At the farther gate of the city we were met by fif- teen lepers — one with his nose eaten off, another white with the leprosy around his wrists. They proposed to follow us to our place of encamp- ment outside the city, and demanded two piastres each for leaving our company. We were glad, on any terms, to get rid of the hideous look- ing creatures. T[ Unto the plain of Moreh, Deut. 11 : 30 ; Judges 7:1. This may rather read, To an oak of Moreh, named from its owner or planter, as some suppose ; or an oak of instruction — or an eminent oak. The Sept. — the lofty oak. This last reading is allowable, and is favored by the passage, ch. 35 : 1-4, where is mention of " the oak which was by Shechem," as a celebrated oak — probably celebrated, like the oak that was pointed out to us at Mamre, as Abram's oak. Tlie oak was a com- mon landmark, from its great growth and durability. ^ And tlie Canaaio- ite. That these hostile inhabitants occupied the land at the time of Abram's entering there, is ex- pressly mentioned, for this fact is important for the sequel. It is by no means implied that the Canaan- ite was not in the land at the time of Moses' writing. It is noted, iij reference to Abram's time, to shovl that here was the great obstacle t( > his occupancy, and the great chal lenge to his faith, that though it was the land which God promised to him, yet it was in the hands of the heathen, who would violently dispute his possession and his claim. " The difficulty of approach to the country in this locality accounts for Abram having selected it, as afford- ing a particular security against sudden invasions." {Ritter) Hence the reference here to the Canaanites, against whom the stranger would be most anxious to be secured. The author of (Genesis evinces in this clause his knowledge of the Canaan- ites, and presupposes their nature and character to be Known in such | a way as a late writer could not do. ' See Num. 14 : 45. — See Havernick. Note. — This first halting place ot B. C. 2020.] CHAPTER XII. 220 7 ™ And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, ^ Unto thy seed will I give this land : and there builded he an « altar unto the LoED, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east : and there he builded an altar unto the Loed, and P called upon the name of the Loed. mch. 1T:1. n ch. 13: 15 ; 17 : 8 ;, Ps. 105 : 9-11. och. 13:4. pch. 13:4. Abram and liis household in the land of promise was " the city of Sa- maria, called Sjchar," where our Lord sowed the early seeds of His gospel doctrine in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, John 4:5; arid it was the same place at which Philip first preached, in the transition of the Christian church from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, Acts 7 : 5, where it should be rendered, " a city of Samaria " — the phrase being the very same in the Greek as in John 4 : 5. 7. Here God fulfils to Abram His promise at the outstart — to show to him the land, (vs. 1.) "Jehovah appeared." Here this phrase first occurs. We know not in what way God manifested Himself to the pa- triarch on this occasion. It was sometimes done by a vision, and sometimes by a dream. It was in a way suitable to the Divine nature, and to the object in \-iew. He re- vealed Himself to the consciousness of Abram, so as that he felt himself to be addressed by God, whether there was any audible voice or not. God can act with or without means, as He pleases. *[ Unto thy seed. This promise was to be fulfilled to the posterity of Abram, and not in his own day. This was the trial of his faith. Yet here was the pre- ciousness of the household covenant, looking to the establishment of his family in the land. " This land" it is, and not another, which is the land of promise. Abram is thus no- tified that he has arrived upon the soil to which God had called him to remove. % And there he builded an altar — in token of his faith and grati- tude, publicly accepting thus God's grant to him, and openly taking possession of it in the name of his covenant God — at least planting here an altar to God, as a token of the proprietorship and tenure of the soil. Shechem became one of the cities of the refuge under the law, Josh. 21 : 20, 21 ; "and here also the law was renewedly proclaimed with blessings from Gerizim, and curses from Ebal, Deut. 27 : 12 ; Josh. 8 : 33- 35. Here also Joshua assembled the people before his death, and counselled them. Josh. 24 : 1, 25. The position wa-s eminently fit for a religious centre ; and besides this, these patriarchal associations would give sanctity to the place. 8. East of Bethel. Bethel is now known as Beitun, six hours and a half from Nablous, on- the road to Jerusalem. It stands on a hill, where are ruins of a town. The name means " hoiise of God." The origin of the name is in doubt. It would seem to have been already the name of the place before Abram's arrival, though some suppose it is here given by the historian as the name by which the place was after- wards known. From ch. 28 : 19 Ja cob seems to have given the name to the spot at the time of his vision. The particular spot where that vis- ion occurred was thus distinguished from the name of the city which " was called Luz at the first." It may have had this name before Abram's time, as a trace of early piety in the land. And so again it is re-named " Bethel " on the o^'casion of the Di 830 GENESIS. [B. C. 2017. 0 And Abram journeyed, q going on still toward the south. 10 ^ And there was ^ a Aimine iu the land: and Abrara ^ went down into Egypt to sojourn there ; for the famin in the land. e v:as •- Q:rievous q ch. 13 : 3. r ch. 26 : 1. s Ps. 105 : 13. t ch. 43 : 1. vine blessing received by Jacob when returning from Padan-Aram, (ch. 85 : 14, 15.) The historian, in the pas- sage before us, explains the locality by names existing in his time, as if he had said " unto the mountain east- ward of what is now known as Bethel." Jacob may have so named it, in c6mmemoration also of the fact that Abram had halted here, and had built an altar to God. The " house of God " is a fitting title for any such consecrated locality, hal- lowed by the Divine presence. And so we call the sanctuary by the same name, *^ Rai ; lit., the Ai. The place is named Ai, which means a heap of ruins ; and the " H" is pre- fixed, as the Hebrew article, "the." It was a royal city of Canaan. "The men of Bethel and Ai are spoken of," Ez. 2:28. It was the second city taken by Israel after the passage of the Jordan, and was ut- terly destroyed. Josh. 7 : 3, 4, 5, etc. It is now knpwn as Tel er Byjmeh — the mount of the heap. ^ Builded an altar. Here is a public profes- sion of the patriarch's faith and piety. As in the family of Adam after Enos' birth, (ch. 4 : 28,) the practice is kept up of public wor- ship, calling upon the name of the Lord, recognizing His covenant love, and invoking His blessing. See ch. 13 : 4, 18. He calls upon the Divine name as " Jehodah," acknowledging the redemptive character and claims of God before his household. As yet he was only a sojourner in the land, moving from place to place, under the Divine direction, towards the south. But hither he returned, after his temporary exile in Egypt, on account of the famine, ch. 13 : 3, 4, to the place of his tent and the altar. Though nothing is here stated of sacrificial offering, yet the building of an altar fairly implies this. 9. Abram had not yet taken up his fixed abode in the land. He was moving from place to place with his flocks, and surveying the coun try. Lit., He ^pulled up (his tent) going and pulling up southioard. According to the customs of no- madic life, he pitched his tents from point to point, as the cattle needed change of pasture, or on other ac- counts, but mainly in a southerly direction, perhaps determined by the season. Paul notices the fact — " dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (Heb. 11 : 10.) § 32. Famine— Abram in Egypt— S.^RAi AND Pharaoh. Ch. 12 : 10- 20. 10. J. famine. Here the patriarch meets a sore trial of his faith. A stranger in a strange land, having removed from his comfortable home and loving kindred, he finds himself in the midst of famine, and in dan- ger of starvation. No corn trade as yet existed between these countries. He therefore determined to leave the land of promise for the land of Egypt, lest he might perish of want. We do not read of any Divine di- rection authorizing him to go, and it would seem to have been at the dictate of unbelief rather than of faith. And this may have led to his further troubles in the same di rection, where he resorted to a car- nal device to shield himself from the danger of losing his wife. •^ Went down into Egypt. Egypt being annually watered by the over B C. 2017.] CHAPTER XII 231 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art " a fair woman to look upon : 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say. This is his wife : and they ^ will kill me, but they will save thee alive. u vs. 14 ; ch. 26 : 7. w ch. 20 : 11 ; 26 : T. flow of the Nile, and not depending on rains for the crops, was the great grain-growing region, and corn could be found there when famine prevailed in the adjoining country, ch. 43 : 1, 2. 1 To sojourn there. His object was to dwell in Egypt tem- porarily, and only so long as the famine prevailed, intending to re- turn after that to the land of prom- ise. ^ Was grievous. Vulg. and Sept. read, prevailed. How deso- late and distressed were these new circumstances of the patriarch. How full of anxieties and apprehensions lest he and his household should perish of starvation. But the Jeho- vah who has led him out from his own land and kindred, will not leave him to die of want. 11. Escaping one trouble he falls into another. The temptation of Satan in the wilderness was prac- tised upon the patriarch, as it was afterward upon the Messiah himself — taking advantage of his hunger. Did he forget that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God?" Alas, Egypt was not the land that his covenant God had showed him ; and God, his God, could command the stones of Judea, and they would become bread. Now, therefore, as he started on his own counsel, he is cast upon his own further device. Plainly he is in perplexity, and feels that he is not under the same guardianship, nor travelling by the same Divine warrant as before. How much bet- ter to trust in God than to lean to our own understanding. How se- cure Abram might have been under the Divine guaranty and guidance, that aU that he needed would be supplied to him in the land of prom- ise. ^ A fair looman. Sept., Of fair countenance; lit., beautiful of aspect, 1 Sam. 17 : 42. The term signifies brightness, and refers prob- ably to a fair, clear complexion. Though she was now sixty-five years old, yet this was only as about twenty-five or • thirty in our day ; and she had not had even the com- mon hardships of married life ; and besides, she was of a character which would shine out in the coun- tenance, full of energy and vivacity. Sarah's beauty was now the ground of Abram's fear among such stran- gers as the Egyptians, speaking a different tongue, and having a pow- erful, despotic monarch. 12. Abram's fear was that he should lose his life on account of his wife's attractions ; that the Egyp- tians would put him out of the way in order to secure her. His appre- hensions were not wholly ground- less, as the result proved. How he came to have this special fear arous- ed as he approached the country does' not apuear. but we may sup- pose that he saw much of these loose habits among the border peo- ple, indicating to him what might be expected as he advanced into the land. His carnal policy proves weak- ness. He judged that if they foimd that Sarah was bound to him as a wife, he might lose his life on her account, but that if they should re- gard her as only his sister, the worst that could happen would be her disgrace and removal from him, without sacrificing himself. Thia was unmanly and cruel — ^it was in the spirit of unbelief and worldly policy — unworthy of one who had 232 GENESIS. [B. C. 2017 13 ^ Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister : that it may be weli with me for thy sake ; and my soul shall live because of thee. :7., BO specially cast himself upon the Divine care in leaving his country and kindred to follow where God led. Yet it should be said, on his part, that he might have more spe- cially valued his life, as having the promises of a Messiah connected so with his person — himself the chan- nel and conveyancer of blessings to mankind. His judgment was found- ed on the idea xhat though the kir.~ would feel free (according to the custom of the land) to take an un- married woman, he would have no other resort, upon finding her to be married, than to take the life of her husband; and that he would not scruple to do this. He explains his feeling in a similar peril, ch. 20 : 11, "I said. Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife's sake." Alas, it is notorious that unbridled lust does not stop at murder to gratify its passions. Pharaoh blames Abram for leading him astray by this device. Note. — It is here that Egypt is first brought into view in its rela- tion to the land of promise. And "there is here a foreshadowing of the relation which it will afterwards sustain to Abram's descendants. The same necessity conducts both him and them to Egypt. They both encounter similar dangers in that land — the same mighty arm delivers both, and leads them back enriched with the treasures of that wealthy country." — Kurtz. 13. Say, I pray tliee. This is Abram's device for self-security. He would have her tell the trvith only in part. It is plain that by so do- ing the impression sought to be con- veyed would be different from that which the plain, unflinching truth would have given. The question arises whether we are bound in such circumstances to reveal every thing, «\ eu to our damage, when it is not positively called for. If he was asked whether she was his wife, and replied. No, she is only my sister, there could be no doubt of the falsi- ty. But this does not appear. Pha- raoh blames him that he did not tell him the whole truth, but that he conveyed a wrong impression, which might have led to the worst results. And doubtless there was in it — from (31T1- "[vjaw Tpiitament point of view — the element of untruth, in the inten- tion to deceive by the concealment. Some allowance must be made for the partial light of that time in cases Ox casuistry. See, also, the case of Moses, Exod. 3 : 18, and of David, 1 Sam. 29 : 1-7. Paul had surely a right to dwell upon the fact that he was a Pharisee, as an expedient to conciliate his audience. It was only making the best use, for that occa- sion, of what was the truth in his case. And he was under no obliga- tion to reveal to them, then and there, other facts that he knew would be offensive and detrimental, ( Acts 23 : 6.) It may fairly be laid down that a lie is never justifiable — and that a half-truth seldom, if ever, ac- complishes any good result. The truest, safest, and best course is to trust in God rather than in a shrewd worldly policy, and cunning diploma- cy. \ My soul — mysdf—my person. Observe. — ( 1. ) Pharaoh blames Abram, not as saying that Sarah was not his wife, but for not telling him that she was — and for saying that she was his sister — thus convey- ing the impression that she was nothing more. (2.) Abram pleads in his vindica- tion in after, similar, circumstances that he told the truth, only not the whole truth, (ch. 20 : 12, etc.) (3.) Concealment and equivocation with intent to deceive can never be justified, especially in tlie light of this gospel time B C. 2017.] CHAPTER XII. 233 14 ^ And it came to pass, that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians y beheld the woman that she vms very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her and commended her before Pharaoh : and the woman was ^ taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And he ^ entreated Abram well for her sake : and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-sei'- vants, and she-asses, and camels. 17 And the Lord ^ plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's Avife. V ch. 39 : 7 ; Matt. 5 : 28. 105 : 14 ; Heb 13 : 4. z ch. 20 a ch. 20 : 14. b ch. 20 ; IS ; 1 Chron. 16 : 21 ; Pa. (4.) All this shifting and shuffling resulted from unbelief— not waiting "ox the Divine direction to leave the land of promise — and doubting God's ability to spread a table in the wil- derness. This was also the fault of his descendants, (Num. 11 : 14.) 14. Abram's fears were realized at once, so far as the admiration of the people for Sarah's beauty was con- cerned. 15. Doubtless Abram had feared, especially those in authority, know- ing the despotism of an Oriental court. And here it came to pass as he feared. The princes — courtiers — of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh. This fact is strikingly in accordance with the manner of the Egyptian court, and shows the author's knowledge of Egyptian cus- toms. The formalities were most strict and rigorous. " No slave durst approach the consecrated priestly person of the Pharaohs, but the court and the royal suit consisted of the sons of the principal priests." — Diod. Sic.,1, 70. They extolled her beauty that so they might minister to the indulgence of the king, and shew their interest in his carnal gratifica- tion. And upon such representa- tions of her charms the icoman icas taken, to Pharaoh's house. The Sept. reads, And they led her unto the house of Pharaoh. How bitterly Abram must now have bewailed the complications into which he had brought himself. True, his object was so far accomplished as that his life was spared ; but what a life when bereft now of his wife and made to think only of the threatened disgrace and ruin which stared her and himself in the face ! How must he have grieved to see her led away from him to the harem of the Egypt- ian monarch, from whose iron will he had no appeal ! 16. Entreated Abram icell. Lit., And he did good to Abram for her sake. What followed seems to be a recital of these material benefits which fell to his lot by this means. \ And he had. Lit.. And there were to him — there came (or, became,) to him. When Abram arrived there Egypt was under the rule of the shepherd kings, whose government had its capital in the Delta, or northerly portion, where he entered. These presents are such as one pas- toral chief would present to another, It is plain that only such presents must have been made to Abram as were particularly valuable to him as a nomade." Mules and camels ap- pear on the ancient monuments of Egypt. But all these princely gifts could not appease the honest grief of such an one as Abram for the shame- ful removal from him of his beloved Sarah. And the presents he durst not refuse, lest he perish. 17. Though God's servant acted so unworthily of his antecedents and his mission, yet the Divine faith- fulness here interposes to rescue hirii 234 GENESIS. [B. C. 20Vt 18 And Pharaoli called Abram, and said, ^ What is this thai thou hast done unto me ? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife ? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife : now therefore behold thy wife, take Aer, and go thy way. 20 '^ And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him : and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. cch. 20:9; 26:10. d Prov. 21 : 1. from tke impending ruin wMch lie was bringing on himself. Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and Ms house. Heb., Beat Mm with great blows. How tliis infliction was visited upon Pbaraoli we do not know. The Lord doubtless showed his displeas- ure, and taught Pharaoh that he was guilty in thus taking to himself the woman, whether wife or sister, at his own arbitrary will. Just as afterwards the court of Egypt was visited with sore plagues from God because of their oppression of Abram's descendants, until the stub- born despot was constrained to let them go, in part, so here, on the Bame principle. God has agents and modes for bringing men to a convic- tion of their sin, and Pharaoh was made to feel that he was in the wrong, in retaining Sarah. Doubt- less Abram made himself known as ft worshipper of the true God, and God was caring for him, though far away from his home, and though wandering beyond the land where He had led him. ^ And Ids house. God builds up His church by house- holds of the good, and so, also. He breaks down the families of the wicked. "He visiteth the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him, and sheweth mercy unto thousands (families) of them that love him and keep his commandments," (Exodus 20 : 6.) The court and household of Pharaoh were also incplicated with him in the gin. And ths habitation of the wick- ed shall not prosper. ! 18. Pharaoh here upbraids Abram for his keeping back the truth in re- gard to Sarah's relations, and he de- clares it to be an injury done to him that he had not told him that Sarah was his wife. He does not charge Abram with having told a falsehood — only that he had not told him the whole truth, and he claims that he ought to have told him this impor- tant fact, that she was his wife — that in the circumstances he had a right to know it. 19. The complaint of Pharaoh sets forth the case in its true light, and shows the point of the wrong in Abram's prevarication. *[[ Why saidst thou, She is my sister f And this was precisely pointing to the wrong of Abram's device. The following clause reveals the peril into which she had been brought by the very means taken by Abram. ^ So 1 might. Lit., And J^ took. In the Hebrew such a dependent clause often carries with it the contingency based on the foregoing statement. "And I took" would only express the danger he was in of so taking her, as though it were most immi- nent. It would hence appear that he did not actually take her to wife. The ceremonies of Oriental nuptials require some time, and, in the inter- val, it would seem, God plagued Pharaoh. Pharaoh's conduct has the appearance of frankness and lion, orable dealing. But his loose prin- ciples cannot be justified. 20. Pharaoh now gives command ment to his men — his servants — offi cials — who could be charged with B. C. 2017.] CHAPTER XIII. 235 A CHAPTER XIII. ND Abrara went np out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, ^ into the south. 2 ^ And Abram ^cas very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. a ch. 12 : 9. b ch. 24 : 35 ; Ps. 112 Prov. 10 : 22. this business. ^ And they sent Mm away. The Sept. reads, To send Jiim away— SiS though this was what the men were commanded to do — to send forth Abram and his household from the country. The term implies an honorable escort, for his safe depart- ure from Egypt with a^Z that he had — cattle, goods, etc., (vs. 16.) Thus Abram, by a strange discipline, is brought back to the land of prom- ise, reprovea for thus hastily leaving the land that God shewed him, in order to escape famine, and for for- saking his confidence in God by re- sorting to worldly policy for his pro- tection in danger. Thus God reclaims His own people from their wander- ings, and does it through sore trials and severe discipline, bringing them back to the goodly land of His prom- ise and their inheritance — taught that the only safety is to follow where God leads, and fully to trust in Him for ourselves and our house- holds. CHAPTER XIII. § 33. Return tq Canaan — Abram AND Lot Separate — Siddim — Mamre. Ch. 13. In Egypt the church — the chosen people — was introduced to the icorld. Egypt was to xVbram, to the Jewish people also, to the whole course of the Old Testament, what the world, with all its interests and pursuits and enjoyments, is to us. But while Egypt, with its pride of Avealth and art and power, its temples and pyra- mids, is almost forgotten, the name of the shepherd patriarch lives. How long Abram remained in Egypt at this time does not appear. He went thither for a temporary pur- pose, and returned even sooner, as would seem, than he had intended, ch. 29 : 12. Egypt is a type of the world-kingdom, abounding in wealth and power, offering temptations to a mere carnal sense. But Abram had encountered its worldlmess and pride, and had been in danger of losing his personal and domestic peace, and was glad, doubtless, to escape from the land, and get once more within the boundaries of thf» land of promise. ^ Went up. Th direction of Jerusalem was upwara from every quarter, in the Jewish phraseology. Besides, the south of Judea was hill country, and it was upward in reference to the low, des- ert plains of the Egyptian territory. •^ Lot tcith him. We hei'e find that Lot, who came with him into Pal- estine, had accompanied him into Egypt, and now returns with him. His connexion with him was that of natural kindred. It will soon ax)- pear that Lot, by the increase of his estate, has separate interests, and that it is in the plan of God to dis- connect Abram, His chosen friend, from all others outside his ov/n im- mediate household, with whom He was to covenant. ^ Into the south ; lit., toicards the south. This is not the south of Egypt, for he went up out of Egypt, but towards the coun- try called the south — the south country of Palestine, known as such before the time of Abram. See Josh. 10:40; 11:16. The 8ept. reads. Unto the Desert — pointing to the same region, which is skirted by the Idumean desert. The same term is used here as in ch. 12 : 9. Hither he had come at first, 2. Very Hch ; lit. weighty exceecL 236 GENESIS. [B.C. 2017 3 And he went on his journey ^ from the south even to Beth- el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, be- tween Beth-el and Ilai ; 4 Unto the ^ place of the altar, which he had made there at the first : and there Abram ^ called on the name of the Lord. c ch. 21 : 8, 9. d ch. 12 : 7, 8. e Ps. 116 : 17. ingl't/. Having amassed great riches. He was a chief, or sheikh, of a tribe of his attendants and dependents. His wealth is mentioned here in proof of God's blessing upon him, according to the promise — enriching his tem- poral estate. Oriental chiefs had their riches chiefly in flocks. Abram may have acquired his silver and gold in Egypt by trading with the people. Sheep and camels, oxen and asses constituted the wealth of Job (Job. 1 : 3,) who belonged to the time of Moses ; and these are given as the items of Abram's wealth when he went down into Egypt, ch. 12 : 16. The precious metals had been added, no doubt, by sales of animals, and their products of milk, butter, cheese, etc., to the people. 3. On Ms journey, etc. And he went according to his remomngs — that is, pitching his tents, and strik- ing them, and going on from place to place — " sojourning " — " dwelling in tents." The Sept. reads. He went whence he came. The Vulg., He re- turned ty the way whence he came. 1" Unto 'the place, ch. 12 : 8. The narrative is careful to mention that he went directly to Bethel, where he had at the beginning pitched his tent and builded an altar to God, (vs. 4.) His heart, doubtless, yearn- ed for his first love in that land of promise, and he longed to get back to the sweet memorial places, where he had indeed met God. ^ Between Bethel and Hai. Stanley well de- scribes this point as " a conspicuous hill, its topmost summit resting on the rocky slopes below, and distin- guished by its olive groves, oflfering a natural base for the altar, and a fitting shade for the tent of the pa- triarcJi.' 4. Tent and altar were now in his mind as he had enjoyed them at first. We remember our sweet home and our sweet church after we have roamed in a land of exile. We yearn to get back to where we have enjoyed the dear circle of our family, and that of our Christian brethren — where we have lived, and where we have worshipped. Be- cause it was Bethel, he loved it, even as the house of Ood, Ps. 84 : 1, 2. Shechem had been the place of his altar at the very first. But as to the spot between Bethel and Hai, and the altar erected there, the same phrase is used as here, " He called upon the name of the Lord," see ch. 12 : 7, 8, which may express a more formal and public worship. Or he may have reached Shechem, a few miles further on, at tliis time. ^ Called. This phrase refers to the pious invocation of God, as "the Lord" — Jehovah. Here, on the sa- cred spot so endeared to him by his earliest memories of God's covenant promise fulfilled, in showing him the land of promise, the patriarch reestablishes public woi*ship. It is the sanctuary of God, on God's own land, where He had already first re- vealed Himself to him on the cove- nant soil. Doubtless, " he felt a strong desire to reanimate his faith and piety amidst the scenes of his former worship — it might be to ex- press humility and i^enitence for his misconduct in Egypt, or thankful- ness for deliverance from perils — to embrace the first opportunity, on re- turning to Canaan, of leading hi3 family to renew allegiance to God, and to offer the typical sacrifices which pointed to the blessings of the promise." — Jamieson. B. C 2017.] CHAPTER Xin. 237 5 % And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And ^the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together : for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there wa.s S a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: ^ and the Canaauite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land. fch. 36:7. g ch. 26 : 20. h ch. 12 : 6. 5. And Lot also. Abram's char- acter is now to sliine in his noble, honorable dealing witli his relative, the companion of his journey. Lit,, To Lot, also, iclio went mth Ahram, there were flocks, etc. This may be mentioned here to show how those who cast in their temporal lot with Abram, God's friend, were blessed for his sake. The blessing upon Abram overran and flowed over upon Lot. So God often showers His blessings upon the household, neighbors and dependents of the righteous for their sakes. If Te7its. This probably includes the occu- pants— meaning servants and atten- dants. 6. And the land ; lit., did not bear them, to dwell together (for dwell- .ng together.) Sept., And the land did not contain them to dwell together. And the reason is given. For their substance (acquisition) was great, and they were not able to dwell together.- That choice portion of the land where they had at first located, on account of its richness and natural security, was now too small for their largely increased households and possessions. {See cli. 12 : 6, Notes) Probably their cattle and flocks now numbered too many to be accommo- dated by the pasturage. The coun- try was an open common. It could not be held by any title. Every one drove his cattle where he could find the best grazing for them. This absence of law to define and ^protect real estates would naturally open the way for jealousy and strife, and the strong would have an ad- vantage over the weak. 7. A strife, etc. The connexion indicates the ground of the strife, though it is not distinctly stated. The choice district which they had selected became too narrow for the accommodation of both, with their large increase. So it is that secular prosperity often brings trouble. The meek it is who shall t^uly inherit the earth, (Matt. 5 : 5.) It was the herdmen of the respective flocks who quarrelled. They were tempt- ed to encroach one upon the other, to find proper sustenance for their cattle, T[ And the Ganaanite, etc. As before noted, this clause does not indicate that the historian lived subsequently to Moses' time. He does not say, " And the Ganaanite was yet in the land at that time," but it is said, with reference to the promise that God would give thi? land to the seed of Abram, that the land was not tenantless and un- possessed, so that Abram had only to take possession, and enter on its enjoyment. But the Ganaanite was there as its occupant, standing in the way of the promised possession, and needing to be removed, so that meanwhile he could only dwell in tents, a pilgrim in the land of prom- ise, as in a strange country. See Delitzsch. ^ And the Perizzite. It is intimated by this note that these aborigines made the choice district where they dwelt all the more cramped and inadequate for Abram and Lot. The presence of two pow- 238 GENESIS. [B. C. 2017. 8 And Abiam said unto Lot, * Let there be no strife, T pray tliee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we he brethren. 9 ^ Is not the whole land before thee ? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me : Hf thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. i 1 Cor. 6 : 7. k ch. 20 . 15 ; 34 : 10. 1 Rom. 12 : 18 ; Heb. 12 : 14-; Jas. 3 : 17. . erfiil tribes, at peace with each other, was favorable to the quiet and peace- able residence of Abram and Lot, but surely not to their living at va- riance with each other. The Periz- zites are not named in the table of nations (ch. 10) and their origin is hid. The name indicates perhaps that they were peasants, engaged in agriculture, or nomades, wanderers. They are mentioned along with the Canaanites as original occupants of the soil. See ch. 15:20; 34:30; Exod. 3 : 8, 17 ; Judg. 1 : 4, 5 ; Josh. 17 : 15-18. They dwelt in the moun- tains of Judah and Ephraim, and they are noticed as late as in the time of Ezra, (9:1.) Some imder- stand that the Perizzites are the same with the Hittites — sons of Heth — who are called " the children of the land" — which is called also " the land of Heth," ch. 23 : 7. 8. The strife among the herdsmen does not alienate the masters. Abram stands upon his faith. ^ Let there be no strife. " So the father of the faithful replied in language that might well extend beyond the strife of herdsmen and shepherds to the strife of "pastors and teachers," in many a church and nation." — 8ta?i- ley. He who has the promises can well afford to yield a point of differ- ence for the holy sake of peace. And he it is who is the gainer by all he seems to concede. "The meek (and only they) inherit the earth." " Ho walks in the moral atmosphere of the sermon on the mount," Matt. 6 : 28, etc. Abram appeals to their brotherly relations against any strife between themselves or their herds- men. For W6 {are) men, hrethren— men who are brethren. The same Hebraistic expression is used in the New Testament by James at the Synod in Jerusalem — "Men, breth- ren," Acts 15:'13, and by Paul in his address, Acts 23 : 1. This refer- red to national brotherhood. Abram was Lot's kinsman, being both his brother-in-law and his uncle ; and beyond this, they were "bretliren" in their religion. Even the fact that they were of national brotherhood in a strange country ought to be a strong restraint upon quarrelsome passions. Abram lays upon Lot the necessity of accepting his offer, as he yielded to him the choice of the land. Besides, Lot is the com- panion, and his uncle is the princi- pal. How far may Christian men stand upon their rights ? And how far are they bound to yield even to unreasonable demands for the sake of peace. The spirit of the Master will rather suffer wrong than do wrong. He who has the promises may be sure that his covenant God will bea* ^iim out in personal con- cessions loi the sake of peace. 9. Abram proposes most generous terms. He offers Lot the first choice, though he be the inferior party, and in the true Christian spirit which, "in lowliness of mind, esteems other better than himself," as well as in the spirit of the commandment to "love our neighbor as ourselves." Abram now appears in his personal graces, and shines in his relations to those around him, as a bright exam- pie to all. ^ Is not the whole land before thee? This was the land promised to Abram by God himself, of which, therefore, he was the B. C. 2017.] CHAPTER XIII. ^89 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all ™the plain ot Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord ^ destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, ^ ev.eii as the garden of the LoED, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto PZoar. m ch. 19 : 17 ; peut 34 : 3 ; Ps. 107 : 34 n ch. 19 : 21, 25. o ch. 2 : 10 ; Isa. 51 : 3. p ch. 14 : 2, 8 ; 19 : 22. rightful proprietor, and not Ms nephew. He could have claimed the exclusive possession on the high gi'ound of the Divine promise and plan. He could have said, "If the land is not large enough for us both, then you must seek another coun- try, or even return to the land whence you came out." But this exclusiveness is not the spirit of our holy religion. We cannot assume to stand upon our Divine right, and claim all the privileges and prom- ises, leaving no room for others, nor giving them over to uncovenanted mercies. In the true spirit of grace, we are to be gracious and concilia- tory, and peace-making, /(?r we he hretliren. Nor need we all seek to occupy the very same ground, nor claim the same territory. There is room enough for all names and claims that are truly Christian. There is much land to be possessed, and God has a field for all denomi- nations to cultivate. ^ Separate tJiygelf. In the spirit of generous concession, and not of severity, Abram proposes a separation, and agrees to take what Lot leaves. "If to the left, then I iciU go to the right, or if to the right, then Iicill go to the left." Abram's movement was to be regulated by Lot's choice. 10. Lot accepts the ofier, but not as would seem in the same humble Bi)irit in which it was made. They " agree to differ." This remarkable place, where Abram's tent had been previously pitched, proves the turn- ing point in the patriarch's life. Those who have been close compan- ions up to this point are henceforth parted asunder. " This first prime- val pastoral controversy divided the patriarchal church." Stanley cites aere the passage of similar purport, (ch. 26 : 19-22) in Isaac's history. " Isaac's servants digged in the val ley, and found there a well of spring ing water ; and the herdsmen of Ge rar did strive with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours; and he called the name of the well Calumny, because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also, and he called the name of it Strife. And he removed from thence and digged another well, and for that they strove not, and he call- ed the name of it Latitude. And he said, For now the Lord hath made Latitude for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land," (translating the proper names of the Hebrew.) ^ Lot lifted wp Ms eyes. From the spot where they were thus negociating — the momitain summit east of Bethel, under its grove of oaks, where the tent was pitched, Lot looked down upon the green valley of the Jordan — its tropical luxuriance visible even from thence — beautiful and well wa- tered as that garden of Eden, of which the fame still lingered in their own Chaldean hiQs, or as the val- ley of the Nile in which they had so lately sojourned. He chose the rich soil, and with it the corrupt civiliza- tion which had grown up in the rank climate of tliat deep descent, and once more he turned his face eastward, and left to Abram the hard- ship, the glory, and the virtues of the rugged hills, the sea breezes, and the inexhaustible future of ^A'estern Pal- estine. It was Abram's henceforward ; he was to arise and walk through the length and through the breadth of it, for God had given it to him. This was the first appropriation — the first consecration of the Holy 'L?indi.— Stanley, p. 34, 5. ^ Beheld all the plain; lit., saw all the circle 310 GENESIS. [B. C. 2017, of the Jordan. Lot was evidently governed by a worldly and selfisli principle in selecting his new abode. He embraced the opportunity fur- nished him by Abram's generous proposal, and he chose what seemed the richest part of the land, without regard to the choice of Abram, and without regard to the moral destitu- tions. He was free and eager to ob- tain the best part of the country, though by so doing he should re- move far from the vicinity of the church, and of the public worship of God. *|[ Well icatered. Heb., All of it a well watered region. This was the great necessity in the East. It would promise hira security from periodical famine. It seemed to him a paradise. Here the Jordan is first referred to. This great river of Pal- estine, called the Descender, for its swift course of two hundred miles over twenty-seven rapids, has one source at Ban. At another (Banias) it bursts out from the foot of a rock, and flov/s through the Lake Merom mto the Sea of Galilee or Gennesaret. This latter is six hundred and fifty feet below the Mediterranean, and from this point to the Dead Sea, it falls six hundred and fifty feet, mak- ing it one thousand three hundred feet and over below the sea level, when it reaches the Dead Sea. In April we found it rushing through its narrow banks, turbid and dan- gerous even at the ford near Jericho. Here, however, a breakwater was constructed, to allow the pilgrims their annual bath at Easter festival. The banks are thickly wooded with a dense growth of willow and pop- lar, and they furnish such a haunt as wild beasts would covet describ- ed by Zechariah, (ch. 11 : 3,) where the destruction of these thickets and the pride of Jordan is noted by a roaring of the lions which dwelt there. The luxuriance of the plain of Jericho is proverbial. We saw the waving grain which seemed to have grown spontaneously — most probably having sown itself, as there was no appearance of the hand of man. And the shores of Gennesaret were skirted with richly blooming oleander and rank shrubbery, but only a couple of cattle giving any evidence of occupation. At Magda- la, near the foot of the lake, found a few hovels, and about fifty inhabi- tants. The fields on the hill over- looking Tiberias presented the best evidence of cultivation that we had seen. The country was most bright and beautiful, grass and grain abun- dant, fine trees and shrubbery, with sweet flowers like the seringo and orange blossom. A magnificent oak among the flowery fields reminded us of the patriarchal Avanderings. " Jordan overflows its banks all the time of harvest," when the snows from the Lebanon melt and swell the river beyond its narrow shores. ^ Before the Lord destroyed, etc. The face of the country was, doubt- less, altered by that destruction of the cities of the plain. *\\ As thoit contest unto Zoar. Vulg., Like Egypt to those coming into Zoar. Sept., Until coming to Zoar. The original name of Zoar was Bela, and it is so called at the time of x\bram's war with the kings, (ch. 14 : 2, 8.) The historian here gives the later name It is argued by some that the Zoar of the Pentateuch, as connected with the plain of the Jordan, must have been at the northeast end of the Dead Sea, instead of at the southern extremity, and that "the cities of the plain," Sodom, Gomorrah, Ad- mah, Zeboim, were there located ; Zoar (one of them) being in a line with Jericho, where the Jordan falls into the Dead Sea. The Moabites and Ammonites, who were the de- scendants of Lot, were in possession of that district when they first ap- pear in the history. In this case Zoar would be the southern ter- minus of the plain of the Jordan, where it is lost in the Dead Sea, for there seems to such to be e^ddence that the northern extremity of the sea remains much as it was before Abram's time. But the more estab- lished view has been, and is, that B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIIL 241 11 TheD Lot chose him all the jDlaiii of Jordan ; and Lot jour- neyed east : and they separated themselves one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled m the land of Canaan, and Lot ^ dwelled in the cities of the plain and ^ pitched his tent tow^ard Sodom. q ch. 19 : 29. r ch. 14 : 12 ; 19 : 1 ; 2 Pet. 2 : 7, the cities of tlie plain which were destroyed occupied what is now the more southern portion of the Dead Sea. (See Lynch's Researches) Stanley (Sinai and Palestine) thns graphically and truly describes the scene upon which these two lords of Palestine looked out from the heights of Bethel, as we also ourselves have witnessed it. " Immediately east of the low gray hills, on which the Ca- naanitish Luz and the Jewish Beth- el afterwards stood, rises (as the highest of a succession of eminences, each of them marked by some ves- tige of ancient edifices,) a conspicu- ous hill, its topmost summit resting, as it were, on the rocky slopes be- low, and distinguished from them by the olive grove which clusters over its broad surface above. From this height, thus offering a natural base for the patriarchal altar, and a fitting shade for the patriarchal tent, Abram and Lot must be conceived as taking the wide survey of the country " on the right hand, and on the left," such as can be enjoyed from no other point in the neighbor- hood. To the east there rises in the foreground the jagged range of the hills above Jericho — in the distance the dark wall of Moab — between them lies the wide valley of the Jordan — its course marked by the tract of forest, in which its rushing stream is enveloped, and down to this valley, a long and deep ravine, now, as always, the main line of communication by which it is ap- proached from the central hills of Palestine — a ravine. rich with vino, olive, and fig, winding its way through ancient reservoirs and sep- ulchres, remains of a civilization now extinct, but in the times of the patriarchs not yet begun. This is ihe view which was to Abram what Pisgah was afterwards to his great descendant. No crust of salt, no volcanic convulsions had as yet blasted its verdure, or touched the secure civilization of the early Phe- nician settlements which had struck root within its deep abyss," (p. 214.) 11. This great plain or vaUey, (lit., circle) of the Jordan is now called by the Arabs El Ghor. Jose- plius calls it "the great plain." " The valley of the Ghor, which is a vast longitudinal crevasse in calca- reous and volcanic rocks, extending from the southern roots of Libanus and Anti-Libanus to the Gulf of Akaba, from one thousand to two thousand feet deep, one hundred and twenty miles long, and from one to eight miles broad, appears to have been caused by the forcible rending and falling in of the aqueous strata resulting from the eruption and ele- vation of the -basalt which bases it almost from its commencement to the Dead Sea. The great altera- tions in its surface terminated prob- ably in the catastrophe of Sodom." Neuibold. The neighborhood of Beth- el was about equi-distant from the two extremities of the plain. There is something in the phrase " all tlie plain," repeated here, which inti- mates the grasping temper of Lot. ^ East. By this we should under- stand that he took " the right hand," according to the offer, vs. 9. But the Hebrews in naming the points of the compass, supposed, the face to be towards the sun-rising, and so "the right hand" would be south. From the hill country of Bethel or Ai the route lay south-eastward ^ Andj they separated themselves one from tlie other. Heb., A man fram his brother. 13. TJie land of Canaan. As dis- tinguished from the valley of the VOL. I. 11. 243 GENESIS. [B. C. 2016 13 But the men of Sodom » luere wicked, and sinners before the Lord, exceedino-lv. B ch. 18 : 20 ; Ezek. 16 : 49 ; 2 Pet. 2 : 7, 8. t ch. 6 : 11. Jordan, being tlie portion of Pales- tine between the valley and the Mediterranean Sea : tliougli without snch qualification of the context, the phrase would be taken to include all the country lying between the Jor- dan and Mediterranean to, or includ- ing the Dead Sea. It may here be used in the wide sense even to signify that Abram had now his footing in the covenant land of Canaan, where he was appointed to dwell, and which he should ultimately, in his loosterity, occupy. Lot's dwelling in the cities of the plain was outside of the cove- nant arrangement, and temporary — and upon sufferance — a tenant at will. This is the significance of the record here. The land of Canaan, in the Scriptural history, is com- monly distinguished from the land of Gilead, the high table land east of the Jordan, (Num. 3 : 1-40 ; Josh. 22 : 32, etc. Note. — Now that the covenant head has fairly a footing in the promised land in his own covenant right, let us look back from this point at the covenant thread in the history of the nations and persons. We find the general table of nations in ch. 10, leaving us with Shem's line, so as to trace the covenant lin- eage. And in ch. 11 accordingly, after a narration of the event which led to the dispersion of nations, and peopling of the earth, Shem's line is resumed (vs. 10) so as to trace it to Terah, where we are introduced to Abram, the covenant head. Ac- cordingly, of the sons of Terah, we find Lot and his posterity dropped, and Abram left alono in the list, as lie in whom the promises descend — the chosen conveyancer of blessings to all the nations. So also we shall find that of Abram's sons, Isaac is chosen as the son of promise; and of Isaac's sons, Jacob is chosen ; and in Jacob's line, the promise takes the course of Judah, as having the sceptre of the theocratic kingdom, issuing in David the king — the emi- nent royal ancestor of Jesus. We observe here also that the covenant line is not determined by primogeni ture, but Shem, Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and David were younger sons. ^ The cities of the plain. There were five of these cities— Sodom, Gomorrah, * Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar, occupy- ing the vale of Siddim, at the Dead Sea. These cities were under their respective kings, who were attacked by Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and his allies (ch. 14 : 19) and defeated, till Abram came to the rescue. Four of these cities were destroyed by God's manifest and swift judgment, raining down fire out of heaven, (ch. 19:23-29. See Notes.) The term for '' jjlaiii" here is the same as is used ch. 13 : 10, " the plain of Jor- dan." and means rather " circle." The Sept. reads, I^ot dwelt in a city of the neighborhood, and pitched liis tent in Sodom. The Vulg. reads, Lot sojourned in the towns which \wexG round about Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom. ^\ Pitched his tent. Heb. "And he tented unto (at) Sodom." As Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, when he entered the country (ch. 12:6, 9) dwelling in tents, and camping on- ward from place to place, so Lot camped at Sodom. This mode of travel Avas after the manner of the noraades. IS. The corrupt state of society in Sodom soon discovered the great mistake of Lot's choice, and revealed the fallacy upon which he had acted to seek fine lands and crops, without j regard to religious privileges. Lot was a professor nr the true religion, and had been enjoying the privilege | of public worship with x\bram, yet ! he seems to make little account of j this in seeking a settlement. Many B. (J-. 201G.] CHAPTER XIII. 243 11 ^ And the Lord said unto Abram, aftei that Lot "was Beparated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, ^^ northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward : 15 For all the land which thou seest, ^to thee will I give it, and y to thy seed for ever. ~a Ts. 11. w ch. 28 : 14. x ch. 12 : 7; 15 : 18 ; 17 : 8 ; 24 : 7 ; 26 : 4; Nam. 34 : 12 ; Deut. 84 : 4; Acts 7:5. y 2 Chron. 20 : 7 ; Pe. 37 : 22-29 ; 112 : 2. riches, and guilty with their todies before the Lord." Lot has fallen into the very vortex of vice and blas- phemy. The vices which prevailed have made " Sodom " the sjnonyme for the most degrading and brutal of crimes in society. The after his- tory of its destruction shows the vile, unblushing vices of the people, which made their cup of iniquity brimming full, and called for swift vengeance from heaven. Gen. 19 : 28, 29 ; Ezek. 16 : 49 ; 2 Pet. 2 : 7, 8. 14, 15. Now that Lot was separat- ed from Abram, the covenant head stands alone, and in a position to be addressed and dealt with in his cov- enant relations. He is now parted from his kinsman, the companion ol his journeyings, and isolated in the Avorld, he is to receive the special encouragement of his covenant God. Now he is formally constituted the rightful owner of the land, and in- ducted into the heritage, and a vast increase of progeny is promised to him. He is to mak^..a full survey of the land in all directions, and he is assured that it is his to inherit, and a title deed is given to him for his seed forever. Here is now more explicit mention than before of what he himself is to possess by virtue of the Divine grant.. (1.) First he was assured in general that he should be blessed, and become a blessing, (ch. 12:1-3.) That was the bless- ing of grace, "the promise of the Spirit through faith," (Gal. 3 : 14,) and the free grant of righteousness or justification, (Gal. 3 : 6.) (2.) On the second interview he is further assured that the land to which he had come, by faith, should be th6 migrate to territories that are very desirable, as being well watered, and having fine soil, and prospect of rich returns for labor, but make no pro- vision for securing Christian society and facilities of public worship. Lot was attracted by the mere secular aspects of the country, but what were they for any real comfort amJdst the corruption of the popula- tion ? Many Christians emigrate to the rich frontiers and new terri- tories, having too exclusive regard to worldly profit, and neglect and forget God's worship ; but they find the fearful disadvantage of living among the wicked, and that it more than counterbalances all the gains of the most fertile fields and richest mines of the earth. Let such pro- vide for Christian institutions, for public worship, and evangelizing agencies, so as to preserve them- selves and families from the' doom that must come upon those who live in Sodom. It is thought that Lot went to Sodom unmarried, and that he afterwards married a woman of that ungodly population, and so was involved more deeply in the doom that fell upon that people, (Gen. 6 : 1-7.) He is called " a righteous man " by the apostle Peter, and his record is, " That that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds," (2 Pet. 2:8.) To which Bishop Hall remarks, " He vexed his own soul, for who made him stay there?" ^ Wicked, and sinners he- fore JeJioxali, (Heb., to Jehovah) — ex- ceedingly. Onkelos reads, " But the men of Sodom uere wicked icith their 244 GENESIS. [B. C. 2016, 16 And 2 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it ; for I will give it unto thee. z ch. 15 : 5 ; 22 : 17 ; 26 : 4 ; 1 Kings 4 : 20 ; 1 Chron. 27 : 2 8:14; Isa. 4 2:12; Exod. 32 : 13 ; Num. 23 : 10 ; Deut. 1 : 10 19 ; Jer. 33 : 22 ; Rom. 4 : 16, 17, 18; Heb. 11 : 12, heritage of his posterity, as a free grant by God, (ch. 12 : 7.) And now (3.) He is further guaranteed as to this heritage, and the terms are such as to imply something enduring be- yond any mere earthly and temporal possessions. " " To Ms seed forever." This is the tenor of the grant. And so we are told that by faith Abram "looked for the city that hath the foundations, whose builder and ma- ker is God," (Heb. 11 : 10, 13, 16.) And God guarantees to Abram the personal possession, which was not fulfilled if the mere earthly Canaan was all that is meant. But the promise, "To thee will I give it," pointed, as the apostle explains, to the " better country, that is an heav- enly," which is the estate of believers by virtue of God's interest in them — having prepared for them a city. The prophecies of the Old Testament dwell much on the ultimate posses- sion of the promised land by the ancient covenant people. And there are passages which seem to imply (if literally understood) that this re- storation of the Jews to Palestine is the chief burden of some of the prophecies. But in the New Testa- ment nothing is said of this, and we are led to infer that this was mainly to convey, under a most impressive symbol, the great covenant grant here set forth of the heavenly heri- tage reserved for the true Israel. This does not exclude the idea of a literal fulfilment by the way. It may lie in God's plan to give the land of promise into the actual pos- session of the children of Abram more freely and fully than ever be- fore But the promise cannot surely terminate in this i)assing fulfilment. Paul, in the Hebrews, shows that its grand, high, main significance is its heavenly nature, ch. 12 : 7 ; 15 : 18 ; 17:8; 24:7; 26:4; Num. 34:13; Deut. 34 : 4. 16. Thy seed. The spiritual pur- port of the promise is here further reached, in the innumerable seed. The literal increase is not excluded, but this was not all that was meant, else it would be of small moment comparatively. God does not so ac- count of a mere earthly progeny. He rebuked their boast of being Abram's seed according to the flesh. But the spiritual posterity, and the true Israel, after the spirit, this was the grant here made to Abram. " And if ye be Christ's, then- are yo Abram's seed and heirs according to the promise," (Gal. 3 : 29.) See ch. 28 : 14 ; Exod. 32 : 13 ; Num. 23 : 10 ; Isa. 48 : 19 i Jer. 33 : 22. 17. Arise, walk through the land. Heb., Walk about in the land. Tho largest latitude is thus allowed him, as the proprietor of the soil, to walk over the land, in its utmost limits, at his pleasure, and call it all his own, and feel himself to be inducted thus, by the Divine grant, into the formal proprietorship of the whole country. And this grant of the earthly Canaan is typical of that higher heritage of the heavenly Ca- naan— the believers' land of prom- ise. " For we which have believed do enter into rest," Heb. 4 : 3. " For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day," Heb. 4 : 8. And this is the better country, even an heav- enly, which the covenant God ol Abram promises to give to him per sonally. " / wiU give it unto thee.** B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIII. 346 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and * dwelt in the plain of Mamre, ^ which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord. a ch. 14 : 13. b ch. 35 : 2T ; 37 : 14. Note, — When the Lord divided to the nations their inheritance, with respect to the very " number of the children of Israel," Deut. 32 : 8, Shem was allotted the belt of country stretching eastward from the Mediterranean, mainly between the parallels of latitude which bound Palestine. North of this was the region of Japhet, partly in Europe, and partly in Asia ; and south of this Semitic belt was the district of Ham, both in Europe and Asia. Mainly, these were the boundaries as given in ch. 10. When Nimrod, with his followers, set up the kingdom, whose "beginning was Babel," etc., (ch. 10 : 10) he invaded the territory which God reserved for Shem, and he did it in the spirit of rebellion, as his name imports — of rebellion against God's plan of peopling the earth by the dispersion of the sons of Noah. And this would seem to be the movement eastward to Shi- nar, ch. 11 : 2. Thus began the re- bellious conflict of Ham's line with Shem's, Nimrod being a descendant of Ham. Besides this, the Canaan- ites are found occupying the very district most specially set apart for the Shemites — for the covenant peo- ple— and this is a further invasion on the part of Ham's line. But God scatters the proud, detiant horde of Nimrod from his seat of empire in Babylonia and Assyria, and defeats their wilful and impious designs. Abram, from Chaldea, in the district of Shem, is called to enter the land Df promise, as its rightful claimant and occupant, to dispute with them :he possession, and at length to drive them out. Num. ch. 13 and 14. God now makes solemn and formal prant to him and his seed of this Very territory, to be his forever. Gandlish (Vol I., p. 310, etc.) in- fers from the history. 1. That schemes of conquest and of coE.3en- trated ambition are seen not to be of God. Political and ecclesiastical schemes of tyranny — the lust of power, whether in church or in state — all attempts of apostate and ungodly men to make themselves a name (profanely), and bmld a tower to heaven are godless. 2. Orderly dispersion and coloni- zation are of God. In the line of Japheth particularly, to which we belong, colonization seems to be the Divine rule. By colonies, as much as by Roman arms, the way was pre- pared for the coming of Christ, and the calling of the Gentiles. Those branches of Japheth which have most dwelt in Shem's tents, have been most marked by that enlarge- ment. It is from free Protestant lands that colonies have chiefly gone forth. 3. Even if Japheth should prove unfaithful to his trust, as thus privi- leged and enlarged by God, there is hope for the world still. "Blessed, be Jehovah, the God of Shem," is still the rallying cry. Japheth is yet further to be enlarged, and to dwell in the tents of Shem, when "their fulness" (of Israel) shall be "the riches of the Gentiles, and of the worid," Rom. 11 : 12. 4. This division of languages shall be no ultimate obstacle to the tri- umph of the cause of God. At the Pentecost it was announced to those of " every nation under heaven," "the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that aro afar off," Acts 2 : 39. 18. At this Divine bidding, Abram removes his residence, as the term implies (vs. 12, where Lot tented at Sodom) took up his quarters, (Sept., KaruKyjas) in the plain of Mamre. " Mamre " is so called after the Am- orite chief, who was the ally of S46 GENESIS. [B. C. 2016 Abram. "Mamre, which faces Mac- pelah," ch. 23 : 17, 19 ; 25 : 9 ; 49 : 30 ; 50 : 13. As in ch. 12 : 6, the term for plain means " oak ;" here also, oaks — oak-grove And because the oak was so commonly a landmark, it may have come to be so rendered, (also by Onkelos and Vulgate) " a plain," (ch. 14 : 13 ; Deut. 11 : 30.) ^ In Heir on. In the vicinity of this ancient city " the oak of Abram " so called, was pointed out to us — a noble tree in the midst of a field, about a mile from the town, on the plains of Mamre. We rode up to it, and halted under its branches. It measures about twenty-three feet in circumference, and it spreads over ninety feet of surface. Hebron is about twenty miles south of Jerusa- lem, and as many north of Beershe- ba. This is the third and chief camping place of the wandering pa- triarch. It is now called after this illustrious occujjant, " El Kkalil," " the friend " (of God.) The modern town we reached by an old paved road, much worn, and rough. Along the plain we passed four wells, the special landmarks of property in that country — one of these was very deep. They are commonly circular, with a large circumference, and stoned up to the level of the ground. Sometimes a curb is also laid above the level. The town lies on a slope of the hill, which is very rocky and bare at the summit. The country is improved. Vineyards and olive- yards and corn-fields abound, and the approach to the town is skirted with rows of quince trees, in full blossom in April. And the grapes, just forming, showed the long clus- ters which are characteristic of this south country of Palestine — the val- ley of Eshcol, Num. 13 : 33. The name " Hebron " was not given to the place till after this time. The original name was Kirjath-Arba.. We rode up a rocky slope to a point overlooking the walls of the mosque, where is the cave of Macpelah. We caught only a glimpse of the enclo- sure, wliich seemed to us so sacred, as the burial place of Sarah and Abram, and Isaac and Rebecca, and Leah and Jacob. This mosque is held by Mussulmen to be the fourth in 4egree of sanctity in the world. " The ancestral burying place is the one fixed element in the imstable life of a nomadic race, and this was what Hebron furnished to the patri- archs."— Stanley. This ancient sep- ulchre was lately entered by the Prince of Wales, and his suite, yet only so far as to see the several shrines, but not to penetrate the cave itself, nor the place of actual sepulture. Even this privilege was a high honor, and their survey bears witness to the Biblical record. ^ Btdlt tliere an altar unto the Lord. This is Abram's third altar in the land of promise. Before he can have a movable sanctuary — a taber- nacle— he builds an altar wherever he planis himself. He must have the domestic and public worship of God maintained wherever he comes to dwell. And along with his own abode he provides for the abode of the Highest, as a prime necessity of his nature. Here he shows himself " the father of the faithful," land herein all believers will show them- selves to be his children, in provid- ing for the stated and public wor- ship of God, and building an altar to Jehovah wherever they have their home. Abram was called " the friend of God," and by faith he so journed in the land of promise, as in a strange covintry, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same jJ'i'oniise. " For he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God," Heb. 11 : 8-10. CHAPTER XIV. § 34. Chedorlaomer and the Kings of Siddim — Abram in War — Lot's Capture and Re- covery. Ch, 14 : 1-16. We come now to a new phase of Abram's character and history. He B. C. 2016.1 CHAPTER XIV. 247 CHAPTER XIY. AND it came to pass, in the days of Amraphel king of Shi* nar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king ol ^ Elam, and Tidal kins: of nations ; a ch. 10 : 10 ; 11 : 2. b Isa. 11 : 11. is no sooner confirmed tlius express- ly in Ms title to the land, tlian the land is invaded by a confederacy of hostile kings. Thus the kingdom of God is no sooner set up anywhere than there is a rallying of the world kingdoms against it. The occasion of this invasion is given in vss. 4 & 5. The kings of the five cities (Pentapolis) called " the cities of the plain " had been, during twelve years, tributary to the king of Elam (Elymais), whose name was Chedorlaomer. These five kings re- belled on the thirteenth year of their subjugation, and the _ following year this invasion of their territory was undertaken to j-educe them again to the condition of vassalage. " Many generations back the first world-powd- er, consisting of four cities, was estab- lished by Nimrod in the land of Shi- nar, (ch. 10 : 8-10.) This had now given way to a world-confederacy, consisting of four kings. From the vicinity of the places where they reigned, it is evident that they were petty princes of domains varying from a town and its suburbs to a comparatively extensive territory," 1. I/i the days of. (Sept., During the reign of.) ^ Amraphel. (Sept., Ama/rphal.) This king, whose name is first on the list, is the successor of Nimrod the Cushite, as king of Shi- nar, and on this account, may rank first among the allies. His king- dom lay in t>.e southern part of Mesopotamia, in the Babylonian provinces. Another of the confed- erates, from thi& same region of the old Paradise, is Arioch, king of El- lasar. If this name is to be taken for Larsa, as the Assyrian inscrip- tions would indicate, then we find the old kingdom of Shinar divided between these two sovereigns. Tho town is situated about midway be- tween Mugheir and Erech, on the Euphrates. It is now called Sen- kereh. It was the capital of a king- dom of Lower Shinar, soon after- wards absorbed into Babylon. The name Arioch may mean lion-like. In Dan. 2 : 14 this name appears in the person of the chief officer, who is captain of the guard. ^ ChedoT' laomer. The chief of the expedition, to whom the other three were only allied in this great raid, was Chedor- laomer, (Sept., Chodollogoinor.) Upon the bricks recently found in Chaldea there occurs the name of a king — • Kudurmapula — which BaicUnsoii thinks may be the same, and espe- cially as he is further distinguished bv the title of " RavaAjer of the West!' The latter part of the name — laomer — presents the difficulty; but this may be the Semitic transla- tion of the original Hamite term Mapula. Elam, or Elymais, of which he was king, is the ancient name for Persia ; though the Elam of Scripture seems to lie south of Assyria, and east of Persia proper, and is called Susia, or Susiana. Dan. (ch. 8 : 2) places Shushan (Susa) in the province of Elam. This king is not only able to make war at a distance of two thousand miles from his own territory, but he plainly holds in subjection these allied kingdoms adjacent to hkn, which here join in his raid upon the cities of the plain. " The Elamites were a Semitic people (ch. 10 : 22,) and they appear to have been invaded and* conquered at a very early time by a Hamitic or Cushite race from Babylon, which was the ruling ele- ment in the territory from a date GENESIS. [B. C. 20161 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of ^ Admah, and Sheme- ber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is ^ Zoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, « which is the salt sea. 4 Twelve years ^ they served Chedprlaomer, and in the thir- teenth year they rebelled. c Dent. 29 : 23. fell. 9:26. d ch. 19 ; e Deut. 3 : 17 • Num. 34 : 12 ; Josh. 3 : 16 ; Ps. 107 : 34 anterior to Cliedorlaomer. These Cushites formed the dominant race, while the Elamites were in a de- pressed condition." — G. RawUnson. It is thonght most probable that Chedorlaomer was a Shemite, and that the Cushite conquerors of that territory had succumbed. ^ Tidal. The remaining confederate is named Tidal. (Sept., Tliargal.) Heb., Thi- dal. The name is a significant one in the early Hamitic dialect of that country, being "the great chief" of the Persians. He is called " king of nations," as sovereign of divers no- madic tribes, to which no special tract of country could be assigned, since at different seasons of the year they occupied different districts of Lower Mesopotamia, as is the case with the Arabs of these parts at the present day. Abram had come from that region — Ur of the Chaldees. 2, These made war. As Shinar was the original seat of the race, it is possible that it laid some claim to supremacy over the colonies. It was also a great commercial centre, and the district of Pentapolis, or live cities (of the plain,) was on the great highway to the riches of the Nile, and the key to the com- merce between the Mediterranean Sea and Arabia, and between Ara- bia and Eastern Asia. T[ Bera Jdng of Sodom. The five cities with their kings are here named — Sodom being the chief in rank and riches, and occupying the first place on the list. They were the most luxurious and wicked of the people. It is commonly supposed that the site of aU these cities, excepting only that of Bela, was buried by the Dead Sea. And this would seem to be the in- timation of the clause here — "the 'Dale of Siddim — this is the Salt Sea," where a special note is made of the fact that that i>ale is the sea — occu pies the territory where now is the Salt Sea. They who now maintain that these cities were not submerged, nor their sites afterwards drowned by these waters, but that their ruins may yet be identified along the con- fines of the sea, find it difficult to explain this note of the historian, without admitting that so indeed he must have supposed. (See Notes ch. 18.) These five cities and their kings (the name of the last little one not being given) joined together — formed a league in self-defence. 4. The circumstances v/hich led to the invasion are here recited. This Elamitic king had held them in sub- jection during twelve years — that is, dating probably from the com- mencement of his reign. The re- volt occurred in the thirteenth year, and it was in the year following the revolt that the haughty leader, with his allied troops, and ample prepa- rations, came down upon the rebel- lious cities and their kings. This military foray swept over the whole district lying along the east of the Jordan, from Shinar, below the Dead Sea. From the land of Shinar. a little south of east, they first bora towards the nor+,hwestj touching upon Damascus, uid encountering the Rephaim. (Sept., the giants.) These were in Ashteroth Karnaim — the principal town, dedicated to th$ hrifrned Ashteroth, as the term im B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIV. ^45 ports. This is a trace of the idola- try prevalent in the country east of the Jordan. The original Astarte (goddess) was figured with the head of a cow, having a globe between the horns. It is now known as Tel AsMeraJi. {Jour. Geog. Soc, V. 2., p. 331.) The town was situated in the district of Bashan, about six miles from Edrei, and was assigned after the Hebrew conquest to the tribe of Manasseh. It lies (proba- bly) due east of the southern point of the Sea of Tiberias. "The Be- pTmim" were a race of giants, and Og, king of Bashan, their last king, had an iron bedstead nine yards in length, and four in breadth. The territory of Og included sixty forti- fied cities. To the west of the Jor- dan they also occupied a fertile plain to the southwest of Jerusalem, called " the valley of the Rephaim." They may have settled hereabouts after his defeat by the confederate kings, (ch. 15 : 20.) They are thought by some to have been a race of aborig- inal inhabitants of the land, prior to the Canaanites, and not referred to in the chapter of nations. Yet this Is by no means necessary to be sup- posed. Tf The Zuzirii. These were the next of the conquered tribes. They were akin to th&^ former, wild and savage, li%ing between the riv- ers Arnon and Jabbok. They were afterwards driven oiit by the Am- monites, in whose language they were called Zamzummims, Deut. 2 : 20, 21. Their chief town seems to have been called Ham, but its lo- cality is not known, but somewhere in what was afterwards the Ammon- ite territory. Hence Tuch conjec- tures that Ham is here only another form of the name of tlie chief strong- hold of the children of Am-mon, wliich was Rabbah, now •4m-man. The Sept. and Vulg., by a slight change in the Hebrew vowels, read, " uith them," and " the Zuzim along with them." ^ The Emims. These were also of the race of Rephaim, a numerous and formidable horde of giants, the terror of the country, dwelling south of the Ainon, in the district afterwards allotted to the tribe of Reuben. They were driven out by the Moabites before Moses' time. Their chief abodes were in the valley of Kiriathaim (or of the two cities,) also called " the valley OP Shaveh," (vs. 17.) The Se^yt. reads, "In the city Shaveh." ^ And the Horites. These were the moun- taineers and dwellers in caves, and Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom, is here called " their moun- tain." It was a stronghold, close to the far-famed rock city of Petra, where the dwellings are elaborately excavated in the rocks. Aaron died on this moimtain peak. The Ho- rites are called " the sons of Seir," as well from their descent, as from their dwelling in " the mountains of Seir," of which Mount Hor is a peak. These dwellers in the rocks are re- ferred to in the Scriptures. They are thought to have been a Sem- itic tribe, the aboriginal inhabitants of Mount Seir, afterwards absorbed into the Edomites. Indeed all these — " the Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, and Horites, as well as the Perizzites, are the undeniable traces of a Sem- itic population before and along with the Canaanites. The language of Heber was therefore in the country before the Canaanites arrived." Mount Seir commences in the south of Palestine, near the foot of \h.e Dead Sea, and the land of Moab, and extends southward to the Elamidc Quit *^ To the oak of Par an. Heb El-paran. The terebinth of Paran Some regard this as Elath on the Red ^Q2L — {Tuch, Knobel, Winer, and others) — a place of commercial importance, and having transactions with Babylon and Shinar. The conquering chief, after he had smit- ten the people on the south of the Dead Sea, returned round its south- west curve to the " Bl Paran" or "terebinth of Paran," indicating a locality in connexion with the wil- derness of Paran, and yet closv- to the Dead Sea border. Between the land of Edom and Egypt lies the 1650 GENESIS. [B. C. 201S 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote S the Rephairas ^ in Ashte- roth Karnaim, and ^ the Zuziins in Ham, ^ and the Emims in Sha- veh Kiriathaim, 6 ^ And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Ka- desh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt '"in Hazezon-tamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Go- morrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, (the same is Zoar) ; and they joined battle with them in the vale of Sid dim ; g ch. 15 : 20 ; Deut. 3:11. h Josh. 12 : 4 ; 13 : 12. i Deut. 2 : 20. 1 Deut. 2 : 12, 22. m 2 Chron. 20 : 2. k Deut. 2 : 10, 11 desert of Paran. Beginning soutli of Beersheba it extends to tlie desert of Shur, squtli and southwest, three days' journey from Mount Sinai. On its northern border, and near to the wilderness of Judah, was a spot marked by an oak, or terebinth, and this is the most southwest point to which the allied invaders reached. The Sept. has it Pharan, and a trace of this remains in the Wady Feiran, ch. 21 : 21 ; Num. 12 : 16 ; 13 : 3. The invading hordes, after sweeping along by a rapid circuit to the very edge of the wilderness, in order to cut off the supplies of the five kings, and to subjugate the sur- rounding people, from whom the rebels might have received help., came round at length upon the cities of the plain to reduce them again to their vassalage. 7. And they returned, etc. Cours- ing now upwards from the extreme circuit of Mount Hor, they came to Kadesh, called En Mishpat, or " the well of judgment." See Num. 20 : 10. The town was probably the same as Kadesh-barnea, whence Moses sent Bcouts for exploring the bordering promised land, and could treat with the king of Edom for the transit of the Hebrew army through his terri- tory. Kadesh may be here men- ti oued to brio the narrative into connexion with the later history. Num. 20 : 14. ^ The country of the Amalekites. Hel)., All the field of the Amalekites. Sept., All the riders of Amalek. This country lay chiefly between Palestine, Idumea, and Mount Sinai. The course of the conquering kings was along the southern border of Palestine, and the edge of the desert of Sin and Paran, towards Egvpt. See ch. 36 : 12 ; Judg. 5 : 14*; 12 : 15. Ba- laam calls Amalek "the beginning of the nations (Gentiles)," Num. 24 : 20 ; but the name does not occur in the table of nations, and- it may mean that Amalek was the first to attack Israel on their coming out of Egypt. The invaders pressed on to Hazezon-tamar, cutting of the palms — which is Engedi, 2 Chron. 20 : 2, on or near the western shore of the Dead Sea, a settlement of the Amorites, who were the most pow- erful tribe of Canaan. This was al- ways an important point, because behind it was the celebrated pass to JerusaleA, called Ziz, (2 Chron. 20 : 16.) 8. In vs. 3 it was stated already that the five kings had joined them- selves in a league against the four allied invaders. And here it is fur- ther declared that they went forth to battle against them, and mel B. C, 2016. CHAPTER XIV. 251 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elain, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of El- lasar ; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of ° shme-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there : and they that remained fled « to the mountain. 11 And they took Pall the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Ab ram's q brother's son, ^ who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. n ch. 11 : 3. o ch. 19 : 17, 30. p. vs. 16, 21. q ch. 12 : 5. r cli. 18 : 15 them, in the vale of Siddim. The war is now opened in the district oc- cupied by the cities of the plain. 9. The names of the allies are again recited here, and attention is drawn to the fact that there were four kings in battle icltli five. 10. The character of the coimtrj is now referred to — most dangerous indeed for war. % Vale of Siddim. Sept., Valley of Salt. Vulg., Woody 'calley. Onk., Valley of the field. Sam., Valley of the lot. Syr., Valley of tlie Sodomites. ®[ Full of slime-pits. Heb., Pits^pits of slime — Asphalt pits — mineral pitch. Holland's Pliny speaks of it thus : " The very clam- my slime Bitumen, which at certain times of the year floateth and swim- meth upon the Lake of Sodom, call- ed Asphaltites in Jury " — " in some places in manner of a muddy slime, in others very earth or mineral." The Arabs still call these pits by the name of biaret hummar, which strik- ingly resembles the Hebrew phrase here — he&roth cTiemar. Along the western shore of the sea in 1851, we found lumps of this black bitumen along with pure sulphur. (See ch. 18, notes.) These pits are springs of Bemi-liquid bitumen, making a mire of the pitchy substance ; and of course where they are concealed under the surface, they are most effective traps to such as cannot avoid them. These pits were also excavated for the supply of the bitumen as mor- tar for building. Ordinarily, these would have furnished a safeguard against the invading foe. But in this case they served as a snare to the kmgs of Sodom and Gomorrah. In their confused flight they fell into these pits, and were routed, crippled, and destroyed. ^ They that remained fled into the moun- tains eastward, which run through the territory of the Moabites. Thus the five kings were utterly routed. The disaster which befel the two most powerful of them — falling iato the i)its — produced a panic, as would seem, among the remainder, result- ing in their flight. The invaders advanced now from the westward flank, and thus cut off their escape to the mountains of Judah. 11. The victorious allies plunder- ed the territory and homes of the chief revolting cities, took all their goods, and all their provender ; and from this successful foray returned with the spoils of victory, carrying away equivalents for the tributes withheld. " Fulness of bread " was part of their sin, Ezek. 16 : 49, and now they suffer in their stores. God will strike at men's sins in His wise and just judgments, and He will also strike them in the tenderest point. The Sept. reads, rriv lirrrov, which means goods, substance, as well as cavalry. 12. We are now introduced to the graver outrage committed by these invaders. They had taken with them not only spoils, but captives; and chief among these was Lot, the kinsman of Abram — the recent set GENESIS. LB. C. 2018. 13 •[[ And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew ; for ^ he dwelt in the plain of Marare the Amorite, Drother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: ^and these were confed- erate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that ^ his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants^ ^ born in his own Iiouse, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them ^unto Dan. s ch. 13 : 18. t vs. 24. 34 : 1 ; Judg. 18 : 29. u ch. 13:8. w ch. 15 : 3 ; 17 : 12, 27 ; Ecclee. 2:7. x Deut, tier upon this "well watered" dis- trict— the man of God, who in a worldly policy, cast his lot here with the wicked, for he was dwelling in Sodom., alas ! Prov. 13 : 20. They not only carried away his property, but himself and the women and peo- ple, (vs. 16.) And it was the news of this fact which would now in- volve Abram in the war, and which led to all the triumphant issues. It does not seem that Lot had taken part in the revolt, or in the war ; but as a prominent man there, his capture may have been deemed the more important. So Lot is taught a lesson of the mischief which springs from evil associations — from consort- ing with evil men, or even dwelling among them. How he vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their ungodly deeds, and now is the severe sufferer even in his worldly interests, which he too much sought to promote. " Finding him among the rebels, will the conquerors be apt to hear or to believe that he is innocent of the rebellion? Having been so unjust to himself, can he look for justice from them?" — Cand- lish. 13. A fugitive from this invading and ^'icto^ious host, a refugee, came and told Abram, the Hebrew. The term " Hebreic" is here first used. It is from the verb that means to pass over {avar, whence our English word over) and as an appellative, it means one of the sons of Heber. The Sept. translates it by -n-epaTTjc — the one passing over—as having crossed the Euphrates from the East. But this was true also of the others who were not Hebrews. The patrony- mic is given here to show his con- nexion with Lot, and his relation to the people, already known in the land as the sons of Heber, and de- scendants of Shem. Abram was re- siding at the oak-grove of Mamre the Amorite, and so he was near the seat of war. The brothers of Mamre — Eshcol and Aner — were in league with Abram for defence. Heb., lords of covenant. They were rich chief- tains, having also trained men at command. 14. Abram moved promptly at the news of Lot's capture ; for though his kinsman had separated himself from him, it was at Abram's sugges- tion of expediency, and Lot had suf- fered grievously by parting from the religious privileges of Abram's circle. The patriarch therefore makes no delay now that he finds Lot fallen into the hands of the wicked invaders, but he led forth (to battle) his tried ones — trained and skilful and trusty — born in his own house — and thus well known and confidential house servants and body-guard — three h'lm- dred and eighteen, answering to more than a thousand men, women, and children, with flocks and herds of corresponding extent. What was the force of his allies does not ap- pear. This large number of slaves in Abram's house, capable of bear- ing arms, gives us an insight into the patriarchal household." These slaves were originally such as were B. C. 3016.1 CHAPTER XIV. 253 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and 7 smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. y Isa. 41 : 2, 3. taken in war, or bouglit with monej. Many were also born in the house, and trained in the doctrines and duties of religion, and admitted to the privileges of circumcision and the Sabbath, and treated as a relig- ious charge. "Abram commanded his children and his household after him, that they might keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judg- ment, that the Lord might bring upon Abram all that- He had prom- ised." ^ Pursued them till (unto) Ban. The opponents of the Mosaic authorship refer to this verse to show a later hand, comparing it with Josh. 19 : 47, and Judg. 18 : 29. But it is plain that Ban and Paneas were not two names for the same place, but different towns, four miles apart ; the one at the western, the other at the eastern source of the Jordan. The former anciently called Laish or Lesliem, lying in the valley towards Beihrehol, (Judg. 18:29,) now called Tel el Kadi, (Kadi being same as Dan — judge) — the latter called Paneas, or Banias. This would be on the line of the road. The name Ban is here found iu the 8am., Sept., and Onk. versions. It might be supposed to have been altered by a revising hand. But the custom in such cases was rather to add the other name, without al- tering the original. And we may rather suppose that the name Ban, like Helron, was in use at the time of x\bram. Some suppose that Dan, originally held by a Hebrew, was afterwards called Laish by the Si- donians, into whose hands it fell (Judg. 18) and subsequently received its original name again. Smith's Bib. Bie. gives another view, 15. Bivided himself against them. That is, he so arranged his forces as to tall upon them at different points — probably at both flanks and centre at once. This was the common mode of attack. This was done at night. The Sept. reads. He fell upon them. ^ He and his servants. Abram may have attacked them with his force at one point, and his allies at an- other. ^[ Befeated them. Heb., Smote them — victoriously. "^ Hobah is here located on the left of Damas- cus, which^ according to the Hebrew mode of describing the points of the compass, is north of Damascus, the face being supposed to be towards the rising sun. ^ Bamascus. This most ancient capital city is here first mentioned, and again in ch. 15 : 2. No city has retained such a popula- tion and prosperity through so many years. We approached it from the southwest. Leaving Banias and its fine olive-groves, and Hermon, ^vith its summit of snowy ridges, we came by a most stony and uncomfortable road to " the plain of Damascus " the next day. The cold cliill of the air was distressing, with high winds. The plain was disappointing as to its reputed fertility and beauty. But this is the more unfavorable point of approach to the city. In some parts the grass was bright (April 19), and the grapevine grow- ing finely, but for the most part it was a dreary, barren waste. We looked in vain for " the sea of ver- dure" which Lamartine speaks of. But within half an hour of the city the grand oasis burst suddenly upon us, and an immense circuit of green opened to view, and we were ushered at once from the desert into a most verdant garden of apricots and figs, in fruit, but unripe. The two chief rivers which flow rapidly through the vale below the street level, and part into four streams, with divers branches, are the Barada (probablj S54 GENESIS. [B. C. 2016 16 And he brought back ^all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. z vs. 11, 12. the " Ahcma," mentioned by Naa- man) and the Aicaj — probably the Phar'par — though another, the Wady Helbon, also contends for the succession. These streams are so clear, and flow through such rich garden plots and fields of corn, and groves of walnut and apricot, that we could not wonder at the Syrian captain preferring these to the mu.d- dy Jordan for an ablution. We were cheered by the beautiful, lux- uriant lawns on either side of a rushing river — noble trees of oak, elm, and poplar skirting the road, and aqueducts with fou.ntains along the streets, furnishing ample sup- plies of water to the city and to the traveller. Passing through this ru- ral suburb, bordering the city with its deep fringe of green, we came upon the narrow, filthy streets, pav- ed ; found the richest bazaars we had yet seen, stored with all merchan- dises of the East, and were conduct- ed to " the street called Straight," (as it really is) where the apartments were already crowded. We were, however, handsomely quartered in a private house hard by, and for the time of our sojourn in the city, were treated with the full oriental ac- commodations. The divans for our beds, and the quiet and neatness were very refreshing, instead of the tumult and annoyance of a crowded hotel. The streets and courts, how- ever, were constantly blockaded with the lazy dogs lying everywhere in your path. From the gate of the* city to our house, about a quarter of a mile^ we counted eighty of these dogs which so infest the city — " dumb dogs, that will not bark," (Isa. 56 : 10; — except at night, to dis- turb ones' slumber. The window where Paul was let down by the wall in a )asket is pointed out (surely in that direction) an opening in the wall ; and outside of the citj' gate a large rock is shown, where tradition has located the scene of Saul's conversion. We passed a huge sycamore, which I measured, and found its girth forty-two feet. The overhanging hills, which we ascended on our way across the Lebanon, furnished a view of the city which is utterly beyond descrip- tion. The thirty miles' circuit of verdure, girt by a desert, the silver courses of the rivers, set in emerald green, the glistening domes, and twenty or thirty towering minarets ; the chief mosque and college of Der- vishes spreading out in the midst like the figure nine horizontally, and the great city enveloped in its rich drapery, like a fairy island in a sea of verdure. We learned from one of the resident missionaries that the population is not over one hundred and fifty thousand. The Jews are reckoned at five thousand, with seven synagogues, and very many families of great wealth. At Kefr Haica, the day before reaching Damascus, we came upon a very fine ruin, and asking one of the old men about it, he answered " Namrud." I asked him who built it. He said " Namrud (Nimrod) for himself," and that his tomb was away on the hill adjacent. 16. A7id he brought lack — recover- ed— restored all the goods (same term as before, vs. 12.) The Sept. adds, "of the Sodomites" "jf His oim brother Lot. Here called " his broth- er," but heretofore " his brother's son" vs. 12, according to the com- mon Hebrew idiom, which uses the term brother for kinsman. *[[ And the women. It would hence appear that the invaders had taken captive the women also, makirg thoir raJi more infamous. B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIY. 255 17 •[ And tli(j king of Sodom ^ went out to meet bim (^ after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that ivere with him,) at the valley of Shaveh, which is the '^ king's dale. 18 And be accepted in return for his victori- ous deeds, as it was to become his by virtue of a covenant grant. | " Lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich." Noble, heroic \ triumph of faith. •[ Tlie talley of Sim- • mh. The term Sliateli means xalley \ or dale. In vs. 5 it occurs with the i name of a town or group of towns, i (Kirjathaim — double city.) And j here it is of obscure and uncertain I reference. " The valley of the king " j is mentioned again, 2 Sam. 18 : 18, j as the site of a pillar which Absa- lom set up. It is supposed by some | that this valley of the king was an j open, broad valley to the north of ! Jerusalem, which woidd be on the ' route of Abram's return from the I conquest of ihe kings. The Sept. reads, " This is the field of the kings." But it is more commonly held to be the same as the valley of Kedron, where tradition has long located the *omb of Absalom, and where a lo- cality still bears the name. Jose- phus also speaks of "the kings' vale " as being two furlongs from the city. If so, Abram returned probably by wav of the Dead Sea. Bitter Erd.— Williams' Holy City Before the narrative is completed in reference to the king of Sodom, (see vs. 21-23) the king of Salem is in- troduced. 18. Melchizedek. This Heh. name means "King of Bighteou.sness." This is dwelt upon in Paul's argu- ment (Heb. 7) where he shows tha.t this mysterious and sacred official personage was a tj'pe of Christ in many striking particulars, and that this whole transaction of Abram's tithing to him, and of his blessing Abram, was typical of the relations subsisting between the old economy of grace and the new, and of Christ's official functions as King — Priest, after the order of Melchizedec, (Psa. 110 : 4.) (1.) Here was a royal priest- hood existing in Canaan, the trace of a Divinely appointed ministry in that heathen land prior to the Le- vitical institutions, just as there was the Sabbath prior to the giving of the Decalogue, and which therefore could not be abrogated by the pass- ing away of the Levitical economy. Here is- a high functionary of God, who appears as a representative of a gracious remnant in this heathen land, and stretches the hand to this rising man of faith, and head of the faithful. (2.) Thus the' substantial oneness of the Patriarchal and Le- vitical systems is set forth — for the Levitical priesthood was in the loins of Abram (as the ancestor of Levi) when Melchizedek met him, (Heh, 7 : 10.) (3.) Melchizedek is the rep. . 256 GENESIS. [B. C. 2015. resentative of universality prior to ahe particularism of the Mosaic rit- q^l, and as such, dwelling among the heathen, he is a type of the I great Pauline and normal idea of the church, as universal, embracing all nations and people ; and so he looms up in the history as a strik- ing type of Christ. He therefore in blessing Abram just at this crisis, when the more universal is to give place to the more restricted and par- ticular, shows that the particularism now contemplated in Abram, is only in order to a universality. (4.) As a representative and remnant, perhaps, of the pre-Canaanitish occupants of the promised land, he was a living testimony to the promised blessing upon Shem, endorsing over to Abram, the primitive religion, just as he himself vanishes from history. Like as Nicodemus gives his testimony to Christ, a ruler of the Jews certifying to the claims of the great Comer, only with yet dim and imperfect conceptions of the true, so here. Melchizedek falls short of the full idea of God, and seems not to have attained to the Gospel idea of Him, as Jehovah and Redeemer. And so we find Abram adding this chief, significant title, Jehovah (the Lord) to that which Melchizedek uses, (compare vss, 19 & 22.) So the aged Simeon, who had long waited for the consolation of Israel, took the infant Jesus in his arms in the tem- ple— " the last patriarch and prophet of the law hailing the new-born hope of the Gospel, and then depart- ing— the lingering twilight of de- clining day mingling with the dawn of a better morn." Melchizedec was " the last remaining flower of a passing development — Abram the germ and commencement of a new, more promising, and hopeful one." Or like John the Baptist, who had not fully introduced the Gospel plan, but had led only to the edge of the wilderness, he yet sees that there Cometh one after him mightier than he — Abram, and Abram's Divine seed. And as the last preserver, as it were, of the patriarchal hope, he hands over his function to one more highly favored than himself — one who had subdued the kings under him, (Ps. 110 : 5), as a type of the coming King of kings, and who had in his loins the entire Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek seems like the Baptizer to be saying, " He must increase, but I must decrease," John 3 : 30. Abram also sees Christ's day in Melchizedek, and so the patri- archal and the Levitical dispensa- tions exchange signals in reference to the better covenant to come, and confess their shadowy and subordi- nate nature, " that Christ may be all in all." The argument of Paul in the Hebrews to show the superiority of the Gospel dispensation above the Levitical, is grounded on the pro- phetic passage, Ps. 110 : 4. He shows, ch. 7:1, the greatness of this Melchizedek as King of righteous- ness, and I^ng of peace, and con- structively eternal — "likened unto the Son of God " — his kingdom, like that of the Messiah, being founded on his moral attributes, (Ps. 72.) (1.) He does not receive the priesthood from an ancestral line, nor transmit it as the Levitical priests did, ac- cording to descent, vs. 5, but receives his priesthood immediately by Di- vine constitution, and after the powei of an endless life. (2.) He received tithes, not according to the statute, as if one of a priestly establishment, but outside of the law, and above it, he received tithes from him who had the promises, vss. 5, 6, who thus plainly acknowledges his superic ■«' ity. (3.) By receiving his blessing, Abram showed the superiority of this official personage, (vs. 7.) (4.) In case of the Le\atical order, there is a succession necessarily, because of their being mortal, but there is no succession in the case of this type of the Messiah. It is witnessed that He livetli, (vs. 8,) showing that that order was provisional, and this Mel- chizedek order is permanent. (5.) The fact is, that Levi paid tithes (in Abram) to Melchizedek, because thb i B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIV. 257 •wliole Levitical priestliood was in Abram's loins at the time, (vss. 9, 10,) and thus it was acknowledged that here was a higher priesthood. (6.) All which shows clearly that the Levitical priesthood is imperfect, as also appears from the rising np of another priest, not Aaronic, but after the order of Melchizedek. (7.) This imperfection of the priesthood implies an imperfection in the Mo- saic statute, which was framed for the religious interest. The Levitical priesthood was of temporary use, and therefore instituted ^vithout an oath, and not meant to be perma- nent, only pointing to the higher priest to come, who is King as well as Priest, and confirmed in his eternal kingdom and priesthood by the oath of God. Thus fhe apostle shows the significance of this Melchizedek in the history of God's gracious dispen- sations, as forerunner and foreshad- ower of the priesthood of Christ, as a King-Priest, who sits "a Priest upon his throne," (Zech. 6 : 13,) and who effects "the counsel of peace " between both God and man, and between the Old and New Tes- tament economies, "breaking down the middle wall of partition," and " abolishing in His flesh the enmi- ty," (Eph. 2 : 14, 15.) It has been held by some that " Melchizedek " was only the title of some well known personage in the history. The Jeics Targum and Pseud. Jon. read, " Sliem." Josephus adds, " A ruler of the Canaanites." But (1.) The description given by the apostle (Heb. 7) does not answer to Shem. (2.) There seems no reason why the name of Shem should not be used if lie were meant. (3.) But the argu- ment of the apostle about the priest- hood paying tithes in Abram would fail if Melcliizedek were Shem, for then Levi was also in his loins, and paid tithes therefore to himself. Much less supposable is it that Mel- chizedek was the Angel of the Cove- nant, the Son of God, for he is said to have been " made like unto the Son ofGodrOleb.'-i:^.) '^ King oj Sa- lem, This Salem is commonly sup. posed to be Jerusalem, which is else* where so called, Ps. 76 : 2, and which is the ancient Jewish tradition. Jews' Targ. Onk. Ps. Jon. The name Salem means peace. Some identify it with Salim, near Arnon, where John was baptizing, John 3 : 23. (2.) Jerusalem lay on the road between Damascus and Abram's residence at Hebron. (3.) The typical relations between Melchizedek and our Lord seem to require that besides name, office, and person, there should be also locality. (4.) Under the supposition that Sa- lem was Jerusalem, we see why the king of Sodom went to meet Abram there. Not only was the division ol the spoil to be made in the presence of the great chieftain, who received a tenth, but the point was gained from which Lot and the other cap- tives, separating from Abram, would now return to Sodom with the king. Whereas, it is most improbable, as Winer says, that the king of Sodom would go out half way to Damascus to meet the patriarch, when, on this supposition, Abram was travelling along the Jordan to Sodom. (5.) The narrative seems to imply that some important point in the home- ward journey was reached. The language is not " while returning," but " after Ms return." (6.) This name Salem seems to have been that by which Jerusalem was in very early times known to the Egyptians, as monumental records show. The name was afterwards called Jebus, because when the power of the pre- Canaanitish tribes was broken, the Jebusites obtained possession of the city, and gave it their own name. So Gesenius, Bitter, Hengstejiberg, Kurtz, Winer, Kndbel, etc. Some, as Wolf, take the name to be only a title, "King of Peace." But the apostle in the Hebrews gives this as the interpretation of the title, and not the title itself. Observe. — Melchizedek was, prior to Abram, in the land of Canaan, aa a representative of the true religion, and a functionary of the public wor GENESIS. [B. C. 2016. ship of God. He was not connected %vith Abram's call, and jet lie is ac- knowledged by Abram as a priest of the Most High God. We are, there- fore, referred back to the Noachic covenant, and the idea of universali- ty therein, as Noah was tlie repre- sentative and head of the whole race after the deluge. That covenant was the basis of Melchizedek's tran- saction, and it was extant as a power in the land, and among the nations. The Mosaic economy to be intro- duced through Abram was paren- thetical and temporary, for a special training of the people in the land of promise. And Melchizedek reaches over it to Christ, in whom, through Abram, all the nations are to be blessed. It is, therefore, quite sup- posable that Melchizedek was a Semitic chieftain in the land of Ca- naan. He is not associated with the five kings, but appears as isolated, and in this combined civil and sacer- dotal function, he stands forth as the witness to the truth among the Gen- tiles, and the representative of the ordinances of public worship, such as a priesthood for sacrifice and inter- cession implies. If he be a Canaan- ite, then his case is an impressive witness to the preservation and transmission of true religion among the Gentiles, just as Job also, in an- other locality, was a conveyancer of the truth and worship of God. " And from the hereditary forms of a primitive theology, cherished by intercourse with the Sidonians and other Phenicians, were Homer, Soc- rates, Plato, Aristotle, and other sages of the east and west, enabled to rise to the exalted conceptions which they occasionally formed of the ujiity, purity, spirituality, and su- premacy of the Divine Being. Dur- ing the four centuries that elapsed from the arrival of Abram to the conquest of the country by his de- scendants, this interesting relic of a pure Gentile worship seems to have disappeared. But the traces of such a purifying and elevating tnowledge of God were not even then effaced from the memories, the customs, and the phrases of the peo- ple."— See MurpTiy, p. 329. Melchiz- edek has also been understood by some as another name for Noah, Enoch, Ham, or an angel, but with- out ground. The nanie is of Semitic origin, the Hebrew words composing it meaning simply " King of right- eousness.'" The tradition is, that Melchizedek ministered on Mount Gerizim. And " on that summit," (as Stanley remarks) "the rough rock smoothed into a natural altar is the only spot in Palestine, per- haps in the world, that has never ceased to be the scene of sacrifice and prayer. So the Samaritans seem to have entered into the idea of universality for the church ; and though they receivec^ only the Pen- tateuch, their language of confession is, that Christ, the Messiah, is the Saviour of the woeld," John 4 : 42. (See notes.) '^ Bread and wine. These are significant as the staple elements for refreshment of the body. Bread is the acknowledged staff of life, and hence was presented in the holy place of the tabernacle, as the sheic-bread, oi bread of the presence. And since it is the fruit of labor, it was there the showing forth of the works of the people, Exod. 25 : 30 ; Heb. 9 : 2, So it was presented at the Pentecost — the loaves representing the fruit of the gospel work, and significant of the harvest and ingathering of the people. And so the wine was poured out as a libation at the daily sacri- fice as a drink-offering (Exod. 29 : 40,) also at the presentation of the first- fruits. Lev. 23 : 13, and other offer- ings. Num. 15 : 5. The use of wine at the Paschal Feast was not pre- scribed in the law, but had grown up into the custom. Matt. 26 : 27-29. And from this Old Testament ordi- nance it passed to the Lord's Supper, by Divine institution, and its signifi- cance in the latter was explained as symbolical of the blood-shedding of Christ for sinners, and the participa- tion of it as an element of the Gos- pel feas ;, becomes joyous to the be- B. C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIV. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed he Abram of the most high God, ? possessor of heaven and earth. g vs. 22 ; Matt. 11 ; 25. lieving soul, John 6 : 48-58, They iiad a meaning, therefore, in the hands of Melchizedek, and in this sacred, official transaction. As a priest, he offered sacrifice on the part of others. And this first xnen- tion of a priest in the Scripture shows him, as in a priestly act, bringing forth these elements of communication and communion of the bread and cup. Abram is thus welcomed to a share in the sacred, sacramental ceremonial, and wit- nessed to as having a right to that ancient communion of saints. This solitary priest hails him as one whom he recognises and rejoices in — as the head of the faithful, and the triumphant " friend of God." " He refreshed a wearied and famish- ed army with royal liberality, but because he was a pHest, he blessed, by the rite of solemn prayer, the firstborn Son of God, and the Father of the church." — Galciii. The bread and -vvine, as sacred elements of re- ligious ceremonial, typify the future theocracy, Abram had now an il- lustration of the promise, that he was to be a blessing to all nations and families of the earth, both Jew and Gentile, as also that the religion which he represented would save men from the bondage into which they were carried by sin, and from all their enemies. *^ And he (was) the priest. Heb., A priest to the Most High God. Public worship had been solemnly set up in the family of Adam, and sacrifice was* carried on there before the shekinah. The great leading observances were prob- ably the same under Melchizedek's priesthood as before and since. The function of a priest was not only to sacrifice, but to i^ntercede for the people, and he must be called of God. as was Aaron, and have some- what to offer, (Heb. 5 : 1-10.) And the office of priest and king were united afterwards very often in one person, (Virg. ^neid, 3. 80, Creuzer, 4. 405,) but preeminently in Christ Jesus, by Divine appointment, for the salvation of men, ^ The 3fost High God. Heb., M Elyon. This is a name of God here first found in the Scripture. El, signifying strength, is the base of the name Elohim — the original, absolute name of God, by which He is known in. the history of the creation, and appro- priate to His Creatorship. This is the evidence that the one God was worshipped, as a testimony against polytheism and idolatry, as the liv- ing God, omnipotent and supreme. And this was done formally, public- ly, and statedly by a set ministry, and in such form of worship as ac- knowledged the need of the great blood-shedding for atonement, and of the great high priesthood to come, 19. He Uessed him. ^Melchizedek blessed Abram, He, therefore, acts in a priestly capacity. This sacer- dotal act of his is that which is so significant, as interpreted by the New Testament, "For the less is blessed of the better," (Heb'. 7 : 7.) And this act of blessing shows that Melchizedek is the better, blessing Abram, the less. And Abram, in re- ceiving the blessing, admits the su- periority of this king-priest, (Heb. 7 : 7.) Thus Abram, who was in his capacity as a conquering sheikh, rel- atively great, does at the very acme of his greatness, own that he is rela- tively little, and inferior to this sa- cred personage. The friend of God, the covenant head and father of the faithful, has victory granted him ovei kings, and is thus a type of every true Christian, and of the chtirch of Christ on the earth, while he expresses his faith and religious reverence and obedience by paying tithes to the accredited functioiiary of (iod'a GENESIS. [B. C. 2016. 20 And h blessed he the most high God, which lath deHvered thine enemies into thine hand. And he gave him tithes * of all. hch. 24:27: iHeb. 7:4 worsliip. The key to this mystery is, that both these personages were types of Christ ; and their meeting here is a significant confluence of the streams of prophecy and prom- ise, rushing onward to the destined consummation. What was striking in this priest-king is, that he reigned in the metropolis of the promised land, "where Abram's seed were destined to reign, and to exercise a priesthood, which in future genera- tions was to be committed to them ; and thus this representative of the religious interest of that old Salem gave testimony to Abram, as to one toho had the promises, (Heb. 7 : 6.) Abram having just saved the land of promise by his exploits, this king, not of the federal cities, but the rep- resentative of the promised land it- self— the prince of its capital — ac- knowledges the claims which the conqueror had established in a strict- ly political and worldly sense, " The temporal and spiritual blessing was thus transferred from the present ruler of the capital to the later de- scendants of the patriarch, and the promises of God were prophetically repeated by the only earthly king who worshipped him." But the realization of these assurances is symbolized by the name, "peace" and it was effected only passingly in Solomon, who was a shadow of the blessed " Prince of Peace " — Imman- uel. ^ Possessor of. The Sept. reads. Who acquired (or created) the heamn and earth. Some read the term here Creator. But it has nowhere this sense clearly made out. It is rather Proprietor ; yet there is an allusion to God's creatorship, and a recogni- tion of the God of Melchizedek as the Creator and upholder of the uni- verse. " We have here no mere lo- cal or national Deity, with limited power and province, but the sole and supreme God of the universe, and of man." This is no representative of a mere natural religion, but doubt- less of the revealed religion, imper- fect, indeed, as yet, but to be unfold- ed and developed in the ministry of Abram. 20. Here follows a thanksgiving to the God of Melchizedek and of Abram for the victory achieved over the common enemies. Thus he ex- presses the interest which he has in common with the patriarch, and how much is due to Abram as the rising dignitary of God's chosen ones, who has returned with the Divine seal of triumph set upon his mis^dr:: i.g«,iijm: the invading hosts of the heathen. This is, in the type, a recognition of Abram's conquering greatness as " father of the faithful," and " friend of God." The form of the benedic- tion is, (1.) A blessing upon Abram from God most high, the sovereign of the universe. And (2.) A bless- ing ascribed to God as the Author of Abram's victories. ^ And he gave him tithes of all. This is Abram'a response to the priestly benediction of Melchizedek. This was the open acknowledgment of his priestly dig*- nity and lawful claim. He offered to him the tenth part of the spoils (Heb. 7 : 4) and the spoils were aU the treasure which he would be likely to have in hand at this dis- tance from his home. He thus sub- ordinated himself to the spiritual authority of this personal type of Christ, and gave to his descendants an example of most serious import, which is reflected in the enactments of the law. " While the gold and silver acquired by Abram foreshad- ow the future monaichy, the bread and wine of Melchizedek typify the future theocracy." The apostle dwells on this typical act of Abram, as expressing the superiority ol B C. 2016.] CHAPTER XIV. 261 21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the per- sons, and take the goods to thyself. Chrisi 's Melchizedek priesthood, for the reason that Levi, the head of the Levitical priesthood, was in the loins of Abram when Melchize- dek met him ; and, therefore, they may be said to have paid tithes to this king-priest, and thus to have admitted the inferiority and subor- dination to him of the whole Leviti- cal priesthood, Heb. 7 : 1-10. This Melchizedek was before the Leviti- cal law, and received tithes, not by virtue of the statute, but by a higher right, as one that liveth, and is not merely of a line of dying priests. " To Melchizedek God has manifest- ed Himself as the God of the pres- ents— the Most High. To Abram, as God of the future — Jehovah — who promises salvation. Melchizedek owns, accordingly, the future by blessing Abram, while Abram recog- nizes the present by giving tithes to Melchizedek. Melchizedek is still within the old Noachic covenant, which rested on a universal basis. Abram is within the new covenant, which rests on a particularistic ba- sis ; and even in this respect, the position of Melchizedek is more ex- alted. But this universalistic cove- nant terminated in one individual — just as Melchizedek stands alone among a degenerate and idolatrous race — the only remaining servant and worshipper of the God who had entered into covenant with Noah. On the other hand, the particularis- tic covenant which commences with Abram, is to enlarge into the fullest and most comprehensive universali- tj, as destined to bring salvation to all nations, and terminates in one Person, the highest and last repre- \ sentatjve of the Abrahamic cove- j na^t. Melchizedek unites in his I person the priestly and kingly digni- ties. In Aaron, Abram attains the one, in David the other. In Abram both Aaron and David bow before Melchizedek. But Christ is the real- ity and the antitype of which Mel- chizedek is only the shadow. This ancient king of rigiiteousness and of peace foreshadows Him in whom righteousness and peace embrace each other, Ps. 85 : 10. It is strik- ing that in the Book of Genesis, which pays so much attention to genealogies, no mention is made of the pedigree of a person so exalted that even the honored ancestor of a chosen race bowed before him. But this was the designed intimation of the sacred record, that his office de- pended on no hereditary descent, as with the statutory priests, and that so the great antitype had an unde- rived oflSce. In David the royal dig- nity is attained, and hence the city of Melchizedek becomes that of Da- vid. The fact that Abram received the " bread and wine " from his priestly hands, symbolized the cove- nant provisions of refreshment and comfort which God would pledge to him in every conflict. And by that strange but significant priestly bles- sing, Abram is set apart for his ca- reer. It is the blessing of a patri- arch, who has finished his work, be- stowed upon a young man, who stands at the commencement of an indefinite development. See Kurtz, Old Qav., Vol. 1., p. 222. In Mel- cliizedek, Abram sees the day of Christ, and is glad. Let us also be- hold our blessed Lord set forth in history thus early and plainly in the person and office of this Melchize- dek, Heb. 7 : 1. 21. Abram now appears as assert- ing for himself a superiority to the king of Sodom, who, according to custom, concedes to Abram the spoils of conquest as his right, and asks only the rescued captives, Abram's declinature of this offer shows that he aims at no mere personal advan- tage ; and besides that, he will not be beholden to this heathen prince. He must have seen something of 963 GENESIS. [B. 0. 2016, 22 And Abrara said to the king of Sodom, I ^^ha^e lifted up mine hand unto the Loed, the most high God, ^ the i^ossessor oi heaven and earth, 25 That ^ I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou should est say, I have made Abram rich : 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men " which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre ; let them take their portion. k Exod. n vs. 13. : 8 ; Dan. 12 : 7 ; Kev. 10 : 5, 6. 1 vb. 19 ; eh. 21 : 33. m So Esther 9 : 15, 16. their gross abominations, and at any rate, he could not thus approve Lot's association with such. Thus he sets an example for his faithful posterity of making distinction between the righteous and the wicked — giving to the church, and refusing to receive from the world. He had spoiled the invaders, and had rescued, even for the king of guilty Sodom, the plun- der they had taken from him. By the laws of Arab warfare it was his ; and yet he will not accept it — he \nl\ not take it, though it is his right. He will keep himself unspot- ted from the world. He M'ill not be exalted by such worldly means. He had vowed solemnly to this effect. It was thus most important in all his plan and principle. *f[ / have lifted mine Jiand unto the Lord. Abram here adds to the titles which Melchizedek gives to God, this more exalted one, " Jehovah," which, as it is the redemptive name of God, ex- presses Abram's gospel faith and hope — that he Avill live by faith, and walk by faith, and not by sight — trusting in the covenant-keeping God, and not in any arm of flesh or human alliance. 23. TJiat I will not taJce. Heb., If I mil take. This is the Orient.al idiom of an oath. "If they shall enter into my rest " means the?/ shall not enter. ^ From a thread even to a shie-latchet — the most trivial arti- cle 01 spoil — he would utterly refuse. Not a thread will he take — not even the latchet which binds the dusty sandal on the foot. ^ Anything timt is thine. Abram would lay no claim to anything by the mere title of war, though the claim was so acknowl- edged. He holds it all to belong to the king of Sodom. The chief rea- son is given, that he will not be un- der obligation for any part of his promotion or advancement to any earthly potentate, much less to this king of the guilty city, which was even now waiting its just retribu- tion and destruction. T[ Lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram (the chosen of God, the owner and heir of the land) rich. 24. This refusal does not prevent him from accepting the subsistence of his men, nor from allowing his allies to take their portion. He stands on a far different platform from them, as living on God's cove- nant, and looking for "the better country," that is, the heavenly. While he is in the world, he is not of it. He comes out from among them, and is separate, and will not touch the unclean thing, (2 Cor. G : 17.) because God will be his God, and he and his will be His people, (2 Cor. 6 : 18.) Here is Abram's greatest con- quest— " the victory that overcometh the world, even his faith." Observe. — Here appears through- out the great idea of Abram's right- ful claim to the land of Canaan. This is the inheritance covenanted to him and to his seed forever. This grant overreaches the mere earthly Canaan. It includes "the incorpo B. C. 2006.1 CHAPTER XV. CHAPTER XY. AFTER these things the word of the Lord came imto Abram a in a vision, saying, ^ Fear not, Abrani : I am thy ^ shield, and thy exceeding ^ great reward. a Dan. 1 0 : 1 ; Acts 10 : 11. b ch. 26 : 24 ; Dan. 10:12; Lnke 1 : 13-SO. c Psa. 84 : 11 ; 91 : 4 ; 119 : 114. d Psa. 16 : 5 ; 58 : 11 ; Prov. 11 : 18. 3; 5:12! ration in himself of the whole race so far as it is faithful, and the spirit- ual government of the world by his influence proceeding therefrom." So it is said that the promise was that he should be " lidr of the icorld," (Rom. 4 : 13, 16.) The progress in this idea was lirst from the grant of Paradise, the garden of Eden, as a temporal estate. Next is this grant of Canaan — a larger earthly patri- mony and homestead — for a people and nation, and not any longer for a family ; and then further, it is the grant of all the earth, as the domain and heritage of God's people. " The promise that he should be the heir of the world was not made to Abram or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. And it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed ; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abram, who is the father of us all," (Rom. 4 : 13, 16.) The temporal es- tate is granted, and it is real ; but it is throughout the shadow of the higher and heavenly heritage in which " all nations of the earth are to be blessed." Thus the true Israel are the true body of believers, and the true seed is Christ, as including His people, who stand in Him, and are the members of which He is the Head, (Gal 3 : 8, 14, 16.) They shall inherit the earth, (Matt. 5 : 5.) They shall judge the world, (1 Cor. 6 : 2.) And in accordance with this drift of the promise of the "all things" (1 Cor. 3 : 22, 23) it is declared that "in the regeneration " — in the renovated Btate of things under Christ — the twelve " shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel," (Matt. 19 : 28.) Then the earth shall be like Eden, (Isa. 51 : 3.) " Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may liave right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gate into the" city," (Rev. 22 : 14.) " And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraliam's seed, and heirs according to the promise," (Gal. 3 : 29.) Here follows (ch. 15) the more formal con- firmation and sealing of the cove- nant to Abram, and a fuller unfold- ing of its puqDort. CHAPTER XV. § 36. FiEST Stage of the Cove- nant—Covenai^t Sackifice and Promise. Abram, though victorious, was be. set with fears. Possibly he, all along dreaded the vengeance of his foes, whom he had just now punished, lest in this strange land he might be further assaulted by them, or possi- bly by others, (vs. 1.) He was, more- over, discouraged at his childless lot, (2.) For he looked to the fu- ture, as the inheritor of God's prom- ises, (ch. 12 : 1-3,) yet he had waited without issue these ten years. He troubled himself about the ways of God — how He could possibly fulfil to him the promise of being a great nation, when there was no solitary son and heir to transmit his name and heritage, (3.) God, therefore renewed His assurances — promised him a direct progeny, and thas fur- ther called forth his faith — hoping against hope, (4, 5.) To further con 264 GENESIS. [B. C. 200a 2 And Abrara said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, * seeing I go childless, and the steward of mine house is this Eli- ezer of Damascus ? e Acts 7 : 5. firm this confidence, Jeliovah gave to him a striking token in the form of a covenant sacrifice (9) solemnly guaranteeing His fidelity. He is no- tified of the need of patience, that only after he has patiently endured can he obtain the promise, which shall be fully attained only after his death ; that others (his enemies) are involved in the fulfilment, and the time must be delayed till their cup of iniquity is full, and Israel's term of bondage and estrangement. But Abram and his seed may rejoice al- ways in their covenant God (12-16.) The land shall be theirs, and he is even now assured of the very boun- daries (18.) 1. Afte7' these tfdngs. This was probably some few years after the conquest of the kings, yet the con- nexion seems natural and close. Abram is now to appear in a new light — as one entrusted with special Divine communications in regard to His church and kingdom. ^ TJie word of the Lord came. Heb., Was to Abram. This phrase, which is common in the Divine revelations to the prophets, here first occurs. Here is now to be conveyed to him a prophecy of future events in refer- ence to his posterity, of whom God had already promised that He would cause them to increase to a great na- tion (ch. 12 : 2) that they should be a long time in bondage, and that in fact Abram must be content to die with- out witnessing the glorious results, and so he must believe where he could not perceive. T[ In a vision. Chald., In a 'pro'phccy . It was a pro- phetic revelation, such as was some- times made to the patriarchs and prophets in dreams, or in a vivid view of the events, as if they passed before the eye, whether waking or Bleeping, attended with powerful conviction of the reality. T[ Fear not. This word of comfort is ad- dressed to the staggering faith of the jDatriarch, (Rev. 1 : 17.) How many can only speak this word, and do nothing to make it good. God can speak it to purpose, for He can remove the grounds of fear. This is the purport of what follows. ^ 1 am thy strength. Gr., / iDill protect thee. The pronoun is emphatic, I. You can rest on my Divine power to carry you through all difilculties. " I am the Almighty God," ch. 17 : 1. 1" And thy exceeding great reward. Sept., Thy reicard shall he exceeding- ly great. So Jew. Bib. Sam., " I will multiply thy reward exceeding- ly." Heb., Thy reward is multiplied exceedingly, (Rev. 1 : 17, 18.) This is meant to remind of recent dealings in giving him the victory. '' TJiy shield " would call this to his mind ; and to have God for his defence, and the Lord (Jehovah) for the rock of his refuge, is the strongest possible con- solation. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield," says the Psalmist, Psa. 84. God will appear to him as a defender from evil, and a bestower of good. God is not only the de- fence, but the portion of His people. 2. Abram here takes God at His word, and asks in what form the promise shall be made good to him. *^ Lord God. Heb., Jehovah Lord, Supreme Disposer, and Redeemer. T[ VHiat icilt thou give to me? The intimation is also that while lacking a posterity, it would seem impossi- ble for him to receive any real bene- fit or blessing. As though he had said, What can you give me? or what is in your heart to bestow, see'- ing I am without the gift which is indispensable to make the promise good ? (ch. 12 : 2.) % I go childless. Not only I live thus, but I am going — departing out of the idirld t/iiis. So Ps. Jon. Seeing I depart out of B. C. 2006.] CHAPTER XV. 265 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed ' and lo, ^one born in mine house is mine heir. 4 And beliold, the word of the Lokd came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir ; but he that & shall come forth out ot thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now to- ward heaven, and ^ tell the ^ stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, ^So shall thy seed be. f ch. 14 : 14. g 2 Sam. 7 : 12 ; 16:11; 2 Chron. 32 : 21. h Psa. 147 : 4. i Jer. 33 : 22. k ch. 22 : 17 ; Exod. 32 : 13 ; Deut. 1 : 10 ; 10 : 22 : 1 Chron. 27 : 23 ; Eom. 4 : IS ; Heb. 11 : 12 ch. 13 : 16. the midst of this icorld. The Gr. phrase is like that in Luke 2 : 29, Seeing I am dismissed, or let go — al- lowed to depart hence childless. ^ Tlie steicard of my house. Heb., Son of pos- session of my house — that is, heir — he to whom my possessions must descend, according to the present case. So Oe- senius, Kurtz, etc. As Abram was alone in this strange land, and sep- arated from his kindred, it would Beem that he could only look to his steward — his confidential servant, and manager of his house — as his successor and heir. Some read. Son of sustentation of my house, or the overseer. But not so properly, ^ This Eliezer, etc. — this Damascene Eliezer. Though he is said to have been born in Abram's house (vs. 4) yet his parentage was of this Gen- tile city, and Abram refers to it as conveying a reflection on his forlorn and desolate case. This is common- ly supposed to have been the same servant as in ch. 24 : 2. 3. Abram now repeats his com- plaint, which stands so, to his nat- ural view, in the way of fulfilling the promise. Behold, to me thou hast given no seed. Heb., East not given seed. How then could the pa- triarch become a great nation, and his seed be as the sand of the sea ? ^ One horn in my house is my heir. A son of my house is possessing me, or inheriting me — is my heir. Some understand that " son of my house " does not mean a slave, but a rela- tive. Yet the context expresses the more commonly received sense (vs. 2.) Slaves were taken captives in war — or bought with money — while others were "born in the house." And these latter were treated as specially related to the family — trained in the household faith — cir cumcised and admitted to family privileges beyond others. Such are called, by distinction, '* trained ser- vants," ch, 14 : 14. Rosenmidler holds that we are to infer this as the cus- tom— that in case of one deceasing Avithout an heir, the head servant, or steward, should be his heir. And how could SLich a case consist with God's promise ? " But the Lord knoweth how to deliver," His ways are not- our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. He will lead the blind by a way that they knew not. Observe. — God will have us plain- ly and frankly express to Him our doubts and fears, however unworthy they may be, and here He graciously condescends to remove them, 4, INIost positively and decidedly does Abram's covenant God speak to the very point of all his fears, and make it now most certain to him that his highest hopes shall be satis- fied. *^ This shall not he thine heir. Heb,, T/iere shall not inherit thee this one. 5, Brought him forth ahroad. Some have supposed that the whole was done in vision — even the sacri- fice— and that the scene was made only to pass before his mind. So 2G6 aENESlS. TB. c. 2ooa 6 And he ^ believed in the Lord ; and he ™ counted it to him for righteousness. 1 Rom. 4:3; 9 : 22 ; Gal. 3:6; Jas. 2 ; 23. m Psa. 106 : 31. Kwtz. Others suppose that " the vision does not interfere with the notice of the sensible world, so far as is necessary," (Dan. 10 : 7 ; John 12 : 29.) Baumgarten understands this verse to mark the transition from vision to outward action. Some suppose that it was all by night-vis- ion, others (as Hengstenberg) that it was by day, and that the stars could have been seen in vision by day. T[ Look now toioard Jieaven, etc. Not only was Abram summoned to look at the dust of the earth, and sand of the sea, as conveying the idea of his in- numerable seed, but now most sub- limely is he bidden to survey the starry hosts, to get the impression of his vast posterity, (Exod. 32 : 13 ; Deut. 10:22; 1 Chron. 27:23.) Abram was now over eighty years of age. It was not as yet stated to him whether his posterity should be by Sarah, or another, nor whether this was a mere promise of natural seed ; but the large terms of promise made him look beyond the letter to the spirit, and beyond the natural to the spiritual posterity. How must the firmament ever after have ap- peared to Abram most glorious — the bright expression to him of the cove- nant seed, (Psa. 19.) " In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun," 6. And he believed in the Lord. Heb., He helieved in Jehovah. To helievc in the Lord, expresses more than to tclieve Him — though in the New Testament this passage is re- ferred to, "Abram believed God," (Rom. 4 : 3,) and so in the 8ept. In the Heb. the idea Is of confidence, reliance, trust, beyond the mere be- lief of this particular promise. The Heh. term believe, means to rest, rely upon. The word is Aman, from which we have Am.en, meaning to be sure, and then to be assured, or to confide in. In the same chapter, Paul illustrates the Christian faith. and argues from this passage to show the plan of salvation by faith — that Abram believed in God, who quickeneth the deaa, and calleth those things which be not, as though they were, who against hope be- lieved in (upon) hope, that he might (should) become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, "So shall thy seed be," (Rom. 4 : 17, 18.) The strength of his faith is further dwelt upon by the apostlo in the particulars, vs. 19-22, and the analysis of it is simply that it was a most confident reliance upon the su- preme ability of God to make good His promise, notvdthstanding all natural hindrances, and all present appearances to the contrary. " And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness." Not (as some would have it) because it was so signal an instance of faith as to be accepted, in lieu of a perfect righteousness, but simply because it laid hold on the promised seed, which was ulti- mately Christ, (Gal. 3 : 16.) It was not this grace of faith accepted, as leading the train of graces, nor even his imperfect righteousness ac- cepted, as if it were perfect, but the faith was counted to him for right- , eousness, because it had the perfect righteousness of Christ in hand. The immediate object of his faith was the son of promise — the Isaac — • the covenant seed, through whom he was to have a vast progeny, and be- come a blessing to all the world — ■ all nations being blessed through him. And this Isaac was only the forerunner and foreshadow of Jesus, as the Son of promise and Ihe cove/- nant seed, and in this Isaac he saw Jesus. And this was the signifi- cance of that special test to which his faith was put when he was called to offer liim up a sacrifice, and " received him from the dead in a figure ;" all tc set forth viv?dly to B. C. 2006.] CHAPTER XV. 267 Ills view tlie sacrificial death of Je- Bus (the New Testament Isaac) ap- pointed by God, and the resurrec- tion of Jesus, received back again from the dead, according to the fore- shadow. Thus the apostle, in the annals of faith, shows the connexion between the immediate object of Abram's faith, and Jesus the ulti- mate object, (Heb. 11:17-19; Gal. 3 : lG-19.) And it is a great mistake to suppose that it was simply as an act of believing God's i)romise of a seed, without any reference to Christ, that this instance of Abram's be- lieving is so celebrated in the New Testament. True, he had believed before this, and was a believer al- ready. But here his faith more dis- tinctly and directly grasped the great covenant blessing — the Lord Jesus — and so it was here that his faith reached its highest ground. "Besides, we are not here told when- Abram first began to be justified or to believe in God, but that in this one place it is declared or related how he had been justified through his whole life. Hence it cannot be said that the righteousness of faith is only initial. It is perpetual. And after his progress thus far, it is still said that he is justified by faith." — Calvin. ^ Counted. The Heb. term means to think, devise, and then to reckon, impute— 'set to one's account. Acts 7 : 60 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 16. The term has reference to God's judgment or verdict in a forensic transaction, (Psa. 106:31.) It is employed also of imputing or reckoning iniquity at laic, (Lev. 7 : 18 ; 17 : 4 ; 2 Sam. 19 : 19 : 2 Kings 12 : 15.) " It seems absurd to suppose that Abram should be justified by believing that his seed would be as numerous as the stars, for this could be nothing but a particular faith, which would by no means suffice for the complete righteousness of man. Besides, what could an earthly and temporal prom- ise avail for eternal salvation? Plainly, he did not expect some common or undefined seed, but that in which the world was to be bless- ed . When it is said that faith was imputed to Abram for righteousness, it is not meant as the efficient cause of righteousness, but only the formal cause ; for faith borrows a righteous- ness elsewhere, of which we in our- selves are destitute, else it would be in vain for Paul to set faith in opposition to works when speaking of the mode of obtaining righteous- ness."— Calvin. T[ For righteous- ness— or justification. Observe. — (1.) Abram had no righteousness for justification. Paul shows this. " For if Abram were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory — but not before God," (Rom. 4 : 2.) (2.) Faith is not imputed to him as a work, or a meritorious ground of justification, else he would still be justified by his works — the work of faith. (3.) It was by the hearing of faith, and not by the works of the law, (Gal. 3 : 5.) It is only as instrumental — laying hold on a perfect righteousness — that the faith is imputed to him for right- eousness. (4.) The law could not accept any other th^n a perfect righteousness — his own or another's imputed to him — set to his account. And this is the Gospel plan of justi fication — to reckon the perfect right- eousness of Christ received by faith as our righteousness for justifica- tion, (Gal. 3 : 6.) They, therefore, who rest upon their own faith, and cannot find peace, except so far as they are assured of their own accept- able faith, do, in effect, put their faith in the stead of Christ's right- eousness as the ground to rest upon. " Going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not sub- mitted themselves unto the right- eousness of God." If it be asked then what is accepted, it is the per- fect righteousness of Christ accepted for us, and counted to our credit. The finished work of Christ, outside of us, is the ground of a sinner's jus- tification, . and not the unfinished work of the Holy Spirit within as — as our faith. We are " accepted in the Beloved," (Eph. 1 : 6.) The Gos- GENESIS. [B. C. 2000. 7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that ^- brought thee out of o Ur of the Ohaldees, P to giye thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord God, q whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it ? n ch. 12 : 1. o ch. 11 : 28-31. p Psa. 105 : 42-44 ; Rom. 4 : 13. q ch. 24 : 13, 14 ; Judg. 6 : 17-37 ; 1 Sam. 14 : 9, 10 ; 2 Kings 20 : 8 : Luke 1 : 18. pel plan of justification is thus to impute to tlie sinner the righteous- ness of Christ. Thus it is called the righteousness which is of God, (Phil. 3 : 9.) And righteousness is spoken of as imputed without works, (Rom. 4 : 6.) And this is illustrated by the case of Abram. So the sinner is re- garded and treated as righteous on account of the perfect righteousnoss of this substitute set to his account by free grace in the Gospel. Thus righteousness is imputed to the un- godly (Rom. 4 : 5) without works, (Rora. 5 : 6.) Thus believers are treated as though they had not sin- ned, because Christ has fulfilled the law for them. Observe. — The immediate object of the patriarch's faith was a per- sonal type of Christ — Isaac, as the son of promise — and so his faith had its training to lay hold on Christ, while the plan of grace was gradual- ly unfolding. The promise of a Ca- naan was all along pointing forward to a better Canaan — that is, an heav- enly, (Heb. 11 : 16.) The promise of a seed was pointing forward to the seed which was Christ, and thus there is a constant unfolding, more and more, and the spiritual and eter- nal are set forth and seen through the physical and temporal. 7. God now further leads him to repose entire confidence in His su- preme ability to accomplish all that He had spoken. As in the preface to the commandments, He announces Himself as " the Lord thy God (cove- nant Jehovah) who brought thee out of the land of Egypt," etc., so here, " I am Jeliovah, that brought thee out of Ur of the Ohaldees." Let Abram confirm his faith in God by looking at the steps already taken for giving him the land of promise. It was in God's plan in bringing him out of Ur to give him possession of Ca- naan. This is enough. Will God now falter or fail in the midst ? So the Christian may encourage him- self in God by looking back at all that God has already done for him, at the ways in which He has already led him, and at what He has plainly provided for him. 8. Lord God. Heb., Adonai JehO' vah. Abram here again uses this title of God, expressive of His su- preme majesty. And here God ap- plies to Himself the title Jehovah, with emphasis, though it is said in Exod. 6 : 3, that He was not known to the patriarchs by this name. That is, however, they did not clear- ly understand this name as Redeem- er, or that they did not understand it in its special application to the second person of the Blessed Trinity, or that they had not the clear view of it which was afterwards had from His fulfilment of the' covenant prom- ises. ^ WJiereby shall 1 know. This may seem to some to be in the spirit of unbelief, as if Abram required a sign. But his triumphant faith has just now been mentioned. Hence it' is rather here a call for some open memorial or seal confirmatory of His promise, which is rather the evi- dence of the high value he set upon the promise itself. God was dis- pleased with Ahaz for not requiring a sign (Isa. 7 : 12,) and He would give a sign for the jieople's benefit. So here. God would give a sign for the good of Israel. He is even pleased to confirm His promise by an oath, that believers might have strong consolation, (Gen 22 : 16, 17.) The apostle, alluding to God's cove? B. C. 2006.] CHAPTER XV. 9 And he said nnto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and *" divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another : but ^ the birds divided he not. r Jer. 34 : 18, 19. s Lev. 1 : IT. nant dealings with Abram, refers to i this transaction here and in ch. 22, ' and applies it, (Heb. 6 : 13-18.) See i also in the case of Gideon (Judg. ' 6 : 14-21 ; 36-40.) So with Heze- kiah, (2 Kings 20 : 8-11.) Because Abram here exhibits his faith in so special a reference to the Gospel plan and promise, he is called " the father of the faithful," or believing ones, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abram's seed and heirs according to the promise." The true Israel under the New Testament are the true be- lievers. 9. Here we find God for the first time entering into covenant with Abram. There had been a covenant with Adam, and a covenant with Noah. But here, with still farther progress towards the full Gospel idea, God covenants with the father of the faithful, and makes His covenant promises to Abram and his seed in aU the formality of a sacrificial transaction. •[ Talce me. Heb., To.ke for me — for an offering. ^ An lidjer. God directs him to prexjare a sacrifice. The animals are (strik- ingly enough) all these which were atterwards used in the Levitical sac- rifices. It was thus a foreshadow of that ritual, as that was of the Gos- pel system. •[ Of three years old. Not three heifers, as some have un- derstood, but a three year old one. Why it is prescribed to be of this age does not appear, as it was not so required under the law, except that the number three is in the Scripture a sacred number, and denotes the maturity and perfection of the vic- tim. One year old was the more common age for sacrifice ; but a •.hree year old animal was regajded as in its full vigor. And the idea was that it must be the best, and unblemished. All these animals were to be of this age, to denote the eminent transaction. Delitzsch un- derstands that the age has reference to the bondage of the people, be- cause the seed of Abram was only to enter the land of promise in their fourth generation, vs. 16. So Hoff- man and Kurtz. 10. Abram is supposed to have done the sacrificial work according to the Divine direction. ^ Divided them. This was the well known method of preparing the animal for the ratification of a covenant. Hence the Heb. phrase "to make a cove- nant," is, literally, to cut a covenant. The animals are slain. There is death, as the consequence of sin, plainly set forth. It is the death of appointed victims. There is also set forth the expiatory death and media- tion by Christ Jesus. And the cleav- ing asunder of the animal was the custom in such cases of covenant. The parties passed between the halves of the animal, as invoking a like fate (to be hewn asunder) if they should break the covenant. Compare 1 Sam. 11 : 7, and Jer. 34 : 18, 19. This is the more com- mon view. But it seems to losa sight of the sacrificial idea as expia- tory and atoning. 'Rather, the par- ties are thus represented as at onCf passing together between the parte of the sacrifice. "The unity laid down in the covenant is hereby ex- pressed. The division of the sacri- fices into two portions represent the two parties to the covenant. As these portions constitute in reality one animal, so these two parties to S70 GENESIS. [B. C. 2006. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them awa3^ 12 And when the sun was going down, 'a deep sleep fell upon Abrani; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety " that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them ; and ^ they shall afflict them four hundred years ; t Gen. 2 : 21 105 : 25. Job 4: 13. u Exod. 12 : 40 ; Psa. 105 : 23 ; Acts 7 : 6. w Exod. 1 : 1 1 • Pea. the covenant are joined into one." — Kurtz. ^ The birds lie dimded not. There were two birds, and there needed no dividing of these into halves. Besides, these were rather accompaniments of the sacrifice, and it was also enacted in the Levitical law that the bird should only have its wings cut off, but should not be divided asunder, (Lev, 1 : 17.) It was the custom that the covenant- ing parties should pass between the halves of the sacrificial animals from opposite directions, so as to meet in the centre and take the formal oath of covenant. Traces of this cere- mony are found among the Greeks and Romans {Livy 40 : G) and among the Chaldeans. It is to be observed that in this first stage of the cove- nant God Himself alone passes through between the parts of the animals, and thus first obligates Himself, and afterwards (ch. 17) re- ceives Abram's obligations. God thus in the Gospel first binds Him- self to us, and in Christ gives Him- self for us, and then calls upon us to give ourselves to Him. 11. The folds, lleh.. And the fowl descended upon the carcasses. Birds of prey alighted upon these slain animals. Abrara was sitting beside these parted halves of the slain vic- tims, and watching there during the entire day. Some suppose this alto- gether natural phenomenon was in- tended to signify to Abram how the enemies of God and the church would alight upon him and his pos- terity to rob and devour them, (Ezek. 17 : 8, 7 ; Rev. 19 : 17, 18.) *11 Drove them away. Heb., Blew them off. Luther says, "The birds represent the Egyptians, who first persecute Abram's descendants, but Abram drives them away — that is, God re- deems them for His promise made to Abrani." 12. And when the sun. Heb., And the sun was (about) to go down. See vs. 17. ^ A deep sleep. The same term is used of the preternatural sleep which fell upon Adam (ch. 2 : 21) when Eve was formed from one of his ribs. The Sept. has it, an ecstacy. It would seem that if he was pointed to the stars instead of seeing them merely in vision, ho must have been occupied with this transaction during the whole day and tlie two nights. See vss. 5 and 17. The trance was only a release of the mind from attention to hu- man and earthly things to fix it upon things Divine. And there was in the mind, doubtless, a deep and firm persuasion that the communi- cation was from God. *^[ An horror of great darkness. Oerlach terms it " a prophetic sleep, full of dread be fore the majesty of the approach of God." This feeling of awe and hor- ror was often an attendant of special prophetic revelations, (Job 4 : 13, 14 ; Dan. 10:8.) This was a state ol mind, too, appropriate to the com- munication, as first discouraging, and then joyous. 13. From this verse to the seven- teenth we have the Divine prophecy and promise. This is a striking in stance in which God makes known the times and seasons. And yet tha chronology has been much disputed. ^ Know of a surety. Abram is novt B. C. 3006.] CHAPTER XV. 271 most positively forewarned of tlie delays he sliould experience, and how his faith must look for its reali- zation beyond his natural lifetime. Hence this example is cited hy the apostle as an eminent instance of patient waiting for the promises, (Heb. G.) •[ A stranger, etc. This is spoken generally, and has chief reference to Egypt, but does not ex- clude the sojourn in Canaan, where they lived as strangers. In Exod. 13 : 40 it is said, ''Now the sojourn- ing of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and tliirty years." But this speaks of the whole sojourning ; and while it refers to their dwelling in Egypt, it does not confine the sojourning to that country, but includes it all from Abram's entrance into Canaan. So Kemiicott. It is here spoken of as four hundred years. The time is calculated from the promise made to Abram of a son, or from the birth of Isaac. In Exodus it is computed from the departure from his native country in obedience to the Divine command. The Sam., Pentateuch, and the Alexandrine copy of the Sept. read, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel and of their fathers in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt was four hundred and thirty years." And Paul makes the same statement in Gal. 3 : 17, reckoning from the promise made to Abram to the giving of the law, which was soon after the exodus. It is further evident that the de- scendants of Israel did not dwell four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, while it is equally evident that the period from Abram's en- trance into Canaan till the exodus is exactly that number. Thus, from Abram's entrance into Canaan till the birth of Isaac, twenty-five years ; from Isaac's birth to Jacob's, sixty years ; from Jacob, at the going into Egypt, was one hundred and thirty years ; residence in Egypt, two hun- dred and fifteen years — four hundred and thirty years. Josephus corrob- orates this view, though he also seems to hold the other in other places. Kurtz argues at length that the four hundred and thirty years' sojourning was all of it in Egypt. See Vol. II., pp. 135-145. Some pre- fer the longer period in Egypt, in order to account for the two mil- lions of souls who seem to have gone out at the exodus. But surely a supernatural growth of the people in thus coming to be a nation may be supposed. " The interval of four hundred years here named can only commence at the birth of the prom- ised seed, Isaac, Avhen Abram was one hundred years old, and hence thirty years after the call. During tills interval they are to be stran- gers in a land not theirs (not in their possession) for one hundred and ninety years, and then for the remaining two hundred and ten years in Egypt ; first, strangers in a strange land, which Vv^as theirs by promise, but not theirs in posses- sion ; and next, afflicted serfs, under a degraded and cruel bondage. The whole period is taken together, after the manner of prophecy, in the gen- eral statement, the two parts run- ning into each other as one whole. Besides this, according to the exact pointing of the Hebrew, the reading is this — " T7iy seed shall 1)6 a stran- ger in a land that is not theirs, and they shcdl serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years." It is not meant that the periods of strangerhood and of servitude shall be distinctly separated as to time. So in Exod. 13 : 40, the sojourning and the • dwelling in Egypt (the bondage) are hinted of as distinct, and the period in round numbers is given as including both. See Acts 7 ; 6, Notes. The Sept. reads, They shall enslave them and maltreat them and afflict them. 14. And also. The promise is now given to Abram, to stand on record for his descendants, that God will judge that nation (Egypt) to whom they should be in servitude. This was literally fulfilled. God visited Egypt with very sore judgments. 272 GENESIS. [B C. 200e. 14 And also that nation whom they shall sei-ve, ^ will 1 judge: and afterward y shall they come out with great substance. 15 And z thou shalt go ^ to thy fathers in peice; ^ thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But ^in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity ^ of the Amorites ^ is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it X Exod. 6 ; b ch. 25 : 8. 2 : 16. 6; Deut. 6: c Exod. 12 ; y Exod. 12: 36 d 1 Kings 21 ; Psa. 105 : 37. z Job 5 : 26. a Acts 13 : 36. 16. e Dan. S : 23 ; Matt. 23 : 32 ; 1 Thess. on account of their grievous oppres- sion of His people, (Exod., clis. 7 to 11 ; Psa. 78 & 135 & 136.) *^ A7id afterward. This was also fulfilled in the exodus. See Exod., chs. 12 to 14. ^ Great substance. They were brought forth with great wealth. They demanded of the Egyptians (not "borrowed") jewels of silver and gold and raiment, (Exod. 12 : 35, 36.) So says the Psalmist, " He brought them forth also with silver and gold, Psa. 105 : 37. See Exod. 11 : 2, where the Israelites were instructed to ask, as the term is, (not to borrow) each of their neighbor jewels of silver and jewels of gold. It was their right. " And the Lord gave tlie people fa- vor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them (such things as they required) and thev spoiled the Egyptians," (Ex. 12 : 360 15. This promise to Abram of a peaceful death is comforting. The phrase, go to one's fathers, implies that the fathers are yet alive, and that death is to believers a happy reunion beyond the grave. To go from one place to another, especially to go to join others elsewhere, does not imply annihilation, but contin- ued existence. And this is the Old Testament doctrine of the future life. So God's language, "I am the God of AbroJiam, and of Isaac, and of Jacob," is used to prove tlie same doctrine of immortality, for it im- plies that they are not dead, but liv- ing. " God is not the God of the dead, but of the .iving." Abram died in peace one hundred and fif- teen years before his descendants went down to Egypt. 16. In the fourth generation. This is understood by some to mean the same as the four hundred years just named. But it may also mean that the fourth generation of the Is- raelites who went down into Egypt should return and possess Canaan. This was the result. Caleb was the fourth from Judah, Moses was the fourth from Levi. Or Isaac, Levi, Amram, Eleazar may represent the four generations. ^ For the iniquity, etc. The reason is here given for this long delay. The long-suffering of God towards the wicked makes Him even postpone the deliverance of His people, showing that in Hia dealings with us He has also to re- gard others, and He will order all things well. Abram was now living among the Amorites, and they were the most extensive occupants of the territory. Here we are taught, 1. That God foreknows the moral char- acter of men. 2. In His providence He administers the affairs of nations on the principles of moral rectitude. 3. Nations are spared untU tkeir ini- quity is full. 4. They are then cut off in retributive j ustice. 5. The Amor ite was to be the chief nation extir- pated for its iniquity on the return of the seed of Abram. They had by far the largest possessions in the land of promise, and they seem to have been extinguished as a nation by the invasion of Israel, for we read no more of them in the after history See Murphy. *% Not yetfuU. Heb,^ Not finished thus far hitJierto. B. C. 2006.] CHAPTER XV. 273 was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that ^passed between those pieces. 18 In that same day the Lord ?made a covenant with Abram, Baying, l^Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates : 19 The Keuites, and the.Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, f Jer. 34 : 18, 19. ^ ch. 24 : 7. h ch. 12 : 7 ; 13 : 15 ; 26 : 4 , Exod. 23 : 31 ; Num. uTz Deut. 1:7; 11 : 24 ; 34 : 4 ; Josh. 1 : 4 ; 1 Kings 4 : 21 ; 2 Chion. 9 : 26 ; Neh. 9:8; Psa, 105 : 11 ; Isa. 27 : 12. 17. A smoking furnace. This would seem to be tlie impressive symbol of God's \indictive judg- ments upon tbeir oppressors. A furnace or oven smoking is, in Scrip- ture, a symbol of Divine wrath, as Mai. 4:i; Psa. 21:8, 9. So ch. 19 : 28. So 1 Kings 8 : 10, 11 ; Isa. 6:4; Rev. 15 : 8, the turning lamp represented, in a milder form, the shekinah, or glory of the Lord, pass- ing through the parts of the sacri- fice. And as God alone appears at this stage of the covenant as the contracting party, these both are to be regarded as symbols of His pres- ence— punishing His enemies (and Abram's, which are those of the. church) and glorious as a faithful covenant-keeping vindicator and guide of His people. "The smoke of destruction and the light of salva- tion are here symbolized." "Our God is a consuming fire." "As smoke is driven away, so drive them away." " The smoke of their tor- ments ascendeth up forever and ever." And John the Baptist was spoken of as " a burning and a shin- ing lamp," much more the true Light whom he foreshadowed. There may be also a hint of the pil- lar of cloud and fire, in which the Shekinah passed before Israel in the wilderness march. Gerlach says that " the reason why God alone passed through, and not Abram also, is because the covenant was one of grace, and God, before all, gives His grace ere He requires anything on man's part. Its aim was to strength- en Abram in his sure trust that God would fulfil what He had promised." 18. In that same day. There fol- lows immediately now the solemn declaration, to which all these cere- monies were meant to give efiect. T[ Made a covenant. Heb., Cut a covenant; from the ceremony of di viding the animal in solemn memo- rial and ratification of it. Abram's part in the transaction was in his preparation of the victims, according to the Divine mandate, showing his obedient spirit, and his habit of faith in God's word. ^ TJnto thy seed. Abram is now prepared to hear that this covenant grant is made to his seed — that they shall possess the land (after his death,) and yet in an important sense it would be his also to jjossess in the higher idea of the better country. *i[ Fram the river. The boundaries are here distinctly given — from the Nile to the Euphrates. It is true that the domain of Israel never reached exactly to the river Nile. But nothing between them and the Nile was independent of them. Vir- tually this was the extent ; and aa Kurtz remarks, these two rivers are considered here as the representa- tives of the two great powers of the East and of the West, and the meaning of the promise is, that the land and commonwealth of the de- scendants of Abram should be ihde- pendent, and continue by the side of and between these two empires, and that no other empire or nation should permanently bear independ- ent sway in the districts which lay between Judea and these two great empires. Oerlach says, " In this prophecy the boundaries of the 274 GENESIS. [B. C. 2006 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and tlie liephaim, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. CHAPTER XVI. IVrOW Sarai, Abram's wife, ^ bare him no children : and she 1\ had an handmaid, ^ an Egyptian, whose name loas ^ Hagar. « rh. 15 : 2, 3. b ch. 21:9. c Gal. 4 : 24 promised land are extended as far as they would have been, had Israel continued faithful to the Lord." 19-21. Kenites, etc. These are the ten principal nations then occupying this territory of promise. Of these, five probably are Canaanite tribes, and five are not. The Kenites dwelt upon the southern border, (Num. 13 : 29 ; 24 : 20-22 ; Judg. 1 : 16 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 6.) They mingled with the Midianites, and were friendly to the Israelites, (1 Chron. 2 : 55.) ^ Kenizzites were in affinity with the Horites, and also dwelt on the south border towards Egypt, (ch. 36 : 11, 20-23 ; Jos. 15 : 17 ; *1 Chron. 1:50-54.) ^ TJie Kadmonites. These were on the east, as their name im- ports, and possibly included several tribes, in that region, towards the Euphrates. These three tribes it is probable were related to Abram as descendants of Shem. 20, 21. These other seven tribes have been already noticed. CHAPTER XVI. § 37. Hagar and Ishmael. Here occurs a trial of Abram's faith in the very line of the cove- nant promise. It came upon him through his wife, like the first temptation in the garden. It had been promised to Abram that he should become a father (ch. 15 : 4.) Fcr the third time this promise of a numberless posterity had been re- peated to him, but as yet no men- tion had been made of Sarai. Her unbelief could not prevail against the present appearances, and in her impatience of realizing the results, she proposed an expedient, as unbe- lief is always ready to do. It was under the guise of aiding God to carry out His promise, but it was in the spirit of distrust, unwilling to Avait only upon God. Abram had Qow lived in the land of promise ten years, and went childless towards his grave, already eighty-five years old. And this delay and discourage- ment had just now been relieved in a great measure by God's express assurance to himself that he should have an heir of his own blood. But he yields to the suggestion which promises to hasten God's work, and which brings in human methods to trust in place of God. It was in God's plan to foreshadow here the miraculous seed by bringing forth a son from Sarai, contrary to all nat- ural powers ; and in this respect, Isaac was to be a personal type of Christ Jesus. But the natural heart resorts to its own natural and hu- man schemes, not believing fully in Him who quickens the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were, (Rom. 4 : 17, 18.) This may seem the more excusable in Sarai, as it was an expedient re- sorted to in the East for perpetuating one's household, when all other hope seemed to be gone. And it was, for her part, a renouncing of the house- hold glory which she thup yields to a subordinate. It was a method of raising a family by proxy, and it was a virtual adoption of the vica- rious posterity — the concubine was said to bear the child "upon the knees " of the wife, (ch. 30 : 3.) But B 0.2006.] CHAPTER XV. 275 2 ^ And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold ncu^, the Lord ^ natb restrained rae from bearing: I pray thee ^' go in unto my maid ; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram g heark- ened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid the Egyp- tian, after Abram ^ had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and p'ave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. d ch. so : 3. e ch. 12 : 5. ?0 : IS ; 30 : 2. 1 Sam. 1 : 5, f ch. 30 ; 3, 9. g ch. 3 : 17. h ch. Sarai's faith will yet trmmph, (Heh. 11:11.) 1. The fact is here stated upon wliicli the narrative proceeds. *|[ An handmaid — -^aLdtanTj. TMs term is used by Greek writers to signify a young girl, Avliether slave or iree. The Sept., however, and the New Testament use it in the sense of slave. See Matt. 26 : 69 ; Mark 14 : QQ, 69 ; Luke 12 : 45 ; 22 : 56 ; John 18 : 17 ; Acts 10 : 16. Here it means a hoiid- icoman, in contrast vdth a free wo- man, as Paul explains and argues, (Gal. 4:22.) This history, as the New Testament explains, has in it a profound meaning, and is meant to Ibresignify the t^yo elements in the household of Abram — the bond and the free, the legal and gospel classes — the Ishmael and Isaac children — and so Sarai and Hagar, though true historical characters, have a history here which is to le allegorized, (Gal. 4.) As in the family of Adam there was a Cain, and in the family of Xoah a Ham, as the element of e^vil, so in the covenant family of Abram there will be an Ishmael. A bondwoman might be disposed of as the mistress pleased (vs. 6.) And by the law, the children of such a bond- woman would be slaves, (Exod. 21 : 4.) ^ An Eny-ptlan. She was probably obtained by him when in Egypt, and perhaps was a present to him from Pharoah, (ch. 12 : 16.) ^ Hagar. The name means, com- monly, fligAt, from Avhicli also the Mohammedan term, " HegirOj " (flight.) This name may have been given to her from her after history. Paul, in the Galatians, dwells upon the name Hagar, as being the name of Mount Sinai in Arabia, denoting the legal position. And it would seem that Sinai was so called, be- cause Hagar, in Arabic, signifies a rock, (Gal. 4.) And this incidental fact Paul uses to show the relation between the legal and the Gospel dispensations, and between the two classes of children in Abram's house — the spiritual seed being those of Sarah (the free woman) represented by Isaac, the carnal being those of Hagar (the bond-woman) represented by Ishmael. Hagar represented the the Mosaic Sinaitic dispensation, and her children were born in bondage to the law (Judaizing) and yet, ac- cording to nature, having the hus- band ; while Sarai typified the Gos- pel system, and represented tho church, long barren, till the gift of a progeny — the miraculous seed — ac- cording to promise. 2. Sarai now comes forward with her expedient, according to the cus- tom at the East. Children were deemed of so much value, not mere- ly from the paternal affection, but because of the constitution of socie- ty, as the oriental household formed a clan and tribe, which was relied on for defence and avenging of blood, as well as for the preserving of the name and heritage. ^ Restrained, Heb. and Sept., Shut me iip. «![ 0&- tain cliildren. The Heb. term for son is Ben, and here the verb is Banah, which means to liuild; and here, " I sJiall he ' built up," (Deut. 25:9; Ruth. 4:11.) 3. Sarai is here designated as ''Abram's wife," and it is in her 270 GENESIS. [B.C. 2006 4 ^f And he went in unto Ilagar, and she conceived : and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was ' despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong he upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom : and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes : ^ the Loed judge between me and thee. 6 ^But Abram said unto Sarai, "^ Behold, thy maid is in thine i 2 Sam. 6 : 16 ; Prov. 80 : 21/23. k ch. 31 : 53 ; 1 Sam. 24 : 12. 1 Prov. 15: 1 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 7. m Job 2:6; Psa. 106 : 41, 42 ; Jer. 33 : 5. place tliat slie puts Hagar ''to her husband Abram to be his iiyife." Heb., For a wife. "^ After Abram. This clause is here thrown in as if to show the pressure of discourage- ment under which Sarai acted in this matter. " After Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Ca- naan," and remained cMldless. He was now eighty-five years old, and Sarai seventy-five. She was to be to Abram "for a idfe " — to serve the purpose of a wife in this extremity. By the custom, the children of the concubine became the offspring of the wife herself, being regarded as obtained by proxy, and in a vicari- ous, substitutionary w^ay, so that they were reckoned as hers by adop- tion, (See Exod. 21 : 7 ; Deut. 21 : 10.) Abram might have felt himself at liberty to accede to this proposed arrangement, inasmuch as nothing had been said of Sarai in the case. So the Hebrews have viewed Abram's conduct. And Malachi blamed those who felt at liberty to take another besides their lawful wife, as it would be treachery, while in Abram's case it was " that he might seek a godly seed." ^ Oaxe her to Abram. The slave girl was at the disposal of the mistress — her personal property — according to the oriental custom ; and it was only by consent of Sarai that she could become the secondary wife of Abram — that is, the concu- bine. And this step was taken for a declired purpose, and to fulfil the promise of God. But the wrong was 'n\ the unbelief which could not trust God to work out His own plans and to fulfil his own promise without such human device. Sarai herself would soon see the wrong, and reap the bitter fruits. 4. The result of this unbelieving measure is now painfully manifest. The slave-woman, elevated to this honorable position in Abram's house, looks already with contempt upon Sarai. As Solomon has remarked, "An handmaid that is heir to her mistress," is a trouble in the earth, (Prov. 30 : 23.) Sarai was despised and reproached, doubtless, for her childless estate, which was so dis- graceful among the orientals ; and Hagar, it would seem, scorned her on this account, boasting insolently of her own advantage over her. This is the wrong of abolishing all proper social distinctions. 5. My icrong, etc. Sept., I am in- jured by thee. Onk., 1 hate a com- plaint against thee. Sam. Vers., My oppression be on thee. Targ. Jer., My judgment and abuse are deliver- ed into thine hands. You are to blame for the wrong done me. You are the cause, and ought to redress the wrong. Sarai felit now jealous of her w-ho had supplanted her, and she suspected that her husband had transferred his affection to Hagar, or was, at least, indifferent to the con- temptuous treatment of herself. ^ The Lord judge. Sarai made a solemn appeal to Jehovah, the cove- nant God. But she did it in the spirit of rashness and peevishness stung most with self-reproach. B.C. 2000] CHAPTER XVI. 277 hand ; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, ^ she fled from her face. 7 ^ And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain ot water in the wilderness, « by the fountain in the way to P Shur. n Exod. 2 : 15. o ch. 25 : 18. p Exod. 15 : 22. 6. Abram has now anotlier trial of Ills spirit, and another occasion for displaying the power of Divine grace in his heart and life. He replies calmly and fairly, recognizing Sa- rai's unimpaired right as mistress of the household, -and as his own proper wife, entitled to his affection, while he accorded to her the right to dispose of Hagar as she pleased. *T Thy maid. Hagar is yet only Sarai's bondmaid. *[ I?i t/dne hand. At thy disposal, ^ Do to Iter, etc. Heb., Do to her the good in thine eyes. Sept., Treat her as is best to thee. Though ail his future hopes stood now bound up in this son of Hagar, yet he was ready even to give up this child for the peace of Sarai, just as he was ready, at a later period, to give up Sarai's son to the command of God. *5[ Dealt hardly. Heb., And Sarai oppressed Iter. Jew. Bib., Humiliated her. The same word is rendered afflict in ch. 15 : 13. Sarai put upon her such grievances, doubtless, as she could not bear. And she fl-ed from her presence. There was overbearing and severity on the part of the mis- tress as well as insolence on the part of the servant. How much of the jarring and conflict in households between housekeepers and domestics comes of indiscretion and petulancy on the part of the former. The loud complaint about servants some- times has its root in the temper of the employers, especially in the lack of domestic piety, and in the preva- lence of personal pride and overbear- ing. 7. Tlie angel of the Lord — of Jelw- 'cah. This is the first occurrence of this remarkable title in the Old Tes- tament. It is found thirty-three times besides, and plainly designates the Angel of the Covenant — the Sec- ond Person of the Blessed Trinity — the Lord Jesus Christ — as tLe cove- nant name of God is Jcuovah. He is the same ^L^ appeared to Moses out of the bush, Exod. 3 : 2, 4, " the Messenger of the covenant" — the Mediator in all the relations of God to the world, who appeared to men under the Old Testament, and di- rected the whole visible theocracy, See ch. 16 : 7, 11, 13 ; 18 : 14, 17 19 : 24 ; 21 : 17, 18 ; 22 : 11, 13, 14 31 : 11, 13 ; 32 : 25-30 ; 48 : 15, 16 Exod. 3:2, 4, 6, 14-16 ; 23 : 20-23 32 : 34 ; 33 : 14, 15 ; Josh. 5 : 14 : 6:2; Judg. 6 : 11, 14, 15, 18, 22 13 : 3, 6, 21, 22, etc. And it will be seen that the title is used inter- changeably with that of Jehovah. See also Zech. 1 : 11, 12 ; 3 : 1, 5, 6 ; 12 : 8, where the angel of the Lord will be seen to be quite a different personage from " the interpreting an- gel." The title is employed to de- note Jehovah as manifested in visi- ble, personal form among men. See Exod. 23 : 21. And Jehovah is spo- ken of as a distinct person from the angel of the Lord, who is also called the Lord (Jehovah.) The phraseolo- gy indicates to us a certain inherent plurality within the essence of the one only God, of which we have had previous indications, (ch. 1 : 1, 26 ; 3 : 22.) It would seem to denote the revealer of the Godhead in angelic form. In this paragraph " the angel of Jehovah" is called "Jehovah," vs. 13. And he appears in such ca- pacities of predicting and promising as belongs to God alone. ^ By the fountain on the way to Shnr. Hagar seems to have made her way to- wards Egypt, as if aiming to return thither. Her route lay from Hebron through the wilderness of Shur^ 278 GENESIS. [B. C. 3006 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence earnest thou? and whither w^lt thou go ? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mis- tress, and q submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the Loed said unto her, ^I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multi- tude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Beliold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, ^ and shalt call his name Ish- mael ; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. q Tit. 2 : 9 ; 1 Pet 2 : 18. r ch. IT : 20 ; 21 : 18 ; 25 : 12. s ch. IT : 19 ; Matt. 1 : 21 ; Luko 1 : 13, 31. .which stretched from the southwest corner of Palestine to the head of the Red Sea. There is a caravan road through this wilderness or des- ert to this day. Plutarcli describes the road as leading through deep Band and a waterless country, about one huiidred and fifty miles, 8. Hagar, Sarai's maid. The an- gel of the covenant calls the poor wanderer by name, designates her true relation as " the maid of Sarai" and not the v/ife of Abram, and asks her questions, not for information, but for drawing out her honest re- ply. The answer was honest and definite, and she recognizes her old and true relation to her "mistress Sarai." This would indicate some softening of her spirit, left as she was to her reflection, and cast out upon that dreary desert alone, and now also met by the covenant angel, who was ready to counsel her, and to do her good. If her heart was now humbled so as to own her mis- tress, and cease her proud boasting over her, why might she not return ? She would pubably have perished on the route of weariness and thirst. 9. BetUTii. She was, doubtless, reminded that all her honor and happiness must lie in her connexion with Abram's household — that she did a great wrong to flee from such religious associations to her heathen land — that she could even rather Buffer wiong than do VvTong — that like Lot, she would bitterly rue her departure, if she had not already done it — that her expected issue had no prospect, except as being the son and heir of Abram — and that, there- fore, and on every account, she should return. ^ Submit thyself. Ileb., Humble thyself (the same term as is used in vs. 6) tinder her hands — in subjection to her, as her ser- vant— making no offensive preten- sions, and casting no reflections on account of the circumstances which had so exalted her in Abram's house. Thus Abram was to become a bles- sing to her, as to Lot, (ch. 12.) 10. The covenant angel now adds a promise, which is highly calcu- lated to encourage and cheer Hagar. It is manifest that the angel claims to be Jehovah Himself. He prom- ises here to do what Jehovah alone can perform. Heb., Multiplying 1 icill multiply thy seed. I will greatly multiply it. The promise of a vast progeny, such as Abram had thrice received. See ch. 17, 20. 11. A son. The hope of a Hebrew household lay in the son, as the rep- resentative of the family name, and the protector and perpetuator oi' the family line. A daughter was held in small estimation among the Ori- entals. ^ Ishmael. Heb., 7od toiU hear ; or, Heard of Ood. Sept., Ood hath given heed to thy affdction. It was in God's plan to increase the family of Abram in the Ishmael B. C 2006.] CHAPTER XVI. 279 12 t And he will be a wild man ; his hand icill he against every man, and every man's hand against him ; "and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. t ch. 21 : 20. u ch. 25 : 18. branch, for Abram's sake. This son \ inaelites inhabit Arabia Deserta, is to be trained in tlie family of tlie i traversing east to the Euphrates, patriarch in order to be capable of i north to Syria, west to Palestine, obtaining the measure of blessing I and south into the peninsula of Ara- reserved for him. Here is a memo- j bia Proper. They roamed every- rial in his very name of that Divine ' where in the adjacent districts. And interposition to which his life, first ' so he might be said to dwell in the and last, would be due. And wheth- j presence of (or before) all Ms brethren. er Hagar distinctly prayed to God or j Kurtz reads, To the east of all his not. He heard her groans and sighs, | brethren ; but this is not the He- and came to her relief for the cove- i brew sense. It is Al-pen'ei. The nant's sake. I term here for " dwelt " is tabernacle. 13. A icild man. Heb., A idld-ass ; He shall pitch his tent. And the man. Onk., A wild ass among men. \ meaning of the clause is — he shall Jew. Bib., A wild ass of a man. A= j follow his nomadic, roaming life, in- the wild ass delights in the freedom ! dependently of his brethren, and un- of its native deserts, and brooks no I subdued by them. His brethren restraint, so shall he be — " used to the I may mean the other branches of the wilderness, she snulFeth up the wind ' Abrahamic household — the Midian- at her pleasure," (Jer 2 : 24,) and I ites, Edomites, and Israelites ; or it " in the desert they go forth to their | may include all people. And this is work, rising betimes for a prey, the i the liistory of this wonderful people, wilderness yieldeth food for them i that they have seated themselves and for their children," (Job 24 : 5.) ! down where they have pleased, and See also Job 39 : 5, 6. These are I have not been subjugated by their the wild roaming Bedouin Arab I brethren. And their history is just- tribes of the desert, the descendants | Ij claimed as a clear confirmation of of Ishmael. ^ His hand {icill be) \ the truth of the Mosaic record. against every man, etc. Their proverb j " Every addition to our knowledge is, " In the desert every one is every \ of Arabia and its inhabitants," says one's enemy." The tribes are known j KaliscJi, " confirms more strongly as given to plunder ; and aroimd the I the Biblical statements. These Ish- Dead Sea, travellers must bargain i maelites became formidable in his- with their shiekhs at Jerusalem at I tory under the name of Saracens, so Tavich.per head, to guarantee them I They marched out to curb the world against their depredations. In such I to their dominion, and to force the case a bevy of the men — a dozen or j nations to their faith ; they inun- more — is detailed as a guard, who dated Persia, the districts east of the accompany the sheikhs to protect the | Caspian Sea and India ; they carried travellers. Our company was at- j their victorious arms into Syria and tended by such a squad' of these | Egypt, and the interior of Africa ; tawny, wiry creatures, who went i they occupied Spain and Portugal, skipping up the hiU-sides, armed I Sicily and Sardinia, and have be- with their long muskets, and often 1 yond their native tracts, ascended firing at game which they might | more than a himdred tlirones. Al- meet. The protection, purchased at i though they sent presents o* incense five dollars per head for each travel- j to Persia, and of cattle to Jehosha- ler, is never violated. These Ish- ' phat king of Judah, they were nevei 280 GENESIS. [B. C. 2000. 13 And she called tlie name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me : for she «aid, Have I also here looked after him w that seeth me ? 14 Wherefore the well was called ^ Beer-lahai-roi ; behold, it is y between Kadesh and Bered. 15^ And 2 Hagar bare Abram a son : and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, ^ Ishmael. TV ch. 31 : 42. x ch. 24 25:11. y Num. 13: z Gal. 4 : 22. a vs. 11. subjected to tlie Persian empire. They are expressly mentioned as in- ! dependent allies. Nor had the As- syrian and Babylonian kings more than transitory power over small portions of their tribes. Here the ambition of Alexander the great and of his successors received an in- superable check, and a Roman ex- pedition in the time of Augustus totally failed. The Bedouins have remained essentially unaltered since the times of the Hebrews and the Greeks." These Arab tribes justify their robberies by referring to the treatment of their ancestor Ishmael, and his wilderness heritage, ,as though he had free permission to seize all he could find there. 13. Name of the Lord. Heb., Tlie name of Jehovah. *^ Thoit God seest me. Heb., Thou (art a) God of see- ing— of vision — or of Disihility — who reveaUst thyself. As her son was to be called, The Lord hath heard — or Heard of God, so here she calls the nojrrie of Jehovah who spake with her (the covenant angel) Thou God of vision. God sees as well as hears, or shoiDS Himself — like " Peniel — the face of God/' (ch. 32 : 30.) The idea, most probably, is. Thou art a God that graciously revealest thyself *' In the mount the Lord shall be seen." *[[ Looked. The idea is hero exjjressed which prompted the name. Heb., Have lindeedhere seen after the vision ; or, The hack paints of my seer — of Him who saw me. See Exod. 33 : 23. In Exod. 33 : 20, God de- clared to Moses that " no man should see His face ali ve." And it was only His back that He would show him. And this may express a similar sen- timent— either of surprise at having seen God, and survived the sight, or at having been permitted to see even the hidings of Himself. Ge- senius, Tuch, Knobel, etc. take the former view. Sept., For I have plainly seen Him that appeared unto me. Syr., Behold 1 have seen a vis- ion after He saw me. Benisch ; Bo 1 even still see (live) after seeing (God ?) So Gesenius ; Bo I then here see (live) also after the visian (to wit, of God.) The term rendered " here," (says Ge- senius in his Thesaurus,) " properly means a striking of the foot on the ground, as indicating the source whence the speaker sprung. 14. WJierefore the well. Heb., One called (to) the well. (Every one — • people called it) it was called. The well of a living one seeing (God.) TJw ivell of one seeing (God) and living — Benisch, Or, Th e well of the living one, my Seer. Or, The fountain of the living who hcholds me. — Kurtz. Or, " Well of life of vision, i. e., of life after a vision of God," (Judg. 6 : 22.) The site of this well has lately been discovered. Its present name is Mai-lahhi - Hagar — {Mai meaning water, as Beer means 2oell.) It lies about twelve miles from Kadesh, on the great road from Beersheba to Jebel es Sar. Near it is a ruin, now called Beit Hagar (house of Hagar) — Williayns' Holy City. Throughout the patriarchal history this naming of localities by such significant, memorial names is common and interesting. Such a well or stone was a traditional remembrancer of great religious events, calcu- B. 0. 1994.] CHAPTER XVII. 281 16 And Abram icas fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. CHAPTER XVII. AND when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord ^ appeared to Abram, and said' unto him, ^ I am the Almigh- ty God ; ^ walk before me, and be thou ^ perfect. a ch. 12 : 1. b ch. 28 : 3 ; 2 : 4 ; 8 : 25 ; 2 Kings 20 : : 35 ; 11 ; Exod. 6:3; Deut. 10 : IT. . d ch. 0 : 9 ; Deut. 18 : 13 ; Job. 1 cch. 5:22; 48:15; 1 Kings 1 ; Matt. 5 : 48. lated to preserve the history, aud hand it down, instead of books and records. 15, 16. Fourscore and six. Heb., The son of fourscore and six years. Ha- gar returned into the honse of Abram, to whom she communicated the Di- vine vision. Here the prophecy of the angel was realized. She bore a son, who was called Ishmael. But the text states, with a marked dis- tinctness, that she bare this son to Abram, and that Abram gave him the name Ishmael. The patriarch believed that this son of Hagar was the promised and long-desired oflp- spring, through whom he was to be a blessing to later generations. He was, therefore, anxious to mark him as his son ; and he did this by giv- ing him the name appointed by the angel. See Kalisch. But the patri- arch must wait yet fourteen years before the son of promise — the cove- nant son Isaac — shall be granted to him. Then also Ishmael is cast out with bis mother at the stern de- mand of Sarai, but is met again and saved from a death in the wilder- ness by the same angel of the cove- nant, (ch. 21.) CHAPTER XVII. § 38. Second Stage of the Cove- nant— Covenant Sealed — Cir- cumcision— Abraham, Sarah. The time is now at hand when the covenant son is to be born to Abram and Sarai. Thirteen years the patriarch has waited since Jeho- vah last appeared to him, and his faith that was " counted to him for righteousness " has been undergoing a severe but silent test. It now ap- pears that the natural defect which Sarai had planned to relieve by the substitution of Hagar in her stead, was to be met, not by that carnal expedient, but by the almighty power of God. That v/hich could not be reached by nature was to be secured by 'promise, in the miracu- lous seed, thus pointing forward to Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore the time has come when, after having first allowed the unbelieving spirit to make proof of human expedients (1 Cor. 1 : 20), God wiU show Him- self again, and place the fulfilment on the basis of the promise alone, (Gal. 3 : 18.) The covenant, there- fore, must now be solemnly and for- mally SEALED. Abram can as yet see no prospect of the fulfilment, except in the person of Ishmael (vs. 18.) But God assures him that " in Isaac shall thy seed be called," vs. 19, 21 ; while Ishmael should not be overlooked. This may be regarded as the second stage of the covenant. 1. Ninety and nine years old. Heb., Son of ninety and nine years. This was thirteen years after Ish- mael's birth, when the record is careful to fix his age at eighty-six years, ch. IG : 16, thus keeping in view the several stages of the patri- arch's history under the special treat ment of his covenant God. ^ Tlie Lord appeared. Heb., Jehovah. Al. ready Jehovah, the covenant God, had appeared thrice to Abram : first, GENESIS. [B. C. 1994 2 And I will make my covenant between me and tbee, and ^ will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abrara ffell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, e ch. 12 : 2 ; 13 : 16 ; 22 : 17. f vs. 17. to simply assure him that he should be blessed, and become a blessing (ch. 12 : 7) ; second, to promise to him a numerous progeny, as the dust of the earth (ch. 13 : 16) ; third, to repeat this assurance, and to liken the numher of his seed to the stars of heaven (ch. 15 : 5.) The third vision was confirmed by a solemn ceremony of sacrifice, in which God appeared, as the sole contracting party, granting to Abram uncondi- tionally the covenant blessings, with- out requiring anything on his part. Now, however, Abram is to enter into the solemn covenant stipula- tions, and to receive " the sign and seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircum- cised," (Rom. 4 : 11.) In the pre- vious form or stage of the cove- nant, the blessing was chiefly that of the land ; in this stage it is of the seed. And tliis may be regarded as a first step taken in the fulfilment. Accordingly, new names are now to be given to Abram and Sarai, which is significant of a new state of things, and a new character and career. •IF Tlio Almighty God. Heb., El 8haddai. This is the name which expresses God's almightiness, and by which He says He was known to the patriarchs, rather than by the cove- nant name " Jehovah," (Esod. 6 : 3.) This name is found six times in Genesis, and thirty-one times in the book of Job. El means strong, un- shaken, absolute ; Shaddai, the Un- cliangeahU, Invincible. This com- pound name, in both parts, expres- ses the Divine majesty and all-suf- ficiency, and impresses us with His sover(!ign ability to perform all that He har promised. T[ Walk before me. At the former stage the ad- dress was. Fem' not, as an encour- agement to the timid. Here it is something fui-ther — a direction foi the conduct. The one is rather nega- tive, the other positive. " Trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Enoch and Noah walk- ed with God, and were perfect in their generations. To iDolk before Ood, is to " set the Lord always be- fore one's face," to walk, " as seeing Him who is invisible," to " walk in the light of the Lord." ^ ^nd be thou perfect. Not merely honest and sincere, but holy, for God is holy ; and holy as God is holy, God can require nothing less than a per feet obedience, else His law would be imperfect, and would allow of sin. See ch. 5 : 24 ; 6:9, notes. There is a hint here that Abram should aim at a steadfast devotedness to God, relying fully on His word, and not trusting in carnal expedients. " The foundation of the Divine calling is a gratuitous promise. But it follows immediately after, that they whom He has chosen as a peculiar people to Himself should devote themselves to the righteousness of God," (Rom. 6 : IZ.)— Calvin. 2. 1 will make my covenant. This is not the term for making a cove- nant at the outset, which is in the Heb., to cut a covenant, (see ch. 15 : 18.) But the verb means, I Avill grant, or fix — establish my covenant — already formally expressed. Here it was to be sealed, and thus far executed as an instrument already signed by God in the former transaction, but now to receive His confirmatory SEAL. *1[ Multiply thee exceedingly Here the covenant blessing is tho seed, which is a higher and further stipulation than that of the land. 3. Fell on his face. This shows B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVII. 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is Avith thee, and thou shalt be ? a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram ; but ^ thy name shall be Abraham \ i for a father of many nations have 1 made Ihee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make t nations of thee ; and ^ kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will ^ establish my covenant between me and thee, g Rom. 4 : 11, 1-2, IG. h Neh. 9:7. i Rom. 4 : 17. Matt. 1 : 6, etc. m Gal. 3 : 17. kch. 35:11. 1 vs. 10 ; ch. 85:11; how profoundly impressed the pa- triarcli had now become with God's Borereign majesty. This oriental prostration is still the attitude in religious worship — to fall on the hands and knees, and almost touch the ground with the forehead. ^ And God talked with Jiim. Heb., &pake idth Mm. 4. God here repeats the great, high covenant grant. •[ As for me. This is on His x^art. From vs. 9 He pass- es to Abram's part. God first en- gages Himself to us, and then calls on us to engage ourselves to Him. A covenant supposes two parties. But this is a covenant of grace, and therefore not a bargain as between men, but a stipulation and a Gospel command on the basis of all that God has already promised to us. Heb., /, lo my covenant is icith thee, and thou shalt become a father of many nations. God here lays stress upon the Gospel fact that His cove- nant of grace is the foundation of all his hopes. Were it not that God's covenant is with Abram, he would have nothing to expect. ^ Many nations. This is, first of all, to be literally granted, that from Abram, BO long waiting for family issue, many people and nations should spring forth. And it is also, and in a higher sense, to be spiritually real- ized— in a vast accession of believ- ing children to the household of faith. In him all families of the earth should yet be blessed. See Gal. 3 : 8. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen thrrugh faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abram, saying. In thee shall all nations be blessed. 5. Here follows the significant change of name. Abram means high father, or father of exaltation. In the new name the letter jff is in- serted from a word meaning multi- tude, and so it comes to mean father of multitude, (Rev. 2 : 17.) The new name was understood to indicate a new stadium in his history, and a new era in his "career, comporting with the name itself. So the name Jacob was changed to that of " Is- rael," meaning P retailer, in memory of the triumphant wrestling with the angel of the covenant, and as a gra- cious intimation of his future suc- cesses in prayer. So also the name Cephas was changed to Peter, and the sons of Zebedee were called Boanerges, all significant of what they were to be and do. *,[ / have made thee. Heb., / have given thee, given thee to he, or appointed, consti- tuted thee. 6. Kings shall come out of thee. Literally, the twelve chiefs of the tribes — the kings of Judah and Is- rael— the dukes of Edom — the Sara- cen kings in Asia and Africa. And especially is this to be fulfilled in the church — that all kings shall bow down before the Messiah — the seed of Abraham — and that all the faithful seed of Abraham shall be made priests and kings unto God, (Rev. 1 : 6.) 7. And thy seed after thee. The Abrahamic covenant includes the seed of the parent along with him- self. "Now to Abraham and his seed w<^re the promises made." Tha 284 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. and thy seod after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant ; » to be a God unto thee, and to ° thy seed after thee. 8 And P I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land 1 wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession ; and ''I will be their God. 9 ^ And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my cove- nant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee, in their genera- tions. n ch. 26 : 24 ; 28 : 13 ; Heb. 11 : 16. o Rom. 9:8. p ch. 12 : T; 13 : 15; Psa. 105 : 9, 11 q ch. 23 : 4 ; 28 : 4. r Exod. 6:7; Lev. 26 : 12 : Deut. 4 : 37 ; 14 : 2 ; 26 : 18 ; 29 : 13. great chief personage contemplated in the seed is Jesus. " He saith not, And to seeds as of many, but as of one ; and to thy seed, which is Christ," (Gal. 3 : 16.) But the seed does also include all who are in Christ. " So then they which be of faith are blessed witli faithful Abraham, (Gal. 3:9.) This house- hold feature of the covenant is per- petual. It was from the beginning the plan of God to propagate His church by means of a pious posteri- ty; and in His covenant provision, He is pleased to compass in His arms of love not only the parent, but the infant children also. This was definitely fixed by the very terms of the covenant, and in the very form of the covenant seal. And it has thus always been a fea- ture of the church. And it comes down to us under the New Testa- ment dispensation : " And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs , according to the promise. For the promise is unto you, and to your children," (Gal. 3 : 29; Acts 2 : 39.) The seed of Abram according to the flesh — the Jewish people — has great promises as a people, (Rom. 4.) ^ All everlasting covenant. By this large term, the perpetuity of the en- gagement is signified — looking even beyond the earthly generations. The covenant can never fail. So the apostle calls it " an everlasting covenant," Heb. 13 : 20, and its blessings are everlasting. ^ To be a God unto thee. There can be no higher grant than this, that God be « God to us — to give Himself to us — to put all His attributes and re- sources under contribution for our highest good. And this is not to us alone, but to our seed after us, ac- cording to the terms of this cove, nant. (1.) This Abrahamic cove- nant is a covenant of grace. (2.) The church was represented by Abraham and his house — God's cho- sen ones — and he the father of the faithful, believing ones. (3.) The Abrahamic covenant — that is, the covenant of grace, is still in opera- tion, and we live under the new dis- pensation of it, where there is only a more spiritual unfolding and ad- ministration of its benefits with more spiritual seals, suitable to the new economy. 8. Here follows a repetition of the land-grant — the earthly Canaan — to Abraham and his natural seed, and the heavenly Canaan to Abraham and his spiritual seed. The natural seed of Abraham have this title to Canaan, which is not vitiated by their exclu sion from it, and which they may yet literally possess, though nothing is said of this in the New Testa- ment ; and it could, at any rate, be only an inferior item in the cove- nant grant. " The meek shall in- herit the earth." Here "the tem- poral and spiritual are brought to gether. They are to have the prom- ised land for their perpetual heri- tage, and God i& to be their God. As " an everlasting possession," the reference is to the heavenly Canaan. 9. Here God passes to impose upon Abraham the corresponding covenant obligations. It is part ol B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVII. 285 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee ; » Every man-child among you shall be circumcised. .8 Acts 7 : 8. God's grace to us sinners tliat He does not leave us to ourselves, but binds us fast to Himself by gracious and holy obligations. We are to recognize such obligation as a privi- lege. Family religion is liere en- joined, and it is enforced by all the terms of the household covenant. The parent who finds his children cared for, and required by God in His service, and provided for by His grace, will surely find a motive to cultivate family piety. 10. "God inscribes His covenant in the flesh of Abraham," — Calvin. ^ My covenant. The sign or sacra- ment is here called the covenant, because it exhibits the covenant promise, and it is the seal set upon the covenant, which makes the cove- nant good, and so far executes it. The covenant stipulation or agree- ment is, " Every man-child among you shall be circumcised." So in the Lord's Supper the' cup is called the New Testament in Jesus' blood, (Luke 23 : 19, 20.) The apostle in- forms us of the true nature of this ordinance, and thus of a sacrament, as such, that it is a dgn and seal, in the passage in Romans which refers to this transaction : " And he re- ceived the sign of circumcision, the SEAL of the righteousness of the faith which he had, being yet uncir- cumcised," (Rom. 4 : 11.) It is an out- ward sign of an inward grace, and a seal also, whereby the signature is formally attested and authenticated. As in a deed or instrument of con- veyance, there is first the signature, and Then the seal which confirms it, and in so far executes the instru- ment. But it iiceds also beyond tha.t, to be delivered. And this calls for the hand of faith. ^ Circum- cised. It has been contended by some, partly on the ground of a statement in Herodotus, that cir- cumcision was derived from the Egyptians. But even if it had been practised among them, this would not hinder its being employed by God as a sacred rite, for sealing His covenant. The presumption, how- ever, is, that it was not practised among other nations generally, as it was meant to be distinctive, and to set a mark upon the Hebrew people, sepa- rating them from others as the Lord's. It was the badge of nationality, as well as a sacramental rite, " a token of the covenant between God and the people," (vs. 11.) It is said to have iDcen in use among the Ethiopians, Phenicians, and South Sea Islan- ders ; but it is questionable whether it was the same rite, and it may have been derived from the Hebrews by tradition. And if, as is main- tained by some, it was practised among the Egyptians before the time of Joseph, there is here no copying of Pagan institutes, but an adoption of the rite for important reasons, and in new connexions, pointing to God and holiness. It is plain that it was not in use among the Egyptians in any such connex ion, as here ; though it is said that it was there known as a sacred rite, practised only among those who were admitted to the mysteries, and also that it was confined to the priestly order. If this be so, then the Israelites would understand from its adoption in their case, that they were a kingdom oi priests, which was the truth which God would urge upon them, (Exod. 19 : 6.) Yet it would seem that as this rite was enjoined upon Abraham about twen- ty years after coming out of Egypt, many whom he is now enjoined to circumcise (having come up with him out of Egypt) would already GENESIS. LB. C. i994. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foieskin; aud it shall be *a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. t ActsT: 8; Eom. 4: 11. have been circumcised there or since by their Egyptian parents. Besides, Pharaoh and all his multitudes are spoken of as undrcurndsed, (Ezek. 31 : 18.) This matters little, how- ever. God could appoint the rain- bow for a sign of His covenant to Noah, even though it may have ap- peared in the cloud before. And so He could appoint this rite for His covenant seal, even though other nations had used it, or something like it, in other connexions. The idea expressed in circumcision was, (1.) To mark Israel as a seed of promise, and through them to point to the coming One — the seed, which is Christ. (2.) To point to Him as the miraculous seed, who does not, and cannot come by natural generation, because of the natural corruption which is here intimated. (3.) It im- plies that by this badge of the cove- nant, one's life and his generations may be regarded as the Lord's, dedi- cated to him, "bearing in his body the marks" of the dedication, so that in all his earthly relations he is to remove the impurity, and circum- cise the foreskin of his heart. Lev. 26 : 41 ; Deut. 10 : 16 ; 30 : 6 ; Jer. 4:4; 9 : 25, and present the body, a sacrifice of the life, holy, acceptable to God. It was thus of the same general import as the New Testa- ment seal of baptism. It was a put- ting off of the impurities of the car- nal nature, and thus denoted sancti- Ocation at the seat and fountain of manhood. Flesh-mortifying — was also set forth — repentance. And while it signified that everything which is born of man is polluted, it also showed that salvation would proceed from the blessed seed of Ah^eoXidim, " which is Christ," (Gal. 3 : 16.) As a sign, then, it is in- tended to set forth such truths as these, of repentance, and flesh-mor- tifying and santification, and devote- ment to God ; and also the higher truth of the seed of promise which Israel was to become, and the mirac- ulous seed, which was Christ. And as a seal, it was to authenticate God's signature, and confirm Hia word of covenant promise, and exe- cute the covenant on God's part, making a conveyance of the bless- ings to those who set their hand to this seal by faith. In the case of the children of believers, the bless- ing was to be granted to them on the faith of the parents ; and it might be expected, in the very act of performing upon them the pain- ful rite which marked them in their flesh, as the Lord's. Under the New Testament economy of the same covenant of grace — after " the seed " had come — the seal is more adapted to the more spiritual dispensation, but it is of the same general import as regards dedication and regenera- tion and sanctification. It is now significant of hirth, generation, but of the higher birth — -from above — of the spirit — regeneration — in order to entrance into the church or king- dom of God. It now marks the pro- fessed believers and their seed by this ordinance of the visible church. And so it is a seal of the same house- hold covenant. As such it was prac- tised by the apostles in the early church. Acts 16 : 33, the jailer " was baptized, he, and all his, straight- way." Acts 16 : 15, Lydia was bap- tized, and her household, while cir- cumcision was set aside as not bind- ing upon Gentile converts, (Acts 15 : 24, 28, 29.) 11. A token. Heb., {A sacramen- tal) sign, setting forth the truth con- veyed in the covenant, and a badge also of the nationality of the cove- nant people. " It is worthy of re- mark, that in circumcision (after Abraham himself) the parent is the voluntary imponent, and the child B. 0. 1991J CHAPTER XVII. 287 12 And he that is eight days old ^ shall be circumcised among you, every man-child in your generf^tions, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thine house, and he that is bought with u Lev. 12 ; 3 ; Luke 2 : 21 ; John 7 : 22 ; Phil. 3 : 5. merely the passive recipient of tlie sign of the covenant. Hereby is taught the lesson of parental respon- sibility and parental hope. This is the first formal step in a godly edu- cation, in which the parent acknowl- edges his obligation to perform all the rest. It is also, on the com- mand of God, the formal admission of the believing parent's offspring into the privileges of the covenanti, and cheers the heart of the parent in entering upon the parental task. This admission cannot be reversed but by the deliberate rebellion of the child. Still farther, the sign of the covenant is to be applied to every male in the household of Abraham. This indicates that the servant or serf stands in the relation of a child to his master or owner, who is therefore accountable for the soul of his serf as for that of his son. It points out the applicability of the covenant to others, as well as the children of Abraham, and therefore its capability of universal extension when the fulness of time should come." — MurpJiy. 12. Eight days old. Heb., 8on of eight days. The time is here speci- fied. It is significant. It was after a week's round, when a new period was begun, and thus it was indica- tive of starting anew upon a new life. The seventh day was a sacred day. And this period of seven days was a sacred period, so that with the eighth day a new cycle was com- menced. Besides the eighth day, and the day after the Sabbath-day was also sacred, in other connexions, as foreshadowing the Christian Sab- bath. The old Sabbath was the last day of the week, signifying that we caa rest, under the law, only after our work is done, and our obedience rendered. But the eighth-day Sab- bath, the first day of the new week, signifies that we are first to rest in Ciirist, and then go forth to our work. Mark the language, "After eight days," (John 20 : 26.) This rite was to be performed on the eighth day after birth, even though the day came on a Sabbath. All creatures newly born were regarded as unclean for seven days, and might not sooner be ofiered to God, (I^ev. 12 : 2, 3 ; 22 : 27.) Under the old cove- nant, as everything pointed forward to Christ the God-man — Son of man — so every offering was to be a male, and every covenant rite was proper- ly enough confined to the males. The females were regarded as acting in them, and represented by them. Under the New Testament this dis- tinction is not appropriate. It is not ''male and female" (Gal, 3 : 28 ; Col. 3 : 11.) ^ Born in the house. Here the rite is enjoined in case of household servants or slaves who were horn in the house — a class often so described, (vs. 13.) The last phrase qualifies the whole fore- going. The Heb. reads, " And a son of eight days shall be circumcised to you. Every man-child in your gen- erations— the one born in the house — and the purchase of (silver) money — of every son of a stranger who is not of thy seed " — showing that those " born in the house " refer to such as were not their own children, but " of strangers." 13, Must needs he. Heb,. ShaJl he. Here this injunction as to horwx-Bitold slaves — born in the house, or pur- chased— is repeated, for it needed to be impressed upon them, and it might else be omitted. But it was a soecial 288 GENESIS. fB. C. 1994 thy money, must needs be circumcised : and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man-child, whose flesh of his fore- skin is not circumcised, that soul ^ shall be cut ofi" from his peo- ple ; he hath broken my covenant. w Exod. 4 : 24. feature of God's plan to show all along to the Hebrews that this par- ticularism which chose them from other nations, and separated them to God as His covenant people, was in order to universality, and to an extension of the covenant blessmgs to all people. 14. Here follows the penalty of neglect in this covenant rite. ^ That soul. Heb., TJiat person. The Sept. and Sam. add, " on the eighth day." So far as parents were concerned, this penalty would lead them to carefully observe this rite for their children's sake. This motive is also urged under the Gospel. " Kepent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, etc., for the promise is unto you and to your children," (Acts 2, 39.) Parents are exhorted to repent and come into the church for their children's sake, because they are admitted to a share in the covenant blessing. Neither circumcision nor baptism is a saving ordinance. Nothing, of course, is here said of children perishing for lack of baptism under the New Tes- tament, though the plain duty of the Christian parent is to have the child designated and acknowledged as one of the visible membership, and entitled to this high privilege. There is neither hereditary regen- eration nor baptismal regeneration anywhere taught in the Scripture. But the parent has strong encour- agements to Christian fidelity, and God binds Himself especially to bless the means that Christian parents use for their children's salvation. ^ Gut off from among 7iis people. This phrase, first of all, riieans exclu- sion from the covenant membership and treatment as a Gentile or alien. This was sometimes accompanied with the sentence of death, (Exod. 31 : 14.) In the Vv^ilderness the Is- raelites seem to have omitted the ordinance, as being themselves under a temporary suspension of covenant relations, and the omission was vis- ited wdth special Divine chastise- ments. Num. 14 : 22-34 ; Josh. 5 : 5, 6. See Lev. 17 : 10, where the phrase seems to refer to temporal death. Compare Exod. 31 : 14. The phrase is used about twenty times in this sense. This punishment is often de- nounced against the most grievious crimes under the law. It signifies that all the evil should overtake the transgressor, from which, through God's covenant, he was defended. It was open to every one to become his accuser and procure his death. And even if he escaped this, he lived in continual fear that God might, in some immediate manner, bring the punishment upon him, (Exod. 4 : 24.) Hence we find that in the case of some this threatening was followed by death, (Num. 15 : 30, 31.) Some of the Jewish authors understand this phrase to include even a tempo- ral and eternal damnation. Some greatly mistake who think they can, with impunity, neglect the sacra- ment either of baptism, or of the Lord's Supper, and what Christ has appointed for our strengthening and salvation, how can we neglect, and prosper "With the mouth con- fession is made unto salvation." ^ Broken my covenant. Chald., Hath made void my covenant. . Sept., Hath {s^Mtered) frustrated my cove- nant. 15. Sarai. The etymology of this name is not clear. It is commonly understood to mean "my Princess," B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XYII. 15 ^ And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt tiot call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name he. 16 And I will bless her, ^ and give thee a son also of her : yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother Y of nations ; kings of people shall be of her, 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, ^and laughed, and said in his heart. Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old ? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear ? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee ! X ch. 18 : 10. y ch. 35 : 11 ; Gal. 4 : 31 ; 1 Pet. 3 z ch. IS : 12 ; 21 : 6. and Sarah "Princess," in general. Ewald takes it to be an adjective form meaning contentious. Fiirst renders it tyrannical. Kurtz agrees with. Iken, that it means nobility ; wliile Sarah means to be fruitful. This agrees with the context, vs. 16, " She shall become nations." The Or. has it Sarra. Some make the final h to mean here the same as in the name KbroJiara. — a multitude — and so it would mean princess of a multitude. " God gives the name before the thing signified, as a sup- port to weak faith." 16. A son also of her. This was the first positive declaration of Sa- rah's part in the covenant as mother of the promised seed. So she is to become the mother of nations and of kings. This assurance was contrary to all their expectations, and to all natural prospects. It was therefore a challenge for their faith in the simple word of promise. "Against hope Abram believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations," etc., (Rom. 4 : 18, 19.) It was not fit that the mother of the covenant people, who was to teach His name and to propagate His re- ligion, should be a foreign-born maid like Hagar. •[[ She sJiall be. Heb., She shall become nations. Gr., He shall be. See vs. 6. The bond- maid was not the proper one to be the mother of the covenant seed. God would extend her preeminence far and wide, which in lier former name had been restricted. 17. Abraham, who at first had fallen upon his face in devout reverence and awe of GFod's majesty, now falls on his face in mingled adoration, as- tonishment, and joy. ' Onk., Rejoiced. Targ. Jer., Marvelled. See Psa. 126:1, 2; Job 8: 21. Seech. 18:12, 13. Th-e son was called "Isaac,'* 'meaning " laughter") vs. 19, by Hi- vine direction. The context shows that there was here nothing like contempt or derision of God's word, but quite the contrary. " Shall it be so indeed." Can this be ? This that was only too good to be thought of, and too blessed a consummation of all his ancient hopes, to be now at this late day so distinctly assured to him by God Himself. Yet it would not be wonderful if he also in his laughter exjn-essed a hidden doubt of what seemed in itself so absurd, so ridiculous in its more natural as- pects. And if so, then we can also understand his meaning in the en- suing passage. 18. 0 that Ishmael. As if he yet cleaved to Ishmael, whom he had already in hand, and would be con- tent if he could enjoy the Divine favor as the covenant son. Doubt- less, he had rested his hope of the promise very much upon this son of the bondwoman, and had become used to the idea that the blessings of the covenant were to come through him. Or, it may be that he sees in this promise of a new son and heir only a rejection of Ishmael, so that his first feehng after the surprise is 390 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994 19 And God said, ^Surfih thy wife shall bear thee a son in- deed ; and thou shalt call his name Isaac : and I will establish m/ covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and ^ will multiply him exceedingly : ^ twelve princes shall he beget, ^ and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, ® which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23 ^ And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were a ch. 18 : 10 ; 21 : 2 ; Gal.-4 : 28. b ch. 16 : 10. c ch. 25 : 12-16. d ch. 21 : 18. e ch. 21:2. to plead for him. 1" Live before thee. Be a sharer in the Divine favor and ia the covenant blessings, and not be cast off. This is a natural out- burst of parental anxiety. All the greater, perhaps, as he seemed the unfortunate son. 19. Indeed. Heb., Va« But in- deed. An emphatic term, as if to deny the contrary thought, couched, perhaps, in Abraham's plea for Ish- mael. " You need not doubt it. In- deed, on the contrary, Sarah is bear- ing thee a son." ^ Isaac. Heb., Laughter. Referring to the laugh of Abraham as more of joy than of incredulity. *![ My covenant. This was to be the covenant son — the son of promise — the type of Christ — the channel of blessing to the. nations. As it is written, " In Isaac shall thy seed be called," (Rom. 9 : 7.) 20. As for Ishmael. Meanwhile Ishmael should not be cut off. God's covenant with Isaac should not lead to the rejection and exclusion of Ish- mael. He should also enjoy the Di- vine favor. Abraham's prayer for him was heard. His blessings were to be chiefly temporal. He should become great and powerful — occupy large districts ; twelve princes should descend from him — as twelve from Jacob (ch. 25 : 12-16) and tlie di-ead of his name should inspire respect and fear. But the salvation of man- kind was to proceed not in the chan- nel of earthly conquest and gran- deur, but of spiritual gifts. 21. But. The higher distinction and stipulation is reserved for Isaac, the son of the free woman — the cov- enant son — the son of promise. His blessings should be preeminent, as the channel of blessing to all nations, while Ishmael should be a marauder and despoiler of all. " In Isaac shall thy seed be called." He is the son of the house, the other is the ser- vant. He is the type of the regen- erate— born of God — type of the evangelical, as distinct from the other, the legal. He is the son given by promise, not coming by nature. And he is also the type of the miraculous seed, which is Christ, (Gal. 4:27-29.) ^ This set time. This time next year. See ch. 21 : 2. 22. God went up. Chal., The glory of the Lord went up. The shekinah — the symbol of the visible presence of God. But the Heb. expresses the fact that God was personally pres- ent, revealing Himself in some visi- ble form, (vs. 1.) 23. Abram's obedience to God'a inj mictions, and his observance of the sacramental ordinance, is now recorded. (1.) He did it thoroughly and fully, omitting none of aU his B. C. 1994.J CHAPTER XVII. born in Ms house, ana all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house ; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, in the self-same day, as God had said unto him. 24 And Abraham teas ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son icas thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the self-same day was Abraham circumcised, and Ish- mael his son ; 27 And fall the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. f ch. 18 : 19! house. Every male among them — his children and servants all imder his roof, (vs. 23.) (2.) He observed the rite in his own person, not mak- ing it a duty for others and for all bu* himself, but including himself with the others. And this he did at his advanced age, when he was nearly a hundred years old, (vs. 24.) Aged piety is beautiful, and has the Divine blessing in large measure. (3.) He commanded his children and his household after him, that they might keep the way of the Lord, (Gen. 18 : 19.) This boy of thirteen years of age, poor Ishmael, might have claimed to judge for him- self, if he had been so trained as to i)e left to himself. This is the age at which a boy became a son of the law, and was regarded as of age to take the sacrament of the pass- over — twelve to thirteen years of age. Jesus went up to the i^assover at twelve. Ishmael was now thir- teen. Children, when they come to such years of discretion, should be taught their duty in regard to as- Buming sacramental obligations, and coming forward to the full benefits of the Christian church, (vs. 25.) (4.) It was a household dedication. The aged patriarch and the youth- ful son, and all the men-servants, no matter how they came into the household, were thus marked as sharers in the covenant, and the pa- triarch's house was stamped in theii very flesh as the Lord's, (vss. 26, 27.) Domestic piety is beautiful. The passover and circumcision were both of them household seals, and so are baptism and . the Lord's Supper. Everywhere there are the simple elements — a little bread and wine, and a little water — and what doth hinder ? (Acts 8 : 36.) And God is faithful. Christ is the Head of His house, as the covenant Son in whom we have all blessings. Pa- rental fidelity God covenants to bless. " For I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham all that He hath promised," (ch. 18 : 19.) APPENDIX. The recent work of Keil and De- lUzsch, on the Pentateuch, has fallen into the hands of the author since the foregoing pages were written, as also certain other late productions ; from which a few supplementary NOTES are here appended, without burdening the running comments, and too valuable to be omitted. INTRODUCTION. On the important point of the Mosaic authorship, it is argued sum- marily thus : " The five Books of Moses occupy the first place in the Canon of the Old Testament, not only from their peculiar character as the foundation and norm of all the rest, but also be- cause of their actual date, as being the oldest writings in the Canon, and the groundwork of the whole of the Old Testament literature — all the historical, prophetical, and poetical works of the Israelites subsequent to the Mosaic era, pointing back to the law of Moses as their primary source and type, and assuming the existence, not merely of the law it- self, but also of a book of the law, of precisely the character and form of the five Books of Moses." 2. " The internal character of the book is in perfect harmony with this indisputable fact that the Pentateuch is as certainly presupposed by the whole of the post-Mosaic history as the root is by the tree. For it can- not be shown to bear any traces of post-Mosaic times and circumstances. On the contrary, it has the evident stamp of Mosaic origin, both in substance and in style. All that has been adduced as proof of the contrary by the so-called modern criticism, is founded either upon misunderstanding and misinterpre- tation, or upon a misapprehension of the peculiarities of the Semitic style of historical writing, or, lastly, upon doctrinal prejudices, in other words, upon a repudiation of all the super- natural characteristics of Divine rev- elation, whether in the form of mir- acle or prophecy. The Pentateuch answers all the expectations which a study of the personal character of Moses could lead us justly to form of any work composed by him. In him the patriarchal age terminated, and the period of the law began — conse- quently we expect to find him as a sacred historian, linking the existing revelation with its patriarchal and primitive antecedents. As a media- tor of the law he was a prophet, and we expect from him therefore an in- comparable prophetic insight into the ways of God, in both past and future. He was learmed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians — and a work from his hand would therefore" show, in various intelligent allusions to Egyptian customs, laws and inci- dents, the well educated native of that land ; Gen. 40 : 16 ; 41 : 14 ; 44 : 5 ; 50:3, 3, 26; Exod. 2':3; 7 : 8 to 10 : 23 ; 22 : 19 ; Lev. 18 : 23 ; 20 : 15, 16 ; Numb. 13 : 23 ; 11 : 5 ; Deut. 11 : 10, 11 ; 25 : 2, 3 ; 7 : 15 ; 28 : 27 ; 35 : 60. It also presents so many marks of the Mosaic age and the Mosaic spirit that it is a priori prob- able that Moses was its author. How APPENDIX. 293 admirablj, for example, was the way prepared for the revelation of God at Sinai by the revelations recorded in Genesis of the primitive and patri- archal times ! There is also the unity of plan that we might expect, and the child- like simplicity of style ; with an an- tiquated feature, which is common to all the five hooks, and distin- guishes them essentially from all the other writings of the Old Testament. There are also express statements that the Pentateuch was written by Moses himself; Exod. 17 : 14 ; 24 : 3, 4, 7 ; (see 20 : 2-17 ;) ch. 21 to 23 ; ch. 34 : 27 ; Numb. 33 : 2. It is true that these statements furnish no di- rect evidence of the Mosaic author- ship of the entire Pentateuch. But from the fact that the covenant of Sinai was to be concluded, and actu- ally was concluded, on the basis of a written record of the laws and priv- ileges of the covenant, it may be in- ferred, with tolerable certainty, that Moses committed all those laws to writing, which were to serve the people as an inviolable rule of con- duct towards God. And from the record which God commanded to be made of the two historical events already mentioned, it follows unques- tionably, that it was the intention of God that all the more important raanifcstationsof the covenant fidel- ity of Jehovah shoiild be handed down in writing in order that the people, in all time to come, might study and lay them to heart, and their fidelity be thus preserved to- wards their covenant God. That Zvioses recognised this Divine inten- tion, and for the purpose of uphold- ing the work already accomplished through his mediatorial office, com- mitted to writing, not merely the whole of the law, but the entire v^'ork of the Lord in and for Israel — in other words, that he wrote out the whole Pentateuch in the form in which it has come down to us, and handed over the work to the nation before he departed this life, that it might be preserved and obeyed, is distinctly stated at the concl:asion of the Pentateuch in Dent. 31 : 9, 24. This testimonv is confirmed by Deut. 17 : 18 ; 28 : 58, 61 ; 29 : 21 ; 30 : 10 ; 31 : 26. — Keil and Belitzsch. HISTORICAL CHARACTER OP THE PENTATEUCH. Of the reality of the Divine reve- lations, accompanied by miracles and prophecies, the Christian (i. e., the believing Christian,) has already a pledge in the miracle of regenera- tion, and the working of the Spirit in his own heart. We have here, as historical facts, the natural miracles, and the testimony of eye witnesses, ensuring their credibility, in the case of all the events of Moses' own time — that is, of all in the last four books of Moses. The legal code contained in these books is now ac- knowledged by the most naturalistic opponents of biblical revelation to have preceded from Moses, so far as its most essential elements are con- cerned ; and this is, in itself, a sim- ple confession that the Mosaic age is not a dark and mythical one, but falls within the clear light of histo- ry. The historical events of these books contain no traces of legendary transmutation, or mythical adorn- ment of the actual facts. Cases of discrepancy, vvdiicli some critics have adduced as containing proof of this, have been pronounced by others of the same theological school to be quite unfounded." — Keil and Be- UtzscJi. Tlie biblical account of the crea- tion can also vindicate its claim to be true and actual history, in the presence of the doctrines of philoso- phy, and the established results of natural science. So long, indeed, as philosophy undertakes to construct the universe from general ideas, it will be utterly unable to comprehend the creation. But ideas will never explain the existence of things. Creation is an act of the personal God, not a process of nature, the de- 294 APPENDIX. velopment of which can be traced to the laws of birth and decay that prevailed in the created world." "The bible also mentions two events of the primeval age, whose effect upon the form of the earth, and the animal and vegetable world no natural science can explain. These are, (1.) The curse pronounced upon the earth in consequence of the fall of our race, by which even the animal world was made subject to (pdopa ; (Gen. 3 : 17 ; Rom. 8 : 20 ;) and, (2.) the flood, by which the earth was submerged, even to the tops of the highest mountains, etc. " Hence, if geological doctrines do contradict the account of the crea- tion contained in Genesis, they can- not shake the credibility of the Scriptures." — Keil and DelUzsch. SOURCES. {Introduction, p. 34.) " That the hypothesis which traces the interchange of the two names of God in Genesis to diiferent docu- ments does not suffice to ex])lain the occurrence of 'Jehovah Elohim' in ch. 2 : 4 to 3 : 24, even the sup- porters of this hypothesis cannot possibly deny. Not only is God call- ed Elohim alone in the middle of this section, viz., in the address to the serpent — a clear proof that the inter- change in these names has reference to tjie difference in their significa- tions— but the use of the double name, which occurs here twenty times, though rarely met with else- where, is always significant. In the Pentateuch we only find it in Exod. 9 : 30. In the other books of tlie Old Testament in Sam. 7 : 22, 25 ; 1 Chron. 17 : 16, 17 ; 3 Chron. 6 : 41, 42 ; Ps. 84 : 8, 11 ; and Ps. 50 : 1, where the order is reversed, and in every instance it is used with pecu- liar emphasis, to give prominence to the fact that Jehovah is truly Elohim, whilst in Ps. 50 : 1, the Psalmist ad- vances from the general name El and Elohim to Jehovah, as the per- Bonal name of the God of Israel. In this section Jehovah Elohim is ex pressive of the fact that Jehovah ia God, or one with Elohim. Hence Elohim is placed after Jehovah — for the constant use of the double name is not intended to teach that Elohim, who created the world, was Jehovah, but that Jehovah, who visited man in Paradise, who punished him for the transgression of His command, but gave him promise o-f a victory over the tempter, was Elohim, the same God who created the heavens and the earth. " Jehovah, therefore, is the God of the history of salvation. This is not shown in the etymology of the name, but in its historical expression, (see ch. 12, ch. 15 : 7. The preparation for redemption commenced in Para- dise. To show this, Moses has intro- duced the name of Jehovah into the history in ch. 2, and has indicated the identity of Jehovah with Elo- him, not only by the constant asso- ciation of the two names, but also by the fact that in the heading (vs. 4,) he speaks of the creation described in ch. 1, as the work of Jehovah Elohim." — Keil and Delitzsch, pp. 75, 76. CHAPTER I. 1. Bara (in Kal.,) means always to create, and is applied only to a Divine creation — the production of that which had no existence before. It is used for the creation of maU; (vs. 27 ; ch. 5:1, 2,) and of every thing new which God creates, wheth- er in the kingdom of nature (Numb. 16 : 30.) or of grace, (Exodus 34 : 10 ; Ps. 51 : 10. 5. The first day = day one. Like the numbers of the days which follow, it is v/ithout the article, to show that the different days arose from the constant recurrence of " evening and morning." It is not till the sixth and last day that the article is used, (vs. 31,) to indi- cate the termination of the wcrk of creation upon that day. It is to be observed that the days of crea APPENDIX. tlom are bounded by the coming on of evening and morning, and they are not reckoned from evening to even- ing, but from morning to morning. They must hence be regarded not as periods of time of incalculable dura- tion of years, or thousands of years, but as simple earthly days. 26. Man is the image of God by virtue of his spiritual nature — of the breath of God by which the being formed from the dust of the earth became a living soul. The rest of the world exists through the word of God — man through His own pecu- liar breath. This breath is the seal and pledge of our relation to God, of oui' God-like dignity — and man possessed a creaturely copy of the holiness and blessedness of the Di- vine life. This concrete essence of the Divine likeness was shattered by Bin ; and it is only through Christ the brightness of the Divine glory, and the expression of His essence (Heb. 1 : 3,) that our nature is trans- formed into the image of God again, (Col. 3 : 10 ; Eph. 4 : 24.) 29. Every green herb. " According to the creative will of God men were not to slaughter animals for food, nor were animals to prey upon one another : consequently the fact which now prevails universally in nature, and the order of the world — the vio- lent and often painful destruction of life — is not a primary law of nature, nor a Divine institution founded in the creation itself, but entered the world along with death at the fall of man, and became a necessity of na- ture through the curse of sin. It was not until after the flood that men received authority from God to employ the flesh of animals, as well as the green herb, for food, (ch. 9 : 3.) And the fact, that according to the biblical view, no carnivorous animals existed at the first, may be inferred from the prophetic announcement in Isa. 11 : 6-8 ; 65 : 25. The subjection of the animal world to the bondage of corruption in consequence of the curse, may have been accompanied by a change in the organization of the animals, though natural science could neither demonstrate the fact, nor explain the process. — Keil and. Delitzsch, pp. 66, 67. CHAPTER II. 2, 3. As the six creative days, ac- cording to the words of the text, were earthly days of ordinary dura- tion, we mast understand the sev- enth in the same way ; and that all the more, because in every passage in which it is mentioned as the foun- dation of the theocratic Sabbath, it is regarded as an ordinary day ; Exod. 20 : 11 ; 31 : ll.—Keil and Delitzsch, p. 70. Verse 4 to ch. 4 : 26, gives the his- tory (" generations,") of the heavens and the earth. As in ch. 5 : 1, the creation of the universe forms the starting point to the account of the development of the human race, through the genera- tions of Adam, and is recapitulated for that reason, so here the crea- tion of the univ^erse is mentioned as the starting-point to the account of its historical development, because this account looks back to particular points in the creation itself, and de- scribes them more minutely as pre- liminaries to the subsequent course of the world. 5-25. " The creation of the plants is not alluded to here at all, but sim- ply the planting of the garden of Eden. The growing of the shrubs, and sprouting of the herbs is differ- ent from the creation, or first pro- duction of the vegetalDle kingdom, and relates to the growing and sprouting of the plants and germs which were called into existence by the creation, the natural develop- ment of the plants as it had steadily proceeded ever since the creation. This was dependent upon rain and human culture. Their creation was not. Moreover, the shrub and herb of the field do not embrace the whole of the vegetable productions of the earth. The term 'field ' forms only a part of the earth, or ground. The 296 APPENDIX shrub of the field consists of such shrubs and tree-like productions of the cultivated land as man raises for the sake of their fruit — and the herb of the field, all seed-x^roducing plants, both corn and vegetables, which serve as food for man and beast." — Keiland DeUtzsch,pp. 77, 78. 7. " The vital principle in man is different from that in the animal and the human soul from the soul of the beast. The difference is indicated by the way in which man received the breath of life from God, and so became a living soul. God breathes directly into the nostrils of th» ^sixq man, in the whole ful'^rss of His personality the bre'^.h of life, that in a manner cor: 'osponding to the personality of God, he may become a living soul. His immaterial part is not merely soul, but a soul breath- ed entirely by God, since spirit and soul were created together by the inspiration of God." — Keil and Be- litzsch, pp. 79, 80. 15-17. " The tree of life was to im- part the power of transformation into eternal life. The ti'ee of knowl- edge was to lead man to the knowl- edge of good and evil, and accord- ing to the Divine plan this was to be attained through his not eating of its fruit. By obedience to the Di- vine will he would have attained to a godlike knowledge of good and evil ; that is, to one in accordance with his own likeness to God. But as be failed to keep this Divinely appointed way, and ate the forbidden fruit in opposition to the commands of God, the power imparted by God to the fruit was manifested in a dif- ferent way. He learned the differ- ence between good and evil from his own guilty experence. — p. 8G. " The knowledge of good and evil which man ootains by going into evil is as far removed from the true likeness of God, which he would have attained by avoiding it, as the imaginary liberty of a sinner, which leads into bondage and sin, and ends in death, is from the true liberty of a life of fellowship with God." 18-25. In ch. 1 : 27, the creation of the woman is linked with thaj o. the man : but here the order of se- quence is given, because the creation of the woman formed a chronolog- ical incident in the history of, the human race, which commences with the creation of Adam. The circum- stance that in vs. 19, the formation of the beasts and birds is connected with the creation of Adam by the imperf with vaTi consec, constitutes no objection to the plan of creation given in ch. 1. The- writer who was about to describe the relation of man to the beasts, went back to their cre- ation in the simple method of the early Semitic historians, and ])laced this first instead of making it subor- dinate : so that our modern style of expressing the same thought would be simply this : " God brought to Adam the beasts which he had form- ed." " That the races of men are not species of one genus, but varie- ties of one species, is confirmed by the agreement in the physiological and patliological phenomena in them all — by the similarity in the anatom- ical structure, in the fundamental powers and traits of the mind, in the limits to the duration of life, in the normal temperature of the body, and the average rate of pulsation, in the duration of pregnancy, and in tho unrestricted fruitfulness of marriages between the various races." — De- litzsch. CHAPTER III. 14-18. "The KTiat^, {''creature,") including the whole animal creation, was made subject to vanity and the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8 : 20. 21,) in consequence of the sin of man. Yet this subjection is not to be re- garded as the effect of the curse which was pronovinccd upon the ser- pent having fallen upon the whole animal world, but as ''he conse quence of death passing from man into the rest of the creation, and thoroughly pervading the whole The creation was drawn into the fall APPENDIX. 29" and forced to share its consequences, because the whole of the irrational creation was made for man, and made subject to him as its head — consequently the ground was cursed for man's sake, but not the animal world for the serpent's sake, or even along with the serpent." — (p. 98.) " Just as a loving father when pun-" ishing the murderer of his son might snap in two the sword or dagger with which the murder had been committed." — Chrysostom. "Although this punishment fell literally upon the serpent, it also a^ fected the tempter in a figurative or symbolical sense. He became the object of the utmost contempt and abhorrence, and the serpent still keeps the revolting image of Satan perpetually before the eye. This degradation was to be perpetual, while all the rest of the creation should be delivered from the fate into which the fall has plunged it ; (according to Isa. (iii : 25,) the instru- ment of man's temptation is to re- main sentenced to perpetual degra- dation in fulfilment of the sentence, * All the days of thy life,' — and thus to prefigure the fate of the real tempter, for whom there is no deliv- erance."— Hengstenberg Chris., 1 : 15. There is an unmistakable allu- sion to the evil and hostile being concealed behind the serpent. " Thou (not thy seed,) shaU crush his heel." — (p. 101.) And so, we may add, there is the plain allusion in the former clause to the Personal Seed, which is Christ ; " He shall bruise thy head." 20-24. Ede. Adam manifested his faith in the name which he gave to his wife — " because she became the mother of all li\ang," — i. e., because the continuance and life of his race were guaranteed to the man through the woman. \ Take also of the tree of life. From the " also," it follows that the man had not yet eaten of the tree of life. And after he had faUen through sin into the power of death, the fruit which produced im- mortality could only do him harm. For immortality in a state of sin is not the (^(jTj atuitoi which God de- signed for man, but endless misery which the Scriptures call the second death ; (Rev. 2 : 11 ; 20 : 6, 14 ; 21 : 8.) The expulsion from Paradise, there- fore, was a punishment inflicted for man's good, intended while exposing him to temporal death, to preserve him from eternal death." — {K.andD.) CHAPTER IV. 1-8. Abel offered the fatted first- ling of his flock, the best that he could bring — but Cain only brought a portion of the fruit of the ground, and not the first fruits. The state of mind towards God with which they were brought, manifested itself in the selection of the gifts. In the case of Abel it was faith ; Heb. 11 : 4. 9-15. Driven away from the face of the earth — {adamah.) This is the district of Eden, outside of Paradise, (vs. 16,) where Cain had carried on his agricultural pursuits, and where God had revealed His presence to men after the expulsion from the garden ; so that henceforth Cain had to wander about upon the wide world, homeless, and far from the presence of God. 23, 24. " Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. Ye wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech. Men I slay for my wound, and young men for my stripes. For sevenfold is Cain aveng- ed, and Lamech seventy and seven fold." "Whoever inflicts a wound or stripe on me, whether man or youth, I will put to death — and for every injury done to my persoif^ I will take ten times more vengeance than that with which God promised to avenge the murder of my ances- tor Cain."— (^. and D.) CHAPTER V 1. The addition -pf the clause, "In the day that God created," etc., is analogous to ch. 2:4; the creation being mentioned again as the start 298 APPENDIX. Ing-point, because all the develop- raent and history of humanity were rooted there." ^ Sons of Ood. This cannot be applied to the angels, for no allusion has been made to them in the context, but only to the pious, " who walked with God, and called upon the name of the Lord." Be- sides Christ Himself distinctly states that the angels cannot marry, (Matt. 22 : 30 ; Mark 12 : 25 ; comp. Luke 20 : 34,) and the reference is here to marriage. Also the sentence pro- nounced in vs. 3, upon the " sons of God," is appropriate to men only.' " Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not rule in men forever : in their wan- dering they are flesh, therefore his days shall be a hundred and twenty years," — not that human life should in future never aitain a greater age than one hundred and twenty years, but that a respite of one hundred and twenty years should still be granted to the human race. — (p. 13G.) CHAPTER VI. 4. " TJie Nephilim were on the earth in those days : and also, after that, when the sons of Ood came in unto the daughters of men, and they hare children unto them, these are the he- roes who, from the olden time, are the men of name." " It might be under- stood that the heroes refer back to the Nephilim ; but it is a more nat- ural supposition, that it refers to the children born to the sons of God. * These,' that is, the sons sprung from those marriages, ' are the heroes, those renowned heroes of old.' Now, if ac- cording to the simple meaning of the passage, the Nephilim were in exist- ence at the very time when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, the appearance of the Nephi- lim can not afford the slightest evi- dence that the sons of God were an- gels, by whom a family of monsters were begotten, whether demigods, demons, or angel-men." 5-8. Bepented — it grieved Him at Hia heart. " God is hurt no less by the atrocious sins of men than if they ynerced His heart with mortaJi anguish." — Calvin. 16. " Every objection that has beer raised against the suitableness of the ark in the possibility of collecting all the animals in the ark, and pro- viding them with food, is based upon arbitrary assumptions, and should be treated as a perfectly groundless fancy. As natural science is still in the dark as to the formation of spe- cies, and therefore not in a condition to determine the number of pairs from which all existing species are descended, it is ridiculous to talk as Pfaff and others do, of two thousand species of mammalia, and six thous- and five hundred species of birds, which Noah would have had to feed every day." — (p. 143, note.) CHAPTER VII. " That the variations in the names of God furnish no criteria by which to detect different documents, is evident enough from the fact, that in ch. 7 : 1, it is Jehovah who commanded Noah to enter the ark, and in vs. 4, Noah does as Elohim had command- ed him— while in vs. 26, in two suc- cessive clauses Elohim alternates with Jehovah — the animals entering the ark at the command of Elohim, and Jehovah shutting them in," " The fact recorded that ' the wa- ter covered all the high hills under the whole heaven,' clearly indicates the univt^rsality of the flood. A flood that rose fifteen cubits above the top of Ararat could not remain partial, if it only continued for a few days, to say nothing of the fact that the water was rising for forty days, and remained at the highest elevation for one hundred and fifty days. To speak of such a flood as partial is absurd. Even if it broke out at only one spot, it would spread over the earth from one end to the other, and reach everywhere to the same elevation. Hfwever impossi ble therefore, scientific men may APPENDIX. declare \t to be for tliem to conce've of a universal deluge, of sueli a height and dui'ation in accordance with the known laws of nature, this inability on their part, does not jus- tify any one in questioning the pos- sibility of such an event being pro- duced by the Omnipotence of God. It has been justly remarked, too, that the proportion of such a quan- tity of water to the entire mass of the earth, in relation to which the^ mountains are but like the scratches of a needle on a globe, is no greater than that of a profuse perspiration to the body of a man. And to this must be added that apart from the legend of a flood, which is found in nearly every nation, the earth pre- sents unquestionable traces of sub- mersion in the fossil remains of ani- mals and plants, which are found upon the Cordillera and Himalaya, even beyond the limits of perpetual enow." — (pp. 140-7.) ^Ararat. This resting-place of the ark is exceed- ingly interesting in connexion vnth the developments*of the human race as renewed after tiie flood. Armenia, the source of the rivers of Paradise, has been called a cool, airy, well wa- tered mountain-island in the midst of the old continent. But Mt. Ara- rat, especially, is situated almost in the middle, not only of the Great Desert route of Africa and Asia, but also of the range of inland waters from Gibraltar to the Baikal Sea, in the centre, too, of the longest line that can be drawn through the set- tlements of the Caucasian race and the Indo-Germanic tribes ; and as the central point of the longest line of the ancient world from the Cape of Good Hope to the Behring Straits, it was the most suitable spot in the world for the tribes and nations that sprang from the sons of Noah to descend fi'om its heights and spread into Gxery land." — See Baumefs Pal- estine. " The selection which Noah made of the birds may also be explained quite simply from the difference in their nature with which Noah must have been acquainted — that Is to say, from the fact that the raven, in seeking its food, settles upon every carcase that it sees, whereas the dove wUl only settle upon what is dry and clean."— (p. 149.) CHAPTER IX, 18-29. " Noah, through the spirit and power of that God with whom he walked, discerned in the moral nature of his sons, and the different tendencies which they already dis- played, the germinal commencement of the future course of their poster- ity, and uttered words of blessing and of curse, which were prophetic of the history of the tribes which descended from them." **■ In the sin of Ham there lies the great stain of the whole Hamitic race — whose chief characteristic is sexual sin." — Ziegler. "And the curse which Noah pronounced upon this sin still rests upon the race. It was not Ham who was cui'sed, how- ever, but his son Canaan. Ham had sinned against his father — he was punished in his son. But the reason why Canaan was the only son named, must lie either in the fact that he was walking already in the steps of his father's impiety and sin, or else it must be sought in the name ' Canaan,' in which Noah discerned through the gift of prophecy a signi- ficant omen — a supposition decidedly favored by the analogy of the bles- sing pronounced upon Japhet, which is also founded on the name. ' Ca- naan,' means the submissive one. Ham gave this name to his son from the obedience Avhich he required, though he did not render it him -self. The son was to be the slave (in ser- vile obedience) of the father, who was as tyrannical towards those be neath him as he was refractory to- wards those above. IBut the secrei Providence of God, which rules in all such things, had a different sub- mission in view." — He ^gstejiberg 800 APPENDIX. " * Servant of servants (the lowest of slaves,) let him become to Ms IretJi- ren' Althougli this curse was pro- nounced upon Canaan alone, the fact that Ham had no share in Noah's blessing, either for himself or his other sons, was a suflScient proof that his whole family was included by implication in the curse, even if it was to fall chiefly upon Canaan ; and history confirms the supposition." — (pp. 157-8.) '• If the dwelling of Japhet in the tents of Shem presupposes the con- quest of the land of Shem by Ja- phet, it is a blessing, not only to Ja- phet, but to Shem also, since whilst Japhet enters into the spiritual in- heritance of Shem, he brings to Shem all the good of this world, (Isa. 60.) The fulfilment (says JDelitzsch,) is plain enough, for we are all Japhet- ites dwelling in the tents of Shem, and the language of the New Testa- ment is the language of Javan en- tered into the tents of Shem. To this we may add, that by the gospel preached in this language, Israel, though subdued by the imperial power of Eome, became the spirit- ual conqueror of the 07'bis terrarum Eomanus, and received it into his tents."— (p. 160.) CHAPTER XI. 1, 2. " The imity of language of the whole human race follows from the unity of its descent from one hu- man pair, (ch. 2 : 22.) But as the origin and formation of the races of mankind are beyond the limits of empirical research, so no philol- ogy will be able to prove or deduce the original unity of human speech from the languages which have been historically preserved, however far comparative grammar may proceed in establishing the genealogical rela- tion of the languages of diflerent nations," 6. " Behold one people ; and one lan- guage have they all, and this (the building of this city and tower) is (only) the beginning of their deeds; and now (when they have finished this) nothing will be impossible to them (lit., cut off from, prevented) which they purpose to do." By the firm establishment of an ungodly unity, the wickedness and audacity t)f men, would have led to fearful enterprizes. " The oneness of theii God and their worship, as well as the unity of brotherly love, was al- ready broken by sin. Consequently the undertaking dictated by pride to preserve and consolidate by out- ward means, the unity which was inwardly lost, could not be success- ful, but could only bring down the judgment of dispersion. The con- fusion of tongues was through a di- rect manifestation of Divine power, which caused the disturbance pro- duced by sin in the unity of emotion, thought, and will, to issue in a di- versity of language, and thus by a miraculous suspension of mutual un- derstanding frustrated the enterprise through which men hoped to render dispersion and estrangement impos- sible. We must not Conclude that the diflTerences in language were simply the result of the separation of the various tribes, and that the latter arose from discord and strife — in which case the confusion of tongues would be nothing more than a dis- sension and distraction of counsels. Such a view does violence to the words " that one may not discern the lip (language) of the other," and is also at variance with the ob- ject of the narrative. When it is stated first of all that God resolved to destroy the unity of lips and words by a confusion of the lips and then that He scattered the men abroad, this act of Divine judgment cannot be imderstood in any other way than that God deprived them of the ability to comprehend one another, and thus effected their dis- persion. (Besides, it is distinctly re- corded that they were settled in their respective localities, " Every one after his tongue," which supposes such a APPENDIX. 301 confusion of tongues as detennining the dispersion. Ch. 10 : 5. ) The event itself cannot have consisted merely in a change of the organs of speech produced by the Omnipotence of God, whereby speakero were turned into stammerers, who were unintelligible to one another. The differences to which this event gave rise, consisted not merely in varia- tions of sound, such as might be attributed to differences in the for- mation of organs of speech, (the lip, or tongue,) but had a much deeper foundation in the human mind. If language is the audible expression of emotions, conceptions, and thoughts of the mind, the cause of the con- fusion or division of the one human langTvage into different national dia- lects, must be sought in an effect produced upon the human mind, by which the original unity of emotion, conception, thought and will was broken up." The i^rimitive language is extinct — buried in the materials of the languages of the nations, to rise again one day to eternal life in the glorified form of the Kaivat y?,o)a- cai, intelligible to ail the redeemed, when sin with its consequences is overcome and extinguished by the power of grace. A type and pledge of this hope was given in the gift of tongues on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Cliurch on the first Christian day of Pentecost, when the Apostles, filled with the Holy Ghost, spake with other or new tongues, of the wonderful works of God, so that the people of every nation under heaven understood in their own language." Acts 2 : 1-11. ^K. and D.) "■ The two catastrophes, the flood and the dispersion, exerted a power- ful influence in shortening the dura- tion of human life ; the former by altering tlie climate of the earth — the latter by changing the habits of men. But while the length of life was lessened, the children were born proportionably earlier. There is nothing astonishing, therefore, in the circumstance that wherever Abram went he found tribes, towns, and kingdoms, though only three hundred and sixty-five years had elapsed since the flood, when we consider that eleven generations would have followed one another in that time, and that supposing every marriage to have been blessed with eight children on an average, (four male and four female,) the eleventh ' generation would contain 12,582,912 couples, or 25,165,824 individuals; and if we reckon ten children as the average number, the eleventh gene- ration woul^ contain 146,484,375 pairs, or 292,968,750 individuals. In neither of these cases have we in- cluded such of the earlier genera- tions as would be still living, al- though their number would be by no means inconsiderable, since nearly all the patriarchs from Shem to Terah were alive at the time of Abram's migration." — (p. 178.) CHAPTER XII. The dispersion of the descendants of the sons of Noah, who had now grown into numerous families, was necessarily followed on the one hand by the rise of a variety of nations differing in language, manners and customs, and more and more estrang- ed from one another, and on the other by the expansion of the geiins of idolatry contained in the different attitudes of these nations towards God, into the polytheistic religions of heathenism. If God therefore would fulfil His promise no more to smite the earth with the curse of the destruction of every living thing because of the sin of man, (Ch. 8 : 21, 22,) and yet would prevent the moral corruption which worketh death from sweeping all before it, it waa necessary that by the side of these self-formed nations, He should form a nation for Himself to be the reci- pient and preserver of His salvation, and that in opposition to the rising kingdoms of the world He should establish a Kingdom for ^he living 303 APPENDIX. Baving fellowsliip of man with Him- self. The foundation for this was laid by God in the call and separa- tion of Abram from his people and his country, to make him, by special guidance, the father of a nation from which the salvation of the world should come. With the choice of Abram, the revelations of God to man assumed a select character, in- asmuch as God manifested Him- self henceforth to Abram and his posterity alone, as the author of salvation, and the guide to true life ; whilst ocher nations were left to >-vccl]i ^'n their own ways, Acts 17 :27, that they migliL learn how in their chosen ways and without fellowship with the living God, it was impos- sible to find peace to the soul, and true blessedness." As a perfectly new beginning, therefore, the patri- archal history assumed the form of a family history, in which the grace of God prepared the ground for the coming Israel. The early history consists of three stages, which are indicated by the three patriarchs, Abram, Isaac, and Jacob ; and in the sons of Jacob the unity of the chosen family was expanded into the twelve immediate fathers of the nation." — "Abram was a man of faith that works. Isaac, of faith that endures. Jacob, of faith that wrestles." — Baurngarten. Thus walking in faith the patriarchs were types of faith for all the families that should spring from them, and be blessed through them, and ancestors of a nation which God had resolved to form ac- cording to the election of His grace. For the election of God was not restricted to the separation of Abram from the family of Shem to be the father of the nation which was des- tined to be the vehicle of salvation. It was also manifest in the exclusion of Ishmael whom Abram had begot- ten by the will of man, through Hagar the hand-maid of his wife, for uhe purpose of securing the promised Beed. And it was manifest also in the new life imparted td the womb of the barren Saral, and her con sequent conception and birth of Isaac, the son of promise. And lastly it appeared still more mani- festly in the twin-sons born by Re- bekah to Isaac, of whom the first- born, Esau, was rejected, and the younger, Jacob, was chosen to be heir of the promise. And this choice which was announced before their birth, was maintained in spite of Isaac's plans, so that Jacob and not Esau, received the blessing of the promise. All this occurred as a type for the future, that Israel might know and lay to heart the fact that bodily descent from Abram did not make a man a child of God, but that they alone were children of God, who laid hold of the Divine promise in faith, and walked in tlie steps of their forefather's faith. (Rom. 9 : 6-13.) As soon, therefore, as Abram is called, we read of the appearing of God, (Ch. 12 : 7) of the' Angel of God, (Ch. 21 : 17) and the Angel of Jehovah, (Ch. 16 : 7,) who is manifestly none other than Jeho- vah Himself." CHAPTER XIII. 14. " The possession of the land is promised 'fo7' ever.' The promise of God is unchangeable — as the seed of Abram was to exist before God for- ever. So Canaan was to be their ever- lasting possession. But this applied not to the lineal posterity of Abram, to his seed according to the flesh, but to the true spiritual seed, which embraced the promise in faith, and held it in a pure believing heart. The promise, therefore, neither pre- cluded the expulsion of the unbe- lieving seed from the land of Canaan, nor guarantees to existing Jews a return to the earthly Palestine after their conversion to Christ. For as Calvin well says, * When the land ia promised forever, it is not simply the perpetuity that is denoted, but that which attains an end in Christ. APPENDIX. Through Christ the promise has been exalted from its temporal form to its true essence ; through Him the whole earth becomes Canaan." (ch. 17 : 18.— (p. 200-1.)— KeU. CHAPTER XVI. 7. Here the Angel of Jehovah is mentioned for the first time. The Angel of Jehovah was only a pecu- liar form in which Jehovah Himself , appeared, and which differed from the manifestations of God described as appearings of Jehovah simply in this, that in " the Angel of Jehovah" God or Jehovah revealed Himself in a mode which was more easily dis- cernible by human senses, and ex- hibited in a guise of symbolical significance, the design of each par- ticular manifestation. But although there was no essential difference, but only a formal one, between the ap- pearing of Jehovah and the appear- ing of the Angel of Jehovah, the distinction in the names points to a distinction in the Divine Nature, to which even the Old Testament con- tains several obvious allusions. The very name indicates such a differ- ence. MaleachQit.lie through whom a work is executed, but in ordi- nary usage restricted to the idea of a messenger) denotes the Person through whom God works and ap- pears. Besides, the passages which represent the Angel of Jehovah as one with Jehovah, there are others in which the Angel distinguishes Himself from Jehovah, e.g., when He gives emphasis to the oath by Himself as an oath by Jehovah, by adding * saith Jehovah' (ch. 23 : 16). See Judg. 6:12; 13 : 16. Zech. 1 : 12. Also comp. Gen. 19 : 24. Just as in these passages the Angel distin- gidshes Himself personally from Jehovah, there are others in which a distinction is drawn between a self-revealing side of the Divine na- ture, visible to men, and a hidden side, invisible to men, i. c, between the self-revealing and the hidden God. Thus not only does Jehovah say of the Angel whom He sends before Israel in the pillar and cloud and fire, ' My name is in Him,' i. e., He reveals my nature, (Ex. 23 : 21,) but He also calls Him "'it , Panut — " My face." And then in reply to Moses' request to see His glory, He says, " Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live." (Ch. 33 : 18-23.) So He, in whom Jehovah manifested Himself to His people as Saviour, is called the Angel of His face, (Isa. 63 : 9,) and all the guidance and protection of Israel are ascribed to Him. Ac- cordingly Malachi, the last Old Tes- tament prophet, proclaims to the people who waited for the manifesta- tion of Jehovah, (in the appearing of the predicted Messiah,) that the Lord " the Angel of the Covenant," will come to His temple, Mai. 3 : 1. This Angel of the Covenant, or Angel of the Face, has appeared in Christ. The Angel of Jehovah was therefore none other than the Logos, who was not only with God, but was God, and who in Jesus Christ was made flesh, and came unto His own, John 1 : 2, 11 ; who was sent by the Father into the world, and though He was the only begotten Son of God, and one with the Father, yet prayed to the Father, (John 17,) and is even called tlie Apostle of our confession — whom we confess or profess as such. — Accordingly that which in the New Testament is un- folded in perfect clearness through the incarnation of the Son of God, was still veiled in the Old Testa- ment, according to the wise plan of the Divine training. And in the New Testament nearly all the mani- festations of Jehovah under the Old Covenant are referred to Christ, and regarded as fulfilled through Him. For not only is the Angel of Jehovah the Eevealer of God, but Jehovah Himself is the Revealed God and Saviour."— jr. and D., pp. 189-191. APPENDIX. CHAPTER XVII. " The whole of the twelve sons of Jacob founded only the one nation of Israel with which Jehovah estab- blished the covenant made with Abraham (Ex. 6, and 22-24.) So that Abraham became through Is- rael the lineal founder of one nation only. From this it necessarily fol- lows, that the posterity of Abraham, which was to expand into a multi- tude of nations, extends beyond this one lineal posterity, and embraces the spiritual posterity also, i. c, all nations who are grafted into the seed of Abraham, (e/c niaTecog) from, (through) the faith of Abraham, Rom. 4 : 11, 12, and 16, 17. More- over, the fact that the seed of Abra- ham was not to be restricted to his lineal descendants, is evident from the fact that circumcision as the covenant sign was not confined to them, but extended to all the in- mates of his house, so that these strangers were received into the fellowship of the Covenant, and reckoned as part of the promised seed. Now, if the whole land of Canaan was promised to this poster- ity which was to increase into a mul- titude of nations, (vs. 8,) it is per- fectly evident from what has just been said, that the sum and sub- stance of the promise was not ex- hausted by the gift of the land, whose boundaries are described in ch. 15 : 18-21, as a possession to the nation of Israel, but that the exten- sion of the idea of the lineal poster- ity, " Israel after the flesh " to the spiritual posterity, " Israel after the Spirit," requires the expansion of the idea and extent of the earthly Canaan to the full extent of the spiritual Canaan, whose boundaries reach as widely as th o multitude of nations having Abraham as father, and therefore, that in reality Abra- ham received the promise that he should be heir of the world, Rom. 4 : 13. This idea is still further ex- panded by the prophets, and most distinctly expressed in the New Tes- tament by Christ and His Apostles. The scriptural and spiritual inter- pretation of the Old Testament ia entirely overlooked by those who, like Auherlen, restrict all the pro- mises of God and the prophetic pro- clamations of salvation to the phys- ical Israel, and reduce to a mere accommodation, the application of them to the Israel after the Spirit, i. e., to believing Christendom."— K. and D., p. 226 and no t-e. N OTES, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY, ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. TWO VOLUMES IN ONE. BY MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, PBOVBSSOB OF BIBLIOAIi LITEKATUHE IN THE WEBTEBK THEOLOGICAIi SBMINABT AV ALLEGHENT CITY, PA. VOLUME II. NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 530 BROADWAY. 18 73. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Western District of Pennsylvania. il Book I. of the nistory in Genesis brings us tliroiigli seventeen chapters, to Book II., The Patriarchal History of the Covenant. The Covenant with Abraham is the pivot upon which the whole history turns. The Covenant with Adam was " the covenant of works," which was violated by our first parents. The Covenant with Noah has been called " the covenant of forbearance," providing for man's continued oc- cupancy of the earth, and for the permanence of natural laws. The Covenant with Abraham was " the Covenant of Grace," to which all the foregoing was preparatory. Adam was the father of the race. Noah was the father of the preserved remnant. Abraham was the father of the believing remnant. The Covenant with Abraham stretches forward through the Mosaic and Christian dispensations. The Son of God, as Re- deemer, " laid hold on the nature of the seed of Abraham," not of the seed of Adam. (Heb. 2 : 16.) And if we be Christ's, then are we Abra- ham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3 : 29.) Abraham, through the son of promise, issues in Israel, who is the father of the twelve patriarchs ; and these are assured of their title to the promised land. Jo- seph, like Abraham, through the bondage of the world-kingdom, turns with faith to the land of promise, as theirs by covenant grant ; and there they command their bones to be deposited, in faith of their heirship as guar- anteed to them in the bond. Paul shows how " God preached before the gospel unto Abraham," and how " Abraham's seed," in the Covenant promise is preeminently and emphatically Christ. (Gal. 3 : 8-16.) And Stephen shows how their exile in Egypt had a bearing upon the future conversion of the Gentiles. (Acts 7, 9, etc.: Dr. Smith (See Bib. Diet. Art. Genesis) has said that " the history of Abraham holds the same relation to the other portions of Genesis which the giving of the Law does to the entire Pentateuch. Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation ; to Abraham the land of Canaan is first given in promise. Isaac and Jacob, though also prominent figures in the narra- tive, yet do but inherit the promise as Abraham's children ; and Jacob, especially, is the chief connecting link in the chain of events, which led finally to the possession of the land of Canaan. In like manner the former section of the Book is' written with the same obvious purpose. It is a part 3 of tlie writer's plan to tell us what the Divine preparation of the world was, in order to show, first, the significance of the call of Abraham, and next, the true nature of the Jewish Theocracy. He does not (as Tuch asserts) work backwards from Abraham till he comes, in spite of himself, to the beginning of all things. He does not ask. Who was Abraham? answering, Of the posterity of Shem. And who was Shem ? A son of Noah. And who was Noah ? etc. But he begins with the Creation of the world, because the God who created the world and the God who re- vealed Himself to the fathers is the same God. Jehovah, who commanded His people to keep holy the seventh day, is the same God who in six days created the heavens and the earth, and rested on the seventh day from all His work. ... He who made a covenant with Noah, and through him with all the families of the earth, is the God who also made Himself known as the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. In a word. Creation and Redemption are eternally linked together. This is the idea which, in fact, gives its shape to the history, although its distinct enunciation is resei-ved for the New Testament. There we learn that all things were created by and for Christ, and that in Him all things consist, (Col. 1 : 16, 17,) and that by the church is made known unto principahties and powers the manifold wisdom of God. It would be impossible for a book which tells us of the beginning of the church not to tell us also of the beginning of the world. " The Book of Genesis has thus a character at once special and universal, It embraces the world. It speaks of God as the God of the whole human race. But, as the introduction to Jewish history, it makes the universal interest subordinate to the national. Its design is to show how God re- vealed Himself to the first fathers of the Jewish race, in order that He might make to Himself a nation who should be His witnesses in the midst of the earth. This is the inner principle of unity which pervades the Book. Its external framework exhibits five principal persons as the pillars (so to speak) on which the whole superstructure rests, — Adam, Noah, Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob." The leading facts of this history were recited by the covenant people in their triumphal Psalms, and thus were celebrated in their temple service, to incite the faith of the nation in God's covenant care. What He has so faithfully done in the past is the joyous guaranty for all that He has promised to accomplish in the future. Hengstenberg has well said that " such Psalms as the cv., cvi., and Ixxviii. show very manifestly how firmly the facts of sacred history were rooted in the Israelitish mind, and how absurd it is to institute any comparison between these facts and the myths or traditions of a heathen antiquity." The cv. Psalm gives an outline, of the covenant history from the promise of Canaan to the possession of it ; and the first twenty-three versea in a beautiful synopsis comprise the great events of this Book 11. of Genesis : "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeda among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lorb, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Eemember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judg- ments of his mouth ; O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He IS the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations ; "Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac ; And confirmed the same imto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant : Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance : When they were btit a few men in number ; yea, very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; He sufi'ered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land : he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came : the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him ; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance : To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his senators wisdom. Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.*' THE BOOK OF GENESIS. CHAPTER xyni. ND tlie Lord appeared unto liim in the ^ plains of Manire : and . he sat in the tent-door in the heat of the day ; a ch. 13 : 18, and 14 : 13. BOOK II. PATRIARCHAL HISTORY OF THE COVENANT. CHAPTER XVni. § 39. The Covenant Angel ap- PEAKS TO Abraham at Mamre. Intercession for Sodom. God here appears to Abraham in closest friendship and fellowship. Jehovah had revealed himself to Abraham as the covenant God, and had sealed to him and to his house the covenant of His grace. He will now display Himself as visiting judg- ments upon the wicked, and chasten- ing His people who dwell among them, yet so as to work the dehverance of His chosen. He is a jealous God. (Ex. 20 : 5.) He will also show His covenant faithfulness by revealing to Abraham His purposes of judgment upon the wicked people among whom his pious relative dwelt. Besides, He will take this occasion to reassure to Abraham and his house the cove- nant promise. Especially He will meet the incredulity of Sarah, and bringing out to view her unbelief, He will hnpart to her a living faith, by virtue of which she shall be en- abled to fulfil aU the conditions of (rod's covenant with her house, (Heb. 11: 11.) There is no un- meaning repetition here. 1. And the Lord (Jehovah) ap^ peared unto Mm — as to one to whom He had so recently sealed His cov- enant of grace. The whole object of the visit will be seen to be confi- dential, and in fulfilment of His covenant. The mode of the appear- ing is narrated vs. 2. ^ In the plains — in or hy the oaks. Vulg. — In the plain. (See ch. 1 2 : 6.) The plain (oak) of Moreh. ^ Mamre. (See ch. 14 : 13, 24.) Mamre was an ally of Abram, and under the shade of his oak-grove the patriarch dwelt in the interval between his residence at Bethel and at Beersheba. (Ch. 13: 18; 18: 1.) ^ Satin the tent door. This is the Oriental habit Sitting in the open door of the tent to catch the cooling air, in the heat of the day, is the common picture of Eastern life ; the sheikh, or chief of 8 CHAPTER XVni. [B. C. 1994. 2 ''And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him : *^ and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 Ajttd said. My lord, if I now have founj favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant : 4 Let ^ a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree : b Heb. 13 : 2. c ch. 19 : 1 ; 1 Pet. 4:9. d ch. 19 : 2, and 43 : 24. a fcimily or encampment occupying this prominent position, and ready to walk out and greet the passing trav- eller. This we have frequently seen. 2. The mode of this Divine ap- pearing is here related. It was in human form. This putting on the garb of our humanity was a hint of the Incarnation, (Phil. 2 : 7.) ^ Three men. In ch. 19 : 1, these are expressly called " angels." But they appeared as men. So it was at the resurrection. (Luke 24: 4.) One of the three was recognized by the patri- arch as Jehovah. We find two of them going on to Sodom, (ch. 19 : 1,) where they are called " the two an- gels," (Heb.) The one Divine per- sonage was detained in the interview with Abraham. ^ Stood by him. Stationed before him. Suddenly they appeared in that position. The custom of travellers in the East is to start early, and towards the noon to seek a resting place in some shady retreat, until the cooler part of the day. if Ran to meet them. This is the habit in the East when it is some superior personage who appears. The sheikh comes out from the door of his tent and makes a low bow quite towards the ground — and sometimes conducts the stranger to his tent with every token of wel- come. S. My Lord, OX^^) or 0 Lord, (Onk. Jehovah.') Abraham addresses the chief of the three as a superior personage. The name is applied to Buch as have high authority, and is used specially of God. So Abraham seems to have recognized this one. (See ch. 15 : 2 8. See, also, vs. 27, 30, 31, 32; ch. 20: 4.) It is expressly stated (vs. 1) that Jehovah appeared to Abraham on this occa- sion. The narrative varies between the singular and the plural number, (vs. 3, 10, 13,) according as one or more of the three is referred to. It is objected by some that God should be understood as using food. But it was in such condescending human form that he appeared — and as the Angel of the Covenant it was meant to foresignify the Incarnation. It does not by any means confound the physical and spiritual, much less does it prove that spiritual beings need food, or use it. But here God ap- pears for the first time on record as man among men, to show the reality of His Being, and of His affinity with men, and by this typical act to assure the patriarch of the Divine commun- ion and fellowship. •[[ If noia I have found favor, etc. This is the common Oriental language of rever- ence. He begs the heavenly visi- tant to tarry. (So the two disciples at Emmaus, Luke 24 : 29.) 4. He now addresses the three to- gether, urging upon them his hospi- talities. These are such as belonged to the Oriental customs, and are found to this day. ^ Water. Us- ing sandals and travelling the dusty roads of the East, water for the feet is a necessary part of hospitality. \ Finest yourselves. This is the custom B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVIII. 5 And ^ I will fetch a morsel of bread, and ^ comfort ye your hearts ; after that ye shall pass on : ^ for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender e Judg. 6 : 18, and 13 : 15. f Judg. 19 : 5 ; Ps. 104 : 15. g ch. 19 : 8, and 33 : 10,' for travellers in Eastern countries. The shade of a tree from the heat of the noonday sun is most refreshing ; and in lack of it the shadow of a great rock is often a rich luxury. ^ The tree. One of the -wide- spreading, umbrageous oaks, or the grove of oaks already referred to, (vs. 1.) 5. A morsel. " The phrases ' A little water,' and a ' morsel of bread ' flow from a thoughtful courtesy." ^ Com- fort ye your hearts. (Margin — Stay your hearts.') This phrase is found also, Judg. 19 : 5, 8. '' The whole stay of bread," (Is. 3:1.) t For therefore, etc. He did not mean so much that this was plainly their object, seeking his hospitality — but that their com- ing Avas all of God. He recognized in it altogether a Divine call upon liis hospitality. " Godliness after all is the best politeness." — Candlish. % Yc have come. Heb. — Ye have passed over upon your servant. The same word as just before used — " Ye shall pass o;?." ^ So do. " There are no affected declinatures — no multi- plied apologies — no exaggerated professions of humility or gratitude. There is simple acquiescence." — Candlish. 6. The preparations were made with all promptitude. Abraham has- tened into the tent unto Sarah, and said. Hasten three measures, etc. The same word is used in the latter clause, though it is rendered " Mcike ready quickly." The oriental life is here brought to view. There is flour at hand, but it is to be kneaded and baked for the guests. Baking was commonly done every day, but there was not enough bread for the strangers. Bread was baked on the heated hearth. The hot embers laid over the dough soon baked it. (1 Kings 17 : 13.) Bread was also baked in the oven, which was of stone or earthen ware or metal, half-filled with gravel, upon which the dough was laid, or, sometimes, a thin cake of dough was laid on the outside of this oven, and very rapidly baked. The hearth-cakes here were baked by the first-named process. ^ Three measures — ahout three pecks. Others make it 1 J^ Eng. bushels. ^3- of " a measure " was " an omer^* which was considered an abundance for one man for a day. There was therefore a large supply provided for the guests. 7. Ran unto the herd. The herd of the Orientals was a dependence for any such special occasion. Flesh meat was holiday fare, except for the rich. (1 Kings 4 : 23 ; Neh. 5 : 18.) The Patriarch himself, in true Ejist- ern style, runs to his own herd, and brings the calf, which was a spe- cial luxury. " The fatted calf" was the choicest provision for a feast. (Luke 15 : 23.) Here the term calf is in the Heb. the son of a lull. 1 Tender and good. In best condition for killing. It was not the busi- ness of the patriarch to kill and cook the animal, but he handed it over to a young man, (Heb. the young mauj) 10 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. and good, and gave it unto a young man ; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And ^ he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them j and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9 IF And they said unto him. Where is Sarah thy wife ? And he said, Behold, ' in the tent. h ch. 19 : 3. i ch. 24 : 07. the servant. (See ch. 14 : 24.) % And he hasted to dress it. Heb. — to do it — to prepare it by dressing and cooking. 8. He — Abraham attended upon his guests. Note. — God is the guest of Abraham here. Abraham is His guest now and forever. (Matt. 8 : 11.) Butter. This is commonly clotted cream. The milk is chiefly that of the goat, which is very rich, and sweet, rather sickening to an un- practiced taste. This kind of milk we found abundant in Palestine, and no other. And the use of it for some months in tea, led us to dis- pense with milk altogether in this way, since that time. The milk of the camel is also used by the Arabs. That which Jael gave to Sisera has been thought to be camel's milk, as it became somewhat intoxicating when stale, and may have produced upon him a stupefying effect. (Judg. 4: 19.) ^ He stood by them. The pronoun is emphatic, in the Hebrew. He (Abraham) was standing — stood hy them — expressive of his venera- tion for the distinguished visitants, perhaps also in the attitude of serv- ing, which is rather " stood before.'" ^ And they did eat. The Vulg. joins this clause to the next verse. " And when they had eaten, they said to him." "This" (says Garidlish) "is a singular instance of condescension — 'he only recorded instance of the kind, before the Incarnation. On other occasions, this same illustrious Being appeared to the fathers and conversed with them. But in those cases he turned the offered banquet into a sacrifice in the smoke of which he ascended heavenward. (Judg. 6: 18-24; 13: 15-21.) But here he personally accepts the patriarch's hospitality and partakes of his fare — a greater miracle still than the other — implying more intimate and gra- cious friendship and more unreserved familiarity. He sits under his tree and shares his common meal." — ii. p. 34. This record is referred to in the New Testament as encouraging the kindest hospitality to strangers, seeing that Abraham, in his pious courtesy to these travellers, found one of them to be the Angel of the Covenant — the Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. " Be not forgetful to enter- tain strangers ; for thereby some have entertained angels unaAvares." — Heb. 13: 2. Kwtz remarks that this condescending act of Christ is to be understood as ty])ical of Him who dwelt among us, (John 1 : 14,) and was found in manner as a man, (Phil. 2 : " T.) As they took upon them- selves a human body they could also eat ; as in Luke 24 : 41. 9. The object of the visit was now made to appear. ^ And they said, etc. It is now the question, not of the chief personage, but of the group of guests — a question which, in the East, from a stranger, would be re- garded as impertinent if iK)t insult- ing, in our time ; but in that day there was altogether more of digni- fied freedom and ease among the women, and such an inquiry would not be so regarded. Abrahiuu must B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVIII. 11 10 And lie said, I ^ will certainly return unto thee ^ according to the time of life; and lo, ™ Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent-door, which ^cas behind him. 11 Now ° Abraham and Sarah luere old and well stricken in age ; ajid it ceased to be with Sarah ° after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah ^ laughed within herself, saying, *i After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my ^ lord being old also? 13 And the Lord said uiito Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah kver. 14. 12 Kings 4: 16. m ch. 17 : 19, 21, and 21 : 2 ; Rom. 9 : 9. n ch. 17 : 17 ; Rom. 4 : 19 ; Heb. 11 : 11, 12, 19. o ch. 31 : 35 ; p. ch. 17 : 17. q Luke 1 : 18. r 1 Pet. 3 ; 6. have been greatly surprised at this mention of his wife's name, with an inquiry after her, if he had not al- ready recognized the Angel of the Covenant as one of the strangers. Sarah was inside of the tent, but near the entrance or doorway where she could hear. 10. And he said. The chief per- sonage now speaks. The same who had already promised to Abraham, now repeats the covenant-promise for the benefit of Sarah. The Di- vine speaker knew Sarah to be within hearing. ^ I luill cerlcdnly return unto thee. The return is plainly to be in the way of fulfilling the promise, as stated in the last clause. Heb. — Returning I will re- turn to thee. ^ According to the time of life. Onk. — According to the time when ye shall be alive. Knobel, Gesenius, etc. — The next spring. De Wette and Jewish Com. — About this time next year. Benisch Fam. Bible — At the time that liveth. Persian — According to the time of the birth. Literally — According to the living time — the time of birth. See vs. 14. (As privately known to the Covenant Angel) " At the time appointed," etc. This promise must have fully revealed the speaker as the Great Promiser. The event made good the promise. " The Lord visited Sarah as he said," for Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. Ch 21 : 1, 2. t And Sarah heard. Heb. — In the entrance of the tent, and it was behind him. This last clause indicates that Sarah standing in or near the doorway of the tent, was behind the speaker, and could not have been observed by him. His knowledge of her laughing, therefore, would tend to disclose His Divinity. The separate apartment in the tent for the females (in the rear) as in the modern harem, was not the custom of that day. 11. We?^e old. Heb. — Old, coming {advancing) in days. It had ceased to be icith Sarah the way according to women. This is stated distinctly so as to call attention to the miracle. 12. Laughed. On this account Sarah treated the announcement with a mirthful incredulity. Yet she laughed not aloud, but secretly — ivitMn herself— diVidi not in a way to put open contempt upon the state- ment. Abraham had laughed for joy ; but Sarah's laugh is that of un- belief, making light of it. She ex- presses the ground of her incredulity. It was not that she despised the promise, but that she treated it as im- possible. 1 My lord. This word is not the same as in vs. 3, but diiferent in the pointing. This is simply the title of honor which Sarah applies to her husband, " calling him lord," and this is referred to in the New Testament as an example to married women. (1 Peter 3 : 6.) 13. The narrative here discloses k 12 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am laugh, saying, old? 14 ^ Is any thing too hard for the Lord ? * At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not ; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay ; but thou didst laugh. 16 IF And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sod- om : and Abraham went with them " to bring them on the way. s Jer. 32 : 17 ; Zech. 8:6; Matt. 3 : 9, and 19 2 Kings 4 : 16. u Rom. 15 : 24 ; 3 John 6. Luke 1 : 37. t ch. 17 : 21 ; ver. 10 ; the person of the chief speaker as " Jehovah — the Lord " — who had ap- peared to Abraham, (vs. 1.) This has not before been mentioned (vs. 10.) ^ Wherefore. He now chal- lenges Abraham in regard to Sarah's laughing, knowing as well that she would hear this as that she laughed within herself " It was an aggra- vated offence, (Acts 5 : 4) and noth- ing but grace saved her, (Rom. 9 : 18.)" — Jamieson. 14. Heb. — Is any word (thing) diffi- cult from Jehovah (that is, as com- pared with Him) too hard for Jehovah ? This omnipotence of God is lost sight of by unbelief. ^ At the time ap- pointed. The promise that is doubted is renewed with additional force. The term is the same as in ch. 21:2, where the fulfilment is noted accordingly. 15. Denied. Sarah, thus directly challenged, was overcome so far as to deny the act of laughing. It is ascribed to her terror that she so far ! denied the truth. But the language in i vs. 1 2 indicates the probable ground of ; her denial. She had " laughed within herself" — only indulged the feeling inwardly, making light of the Divine promise — " saying" etc., — laughing in her words, and treating with levity the words of God. She replied, " / laughed not" and probably she did not openly and outright laugh; but instead of frankly acknowledging what was charged as to the fact she resorted to this evasion. She is commended as " doing well " in ref- erence to her " matronly simplicity and subjection ; " but she is not to be exculpated for any departure from the simple truth. Peter de- clares thiat Christian women are the daughters of Sarah so long as they do well, and " are not afraid icith any amazement." ^ For she was afraid. It was this sudden fear which tempted her to dissemble. 16. This part of the celestial mis- sion having now been accomplished, to assure Sarah and remove her doubts as a party in the covenant fulfilment, the step is now to be taken against the uncovenanted wicked. These are only the right and left- hand movements. The records are in their proper antithesis, as setting forth the Divine character and coun- sel. The right and left hand of the Judge are for the opposite parties. Life eternal is for the one and ever- lasting punishment for the other (Matt. 25 : 46). f The men. The human manner of the interview is stiU kept up. They " rose up from thence and looked forth towards (to the face of) Sodom" set their faces towards Sodom, Luke 9 : 53. And Abraham was walking with them to send them forward. This was also Oriental courtesy. See 3 Jno. 6 ; Acts 20 : 38 5 Rom. 15 :'24; 1 Cor 16 : 11 B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVm. IS 17 And the Lord said, ^ Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be ^ blessed in him ? 19 For I know him, ^ that he will command his children and wPs.2o: 14; Amos 3:7; John 15 ; 15. x ch. 12: 3,uiid22: 18; Acts 3: 25; Gal. 3: 8. y Deut. 4 : 9, 10, and 6 : 7 ; Josh. 24 : 15 ; Eph. 6 : 4. 17. And Jehovah said. Abraham wasjust now solemnly recognized as a party to the covenant which gave to him the ownership of the land. The Covenant Angel recognizes now with Himself the fitness of reveaHng to Abraham His purposes of wrath upon the wicked cities of the plain. The name of '' Jehovah " {Lord) is used, often, as quite the same with " Angel of Jehovah," (Angel of the Lord.) See ch. 16 : 7, 11, 13; 18 : 14, 17; 19 : 24; 21 : 17, 18; 22 : 11, 13, 14; 31 : 11, 13 ; 32 : 2.5-30. Ex. 3 : 2, 4, 6, 14-16 ; 23 : 20-23 ; 32 : 34. Josh. 5 : 14; 6 : 2. Judg. 6 : 11, 14, 15, 18, 22; 13 : 3, 6, 21, 22. The Angel of the Lord is therefore the God-man jNIediator, who, even before He became man in the person of Jesus, was in all ages the light of the world, and to whom especially the whole direction of the visible theoc- racy belonged." (See Heng. Christ, vol. i.) ^ Shall I hide. Heb. — Am I hiding (emphatic. I — covering) from Abraham what 1 am doing 1 This inquiry may have been ad- dressed to the attendant angels. The reasons against this hiding are intimated. 18. Seeing that^ etc. Abraham had already been assured in the cove- nant that he should surely become a nation great and mighty and that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him. These are God's pur- poses of grace. (1.) Jehovah will now vindicate Himself to the patri- arch in regard to His judgment upon the wicked. He will therefore re- 2 veal His purpose of wrath, and allow Abraham to plead for lenity, and will show the lenity until Abraham ceases ■ to plead, and thus in efiect concedes I the equity of God's wrathful visita- tion upon a cit}' where there are not i even ten righteous. (2.) This dis- I closure was due to Abraham, since i his covenant obligations would be j increased thereby. He would find ; herein only the greater incentive to I fidelity in his household, through I whom aU the families of the earth were to be blessed. Deut. 29 : 13 ; I Isa. 1 : 9, 10. (See Kurtz, Old. Cov. vol. i.) p. 242. ^ All the nations. 0"^?^) This is the covenant promise which assures Abraham that he shall be the channel for the conveyance of spiritual blessings to all nations of the earth. This could not refer to mere temporal blessings, as Abra- ham must plainly see, since some nations were to be subjugated and exterminated by him. Through him, as the father of the promised seed, the covenant blessings were to be extended to all nations. Here was the advertisement of God's plan for a world-wide church of Jew and Gentile. (See ch. 12: 3; and 22: 18.) 19. For. God's plan includes Abraham's fidehty to the covenant, and as it is a household covenant embracing his seed after him, so it binds him to be a faithful father and householder. This is the process by which God will accomplish his plan of grace, and the means are secured as well as the end. Family religion 14 GENESIS. [B.C. 1994. his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment ; that the Lord may bring upon Abra^ ham that which he hath slacken of him. 20 And the Lord said, Because ^the cry of Sodom and Gomor rah is great, and because their sin is very grievous. z ch. 4 : 10, and 13 ; Jam. 5 : 4. IS God's method for propagating His church. He therefore makes the covenant and its seals of a house- hold nature — and thus the church has always been extended by means of a pious posterity. ^ / know Mm that {'^12^) The Heb. conjunctive is here in the sense of Iva-telic. 1 know him (or have knoivn him) as to this, to this end — that. These can- not be regarded as conditions, so much as means all included in God's plan. Yet Abraham is to become such a universal blessing by exercis- ing fidelity in his household. *i\ Com- mand. This would lead him to ex- ercise a lawful parental authority for controlling his house in the service of God. Eli's sin was that " his sons made themselves vile, and he re- strained them not." (1 Sam. 3 : 13). No harsh and austere enforcement is here contemplated, but the law of the house is to be religious ; not leaving the children to the false principle of making their own choice or of doing as they please in relig- ious things. ^ Household. The de- pendants of a house ought to be un- der the religious rule oit" the family, and to enjoy its religious privileges of instruction and Avorship. ^ And they shall keep. This is the close connection — the order of things — the interdependence of the means and the ends. The series of agen- cies which should secure the decreed result are all provided for in God's covenant of grace. (1.) God prom- ises to bless the parental faithfulness to the salvation of the household. (2.) The children of the church are claimed as God's, and they have special promises and provisions, and it should be expected that they will grow up under the pious instruction and example of the parents, as wil- lows by the water-courses. (Isa. 44 : 4.) God promises to pour out His Spirit upon such well kept families as rain upon flower-gardens. ^ To do just- ice, etc. His household should be trained so as to avoid the doom of the guilty cities — and so as to make Abraham, through his descendants, a blessing to all mankind. % That the Lord may hring. This condition of things — the household piety, will fully vindicate the distinction which God will make between Abraham's family and posterity, and those of the wicked population of Sodom. And it is here stated, as if this do- mestic fidelity and piety were a con- dition of things indispensable to the execution of God's gracious plan. (1.) " The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant." Fs. 25 : 11. (2.) God dispenses His cove- nant blessings in the line of the cov- enant seed. (3.) How precious is this heritage for our children. (4.) How cruel is the parental impeni- tence which neglects so great salva- tion for the household. (5.) Faith- ful parents may hope even against hope for the covenant blessing on their children — for our trust is not in them but in God. 20. And — Jehovah said, etc The Covenant Angel proceeds now to unfold to Abraham his intent. ^ The cry. (vs. 13.) The sins are so open and outright that they seem to have a voice like Cain's, Ch. 4 ; 10, — like B.C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVIIL 15 21 * I will go down now, and see whether they have done alto- gether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me ; and if not, ^ I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces fi-om thence, *^ and went toward Sodom ; but Abraham ^ stood yet before the Lord. 23 IF And Abraham ® drew near, and said, ^ Wilt thou also de- stroy the righteous with the wicked ? a ch. 11 : 5. b Deut. 8 : 2, and 13 : 3 ; Josh. 22 : 22 ; Luke 16 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 11. e ch. 19 : 1. d Ter. 1. e Heb. 10 : 22. f Numb. 16 : 22 : 2 Sam. 24 : 17 that of the oppressed reapers, James 5 : 4. The cry was the load call for punishment. Some sins are more heinous than others, and such as strike at the very foundations of social order and purity and safety make a strong appeal to God for vengeance. They are " open before- hand going before to judoinent." The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah because it is great, and their sin be- r;ause it is grievous exceedingly. 21. 1 will go doion. Here the pur- pose of the Covenant Angel is stated to go down to Sodom and inquire in- to the facts. It is a descent to the plain of the Dead Sea. This is speaking of God after the manner of men ; but Jehovah was here in the garb of a man, and the language is therefore appropriate. (See vs. 16.) It impUes simply that He was intent on just judgment — not swift but slow to anger, and only visiting in- iquity when it was fully proven. He went down. (See vs. 35.) ^ Whether they have done altogether. Heb. — Whether they have made com- pleteness — made a finish (of their sins) — filled the measure. " Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." (Jas. 1 : 15.) ^ 1 will know. Onk. — " But if they repent I will not take vengeance." Sam. Vers, — " I will repay." Greek. Yulg. Germ. — Or if not, that I may know. There is strict justice in all God's j udgments. None are punished with- out ample cause. 22. The men. It is plain from ch. 19:1, that here the two men who at- tended upon the Covenant Angel, proceeded towards Sodom whilst Abraham detained this chief person- age, the Lord (Jehovah) by his in- tercession for the doomed cities. \ Stood yet. Heb. and Gr.— Was standing yet. Onk. — Stood in prayer before the Lord. From vs. 16 it would seem that they had risen to go, and had started, and Abraham with them, when the Lord raised the question in vs. 17. 23. Abraham here employs the language of a free-born son with his heavenly Father. ^ Dreto near. He "came boldly "—Heh, 10: 22. ^ Wilt thou also. Here the appeal is made simply to the Divine justice — on the principle of the Divine ad- ministration well established and known. It is not a personal plea for Lot — nor is it an appeal to the Di- vine grace here so much as in vs. 24. Here he appeals to the Divine sov- ereignty, that will execute justice in the earth, (vs. 25.) God surely will make distinction between the right- eous and the wicked. (Ps. 5 ; Mai. 3.) \ The righteous, etc. Heb.— -^ right- eous man v)ith a wicked one. See Numb. 16: 19-22; Ps. 11: 4-7. Judgments do often come upon a whole community for the sins of a portion, because the separation can- not always be made here, and the final adjustment remaius for i\iQ great day of account. 16 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. 24 ^ Peradventure tliere be fifty righteous within the city : wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are, therein ? 25 That he far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and ^that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee : ' Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? 26 And the Lord said, ^If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, ^Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am °' hut dust and ashes : 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: g Jer. 5:1. h Job 8 : 20 ; Isai. 3 : 10, 11. i Job 8 ; 8, and 34 : 17 : Ps. 58 : 11, and 94 : 2 ; Rom. 3:6. k Jer. 5:1; Ezek. 22 : 30. 1 Luke 18 : 1. m ch. 3 : 19 ; Job 4 : 19 ; Eccles. 12 : 7; 1 Cor. 15: 47, 48 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 1. 24. The appeal is now that the wicked city may be spared on ac- count of the righteous few. ^ F'^f^lj' (7od often spares a community for tlie sake of a few good men in it. And here the principle is conceded by the Lord. At first the suppliant pa- triarch names jifiy as the number who may save Sodom from destruc- tion. He could hope there might be found so many as this. He does not now merely deprecate the destruction of the righteous, as though he were indifferent to the doom of the uncon- verted. Nay, but he pleads for them. It is sad enough that God's judgments, war, pestilence, famine, should sweep away the righteous as they are mixed in communities with the wicked. But alas for the souls of the sinners who must perish eternally ! Abraham therefore pleads that tlie place — wicked as it is — even guilty Sodom — may be spared for the sake of fifty righteous who may peradventure be found there. God's moral government in the world proceeds upon this plan of preserv- ing the earth for the sake of the church that is in it. ^ S^pare. Heb. fc^-j:;5 means to take away or hear (sin) and so, forbear^ spare or forgive. 25. TAai 6e/ar, etc. Heb. ^i nbbn ! shocking (abominable) to thee, from I doing, etc. Gr. ixrjdaficig^ hy no means. i This is the language not of com- j plaint, nor of indignant remon- I strance — nothing of this sort — but of tender entreaty and of loving per- suasion. " I know you will not do unjustly." t Shall not. Reb.— Shall the Judge of all the earth not do (right) judgment ? 26. The answer here given by the Lord reveals His kind readiness to hear and answer prayer. Pie grants the full measure of Abraham's re- quest. This readiness is the patri- arch's encouragement to ask more. 27. 28. He advances upon the for- mer petition — not in the spirit of dictation, nor of rebellion against God ; but of true humiliation. '•'■Dust and ashes " is all that he claims to be. " Dust in his origin, ashes in his end." He will name Jive less for the re- quisite number ; fearing that possibly the salvation might fail by the num- ber falling short of fifty. How he puts the plea ! For lack of five ! Not naming forty-five, but making it as though when God had conceded so much, that now to refuse for lack of five, would be quite inconceivable. The answer is equally favorable. 28. He ventures now to name an« B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XVIII. wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five ? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak : Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon mg to speak unto the Lord : Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, ^ Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak y^t but this once : Peradventure ten shall be found there. ^ And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left com- muning with Abraham : and Abraham returned unto his place. n Judg. 6 : 39. o James 5 : 16. other five less, and gets a like favor- able response. 29. Forty. It is now a still fur- ther advance upon the Divine com- passion. And so God's grace al- ready experienced is made the in- centive to still further drafts upon it. 30. Now the sfep is still a bolder one. He now ventures upon redu- cing the number by ten instead of by Jive^ and he begs that this repeated and enlarged petition may not pro- voke the Lord to anger. 31. He now again advances by ten., and pleads for twenty's sake. 32. Yet hut this once. Heb. — Only tliis (one) time {more). (Ex. 10:17.) He makes another and final advance in his plea. It is now for ten's sake. And he receives the same prompt and favoring response. Why should not the successful pleader — the friend of God, Avho had not yet been at all denied — go on and still fur- ther plead for Jive's sake ? He is satisfied to rest his petition there. He is satisfied with this exhibition of the Divine favor, and is willing to trust the result with God, who has clearly shown His willingness to save, 2* so that now he cannot doubt that j Sodom will be spared if it be possi- ble. Peradventure, also, the case may be such as to forbid the Divine ' clemency to go further. (See^Ezek. I 14 : 14 ; Jer. 15 : 1.) He will not I press God to a denial, nor limit His sovereignty, nor press him thus to I the smallest figure. Here he can j rest the cause and trust. " This seemingly commercial kind of en- treaty," says Delitzsch, " is the essence of true prayer. It is the shameless- ness of faith, which bridges over the infinite distance of the creature from the Creator, and appeals with impor- tunity to the heart of God, not ceas- ing till the point is gained." Yet we may go beyond all proper bound to require a positive limitation of God's freedom, or to demand that He commit Himself to the smallest possible figure in such cases, as if we could not rest the Issue In His hands even for the last fraction, but must bind him to us else we cannot rest. 33. Went his way. As He had declared (vs. 21) to go down to Sodom as one of the three who had come to Abraham. (1.) God 18 GENESIS. CHAPTER XIX. [B. C. 1994. AND there "• came two angels to Sodom at even ; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom ; and ^ Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them ; and bowed himself with his face toward the ground ; a ch. 18 : 22. b ch. 18: 1, &c. granted Abraham's prayer so far as he ventured to extend it. All the way from fifty to ten He answered, " Yes ; I will spare for the number that you name." We know not what would have been the answer had he gone further. lie may have had some intimation that he should pro- ceed no further (Jer. 7:16; 11:14), or by the Covenant Angel going His way. But (1.) We have here the highest encouragement for interces- sory prayer, — to plead with God for wicked men, for communities and nations that are far gone in sin. Guilty cities and nations have been spared on account of God's people. (Matt. 5 : 13; 24 : 22 ) Abraham received no denial. So far as we can see, it was he who left off and not God. Yet (2.) We are to rest humbly and trustfully upon God's good pleasure after all our prayer. It Avould seem that there were not even so many as ten right- eous in Sodom. Probably there was only one, and he might justly have been left to perish. (Eccl. 9 : 2.) And yet God went even further than His promise, and saved Lot's family, which contained doubtless all the righteous who were there. Thus He granted Abraham's prayer. He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked. (3.) God loves to be pleaded with and importuned in prayer. (4.) The righteous are the salt of the earth. The Avorld is pre- served in being for the church's sake. The history of the world is the history of redemption. (5.) We have still higher encouragement to pray and plead for the One Kight- Eous' sake, — Jesus. Six times he, Abraham, urged his prayer, with a steady advance, and each time made God's gracious answer the encour- agement to ask yet more. And there he rested in a serene, Sabbatic con- fidence in God, that He would do all things right and well. " Not my will but "thine be done." (6.) What a blessing to have the prayers of a saint for us. CHAPTER XIX. § 40. The two Angels appear to Lot. Destruction of Sodom Lot's Flight to Zoar. Two of the three angelic Beings arrived at Sodom in the evening — the Covenant Angel being detained as yet with Abraham. They were urged by Lot to accept his hospital- ity. The vile people of Sodom de- manded the strangers to be given up to them for their corrupt indulgence. This disclosed the base immorality of the place, and the angels struck them with blindness ; and then an- nounced to Lot the destruction to which Sodom was doomed, and urged him and his family to leave the city. The ruin came. Lot es- caped with his wife and two daugh- ters ; but his wife disobeying the ' command, and looking back, waa turned into a pillar of salt, and the 1 daughters were guilty of gross cor- ruption, wdiich showed the bad influ- ence of the society of Sodom. j 1. 7 wo angels. Heb. — Two of the angels. The third of these three ' who had appeared to Abraham in B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 19 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, ° turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and *^ wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, * Nay ; hut we will ahide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly ; and they turned in unto c Heb. 13 : 2. d ch. 18 : 4. e Luke 24 : 28. angelic form was held by him in his pleadings for Sodom, while the two went forward. (Ch. 18 : 22. See also ch. 18 : 33, and ch. 19 : 24.) «[ Sat in the gate. In Oriental cities the gate^ that is the open space around and inside the city gate, was the place for pnVjlic gatherings, for the market, and for the judges to sit in court. Job 27 : 7-12. This phrase, therefore, may mean that Lot was sitting as a magistrate, though from vs. 9, as Bush remarks, it would seem that Lot was " too good a man to have been a popular magistrate." This notice in vs. 9 means, he con- tinualbj acteth the Judge, and may refer to the fact of his frequent re- proof of them which had become so unpopular. (See Notes.^ At least it was the place for public resort, for news and business. (See ch. 34 : 20 ; Deut. 21 : 19 ; 22 : 15.) We can see hoAV Lot came to be there, wliile we know that God arranges all events and incidents so as to suit His pur- poses. ^ Rose — botced, etc. This IS the Oriental custom to rise in the presence of superiors, and to bow low with the face to the ground in token of homage. The Heb. term is used of an act of worship, (ch. 22 : 5 ; 1 Sam. 1 : 3,) and also of re- spectful salutation paid to kings and princes and also to equals. (Ch. 42: G ; 48: 12; 23: 7; 37: 7, 9 10.) The salutation is that of falling on the knees, and touching the fore- head to the ground. " Lot at even, ere he retired to rest, remained on the look-out for those who might need his hospitality.'* — Candlish. 2. 31y lords. This is in the plural, and the term is one of respect and courtesy such as is addressed to men, (ch. 31 : 3.5.) It would seem that though at first the Covenant Angel was not with them (vs. 13), He after- wards joined them, and Lot addresses Him by the term " Lord " (Jehovah), as the Divine Being — the Angel of the Covenant (vs. 18.) ^ Turn in. Turn aside to the house of your ser- uarit and lodge, (pass the night,) etc. Lot was " not forgetful to entertain strangers," and thus he " entertained angels unawares." (Heb. 13: 2.) lu the East at present travellers, if they have no tents, often pass the night with the sheikh of the vil- lage ; else they must lodge in the open air, unless there be a khan or caravanserai, an enclosure with shel- ter. This we have tried, with little comfort. ^ Wash yqur feet, etc. These hospitalities are similar to those shown them by Abraham, (ch. 18 : 2,) and they belong to Oriental customs of that time which still exist. ^ On your ways — on your way. He promised to give them eveiy facility for journeying on, the next day, supposing them to be passing travellers. ^ ^'Nay. They gracefully decHue the proffered hospitality, and propose to lodge in the open squaro at the gate. The Heb. term '^ri'] is rendered here, street. (But see 2 Chrou. 32 : 6, comp. Xeh. 8 1, 3, 16.) ^ We icill abide. Heb.— , Because (or but) ice u'ill lodge in the ' open square. This might have seemed to them the better " as they I had been sent to inquire into the ' state of the town." I 3. He j^ressed upon them. He 20 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. him, and entered into his house ; ^ and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4 H But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the i3eople from every quarter : 5 ^ And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night ? ^ bring them out unto us, that we ' may know them. 6 And ^ Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 ^Behold, now, I have two daughters which have not known f ch. 18 : 8. g Tsai. 3:9 h Judg. 19 : 22. i ch. 4 : 1 tc Judg. 39 : 23. 1 Judg. 19 : 24. Rom. 1 : 24 : 27 ; Jude 7. urged upon them exceedingly. The same phrase is found in vs. 9, where it is well rendered " They jn^esfied sore upon the man." The word means originally, to beat — to use violence, and thus is meant to be expressed the extreme urgency. ^ A feast — tieb. a banquet. It was a refresh- ment, -whether called an eating or a drinking. In Esther 5 : 6-7 it is jendered a banquet of wine. This was Lot's generous entertainment — the best at his command, doubtless. ^ Unleavened bread. This was baked most immediately and without the preparation required for fer- mented bread. Observe. — It would seem from vs. 8 that they were urged to sojourn with Lot, for fear of the mad passions of the Sodomites. 4. Here occurs the shocking dis- play of the Sodomites' iniquity, such as had made their city the mark for Divine vengeance, and called for their destruction. ^ Both old and young. This is the monstrous, shameful pitch to v/hich they had come in their wickedness — that all ages and classes .had become most corrupt — the young as well as the old. When the youth of a city are ^0 abandoned to open and public vice, then the swift vengeance of God may be expected to sweep away the base population. The crime has a name in the Scriptures which is borrowed from this infamous place, (Lev. 18 : 22 ; 20 : 13.) It was very prevalent among the Canaanites, and according to Kom. 1 : 22, a curse of heathenism generally even in the best days of Rome. Calvin under- stands that the demand was merely to bring the strangers that they might know who they were ; but that this was only a disguise of their shameful designs. 5. Called unto Lot. They called aloud in a clamorous tone — defiant and threatening — demanding the men (the angels, in human form.) Q. At the . door — properly the doorway (opening') — and he shut the door after him — that is the door itself which he opened and shut be- hind him. The Avords are different, the former denoting the entrance or passage-way — and the latter the door which swings on hinges, or turns in sockets and closes the pas- sage. He shut the door to protect his guests. 7. So wicJcedly. Heb. — Do not, 1 pray you, my brethren, do ivickedly. 8. The fact that these guests had come under Lot's roof at his urgency makes him all the more deeply anx- ious to protect them. Besides, h© B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 21 man ; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes j only unto these men do nothing ; ™ for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one felloiv ° oame in to sojourn, "" and he will needs be a judge : now will we deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10 But the men ^\\t forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. m ch. 18 : 5. n 2 Pet. 2 : 7, o Exod. 2 : 14. may already have seen that they were heavenly visitants. Yet we are shocked at his expedient for their safety to expose his own daugh- ters. Could he have seriously meant to do this ? Or was it only as much as to say, I had sooner give up to you my own daughters than these men, who are my sacred guests ? Did he only seek thus to divert their attention ? Or was he well-nigh dis- tracted with his alarm and perplex- ity ? Or, did he trust the presence and influence of his sons in law with the crowd (vs. 14) to prevent such a shameful proceeding as he suggests? "-In his anxiety, Lot was willmg to sacrifice to the sanctity of hospitality his duty as a father, which ought to have been still more sacred, and committed the sin of seeking to avert sin by sin. Even if he judged that his daughters would suffer no harm, as they were betrothed to Sod- omites, yet the offer was a grievous violation of paternal duty." — K. & D. See Bush. He should have done right and trusted in God. ■[[ Under my roof. Heb. — Therefore came they under the shadow of my beams (or rafters.) It was for this very purpose of security that they entered Lot's house; and upon his virtual pledge of safety — perhaps an express guar- anty. Observe. — Lot had not lived in Sodom without suffering in his moral sentiments. The corrupting influence of society is powerful. " Evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15 : 33). Lot had stoutly opposed their base practices, but had felt the evil effects in h'ls family, else he could never have come to look upon his daughters in such a light. (2 Pet. 2 : 7, 8.) 9. Stand hack — make way there (Isa. 49 : 20.) The word means also, Come hither. Such terms are used without accuracy in all languages, to call attention or give warning. They now vent their spite upon Lot, that he should seek to biiffle their foul designs. ^ This one. Our version supplies the term '■'■fellow" because the tone is that of contempt. Heb. — the one. ^ Came in to sojourn, and he will needs he a judge. Heb. — He will judge to judge. " He continually acteth as judge." Gr. — Thou did.-it come to sojourn. Was it also to pass judgment ? " The man who came as a foreigner is always wanting to play the judge." (K. & D.) It is recorded of Lot in the New Testa- merit that he was greatly and con- stantly worried and worn down by their gross outrages, and probably he had often rebuked them, (2 Pet. 7:8.) ^ Worse with thee. They grow threatening and abusive, and rush for- ward to execute their wrath upon Lot. 10. When they had well-nigh broken through the door, — at the critical moment, as they seemed ready to accomplish their mad de- signs,— they were smitten by a Di- 22 GENESIS. [B. C. 1991 11 And they smote the men ^ that luere at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great : so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12 ^ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides ? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, "^ bring them out of this place : 13 For we will destroy this place, because the ^cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lokd ; and Hhe Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, * which p 2 Kings 6 : 18 ; Acts 13 : 11. q ch. 7: 1 ; 2 Pet. 2 ; t Matt. 1 : 18. 8. r ch. 18 : 20. si Chron. 21 : 15 vine power and defeated. " God's people are safe when angels stand sentries at their doors." — Bush. How shameful to resort to sinfid ex- pedients, as Abraham had done in Egypt, rather than trust fully to God. 11. Blindness. Onk. — Fahdty of sight. Syr. — Illusions. " Mental blindness, in which the eye sees, but does not see the right object." (2 Kings 6 : l^.)—Keil and DelitscTi. " Blind confusion." — Kalisch. " A punishment for their utter moral blindness, an omen of the coming judgment." — Keil and Delitsch. The eifect was manifest. % They loearied themselves — they groped about (the same verb as is rendered stand, back, vs. 9) to fnd the door. " It is the use of God to blind and besot those whom he means to destroy." — Bp. Hall. 12. The ano;els had now mani- fested their Divine commission by summary judgment upon the Sodom- ite leaders, and at once they give direction to Lot to remove his household out of the place, and for- mally announce their errand of de- struction upon Sodom. " When men are grown to that pass that they are no whit better by afflictions, and Averse Avith admonitions, God finds it time to strike."— i?/;. Hall. "The awful lesson of God's most tremen- dous rebukes of unhalloAved lustino;s Is lost upon multitudes who, with their eyes open to the consequences, cease not to press forward to the same destructive career." — Calvitu ^ Besides. In addition to those Avho were Avith him in the house, Avho Avere elsewhere in the doomed city. But some infer from vs. 15 that he had other daughters not ^^ found" there. ^ Son-in-law, etc. Any son- in-law. The household is here in- cluded. The blessings of God's household covenant are here set forth. Even though some of these were reckless, the privilege is oflered to them. And God Avill show, even in his work of judgment, hoAv desira- ble it is to belong to a holy house, and what provisions there are for such, if men Avill but accept them. Lot's sons-in-law rejected the benefit and perished in the destruction of the city. These are they Avho are supposed to have been betrothed to these daughters at home. 13. We will destroy. Heb. — We are destroying or about to destroy. ^ The cry of them. This is the lan- guage used by Jehovah in ch. 18 : 20. *i" Waxen great. Heb. — Is great (or is become great) before Jehovah — in His presence or in His ear. ^ Sent us. The Jehovah who talked Avith Abraham had sent them to de- stroy the city ; and He Himself ap- pears in the transaction, vs. 18, 24. B.C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 23 married liis daughters, and said, " Up, get you out of this place ; for the Lord will destroy this city. ^ But he seeuied as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law. 15 IF And w^hen the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, ^ Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, •A Numb. 16 : 21, 45. x Ex. 9 : 21 ; Luke 17 : 28, and 24 : 11. y Numb. 16 : 24, 26 ; Rev. 18 : 4. 14. Lot went out. " That Lot is willing at this crisis to be still a preacher of righteousness is a further *;oken of the Lord's hand in his de- liverance. The faith that could move him to go forth on the errand on which the angels send him was manifestly the gift of God." — Cand- lish. " In Inviting his sons-in-law to join him he manifests such diligence as becomes the sons of God, who ought to labor by all means to rescue their own families from destruction." — Calvin. ^ Which married, etc. Heb. — The takers of his daughters, or who were about to take. So Josephus, Vul- gate, Ewald, and others, as the G?\ and Targum, read loho had taken ; and they rest upon vs. 15, as if there the reference was to other daughters who were not found, and who were in the city and married. "If Lot had married daughters, he would undoubtedly have called upon them to escape along with their husbands, his sons-in-law." — Keil and Delitsch. ^ That mocked. Heb. — And he was as a laugher (or mocker) in the eyes of his sons-in-law. Comp. Luke 28 : 29. His words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed not. " The nearer the vengeance of God ap- proaches, the more does their obsti- nacy increase and become desperate." — Calvin. 15. Lot required to be hastened — urged. Indeed his tardiness was such that Ihe angels even threaten him with the possibility of his being in- volved in the destruction of the city. It was natural that he should still cleave to his home. ^ The morning. At the day-dawn ; for the sun did not rise till Lot entered Zoar. ^ Which are here. Heb. — Which are found. Chal. — Which are found faithful loitJi thee. This is supposed by some to imply that there were other daugh- ters, who were not '■'•found" at home, but were married to sons-in-law. But this is already shown to be improba- ble, (vs. 14.) % In the iniquity. The Hebrew term signifies either iniquity or the punishment of iniquity. " Not that the Lord casts rashly the inno- cent on the same heap with the wicked, but that the man who will not consult for his own safety, and who even being warned to beware, yet exposes himself by his sloth to ruin, deserves to perish." — Calvin. Note. — They who ai^e « hosen to salvation may nevertheless be urged by the danger of perdition (as Heb. 6": 4-6; Acts 27 : 21 ;) for these warnings and alarms are among the sacred means for their deliverance. 16. While he lingered. Heb. — And he delayed (or hindered himself) and the men laid hold on his hand^ etc. This is the loving violence which God employs in the messengers and means of grace to deliver sinnei^s from destruction. ^ The Lord he- ing merciful, or in the sparing mercy of Jehovah upon him. " For so it is often necessary for us to be forcibly drawn away from scenes which we do not willingly leave. If riches or honors prove an obstacle to any one in God's service, and he is abridged of his fortune or fame, let him know 24 GEjqESIS. [B. C. 1994. and upon the liand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; ''the Lord being merciful unto him; ^and they brouglit him forth, and set him witliout the city. 17 IT And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, ^ Escape for thy life : ^ look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain : escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot said unto them. Oh, ® not so my Lord ! 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life : and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die : 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little a Luke 18 : 13 ; Rom. 9 : 15, 16. b Ps 34 : 22. c 1 Kings 19 : 3, d Ver. 17, 18 ; Luke 9 : 62 ; Phil. 3 : 13, 14. e Acts 10 : 14. Matt. 24:16, that the Lord has laid hold of his hand." — Calvin. " We are all natu- rally in Sodom. If God did not pull us out while we linger, we should be condemned with the world." — Bp. Hall. " Was it from sorrow at the prospect of losing all his property, or was it that his benevolent heart was paralyzed by thoughts of the awful crisis ? " — Jamieson. 17. He said. Here is a change of person, and we are led to suppose that the one here referred to is no other than Jehovah, the Covenant Angel, who had been detained by the | intercession of Abraham. Lot ad- dresses him (vs. 18) as the Lord. He speaks also with authority, (vs. 21,) in the very tone of the Being whom Abraham had pleaded with ; and in vs. 24 it is said that " Jehovah rained down fire from Jehovah out of heaven." ^ Escape for thy life. This is a gospel message. The com- mand is now Be saved. The com- mand is also an invitation, and im- plies the highest privilege. " There IS no greater love than that which, even at the risk of being vexatious and troublesome, presses on the sin- ner and says Escape for thy life." — Gerlach. ^ Look not behind thee. This would divert the attention and divide the interest, while it would peril the salvation by needless delay. " To look back is a sign of unbelief and of cleaving to sin." — Gerlach, ^ Neither stay. There was no time to lose. There was no spot on the whole plain or district where they might tarry at all. No safe abiding place was to be thought of short of the mountains east of the Jordan, (ch. 14 : 10,) for the destruction would sweep over the plain. 18, 19. Here again Lot lacked faith and courage, and instead of falling in implicitly with God's plan, pro- poses an expedient of his own. He pleads that he may stop short of this mountain, and find refuge in a neighboring city, which, being small and unimportant, might be spared. His plea is based upon God's mercy towards him — His manifest intent of salvation — and on the assumption that he should perish if compelled to flee to the mountain, as if God's plan of salvation could be defeated. ^ Lest some evil take me. Heb. — The evil — the destruction forthcom- ing. He was fearful of being over- taken by the swift judgment which he now saw was coming. 20. This city. A small town in the neighborhood that was formerly B. C. lbc)4.] CHAPTER XIX. 25 one : Oh, let me escape thither ! (is it not a little one ?) and my soul shall live. 21 And he said unto him, See, ^I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither ; for ^ I cannot do anything till thou he come thither. Therefore ^ the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 IF The sun was risen upon the earth, when Lot entered into Zoar. f Job 42 : 8, 9 ; Ps. 145 : 19. g ch. 32 : 25, 26 ; Ex. 32 ; 10 ; Deut. 9 : 14 ; Mark 6:5. h ch. 13 : 10, and 14 : 2. called Beta but which is thought to have received the name of Zoar (meaning littleness) from the plea that Lot here uses, calling it a little ojtk, vs. 22. (Ch. 14 : 2.) The Jems. Targ. reads " It is little and its sins are little." From vs. 21 we infer that this town was included in the doomed district. " And this verily is the nature of men that they choose to seek their safety in hell itself rather than in heaven, whenever they follow their own reason." — Calvin. 21. Beliold. YL^h.—Lo! now I have lifted up thy face (accepted thee) even to this word (thing) for my not destroying the city ichich thou hast said. " I take regard of thee in this thing also not to overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken." — K. To lift up the face of one in judgment according to the Heb. idiom, is to ac- quit him — so more generally it is to show favor or to grant one's prayer. " It is no new thing for the Lord sometimes to grant as an indulgence what He does not approve." — Calvin. 22. God is pleased to bind Him- sell' by the necessity of saving those whom he has promised to save. " He hath mercy on whom he wills to have mercy," and no human nor Sa- tanic power can possibly hinder. He •ian do nothing to let loose upon the earth His fiery judgments until the salvation of His people is secured. 3 ^ Zoar. (See vs. 20.) This was prob- ably on the eastern side of the sea. 23. The sun arose upon the earth, and Lot came unto (near to) Zoar. And Jehovah caused it to rain upon Sodom, etc. This was the direct act of Jehovah ; and the repetition of this idea is meant to show that this rain of fire and brimstone was pro- duced by no natural causes. " Mo- ses here expressly commends to us the extraordinary Word of God in order that we may know that Sodom was not destroyed without a mani- ifest miracle." — Calvin. What strong- er language could be used ? Jeho- vah caused it to rain brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven. " This rain was not a mere storm with light- ning setting on fire the soil, already over-charged with naphtha and sul- phur." The words are to be understood quite literally as meaning that brim- stone and fire (i. e., burning brim- stone) fell from the sky." — Keil and Delitsch. These cities of the plain are first mentioned in ch. 10: 19; then in ch. 13 : 10-13. It is contend- ed by some that the burnt district is at the bottom of the Dead Sea ; and by others that it is still visible. But the Scripture references to the land as utterly desolate and waste, may rather refer to the whole plain or district suirounding — as where " tha 26 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. Vale of SIddim is spoken of as the Salt Sea." (Ch. 14 : 3.) Else we may suppose that where there was for- merly this vale, there is now the Salt Sea or Dead Sea. This view is op- posed by Reland, De Saulcy, and Stanley, who maintain that there is no submergence of the cities by the sea. And this seems to have been the view of the ancients, Josephus, Strabo, Tacitus, etc. Robinson and otliers hold that a lake must have e'iisted there long before, to receive the waters of the Jordan, and that they could not have flowed into the Red Sea, as some had supposed, because the level of the Jordan is much lower than that sea. The Red Sea is about forty feet higher than the Mediterranean, while the Dead Sea is about 1 300 feet lower. " Tliere is no evidence of the /catastrophe having been a geological one." (Smith's Bib. Die.) It was plainly mi- raculous, as the clear sense of the language indicates. It is held by Robinson (and others as De Saulcy) that these cities of the plain were lo- cated on the southern part of the Dead Sea, and are buried under or around that portion of the waters. (1.) Because the bottom of the Dead Sea consists of two plains, the lower or southern one being only thirteen feet deep, and the upper or northern one being 1300 feet deep. (2.) Because asphaltum is found only in the south- ern part, and rises there even yet from the bottom. (3.) The location of Zoar, supposed to be at the mouth of the Wady Kerak. (4.) The features of the region show that tliere could have been no earthquake nor sudden depression of the Jordan valley — for the streams flow into the Jordan, evenly, without any such break down at their mouths. Ka- lisch attempts to account for the ca- tastrophe by volcanic actions. But this is shown to be without ground. If this had been so it would have been very differently narrated. (5.) The existence of similar names in the southern quarter. (6.) The Salt Mountain tbund on the south part of the sea. Yet some conclude that the district was at the north of the sea, from ch.l3: 10-13, where Abram and Lot surveyed it from be- tween Bethel and Ai — and only the north part could be seen from that point. (But see ch. 19: 27, 28.) The south is well watered, and it is supposed by Robinson that the burnt district is now in part occupied by the southern bay lying south of the peninsula, that the surface of the plain was depressed, or the bottom of the lake heaved up so as to cause . the waters to overflow and coter permanently a larger surface than formerly. (See vol. 2, p. 188-9.) But to this it is replied by others, (1.) that the " riaiii ot" the Jordan " occupied by these cities could scarcely have been at the south of the lake ; and (2.) that there is no such appearance of any geological disturbance for de- pressing the lower part of the lake, but rather of a gradual process of filling up the basin by the Avashings of the streams. (See Smith's Bib. Die. " Sodom.") Kurtz thinks that such depression of the southern land so as to become the bed of the lake must have occurred since the destruction of the cities. It seems, therefore, quite impossible to speak with cer- tainty of the location. But we in- cline to the commonly received view that the southern locality is the more probable, whether under or around the lower part of the sea. We vis- ited the northern portion. Coming down from the ford of the Jordan, we rode our horses up to the shallow edge at the north of the lake, and were amazed to find it clear and iu' viting, with a pebbly bed visible for some feet out, towards a small island. My horse being very thirsty attempt-^ ed to drink, when an Arab guide B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 27 seized the bridle with a yell of alarm, lest the animal should take the fatal draught. The heat of this desolate basin was most stifling, the level be- ing about one thousand and three hundred feet below Jerusalem. A party of royal engineers, under the command of Captain Wilson, set out in September, 1864, to make a survey of Jerusalem, and to " level " the country from the coast to that city, and thence to the Dead Sea valley. The levelling from the Med- iterranean to the Dead Sea has been performed with different instruments by independent observers, and with such nicety that the result can be rehed ' on to within three or four inches. Meanwhile bench-marks have been cut upon rocks and build- ings along the line followed, and traverse surveys have been made, so that the work done may become the basis of more extended geodesical ex- aminations of the interesting coun- try toward which Christendom is turning Avith new and serious inter- est. The issue of these careful ob- servations is to show that on the 12th of March, 1865, the Dead Sea lay one thousand two hundred and nine- ty-t\vo feet below the Mediterranean level ; which, if it proves that our old estimate was slightly in excess, singularly confirms the calculations by barometer of the Due de Luynes and Lieutenant Vkjnes^ who set it at one thousand two hundred and eigh- ty-six feet on the 7th of June, 1864. At this season of the winter freshets, the waters of this strange secluded lake stand two or three feet higher, and in the fiercest heats of summer they are again lowered six feet by evaporation. Thus the greatest de- pression of the Dead Sea is now fixed at one thousand two hundred and ninety-eight feet ; and as we know that Lieutenant Lynch found a depth of one thousand three hundred and eight feet opposite the Wady Zerka- Maia, we are now sure that the bot- tom lies some two thousand six hun- dred feet below the coast at Jaffa. We saw birds skimming close to the waters, and here and there we picked up chunks of bitumen and of pure sulphur near the shore. No bush grows but the thorn-bush, and the whole plain around the north is dreary and almost devoid of vegetation. \Ve bathed in the waters, and found it true, as stated, that one rolls like a tub in the briny flood, without sinking, and that the acrid water is skinning to the tongue, and irritating to the surface, smarting intensely at every scratch or pimple, while the feeling, besides, is that of a greasy sediment. We had filled our skin bottles with water from the Jordan to wash off this unpleasant bath, but they had been filled too full and they had broken on the passage The effects of the Divine visitation upon the cities of the plain are fre- quently referred to in the Scriptures. (Deut. 29 : 22; Jer. 17: 5, 6; Zeph- 2 : 9.) Tacitus and Strabo also refer to the current belief that such a ca- tastrophe did occur, and by special Divine agency. Bush inclines to ex- plain away the supernatural and re- fer it to a mere volcanic eruption or to a stroke of lightning, (''brimstone and fire," meaning flaming brimstone or lightning.) which set on fire the bitumen of the soil. But this would be a wide departure from the plain sense of the narrative, at least to suppose that this was the whole of it. (See also Luke 17 : 29 ; 2 Pet. 2:6; Judges 7.) Chateaubriand says : " I adhere to the account given in the Scripture without summoning phys- ics to my aid." Kitto is led by Lynch's Researches to hold " that the channel of the Jordan through this plain, with the plain itself through Avhich it flowed, sank down leaving the ancient bed of the river still dis- tinguishable, and forming thus a deep 28 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. 24 Then 'the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the TjORD out of heaven ; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and ^ that which grew upon the ground. 26 IT But his wife looked back from behind him, and she be- came ^ a pillar of 'salt. i Deut. 29 : 23 ; Is. 13 : 19 ; Jer. 20 : 16, and 50 : 40 ; Ezek. 16 : 49, 50 ; Hos. 11 : 8 ; Amos 4: 11 ; Zeph. 2:9; Luke 17 : 29 ; 2 Pet. 2 : G ; Jude 7. k ch. 14 : 3 ; Ps. 107 : 34 ; 1 Luke 17 : 32. basin for the waters which formerly passed onward through the plain." 25. A7id he overthrew — those cities and the whole plain, and all the in- hahitants of the cities and the produce of the ground. It is by some under- stood hence, that by this miraculous visitation " the soil itself which abounded in asphaltum, was set on fire, so that the entire valley was burned out and sank, or was over- thrown C^i^!^) and the Dead Sea took its place." — Keil and Delitzsch. But the term here for '■'■produce" \n)2x)^ means sprouting, shooting, as of plants. We found hot springs at Tiberias at the head of the Jordan Valley, and they are also found at the foot of the Dead Sea. 1 Those cities. Besides Sodom and Gomor- rah, which are chielly named, were the cities of Admah and Zeboim, (Deut 29 : 23, comp. Hos. 11:8,) and all in the Valley of Siddim, Zoar alone being exempted. The present area of the Dead Sea is about forty- five miles by eight. It is skirted on the east by mountains, and on the west towards Jerusalem, the plain sweeps, for some considerable breadth, towards the bare, bleak hill-sides. On the south part of the lake is the peninsular called Lisan, or the tongue, about twenty miles from the southern extremity. Along these lower shores is the famous Salt Hill, called by the name of "Usdum" (Sodom.) The bed of this portion of the lake is a soft bituminous mud, into whose mire the cities may have been sunk and buried out of sight forever. Doubt- less natural agencies were employed — the lightning, with the extraor- dinary pouring down of fiery tor- rents, and possibly also the volcanic eruption, or burning of the bitumi- nous soil by fires let loose from above, and belching out so as to rain down upon the plain. But, if so, there was a miraculous ordering of all these agencies and only the greater display of God's supernatural control of all the elements and of all natural forces. Ps. 11 : 6 alludes to this event. " Upon the wicked he will (cause it to) rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest, the portion of their cup." This scene is only a dim and distant hint of the fiery deluge which is to overflow the wicked world at the last day. These cities are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire — destroyed with the eternal de- struction that awaits the obstinate sinner. Jude 7. 26. The unbelieving conduct of Lot's wife is here brought to view She looked hack from behind him. Gr. — Unto the things behind. Heb. — From after him — i. e.,from {folloiving^ after him. She, instead of pressing forward with a steady aim in the way that Lot was leading, vacillated and plainly did more than cast her eye backward. She disobeyed the command, (vs. 17,) and looked back in the sense of tarrying (stand- ing still) on the plain. It was prob- ably out of a lack of faith in God, and from a heart yet lingering in Sodom. This being so, we cau B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 2» 27 IF And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where ^ he stood before the Lord : 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, ^ the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29 11" Ajid it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God ° remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the m ch. 18 : 22. n Rev. 18 : 9. o ch. 8 : 1, and 18 : 23. see how she was enveloped in the total destruction, and encrusted in the salt which settled upon every ob- ject, as to this day remains the case, in a less degree. Heb. — And she ivas a (statue or) column of salt. This language does not express a meta- morphose. It is not " she became" or was changed to a pillar of salt ; though this could easily have been, if God so pleased. (See Luke 17: 31, 32.) *' The dashing spray of the salt sul- phureous rain seems to have suifo- eated her, and then encrusted her whole body. She is a memorable example of the indignation and wrath that overtakes the halting and back- sliding."— Murphy. So Bush. Col- umns of salt are found around the southern shores of the lake, which have been associated with this event. But this is part of the special Divine transaction, for the signahzing of His judgment upon the wicked, and car- ries the features of miracle, what- ever natural agencies may have been employed. The miracle would con- sist in this supernatural control of the elements for the purpose speci- fied. Lynch's expedition discovered on the east of Usdum a pillar of mas- sive salt cylindrical in front, about forty feet high, resting upon an oval pedestal from forty to sixty feet above the sea-level. Josephus refers, probably, to this pillar. Kurtz sup- poses that " the place where she had been left was converted into a heap of salt." But it is plain that she was made a signed monument of God's judgment, and the literal sense ii not unsupposable — that the elements of this fearful destruction fixed her to the spot. What a fearful warning against all self-secure and presump- tuous sinners 1 What a caution against delay ! " Almost saved, lost after all." Jesus himself pointed to this sad case for a beacon to all such : " Rememher Lot's wife." Kitto refers to the testimony of Aventinus that in Carinthia about fifty people with their cows were destroyed by suffo- cating vapors of salt after the earth- quake of 1 348, and were by this means reduced to statues or pillars of salt. 27. Here, again, Abraham comes into view in the narrative. It was day-break when Lot came to Zoar. And about the same time Abraham, who was in Mamre, near Hebron, went to the place where he had in- terceded with the Covenant Angel for Sodom. This point, as we ob- served on the spot, commands a view of that region from the heights of Hebron. With what throbbing emo- tion must he have gone thither to see the result of that eventful interval since the angels left on their way to Sodom. If ''The smoke. Gr. — Lo a flame rose from the earth like the va- por of a furnace. This was from the smouldering ruins of the cities and of the whole district — made more fierce by the bituminous sediment. How awful must this sight have been to Abraham. 29. This record is here made to exhibit God's fidelity to the praying 80 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. 30 TF And Lot went np out of Zoar, and p dwelt in the moun- tain, and his two daughters with him ; for he feared to dwell in Zoar : and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the first-horn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth ^ to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth : 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we "■ may preserve seed of our father. p ver. 17, 19. q ch. 16 : 2, 4 ; ch. 38 : 8, 9 ; Deut. 26 : 5. r Mark 12 : 19. patriarch, His friend — that for his sake he remembered Lot, his relative, though Abraham had not confined his intercessions to the case of Lot. God remembers the households of His people, and often blesses the children for the parents' sake, and even re- mote branches of the family for the love he bears to the head. ^ God remembered. " This rescue is attrib- uted to Elohim, and not to ' Jehovah,' the Covenant God, because Lot was severed from His guidance and care on his separation from Abraham. The fact, however, is repeated here for the purpose of connecting it with an event in the life of Lot of great significance to the future history of Abraham's seed." — Keil and Delitzsch. 30. Here is recorded another glar- ing vacillation and inconsistency of Lot — that though he had pleaded for Zoar as a refuge, and it had been granted him, he now chooses after all to go to the mountain whither he had been ordered at first. He is thus made to repent his own independent counsels, and to fall in with God's plan as the best for him. ^ He feared. Probably he was afraid that the de- struction that so swept the plain might also come upon Zoar; and this the more, as we may suppose, when he saw the same heinous wickedness abounding there as at Sodom. No wonder if the awe of such a scene — the loss of his wife and sons-in-law, and the smoking, flaming ruins around him, — drove him to seek refuge in a cavern of the mountains for himself and his daughters, though God had assured him that he should be safe in Zoar. Unbelief suffers a dreadful penalty when, at last, it can believe nothing. ^ Cave. Caves abound in the limestone rocks of Palestine. At Bethlehem such a cave was used as an mn, or caravanserai. And Jerome is said to have lived in one of the ad- joining caves of the same ridge. We entered them, and saw others nearly adjacent where animals were stabled. The Horites dwell in caves ; and in summer heats these were grateful resorts. The Ileh. reads — " In the cave " — one of the caves. 31. Strange that these who were so lately and signally delivered by God should at once set themselves ta do evil. This shows the shocking cor- ruptions of Sodom cleaving to them, notwithstanding their pious parent- age. Their plea was that they were outcast from society, and cut off' from all, " as the only survivors of a coun- try smitten by the curse of God." " Their conduct was worthy of Sod- om, and shows, as much as their pre- vious betrothal to men of Sodom, that they were deeply imbued with the sinful character of that city." — Keil and Delitzsch. Observe. — Here again we trace the ancestry of Ham in the Canaanites of Sodom. B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XIX. 31 33 And they made their father drink wine that night : and the first-born went in and lay with her father j and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesterniglit with my father : let us make him drink wine this night also ; and go thou in, and lie with liim, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their fatlier drink wine that night also : and the younger arose, and lay with him ; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with cliild by their father. 37 And the first-born bare a son, and called his name Moab : * the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi : * the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. sDeut. 2:9. tDeut. 2:19. 33-36. Perceived not when, Heb. — In her lying down and in her rising up. That is, he did not recognize her in his intoxication. This is repeated in vs. 35, in extenuation of Lot's con- duct, that he did not know what he was doing. 37. Moah, meaning From the fa- ther. The Sept. adds a clause — " Say- ing of my father ; " and to the other name, Ben Ammi, they add " Saying the son of my people." This was a bad progeny. Their descendants were afterwards the bitter enemies of the Israehtes, who were not al- lowed to meddle with them on their passage to Canaan. They were ex- cluded also from the congregation of the Lord (Numb. 25 : 1 ; Deut. 23 : 3-5) because of their unbroth- erly conduct towards Israel. This account is no invention of any na- tional hatred against these tribes as sceptics would imagine. There was no such national hatred. (See Deut. 2: 9, 19.) (1.) We learn that the Covenant God will punish the Avicked. (2.) That He will save the good. (5.) That He will spare whole com- munities for a season for the sake of the righteous who are in them ; and especially at the prayers of His peo- ple. (4.) That this salvation is ur- gently pressed upon us in all our backwardness and unbelief. (5.) That })ersonal exertion is necessary. (2 Pet. 3 : 4.) (6.) That some are almost saved, and lost after all. (7.) That they who have been wondrously rescued from temporal destructions may shamefully fall into sin. (8.) That the depth of human depravity is awful. (9.) God remembers hu- man intercessions — how much more those of the God-man. (10.) The Scripture is true and faithful, not conceahng the sins of God's people. (11.) Strong drink is the source of untold debasement and degradation and a fountain of iniquity and social crime. (12.) "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temp- tation." Lot is never again intro- duced into the history. Separated out- wardly and inwardly from Abraham he was of no further importance in the history of salvation so that even his death is not referred to. His de- scendants, however, are here noted, that we may the better appreciate 82 GENESIS. CHAPTER XX. [B. C. 1994. AND Abraham journeyed from ^ thence toward tlie south country, and dwelled between ^Kadesh and Shur, and *^ sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ^ She is my sister : And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and ^ took Sarah. 3 But ^ God came to Abimelech ^ in a dream by night, and said ach. 18: 1. b ch. 16:7,14. 105:14. g Job 33 : 15, 16. cch. 26: d ch. 12 : 13, and 26 : 7. e ch. 12 : 15. fPa their conduct towards Israel." — Keil and Delitzsch. (13.) The contrast is here drawn between Lot and Abraham — between one who is too jnuch a lover of the world, and one who is the friend of God. (14.) Be- hold the goodness and severity of God. Upon Sodom and Lot's wife, severity ; upon Lot and his children, goodness. .CHAPTER XX. § 41. Abimelech and Sarah at Gerar. 1. We find Abraham now jour- neying southward to the border. Whether it was in search of pastur- age, or more likely in order to get out of the doomed district, he re- moved to the south-east, and abode in the Philistine territory, at Gerar, in the kingdom of Abimelech. He would at least be so saddened at the recent sight as to wish for a new location. He falls into difficulty (as before in Egypt) about Sarah, to his own shame ; but the Lord is good to him, and he is delivered. ^ Kadesh and Sliur were border towns, and hetiueen these he dwelt in his nomadic life of a shepherd ; and he sojourned, for a temporary abode in Gerar ^ which was the chief city of the Philistines, about eight miles south-south-east of Gaza, where a ruined town is yet found, called Khirhct el Gerar. The country was rich pasture land and well-watered. 2. As before, when he went t« Egypt, he distrusted the people so. much as to represent that Sarah was not his wife, but his sister ; and this wicked expedient of unbelief brought him again into trouble. The lesson he had formerly learned should have kept him from repeating the sin, and now it was so much aggravated. % Abimelech. This was the royal title of the Kings of Gerar, — King, the father of the King, — and refers to the royal line and prerogative. The name means father of the king — a high name. That he " sent and took Sarah may be supposed to have been not so much from the charm of her beauty at ninety years of age — though it may have been preserved beyond her years — as "to form an alliance with Abraham, the rich no- mad prince." — Deliizsch. It would seem that Abraham thought his wife safest if she were regarded as his sister, over whom he would be al- lowed the control; and if so, the marriage tie must have been set at nought among that people. But it would appear from vs. 3 that the dis- closure to Abimelech of the true re- lationship alarmed him. 3. The crisis was most serious. The Messiah had been promised to Abra- ham as the covenant seed, through Sarah, only a short time before this, and God deems it momentous enough to interpose. ^ Came — in a dream. This was anciently a mode of God's revelation. (Job 33 ; 15, 16.) t Behold B.C. 1994.] CHAPTER XX. 83 to liim, ^ Behold, thou art but a dead mail; for the woman which thou hast taken : for she is a man's wife. 4 But Ahimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, ^ wilt thou slay also a righteous nation ? 5 Said he not imto me, She is my sister ? and she, even she herself said. He is my brother : ^ in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream. Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart ; for ^ I also withheld thee from sinning ™ against me : therefore suifered I thee not to touch her. h ver. 7. i cli. 18 : 23 : ver. 18. k 2 Kings 20 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12. 1 ch. 31 : 7, and 36 : 5 ; Ex. 34 : 24 ; 1 Sam. 2-5 : 26, 34. m ch. 39 : 9; Lev. 6 : 2 ; Ps. 51 : 4. — (Lo ! thou art about to die, or io, dead art thou !) a dead man thou ! on account of^ etc. " A man's idfe" Heb. — Married to a husband (or lord). This may refer to his sickness as a plague for this wrong, (vs. 7.) A viola- tion of the seventh commandment is here seemingly threatened with death. In this case it would have been an interference with the lineage of the Messiah. And in any case it sub- verts society and reduces civilized life to that of the brutes. The term, however, may mean dead as to jjrog- eny, which is rendered probable by vs. 17 — " God/?ea/^(/ Abimelech," etc. 4. Abimelech had not been guilty of the crime of which he seemed to be in danger. % Lord. He was acquainted with the covenant name. He calls God Adonai, (Jehovah.) the incommuni- cable name. Here we find the knowledge of the true God yet re- tained in the Gentile world, under the Xoac'hic covenant. ^ A right- eous nation. Sept. and Vulg. read, Wilt thou slay a nation ignorant and righteous 1 This is a reference, probably, to the destruction visited upon Sodom, and a fear that the people might be destroyed along with nimseh". 5. Here the king vindicates his action so far as to disclaim any knowledge of her being married. He also puts the blame of this upon Abraham's own words and Sarah's confirmation of his statement that they were only brother and sister. \ In the integrity. He pleaded that he had gone thus far in innocence of any such crime. He was wrong in taking her at all ; but he did not charge himself with this as criminal according to his ideas of right and the customs of the time. 6. (Heb — And the God — in con- trast with heathen idols.) And when God admitted this plea, it was in the sense in which it was uttered, as to the matter in hand, — the crime of adultery, of which he was innocent here. In this particular God with- held him from sinning against him. He was not pronounced wholly in- nocent of wrong-doing, but only of the crime in question, as the last clause shows. Observe. — (1.) The reason why he could yet claim innocence of " the great transgres- sion " was God's restraining power and grace. (2.) What a hell on earth would there be, but for God's various restraints, in conscience, the Scripture, the Church, the civil law, education and societv, and, most of all, the Holy Ghost. (3.) How thankful should every man be for God's restraints. (4.) What infinite need have we of a Saviour from sin. 34 GENESIS [B.C. 1994. 7 Now therefore restore the man Jiis wife ^ for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live : and if thou restore her notj ^ knovf thou that thou shalt surely die, thou ^ a]id all that are tliine. 8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears : and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us ? and what have I oftended thee, ^ that thou hast brought on me, and on my kingdom a great sin ? thou hast done deeds unto me ^ that ought not to be done. n 1 Sam. 7 : 5 ; 2 Kings 5 : 11 ; Job 42 : 8 ; .Tarn. 5 : 14, 15 ; 1 John 5 : 18. o ch. 2 : 17 p Numb. 16 : 32, 33. q ch. 26 : 10 ; Exod. 32 : 21 ; Josh. 7 : 2-5. r ch. 34 : 7. Augustine says : " We see a sin is done against God, when it is in the eyes of men of small moment, because they treat lightly mere sins of the flesh." (Ps. 51 : 3.) 7. Here God plainly gives the king to understand that he had clone a grievous wrong, for which he would suffer but for Abraham's intercession. He must at once give back to Abra- ham his wife. He had done the wrong against a servant of God — a 'prophet. This v/as at once the ag- gravation of his offence and the ground of his hope of pardon. (i!^'^^2) a prophet '7Tpo heretofore against Abraham to de- serve this at his hands. ^ That oughi not. Heb. — Deeds winch aye noi done (among men), thou hast done with me. Sept. — A thing which no ons will do. B. C. 1994.] CHAPTER XX. 35 10. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing ? 1 1 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely, ^ the fear of God is not in this place ; and * they will slay me for my wife's sake. 12 And yet indeed^ she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother : and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when ^ God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her. This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me ; at every place whither we shall come, y say of me. He is my brother. s ch. 42:18; Ps. 36:1; Prov. 16:6. t ch. 12 : 12 and 26 : 7. u ch. 11 : 29. xch. 12:1, 9, 11, &c. ; Heb. 11 : 8. y ch. 12 : 13. 10 Abimelech still presses upon Abraham for an explanation of so unheard of a proceeding. ^ What sawest thou ? — What haclst thou in thine eye ? — as we would say. What could have been your object or mo- tive ? 11. Abraham has now two reasons to assign, both of them feeble and in- sufficient. (1.) His fear of the peo- ple's immoral habits and principles as being destitute of the fear of God. It was his vain expedient to shift for himself instead of trusting to God. This was his feeling before when he went down to Egypt ; and then he Lad taken the same course and had suffered for it. (Ch. 12:12 etc.) He doubtless thought that he ought to use the means for his protection. But they must be lawful and proper means, to be allowable in God's sight. We are not to do evil that good may come, nor that evil may be averted. 12. A second explanation he has to give is the plea that in a sense Sarah was his sister, as he alleged — explaining also that she was the daughter of his father, and not of his mother, (therefore his half-sister,) making it a half-truth.' Abraham does not mean to vindicate his lan- guage so much as to show how he caae to adopt this subterfuge. Sa- rah is not mentioned in the geneal- ogy of Terah, but probably she was his grand-daughter, and the daughter of Haran, and sister of Lot, and who was called Sarai — my princess — on her marriage with Abraham. Prob- ably she Avas the same as Iscah, (ch. 11 : 29.) In the idiom that was then commonly used, she was his sister. Sa- rah was only about ten years younger than Abraham, and 'Lot was about the same age as the patriarch him- self Others, however, think " that Terah had two wives, by one of whom he had Plaran the father of Lot and Sarah, and by the other he had Abra- ham."— See Bush. Abraham was guilty of a moral untruth in deceiv- ing by designed concealment. Equiv- ocation and dissembling to get out of trouble, only lead us into deeper trouble. 13. God caused me. The verb is here in the plural, though the noun Elohim is almost always used with a singular verb. Keil remarks " that on the subject of his emigration he here expresses himself indefinitely and with reserve, accommodating him- self to the polytheistic stand-point of the Phihstine king." When God, (the godsj etc. Murphy better suggests that if the verb be taken as plural, it is only m instance of the literal 86 GENESIS. [B. C. 1994. 14 And Abimelecli ^ took sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Ahimelech said. Behold, ^ my land is before thee : dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said. Behold, I have given ^ thy brother a thousand pieces of silver : '^ behold, he is to thee ^ a covering of the eyes unto all that are with thee, and with all other : thus she was reproved. z ch. 12 : 16 a ch. 13 : 9. b ver. 5. c ch. 26 : 11. d ch. 24 : 65. meaning of Elohim (the eternal su- pernatural powers) coming into view. "11 Caused me to wandei^ — led me to commence an unsettled life in a for- eign land. This is named in farther extenuation of the wrong — that he took this prudential course from fear in his lonely wanderings as a stran- ger in a strange land. But was not his covenant God to be trusted ? ^ Thy kindness. This was the pleas- ant, amicable understanding for mu- tual protection. Abraham will have it known just how it came about and that it was their understanding all along, and not merely in this case. He is put to shame on his own show- ing. How much safer and better to have trusted all to God ! 14. The king here seems to ac- cept the candid explanations — and induced also by his vision in regard to the position and Divine relation of Abraham, he makes amends and brings to him rich presents. He also restores to him his wife as God had commanded. 15. He shows his kind feeling by giving him leave to dwell in any part of his country, doubtless esteeming his presence of great advantage. Be- sides this, he had reason to value Abraham's prayers, (vs. 17, ch. 21 : 22, 23.) 16. Heb. — A iliousand of silver to iky brother. Lo it is to thee a covering of the eyes. The silver was in shekels probably about $650. It was a pres- ent not to her directly, but to Abra- ham. And he, in a gentle rebuke to them both, perhaps, is called her " brother," as they had claimed. '* A covering of the eyes " here is not as some imagine a veil, understanding the present as money to buy a veil, (a large amount for that purpose,) but it is rather a peace-offering — in consideration of the damage done to them. To cover one's face is the Hebrew idiom for causing one to for- get a wrong done. (See ch. 32 : 20, 21. "I will cover his face," "I will appease him with the present," Job. 9 : 24,) or for appeasing, as of- fering a pecuniary consideration, sometimes used of bribes. So, also, to cover sin is to pardon — see it no more. ^ Unto all that are with Uiee — as all they of her family would be interested in this vindication of her character. 1" Thus she ivas reproved. Heb. — And thou art judged. The verb is here to be taken as second person feminine, singular, Niphal. Heb. — So thou art judged — or justice has been done to thee. — Keil and Delitzsch. Murphy reads — And all this that thou maycst be righted. Lit- erally— and ivith all and thou art judged, though the verb is commonly rendered to reprove or rebuke^ yet also to judge, convince, correct, reason, dis- pute. (See ch. 31 : 37.) This is the language of the king, and this is the attempt he makes very generously and kindly to set matters right bo- B. C. 1993.] CHAPTER XXI. 87 17 IT So Abraham ® prayed unto God : and God healed Abime- lech, and his wife, and his maid-servants ; and they bare children. 18 For the Lord ^had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. CHAPTER XXL sited Sarah as ] did unto Sarah ^ as he had spoken. A ND the Lord * visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord e Job 42 : 10. f ch. 12: 17. a 1 Sam. 2 : 21. bch.17: 19, and 18: 10,14; Gal. 4: tween them. Gerlach reads ^nc?s^e is justified — that is, now have I made all restitution. 17. Abraham, also, is prompt to do his part according to the Di- vine plan, (vs. 7.) He acted the part of an intercessor with God for the king and his household. And his prayer was granted. God had pronounced the king a dead man (vs. 3.) on account of Sarah, which may refer to this, as here God is said to heal him; for he had been deadened as to progeny, (vs. 18.) Note. — How magnanimous to ac- knowledge one's error, and to do the best to make amends. We can pray for those whom we have brought in- to trouble unadvisedly ; and this we ought to do, that God may deliver and heal them. Keil notes the sig- nificant distinction here between the titles of God that are used. The cure of Abimelech and his house be- longed to Elohim, (God.) Abraham directed his intercession, not to Elo- him but to Ha-Elohim — the God, as the personal and true God. It was He, too, who had brought the disease upon Abimelech, not as Elohim or Ha-Elohim, but as Jehovah the God of salvation, (vs. 18,) for His design therein was to prevent the disturb- ance of His saving plan in the birth of the promised son from Sarah. The names Elohim and Ha-Elohim indicate the same relation of God to Abimelech, and it was Jehovah who interposed for Abraham — God in His redemptive relation. Observe. — The repetition of Abraham's wrong doing in the course of twenty-four years is in nowise in- credible considering the custom of the time. The details are quite dif- ferent in the two cases. AbimelecK is quite a better character than Pha- raoh. He is a heathen, indeed, but with a moral sentiment open to re- ceive God's word as Pharaoh was not God shows Abraham that He can carry forward his plan of grace, des- pite all opposition of earthly princes. CHAPTER XXL § 42. Birth of Isaac. Hagar and ishmael cast out. ch. 21: 1-21. The birth of Isaac is the first re- sult of the covenant, and the first step towards its goal. As it is the germ of the future development, and looks to the greater than Isaac — the New Testament Son of Promise — so it is the personal and practical pledge, on God's part, that the salva- tion of the world shall be accom- plished. 1. The Lord (Jeho\Rh) visited. The covenant God. The term visit here denotes a friendly visit. But with 38 GENESIS [B.C. 1993. 2 For Sarali '^ conceived, und bare Abraham a son in bis old age, "^ at tbe set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, ^ Isaac. 4 And Abraham ^ circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, s as God had commanded him. 5 And ^ Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. c Acts 7:8; Gal. 4 : 22 ; Heb. 11 : 11. d ch. 17 : 21. 10, 12. h ch. 17 : 1, 17. ch. 17 : 19. f Acts 7:8. g ch. 17 : the preposition "upon," it denotes a judicial visitation. See Exod. 28 : 5. Xhe announcement is here made of God's fidelity to His covenant prom- ise, and of how the event fulfilled the expectation. This is narrated also to show that in this event, the plan of grace is unfolded, and that it oc- curs in the line of God's covenant arrangements. The son of promise is now to be born. Isaac is the germ of that promised seed in whom " all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." God will always do as " Ho hath said," and " as He hath spoken." Calvin says there is great emphasis in the repetition, calling the reader to pause in the consideration of so great a miracle. 2. For. Heb. — And. The event is now recited as being according to i the very terms of the promise, (ch. I 17: 6, 19, 21 ; IS: 14.) It is also recorded that this son was born to Abraham in his old age, that is, be- yond the natural time, (vs. 7,) and thus not according to nature, (Gal. 4 : 23) but above nature. It was also at the set time as promised in ch. 17: 21; ch. 18: 14. With God nothing can occur out of season, or aside from the appointed time. Cir- cumcision pointed to the miraculous generation. 3. Here also the name is noticed as being the same as Divinely di- rected ch. 17: 19. Isaac means he shall laugh — or Iheij (one) shall laugh. The name reminds of that which caused the laughter of Abra- ham and Sarah, (ch. 17: 17; 18: 1 2 ;) the physical impossibility accord- ing to natural laws. And as the name is associated with the fulfil- ment, it keeps in mind the contrast between the idea and the reality. Her laughter of incredulity is turned now into a laughter of joy at the event, (vs. 6.) The name Isaac, therefore, is most significant. Through this name, Isaac is designated as the fruit of omnipotent grace working against and above the forces of na- ture. It is as much as to say, this son of promise is indeed he the men- tion of whose birth was laughed at as impossible. So afterwards Ish- mael laughed at him, as too weak to be the ground of such attention and such hopes, (vs. 9.) And the name keeps in view this contrast of the natural and the supernatural. 4. It is further narrated here that Abraham was strict to fulfil all the covenant conditions. The seal of the covenant circumcision was set upon the child, after the Divine di- rection and on the day specified. (Ch. 17: 10-12.) 5. The fiict is here specially noted that this birth of Isaac was above na- ture and not according to nature, And thus the great miraculous birth of Jesus is foreshadowed ; and it is also implied that what begins hero in the Divine supernatural agency B, C. 1993.] CHAPTER XXI. 39 6 IF And Sarah said, ^ God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear ^ will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck ? ^ for I have borne hiiii a son in his old age. 8 And the child grew, and was weaned : and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. i Ps. 126 : 2 ; Isii. 54 : 1 ; Gal. 4 : 27. k Luke 1:58. 1 ch. 18 : 11, 12. shall be continued by the highest Divine working. As the birth was at Abraham's century time, so it was about thirty years after his call. The miracle -was manifest, in that it was after sixty years of their fruitless marriaoje union. 6, to Iciurjh. Heb.— Gorf hath made laughter to me. " A laughing hath God prepared for me." — Keil. Benlsch reads, " God hath made me (a person) to be laughed at All that hear it will laugh at me." But the former is better. The allusion is to the laughing of Abraham and Sarah at the announcement. " This is an occasion for laughing indeed such as I had little thought when it was first told me — not now of delight mixed with doubt, but of wonder and joy unmingled with distrust. This laughter God has given to me to vindicate His promise and to rebuke my unbelief" Paul, in the HebrcAvs, ascribes her preternatural strength to her faith, in believing the prom- ise, though she at first received it with some misgiving. (Heb. 11 : 11.) f Will laugh ivith me. Sept. — Re- joice loith me. Ps. Jon. — Be aston- ished with me. Rejoice with amaze- ment at the Divine blessing. 7. Who loould have said. The nat- ural incredibility of the event en- hances her joy and wonder. And so her testimony is here recorded to the amazing power and grace of God in making good His covenant promises. God is wont to sjet such clear and express testimonies to His miraculous works, to show that they were not by any means natural. And it was most important that this event be witnessed to by the glad mother as being not nara (pvaiv but irapa <1)vglv (Gal.) natural indeed in its progress and issue, but not therefore in its or- igin. % Who would have said. How naturally unsupposable. Who ever would have reported such a thing would have been counted mad. % Sa- rah shoidd, etc. Jle.h.—^Sarah is suck- ling children. Yet it is even so ! For 1 have home him., etc. This is the' mother's new-found joy which she herself can scarcely credit. This laughter is referred to in Isa. 49 : 13 ; 52 : 9 ; and by Paul, Gal. 4 : 7— " Rejoice" etc. 8. The child grew. The same term is used by Luke (ch. 2 : 40) to record the natural growth of the child Jesus. It is commonly inferred that a babe was not weaned until the third year, (1 Sam. 1 : 22-24. See 2 Chron. 31 : 16,) but perhaps in the second year — and not in all cases quite the same. The time in this case is important only to ascertain Ishmaefs age at being cast out. " As the weaning is the first step in the direction of independent existence, it was therefore solemnized by a feast." The child usually remained during the first five years under the special care of the mother. (Lev. 27 : 6.) Af- ter that the son came under the man- aireraent of the father. 40 GENESIS. [B. C. 1993. 9 IF And Sarah saw tlie son of Hagar "^ the Egyptian, ^ which she had borne unto Abraham, ° mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, ^Cast out this bond- woman, and her son ; for the son of this bond- woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. mch.l6:l. nch.l6:15. o Gal. 4 : 29. p Gal. 4 : 30 ; ch. 25 : 6, and 36 : 6, 7. 9. Now is recorded the casting out of Ishmael — the son of a human ex- ])e(iient. This was (1.) To make the whole hope depend upon the son specially given by God. (2.) To separate this hostile element from the covenant family. Though this was in the plan of God, yet there was to be an occasion for it, and that was the wilful mocking of Isaac by Ishmael. The term for mocking is here rather making sport ; and the verb is in the intensive mood. Gr. — nai^ovTa — mak- ing fun. It is the verb to laugh, but in this intensi^'^e form, meaning pro- fane jesting, but referring also to the laughter already recorded, and show- ing the relation of the party, as before. It was here the laugh of derision and of scorn, and not of joy. In the Galatiaus (ch. 4 : 29) Paul speaks of it as persecution. Rightly was the child of promise called " One .shall laugh," at whom all laugh with various expressions of incredulity, Y,^onder, gladness, and scorn. Ish- mael would naturally see himself very much displaced in the paternal attentions and afiections by this new- born Isaac, and would naturally ex- ])ress his envy and opposition. So the elder son, the brother of the prodigal was angry. Ishmael was now at least fifteen years of age — perhaps seventeen. He was thirteen at his circumcision. (Ch. 17:25.) A year passed before Isaac's birth. And since this time, at least another year had elapsed, probably more, before the weaning. Sarah saw the mock- ing of Ishmael, and could not endure it. This persecution of him that wag after the Spirit, by him that was af- ter the flesh, (Gal. 4 : 29,) led to the rejection and dismissal here recorded. And this Paul takes to be a type of what shall be the opposition between the fleshly, carnal membership of the churches, and the true spiritual dis- ciples. Ishmael would say or feel, — " How absurd that this little helpless Isaac, about whom there is such an ado, should be the father of nations ' " Unbelief, envy, pride, were the mo- tives of his conduct. (See Hengsten~ berg, Pent. I.) It was thus apparent that this son of the Egyptian woman v/as unfit to be the son of promise. He was already inwardly separated from the household of faith. Let him now be openly thrust out. Al- ready the affliction of the Egyptians was suffered by Abraham, which was to continue through the four hundred yeare. The child of Hagar, as a Gentile slave, would be also a slave. 1 0. The provocation given by Ish- mael for his dismissal by Sarah's re- quest, is thus expressly recorded. ^ Cast out. Paul to the Galatiana, uses this historical passage, as to be allegorically explained ; that is, tht> facts have an underlying sense , namely, that there are two dispensa- tions represented by Hagar and Sa- rah,— the Law and the Gospel, — and two classes of sons in the visible church, as there are these two in the family of Abraham — the one of the legal spirit, the other of the gospel ; the one afl:er the flesh, the other after the spirit ; the former persecuting B. C. 1993.] CHAPTER XXL 41 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight, ^ be- cause of his son. 12 ^ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond-woman ; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice : 'for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bond-woman will I make * a nation, because he is thy seed. 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and * sent her away : and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. q ch. 17: 18. r Rom. 9; 8:35. ; Heb. 11 : 18. s yer. 18 ; ch. 16 : 10, and 17 : 20. t John k and opposing the latter. But the separation must be made as is here done in Abraham's house. The son of the bondwoman — the Ishmael — the children of bondage, of the Juda- izing, legal spirit, must be cast out, as not allowed to inherit along with Uie son of the free woman. They who are in bondage to the righteous- ness of the law, do thus scorn and persecute those who are of the free spirit of the gospel. They cannot hve in the same house. (1.) The same great idea runs through all the history of the church, and pervades all the Scripture and all God's deal- ings. (2.) We see the unity of the Bible and of the church. % Cast out. The term means sometimes to divorce, disown. And this idea may be con- veyed here. ^ My son. This was the sting. 11. Ishmael was Abraham's son, though not Sarah's ; and this stern, imperious demand was grievous to bun. Heb. — The loord (or thing) was evil exceedingly in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son. He could not think of casting his son Ishmael out upon the cold world, be- loved as he was to him, (ch. 17: 18.) Observe. — Abraham alone is called the friend of God in the Old Testa- ment, and only after his death, 4* (2 Chron. 20 : 7 ; Is. 41: 8.) And James calls attention to this fact, (Jas. 2 : 23.) 12. God. The term /e/joraA is not here used, as there was no appearing, but an inward revelation of God's will, without the agency of the Cov- enant Angel. He charges Abraham with the reasonableness of this de- mand of Sarah, seeing that it was the Divine plan to have the covenant posterity in the line of Isaac. ^ In Isaac shall thy seed he called. " Shall seed (posterity) he called to thee." — Keil. Not '' through Isaac shall seed be raised to thee." — Benisch. But " in the person of Isaac shall there be posterity to thee which shall pass as such." — Keil. In Heb. to he called is the same as to he. Isaac is the covenant seed in whom " thy seed" in the highest sense, as the Messiah (Gal. 3 : 16,) shall be, and be recognized. 13. Yet Ishmael was not to be ex- cluded from the Divine promise and favor, but because of his being the son of Abraham, he was to be consti- tuted a nation y as was promised, (ch. 16 : 10 and 17: 20.) 14. Abraham obeyed the Divine direction, painful though it had been to him to contemplate. ^ Bread is often used as a general term for pro- 42 GENESIS. [B. C. 1993. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast thft child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against hiin, a good way off, as it were a bow-shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17 And " God heard the voice of the lad : and the angel of God u Ex. 3 : 7. visions, or food of different kinds. ^ A bottle of water. This was a skin of a goat or kid, made so as to bold water. And it is still the mode at the East. We came, on a hot day's journey, to a cistern excavated in the limestone rock, holding rain- water, and at once the skin bottle was let down into the water with a cord. At the first drawing we no- ticed some hairs from the skin in the water, but, pouring it out, the second draught was perfectly clear. Such a supply, however, as she could carry on her shoulder would not last long for her journey. 1" And the child. The last clause is in parenthesis, so that we read " he took bread., etc., and he gave it and the child unto Hagar." Of course we are not to understand that he put the child on her shoulder along with the water-skin. The boy was fully sixteen years of age, as we suppose. (See vs. 8.) The term here rendered " child " means rather, " lad" — boy — youth. (See ch. 4 : 23.) Boys often married at that age in the East. ^ The la'dderness is not a des- ert, but a wild, uncultivated district of open commons. ^ Of Beersheba. Adjacent to this town where Abra- ham was probably residing. It may be here so named by the historian, though possibly not so called until afterwards. Note — Abraham has by some been charged with severity in this. But not so. He acted ac- cording to the Divine direction. Ha- gar obtained her freedom by this dis- missal. And they were not excluded from the covenant by this (since Ish- mael had been circumcised and had covenant promises), nor from inter- course with Abraham's house. (Ch. 25 : 9.) Besides, at this age, boys in the East are commonly sent out to do for themselves. (See also ch. 25 : 6 ) She may have set her face towards her native Egypt. 15. In the hot plains the water gave out, and the lad was exhausted. The mother cast the child under one of the shi^ubs, — that is, she let go his hand, as he sank to the ground, and, in a despairing mood, laid him away under a bush, in the shade, as if to die. 16. The mother, retiring from the painful sight of her famishing boy, yet keeping faithful watch at a distance of a bow-shot (Heb. — in the distance, as archers) is touchingly natural. The meaning is, as far oft' as archers take their stand, or set their target. As we came to the Dead Sea on a very hot day, and much athirst, one of our Arab attendants sank exhausted on the sand. A physician of our com- pany took out his flask of brandy to minister to his relief; but he stoutly refused it, as the Koran forbids the use of strong drink. It was only after some hours' delay that he could follow us. — The attitude of the heart- broken mother is described with the utmost simplicity. The Sept. reads here, " The boy loept." 1 7. It was Ishmael's voice, and not Hagar's, that God is said to have heard ; for the lad had the promise B. C. 1993.] CHArXEll XXL 48 called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth tliee, Hagar ? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand : for ^ I will make him a great nation. 19 And ^ God opened her ej-es, and she saw a well of water: and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God ^ was with the lad ; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, ^ and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran : and his mother " took him a wife out of the land of Egj^pt. w ver. 13. x Namb. 22 : 31 ; 2 Kings 6 : 17, 18, 20 ; Luke 24 : 16, 31. y ch. 28 : 15, aud 39 : 2,8,21. zch. 16: 12. ach. 24:4. which secured for him a hearing. Yet it is " God " who heard him, and not " JeJwvah ; " for now the lad is removed from the cotenant circle to the outside world, under the general Divine Providence. The lad is not said to have cried (only the mother), but it is here implied. God calls to her out of heaven, showing His care- ful watch of her, as she kept watch of the lad. " Like as a father piticth His children." — " As one whom his mother comforteth." Ha^ar is charfred itot to fear, because of God's hearing the voice of the lad. It is all along implied that she is regarded for his sake. 18. The distressed mother is bid- den to get up and lift up her boy. ^ Hold him. Heb. — Take Jirm hold of him ici'h thy hand. The promise already made respecting him is here repeated, as the ground upon which he was to be cared for. 19. Opened. Sam. Vers. — enlight- ened. " Having been previously as- tonished with grief, she did not dis- cern Avhat was plainly before her eyes." — Calvin. (See Numb. 22 : 31.) So we do not see " the fountain k opened for sinners in this world's "wilderness till God opens our eves." 20. Was 2vith the lad. Chald.— ^' And the Word of the Lord teas for guided, and prospered the lad. And he became. Heb. — And he lecame, ivhen he grew up., an archer. Sam. — a s^kiJfid archer. The descendants of Ishmael were celebrated for their skill in the use of the bow. (Is. 21 : 17.) That he dwelt in the wilderness is repeated in the next verse ' to lay stress upon his roving life as a hunter. 21. The wilderness of Paran. The caravan route to Egypt from Beer- sheba lay through the desert. It is for the most part desolate and dry. " It is the large desert of El Tin, which stretches along the southern border of Canaan, from the west fringe of the Arabah towards the east of the Desert of Shur, on the frontier of Egypt, and extends south- ward to the promontories of the Mountains of Horeb. On its north- ern edge lay Beersheba, whither Abraham had removed from Gerar ; so that, in all probability, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away from his abode there, and had wandered about in the surrounding desert, till Hagar was afraid that they should perish of thirst." — Keil and Delitzsch. ^ A icife. Here it is shown that he took up his abode in the wilderness, and led the life of a roving hunter, and adopted the habits of a wilder- ness man — " a tcild man" (ch. 16 : 16,) — till at length he and his trjba 44 GENESIS. [B. C. 1993 22 IT And it came to pass at that timej that ^ Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, " God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23 Now, therefore, ^ swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son : but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou blialt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. b ch. 20 : 2, and 26 : 26. c ch. 26 : 28. d Josh. 2 : 12 : 1 Sam. 24 : 21. became a bandit band, — his hand against every man and every man's hand against him. That he married a, wife out of Egypt is here stated, to prepare us for the sketch of his de- .^cendants, (eh. 25 : 12-18,) the Be- douin Arabs. This also completed tlie estrangement of Ishmael's line iVom that of Isaac, as Egypt was the hmd of his mother's birth and of heathen superstition. That the mother chose his wife was according to the established usage of Eastern nations for the parent to make the choice of a husband or a wife for the children. § 43. Abraham and Abimelech. Ch. 21 : 22-34. 22. The First Treaty. The king and his chief-captain come to l)(!ersheba, where Abraham dwelt. J lere follows a treaty of Abimelech with Abraham. Expediency, not h'6S than piety, led him to seek a closer alliance with the patriarch whom he saw to be so nearly allied t(5 God. Here was a fulfilment of the promise, in part. (Ch. 12 : 2.) Abimelech had noticed remarkable fivors of God shown to Abraham. (1.) In the defeat of the four kings. (2.) In the twofold deliverance of Sarah. (3.) In the miraculous birth of Isaac. Besides this, the appear- ing of God to him in favor of Abra- liam, the certainty of a large poster- ity in Isaac, and the growing power of this patriarch, who ten years ago led out three hundred and eighteen trained servants, made the king anx- ious for the alliance. — De Sola. He was also probably acquainted with the tenor of the promises made to Abraham for the possession of Ca- naan, and he was anxious to secure the integrity of his own territory, as King of the Pkilistines. ^ Phichol. This name of the king's commander- in-chief means ^^ mouth of all" — that is, all-commanding. This v/as prob- ably an official title, like that of Abimelech. The presence of this chief officer along with the king on this occasion would imply that it was a public compact. " It is very prob- able that this event took place before some of the facts recorded in the previous passage and soon after the birth of Isaac." — Murphy. 1" God is luith thee., etc. This conviction was enough to prompt him to such a pro- cedure. Abraham was called the friend of God as bein^ one who was befriended by God in an especial manner. And the humblest Chris- tian has a dignity and a power in the world on this same account; so that often men wish to secure their inter est with ,God on their behalf 23. A solemn oath was sought of Abraham, not to deal falsely. Lit.— that thou wilt not lie to me. It was a compact for his own security and that of his descendants — son and son's so?i. Sept. — Neither my seed nor my name. ^ But. The king lays claim to such kind treatment on the ground of kindness already shown by hjm tp B. C. 1993.] CHAPTER XXI. 45 24 And Abraham said, I will swear. 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants ^ had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing : neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day. 27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech : and both of them ^ made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by them- selves. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, ^What mean these seven ewe-lambs, which thou hast set by themselves ? ech. 26: 15, 18, 20, 21, 22. fch.26:31. gcb. 33: the patriarch. (Ch. 20 : 14-16.) Sept. — According to the rujJdeousness^ etc. ^ And to the land. The kmg was evidently fearful of such a power as Abraham's, as endangering his terri- tory, especially as the patriarch had proved himself a strong military chieftain and so successful in war, and as he had already an alliance with the neighboriu Eshcol, and Slarare. 24. / unll smear. The term to swear in the Heb. is the verbal form of the number seven., because seven with the Hebrews was a sacred number, the seventh day being from the beginning a sacred part of time. And oaths Avere confirmed either by seven sacrifices, (as here, vs. 28,) or by seven witnesses and pledges. (See Gesenius.) " Thus worthily does the first chapter in the history of treaties open." — Kitio. 25. There was a matter of dispute to be settled before the treaty should be solemnized. Abimelech's men had taken advantage of Abraham about a well. This was indeed a point of difficulty, showing the deli- cate relations of the parties. The Philistines were naturally jealous of this right which the digging of a well was understood to give to the land, as a lien upon it, lest Abraham's people might thus acquire a title in their country, and claim possession at length. Hence, when Abraham left that district, they took care .to fill up the wells which he had dug. And hence the renewed and bitter strife with Isaac when he afterwards came and cleared out those wells, and dug new ones for himself. (See Kitlo's Pict. Hist, of Pal, p. 61.) 26. The king promptly replied to Abraham's complaint that he had heard nothing of this violent pro- ceeding of his own men until that very day ; that he knew nothing of who had thus transgressed, and that Abraham had not given information of the wrong till then, else it might sooner have been rectified. 27. This present of sheep and oxen was quite extra to the common ceremony of covenanting, and was meant to express Abraham's good- will, and to give special emphasis to the transaction. Besides some of these he set aside for a witness. And altogether " it was a material pledge that he would reciprocate the kind- ness shown, and live in friendship with the king and his descendants." — Keil and Delitzsch. Bush suggests that these animals may have been wiven to the kin^; to offer before the Lord. 28-30. It was not to redeem the well, but to secure a pubhc and 46 GENESIS. B. C. 1994. 30 And he said, For these seven ewe-lambs slialt thou take of my hand that ^ they may be a witness nnto m.e that I have digged this welL 31 Wherefore he ' called that place Beer-sheba ; because there they sware both of them. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba ; then Abimelech rose up; and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they re- turned into the land of the Philistines. 33 IF And Ahraliaiii planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and ^ called there on the name of the Lord, ^ the everlasting God. h ch. 31 : 48, 52. i ch. 26 : 33. k cli. 4 : 2G. 1 Deut. 33 : 27 ; Isa. 40 : 2S ; Rom. 1 Tim. 1 : 17. 2G» formal concession or aojreement about the well as his property, that the present was given. Tliis giving of presents to ratify a treaty is common with Oriental nations ; and here Abraham gave the present in token of his good feehng as a subject, and of his satisfaction with the king's ex- planation, and witli his acknowledg- ment of his property in the well. Tlie reception of the gifts was a pledge that there would no longer be any dispute of Abraham's claim. In this dealing in seven, the sacred number, there was the form of an oath. 31. Beersheha. The name means Well of seven, or ivelL of an oath, the term for seven being akin to that for oath. Kdl and JMl/zsch take it to mean ' seven-icell,' from the seven lambs by wdiich Abraham secured possession of the well. It is now known as Bir-es-Stha. (See Ritter Erd. vol.14.) ^ They sware. lAt. — they seven-Q^ themselves. Accord- ing to Herodotus, (3, 8,) the Arabi- ans among others chose some seven things to give validity to an oath. 32. Nothing is said expressly of slaying animals in this covenant — unless it be implied in the phrase (here and in vs. 27) which is literally, " And they cut a covenant," — Avhich phrase originally refers to the dissect- ing of the animals and passing be- tween the parts. (Ch. 26 : 83.) The Philistine king and chief now return from Beersheba on the border to their land, (Gerar.) Beersheba was in the Wady es Seba, twelve hours journey to the south of Hebron. Two deep wells with pure sweet wa- ter are reported by llobinson, and are called Bir es Seba. 33. Planted a grove. Sept. — A field. Ps. Jon. and Jer. Targ.—^ paradise (or garden.^ Onk., Syr., Ar. — A tree. It is properly the Ori- ental tamarisk tree or grove. This was a religious act. it would seem, like building a temple for worship, for himself and his people. And from ch. 12: 6, 7, and 13: 18, we learn that there were such groves at Moreh and at Mamre. " This was evidently a pre-Mosaic usage, since, in consequence of its subsequent perversion, it was, in the Levitical law denounced." (Deut. 16: 21.) " The planting of this long-lived tree with its hard wood and its long, nar- row, thickly clustered, evergreen leaves, was to be a type of the ever- enduring grace of the faithful cove- nant God." — Keil and Delitzsch. This planting, too, implies that Abraham now felt himself more settled in the land. Ele " calls upon the name of Je ovah the everlasting God." By till name he confesses Him as faith- ful and true to His promises forever. B C. 1973.] CHAPTER XXII. 47 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Pliilistines' land many days. CHAPTER XXII. AND it came to pass after these things, that ® God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham : and he said. Behold, here I am. a 1 Cor. 10 : 13 ; Heb. 11 : 17 ; Jam. 1 : 12 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 7. I -34. Tliough the king and his gen- cral-in-chief are said to have returned from their interview with Abraham to the land of the Philistines, (vs. 32,) yet the latter is said to have sojourned in that land. Beersheba was on the border of it, and did not belong to (^erar, the kingdom of Abimelech in the strictest sense, though the Phil- istines claimed the district as their own, as is plain from their seizing the well from Abraham. Besides, the patriarch would occupy pasture grounds in that whole region ; and as he WM invited to dwell in the land, (ch. 20 : 15,) he would be, prop- erly speaking, a sojourner there, as a nomad shepherd. CHAPTER XXn. § 44. Trial of Abraham. Isaac AND THE Sacrifice. Cove- nant Promise Renewed. Abraham's faith works. It must endure also. First of all he had to part from his country and kindred at God's call. Xext, he must go at the stress of famine to a land of stran- gers. He did it, and returned. Then he must have his kinsman separate from him for richer territory. Next he must go out in battle against plun- denng kings and their hordes. Then he must go through the grievous doubts about his posterity, and about the promise of blessing to mankind through him. After having a son through his bond-maid, he is called to cast him out and surrender his natural, paternal affection to the de- mand of faith. And now, as he has been in the school of trial with such various and difficult lessons, he haB to master one more, the hardest of all. Now that his whole soul rests on Isaac as the covenant son for whom Ishmael had been given up, he is called to give up Isaac, and see no other son of promise, according to the flesh, through whom the cove- nant can be made good. And yet in Isaac's offering the faith that is so sorely tried comes to see the New Testament Isaac as the greater Son of promise, and risen from the dead. So that this Jesus testifies of him : " Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad." (John 8 : 56.) Abraham was thus led to see, in picture, how God would bless the nations in him through Christ. 1^ God. Heb. — The God. The personal, true God, not any tempter, as Satan, and not to tempt to sin. (See James 1 : 13.) •[ Tempt. Geneva Vei's, — Did prove. Sept. — Tried. The word means to try, or prove, to put to the test. This is set forth as God's intent in the transaction — not to sanction human sacrifice, but to test Abraham's faith and obedience. " The issue also shows that God did not desire the sacrifice of Isaac by slaying and burn- ing him upon the altar, but his com- plete surrender, and a wiUingness to otler him up to God even by death. Nevertheless the Divine command was given in such a form that Abra- 48 GENESIS. [B. C. 1979. ham could not understand it in any other way than as requiring an out- ward burnt offering, because there was no other way in v/hich Abraham could accomplish the complete sur- render of Isaac, than by an actual preparation for really offering the de- sired sacrifice." — Keil and Delitzsch. This constituted the trial so severe, beyond conception. In God's view, and for the purpose in hand, it was regarded as a burnt offering, for he is said to have " received him from the dead in a figure " (Heb. 11: 19.) and to have " done this iking" vs. 16. Lu- ther says : " The human reason sim- ply concluded that either the promise was false, or that the command was not of God but of the devil." Yet upon a last analysis, faith concluded that " God was able to raise him up even from the dead." And as faith gave him up for dead, so faith re- ceived him from the dead, and saw in him the risen Lord. Faith is worth trial, (1 Pet. 1 : 7,) more than gold is worth refining. " It be- longs to the dignity of a moral being ; to be put to a moral probation. Such assaying of the will and conscience is worthy both of God the assayer ai^d of man the assayed." — Murphy. The spot where the patriarch was directed to do this work of faith, be- ing the same site on which the tem- ple was afterwards built, was de- signed to show the great Messianic idea running through all the history in all the ages. Lange and others understand that Abraham was in er- ror in supposing that God called for the actual sacrifice on the altar when He demanded only the surrender. But why then direct him to go to such a distance with all the prepara- tions for the offering if He had not meant to be so understood ? But what was the need for this trial ? As yet, observe, Abraham was claim- ing Isaac as of his own body and this fleshly affection contended with the spiritual which regarded him aa a child of grace and of promise. But if his faith is to be perfected, he must deny his fleshly love to his son, that the promise of God might remain the sole basis of his affection, and also of his hope in Him. He must give him up to the dead as his natural offspring, so as to receive him from the dead as the mere gift of God — as purely and simply the son of prom- ise. Okserve. — (1.) All the im- agined difficulty about the Divine call for human sacrifice here, is re- lieved when we consider that here is a typical reference to the sacrifice of the 7nan, Christ Jesus — the only hu- man sacrifice that God will sanction. It was expedient and necessary that one man should die for the people. So far as the heathen practised hu- man sacrifices, the practice arose from a sense of the insufficiency of animal sacrifices. The true idea of human sacrifice, however, was as yet only to be hinted of in Isjiac, as the type of Him in whom it was to be fulfilled. Behold the Man! This was, therefore, not an accomplished human sacrifice, but only foreshad- owed in this constructive offering, and like the whole Old Testament system it pointed forward for its completion and fulfilment to the Man, Christ Jesus, who was fur- nished with a human body and soul, in order to suffer death as a vicari- ous sacrifice — A man /or men. " Be- ing found in fashion as a man. He humbled Himself and became obedi- ent unto death." Observe, further, (2.) This offering by the patriarch of his only son, was an impressive exhibition of the Father's act in giv- ing up his only begotten Son to die for sinners. Further, (3.) In the person of Abi-aham as father and head of the faithful, the various trials of believers in all time are exhibited. God tries those whom He loves — ■ puts them to the test. And yet we B. C. 1973.] CHAPTER XXn. 49 2 And he said, Take now thy son, ^ thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee ^ into the land of Moriali ; and ofier him there for a bm-nt-offering upon one of the mountains whicli I will tell thee of. b Heb. 11 : 17. c 2 Chron. are neither to seek trials, nor to be indifferent to them. Jesus has bid- den us to pray " Lead us not into temptation." ^ Behold. He re- sponds, Lo here I am — ready. 2, Said. " There is great empha- sis in this word said, because God in- deed made trial of Abraham's faith not in the usual manner, but by drawing him into a contest with his own word.'' — Calvin. ^ Take now thy son thine only one Isaac, ichom thou lovest y etc. Sept. — Thy beloved. The Heb. term only, in Pro v. 4 : 3, is rendered beloved. We all see how the one merges into the other. So he is called " his only begotten son." (Heb. 11: 17.) This reminds us of "the only begotten of the Father," and it is meant so to do — pointing all along to him. How the one sentence of the command heaps up the terms of anguish that go like sharp swords to the soul of the father ! Observe. — The fundamental principle of the Mosaic code, is that the hrst-born is consecrated to God in memory of the salvation of Israel's first-born from the slaughter that came upon the households of Egypt. (Ex. 1 3 : 2 ; 22 : 28.) The substitution of an animal victim for the first-born son was allowed, but it is placed thus in the right light ; for this adoption by God of the imperfect for the perfect, (the animal for the son) is precisely the meaning of the Mosaic system. — Hdvernick. It is only the highest idea of this picture in the death of the only begotten and well beloved ! son of "the Father, which is the ba- sis of the gospel message and of our Christian hope. (Rom. 8: 32.) \ Land of Moriak. Sept. — The high 5 land — the land seen or beheld. Keil and Delitzsch and Hengs. make Mori- ah "Me shoivn of Jehovah.," i. e., the manifestation of Jehovah, as the term Jehovah-jireh implies (see vs. 14) from the same verb to see and — here Hoph. Part. — to show. Onk. and Arab. — The land of Divine worship. Sam. Yersi. and Vulg. The land of vision. Some make it mean " Mount of Jehovah," from 5<'^i?3 elevation iT^ Jehovah. It is here named in ad- vance with a foresignifying of the event, and of God's appearing to Abraham there. " The land of Mo- riah " is a general phrase for the mountainous district of Jerusalem. But this Moriah is the same Avith the site upon which Solomon built the temple, and was so called (2 Sam. 24: 16, 17) when the old name was revived on another occasion than this. (See 2 Chron. 3:1.) It is improbable that there were two Mo- riahs, and the temple mount was of- ten called " the mount of the Lord." (Isa. 2 : 3 ; 30 : 29 ; Mic. 4:2; Zech. 8 : 3.) (2.) It is the same dis- tance of about twenty and one half hours, as travelled by Abraham, from Beersheba. (3.) From the general phrase " Land of Moriah," the name became afterwards apphed to the temple mount, one of the mountains of Jerusalem opposite the Mount of Olives. Kurtz thinks that Jehovah chose this mountain where the temple worship was to be estab- lished, in order to give Divine sanc- tion to the substitution of animals in sacrifice. Yet a further and higher reference was to the event of our Lord's sacrifice in that immediate vicinity ; for Calvary was not a dia- so GENESIS. [B. C. 1973, 3 IF And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt-oifering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw tlie place afar o&, 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. tinct mountain by itself, but only a rocky knoll, near by. Melchizedek also, as " Priest of the Most High God," ministered hereabouts. A ra- vine ran between Moriah and Mount Zion, and was bridged over by Solo- mon. ^ Offer him up, etc. Heb. — Make him go up for a burnt offering. Might not the dear old father have cried out, " Ani/thl/ig hat thi.s ! How •:;an I? How can my covenant God i-ommand it? Docs He mean to de- k*y Himself — to break His own cove- >iant ? It cannot be. The com- mand is directly in the face of the promise. Is there not a mistake? Nay, but God commands it. What then ? Cannot God " raise him up even from the dead ? " But even then how can his faith rally the courage to slay his son ? But may not a living faith like Abraham's have power to hush every natural questioning and complaint, and to go bravely forward even to such a task V 3. Bose up, etc. We hear no de- bate, no murmur. He took no coun- sel with flesh and blood. Early in the morning after the revelation came io him in the night, he set out with Isaac and two servants, made ready his ass, and even cut the wood for the sacrifice ; thus at the start mak- ing the most ample preparations to do the veiy work of offering up his son. ^ Rose ujj. This is repeated to express tlie rising in the morning to the preparations, and then the set- tins: out to the work. It was all ac- cording to God's commandment — as God had told him. This was his sole warranty and guide. 4. 0)1 the tiiird day. Reckoning the distance as forty-five miles if they ti'avelled fifteen miles on the first day (partly passed) and twenty miles on the second day, then, allowing ten miles of travel for tlie third day, (in j)art,) they came in sight of the place. (See AJurphy.) Jewish tradition says that the place war? iinlicaleil by a cloud of glor}- or a pillar of fire. Cal- vin supposes that Abraham recog- nized the place as what he had seen in the vision. But God made it ap- parent to him. Is there a reference here to the third day of our Lord's resurrection ? 5. How this reminds us of our Lord in Gethsemane when He said to His disciples " Tarry ye here, while I go and pray yonder." Go- ing into such an agony he could not admit others to go with him. " The heart knoweth its own bitterness." They would not understand the strange proceedings, and would only embarass him in it all. ^ Worship. If the cloud of the Divine glory marked out the mount, Abraham would recognize the invitation to worship there, where the Covenant Angel dwelt. 1 We ivill come — / and the lad. Had his faith then al- ready concluded that God would somehow interpose for Isaac's pres- ervation V " Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from B. C. 1973.] CHAPTER xxn. 51 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and ^ laid it upon Isaac his son ; and he took the lire in his liand and a knife : and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am 1, my son. ALnd he said. Behold the fire and the wood: buj where is the lamb for a burnt-ofter- ing? d John 19: 17. the dead." (Heb. 11:17.) Doubt- less his mind was kept in perfect peace by being stayed on God, How else could he have thus pro- ceeded V 6. Laid it. Is this a type of our blessed Lord, the New Testament Isaac, bearing his cross ? It was a trial to Isaac as well as to Abi-aham. The son of promise must bear his cross of sacrifice. " The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." (Isa. 53 : 6.) Isaac's faith also tri- umphs. He inquires, but goes meekly on. Observe. — It appears that Isaac was not a mere boy, but a young man able to carry the amount of wood necessary to consume the offering. Some, as Josephus, make him to have been twenty-five years old. Others, as the Rnbbins, make him older. Some insist that his age was thirty-three, corresponding with that of the antitype, who was of this av- erage age of man when He died for man's sins. 7, 8. Only the scenes of Gethsem- ane and Calvary surpass this — and the antitype is more than the type. •[[ My father. Isaac broke the dreadful mysterious silence with this touching inquiry, which, as Bishop Hall well says, '• must have gone to Abraham's heart as deeply as the knife could possibly have gone to Isaac's." If any word or deed could have broken the father down, it would surely have been this innocent and pleading ques- tion. Could the father have tbrgot- teu ? Has Isaac no misgiving of the plan ? Could there be a burnt sac- rifice and no victim ? ■[[ Whej'e is the lamb ? — Where is any of the flock f — Benisch. The term is used also for a kid of the goats. How like the inquiry of the Great Sacrifice. " He looked and there was none to help, and he wondered that there was no Intercessor." But Jesus answered that question. " Sacrifice and offer- ing thou wouldst not, (of bulls and goats,) but a body hast thou prepared me." (Heb. 10:5.) t God ivill pro- vide, etc. Heb. — God will look out for Himself the lamlf^ Sept. — God will see for himself a sheep. Chald. — There tcill be revealed before God for himself a lamb. The faithful fa- ther could only put his son upon the same Divine trust with himself It was no " evasive answer." This were unworthy of the hero. He can only point his son to God whose sov- ereignty is gracious, andwhose grace is sovereign. This is the granite pillar of his own hope. And they who will have no such strong meat of the Bible doctrine can have no such " strong consolations." (Heb. 5: 14.) The term here rendered provide is the same as in the name of the place given by Abraham, Je- hovah-jireh — God will see. This he* roic answer of the father of the faith- ful strengthened the confidence of the son and of himself So they icent both of them together. We may see the love of God in giving up his Son for a sacrifice, here represented. (John 3: 16.) 52 GENESIS. [B. C. 1973. 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering : so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to a place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid tlie wood in order ; and bound Isaac his son, and ^ laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham. And he said, E[ere am I. e Heb. 11;17; Jam. 2: 21. 9. A place. Heb. — The place. (vs. 3 and 4.) At length they have come to the spot where the deed is to be done, where Abraham is to he tried, and where God also is to be proved. The father of the faithful and the faithful covenant God are to be revealed. In good faith he builds the altar and proceeds with the work. Then came the act which disclosed the plan and solved the mystery to Isaac, if indeed he had not yet been' informed of the fact. He bound Isaac. Here is also the proving of Isaac's faith. Has he in- deed trusted God to provide the lamb ? Then what if God choose him for the victim ? We hear no complaint from the son of promise. " He was led as a lamb to the slaugh- ter"— for a voluntary death, so far as we can judge from the record. It was not merely filial affection and pious obedience to the parent ; it was implicit trust in God, on the ground set forth and accepted ; that God will see — see to it and provide. ^ Laid him on the altar upon the luood. We see no resistance. We see in him the unresisting Son of God — Lamb of God — Sacrifice for sinners. Isaac on the altar was sanctified for his vocation in connection with the history of salvation. He was dedi- cated there as the first-born, and " the dedication of the first-born, which was afterwards enjoined in the law, was fulfilled in him." 10. Abraham comes now to the point of actually slaying his son ; even so far as to raise the fatal knife. So far as his heart and his intent are concerned, he has shown the deed virtually done. Paul shows that it was so regarded by God. (Heb. 1 1 : 1 7.) " By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac." (lod judgeth not according to the outAvard appearance, but looketh on the heart. It is not the act so much as the will and the purpose of heart, which God regards. He will take the will for the deed, but never the deed for the will. In His Divine judgment the deed was done as truly as if the knife had been plunged into the heart of Isaac. There is therefore no such contradiction here as some critics pretend to find. God required the sacrifice of Isaac, and it was not withheld. Instead of raising him from the dead, he arrested the hand in the act of slaying him. 11. The names of God here intro- duced are worthy of note. It was Ha Elohim — the God — who demanded the sacrifice ; the Pergonal God in distinction from heathen gods — the God whom Abraham worshipped and served. And now it was the Angel of Jehovah — the Covenant Angel — who arrested him in the very act. God, as God — as the true God — had the sovereign right to demand all that Abrah'am had; and yet God Jehovah, as the Covenant God, B. C. 1973.] CHAPTER XXII. 53 12 And he said, *"Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him : for ^ now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, be- hind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns : and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. f 1 Sam.' 15 : 22 ; Mic. 6 : 7, 8. g ch. 26 : 5 ; Jam. 2 : 22. would not suffer His covenant to fail. These are the different aspects in which God was revealed to the patri- arch in the history of redemption. God does not contradict Himself, even though to our poor, feeble view He may seem to do so. 12. Lay not, etc. The Angel of Jehovah, who is elsewhere called " Jehovah," now interposes for Isaac's deliverance. He has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. He declares the ends of God's trial fulfilled, and He interposes at the very critical moment. This is also the province of the Covenant Anojel in the whole work of redemption,^ to interpose for salvation, to furnish a fit substitution, and, in the very ar- ticle of threatened destruction, to bring life, as from the dead, to the sons of promise. ^ For now I knoiv that fearing God art thou. He was regarded as having offered up his son, since he had not Avithheld him, but had freely given him up to the sac- rifice at God's command. This fear is reverential, filial fear. (1 Pet. 1:17.) 13. Here occurs the wonderful substitution, in which God set forth as in a figure the plan of the Mosaic economy for the offering of animal victims instead of human sacrifices — the blood of bulls and of goats instead of human blood — animal-offerings for the sins of men ; pointing forward to the only acceptable substitute whom they foreshadowed, who is God's Lamb and not man's — the Lamb of 5* God's providing, and from his own bosom. His only-begotten and well- beloved Son ; — the man — the God- man. Abraham had by faith already laid hold of the great truth, " God will provide Himself the Lamh," and here he finds it according to his faith. Heb. — Lo, behind, a ram entangled in the thicket hy his horns. '' If there- fore the appointment of Moriah as the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac and the offering of a ram in his stead were primarily only typical in rela- tion to the significance and intent of the Old Testament institution of sac- rifice, this type already pointed to the Antitype to appear in the future, when the eternal love of the heav- enly Father would perform what it had demanded of Abraham, that is to say, would not spare His only Son, but give Him up to the reaJ death which Isaac suffered only in spirit, that we also might die with Christ spiritually, and rise with him to everlasting life." (Rom. 6:5; 8:32, eiQ.)—Keil and Delitzsch. ^ In the stead of his son. The animal victims of the law foreshadowed Christ, and He at length puts an end to them by offering Himself. And, as the animal victim was offered in- stead of Isaac, even so Jesus takes the very sacrificial place of the sin- ner, and gives Himself up an atfering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet- smelHng savor. At length he says, " Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, which are offered by the law. M GENESIS. [B. C. 1973. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh : at it is said to this day. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. 15 ^ And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, ^By myself have I sworn, saith the Lobd, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only so?i ; h Ps. 105 : 9 ; Luke 1 : 73 ; Heb. 6 : 13, 1^. Then said I, Lo I come to do thy will, O God." The apostle tells us (Heb, 11) that Abraham rested on God's ability to raise Isaac from the dead, and that in a figure he was so raised from death, and so the resurrection of Jesus was set forth. 14. Jehovah-jireh. Heb. — Jehovah will see, thsitis, according to vs. 8, Je- hovah ivill provide. Sept. — The Lord hath seen. % As it is said — " So that, it is said, (men are still accustomed to say.) On'lhe mountain where the Lord appears {yearly), from which the name Moriah arose." — Keil and Deliizsch. Heb. — In the Mount of the Lord one shall be seen. — Kalisch. "irt the Mount of the Eternal it shall he seen." — Benisch. The verb means He or it shall he seen, or shall ajipear (fut. Niphal). Sept.—'' In the mount the Lord hath been seen." It is doubtful whether this refers to a proverb in Israel based on this event, as it is found in other lan- guages. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. More probably it refers to the locality which was thus di- vinely designated as the place for Jehovah's appearing as the Shekinah or visible Presence, which should dwell in the sanctuary to be erected in after ages there, in connection with the ritual system of animal sac- rifices preparatory to the offering of the Lamb of God. In the Mount of Jehovah (the Holy Mount), He shall appear (be seen) ; that is, that God Bhall manifest Himself in the sanctu- ary, and especially that One shall ap^ pear on that Holy Mount. (Matt. 3.^ He whom the Shekinah of His visi- ble Presence should symbolize in the sanctuary, would appear as the Personal Manifestation of God, the Angel of the Covenant. Gr. — In the mount it (that Vicarious Sacri- fice) shall he seen to, or provided (providing Himself the Lamb). The Lamb of God will be provided for sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Is not this the distinct revelation to Abra- ham of Christ's day, which he saw and was glad '? Is not this the mean- ing of the name which he here gives to the place — In the Mount of Jeho- vah He will he seen ? (So Isa. 60 : 2 ; Ps. 84 : 7.) And is not this the express reference which 'our Lord Himself makes, when He says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he should see my day (the day of my appearing.) Hk saw it, and was glad " ? 15-18. The second time. Here we find the covenant promise repeated to Abraham, much the same as at first, yet with important variations. It is the same spiritual grant which the apostle designates as God's " preaching beforehand the Gospel unto Abraham, saying In thee shall all nations be blessed," (Gal. 3:8; Rom. 4 : 16, 17.) It is the promise of salvation to all nations through Abra- ham. Only here (1.) it is the prom- ise made with the additional sanction of the oath of God— that by two im- 13. C. 1973.] 17 That in blessin< CHAPTER XXII. 55 I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will PiultiiDly thy seed ' as the stars of the heaven, ^ and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore ; and ^ th}^ seed shall possess °' the gate of his enemies ; 18 ^And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; ° because thou hast obeyed my voice. « cli. 15 : 5 ; Jer. 33 : 22. k ch. 13 : 16. 1 ch. 24 : 60. m Mic. 1 : 9. n ch. 12 : 3, aad 18: 18, and 26 : 4 ; Acts 3 : 25 ; Gal. 3 : 8, 9, 16, 18. o ver. 3 : 10 ; ch. 26 : 5. mutable things, in %Yhich it was im- possible for God to lie, we might have Btrong consolation, who have fled for refuge. (Heb. 6 : 18.) " By myself have I sworn." The apostle ex- plains. " An oath for confirmation, is to men an end of all strife. Wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immuta- bility of His counsel confirmed it by an oath." (Heb. 6: 13. See the oath referred to, ch. 17: 7; 26: 3; 50: 24; Exod 13: 5, 11.) (2.)_ It is here expressed that the salvation for all people is to come through the seed of Abraham; whereas, in ch. 12: 3, it was " /?i thee" etc. This was fitting, after the offering of Isaac, which brought the promised seed to view so distinctly. The Apostle Paul argues, by the Spirit, that '-'■the seed" is Christ. The prediction and promise here given is, therefore, the very crown of all promises — as Abra- ham is father of the faithful. Luther observes that all that is said in Ps. 89 : 36 ; 132 : 11 ; 110:4, respecting the oath given to David, is founded upon this sworn promise. For in Isiathan's promise to David, which is the immediate basis of the Messianic Psalms, nothing is said about an oath. " The sure mercies of Da\dd " are founded on this transaction. (3.) This concluding, crowning form of the promise to Abraham dwells chiefly upon the Seed; while, in other passages, it had been the land of promise more especially, and Abraham more personally. This is quite in accordance with the gradual unfolding of Gospel Revelation. The Messianic idea is more and more dis- tinctly brought to view. The multi- plying of the seed of Abraham here promised, to one who had now, in his old age, only the first-born of Hagar and Sarah, looks beyond mere nat- ural posterity to the spiritual prog- eny, which should become innumer- able— like the stars and the sand This shows the historical reality % Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. Sept. — Shall inherit the cities of their adversaries. This also looks beyond the national power of the Jewish people, and refers to the con(|uest of the church, of Avhich it is said that " the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. IG: 18.) But as Jesus Christ was to come of this Abrahamic line, so the ultimate reference is to Him, and herein is couched the precious promise of the Saviour of mankind. Obsekve. — There were ten revelations to Abra- ham. Six of them contain the prom- ise of the Covenant Seed and of the Covenant Land. The remaining four are confined to the Seed, and the great blessing therein contained. 18. Be blessed. Here it is the Hith- pael form of the verb which means Shall count themselves blessed. In Genesis 12:2 (the first form of the promise) it is the Niphal — Shall be blessed. And this later form is per- haps stronger. This blessing, there- fore, sums up and embodies all the previous revelations of the coming Messiah — as to Adam, of a bruiser of the serpent, and to Noah, of the 56 GENESIS. [B. C. 1973. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up, blessings of Jeliovah upon Shem, and upon Japliet through him. And so the promise points forward so as to compass all the blessings of the New Testament times for all nations. Ob- serve.— " What God had, at the out- set, granted out of free grace alone, and unconditionally, He now con- firms as the reward of Abraham's act of faith. This faith which he had created, fostered and proved, had now brought forth its fruits. God first promises, and by His revelation awakens faith in the heart. He then crowns with reward the works of this faith which is the result of His grace." — Gerlach. The faith of Abra- ham is cited in the New Testament as most eminent and exemplary ; for he was called to believe where in the nature of the case he could not live to see the fulfilment. " He patiently en- dured" therefore, and thus '' obtained the promise " in the germ, which could be realized only long after his death. The promise was indeed rather realized to his patient endur- ance of faith. The ten Theophanies to Abraham are (1.) In Mesopo- tamia, Acts 7 : 2. (2.) At Sichem, Gen. 12: 7. (3.) At Bethel, ch. 13; 14. (4-8.) At Mamre, ch. 15: 1; 17: 1; 18: 1; 21: 12; 22: 1. (9-10.) At Moriah, ch. 22; 11, 15. — All within a period of about fifty years. Though computations of the population of the globe at Abra- ham's call are conjectural, Prof.. C F. Keil has calculated that taking an average of eight children to a mar- riage, there must have been about twenty-five millions of people ; or taking an average of ten children, there must have been a sum total of two hundred and ninety-three mil- lions, and this without including such of the earlier generations as would be still living from Shem's time. — Vol. I. p. 1 78. Observe. — The promise to Abraham is the third great patri- archal promise, and it is made to the THIRD head of the race. No- ah's prediction of blessings upon Shem, and through Shem upon Ja- phet, is here taken up and expanded. To this Shemite a further Messianic promise is made, when even the line of Shem had become idolatrous. The great point of the promise is (1.) That blessings should come upon the whole human family through Abra- ham's seed. Abraham must have understood (1.) That these blessings were spiritual, and that it was by the ditrusion of the true religion that he should become such a universal bless- ing. So Peter explains the promise that it was fulfilled in the advent and work of Christ. (Acts 3 : 25, 26.) Paul declares that in this promise God preached beforehand the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, etc. (Gal. 3 • 8-16.) The promise is therefore (2.) Of a universal religion for man,to come through Abraham. This is the great idea of the Bible. The unity of the race and their brotherhood in Christ, the seed of Abraham, is set forth in both Testaments, — Christ all and in all. (3.) This glorious result for men is by means of a chosen family and people, who are to train a postei'ity ac- cording to the covenant seal. Christi- anity did not s})ring out of Judaism as a natural growth, for the Jewish re- ligion had become corrupt, and so it battled the idea of such a universal Church as Christ came to establish. The idea was of God, and the plan thus prosecuted, can be accounted for only as the plan of God, running through the ages,and the golden thread in all history. No heathen philos- ophy, nor any other religious system ever proposed this spiritual blessed- ness of mankind as the object and end. 19. Abraham has God for his fath- B. C. 1973.] CHAPTER XXII. 57 and went together to ^ Beersheba ; and Abraham dwelt at Beer- sheba. 20 If And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, * Milcah. she hath also borne children unto thy brother ]N^ahor ; 21 " Huz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father * of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Be- thuel. 23 And * Bethuel begat "^ Eebekah : these eight Milcah did hear to Xahor, Abraham's brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name teas Keumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah. pch.21:31. qch. 11:29. r Job 1 : 1. s Job 32: 2. t ch. 21 : l-S. u CaUed in Rom. 9 : 10, Rebecca. er and covenant portion, and is rec- ognized as his friend^ while he yet has Isaac, because he gave him up at God's command. We have our possessions most securely ours when we resian them to God. We never enjoy their full benefit till we make them His. It is when we seek to keep them back from Him that we lose them altoijether or lose the real enjoyment of them. " He that saveth his life shall l^e it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." 20. The genealogy, which was broken off at chap. 11 : 29, is here resumed. 21-24. This family register of Abraham's brother is here inserted to prepare the way for the narrative of Isaac's marriage. This was now the next step for the Covenant Son. And it w'as God's expressed will that the house of Abraham should not in- termarry with the heathen. Here then is Rehekah the daughter of Bethuel. f Huz, (Hz.) Job's land (Job, 1 : 1.) was so named. (But Bee ch. 10: 23 ; 36 : 28.) % Buz. An ancestor of EHhu who is called the Buzite, (Job 32: 2.) ^ The father of Aram. Aram is the name for Syria. ^ Oiesed. Tho Chaldeans are thelj:ali his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her : and she said, If it he so, why am I thus ? ^ And she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, ^ Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels : and ^ the one people shall be stronger than the other people ; and ^ the elder shall serve the younger. 24 H And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb. u 1 Chron. 5 : 20 ; 2 Chron. 33 : 13 ; Ezra 8 : 23. w Rom. 9 : 10. x 1 Sam. 9 : 9, and 10 : 22. y ch. 17 : 16, and 24 : 60. z 2 Sam. 8: 14. a cb. 27 : 29 ; Mai. 1 : 3 ; Rom. 9 : 12. ■ dient, as Abraham did, but applies to God for the blessing. ^ For Ms wife. The terms mean hefore,, oppo- site to, his wife, which Luther under- stands as referring to his intent de- sire for his object, having nothing in his eye but this. Bush takes it rather to imply that he prayed in presence of his wife or conjointly with her. But the term " iii presence of" is dif- ferent. So Jamieson^ and refers to 1 Pet. 3:7. 22. Strufjgled together — jostled each other. This expresses her feeling, and she was led thus to inquire into so strange a phenomenon. She was troubled by so singular a com- motion and disturbance, and she naturally enough asked what was the meaning of this symptom in her case. Lit. — If so, wherefore this am 1 1 — in this state. Vulg. — Why was it necessary to conceived She had rather have been childless. She may mean, " Why am 1 alive .- (See ch. 27 : 46.) Like a true behever, she makes her inquiry of God, through the Divine oracle, and she received a prophetic reply. Her times were in His hand. Here she found the explanation. There was some place of worship there. 23. This struggling, which makes itself so strangely felt that she will never forget it, is significant of a momentous future, — that this birth is to be of two sons, who re})resent two nations. — Keil. The struggle repre- sents their future conflicts. '^ Two na- tions— the founders of two nations — the Edomites and the Israelites. Their hostility began to appear as early as in the Exodus, the beginning of their national existence. The Israelites were not allowed to pass through the territory of the Edomites in peace ; on the contrary, they were met by an opposing army. The enmity was kept up through their generations. This hostility was most unnatural between those so nearly related ; but it was foresignified here at their birth. ^ Lit. — A nd ttvo peoples from thy bowels are separated, (vs. 24, etc.) Two different people shall be divided or separated from each other from the time of their birth. The order of nature was to be reversed in their case —the elder shoidd serve the younger. ■ See Rom. 9:12, where the apostle dwells on this historical fact. ^ One people. Lit. — A people shall be stronger than a people — one than the other. So the Israehtes subjected the Edomites. 24, 25. Red. This was a singular aspect of her first-born, the elder son. It would indicate his strong animal, wild nature and premature development. His hairy coveriog, B. C. 1934.] CHAPTER XXV. 83 25 And tlie first came out red, ^ all over like an hairy garment : and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and *= his hand took hold on Esau's heel ; and ^ his name was called Jacob : and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27 And the boys grew: and Esau was ®a cunning hunter, a man of the field ; and Jacob was ^ a plain man ^ dwelling in tents. b ch. 27 : 11, 16, 23. c Hos. 12 : 3. 37:37. gHeb. 11:9. d ch. 27 ; e ch. 27 : 3, 5. f Job 1 : 1, 8, and 2 ; P«. like an animal skin, was of a reddish color, all over like a hairy coat. (1 Sam. 16 : 12; 17 : 42.) He re- ceived his name from this feature — is called hairy. Some understand it as meaning 7nade, done,Jinished, from the verb asah, to do, like a full- grown man, as to his hair. 26. On Esau's heel. It is shown by medical authorities how this could naturally occur. This was so ordered by God as to be significant, and it was expounded to the mother accord- ingly. God can and does often so order events, as to make them typi- cal and foreshadowy of other events. Especially in the times of the church's minority He was pleased so to do for their instruction. ^ Jacob received his name from this circumstance. It means he shall hold the, heel, (Hos. 12 : 4,) thence to grasp the heel in wresthng so as to trip up one. Hence the supplanter — tripper up — (ch. 27 : 36.) Some take it to mean one who is on the heel of another — -following after. The age of Isaac at their bhth is now stated as threescore years. Observe. — Paul dwells on this passage to show the sovereign purpose of God according to a law of separation and of election. Abra- ham was taken out from his kindred and country. Isaac was chosen over Ishmael from Abraham's sons, who were by different mothers. And here still further, Jacob is chosen over Esau, though they were of the same covenant mother. And still further, to show that the son of promise must come not according to the ordinary course of nature, and to point for- ward to the miraculous birth. Isaac was born out of course, and so was Jacob. And Jacob, though the young- er, as Isaac was, should rule the elder. It is of grace and not oi nature. 2 7. The growth of maturity of the sons is recorded. ^ A cunning hunt- er. Lit. — A man knowing hunting ; a man of the field. Taking to the field for his occupation. And Jacoh was a j^lain man. Lit. — An upright man, rendered elsewhere, a perfect man — meaning here in contrast with Esau, that he was an orderly, con- tented man, sincere man, dwelling in tents instead of roaming the fields. He was a man of home disposition, instead of an out of doors man. He was thus his mother's favorite for his domestic qualities, and Esau was his father's favorite, as being more ac- tive and manly, and enterprising. It is also meant that he was a man of pastoral life, instead of a hunter. The same phrase is used in the Epis- tle to the Hebrews, in reference to the patriarchs, and naming Jacob; (ch. 11:9) and there the dwelling in tents is contrasted with a fixed habitation as in a city. The calling of a shepherd was migratory, but much more quiet ana settled than that of a hunter. The shepherd in that land moves from place to place with his flocks and herds, changing their pasture with the season. 84 GENESIS. [B. C. 1934. 28 And Isaa€ loved Esau, because lie did ^ eat of his venison : * but Bebekah loved Jacob. 29 If And Jacob sod pottage : and Esau came from the field, and he ivas faint. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that eame 7'ed pottage / for I am faint j therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said. Sell me this day thy birthright. h ch. 27:19, 26,31. ich. 27:6. 28. Because. Lit. — Because game (venison) was in his mouthy i. e., he was feasted by his game. ^ So low a reason is given for the father's pref- erence. It is all on the side of na- ture. When parents have favorites among their children in so marked a way, the tendency is to engender and promote strife in the household. 29. An incident now occurred which was trifling in itself, but mo- mentous in its consequences. ^ Sod pottage., that is seethed or hailed a soup. " Jacob had become a sage in the practical comforts of life." This pottage is a very common dish in that country. It is made of difierent grain or lentiles, bruised and boiled as a broth. There was a red pot- tage, made chiefly of a red grain. While Jacob had this pottage fresh, Esau comes in from hunting and is faint and weary. 30. In this condition Esau strongly craves the fresh soup, and makes request of Jacob for it ^ Feed me. Heb. — Give me to eat., I pi-ay thee, of the red, the red, the this. The lan- guage shows the eagerness and craving of Esau's hunger, importii- nate for this savory dish. " Let me swalloiu some of that red, that red there." — Delitzsch. % Edom, mean- ing red, was given to him as his name from this incident, though it might also have belonged to him from the complexion of his hairy skin, and here it would be specially fixed upon him from this event. received the name from the incident at his birth, had the name confirmed to him, and with a new significance from his conduct in this history. 31. Thij birthright. Jacob takes advantage of Esau's hunger, to get his birthright. As Jesus was tempted " when a hungered," so was Esau. The birthright had been appointed to Jacob by God, but here he takes his own carnal expedient to get it ; showing his weak side of mere hu- man policy, instead of the faith which he should have exercised in the promise. It was a plain business transaction of purchase and sale ; but many a bargain is as fraudulent as if illegally made. If the equivalent was amazingly poor, it was Esau's folly and fault that he should so have sacrificed his prerogative for a mess of pottage. Under the Mosaic law the birthright consisted of a double portion of the estate, (Deut. 21 : 17 ;) but under the patriarchs it embraced the chieftainship — the rule over the brethren and the family, (ch. 27 : 29,) and the title to the blessings of the promise, which included the fu- ture possession of Canaan and of covenant fellowship with Jehovah. (28 : 4.) And as the first-born wei-e claimed by God for his service, it would seem that the primogeniture included, also, originally, the priestly oflice in the family, and so passed from the father to the first-born, and from the first-born afterwards to the tribe of Levi and family of Aaron, B. C. 19 34. J CHAPTER XXV. 85 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die : and what profit shall this birthright do to me ? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day ; and he sware unto him : and ^ he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and ^ he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way : thus Esau despised his birthright. k Heb. 12^ 16. 1 Eccles. 8 : 15 ; Isa. 22 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 32. (Exod. 22 : 29 ; Numb. 3 : 45.) (See the Chaldee Targum on eh. 49 : 3.) So the Messiah is called the First- lorn^ higher than the kings of the earth, (Ps. 89: 28,) and "first-born among many brethren," and " first- begotten of every creature " — mean- ing that He is God's birthright Son. 32. This proposition was seriously considered by Esau. He knew that in selhng his birthright he would part with the highest prerogative temporal and spiritual ; but he argues that as he seemed at the point of death the birthright would be of little value to him, and he places his pres- ent gratification before all other and higher good. This is the very acting out of his sensual, animal nature. Hence the apostle calls him " a pro- fane person, who, for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright." (Heb. 12 : 16.) % I am at the point to die. Heb. — / am going to die. Just be- cause of the faintness that came over him, and his extreme desire to par- take of this food, he sees nothing in the future so precious as his present repast would be. It seems amazing that he should so have seri- ously judged and acted. But it is no more amazing than the conduct of men every day, who put their present trifling gratification before eternal blessings. Often, indeed, in mere temporal matters, men will sell a promise to pay, or a bond that has long time to run, for a very small sum, to expend upon present indul- gence. And they argue as Esau did. 8 Perhaps the idea was included that he could not live on promises. He might die soon, and then the birth- right would do him little good; and hence he would prefer a small pleas- ure in hand. Esau seems to have set no estimate upon the spiritual privileges of the birthright. 33. Swear to me. Jacob will make a serious transaction of it, because he is alive to its import, and knew and valued what he was getting as Esau did not value it. And so the transaction was solemnly con- cluded. Jacob held the birthright by a lawful tenure, and the transfer was valid. How many baptized youth sell their Christian birthright for such a mess of pottage! For present indulgence, they turn their back upon their church privileges, and their covenant heritage, and barter away their future all. 34. Bread. It seems to have been bread along with broth — (not '■\foodj even pottage.") Esau indulged his ap- petite and was satisfied with his bar- gain. He was carnal, not spiritual. He was not a suitable person to have the birthright. He proves himself to be unfit. His conduct thus vin- dicates the plan of God. ^ He did eat and drink. His frivolity is man- ifest— careless of the consequences, only so as that he had his present fill. ^ Thus. The censure is here put upon his conduct, as a despising of his birthright. This it really was — counting all its precious covenant benefits, temporal and spiritual, as 86 GENESIS. [B. C. 1934. CHAPTER XXVI. AND there was a famine in the land, besides ^ the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto ''Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. a ch. 12:10. bch.20;2. of less value than a single meal. We do not justify Jacob in his expedi- ents. But he is the man of faith, nevertheless, as Esau is the man of unbehef (Heb. 12:16.) Jacob is punished, afterwards, in the suiFer- mgs and perplexities and want which came upon him in connection with his craftiness. In the after history Jacob does not make this transaction the basis of a claim. (1.) Bishop Hall remarks, " There never was any meat except the forbidden fruit, so dearly purchased as this broth of Jacob." (2.) How sadly is the faith of God's people mixed with unbelief, and damaged by carnal expedients ! Jacob gains nothing by this, and dis- honors God and loses his own credit. (3.) AVhat a crisis and decision in the case of Esau ; for " he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Heb. 12: 17.) CHAPTER XXVI. § 49. Covenant renewed to Isaac in Gerar. Abimelecu AND ReBEKAH. The further history of Isaac is now given. He passes through trials re- markably similar to those of his fa- ther, yet with striking differences in the particulars, sufficient to show how similar are the cases of believers in the main, yet how unlike, according to their respective characters and God's dealings. He is tried by a sore famine as his father was, goes out in the direction of Egypt, as the grana- ry of the world, but is not allowed to leave his country, as his father had done — and receives the Divine promise made to Abraham, of the land, of large posterity, and of sa- ving blessings for the race. Strange- ly enough he resorts to the same ex- pedient among strangers as his fa- ther had used, and pretends that Rebekah is his sister. But instead of his wife being taken from him by the king, she is secured to him by his special edict. In both cases a covenant is made Avith Abimelech. Instead of inferring that there is any lack of truth in the history because of the likeness in these two cases, we observe that it is altogether in accordance with human observation that a son readily practises the same art as his father and often repeats his history in the main. 1. Isaac had last been found at the well Lahai-roi. _(Ch. 25 : 11.) ^ A famine. This is expressly distin- guished from that which occurred in Abraham's time, and which is called the Jirst — nearly an hundred years before this. This famine led Isaac to depart from Canaan towards Egypt, with the view, it would seem, of going thither for food. (vs. 2.) ^ Abimelech. This seems to have been the name of the royal fine, as was the name Pharaoh in Egypt. It means " Mij father the ting." And this is a royal, titular name. This may have been the son of the former king of Abraham's time, ^f Gerar. This was the southern city of the Philistines who probably came from Egypt. (Ch. 10:14.) Abraham had B. C. 1934.] CHAPTER XXVI. 87 2 And the Lord itppeared UDto him, and said, Go not down into Egj^pt : dwell in '^ the land which I shall tell thee of. 3 ^ Sojourn in this land, and '^ I will be with thee, and ^ will bless thee : for unto thee, and unto thy seed ° I will give all these countries, and I will perform ^ the oath which I sware unto Abra- ham thy father ; 4 And ' I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of hea-^en, and will give unto thy seed all these countries : ^ and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed : 5 ^ Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and m^^ laws. c ch. 12 : 1. d ch. 20 : 1 ; Ps. 39 : 12 ; Heb. 11 : 9. e ch. 28 : 15. f ch. 12 : 2. g ch. 13 : 15, and 15 : 18. h. ch. 22: 16; Ps. 105 :9. i ch. 15 : 5, and 22 : 17. k ch. 12 : 3, and 22 : 18. 1 ch. 22 : 16, 18. sworn to the king to be friendly and faithful to his people, (ch. 21 : 22-24,) and this covenant made with Isaac's ancestor, would secure to him some confidence and respect. 2, 4. Jehovah here for the first time appeared unto Isaac. The Cov- enant God of his father repeats to him the covenant promise. Because be is the heir of this land he is not to leave it as his father did. The time for the sojourn of the chosen seed in that land has not yet come (ch. 15: 13.) ^ Dwell. The verb is Sliakan^ which denotes temporary abode. Lit. ■ — To tabernacle or dwell in tents. (Heb. 11 : 9.) He was to dwell as a stranger in the promised land. ^ Shall tell thee. This reminds us of God's language to Abraham when called from Ur to Palestine. (Ch. 12: 1.) The idea is that he was to follow strictly the Divine direc- tion, and depend implicitly upon His word. 3. Sojourn. Tarry as a sojourner and stranger. ^ 1 ivill be with thee. In the highest sense this is fulfilled to behevers in the person of " Imman- uel," God icith us. (See ch. 21 : 22.) He is driven out of his home in search of food, and finds the promise of plenty, and discovers the resources there are for him in God's covenant. How often are our times of affliction made to us the occasions of finding out all that there is for us in God. ^ Will bless thee. God's presence is itself a rich blessing. Besides the covenant is repeated to him. 1st. The land. T[ All these countries. (See ch. 15: 18-21.) These dis- tricts of the Holy land now possessed by various tribes. He will fulfil to l^m and to his seed His oath to Abra- ham, as he is the immediate posterity named in the oath. (Ch. 22 : 16.) ^ Perform. Heb. — Establish., make good. (Lit.) — Cause to stand. 4. The next item in the covenant promise is an abundant posterity — as the stars of heaven for multitude. The third item is the spintual blessing for the world, to come through this covenant line. The numberless pos- terity is fulfilled in a spiritual seed, and in the same spiritual sense is this world-wide blessing to be real- ized. ^ All the nations are con- templated and included in the bless- ing. 5. All this is expressly on account of Abraham's obedience and fidelity to the Divine covenant. The piety of Abraham is noted by the Hebrew lawgiver here in legal terms belong- ing to a later date, when the history was written and the law was com- pleted. The terms denote a full and complete obedience to the commands 88 GENESIS. [B. C. 1934. 6 IF And Isaac dwelt in Gerar : 7 And tlie men of the place asked him of his wife ; and ^ he said, She is my sister : for "^ he feared to say, She is my wife ; lest, said he, the men of the place should Idll me for Eebekah ; be- cause she ° was fair to look upon. 8 And it came to pass when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac tuas sporting with Ilebekah his wife. 9 And Abimelech called Isaac and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst tliou. She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him. Because I said, Lest I die for her. 10 And Abimelech said. What is this thou hast done unto us ? m ch. 12 : 13, and 20 : 2, 13. n Pi!^/. 29 : 25. och.24:16. and directions of God. ^ Kept my charge. Heb. — Kept my keeping, my charge, my special commission. This is defined by the particulars follow- ing my commandments, instructions and orders: as to leave Ur, offer up Isaac, etc. ^ My statutes. The ex- ])ress institutes of the ceremonial. *1| My laws, moral laws as of the deca- logue, all referring to his universW obedience. Observe. — The son is blessed on account of the fidelity of the father. The covenant is a house- hold covenant — " To thee and to thy seed," — and here it is proved to be such. Yet the obedience of the son is required. (See Acts 2 : 39.) G, 7. Gerar was the place besides Egypt, where Abraham had used the same device of concealing his true relation to his wife, and had called her his sister, as an expedient to pro- tect her and himself The men of (ierar asked of his toife, being im- pressed with her appearance, because she was fair to look upon. (See ch. 24 : 16.) Isaac replied that she was his sister, and this falsity he practised out of a shameful /?ar lest the men of the place should kill him for Ilebekah. This was also the motive in Abra- ham's case. (Ch. 12: 11, 12.) It was unworthy of men of faith, and proved a poor device in each case, ^ where they ought to have trusted in God. A lie is a pitiable exp'edient for self-protection, and it makes God a liar. If Isaac was influenced to this by the example of his father, did he not remember how this very falsi- ty involved his father in serious trouble and disgrace ? (Ch. 20 : 9.) So also here it turns out poorly for Isaac, (vs. 9.) It would seem from both these cases (ch. 20: 13) that this was a common pretence with married people among strangers, for security. 8. A long time. Heb. — When the days were extended there. Rebekah was yet in the prime of life, though she had been married thirty-five years, and had two sons fifteen years old. ^ Abimelech. This was the royal name of the Philistine kings, and it was not the same Abimelech as in Abraham's case, ninety years before this. (Ch. 20 : 13. See vs. 1.) ^ Was sporting. There was some- thing in Isaac's familiarity with her which showed that she was nearer to him than a sister. Here the fact comes to light without Divine inter- vention. 9, 10. Abimelech shows the high- est sense of propriety, the farthest from anything to justify Isaac's sir?- piciou. He expostulates with Isaac, B. C. 1934.] CHAPTER XXVI. 89 one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and ^ thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. 11 And Abimelech charged all his people, sa3^ing, He that ^ toucheth this man or his wife shall surely he put to death. 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year 'an hundred-fold : and the Lokd ^ blessed him : 13 And the man * waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great : 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants : and the Philistines " envied him. 15 For all the wells ^' which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. p ch. 20 : 9. q Ps. 105 ; 15. r Matt. 13 : 8 ; Mark 4:8. s vcr. 3 ; ch. 24 : 1. a5 ; Job 42 : 12. t ch. 24 : 35 ; Ps. 112 : 3 ; Prov. 10 : 22. u ch. 37 : 11 ; Ecdes. 4:4. w ck. 21 : 30. as his predecessor had done with Abraham, and on the same ground. He inquires for his motive in using such deception, and sets before him the danger to which he had exposed his people by such a deceit. He refers to the gu'dliness which might easily have been brouglit upon his subjects by such deception. There was here the evidence of some salu- tary fear of God. Heb. — Asliam was under the law properly a (hhi ; the punishment called asham was properly the h-espass-ojjh-ing. It is regarded in the light of damages or reparation for a wrong done to the Lord. This offence referred to by Abimelech was one of the four cases in which the trespass-offering was demanded by the law. (Levit. 19 : 20.) The Greek version renders this word by the term meaning ignorance or inadvertence (See Heb. 9 : 7) as distinguished from wilful sin. ^ LiyUthj — easily. 11. Abimelech charges his people against laying hand upon either Isaac or-fRebekah for their injury, and threatens them with death as the penalty. (Josh. 9 : 19.) 12. Isaac's prosperity in Gerar is now stated. He cultivated the soil and sowed gi-ain for a crop, and Je- 8* I hovah blessed him with a very large harvest — a hundred fold. ^ Re- j ceired. Heb. — Found — inventoried. j " Thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold " I is the variety of product according j to the different soils in that land. I ills yield was the largest that is mentioned. In ordinary cases the return is not greater than twenty- five or thirty fold. 13. Went forward and greiv — icent on to grow. " Became increasb^gly greater." — Delitzsch. Until he was great exceedingly. This was the ef- fect of God's blessing — the blessing of his Covenant Lord, Jehovah. 14. For. And there was to him possession of flocks, etc., and much service. (See Job 1 : 3.) On ac- count of his becoming so strong and rich and powerful, the Philistines en- vied him. They began to fear the presence among them of so ibi-mida- ble a force. The shepherds in that land also engage more or less at times in agriculture, and the appearance was of Isaac settling permanently among them. Hence they were busy in disturbing his comfort, so as to make him remove. 15. The tce.lls. Ihe digging ot wells in that country makes a title to unoccupied lands. Abraham had 90 GENESIS. [B. C. 1934. IG And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us : for thou ^ art mucli mightier than we. 17 IT And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father : for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham : ^ and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 30 And the herdmen of Gerar did ^ strive with Isaac's herdmen, X Exod. 1:9. y ch. 21 : 31. z ch. 21 : 25. dug wells there, and Isaac could claim these and the grounds belong- ing, under the covenant made by the former king with his father. But the people filled the wells with rubbish. Through the plains in the south of Palestine, we passed many avcUs of large diameter, stoned around the sides and level with the surface, open and dry. One well we came to after a hot ride. It was disguised by ihe overflow of water, which formed a muddy pool around it, in the midst of which we could see only a square stone. A gentleman, of our company, anxious to give his pony drink, rode him into the pool, and, as the animal advanced a few steps, he suddenly plunged into what proved the open well. His rider sprang and laid hold of the stone. The poor animal was in the well, with his head out of the water, and only with very hard work of all hands did we succeed in bring- ing him out, safe and sound. The stoppage of wells would drive out the settlers. To cut olF the water supply from an enemy is victory anywhere. 16. The king formally proposed to Isaac to remove from among | them, and frankly gave his reason, — that they were afraid of his power, | from his large wealth and increasing servants; (vs. 14;) though this may have been said to conciliate. 1 7. Isaac was a man of submission and endurance, and, instead of risk- ing the trouble threatened by re- maining, he removed. ^ Pitched his tent — encamped — referring sometimes to military encamped and to a more settled habitation than the common term for nomadic tenting. ^ The Valley of Gerar, or the Wady — " the undulating land of Ge7-ar" — a narrow plain, through which runs a stream (Juif) which would help to supply his need. ^ Dwelt there. This ia the term for more settled abode. 18. He set at work to open the old wells, Avhich had been dug there in his father's time, but which had been closed up by the Philistines af- ter Abraham's death. This was not to be his permanent abode, because it was not the territory of the prom- ised land. He restored to the wells the old names they had borne in his father's day. This was a noble feel- ing, to keep up the family memorials and to follow in his father's faith and footsteps. 19. A new well was now dug by Isaac's servants. This was Isaac's right. ^ Of sprin(jiu(i mater. Heb. — Of living waters — that is, of Win- ning water, fresh and not stagnant. 20. This valuable well was the ground of contention between the herdmen of Isaac and those of Ge- rar. It was a very important- pes- B. C. 1934.] CI^PTER XXVL 91 saying, The water is ours : and he called the name of the well Esek ; because they strove with him. 21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also : and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22 And he rem.oved from thence, and digged another well ; and for that they strove not : and he called the name of it Eehoboth ; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall ''he fruitful in the land. 23 And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. 24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, a ch. 17 : 6, and 28 : 3. and 41 : 52 ; Exod. 1 : session, and was claimed by the peo- ple of the countr}'. ^ Esek. Op- pres'sion. Gr. — Injur//, because they injured him. Latin. — Calumny. ^ Because the/j strove icilh — oppressed him. 21. Strove. This is a different term from the former, and means contended. ^ Sitnah. From the term Satan, and means accusation. 22. Isaac yielded, in both these cases, his just claims rather than to have strife. The one who gives the second blow makes the battle. He was not a man of contention, though they would contend with him. He followed the Divine injunction, " If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, Hve peaceably with all men." He must have a supj)!}- of water. Ac- cordingly, he again removes, and digs another well, which he calls Reho- both, meaning space, enlargement. Robinson found this name preserved in Wadi/ el Ruhaibeh, midway be- tween Wad/j Jerar (Gerar) and Wad// es Seba (Beersheba), at that very point in the wilderness where the roads to Gaza and Hebron di- verge. Near this is Wady es Shutein, (Sitnah.^ Isaac is now on the road from Gerar to Beersheba. ^ Room for us. The patriarch recognizes Jehovah's provision for his 'camp, and the pledge in this of prosperity in the land. He has gotten quite put of the strife. Isaac's homely realizing faith in a present and pre- siding Lord here comes out. 23. To Beersheba. Wearied, as I he must have been with such disturb- I ances in the Philistine country, he is i all the more ready to go to Becrshe- I ba, the border town of the pi'omised I land, and the paternal homestead, where the covenant blessings had been promised. Here God appeared to Abraham, (ch. 20 : 1.) and now he again appears here to Isaac, (vs. 24,) and yet afterwards to Jacob, (ch. 46 : 1-4.) This place therefore, was the place of high covenant interest. RanJce observes that the previous ex- istence of this name is here presup- posed, while vs. 15 expressly states that Isaac restored the old names to the wells which his father had dug. 24. Ap/jeared. The patriarchal period is that of Theophany, added to promises. Afterwards a religion of symbolical institutes will be fur- ther added. ^ The God of Abra- ham. " God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Therefore he is assured that Abraham is not lost bv death, nor God's covenant with him lost. (See ch. 18: 32, 35, 37, 38.) This is the same person as the Angel of the Covenant who ap- peared to Moses in Horeb, in the burning bush, (see Exod. 3 : 2,) and is thereibre the Messiah. Abraham was the man of faith, Isaac Avas the man of endurance, and Jacob waa 92 GENESIS. [B. C. 1934. ^ I am the God of Abraham thy father : "^ fear not, for '^ I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 25 And he *" biiilded an altar there, and ^called upon the name of tiie Lord, and pitched his tent there : and there Isaac's servants diii'ged a vrell. 26 IT Then Abinielech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, ^ and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them. Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ^ye hate me, and have ' sent me away from you ? 28 And they said. We saw certainly that tlie Lord ^ was with " b ch. 17 : 7, and 24 : 12, and 28 : 13 ; Exod. 8:6; Acts 7 : 32. c ch. 15 : 1. d ver. 3 : 4. ech. 12: 7, and 13: 18. fPs.ll6:17. gch.21:22. bJudg.ll:7. i ver. 16. kch. 21 : 22, 23. the man of prayer. God is God to each believer in all his peculiar cir- ciirastances. Observe. — Isaac is l.cre promised the blessing for Abra- }\ iiu's sake. This is the actual work- ing of the household covenant. God has so displayed Himself in all the iii-^tory of the church as a covenant God to the families of His people. I i\!id we may trust God for our chil- dren if we be faithful, not as if He Avould bless them for any merit of ours, or theirs, but for His covenant mercy and love in Christ Jesus. ( fod's promises remove our grounds i>f fear. 25. An altar. This was the pub- lie testimony to God which he set i::p there, in instituting thus the pub- lic worship of God. It would seem l!i;it he first paid his homage to God, t!;ei-e, and thus consecrated the place U)>: his residence. He first built an altar and then digged a well, and ii.vcd his abode there, where he had l;)cated a sanctuary. *^ Digged a urdl. As Abraham had dug a well here, which probably had been stopped I'V the jealous people. (See ch. 21 : ;il, and notes.) There are two wells now existing at Beerslieba, (which is now called Bir-es-Sebn.) and both or" them have water, sweet and pure. 26. Abimelech, the present king, seeks a covenant with Isaac, such as his predecessor had made with Abra- ham, and it is a renewal of that cove- nant. (Ch. 20.) I>ut Abraham was offered a home in that kingilom, and Isaac had been invited to leave. ^ AhnzzaJh, etc. This personage is called "• o//,'i of lii.-i friends" which means Jiis /)rir// ci)un>V<^.^- and behold, a well in the field, and lo, there we7'e three flocks of sheep lying by it 5 for ont of that well they watered the flocks : and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. 3 And thither were all the flocks gathered : and they rolled the stone from the well's raouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. 4 And Jacob said m\to them. My brethren, whence be ye ? And they said, Of Haran are w^. a^^^iuv ^O: Hos. 12 : 12. some suppose, applied it; parllx- to the erection and preservation of the altar, and partly to burnt and thank offerings connected with sacrificial meals. — Keil and DelUzsch. CHAPTER XXIX. § 52. Jacob serves Laban for Leah and Rachel. 1. Jacob having received this en- couragement, went on his journey^ (Heb. — Lifted up his feet— (see Ps. 74 : 3,) with alacrity, and came into the land of the sons of the East, that is Mesopotamia — east of Palestine. Rashi, the Jewish commentator, says, "his heart was elated, and his feet felt light." The distance of Haran from Beersheba wa» .ibout four hun- dred and fifty miles, and at thirty miles a day he would be fifteen days on the journey. If he reached Bethel the first night, this would be about fifty miles' travel. 2, 3. A ivell in the field. In the pasture-grounds in the suburb of the town he came upon a well. This is not the same as where Abraham's servant met Rebekah, but differently constructed. We found cisterns hewn out of the hmestone rock, and some of these covered with a large 10 stone to keep the water from impuri- ties, from intei-fei'cnce, and from loss. The open wells also would fitly enough be covered for the safety of travellers. We came upon an open well that had overflown, and as we saw only a pool of water and the horses were very thirsty, a gentleman who was travelling with us rode his horse into the pool to drink, and the animal stepping forward, plunged into the well, and only with the greatest difficulty was he drawn out. ^ Three flocks. This accords with the East- ern custom, for shepherds to gather their several flocks at the well, at the time of watering, and thus secure greater care of the well, which was the common property of these native shepherds. This custom is described here. ^ The?/ rolled. That is, this was ihe custom. In this case it was done by Jacob, (vs. 20.) Kalisch thinks it v implied, in vs. 2, that the shepherds o^ the three flocks had not been able to remove the stone, and that Jacob ^hows himself endued with preternafuval strength. The watering is done twice a day. 4-6. This naturi^l and fre^ ques- tioning on Jacob's part, indicates some confidence r\ h}^ .*vry">a. % Laban, the son of N'fihor. -th"*- -s, grandson, as he was soa o* \Se\W -1, 110 GENESIS. fB. C. 1856. 5 And he said unto tliem, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor ? And they said, We know Jiiin. 6 And he said unto them ^ Is he well ? And they said, He is well : and behold, Eachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. ' 7 And he said, Lo it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together : water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. 8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered to- gether, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth 5 then we water the sheep. 9 ^ And while he yet spake with them, ° Eachel came with her father's sheep : for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Eachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and "^ rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 And Jacob "^ kissed Eachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. bch. 43;27. c Exod. 2 : 16. d Exod. 2 : 17. e ch. 33: 4, and 45: 14. 15. yet called so7i^ according to Heb. usage. ^ Is he well f Heb. — Is there peace to him ? according to the Oriental salutation or salaam. ^ Com- eth. Is Just now coining. 7. High-day. The day (sun) is yet high. Heb. — The day is yet great ■ — long. He suggested that it was quite too early as yet to gather the flocks for the night, but that they should be pastured. He wished, it would seem, to have the shepherds retire that he might meet Kachel alone. 8. We cannot. It was not per- mitted, according to the rule, which needed to be rigid in so important a matter as a well tor the cattle. This rule may have been made to secure a fair distribution of the water, that equal privileges might be shared, and perhaps, also, that the several shep- herds might be there to roll away the stone and to replace it surely. Till all the Jiocks be gathered — then tJiey roll the stone from the mouth of the well^ and we icater the sheep. The custom is thus clearly described. 9. Rachel came up while they were in conversation. Young wo- men very commonly attend to the sheep in the East. 10-12. Jacob's enthusiasm and ar- dent impulse at the sight of Kachel, displayed itself in so manly and gallant an act as is here narrated, calculated to excite her utmost ad- miration, and to earn for himself the kiss of friendship, at which he burst into tears. Murjjhy suggests that '' the remembrance of home, and of the relationship of his mother to Ra- chel overpowers him." Conscious of his birthright privilege and of God's covenant relation, he made bold to announce himself, and his errand. Kitto says, " We begin to feel that there is much truth in this man." 12, 13. Rachel's eager, cordial re- ception of him, and the simplicity of her joy in carrying home the news, all remind us of Rebekah in the pre- vious history. ^ Kinsman. Heb. — Brother of her father, that is, 7icar relative. How exciting; is all this ! How impossible to be quite calm at such news — that this stranger, who distinguished himself by his manner. B. C. 1856.] CHAPTER XXIX. Ill 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was ^ her father's brother, and that \\Qwas Rebekah's son; " and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sistej-'s son, that ^' he ran to meet him, a.nd embi-aced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, ^ Surely thou art my bone and my flesh : and he abode witli him the space of a month. 15 IT And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou ai^t my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought ? tell me, what shall thy wages he ? 16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder wa^ Leah, and the name of the younger tvas Rachel. 17 Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well- favored. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel : and said, ^ I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. 19 And Laban said. It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man : abide with me. f ch. 13 : 8, and 14 : 14, 16. g ch. 24 : 28. h ch. 24 : 29. ich. 2 : 23 ; Judg. 9:2:2 Sam. 5 : 1, aadl9:12,13. kch.31 : 41 ; 2 Sam.3 :14. may have been in a fair and manly generosity. IG, 17. The two daughters of La- ban are now mentioned and de- scribed. Rachel, the younger and more beautiful in feature and form, Leah^ tender-eyed — iceak-eyed, wbich was a blemish among Orientals. Bright eyes well lighted up was a cliiet' beauty with them as it is this day. Heb. — Beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance. 18. Jacob's heart went out to Ra- chel. It was love, doubtless, at first sight. " Isaac loved Rebekah after she was sought and avou as a bride for him. Jacob loves Rachel before he makes a proposal of marriage." — Murphy. Jacob Avas worth only his labor. Parents often received valua- ble presents for their daughters, as a wedding gift. Jacob could only pay by service. The daughter was not necessarily sold as a slave ; but the parent received a price as a compen- sation for her rearing and training. (and by his retinue, doubtless,) was her near relative from a far country ! What a joy had she for the dear household ! Laban was overcome with the tidings. His running to meet him with embraces and kisses, and his taking him home, is all purely natural to the customs of the country. ^ All these things — that had just now passed ; not yet his full errand. 14. Laban recognizes the kindred, in strong language, to make Jacob feel at ease in his house. (Comp. ch. 2 : 23 and Judges 9:2.) ^ A month. Heb.— ^ month of days. (Ch. 41: 1; Numb. 11: 20.) He remained this length of time before any fixed arrangement was made for wages. 15. Laban proposes a fixed con- tract. This may have been only to protect himself against any undue expectations of Jacob. He will pay him hke an ordinary servant. Art thou indeed my kinsman, and shouldest thou serve me for nought? Or it 112 GENESIS. [B. C. 184&. 20 And Jacob ^ served seven years for Rachel ; and they seemed unto him hut a few daj'S, for tlie love he had to her. 21 ^ And Jacob said mito Laban, Give me my wife (for my days are fulfilled) that I may '" go in unto her. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and " made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his (laughter, and brought her to him ; and he went in unto her. 24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid, ■for a handmaid. 25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it luas Leah : and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me ? did not I serve with thee for Eachel ? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me ? « 26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born. 1 ch. 30 : 26 ; Ho3. 12 : 12. m Judg. 15: 1. n Judg. 14 : 10 ; Jolin 2 : 1, 2. 1 9. This preference for a relative as the husband of his daughter Is natural and according to the custom of the country at present. The agreement was conchided, and Ja- cob was to remain in Laban's service. 20. The seven years passed by fo pleasantly to Jacob that the time seemed but a few days. A week of years was like a week to liim. Coleridge says, " No man could be a bad. man who loved as Jacob loved Rachel." Jacob's pro- posal may have been prompted somewhat by the need he had of re- maining from home on account of his relations to Esau. By a later law the slave became free in the seventh year. (Exod. 21 : 2.) 21. 22. Jacob now demanded his wife, as his time had expired that he was lo serve for her. Laban made a marriage feast, (of seven days,) ac- <;ording to the custom in such cases. (John 2:1.) Jacob, having no house, but being in the family of T^aban, could not conduct the bride to a new home as yet. 23. According to the custom, the bride was conducted to the chamber of the husband closely veiled, and if it was at evening, as in this case, the deception here named could be more easily practised. Thus it was that Jacob was punished for the decep- tion practised upon his father by a like imposition upon himself, (vs. 25.) Thus God often punishes sin by sin, in kind if not in measure. This was a cruel cheat indeed ! 24. This was an Oriental custom in the marriage of a daughter, if the father could afford it, to give the bride a female slave to be her confi- dential attendant. (Ch. 24 : 59-61.) This maid-servant was the most val- uable dowry. 25. In the morning Jacob discov- ered the fraud practised upon him by the father — as Isaac his father discovered the fraud which Jacob j practised upon him — when it was • too late. " This is the first retribu- tion Jacob experiences for the de- ceitful pra(;tices of his former days.'* > He is not backward in complaining . \ of the deception. He can now feel ^ how keen must have been his father's - anguish and Esau's under his over- I reaching. B. C. 1849.] CHAPTER XXIX. 119 27 ° Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the ser~. vice which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week : and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. 29 And Laban gave to E-achel his daughter, Bilhah his hand* maid, to be her maid. 30 And he went in also unto Eachel, and he ^ loved also Ea/^.hel more than Leah, and served with him "^ yet seven other years. 31 And when the Lord ' saw that Leah was hated, he ^ opened her womb : but K-achel luas barren. o Judg. 14 : 12. p ver. 20 ; Deut. 21 : 15. 1. 8ch. 30:1. q. ch. 30 : 26, and 31 : 41 ; Hos. 12 : 12. r Ts. 127 : 26. Laban answers to Jacob's just demand that it would be contrary to the established usage to give the younger daughter in marriage prior to the elder one. But why, then, had he promised it, and never revealed this objection till the time has come for the fulfilling his promise ? This custom prevails in India. 27. Laban now proposes to Jacob to give to him Rachel after the mar- riage feast of a week was fulfilled. Some suppose that this refers to a second marriage feast given for Ra- chel, and that Leah was not put upon Jacob until the close of her marriage-week. This seems to be more probably the case. This pro- posal was a shrewd device of Laban to bind Jacob, to him for a longer period, as his service was very valu- able to him. Heh.^FuIJil the week of this one and I will give to thee also this one. Kalisch understands that it was Leah's week that was to be fulfilled, and that then 'Rachel was to be given to him also. So Keil and Delitzsch : " Let Leah's marriage week pass over." (See Judg. 14 : 12.) A week is the time of the marriage feast among the Arabs. 28. Jacob then received two wives in eight days. This bigamy of Ja- cob must not be judged of by the Mosaic law directly, which prohibits marriage with two sisters at the same 10* time, (Lev. 18 : 18,) nor must it be set down as incest, since there was no positive law on the subject then. Only that " in the beginning it was not so." The original institution in Eden was plainly of one man and one wife, as our Lord insists. (Matt. 1 9 : 8.) 29. Bilhah, a maid-servant of La- ban, was given to Rachel for a maid. Rebekah seems to have had several maids—" damsels." (Ch. 24 : Gl.) 30. Jacob's preference for Rachel above Leah is here stated, as it had appeared from the first. How Ja- cob could so tamely have assented to the arrangement is wonderful, when he had already a legal claim for Ra- chel. But, by this stipulation, he gets her at once, and, though he has seven years' service to give for her, the service will seem only as so many days, now that she is his beyond any risk. A Greek sage wrote over his door, " Nothing ugly must enter." But the Scripture has said, Favor (gracefulness) is deceitful and beauty is vain ; but a woman who feareth the Lord she shall be praised. Leah should not be rejected for her lack of beauty ; but beauty gives to Rachel the advantage, if other quaUties be the same. Gracefulness of person and of manner, without grace in the heart and life, is a cheat. Observe. — Long service is made short by love. 31. Was hated. That is, compara- 114 GENESIS. [B. C. 1842. 32 And Leali conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben : for she said, Surely the Lord hath * looked upon my af- fliction : therefore my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bare a son ; and said, Be- cause the Lord hath heard that I ivas hated, he hath therefore given me this so7i also : and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bare a son ; and said, l!»[ow this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons : therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bare a son ; and she said, Now will I praise the Lord : therefore she called his name " Judah, and left bearing. CHAPTER XXX. ND when Rachel saw that ^ she bare Jacob no children, Rachel sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, xi. ^ envied her *' or else I die. t Exod. 3 : 7, and 4 : 31 ; Deut. 26 : 7 ; Ps. 25 : 18, and 106 : 44. b ch. 37: 11. c Job 5 : 2. u Matt. 1:2. a ch. 29 : 31. tively. She was less loved than Ra- chel, who was preferred to her. So God says, " I have loved Jacob and hated Esau." (Mai. 1 : 2, 3.) The Lord Jehovah measures out the compensations of life. Leah was also loved, but not so much as Rachel. 32. Reuben. This name means, See ! a son. The fond mother set her hope upon this event to balance the domestic relations and to give her favor in the eyes of her husband. Leah had the grace to acknowledge God's hand in her mercies. 33. Simeon. The depth of her affliction is expressed in this name, which means heaiinr/, and implies her earnest entreaty i'or this blessing, as a domestic bond and conjuijal tie. 34. Levi. This name means at- tachment, joined, and implies that the breach would be healed and the disunited husband and wife Avould be bound together by this threefold cord of attachment. 35. NoAv her grief was turned to praise. Judak means praise^ a sort of hallelujah, at his birth. Her no- ble nature was evinced in all this devout feeling, bearing patiently her loads, and hoping in God under affliction. What was personal beauty as a charm in comparison of such a character V The sense of some of these names was wonderfully changed in the after history. Judah may well be the occasion of praise ; for he becomes " the ancestor of the promised seed. It is remarkable that the wife of priority, but not of pref- erence, is the mother of the seed in whom all nations are to be blessed. Levi, the reconciler, is the father of the priestly tribe. Simeon is at- tached to Judah. Reuben retires into the background." — Murphy. CHAPTER XXX. § 53. Jacob's Increase and Prosperity. Besides the first four sons by Leah, Jacob has also two sons by Leah's B. C. 1846.J CHAPTER XXX. 115 2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Bacliel ; and he said, ^ Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womh ? 3 And she said. Behold ^ my maid Bilhah, go in nnto her ; ^and she shall hear upon my knees, ° that I may also have children by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid ^ to wife : and Jacob went in unto her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6 AndEachel said, God hath 'judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son : therefore called she his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah, Eachel's maid, conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. d ch. 16:2; 1 Sam. 1:5. ech.l6:2. fch. 50: 23; Job 3:12. gch.l6:2. hcli.l6:3, and 35 : 22. i Ps. 35 : 24, and 43 : 1 ; Lam. 3 : 59. maid, and two sons by Rachel's maid, and also three children by Leah, and one son (Joseph) by Eachel. He then proposes to return to Canaan. But Laban again retahis him upon terms which by a skilful management yield him a large return. 1. Rachel also has her troubles, and finds herself, with all her beauty, at disadvantage. This leads to an envying of Leah. She would have exchanged places with her, it may be. She burst into a fit of impa- tience, which provoked anger in Ja- cob. The maternal relation is count- ed a great glory in Oriental coun- tries, and a childless marriage is re- garded as a shame and calamity. Kachel reproaches her husband and says to him, Gice me cJiildre?!, and if not^ 1 die, shall be regarded as dead, (ch. 20 : 3,) or die of mortification. The hope of Hebrew mothers was that they might give birth to the prom- ised Seed. How ditferent is Rachel's conduct from Rebekah's in like cir- cumstances, (ch. 25 : 22,) and from Hannah's, (1 Sam. 1 : 11.) 2. Jacob being angry replied to her, " Whether instead of God am I ? Who hath icithheld from thee the fruit of the icomb? (See ch. 50: 19.) Could Jacob give what God had pleased to withhold ? Instead of complaining to him, she ought to have inquired of God. Litde did she know that she should die in giving birth to a child. (Ch. 37: 16-19.) Though this is recorded after the record of Leah's fourth sou, yet Rachel had probably discovered her own case, and given her maid to Ja- cob before this. Dan may have been before Judah, and also Naphtali not long after him. — (See Keil and De- lilzsch.) 3. Rachel's plan was not an un- common one at the East. This was Sarah's course, (ch. 16:2.) In such cases it was regarded as substitution- ary for the mother, and was called bearing upon the mother's knees, she thus promising to recognize the ofi*- spring as her own. 4, 5. Hence, by this arrangement Bilhah is called his wife. There was no positive law against this, though it was impliedly against nature and Scripture. Such children were some- times treated as on a level with the legal children, or as, in case of Ish- mael, they were held as inferior and dependent on the parent's pleasure, to send away if he chose. (Ch. 21:10.) 6,7. Judged me. She here con- fessed God's righteous dealing in 116 ge:xesis. [B. C. 1845 8 And Eacliel said, with great Avrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed : and she called his name ^ ISTaphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah, her maid, and ^ gave her Jacob to wife. 10 And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, A troop cometh, and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters °^ will call me blessed : and she called his name Asher. 14 IF And Beuben went in the days of wheat-harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Eachel said to Leah, "^ Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. 15 And she said unto her, ° Is it a, small matter that thou hast taken my husband ? and wouldest thou take away my son's man- drakes also ? And Hachel said. Therefore he shall lie with thee to- night for thy son's mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said. Thou must come in unto me ; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay witli her that night. k Matt. 4 : 13. 1 ver. 4. m Prov. 31 : 28 ; Luke 1 : 48. n ch. 25 : 30. o Num. 16 : 9, 13. withholding hitherto, and his gra- cious judgment in now granting what yhe besought. Dan means judge or judging. Jacob and Rachel use in This passage the common noun " God," — the Everlasting and therefore the AJmighty, — who rules in the physical I'ciations of things : a name suitable to the occasion. 8. Wrestlings. Heb. — Struggles of God have 1 struggled with my sis- ter, that is, mighty struggles. She re- garded the withholding of children as evidence of her lacking God's fa- vor ; and she had been led to wrest- lings of prayer to God for the bless- ing, as between herself and her sister, and s\iQ\\2iOi prevailed. She now re- jiurded the conflict as decided to iier advantage. So Heng. Bel. etc. ^\ Naphtali — my conjiict. Rachel v[)eaks of Elohim only. Leah refers her four sons to the gift of JeAom/i, the God of redemption, and thus bliows her recognition of the cove- nant blessing. Leah was shown to be the wife of God's appointment, as " the tribe-mother of the greater part of the covenant nation." 9, 10. Leah now resorted to the same expedient as Rachel had used for further enlarging her household. It was probably atler a year's interval. 11. ^4 troop. Gerlach reads, With good .fortune. Kalisch — In felicity. So most of the early versions. So the Greek and Vulg. Jacob inter- prets the name (ch. 49: 19,) as a troop — or victory cometh. " She too claims a victory." — Murphy. 13. Happy am I. Heb. — In my happiness, for the daughters will call me blessed who am so rich in sons. ^ Asher, which means happy or blessed. 14. Mandrakes — love-apples. These were known to possess an exciting quality. Rachel is intent on apply- ing the expedients in which she was so fruitful, rather than patiently wait* B. C. 1842.] CHAPTER XXX. 117 17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and hare Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband : and she called his name Issa- char. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry ; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons : and she called his name p Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Di- nah. 22 ^ And God ^ remembered JRachel, and God hearkened to her, and ^ opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son ; and said, God hath taken away ^ my reproach : 24 And she called his - name Joseph ; and said, * The Lord shall add to me another son. 20 1[ And it came to pass, when Eacliel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, " Send me awa^, that I may go unto ""' mine own place, and to my coimtry. p Matt. 4:13. q ch. 8 : 1 ; 1 Sain. 1 : 19. rch. 29:31. slSam. 1: 1 : 25. t ch. 85 : 17. u ch. 24 : 54, 56. v ch. 18 : 33, and 31 : 55. Isai. 4:1; Luke ing upon God. Leah was willing to let go the mere carnal means which Avould take the matter out of God's hand, and she would pray and trust in Him. (See Sol. Song 7: 13.) 17, 18. Hearkened, implying that Leah yjrayed, and she has again the advantage of Rachel with all her expedients. ^ My hire. That for which she hired her husband with the mandrakes. She recognized God as giving to her that for which she had parted with the mandrakes, and for which she had given her maid to her husband. Not as a reward for giving her maid, but God had re- ■wai'ded her with the offspring, to procure which she had given her maid. ^ Issachar. It is a reward. Heb. — Yesh (yes) sakar. 20. God hath endowed. Heb. — Hath presented me with a goodly pres- ent. Six sons constituted a strong ground of hope in her husband's fast affection, and she embodied the hope in this son's name. ^ Zebulun — a dwelling. 21. Dinah, meaiung Judgynent, from the same root as Da7i. This is the only daughter of Jacob mentioned, and that on account of her connec- tion with the history of Jacob. (Ch. 34.) 22, 23. Rememhered, with favor af- ter having tried her with His disci- plinary dealing. ^ My reproach, (See Luke 1 : 25 ; 1 Sam. 1 : 6.) 24. Joseph. Heb. — He will add, or may He add. She now uses the redemptive name of God. Benja- min was added afterwards. The birth of Joseph was after the four- teen years were ended. 25. Jacob now proposed to return to his home, having filled out the second period of seven years. He has now reached fourscore and ten years of age, and as the birthright son he must have a heart for the land of promise which was guaran- 118 GENESIS. [B. C. 1842-. 26 Give me my wives and my children, ^ for whom I liave served thee, and let me go : for thou knowest my service which I nave done thee. 27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found fa- vor in thine eyes, ^ tarry ; for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me ^ for thy sake. 28 And he said, ^ appoint me thy w^ages, and I will give it. 29 And he said unto him, "^ Thou knovv^est how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30 For it was little which thou hadst before I cavie, and it is noiv increased unto a multitude ; and the Lord hath blessed thee since m}- coming : and now, when shall I ^ provide for mine own house also ? 31 And he said. What shall I give thee ? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing. If thou Avilt do this thing for me, I will again feed aiid keep thy flock : X ch. 29 : 20, 30. y ch. 39 : 3, 5. z ch. 26 : 24. 24 : 45 ; Tit. 2 : 10. c 1 Tim. 5 : 8. a ch. 29 : 15. b ch. 31 : 6, 40 ; "Watt. teed to him and to liis seed. Besides he longs to see his parents again, and he has been detained in Meso- potoniia so much longer than lie had planned, no wonder that he seeks now to return to Canaan and pro- vide for his own family. See Heb. 13 : 14, where his faith in this is rec- ognized and recorded. ^ Send me away. Give me the facihties for the journey. 2(). Jacob claims now his right ac- cording to the contract which he had faithfully fulfilled. 27. Laban m-ges him to remain in his service, because he had noticed liow Jacob was the object of Divine favor, and valuable to him for his experience and fidelity. ^ Learned. This verb, taken from the noun which means a serpent, denotes a shrewd and searching observation. This is a high compliment to Jacob. Men of tlie world often see that the good and pious are a benefit to them, and they prefer such for servants and employees. They often receive tem- poral benefits of such pious associa- tions and relationships in life. 28. Laban will now engage Jjjob on his own terms, or so at leaf ,. he proposes, and will draw him Int ne- gotiation. ^ Appoint. Heb.- i^e- 7Wte or mark down thy hire upon me. 29, 30. Jacob thliiks it only fair and just to remind Laban of the sub- stantial benefit which he has derived from his services already, as his flocks and herds Avould show, and he makes this a reason for his now being re- leased, as Laban made it a reason for his being retained. Especially he claims to look after his own household interests now, after bring- ing so much wealth to Laban. ^ In- creased. Htih. Broken forth. ''^ Since my coming. Heb. — To my foot — in my path, or for my service — under my management. 31. Laban again asks only for Ja- cob's terms — to have him name a price for his services. Jacob names the condition on which he would agree to remain. 32. Jacob's proposition is distinctly made. / will pass through all thy flocks to-day to remove from thence every speckled and spotted sheep, and B. C. 1842.] CHAPTER XXX. 119 32 I will pass throiigli all thy flock to-day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the g(Jats : and ^ of such shall be my hire. 33 So shall my ® righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face : every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were ring- streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and ail the brown among the sheep, and gave theni into the hands of his sons. 36 And he set three da^'^s' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. 37 And ^ Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel d ch. 21 : 8. e Ps. 37 : 6. f ch. 31 ; 9-12. every brown sheep among the lambs and the spotted and specJded among the goats, and it shall be my hire. This would fairly imply that the spotted ones, thus separated, should be Ja- cob's wages. Nothing was said about the future, though it was meant by Jacob and understood "by Laban, as would seem, and would be included in the contract. Laban undertook the separation himself to make more sure, and then gave those which were set apart as Jacob's wages to his own sons to tend, since it was Jacob's duty to take care of Laban's flock, and so as to prevent any copulation be- tween the animals of the two flocks. — Keil and Delitzsch. It is more commonly understood, (as Murphy,') that Jacob was not to have the spot- ted sheep already in the flock, but that they were first to be removed, and he was to start with nothing, and have only such as should be thereafter brought forth of that spot- ted kind. Jacob was willing to' trust to Providence, with an artful use of the means which his experience furnished him. And the bargain Avould nat- urally seem to Laban to be largely in his own favor, and the chances would be also on his side, as the sheep were most commonly white and the goats brown or black in that country. Laban, therefore, readily agrees. 33. My righteousness. That is, my honesty will be vindicated, as the color will show for itself, and there can be no suspicion of fraud, Avhen the time shall come for settlement. This implies that there was to be a time of separation and settlement, and at such time he would retain only such as should be spotted, and any others should be counted as not his property of right, but as stolen property. ^ In time to come. Heb, — In day to-morrow — in future time. 34-36. Laban assents to this pro- posal. The separation was immedi- ately made. 37-39. Jacob now practises a skil- ful expedient for securing a large share of the product of the flocks. This was not in the contract ; yet he deemed it only a fair advantage of his superior experience and tact in 120 (GENESIS. TB. C. 1842. and chestnut tree ; and pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which ivas in the rods. B8 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering-troughs when the fiocks came to drink ; that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-streaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban : and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. 41 And it came to pass whensoever the stronger cattle did con- ceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in : so the feebler were Laban' s, and the stronger Jacob's. the raising of sheep. As an offset to the p;reat disadvantage with which he started, he made use of this cun- ning method to get his fair share. Heb. — He pealed the white hare in the rods. He pilled or pealed off the bark of twigs of different trees, which were very white under the bark, so that they would be speckled and ring-streaked ; and, having noticed that the young brought forth would be determined in color by such colors as were set before the eyes of the dams when they conceived, he adopted this plan of placing the speckled rods before them in the wa- tering troughs. The plan was suc- cessful. Providence was on the side of Jacob in this matter, and he at- tributes the success of his plan to God. ^ (Ch. 31: 11, 12.) Yet the bargain was not made by Laban, with any such understanding that secret and extra means would be resorted to. Here is Jacob's craft and cunning, which cannot be justi- fied in itself, or as a pattern and rule of action. Some have held that there was a miraculous interposition in Jacob's favor, as intimated ch. 3 1 : 5-13. As regards the morality, however, Jacob seems to have bar- gained with his secret scheme in view, and consulted only his own interest and avarice, the effect of which was to secure to himself a large portion of the flocks. Laban, discovering this, regarded himself as released from the compact, and changed the terms time after time. This loss to Laban was only a prov- idential punishment for his exaction of Jacob's service those fourteen years. But Jacob was .guilty in re- lying more upon craft than upon the covenant of God. 40. This further scheme was to the same effect ; so that the white sheep might have the speckled and brown ones constantly in view, and the product of the fold might be de- termined thereby, so as to give him constantly new additions of the spot- ted ones. ^ Put them not. He kept these speckled flocks apart so as to get more of the same sort. Kalisch translates thus : " And he set the faces of (Laban's) flocks toward (his own) ring-streaked, and all (his) dark (he set) to the flocks of Laban; and he i)ut his own flocks by them- selves, and did not put them to La- ban's cattle." 41, 42. He managed also to get B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXI. 121 43 And the man " increased exceedingly, and ^ had much cattle, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses. CHAPTER XXXI. AND he heard the words of Lahan's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that ivas our father's ; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this ^ glory. 2 And Jacob beheld ^ the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not ^ toward him as before. 3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, '^Return unto the land of tljy fathers, and to thy kindred : and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Eachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, ^ I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before : but the God of my father ^hath been with me. gver. 30. h ch. 13: 2, and 24: 35, and 23 : 13, 14. a Ps. 49 : 16. bch. 4;5. cDeut. 28: 64. d ch. 28 : 15, 20, 21, and 32 : 9. e ver. 2. f ver. 3. the stronger ones for himself and the feebler ones for Laban ; so as in every way to take all possible ad- vantage, without absolutely grasping the whole, and exciting the sus- picion of Laban. The trouble is yet to come upon Jacob. ^ In- creased. Heb. — Brake forth exceed- ingly. On all sides his prosperity was enlarged. §54. CHAPTER XXXI. Jacob's Return to Ca- naan. An occasion had now come for Jacob's departure. 1. He heard. How often what a man hears said of him determines his course in life 1 This was probably a report to him of what his cousins had said, as they Avere three days' jour- ney distant. They were dissatisfied with Jacob's large share of the flocks, and no wonder. He had gotten so much of their father's property, and 11 all with nothing of his own to start with, that they are incensed, and in- timate that there must be the over- reaching of Jacob in it all. 2. Laban was also plainly dis- pleased with Jacob. His counte- nance (lit.) li'as not toivai'ds him as yesterday (and) the day before. 3, 4. The Lord. Jehovah gave him, now, express direction to go to his paternal home. He called his wives, the daughters of Laban, and explained to them the whole case, and appeals to their knowledge of the facts, and declares the favor of God towards him. Observe. — (1.) The case is clear for hij return when God so commands. (2.) He shows himself to be a kind and faithful husband. 5. The manifest alienation of La- ban from him, added to the bitter reproaches of Laban's sons, are now mentioned to Rachel and Leah to justify the departure for Canaan. Jacob looks to the Divine covenant, and regards his prosperity in sucb 122 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. 6 And ^ ye know that witli all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and '' changed my wages ' ten times : hut God ^ suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, ^ The speckled shall he thy wages ; then all the cattle hare speclded; and if he said thus, The ring-streaked shall be thy hire ; then bare all the cattle ring-streaked. 9 Tims God hath "^ taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle wei^e ring-streaked, speckled, and grizzled. g ver 33, 39, 40, 41 ; ch. 30 : 29. h ver. 41. i Num. 14 : 22 ; Neh. 4 : 12 : Job 19 : 3 ; Zech. 8 : 23. k ch. 20 : 6 ; Ps. 105 : 14. 1 ch. 30 : 32. m ver. 1, 16. adverse circumstances as the mark of Divine favor. He says nothing of his own cunning, of which he may well be ashamed. 6. He appeals to his wives in re- gard to his fidelity in serving Laban. ^ With all my power. That is, of course, within the terms of the con- tract. The last arrangement with Laban had allowed him, iluring the latter six years, some opportunity of providing for himself. 7. He complains of Laban's de- ceiving him, yet he was himself guilty of practising deceit upon La- ban. Observe. — How often men reprove in others the very wrong of which they are guilty themselves. Often, God punishes sin in kind, al- lowing the deceiver to be deceived, etc. *|f Ten times. This is probably to be understood as a round number, meaning any number of times — as often as he could. The changes are not mentioned, but consisted proba- bly in the ' color from speckled to ring-streaked and ao;ain to grizzled. (Vs. 8 ; ch. 30 : 28-39.) ^ God suf- fered Mm not. Jacob must confess that Laban would have gotten the better of him but for God's covenant help. Observe. — He puts the best face on his matters in this statement to his wives, and hence says nothing of his own artifice. ' 8, 9. How this came to pass, he [ here narrates with great simplicity, — that whatevtir change Laban made to take advantage of him. God inter- . fered accordingly in the result for i Jacob's benefit. Hence it was God ■ who took the cattle from Laban, and ; gave them to him. 10. Jacob was confirmed In this view by what appeared to him in a dream, after he had made the 'bar- gain with Laban, and at the critical time when the result was pending. This dream was intended to assure Jacob of the Divine power and grace on his behalf; and the effect of it should have been to make him trust in the God of the covenant. But, instead of this, he resorted to his cunning and craft, probably beyond the legitimate use of the means. So it had been in getting by deceit the birthright, after God signified that it should be his. Observe. — How much policy and scheming to carry out Important ends would be spared, If there were a proper reliance upon God. God did not authorize any of Jacob's strategy to do the work which God had promised to do, and He did not need the aid of Jacob's craft. B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXI. 123 11 And " the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob : And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speclded, and grizzled : for ° I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13 I avi the God of Beth-el, ^' where thou anointedst the pillar, ar.d where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now, ^ arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 14 And Eachel and Leah answered, and said unto him, ^ Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house ? 15 Are we not counted of him strangers ? for Mie hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. n ch. 48: 16. 8 ch. 29 : 15, 17. oExod. 3:7. p ch. 28 : 18, 19, 20. q ver. 3 j chap. 32 : 9. r ch. 2 : 24 11, 12. Beyond the dream, there came an express revelation from the Angel of God. Tliis may refer to the same occasion or to a further and fuller dream afterwards, accompa- nied by the Divine assurance. And the ground is here stated of God's intervention on his behalf " For I have seen." All this was calculated to confirm Jacob's faith in his Cove- nant God. Delitzsch thinks the vision was given to Jacob after the event, to explain to him that it Tvas not his stratagem but the providence of God that foiled Laban's overreaching. Kurtz thinks that it was given to him in advance, to teach him that the help of God, without any such self-help,could procure him justice and ; safety as against Laban's craftiness. ' 13. God reminds him of his cove- j nant relations and of the covenant history. 1 The God of Bethel. This' refers him back to the promise there [ made, (ch. 28: 13-15.) and to the vow there offered, (ch. 28 : 20 22.) j It is the same " Angel of the Cove- ! nant" who has been with him, and now encourages him for the future ; even for all the perils and trials of ; his return home. ; 14. His wives having heard these statements express themselves as de- sjiairing of any further good from their father's house, and ready to give it up in disgust. So, 1 Kings 12 : 16, " What portion have we in David, or inheritance in the Son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel." They had no longer any part nor lot in the pater- nal estate. 15. The father had treated them as if they had been strangers, trying to make the most gain out of them, instead of dealing with them as daugh- tcr.>. Lit. And he has eren constantly devoured our moneij (silver.) Besides making merchandise of us, he has consumed the property brought to Inm hy our service, — that is, — of Jacob, whose service was in lieu of a dowry which would fairly have been theirs. These accusations with which the wives readily follow up the charges of Jacob, are not well grounded, because they had no portion nor in- heritance to expect, where there were sons to inherit as here, nor was it true that they had received no dowry, for each had received an handmaid, and Laban had kept them and their families during seven years. Yet in all such cases of complaint there are two sides to the matter. 124 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's : now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 17 IF Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels ; 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram ; for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep : and Kachel had stolen the * images that were her father's. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had ; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and " set his face toward the mount Gileajd. 22 And it was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob was fled. 23 And he took ^ his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey : and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. tch. 35:2. uch. 46: 2 Kings 12 : 17 ; Luke 9 : 51, 53. x ch. 13 : 8. 16. They boast themselves there- fore, in having secured something from the grasp and greed of their fa- ther, so as not to be wholly destitute. And they are ready to indorse his plans as already intimated, especially as those plans are directed by God. 17-19. Jacob now makes all his formal preparations for journeying to Canaan. His family and goods, servants and cattle, form an encamp- ment, as is still the custom in the mi- gration of a family or tribe. We have seen such travelling companies in Palestine, and the description here annexed answers to the customs of the present day. ^ Shear his sheep. Jacob wisely took this opportunity, in Laban's absence, to leave, knowing that if his plans were discovered be- fore he was gone, he would be pre- vented from carrying them out. Pa- chel also atole the teraphim^ lohich (be- longed to) her father. These (ren- dered images, idols, teraphim) were household divinities of heathen, idol- atrous worship, consulted as oracles. They were sometimes images of ances- tors. (1 Sam. 19 : 13.) The Romans had them, (Penates, tutelary deities,) guardians of the household, so re- garded. Some of these figures among the Romans were miniature casts of boys, with short tunic, and with cor- nucopia on the head. Others were of hooded graybeards. Others were mere heads and busts, and they Avere made of metal or of terra-cotta ; their place was the chimney-corner. Incense was even offered to them among the Romans. {Barker's Lares and Penates.) These images were found even in David's house, and their use was regarded for a time as not distinctly idolatrous ; yet Joslah rooted them out. (2 Kings 23 : 24.) Rachel's object was either probably to prevent her father consulting these as to their flight, which would imply that she believed in them, or to have them as family memorials, or possi- bly as guardians of their journey home. (See 2 Kings 13 : 24 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 23 ; Zech. 10 : 2 ; Hosea 3 : 4.) This was done without Jacob's knowl- edge (vs. 32.) 20-23. Jacob fairly succeeded in getting away without Laban's knowl- B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXI. 125 24 And God ^ came to Laban the Sjrrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou ^ speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 25 ^ Then Laban overtook Jacob. JSTow Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount : and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and * carried away my daugh- ters, as captives taken with the sword ? 27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp ? 28 And hast not suffered me ^ to kiss my sons and my daughters ? ''thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. y ch. 20 : 3 ; Job 33 : 15 ; Matt. 1 : 20. z ch. 24 : 50. a 1 Sam. 30 : 2. b ver. 55 ; Ruth 1 : 9, 14 ; 1 Kings 19 : 20 ; Acts 20 : 37. c 1 Sam. 13 : 13 ; 2 Chron. 16 : 9. edge. His time had fully expired and he was at liberty to go if he pleased. He however again prac- tised his wily arts, and stole away. Heb. — Deceived the heart of Laban. ^ Mount Gilead. He aimed for the south part of Palestine. Therefore he crossed the Euphrates, and trav- elled in a south-western course to- ward the Mount Gilead, (vs. 21,) the mountain range known by that name, and running north and south through the territory of Reuben, Gad, and the south part of Manasseh. (See vs. 48.) It was not till the third day that Laban received information of the flight. And Jacob already had well the start ; but cumbered with his flocks and family, he could be overtaken by swift pursuers. Laban set out on the fourth day, it would seem, and overtook Jacob on the seventh day of the pursuit. But as he would require two days at least to reach his home from his absence of three days' journey, Jacob would have the start by five days, and a seven days' pursuit would give twelve days for the travel of over three hun- dred English miles. ^ His brethren., — his kindred, and the servants or ad- herents. It was not till the Mount 11* Gilead was reached that Jacob's com- pany was overtaken. 24. Laban, doubtless full of wrath, was met in a night-dream by God, who charged him not to speak to Ja- cob either good, or bad. Heb. — From good to bad. This is not the same as in ch. 24 : 50. Here it means to avoid getting into a rage ; to abstain from words which would lead to bad results — from words to blows. Keil and Delitzsch understand thus : " not to say anything decisive and emphat- ic for the purpose of altering what had already occurred," (vs. 29.) Sept. — Anything evil to Jacob. Yulg. — Anything harshly against Jacob. Bish. Bible — Speak not to Jacob aught save good. Mark his language when they meet. (Ys. 26-30.) 26-28. Laban begins with some sharpness, accusing Jacob of stealing away like a thief, and of acting like a thief, with his daughters as booty. He repeats the tart questioning, and charges him with gross unkindness in thus denying to him the opportu- nity of paternal leave-taking. He intimates that he would surely have given them a handsome farewell with j music such as was used to mark great I festal occasions. And that he would 126 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. 29 It is in the power of my liand to do yon liiirt ; but tlie '^ God of your father spake unto me ^ yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. oO And now, tliough thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house; yet wherefore hast thou ^stolen my gods? 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid : for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. 32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, ^ let him not live ; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee : for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maid-servants' tents ; but he found tliem not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Eachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the cam- d ver. 53 ; ch. 28 : 13. e ver. 24. f ver. 19 ; Judg. 18 : 24. g ch. 44 : 9. have desired to kiss them a good-bye, as a tender and fond father. But this did not well comport with his conduct towards them while they were at home. He throws the whole blame, of course, upon Jacob, and takes no share to himself. The mu- sical instruments of the Hebrews we know very little of, only that they were very rude and harsh. \ Ta- hret— timbrel — a kind of drum or tambourine. (Judg. 11 : 34.) 29. Laban asserts his superior pow- er which puts Jacob at his mercy, but he refers to the appearing of God to him warning him against violence. ^ In the power of my liand. Heb. — There is to God my hand. — Keil and Delitzsch. My hand serves me as God. (Mic. 2:1; Deut. 28: 32; Neh. 5: 5.) The power lies in my hand. It is entirely within my ability, or my reach. How such proud, vindictive boasts give vent to the passion. I could crush you if 1 pleased, or if God had not forbidden. 30-32. Even if thy stealthy de- parture can be explained, why did you steal my gods? Laban now acknowledges how naturally Jacob would wish to return to his home, yet he comes down upon him with a positive charge of theft — of sacri- lege ! Tf My gods. Laban should have been ashamed of such heathen images ; and Jacob surely did not want them — would not have them as a gift — would sooner throw them out of his house. He answers the charges, therefore, in order. As to the hasty and covert departure, it was because he was afraid of being stopped and of having his wives forcibly wrested from him by their father. But as to the idols, he knows nothing of any such in his possession. He repels the charge boldly, and is willing that if they be found on any of the com- pany, such an one should suffer death. He would cheerfully be searched and give up anything that Laban could tind of his property. Jacob was ignorant of the theft. 34. Rachel had hidden these ter- aphim in the furniture (litter) of the camel, and sat upon them. Kitto thinks that it was under the common pack-saddle of the camel, which is high, and shaped so as to suit the B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXI. 127 el's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease ni}^ lord that I cannot ^ rise up before thee ; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. 36 IF And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban ; and Jacob answered, and said to Laban, What is my trespass ? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me ? 37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren, and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. 38 This twenty years have I been with thee ; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of th}^ flock have I not eaten. 39 ' That which was torn of beasts, I brought not unto thee ; I bare the loss of it ; of ^ my hand didst thou require it tuhether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was ; in the day the drought consumed me, and the fi'ost by night : and my sleep departed from mine eyes. h Exod. 20 : 12 ; Lev. 19 : 32. i Exod. 22 : 10, &c. k Exod. 22 : 12. ridge of the camel's back ; and that under this, or among the shawls, cloaks and rugs "which are used to make the saddle easy for women, the teraphim were concealed. The saddle of the camel is often sur- mounted with a large chair of wick- er-work for women's comfort, and this is sometimes covered with a can- opy for shelter from sun or rain. When the woman dismounts, this chair is often used in the tent, and looks like a basket or cradle, and may be large enough for two. There was room enough under this for the small teraphim, or busts of human form, and Rachel, cunning as ever, did not lack a device and pretence to give her success. Laban could not think that in such circumstances, she would sit upon his gods. 36. Jacob now takes greater boldness — grows indignant — and re- torts upon Laban with sharpest crim- ination. He demands now the cause of this hot pursuit and the ground of such severe accusations, Avhich he could not at all prove. Little did Jacob dream of what Rachel had done and of how the search might have turned the tables against him to the triumph of Laban. He had better not have been quite so sure of the innocence of all his family. Alas ! he thinks they could do no such wrong; but he should rather not so freely offer the wrong-doers lite as a forfeit. 3 7. Jacob challenges Laban now to produce any of his property that has been found in the search, and dares him to the judgment of their common relatives, and attendants. 38-40. Jacob recites the partic- ulars of his faithful and laborious ser- vice for a score of years, and shows that he owes Laban nothing; and that but for the interposition of his Covenant God, he should have been sent away empty from Laban's house. According to this showing, Jacob had proved a pattern servant and 128 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. 41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house ; I ^ served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle : and ™ thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 "^ Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and ° the Fear of Isaac had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. ^ God hath seen mine affliction, and the labor of my hands, and ^ rebuked thee yesternight. 43 ^ And Laban answered, and said unto Jacob, These daugh- ters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine ; and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their chil- dren which they have borne ? 44 Now therefore come thou, '"let us make a covenant, I and thou ; " and let it be for a witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob * took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones ; and they took stones, and made an heap : and they did eat there upon the heap. 1 ch. 29 : 27, 28. m ver. 7. n Ps. 124 : 1, 2. o ver. 53 ; Isa. 8 : 13. p ch. : 3:7. q 1 Cliron. 12 : 17 ; Jude 9. r ch. 26 : 28. s .Josh. 24 : 27- t ch. 28 : 18. 32; Exod- Laban a hard master. ^ Ra7jis, etc. | Faithless shepherds would often feed j themselves otF of the rams. (Ezek. 34: 1-5.) ^ Torn of beasts. Any such depredations upon the flock, he was always held responsible for, even when it occurred at night and with- out carelessness of his. Day and night he suffered — from the drouojht by day and the frost by night. This we found in the summer in the hill country of the Lebanon — that the cold nights were very trying, as well as the summer droughts. (Jer. 36 : 30.) t Sleep. He did not al- low himself a fair measure of rest but gave his nights even to the care of Laban's flocks. 41. Fourteen years for the daugh- ters— this was a severe exaction — and six for the cattle ; during which time Laban had changed his wages so as better to suit himself ten times, or as often as he could. 42. The covenant God is referred to as having been Jacob's protector from Laban's overreaching and craft. ^ The Fear of Isaac. This is used as a name of God in His covenant relation. He who is the object of Isaac's fear, or reverential awe : like " the Hope of Israel." (Jer. 14 : 8.) ^ Rebuked thee — Judf/ed thee — by giving forewarning against violent language. Keil and Delitzsch read, He judged it ; that is, the labor of my hands. " But the fact that God de- fended him from Laban's revenge did not prove him to be right." (See Prov. 20: 22. 43-45. " Th-^se words of Jacob cut Laban to tha heart with truth, so that he turned round, offered his hand, and proposed a covenant." Laban boastfully reminds Jacob that he could claim everything he had — that he owned him and all his. ^ And lohat can I do? When it comes to the point, he has it not in his heart to do anything against his own flesh and blood. ^ A covenant. He proposes to enter into a covenaut B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXI. 129 47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha : but Jacob called it Galeed : 48 And Laban said, ^ This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed : 49 Ajid ^ Mizpah ; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. 50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives besides my daughters ; no man is with us ; see, God is wit- ness betwixt me and thee ; 51 Ajid Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee : 52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me for harm. u Josh. 24 : 27. v Judg. 11 : 29 ; 1 Sam. 7 : 5. of reconciliation with Jacob. Heb. — Cut a covenwit. To this propo- sition Jacob readily assented, and proceeded to erect the pillar. What a sudden change from the angry strife of words to this conciliation ! ^ Witness. (See vs. 52.) 46-48. His brethren. Laban and the relatives who accompanied him. (See vs. 54.) This heap of stones formed a table for the covenant meal. " This was meant to serve as a ratifi- cation of the covenant ; for a thing is completed by becoming an out- ward realitv, perceptible by the senses."— Kurtz, t Galeed. Hill of witness. Alluding to the name of the mountain Gilead, and also express- ing the idea of a witnessing heap or heap of testimony. The corres- ponding SvTiac or Chaldee name is 5:iven to it by Laban. This name {''Mountains of Gilead " vs. 21-25,) IS used in the widest sense and in- eludes the northern half of the moun- tains, and not the southern half alone. [t may be used here by the author AS the name in his time, owing its origin to the monuments erected here by Jacob and Laban. (See Josh. 13: 26: Judg. 11: 29.) 49. Mizpah, that is, watch — watch- *)wer — ot^ervatory. (See Josh. 13: 26; Judg. 11: 29.) The pile of stones was to be not only a memorial, but a sort of lookout — when they should be absent from each other-^ keeping watch upon each of them for their fidelity. There are places bear- ing this name of Mizpah, or Mizpeh. One was a city of Benjamin, where Samuel judged Israel, (1 Sam. 7 : 5-16.) now called Nebi-Samwil. Another was a town in the plain of Judah. (Josh. 15 : 38.) Besides it was the name of a valley near Mt. Hermon. (Josh. 11 : 3, 8.) This verse and the next seem parenthet- ical. 50. In the case mentioned of fidel- ity to his Avives, the daughters of La- ban, when they should be far removed out of his sight, this monument should be a watch-tower, representing Grod's omniscient watch of both parties — Jacob and Laban. 51, 52. Laban now further pro claims the use of this pillar of stones as a pledge, that neither of them should pass it with any hostile intent towards the other. ^ Cast — placed — erected. Laban speaks of his erect- ing it, though Jacob seems to have undertaken it, yet along with Laban's company — " his brethren." 130 GENESIS. [B. C. 183G, 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor," the God of their father, ^ judge betwixt us. And Jacob ^ sware by * the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread : and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. 55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and ^ blessed them : and Laban departed, and ^ returned unto his place. CHAPTER XXXII. AKD Jacob went on his w^ay, and ^ the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said. This is God's ^ host • and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. ych.l6:5. z ch. 21 : 23. a ver. 42. bcli.28:l. c ch.l8 : 33,and30:25. a Ps. 91 : 11 Heb. 1 : 14. b Josh. 5 : 14 ; Ps. 103 : 21, and 148 : 2 ; Luke 2 : 13. 53. This monument, which had probably been consecrated by sacri- fices and a feast, vfas put by Laban under the protection of Jacob's God and Nahor's. Some suppose he mixed the true God with the heathen gods. But this is rather an ac- knowledgment that Terah "their father," and his descendants down to Laban, still confessed the true God, even in their idolatry. But Jacob sware by the Feai' of his father Isaac — by the God whom Isaac feared. It was the hand of this Covenant God that so turned Laban's wrath into peace. 54. The covenant was accordingly ratified with sacrifice and a common meal. " They who have one God should have one heart. They who are agreed in religion should be agreed in ever^^thing else." 55. This genial parental conduct on lyaban's part is a beautiful close of a ^cene so threatening at the first. CHAPTER XXXn. § 55. Jacob's Wrestle with THE Covenant Angel. Is- .RAEL. Jacob, thus delivered from Laban'g scheming, had yet, on his return home, to meet his alienated brother Esau; and for this peril he required the Di- vine .protection. As the angels ap- peared to him in a dream on his way to Laban, so now they appear to him more visibly on his return home. Tlais sight is assuring, like that vision of the ladder, which he had seen twenty years before, traversed by the angel guards. Here they are encamped around him. (Ps. 34 : 8.) The promise made to him that he should be returned to his own land in peace was to be made good. (Ch. 28 : 15.) ^\Met him. This is not in a dream, but at the m.orning hour and a real meeting. Hengsienherg regards it as a dream. Jacob had an-ived now at the border of the holy land. 2. God's host — as against any host of men that might come against him. ^ Mahanaim. This means a double host — the host of God joined to his own host, or a double encampment B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXII. 131 3 And Jacob sent messengers before liim to Esau his brother, ° unto the land of Seir, ^ the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, ® Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau : Thy servant Jacob saitli thus, I have sojourned ■with Lab an, and stayed there until now : 5 And ^ I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men-servants, and women-servants : and I have sent to tell my lord, that ^ I may find grace in thy sight. 6 IF And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying. We came to thy brother Esau, and also ^ he cometh to meet thee, and four hun- dred men with him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and ' distressed : and he di- vided the people that ivas with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels into two bands ; 8 And said. If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. c ch. 33 : 14 : 16. d ch. 36 : 6, 7, 8 ; Deut. 2:5; Josh. 24 : g ch. 33 : 8, 15. h ch. 33 : 1. i ch. 35 : 3. Prov. 15 : 1. f ch. 30 : 43. of forces. This is the name of a city, often mentioned afterwards, north of the Jabbok, probably the same as I the modern MaJmeh, on the boundary line between Gad and Manasseh, and one of the Levitical towns. 3. Jacob from this point sent mes- sengers before him to concihate Esau, in terms of great humility. ^ Seir. This is Arabia Petrea, on the east and south of the Dead Sea, inhabited by the Horites, of which Pefra was probably the capital. Esau had be- come connected with this region through his marriage with a daughter of Ishmael some twenty years before this time. He had probably felt that he was excluded from the inheritance of the promise — the future possession of Canaan. In ch. 36 : 6, we find him in Canaan. But he seems to have had a double establishment, or was now on a warlike expedition. 4, 5. Jacob sends Esau this mes- sage of his Avealth in order to show him that he did not come claiming his inheritance, that he even ac- knowledged him as loi'd, not even insisting on these temporal preroga- tives of the birthright. Jacob may have felt some compunction at his ill-treatment of his brother, and he would at least disarm opposition. (See ch. 27 : 29.) This concession would not in any way give up his claims to the spiritual headship and blessing. If That I mayjind grace in thy sight. This was Jacob's avowed object in sending such a message. 6-8. Why Esau should come to meet him with four hundred men has been variously explained ; but it seems most probable that this was a military band, with which he had at- tacked the Horites of that region, and that, on hearing of Jacob's advent, he took them with him, yet with no hostile intent. Jacob's sudden terror at the report of such a formidable troop was his punishment — a terror enhanced by all his self-reproaches of unfair dealing with his brother in obtaining Isaac's blessing. *[ Dir vided. Jacob takes every precaution on the theory of Esau's hostile intent. This was his first step. The second step was prayer. Jacob was ready first to ply his devices, then to call 133 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. 9 IT ^ And Jacob said, ^ 0 God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord "" which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the " mercies and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant : for with ° my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 11 P Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau : for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and ^ the mother with the children. 12 And ' thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multi- tude. 13 IF And he lodged there that same night, and took of that which came to his hand " a present for Esau his brother ; kPs. 50:15. Ich. 28:13. m ch. 31 : 3. 13. nch. 34:27. oJob8;7. pPs. 59:1, 2. q Hos. 10 : 14. r ch. 28 : 13, 14, 15. s ch. 43 : 11 ; Prov. 18 : 16- npon God. This division of a party into two bands was a prudential measure often resorted to in caravans, for the greater security of one part at least. 9-12. This prayer of Jacob is very touching; and here Jacob the schemer appears as Jacob the pious believer. (1.) He appeals to God as the Covenant God and Father. (2.) He pleads His gracious promises. (3.) He confesses his own deep un- worthiness and God's great fidelity and free favor. (4.) He entreats for dehverance from the impending calamity. (5.) He closes with cleav- ing to God's word of promise. ^ Not worthy. Heb. — / am less than — too little for — all the mercies. % With my staff. Onk. — By myself alone I crossed over this Jordan. When he had crossed in his flight from Esau, he went as a poor, lonely fugitive, and, in a score of years, he had been blessed with all this increase. ^ Thou saidst. God's word of truth and promise assures him, and he can press his plea. Skeptics claim to find in this manner of Jacob some- thing improper in petitioning God. But Kurtz remarks that this is only what true suppliants in all time have done — pleading the promises. (Ch. 28 : 15.) Here it is the great cove- nant promise. 13-23. Jacob along with the prayer uses the fair expedients by which he hopes to conciliate Esau. He took of that which came to his hand — which came into his possession — in his ser- vice with Laban — five hundred and fifty head of cattle for a present to Esau ; so that he is willing to give up about one half of the flocks he had acquired (vss. 7, 8) to appease Esau's supposed wrath. The milch camels were of great value, their milk being an article of common use. He would have a space put between drove and drove, so that the whole array might be more formidable, and might make a stronger impression of his liberality upon Esau. ^ Behind us. To show that he did not pur- pose to escape. % Appease him. Heb. — Cover his face. Gr. — I will propitiate his countenance. Chal. — 1 will assuage his anger. Esau would, several times, hear the same humble, conciliatory reply, and would so B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXII. 133 14 Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams. 15 Thirty milcli camels with their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves ; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying. When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying. Whose art thou ^ and whither goest thou ? and whose are these before thee ? 18 Then thou shalt say. They he thy servant Jacob's : it is a present sent unto my lord Esau : and behold also he is behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will * appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face ; peradventure he will accept of me. 21 So went the present over before him ; and himself lodged that night in the company. 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, " and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. t Prov. 21 : 14. u Deut. 3 : 16. much the more likely be moved to tenderness by the present itself. Ja- cob, with his keen sagacity, could un- derstand how much better such con- ciliation would be for appeasing an angry brother than any severe terms or military prowess. (Prov. 21 : 14.) about forty miles. He sent forward his company, the present and all, across the brook, wishing, it would seem, to remain alone at prayer. He comes to a deeper reliance upon his covenant God. Such Divine mani- festations have encouraged his faith. Lodged that night in the company — the I It is very seldom that our worldly af- camp — after first sending his present ,' fairs suffer from any loss of time in in advance of him across the brook prayer. The brook at the ford is JaUtok. ^ Jabbok — Jabbok, nearly the same word as is rendered tn-es- tled in vs. 24, from which the brook may have derived its name. This brook is the Zerka, and empties mto the Jordan on the east side, a dis- tance below the Sea of Galil*ie, near- ly half way to the Dead Sea, or 12 about ten yards wide. It would seem, that he, at first, crossed the ford, to ascertain its safety, and then sent over his family and all that he had, and he himself remained on the northern bank, where the camp had been. The same night it is as in vs. 13. — God controls men's minds. 134 GENESIS. IB. C. 1836. 24 IT And Jacob was left alone ; and there ^ wrestled a man with him, until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh : and ^ the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And ^ he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh ; and he said, ■ I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. X Hos. 12: 3, 4; Eph. 6: 12. y Matt. 26: 41; 2 Cor. 12: 7. z Luke 24: 28. a Hos. 12 : 4. 24. Jacob was now left alone by his own choice, entrusting his all to God, and there icrestled a man loith Mm. This was no dream nor vision, but reality. In Hos. 12: 4, 5, the man who wrestled with him is called the angel^ and the Lord of hosts, and in vs. 30 of this chapter, Jacob calls him God. Who then is the God-man, the Angel of the Covenant, but the Eternal Son of God ? This wrest- ling was a real hand to hand encoun- ter and struggle, yet not necessarily in the form of common wrestling. The idea is of close, pei-sonal, corpo- real conflict, in which the issue of physical strength was joined. This is plain from the crippling of the thigh which arrested the conflict and disabled him. God would in this form come against Jacob, as his ene- my, instead of Esau whom he feared, would show him that it was He who had the controversy with him,' and who must be propitiated. 25. When the Covenant Angel found his antagonist prevailing over him, Jacob was crippled in his hip- joint by the angel to humble his car- nal nature, and to show the Divine nature of the mysterious wrestler. Henceforth he must go halting and feeling his weakness in the carnal fleshly department, where he had been strong and had boasted himself. And so soon as he discovered that the w]-estler was God, the Covenant Angel, he struggled not any longer by muEx;le but by prayer, and so he prevailed. " When God has a new thing, of a spiritual nature, to bring into the experience of man, he be- gins with the senses. He takes man on the ground on which he finds him, and leads him through the senses to the higher things of reason, con- science, and communion with God." — Murphy. This was the turning- point in Jacob's life. Henceforth he will put I'ess dependence on the flesh, and fleshly means, and more upon God his deliverer. He prevailed in- deed, but bore about in his body the marks of the struggle, and succeeded only by prayer and faith. The thigh is the pillar of a man's strength, and the hip-joint is the seat of physical force for him who would stand his ground as a wrestler. 26. Jacob still struggled and held fast, though disabled. This was the believer's importunity — the bruising of the persistent wrestler (Luke 1 8 : 5), which prevails as it did over the unjust judge. But Jacob conquers at the moment his physical strength is crippled. " When 1 am weak then am I strong." (2 Cor. 12 : 10.) The All-powerful cannot go without Ja- cob's leave. And Jacob will not let Him go except He bless him. What loving condescension of the covenant God, binding himself to the sinner ! " I will not leave thee nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13: 5.) " Concerning the work of my hands command ye me." What power of faith to hold on, and not to let go B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXn. 135 27 And he said unto him, What is thj name ? And he said^ Jacob. 28 And he said, ^ Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel : for as a prince hast thou *^ power with God, and ^ with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell 7ne, I pray thee, thy name : and he said, ® Wherefore, ^5 it that thou dost ask after my name ? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel : for ^ I have seen God face to face, and ^ my life is preserved. b ch. 35 : 10 ; 2 Kin?3 17 : 34. c Hos. 12 . 3, 4. d ch. 2-5 : 31, and 27 : 33. eJudg. 13:18. f ch. 16 : 13 ; Exod. 24 : 11, and 33 : 20 ; Deut. 5 : 24. g Judg. 6 : 22, and 13 : 22 ; Isa. 6 : 5. the Covenant Angel Tvlthout a blessing 1 27, 28. Jacob's name is now asked, not for information, but in order to call attention to his former self, as needing to be put away. " Put off, therefore, the old man." (Col. 3 : 9.) The great change is indicated by a new name. He is no more sitpplant- er (Jacob), but jyrevailer iciili God, (Israel.) ^ For as a prince, etc. Jacob presents a resistless force when be comes to God, as the helpless, dis- abled suppliant, still cleaving to Him, though prostrate in the dust. This is the Divine energy in the weak creature, which prevails alike with God and with men. Now Jacob Is father of the praying ones. " The sons of Jacob " are the children of firm faith and earnest prayer. Where this phrase occurs elsewhere, this is the significance of it. It designates the class of praying ones. (Mai. 3 : 6.) Observe. — How gracious in God to call His praying children pre- vailers — to give them thus beforehand the assurance of success, so as to en- courage prayer and importunity. (Luke 11: 8; Isa. 45: 19.) Sept. reads, Because thou hast had power with God thou sJialt he miglitij with men. His prevalence with the angel (man) Is referred to as the pledge of his prevalence with Esau. Observe. — He who wins God to his side wins man also, and gains the day, surely. The victory which Jacob had former- ly gained over man In struggling for his birthright was now sanctioned and ratified b}' the victory he had ob- tained over God. The birthright which he had before obtained by un- fair means was now granted to him as the gift of God. 29. When Jacob now Inquires for the name of this mysterious -wrestler, he gets not the name, but a blessing, which sufficiently reveals His Identity. If the name of Jacob Is Prevailer, the name of God is Blessing. " God is Light." " God Is Love." (1 John 1. See Judges 13 : 16-18.) The cov- eted Uessitir/ is obtained. 30. Jacob names the place of this memorable scene Peniel, meaning the face of God. He is first spoken of as a man. Hosea calls Him the Angel, (ch. 12:4; See also vs. 5,) and here Jacob calls Him God. Ja- cob was fully satisfied that this was God. It is In His blessing us that God reveals Himself most clearly to us. (Luke 24 : 30, 31 ; John 20 :' 16, 17; ch. 16 : 13.) To see God face to face and lioe is the marvel of hu- man experience. In this outward wrestling of man with man, God comes down to our senses and adapts Himself to our every day circum- stances. (So in ch. 18 : 1, 4, 8.) He shows also here, through the de- 136 GENESIS. [B.C. 1836. 31 And as lie passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day ; be- cause he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank. k CHAPTER XXXIII. ND Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, *Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the cliildren unto Leah, and unto Kachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them, and ^ bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. a ch. 32 : 6. b ch. 18 : 2, and 42 : 6, and 43 : 26. partment of sense, that spiritual con- flict in which God wrestles with our carnal nature and the Spirit strives with man, who is flesh, yet so disabling mere self and carnal strength by His grace as to put him upon prayer and iaith for a real victory. Here also is a prophetic representation of God's conflict with the Israel, His covenant people, in which they contend against God and resist the Holy Ghost, until He at length breaks down their pride and boast by His mysterious touch, and they become a new peo- ple, called by a new name, as men of dependence and of prayer and of prevalence with God. 31, 32. Penuel — same as PenieL AVith the sunrising after that night of conflict came the daybreak upon his soul. ^ And lie halted upn7i Ms thigh. His lameness was painfully apparent. God will have us remem- ber our weakness daily and hourly in the whole journey of life. ^ The sinew that shrank. This is the princi- pal nerve or cord in the movement of the hip, which is most readily injured in wrestling. CHAPTER XXXIII. § 56. Jacob conciliates Esau WITH PRESENTS. AjRRlVES IN Canaan. The dreaded meeting is now at hand. Jacob calmly prepares for it, and makes ready for the worst. He arranges his company into three bands, forming a long train. He himself took the lead to meet Esau with utmost courtesy and concilia- tion ; the presents having been sent before. Jacob has faith in God, but not in his brother. 1-3. He so arranges his family as that those most dear to him shall be most in the rear and the last to be exposed. He made sevenfold obei- sance to his brother — in the form of Oriental prostration before a superior — bowing his head to the ground. Esau has the array of physical force. Jacob has only a weak band of wo- men and children. Yet Jacob pre- vails. He acknowledged Esau as the elder brother, and remembered B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXIII. 137 4 * And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him : * and fell on his neck, and kissed him ; and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wojnen and the chil- dren, and said. Who are those with thee ? And he said, The chil- dren ® which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed them- selves ; and after came Joseph near and Eachel, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said. What meanest thou by ^all this drove which I met ? And he said, These are ^ to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother ; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found c ch. 32: 28. d ch. 45: 14, 15. e ch, 48: g ch. 32:5. Ps. 127 : 3 ; Isa. 8 : 18. f ch. 32: 16. doubtless, his own unfair treatment of him. 4. Esau now shows a most remark- able tenderness. His brotherly feel- ings control all his alienation and passion. He makes the fondest ad- vances. It is a scene like that of the prodigal son meeting his father. What a picture;, of love instead of hate — fraternity for enmity ! Who can so change the heart of man but God alone ? The lion is turned to be the lamb. God is better to Jacob than his fears, better than his deserts. " When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." 5. Who. Ueh.— Who these to thee — pertaining to thee — along with thee? The majority were the chil- dren whom God hath graciously granted to thy servant. Jacob thus faithfully acknowledges God's hand in his affairs. He is his Covenant God. 6-9. The groups passed along "with profound obeisance before Esau, in their order. ^ What. Heb. — What to thee is all this train ? The 12* carsiiyan or camp he had already met he cannot understand. What rela- tion do they sustain to Jacob, or what is his object in such an array ? He states the object. It is to Jind grace in the eyes of my lord. They were to conciliate Esau's favor. Esau declines the gift, on the ground that he has enough already and is in no need of such an addition to his possessions. ^ Keep. Heb. — Be that to thee which is to thee (thine.) This was natural to a high-minded man ; though it was Oriental to profess in- difference where the gift was really craved, or, at least, welcome enough. 10. Jacob urges the acceptance. To decline a gift is a token of enmity among the Orientals. ^ For. Heb. — Therefore 1 have seen thy face like seeing the face of God, and thou uast pleaded with me, (didst receive me fa- vorably.) " God Himself had ap- peared to Jacob as his combatant mstead of Esau. Therefore Jacob sees in Esau the appearance of God again. And in this case, as in that, the face, angry at first, changes into kindness to the believing man." — 138 GENESIS. [B. C. 1836. grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand : for there* fore I ^^ have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, ' my blessing that is brought to thee ; because God had dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough : ^ and he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journej^, and let us go, and I will go before thee. 13 And he said unto him. My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me, and if men should over-drive them one day, all the flock will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his seiTant : and I will lead on softl}^, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the childi^en be able to endure ; until I come unto my lord ' unto Seir. 15 And Esau said. Let me now leave with thee some of the h ch. 43 : 3 ; 2 Sam. 3 : 13, and 14 : 24, 28, 32 ; Matt. 18 : 10. i Judg. 1 : 15 ; 1 Sam. 25 : 27, and 80 : 26 ; 2 Kings 5 : 15. k 2 Kings 5 : 23. 1 ch. 32 : 3. Baumgarten. Already he had met Esau in the conflict with God, and had received encouragement of success in this meeting ; and now he recognizes the significance of that wrestHng which ends in blessing. Seeing Esau now is like his seeing the face of God, and that which was ah-eady signified to him by the angel must not fail. Here again Jacob displays his tri- umphant faith. Others understand it, " In thy countenance I have been met with Divine (heavenly) friend- liness. He must have discerned the work of God in the unexpected change in his brother's disposition towards him, and in his brother's friendliness a reflection of the Di- vine."— Keil and Delitzsch. 11. My blessing. That is, my gra- tuity. So a gift is called a blessing in 1 Sam. 25 : 27 ; 30 ; 26 ; 2 Kings 5: 15. It is the present which ex- presses his blessing. % I have enough. Heb. — " / have all, as heir of the promises." " All are yours." Esau may not have fully understood Ja- cob's larger meaning. Esau had said, literally, / have much. Jacob says, "/ have all." The worldling may indeed have much ; but he lacks one thing which is the vital thing — which is everything — as the soul to the body, as the eye to the needle, as the blade to the knife. The Christian has all things, the world, fife, death, things present, things to come ! Up- on this urgency of Jacob, Esau yield- ed and took the gift. 12-15. Esau now proposes to es- cort Jacob through the country with his armed band. Jacob declines for reasons which are plain. But such an alliance might have given occa- sion for the old animosity to break out. Close associations of Christian men with the world and worldlings are commonly full of mischief ^ The jlocJcs and herds that are milking are upon me (as a chai'ge and a care) and if one should over-drive them a single day all the jlock would die. The caravan could not attempt to keep up with Esau's horsemen, with- out greatest peril of life. ^ Pass over before. Jacob proposes that ! Esau go on in advance. Heb. — 1 IV ill lead on at my slow gait, at the B. C. 1836.] CHAPTER XXXIII. 139 folk that are with me: And he said, What needethit? "^Let me find grace in the sight of my lord. 16 U So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacolo journej^ed to "^ Succoth, and huilt him an house, and made booths for his cattle : therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 18 IT And he came to '^ Shalem, a city of ^ Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram ; and pitched his tent before the city. 19 And ^ he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. 20 And he erected there an altar, and ^ called it El-Elohe-Israel. m ch. 34 : 11, and 47 : 25 ; Ruth 2 : 13. n J osh. 13 : 27. o John 3 : 23. p Josh. 24 : 1 ; Judg. :1. q Josh. 24: 32; John 4: 5. rch.35:7. pace of the possessions (cattle) and at the j^ttce of the children" at such gait as they could comfortably travel. ^ Until. He proposes to come up to him at length at Mt. Seir, where Esau was at that time encamped and sojourning. This meeting was to be in the future. His direct course was to Canaan and Hebron, the home of Isaac his father. But he would pay an early visit to Esati. We suppose he did, but we have no account of their meeting afterwards, until at their Other's funeral. (Ch. 35 : 29.) 15. Esau further proposes to leave some of his men for an escort and aid. But Jacob declines this favor also, trusting most in the guardian power and grace of God. Kalisch reads, " Wherefore do I thus find grace in the sight of ray lord ? " But the accents are against this render- ing. ^ il/// lord. This is the lan- guage of Oriental courtesy, but im- plies no relinquishment of his birth- right claim. JVIore than any favor Esau could show him would be his brotherly conciliation. \Q, 17. Here the brothers sepa- rated,— the one taking the way to Seir, the other the way to Succoth. ^ Built him an house. This inti- joates a plan for sojourn. Succoth, Booths — so called from the hooths erected by Jacob there. '' These hooths for the flocks were probably not huts of branches and shrubs, but hurdles or folds made of t^vigs woven together." — Keil and Delitzsch. This place lay east of the Jordan and south of the Jabbok. Jacob may have remained here some years. He could visit his father from this point as well as from Shechem, and he will not be expected to subordinate him- self to Isaac's household alter having now attained a position of patriarchal independence. The break in the text here indicates a pause in the history, and some time, six or eight years, must have elapsed, before the painful transaction recorded in the next chapter, as Dinah was noAV only about six years of age. Ob- serve.— In Ps. 60 : 6, reference is had to this formal settlement of Ja- cob on both sides of the Jordan, as a pledge of the occupancy of the whole land. 18-20. Jacob at length took up his march again and crossed the Jor- dan, at one of the fords and came to \ Shalem. This is more properly ren- I dered, came in safity to a city of Si- I che7n alluding to ch. 28 : 21. What i Jacob besought in his vow at Bethel, .40 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825. A CHAPTER XXXIV. ND ^ Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, ^ went out to see the daughters of the land. a ch. 30 : 21. b Tit. 2 : 5. he now received, a safe return " in ■peace " to his own land. He bought the land — " a parcel of the field" on which his encampment had been lo- cated— for a hundred pieces of money. This coin, called Kesitah, (lamb,) Avas perhaps of the value of a lamb, as Gesenius suggests. Ancient coins were often stamped with the figure of an animal, perhaps originally with this reference to its value. This JShechem, Sychem, Sychar, is now called Nahlous, and is the central point of the Holy Land, where Abra- ham first encamped when coming in from Mesopotamia, and builded first an altar. (Ch. 12:6.) " A parcel of a field wliich Jacob gave to his son Joseph " is mentioned John 4 : 6, vvhcre was Jacob's well, — this very ,)ot. Jacob was the first patriarch A^ho became a purchaser of a home in Canaan. " This purchase showed hat Jacob, in reliance upon the ^iromise of God, regarded Canaan as his own home and the home of his seed." — Keil and Delitzsch. We were pointed to a Mahometan wely, called the sepulchre of Joseph, in the val- ley, *' on the border of his inheritance Avhicli was Mt. Ephraim." (Josh. 2 1 : 32.) It was at the south-eastern opening of the valley of Shechem, not far from the town, and at the foot of the ridge of Gerizim, just north of the well of Jacob. The people proposed to show us the tomb, out were so exacting in their de- ,iiands and suspicious in their con- duct that we declined. 20. An altar. Following the ex- ample of Abraham, (ch. 12 : 7.) Called it El-Elohe Israel. He here uses his new name, " Israel^'' in close association with the name of God, and calls God., (the mighty,) the God of Israel — his Covenant God. He would thus honor Him by a memorial altar and would worship Him as such. This is in keeping with his vow, (ch. 28 ; 21.) God had proved Himself the Mighty One and his God, in giving him safe escort, and almighty protection and deliverance, so that he returned to his father's house in peace. Accordingly as he vowed, so, in fulfilment of his vow, he takes the I^ord to be his God., and devotes a tenth of his goods to His worship. (See ch. 28 : 20-22.) CHAPTER XXXIV. §57. Jacob and Hamor the Hi- VI TE. Jacob suffers now one of the most dreadful calamities that can befal a household — the disgrace and ruin of his daughter. As he had begun his career in a course of deceit and de- pendence on carnal expedients to accomplish even the best ends, he was met by deceit in others and punished in the same kind. He was then brought to a consciousness of guilt, and humbled before God, as his Covenant God, protecting and delivering him from his enemy, whom he had wrongly treated. And now he is exhibited as further suffering shame in his family. " As a son, a servant, a husband, a father, in youth, manhood, and old age, Jacob is a sufferer." — Bush. 1-5. Dinah. This daugbter of B. C. 1825.] CHAPTER XXXIV. 141 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, ''saw her, he "* took her, and lay with her, and de- filed he -. 3 Anl his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacoh, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem ^ spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter : now his sons were with his cattle in the field : and Jacob ^held his peace until they were come. 6 If And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard cch. 6:2; Judg. 14:1. dch.20:2. eJudg. 14:2. f 1 Sam. 10 : 27 ; 2 Sam. 13 : 22. liCah was about six years old when they left Padan-aram, and was now probably thirteen, or It may be even sixteen, which accounts for the time passed at Suceoth and Shechem. At this age womanhood is attained amonff the Orientals. The Jewish Rabbis of a later time fix the mar- riageable age of a female at twelve years and a day. " If we suppose Dinah to have been born in the same year with Joseph, avIio was in his seventeenth year at the time of his be- ing sold as a bond-slave, (ch. 37: 2,) the events of this chapter must have occurred between her twelfth and sixteenth year." — Murphj. ^ Went out to see. Gr. — To knoic — make acquaintance of • Heb. — To look at ; but out of a vain curiosity and care- less intimacy ; not regarding the duty of separation from idolatrous people and their manners and habits. It is not implied that this was the only in- stance of her going out, or that it was the first instance. She had probably become accustomed so to do, until she had contracted evil associations and tastes. Josephus has it that " she went to see the finery of the women of the country on occasion of a feast." " Evil communications corrupt good mar.jiers." ^ Shechem. This was a family name. This man was prince of the country, and had great power and great facility in enticing one so inexperienced ; and in his pride he hesitated not at this awful sin against God and man. ^ Heb. — He loved the girl and spake to her heart — spake comfortingly to her, promising fidel- ity and marriage ; which neverthe- less could not atone for the sin and shame. It is more common to find men bating those whom they have grievously wronged and ruined. It was customary for parents to nego- tiate marriages for their children, and if a son had a preference, he would appeal to his father to procure for him the object of his choice. ^ Ja- cob heard. The painful news came to the father, and he was over- whelmed, doubtless, with grief, and held his peace — stunned by the blow to his family — until his sons should return ti-om tending the cattle in the field. (See Exod. 14: 14; 2 Sam. 19: 11.) 6-7. The father of the seducer complies with his son's request and goes out to negotiate with Jacob for the daughter in marriage. This was according to the Oriental custom, that the fathers should arrange for marrying their children. But the 142 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825 it : and the men were grieved, and tliej^ ^ were very wroth, because he ^' had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter ; ^ which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter : I pray you give her him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall dwell with us : and ^ the land shall be before you ; dwell and ^ trade ye therein, and '" get you possessions tlierein. 11 And Shechem said unto her father, and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me, I will give. 12 Ask me never so much ^ dowry and gift, and I will give ac- cording as ye shall say unto me : but give me the damsel to wife. poll .49 : 7 2 Sam. 13: 21 h Josh. 7 15 Judg 20: 6. i Deut. 23: 17 2 Sam 13 12. k ell. 13: 9, and 20 15 1 ch. 42: 34. m ch.47 27. n Exod. 22 : Ifi 17 Deut. 19r. 29; 1 Sam 18 25 sons, if they were their own brotliers, had also a voice in regard to the marrying of their sisters. The brotli- ers loere grieved — 'Vexed- (enraged) when they heard the news, and they left the field. Heb. — And it urns kin- dled to them exceeding!?/ — they were exceedingly inflamed. ^ Wrought follii — ivrought iniquity. This was a standhig phrase from this time forth for crimes against the honor and vo- cation of Israel as the covenant peo- ple— especially for gross sins of the flesh. (Deut. 2-2 : 21 ; Judrr. 20 : 10 ; 2 Sam 13:2.) " Fool " and " folly " are terms used of impiety and iniq- uity. (See Proverbs.) % Israel, The term is here first used to designate the covenant people as the descend- ants of Jacob. His seed were the chosen of God, and therefore the crime was more shocking as com- mitted against the church. ^ Ought not. Heb. — And so it shall not he done. The sons of Jacob now first appear as a religious class, conscious of the contrast between themselves and Canaan, and drawing the line between their conduct and that of Ishmael and Esau, in regard to alli- ances with strangers. 8-10. Hamor now opened his busi- ness to the brothers, as having a voice in the matter of their sister's marriage to his son. (Ch. 24 : 50.) The most attractive offers are made for an alliance of their tribes on condition of this marriage — inter- marriage, the freedom of the soil, for dwelling and trading and settling among them, holding property. ^ Get you possessions in it — settle down securely. 11, 12. The offending Shechem adds also an inducement — that he will give whatever they shall say as a dowry and gift; that is, as a bridal present — dowry to her, and to her family gifts ^ (ch. 24 : 53,) not as a price for the bride. Thus it is plain that the father and son are both anxious to give the injured daughter the most honorable position, and to make all amends possible for tlie injury and shame brought upon the family. B C. 1825.] CHAPTER XXXIV. 143 13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father ° deceitfully, and said, Because he had defiled Dinah their sister : 14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised : for ^ that ivere a reproach unto us : 15 But in this will we consent unto you : If ye will he as we he, that ever}^ male of you he circumcised ; 16 Then will we give our daughters unto j^ou, and we will taka your daughters to us, and we will dwell witli you, and we will be- come one people. 17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. 18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamors son. 19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter :.and he was ^ more honorable than all the house of his father. 20 IF And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, o 2 Sam, 13 : 24, etc. p Josh. 5:9. q 1 Chron. 4 : 9. 13-17. The sons, etc. In Oriental countries it is held that the brothers are more deeply disgraced by the seduction of their sister than the hus- Daud is by the fall of his wife ; for the wife can be divorced, but not the sister. (2 Sam. 13 : 28.) ^ An- sivered deceitfully. They had re- course to a shameful stratagem, and under the pretence of sealing a compact with them by the sacred or- dinance of circumcision, they pro- fanely abused the sacrament to execute their revenge. ^ Because. They justified themselves in this by the gross outrage of Shechem. It was right enough that they should decline the proposals of intermarriage with heathi^n. Their demand is fair, that the tribe shall first associate themselves religiously with the cove- nant ~ people by the sacrament of circumcision. On this sole condition they will give their consent to the marriage. 18, 19. The proposal was satisfac- tory to Hamor and Shechem. Heb. — Their words icere r/ood in the eyes of, etc. And the latter did not hesi- tate nor delay to submit to the ordi- nance, because of his love for Dinah. ^ And he icas honored before all his father's house. This high character is given to him, perhaps referring only to his social standing. But he was a heathen, and the covenant family of Jacob must have known that no mere outward ceremonial act could incorporate them with the chosen family so as to make them sharers in the future glory of Israel. Nor could the sacrament itself make this wrong-doer a true Israelite. He took a mere woi'ldly view of the matter, and was willing to take the sacrament for gain. 20-23. The father and son now siibmit the proposal to the people of their tribe — the Hivites— at the gate of the city, where the people assem- bled commonly for public business. These two, who had now an interest 144 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825 21 These men are peaceable with us, therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein : for the land, behold, it is large enough for them : let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Shall not their cattle, and their substance, and every beast of theirs be ours ? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. 24 And unto Hamor, and unto Shechem his son, hearkened all that ^ went out of the gate of his city : and every male was circum- cised, all that went out of the gate of his city. 25 H And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, ^ Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city; because they had defiled their sister. r ch. 23 : 10. s ch. 49 : 5, 6, in the question, plead for an accept- ance of the proposal. They plead, (1.) The peaeeableness of the family of Jacob. (2.) The ample room for their settlement and the expediency of an alliance with them. They then state the sole condition upon which this object can be gained ; and they urge their plea by an artful reference to the great advantage in increasing the common wealth of the tribe by the annexation of this people. ^ Be ours. It would be so much increase to the stock and wealth of the tribe to take in this powerful and rich family. 24. The agreement was executed, and Dinah was taken home to She- chem's house, (vs. 26.) The consent of the people could scarcely have been had on the sole ground of the secular advantage. But they doubt- less knew that this sacred rite was customary among other nations, Egyptians and Colchians, as an act of religious or priestly consecration. This rite passed from nation to na- tion in various ways. 25. The plot was deeply laid. When the Shechemites were suffer- ing most from the wound, the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, (with their tribe, of course,) leading their dependents, attacked the city and slew all the males, including the father and his wicked son, and they took their sister from his house. Simeon and Levi were sons of Leah and therefore were own brothers of Dinah, and held themselves charged to avenge her disgrace and ruin. They would be six and seven years older than she was ; that is, in their twenty-second and third years, sup- posing her to have been sixteen. 27-29. All the sons of Jacob seecJ B. C. 1825.] CHA1?TER XXXIV. 145 28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which ivas in the city, and that which was in the field. 29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that luas in the house. 30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, * Ye have "^ troubled me, ^ to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites : ^ and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31 And they said. Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot ? t ch. 49: 6. u Josh. 7: 25. x Exod. 5: 21; 1 Sam. 13: 4. y Deut. 4: 27; Ps. 105: 12. to have joined in this revengeful proceeding, despoiUng the city, seiz- ing the cattle and goods, taking the children and wives captives, after destroying the males. This was a piece of shocking cruelty and treach- ery. 30. Jacob was overwhelmed now with a new trouble. It was shocking that his family had been disgraced by the sin and shame of his daughter. Now the sin and cruelty of his sons is a new source of grief. But he does not now make mention of their crime against God, but only of the inmiediate consequences to him and his house from the wrath of the neighboring tribes. This atrocious and bloody deed had made him odious and infamous in the eyes of these Canaanites, (ch. 13 : 7,) and this peril he mentions to arouse the compunction of his sons. They might care for this common danger, if not for their sin. As he and his house were few in number as com- pared with these surrounding tribes, they might all of them expect to be swept away in retaliation, as most offensive to them. Heb. — /, men of 13 number — easily numbered, he and his. 31. The sons make no defence at this reproof of their father, except to set forth how infamous was the deed of Shechem in dealing with their sis- ter as with a harlot ! It was a viola- tion of the sacred laws of hospitality, and it was a burning disgrace to Is- rael, the covenant people. This is the language of passion, gloating it- self in revenge and taking no blame, but justifying outrage by outrage. Should the law be taken thus into their own hands ? Should the inno- cent be made to suffer for the guilty in such an indiscriminate slaughter ? Should the sacred rite of circumcision — a sacramental seal of God's cove- nant— be abused and profaned to serve the ends of treachery ? Jacob on his death-bed pronounces severe sentence upon this bloody deed and upon Simeon and Levi as leaders in it — excluding them from the rights of primogeniture, (ch. 49 : 5-7.) The evil consequences of their con- duct are noticed here to show how, by God's good providence, the chosen family are protected. (Ch. 35 : 5.) 146 GENESIS. FB. C. 1815. CHAPTER XXXV. AISTD God said unto ^ Jacob, Arise, go up to Betli-el, and dwell there : and make there an altar unto God, ^ that appeared unto thee '^ when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his ^ household, and to all that tvere with him, Put away ^ the strange gods that are among you, and be ^ clean and change your garments : 3 And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el ; and I will make there an altar unto God ^ who answered me in the day of my distress, ^ and was with me in the way which I went. a ch. 28:19. bch. 28:13. c ch. 27 : 43. d ch. 18 : 19: Josh. 24: 15. e ch. 31 : 19, 34 , Josh. 24 : 2, 23. f Exod. 19 : 10. g ch. 32 : 7, 24 ; Ps. 107 : 6. h ch. 28 : 20, and 31 : 3, 42. CHAPTER XXXV. § 58. Covenant Pkomise re- newed TO Jacoij at Bethel. Jacob at Mamre. Isaac's Death. Jacob journe}'S from Shechem to Bethel, where he has a vision and erects a pillar, and thence he trav- els to Hebron, to visit his father Isaac, whose death is here recorded at the age of one hundred and eighty years. 1. Jacob was now about a hundred and six years old, and it was about ten years since he left Padan-aram. Six or eight years he had tarried at Shechem — and yet he had not per- formed the vow which he made at Bethel, when fleeing from Esau. (Ch. 28 : 20, etc.) f To God. The name here is El, referring to Beth- EL It was plain that he could not stay longer at Shechem in safety. God, at tins juncture, appears to him and directs him to go to Bethel, and to dwell there long enough to accom- plish there what he had vowed some thirty years before. God reminds him of the circumstances of that appear- ing to him as a wrestler, and of the promise made to him, which had been so faithfully fulfilled, and now He would have him faithful in return. Men are apt to forget promises made to God in their day of trouble. 2. Jacob feels the solemnity of this duty, and the necessity of putting away from his house cvcrytliing in- consistent with the sincere and hearty worship of God. ^ The strange gods. These were such as the teraphhn that Rachel had hidden, (ch. 31: 19,) and possibly other images of idolatry, perhaps from the Shechemites, which had been improperly tolerated and which may have induced the neglect, on Jacob's part, to perform his vow. This was regarded in the light of a religious covenant, and it was accom- panied by rites of purification and change of garments, which though not commanded here, were never- theless grounded on the first princi- ples of religious service, such as are expressed in baptism. (Exod. 1 9 : 15 ; Josh. 24 : 23 ; Isa. 52 : 11.) God will not let His people go unadmou- ished of their duty. 3. Jacob summons his household to respond to God's call ; and he rec- ognizes the Divine claim and his re- ligious obligation. He had becoznc so comfortably settled as to be care- less about this \'0W, until charged with it solemnly by God Himself! B. C. 1815.] CHAPTER XXXV. 147 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their ^ ear-rings which were in their ears ; and Jacob hid them under ^ the oak which urns by Shechem. 5 And they journeyed : and ^ the terror of God was upon the cities that icere round about them^ and the}'- did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 ^ So Jacob came to "^ Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (that is Beth-el), he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he "" built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el ; because ° there God appeared unto him, when he lied from the face of his brother. 8 But ^' Deborah, Eebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried i Hos. 2 : 13. k Josh. 24 : 26 ; Judg. 9:6. 1 Exod. 15 : 16, and 23 : 27, and 34 : 2-i ; Deut. 11 : 25 ; Josh. 2 : 9. and 5 : 1 ; 1 Sam. 14 : 15 ; 2 Chron. 14 : 14. m ch. 28 : 19, 22. n Eccles. 5:4. o ch. 28 : 13. p ch. 24 : 50. *' Woe to them that are at ease in Zi- on." True reformation as an evi- dence of repentance is a preparatory to public consecration. 4. The household promptly con- sented to part with their idols and ornaments of idolatry. The ear-rings were probably worn as amulets and charms, and may have been taken from the idols. He hid them — buried them under the terebinth or oak at Shechem. (See Josh. 24 : 26.) The ear-rings were connected then, as they are now, with incantations and enchantments, and were idolatrous in their use. (Hos. 2: 13.) This oak was probably that under which Abra- ham pitched his tent, (ch. 12 : 6,) and was regarded as a sacred place in Joshua's time when he brought the people there to a renewal of their covenant, with probable reference to this event. (See, also, Deut. 7 : 25.) This decided act of consecration now performed by Jacob and his house, was attended with the Divine bless- ing for their protection. Kalisch thinks that this property here given up was his promised tithe. 5. The terror of God. When they left Shechem the people of the sur- rounding cities were struck with a supernatural terror, and were thus kept from pursuing them as they would naturally have done, to avenge their slaughter of the Shechemites. He seems to have retained his property there, (ch. 37 : 12 ; 48 : 22,) and Ja- cob's well is still to be seen there. ^ Luz. Though Jacob had called the spot of his vision and vow by the name of Bethel, yet the town was known as " Zms," and it was only gradually that the name " Bethel " came into use. ^ In the land of Canaan. This is added to remind us of his being in the land of prom- ise. (Ch. 33": 18.) ''Luz" means " almond tree." 7. El-beth-el. The Sept., Syr., Vulg. and Arab, omit " El." God of Bethel, or God of the house of God. It was called " Bethel" before, and commonly after this. But Jacob adds to it here the name of God, re- peated as indicating a repeated man- ifestation. (Ch. 32 : 30.) Jacob thus begins to fulfil the vow he had made to erect a house of God here, and pay a tenth of his receipts. (Ch. 28 : 20-22). 8. But Dehor ah. This nurse of Rebekah had accompanied her from Mesopotamia to Canaan. (Ch. 24 : 59.) How Deborah came from the family of Isaac does not appear, but possibly on Jacob's leturn from Laban. A connection was doubt 148 GENESIS. [B. C. 1815. beneath Beth-el, under an oak : and the name of it was called Al- lon-bachuth. 9 And ^ God appeared unto Jacob again when he came out of Padan-aram ; and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob : ^ thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, ' but Israel shall be thy name ; and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, * I am God Almighty : be fruitful and multiply : " a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. 12 And the land ""' which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee T will give it, and to thj'- seed after thee will I give the land. ^,1 u ch. 17 : 5, 6, 16, and 28 : 3, and 48 : 4. v ch. 12 : 7, and 13 : 15, and 26 : 3, 4, and 28 : 13. less kept up between Isaac and Ja- cob during the long separation. Af- ter Rebekah's death she had proba- bly joined the family of the favorite son. She was now about a hundred and eighty years old. And such an old nurse in the household was held in highest veneration. She was bur- ied with every mark of respect, and the oak under which she was laid was called " the oak of weeping" and thus her memory was preserved to after generations. (See Judg. 2:1; 4: 5; 1 Sam. 10: 3.) This was a tender link, connecting the wander- ing son with the beloved and doting mother who had now departed, and whom he would not see again on earth. 9-4 2. Appeared again. Now, after Jacob's return from Padan-aram God appeared to him as He had done on his journey thither, and He renewed to him the covenant blessing, and repeated to him his covenant name, Israel. Bethel and Israel have thus an appropriate and important con- nection. " Jacob there solemnly ac- knowledged God as the God of Beth- el, and to this the solemn appoint- ment of Jacob as Israel correspond- ed."— Heng. The name had first been announced, (ch. 32 : 28,) and it had been recognized meanwhile, (ch. 33 : 20 : ch. 34 : 7.) 11, 12. God now announces Him- self as God Almighty, as in ch. 17 : 1, and on the basis of his omnipotence to perform His word. He bids Ja- cob to be fruitful, etc., and thus pro- nounces on him the covenant bless- ing of Abraham. He not only re- peated the material promises made to himself and to his ancestors but He confirmed chiefly the spiritual dominion which his seed should exer- cise. A numerous and powerful pos- terity, and the land of prom'se should be the heritage of his family (See Josh. 5 : 9.) " Abraham and Isaac had each only one son of promise. Now the time of in(;rease is come." He had already eleven sons and one daughter, and the number of sons was to be increased to twelve ; and from this time the increase is rapid. Twenty-six years after this he goes down to Egypt with seventy souls besides the wives of his married de- scendants, and two hundred and fif- teen years after that he leaves Egypt with one million and eight hundred thousand, which was a nation and a congregation of nations, while " kitigs " were to come afterwards. B. C. 1815.] CHAPTER XXXV. U9 13 And God ^ went up from him, in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob ^ set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone : and he poured a drink-offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, "^ Beth-el. 16 IT And they journeyed from Beth-el ; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath : and Eachel travailed, and she had hard labor. ^ 17 And it came to pass when she was in hard labor that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; • thou shalt have this son also. xch. 17:22. ych. 28:18. zch. 28:19. a ch. 30 :24; 1 Sam. 4: 20. 13. God went up — as from Abra- ham, (ch. 17:22.) He had appeared visibly before. now, and not in a dream as ., (ch. 28.) Jacob alludes to this second appearing towards the close of his Hfe, (ch. 48 : 3, 4,) and Hosea represents it as the result of his wrestling with God. (Hos, 12: 4.) This is quite different from the former manifestation, and is confirm- atory of that 14. Jacob erects a pillar of memo- rial, and here for the first time we read of a libation, or drink-offering, besides the anointing with oil, as be- fore, (ch. 28 : 18.) This was in further fulfilment of the vow then made to make the spot God's house. He calls the place Bethel^ keeping in view for his posterity this leading idea of God's worship, as their Cove- nant God. 1 6-1 9. As they came near to Eph- rath OT Bethlehem, (the latter being the town, and the former — meaning fruitful — the district or suburb as ' some suppose,) Rachel died. ^ A little way. Heb. — A space of ground. How suddenly is Jacob's adversity \ come upon him ! (See ch. 48 : 7, * notes.) ^ Fear not ; for this also is a : son to thee. (See ch. 30: 24, — when ' she expressed this idea at Joseph's birth.) ^ When her soul wasdepart- l ing. A phrase which implies that 13* the soul only changes place at death, and is not annihilated — and this is the clear teaching of all the Scrip- ture. ^ Benoni, son of my pain, was the name which the dying mother gave to the boy. Benjamin was the name the father gave him, meaning son of right hand, or son of happiness^ expressing his comfort and consola- tion at the birth of the son, though the mother of his love must die. The right hand is the place of honor and power, and this was Benjamin's place as the favorite, whose birth made up the number of the covenant sons to twelve, the number of completion. ^ The pillar, monument of Rachel's grave, was standing at the day when this history was penned by Moses. It was well known in Samuel's time, (1 Sam. 10 : 2.) And the white dome (Mohammedan Wely) which we visited, and which ancient tradi- tion has marked as the spot, almost without dispute, stands on a gentle knoll, about a mile north from Beth- lehem, on the right of the road as you go towards Hebron. 1 Unto this day. This phrase occurs often in Genesis, but not elsewhere in the Pentateuch, excepting once in Deu- teronomy. It is used of relative du- ration, and quite as we should ex- pect, on the supposition of the Mo- saic authorship, (see Heng.} The 150 GENESIS. [B.C. 1815 18 And it came to pass as her soul was in departing, (for she died,) that she called his name Ben-oni : but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And ^ Rachel died, and was buried in the way to "^ Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave : that is the pillar of Rachel's grave '^ unto this day. 21 ^ And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond ^ the tower of Edar. 22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in jthat land, that Reuben went and ^ lay with Bilhah his father's concubine : and Is- rael heard it IsTow the sons of Jacob were twelve : 23 The sons of Leah ; ^ Reuben, Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun : 24 The sons of Rachel ; Joseph, and Benjamin : 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali : 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid ; Gad, and Asher. Tliese are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan- aram. 27 IT And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto ^ Mamre, unto the ' city of Arba (which is Hebron) where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And tlie days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost and died, and ^ was gathered unto his people, bei7ig old and fuU of days : and ^ his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. b ch. 48 : 7. c Ruth 1 : 2, and 4 : 11 ; Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:6. d 1 Sam. 10 : 2 ; 2 Sam . 18 ; 18. e Mic. 4:8. f eh. 49 : 4 ; 1 Chron. 5:1:2 Sam. 16 : 22, and 20 : 3 ; 1 Cor. 5:1. g ch. 46 : 8 ; Exod. 1:2. h ch. 13 : 18 ; 23 : 2, 19. i Josh. 14 : 15 ; 15 : 13. k ch. 15 : 15 ; 25 : 8. 1 ch. 25:9:49:31. phrase does not necessarily point to a post-Mosaic period. 21. Toiver of Edar. Ueh.—Mig- dol Eder — a watch-tower for the flocks, about a mile south, (as Jerome has it, where a place is pointed out as " Jacob's tower,") or more proba- bly further towards Hebron. 22. The criminal deed of Reuben is here mentioned, ^s it is also referred to in chap. 49 : 4. 23-26. Jacob's twelve sons are now enumerated ; all born in Padan- aram, — excepting only, of course, this last- born, Benjamin^ — and they are the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. 27-29. Mamre, Kirjath-Arha. Here Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and now Jacob comes to dwell here in this covenant homestead, in the hill-country of Judea. Isaac was now in his hundred and sixty-third year, and lived after Jacob's arrival some seventeen years. Joseph was now about" thirteen years of age, and Isaac lived about thirteen years after Joseph was sold. ^ Was gathered unto his people — implying that he joined them on the other side the B. C. 1894.] CHAPTER XXXYI. 151 CHAPTER XXXVI. tlie generations of Esau, * who is Edom. VIOW these an Jjl 2 ^ Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan ; Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and *^ Ahohbamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite ; a ch. 25 : 30. b ch. 26 : 34. c ver. 25. grave In a reunion. ^ Esau and Ja- cob are here together at the patri- arch's grave, perlbrming their last fil- ial duties to their father, and showing a brotherly feeling since their meeting at the brook Jabbok. They were one hundred and twenty years old at their father's death. The record of Isaac's death here is by anticipation, and would have its place in the midst of the history of Joseph, if the order of events were strictly followed. It took place ten years before Jacob and his sons went into Egypt. " Esau and Jacob, having shaken hands once more over the corpse of their father, their paths diverge hence to meet no more." — Deliizsch. CHAPTER XXXYI. § 59. The Generations of Esau. The Edomites. The genealogy of Esau's line is now given, but only to show briefly how the promise to liim was fulfilled, (ch. 25 : 23 ; 27 :- 39,) and then to give place to the history of the chosen covenant line. ADAH. J Eliphaz. AHOLIBAMAH. Jeush, Jaalam, Korah. Keuel. Teman, Omar, Zepho, ) Gatam, Kenaz, Amelek. J Lotaa, Schobal, Zibeon, .J 1^_ Hori, Hemam I Ajah, Anah. SeIR, THE HORITE. Anah, Dishon, I Dishon, Aholibamah. ( Nahath, Zerah, \ Shammah, Mizzah Ezer. Dishan, Timna. I Uz.'Aran. Bilhan, Zaaran, Akan. Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, Cheran. Alran, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, Onam. 1. The surname " Edom" here added to his birth-name Esau, is the national designation of his descend- ants. 2. Took Ms loives. The names of his three wives, as here given, are not the same as given elsewhere, (ch. 26 : 34,) and the father's name, in one case, is difierent also. (Ch. 28 : 9.) The two wives mentioned in this verse were of the daughters of Canaan. The one named in vs. 3, was a daughter of Ishmael. On comparing the account of his wives whom he .married at forty with the present, the first named, Judith, does not appear. (Ch. 26 : 34.) We infer that, in the interval, (forty-seven years,) she died without male issue. The daughter of Elon the Hittite now appears in the first place ; and she is called Adah, {the ornament,^ and in ch. 26 : 34 she is called Bashe-- math, (the fragrant.) ^ Aholibamah. 152 GENESIS. [B. C. 1894. 3 And ^ Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth. 4 And ®Adali bare to Esau, Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Keuel ; 5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah ; these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan. 6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance which he had got in the land of Canaan ; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 7 ^ For their riches were more than that they might dwell to- gether : and ^ the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them, because of their cattle. 8 Thus dwelt Esau in ^ mount Seir ; ^ Esau is Edom. 9 IF And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites, in mount Seir : dch.28:9. e 1 Chron. 1 : 35. fch.l3:6,ll. g ch. 17: 8; 28: 4. h ch. 32 : 3 ; Deut. 2:5; Josh. 24 : 4. i ver. 1. Some suppose this is another name for Judith, (celebrated,^ (ch. 26 : 34,) and means tent-height. Others sup- pose that it is the name of a fourth wife of Esau in the order of time, though here she is classed with the daughter of Elon, because she was of the daughters of Canaan. Else we must suppose that the father's name is here called Anah, while in ch. 26 : 34 it is Beeri the Hittite, which is not easily explained. Heng- stenberg thinks '•'■Beeri " — the man of the well — is a name given to him as a discoverer of the warm springs of Callichoe. (Vs. 24.) This Anah is called a Hivite, (vs. 2,) a Hittite, (ch. 26 : 34,) and a Horite, (vs. 20,) which is explained by the last referring to his abode, the middle to his tribe, and the first to his nation. So the third wife, here named Bashemath, is called Mahalath in ch. 28 : 9. This differ- ence of names is common in the East, where they are significant of qualities or events, and are taken in new circumstances, as, on occasion of marriage, a new name is taken by the woman. It must be remem- bered, also, that Moses copied from the genealogical tables, without al- teration. 6. The narrative is here taken up from vs. 2. This remove was prior to Jacob's arrival, and in anticipation of Jacob's possessing the promised land, while Esau, also, was drawn towards Mt. Seir by his matrimonial alliance with Ishmael's tribe. ^ From before. Heb. — From the face of Thus Esau's increase is made the providential means of leading him out from the promised land, and of va- cating it for the birthright claimant. 7. The reason is here formally stated, as in case of Abraham and Lot. 9. The phrase here repeated as a heading shows a further step in the genealogy after leaving Canaan. Esau became the father of the Edom- ites— the founder of their tribe and nation. ^ Mount Seir is the moun- tainous range between the Dead Sea and the Elanitic Gulf. (See Josh. 24 : 4; Deut. 2 : 5.) Five sons were born to Esau in Canaan. These increased in the mountain land of Seir to thirteen families. " It is much to be deplored that our firag- B. C. 1894.] CHAPTER XXXVI. 153 10 These are the names of Esau's sons ; ^ Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau ; E-euel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of EHphaz were, Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son ; and she bare to Eliphaz, ' Amalek : these were the sons of Adair, Esau's wife. 13 And these are the sons of Keuel ; Nahath, and Zerah, Shani- mah, and IVIizzah : these were the sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife. 14 ^ And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife : and she bare to Esau, Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. 15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau : the sons of Eliphaz, the first-born son of Esau ; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz. 16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek : these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz, in the land of Edom : these were the sons of Adah. . 17 TT And these are the sons of Keuel, Esau's son ; duke Na- hath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah : these are the dukes that came of Beuel, in the land of Edom: these are the sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife. 18 If And these are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife ; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah : these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. 19 These are the sons of Esau (who is Edom) and these are their dukes. 20 ^ m xhese are the sons of Seir "^ the Horite, who inhabited the land ; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Ajaah, k 1 Chron. 1 : 35. etc. 1 Exod. 17 : 8, U ; Num. 24 : 20 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 2, 3, etc. m 1 Chron. 1 : 38. n ch. 14 : 6 ; Deut. 2 : 12, 22. mentary knowledge of ancient eth- nography does not enable us to iden- tify many of these names." — Kalisch. 11. Teman. Among these we find Eliphaz the Temanite, in the Book of Job, (ch. 2:11.) 15. Dukes. Heb. — Alluphim, or heads, chiefs of the tribes — the tribe- princes. This was the third stage of progress in Esau's house that the families increased into clans or tribes, headed each by a sheikh or chief, who had princely power. 20, etc. Sons of Seir. These were the natives of the land, aboriginal tribes, which afterwards incorporated with the Edomites, and are here in- serted as of importance in the history. % The Horite — the dweller in caves such as abound in the mountains of Edom. They were partly subjugated and partly exterminated by the Edomites. (Deut. 2: 12, 22.) Se\en sons of Seir and one daughter, Timna, who is mentioned as being the mother of the Amalekites, (vs. 22,) and Aho- 154 GENESIS. [B. C. 1894. 21 And Dislion, a,nd Ezer, and Dislian.: these are the dukes of the Plorites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 And tlie children of Lotan were Hori, and Heman : and Lotan's sister was Timna. 23 And the children of Shobal i^'ere these ; Alvan, and Mana- hath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 And these are the children of Zibeon ; both Ajah, and Anah ; this was that Anan that found ° the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 25 And the' children of Anah were these : Dishon, and Aholi- bamah the daughter of Anah. 26 And these are the children of Dishon ; Hemdan, and Eshban^, and Ithran, and Cheran. 27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The children of Dishan are these ; Uz, and Aran. 29 These are the dukes that ca7ne of the Horites ; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, 30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan : these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. 31 IF And P these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. o Lev. 19 : 19. pi Chron. 1 : 43. libamah, (vs. 25,) whose name was also borne by a tribe-prince of the Edomites, (vs. 40, 41.) In a few instances the names in this list differ from the Chronicles ; but these are only variations in form, or have arisen from mistakes in the copying. (See Keil and Delitzsch.) 24. Found the mules. Heb. — Ye- mim. Onk. — Giants. Syr. — Waters. Arab, Vulg. — Warm springs. Sam. Vers. — Emim. Most probably the warm springs of Calirrhoe are meant. These are considered of great value, especially as they are near the Dead Sea. The discovery may have had a connection with his feeding the asses of his father, as their faculty and habit of snuffing the moisture may have led to the discovery. 31-39. The kings in the land of Edom. (See parallel passage, 1 Chron. 1 : 43-50.) This was before the children of Israel had a king. Eight kings are named here. Each came to the throne at the death of his predecessor, yet the descent is not hereditary. The son never suc- ceeds to the father, but one of a different family and place ; and in case of the last, the phrase " he died " is wanting. The crown was evi- dently elective, though afterwards it became hereditary. (1 Kings 11: 14.) The kings and the chiefs or princes were contemporaneous. (Ex. 15:15; Numb. 20 : 14, etc.) ^f Be- fore there reigned^ etc. This does not imply that Israel had a king when this history was written, which is not so, but that there was a promise of kings to come out of the loins of - Israel, (eh. 35:11; comp. ch. 1 7 : 1 G,) and Israel had not yet enjoyed tho kingly rule. " The idea that Israel B. C. 1894.] CHAPTEPx, XXXVI. 155 32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom : and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ♦ 33 And Bela died, and Johah the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead. 35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad (who smote Midian in the field of Moab) reigned in his stead : and the name of his city ivas Avith. 36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. 37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Kehoboth, by the river reigned in his stead. 38 And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. 39 And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and ^ Hadar reigned in his stead : and the name of his city ivas Pau ; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Hatred, the daughter of Mezahab. 40 And these are the names of ^ the dukes tliat came of Esau ac- cording to their families, after their places, b}'- their names ; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, 41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, 42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar. 43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram : these be the dukes of Edom, ac- cording to their habitations, in the land of their possession : he is Esau, the fatlner of the Edomites. • q 1 Chron. 1 : 50, r-l Chron. 1 : 51. ■was destined to grow into a kingdom ■with monarchs of his own family was a hope handed down to -the age of Moses, which the long residence in Egypt was well adapted to foster." — Delitzsch. Besides, this clause may have a prophetic reference to the Hebrew monarchy four centuries fu- ture. 40-43 The dukes, etc. The seats of the tribe-princes of Esau, according to their families, are here stated. It is a geographical statement in respect to the capital cities, which only in two instances bore the names of the princes. The House of Edom is thus traced from the individual to the family, and thence to the tribe or dukedom, and thence to the monarchy, which was elective and based on valor and virtue, (vs. 35.) From this elevation they de- clined to theh predicted subjection. (Ch. 25 : 23 ; ch. 27 : 40 ; see Deut. 2:5; comp. Numb. 20: 14-21.) Murphy takes this list to be that of the hereditary dukes, who were con- temporaneous with the last-named sovereign, Hadar, and formed his council. He takes Timnah and Aholibamah to be the names of males and not of females, as before, unless we allow a duchess in her own right to have occurred among them. The death of the last sover- 156 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825. CHAPTER XXXYII. AISl'D Jacob dwelt in the land ^ wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob : Joseph being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives ; and Joseph brought unto his father ^ their evil report. a ch. 17 : 8, and 23 : 4, and 36 : 7 ; Heb. 11 : 9. b 1 Sam. 2 : 22, 23, 24. eigu being not recorded, he is sup- posed to have been contemporaneous with Moses, the author of the history. CHAPTER XXXVn. § 60. Generations of Jacob. Joseph sold to Midianite Merchants. Here commences the interesting history of Joseph, which continues throughout the book. 1. Jacob dwelt. While Esau is no- ticed as having removed to Mt. Seir, Jacob is recorded as having remained m the promised land, where his father was a stranger (sojourner.) Heb. — Jn the land of his father's sojourninqs. (Chs. 37-45.) The close of his life in Goshen, (chs. 46-50.) (I.) The first period embraces the preparato- ry steps towards the migration into Egypt, as the sale of Joseph, (ch. 37,) and indirectly the alliance of Judah with the Canaanites, (ch. 38,) endan- gering the Divine call of Israel, and showing the necessity for a tempora- ry removal of the sons of Israel out of Canaan. Joseph's wonderful ele- vation in Egypt opened the way. (Ch. 39-41.) And then the famine in Canaan led to the journey of the sons to Egypt for corn, and that led to the discovery of their lost brother Joseph, and to the departure of Isra- le to welcome him. (Chs. 42-45.) (II.) The second period opens with Jacob's migration to Egypt and his settlement in Goshen, (chs. 46-47: 27,) then gives his closing years and counsels, (ch. 47 : 28-31,) his blessing and burial, (ch. 49,) and Joseph's death, (ch. 50.) There occurs but one Divine manifestation to Jacob during all this period, and that was on the border of Egypt to assure him of his increase in that land to become a nation. And this was the one great step in the history preparatory to the entrance into Canaan. The covenant name Jehovah is here chief- ly used as suits the subject. 2. The generations. This heading here occurs to further open the fam- ily history of Jacob. # The narrative is here resumed from the return of Jacob to Hebron, which %as seven- teen years before Isaac's death. (Ch. 35: 27, notes.) This is something more than an individual history. It is in the plan of the book to show Jacob still in domestic troubles, re- ceiving from God's hand the tempo- ral retribution for his sins, in the suf- fering occasioned by the loss of the favorite first-born son of his beloved Rachel ; and yet brought out of all the darkness and distress by God's delivering hand, making his trouble turn to joy. Joseph is also to be set forth as a good shepherd, rejected and sold by his brethren, yet their savior. Joseph in his seventeenth year tvas shepherding the flock ivith his brethren, and he a lad, with the B. C 1825.] CHAPTER XXXVn. 157 3 Now Isi'ael loved Joseph more than all liis children, because lie was *^ the son of his old age : and he made him a coat of many colors. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his -brethren, they "^ hated him, and could not speak peace- ably unto him. 5 H And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren : and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them. Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed : 7 For ® behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright ; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us ? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us ? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. cch.44:20. d ch. 27: 41, and 49 : 23. e ch. 42: 6, 9, and 43: 26, and 44: 14. sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, who were nearer his age than the sons of Leah. ^ Their evil report. The evil report of them — of their do- ings. This was no backbiting, but a filial, confidential report to his fa- ther, showing his love of truth and right, and his unwillingness to be partaker of others' sins. 3. Israel's preference for Joseph is here stated and the reasons — es- pecially that he was the son of his old age, the first-born of his beloved Rachel, and also because of his love- liness and virtue. Benjamin was now only an infant. ^ Coat of (many) colors. Such robes, long and costly, made of many pieces of valuable fituffs, tastefully arranged, were re- garded as marks of distinction and worn by noblemen and kings' daugh- ters. (2 Sam. 13: 18.) Most under- stand the robe to have been a tunic with sleeves to the wrist Some sup- pose that the pieces refer to the fringes and borders of the skirt and sleeves, which were variegated. It is also supposed by some to have been the birthright robe which hav- ing been forfeited by Reuben was transferred to Joseph-, (1 Chron. 5: 1,) and that this inflamed the enmity of his brethren. The father's weak- ness in showing his preference for Joseph was the source of so great domestic troubles. 4. They could not speak peaceably unto him. They did not find it in their hearts to salute him cordially or peacefully — to wish him well — to say " Peace be with thee," accord- ing to the usual salutation. 5-8. The jealous enmity of his brethren was increased by his tell- ing them his dreams. God was wont to reveal Himself to His people in dreams ; and they were regarded as full of meaning. ^ Sheaves. This was not a picture taken from their shepherd work, but from the reap- ing, and looked ';o the results of la- bor. The idea was plain. Their sheaves paid homage to his. His brethren understood this as the mean- ing that they were to be in subjection to him. His dreams and his words in telling of them roused in them the greater jealousy. He would rather 158 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825. 9 IF And he dreamed yet anotlier dream, and told it his breth- ren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more : and behold *" the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren : and his father rebuked him, and sa^d unto him, A¥hat is this* dream that thou hast dreamed ? Shah I and thy mother and ^ thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth ? 11 And ^ his brethren envied him ; but his father observed ^ the saying. _ , 12 1i And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in She- chem. 13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem ? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14 And he said to him. Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks ; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of ^ Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 IF And a certain man found him, and behold, he tvas wan- dering in the field ; and the man asked him, saying. What seekest thou ? fch.46:29. g ch. 27 : 29. hActs7:9. i Dan. 7 : 28 ; Luke 2 : 19, 51. kch.35:27. have kept silence, if he had consult- ed a shrewd policy. But he acted onestly and transparently. 9. The second dream he told, though he must have noticed the ef- fect of the first. The sun, (his fa- ther,) the moon, (his mother Rachel,) and the eleven stars, (his brethren,) made obeisance to him. The pur- port of this only deepens the certain- ty of the others, while the former serves to explain the latter. Rachel was dead, yet the idea was embodied in the dream. 10. His father rebuked him, sup- posing it was only the vanity and ambition of the lad, especially when the father and mother were repre- sented as subordinate to him, which seemed so contrary to the Divine plan. n. Yet his father observed (kept) the saying. (Luke 21 : 19, 51 ; Dan. 7 : 28.) Fe not only retained it in his memory, but he took special note of it. 12. Jacob had bought land in Shechem, and hither his flocks were sent for pasture at the proper season. It was over fifty miles from Hebron, (ch. 33 : 19,) and nearly twenty hours' travel. The vale also was well watered. 13, 14. The fond father will have his favorite son go now to these broth- ers to Shechem, and bring him word of their welfare and of their doings. How blessed was the father in hav- ing this trusty boy, Avhom he could perfectly rely upon for a true, hon- est, and faithful report of the broth- ers amidst all the temptations of their absence from home ! 15-18. Joseph, not finding the brothers at Shechem, goes on in search of them, expecting, doubtless, to find them near. He is met by a stranger, who gives him the informa- B. C. 1825.] CHAPTEE XXXVII. 159 16 And lie said, I seek my brethren : ^ tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their floclzs. ' 17 And the man said, They are departed hence : for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his. breth- ren, and found them in ™ Dothan. 18 And wlien they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, ° they conspired against him to slay him. 19 And they said one to another. Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20 *^ Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit ; and we will sa}^ s#nie evil beast hath devoured him ; and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21 And P Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands ; and said. Let us not kill him. 1 Cant. 1:7. m 2 Kings 6 : 13. n 1 Sam. 19 : 1 ; Ps. 81 : 13, and 37 : 12. 32 ; and 94 : 21 ; Matt. 27 : 1 ; Mark 14 : 1 ; Johnll:o3; Acts 23 : 12. o Prov. 1 : 11, 16 ; and 6: 17; and 27: 4. pch. 42:22. tion he seeks ; for he had heard them say, Let us go to Dothan, which was twelve Roman miles north of Sama- ria, (Sebaste,) and about seventeen miles north of Shechem. Dothan means the tico cisterns; and it is prob- able that the wells about Shechem may have been dry at this time, or out of repair, since the troubles among the Shechemites. 1[ Con- spired. Heb. — Cunningly plotted. The malice »was rankling in their hearts, so that as soon as they heard of his coming they planned to destroy him. A fouler, blacker crime than that of Cain, — so deliberate, so con- certed among nine brothers. Ob- serve.— How this picture reminds us of the loving Jesus, conspired against most maliciously by sinners of hii own people ! — How tender his reply to the stranger's inquiry, " / seek my brethren." " The Son of man is come to seek and to save them that are lost." How he follows after them till he finds them, Jesus- like ! 19. This dreamer. Reh.—This (lord or^ master of dreams. 20. Their murderous plan was to slay him and cast him into a pit or dry well, and then to cover their crime wjth a lie, and say that he had been slain by a wild beast, and all to avenge themselves upon him for his dreams. A murderer will lie, and a liar will often be drawn into murder to conceal if possible his falsehood or fraud. 21. Reuben, the eldest brother, was chiefly responsible for this young- est son, and he makes earnest attempt to dehver him. He dissuades them from killing him, and proposes that they cast him into a pit, which ought surely to satisfy their wicked plan to get rid of him, as he must perish there if unrelieved. Reuben, how- ever, sought only to get him free from their power, and in his own time and way to deliver him back to his father. Reuben, though he had been very wicked, (ch. 35: 22,) shows now a tender heart. And knowing that the brothers were bent on putting Joseph out of the way, he devised this plan of satisfying them and sav- ing him. Wilderness in the Scrip- ture means the thin unsettled pasture- grounds. In the plain of Esdraelon we came upon several wells, that were large and deep and dry, stoned around the sides, and level at the top with the ground^ some of them 160 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825. 22 And Eeuben said unto them, Shed no blood, hut cast him in- to thi.? pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him ; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. 23 IF And it came to pass when Joseph was come unto his breth- ren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many col- ors that was on him. 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit : and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 2o "i And they sat down to eat bread : and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of ''Ishmaelites came from Clilead, with their camels bearing spicery, and ^ balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 2<6 And Judah said unto his brethren. What profit is it if we slay our brother, * and conceal his blood ? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and ■" let not our hand be upon him ; for he is ^ our brother, and ^ our flesh 5 and his brethren were content. q Prov. 30 : 20 ; Amos 6:6. r ver. 28 : 33. s Jer. 8 : 22. t ch. 4 : 10 ; ver. 20 ; Job 18 : 18 11 1 Sam. 18 : 17. x ch. 42 : 21. y ch. 29 : 14. covered at the mouth and others open. 23. Joseph wore his fancy coat, "vvliich was most offensive, as it proved, to these envious brothers as being the token of their fiitlier's prefer- ence. At once they stripped it off from him. How he was shocked and horrified at their treatment, they themselves afterwards confessed with shame. (Ch. 42 : 21.) The pit into which they cast him was empty and no water in it, — probably miry. " A pit of noise," horrible pit and miry clay. (Ps. 40 : 2.) This would seem to be the direct contradiction of his dreams. 25. Their cold, cruel barbarity appears in their sitting down to a meal as soon as the deed was done. \ A company. — A caraoan. They are called here " Ishmaehtes," but in vs. 28 and ch. 39: 1, Midianites, and in vs. "36. Heb. — Medanites. The author uses these several names, for the caravan consisted probably of all these, and in the general " Arabian me^'chants" are meant. ^ G'dead. Celebrated for a precious balm. (Jer. 8 : 22 ; 46 : 11.) The caravan road from Damascus to Egypt touch- es upon Gilead and passes by Do- than. Spicenj. A species of gum called tragacanth. Myrrh. Gum la- danum. Egypt was flbeir market. This agrees with the testimony of classic historians, as Homer and Her- odotus, who tell us that Egypt was a store-house for drugs, and a seat of physicians. Od. IV. 228, 231. Her- od. 2: 84; 3: 1, 129. 26. Judah here showed some brotherly affection, and began to expostulate with them for seeking his death when they might rather sell him as a slave to this caravan. He appeals to their common sense that it was no gain to them to have him die in this way; that, as they had thrown him into a pit to avoid shedding his blood, this would only be a concealed murder, as he must die there a cruel death ; and that, as he was their brother and theiif B. C. 1825.] CHAPTER XXXVn. 161 28 Then there passed by "^ MidianiteSj merchant-men ; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, * and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for ** twenty pieces of silver : and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29 IT And Eeuben returned unto the pit ; and behold, Joseph was not in the pit : and he ° rent his clothes. 30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child ^ is not : and I, whither shall I go ? 31 And they took ^ Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood : 32 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father ; and said. This have we found ; know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 33 And he knew it, and said. It is my son's coat ; an ^ evil beast hath devoured him : Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. z Judg. 6:3; ch. 45 : 4, 5. a Ps. 105 : 17 ; Acts 7 : 42 : 13, 36 ; Jer. 31 : 15. e ver. 23. f ver. 20 ; ch. 44 : b Matt. 27 : 9. c Job 1 : 20. d ch. flesh, he would avoid laying violent hand upon him. Conscience troubled him, and no wonder. % His brethren icere content, Heb. — Hearkened — acquiesced. His removal so far from home would prevent the offen- sive realizing of his dreams, and es- pecially if they supposed this had to do with the birthright privilege. 28. The Ishniaehtes were the pur- chasers, though the band are called " Midianites." Twenty pieces — the price of a lad under twenty years of age, (Levit. 27 : 5,) and Joseph was only about seventeen. The full price for a slave wais thirty shekels. (Exod. 21 : 32.) 29. Reuben had been absent when this sale was made. Some suppose he had gone a circuitous route to reach the pit and deliver Joseph. This would seem to be implied. He returned unto the pit and found Jo- seph removed, and he was overcome with a brother's grief He thinks Joseph dead. The child is not, and he despairs, i, ichither shall I go'? What could he do ? How could he meet the aged and doting father, and give an account of this horrible transaction. (See ch. 42 : 22.) 31, 32. They devise a false report to give to their poor father, hoping to cheat his credulity and thus clear themselves. How hardened and heathenish, as though God did not see them, and as though they could hope to escape His wrath. They dipped this fancy coat in the blood of a kid which they killed, and sent the bloody garment to their father, with the pretence that they had found it and that he should judge whether it was Joseph's or not. 33. The aged father recognized the coat which he had put «pon the boy in token of his fond affectfcn. He judged that the worst had hap- pened, that he had been devoured by a wild beast. He could think of no other probable or possible case to ac- count for this bloody coat, and he exclauned, Heb. — Torn, torn in pie- ces is Joseph ! Observe. — (1.) Their sin, however artfully concealed, will find them out. (2.) God controls the counsels and acts of men to sub- serve PIJs wise designs. (3.) Our ad- versity, so-called, often turns out to be our prosperity. Jesus is the Al- pha not only, but the Omega also in all Providence. Wait till you see 162 GENESIS. [B. C. 1825. 34 And Jacob ^ rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters ^ rose up to comfort him ; but he refused to be comforted ; and he said. For I ' will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36 And ^ the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an of&cer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard. CHAPTER XXXYIII. ^ AND it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and ^ turned in to a certain AduUamite, whose name was Hi rah. g ver. 29 : 2 Sam. 3 : 31. h 2 Sam. 12 : 17. i ch. 42 : 38, and 44 : 29, 31. kch. 39:1. a ch. 19 : 3 ; 2 Kings 4:8. the end before you complain against God. (4.) Joseph, however in- jured, is still comforted by a con- sciousness of his mission from God. (5.) Conscience will speak out at last. 34. Jacob was plunged into these new family troubles seemingly more grievous than any he had yet felt. As he had been a deceiver of his fa- ther, so he is now deceived by his own sons. He is the man of many sorrows, but this overwhelms him, and no wonder. ^ Sackcloth. The garment of mourning. 35. To comfort him. How could these sons comfort him when they ■were conscious of lying and fraud, and when Reuben, however grieved, dared not tell the facts. Jacob re- plied to all their condolence. ^ For (you need not attempt to comfort me, for) / shall go down into the grave to my son mourning. How utterly unmanned is he ! It is too much for him to bear, even with all the supports of the covenant. How could he give up Joseph, and in such a way ? If he had only died a natu- ral death and in his arras. ^ The grave. Heb. — Sheol — the place of departed spirits. 36. These merchants who bought Joseph for gain, sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, c/«"e/of Pharaoh's Guard. Lit. — Chief of his executioners — of the king's body-guard who executed his will. It was a high and respon- sible office. Comp. 1 Kings 2 : 29, 34, 35, with 2 Sam. 8 : 18 ; 2 Kings 10:25; 25: 8, and Jer. 39 : 9 ; 52 : 12. CHAPTER XXXVHL § 61. Judah. Jacob while mourning the loss of Joseph, has still a new and different domestic affliction in the case of Ju- dah, who was the first of the sons to marry a Canaanite. This paragraph is of use here in showing the dangers to which the chosen family were sub- jected of being led into alliance with the Cauaanites and corrupted by them, so as to make it important for the Divine Providence to remove the chosen family from these damaging influences. This strange episode therefore belongs properly to " the generations of Jacob." 1. At that time. Some have placed this general date before the sale of B. C. 1825.] CHAPTER XXXVIII. 163 2 And Judali ^ saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, ' whose name ^uas ^ Shuah ; and lie took her, and went in unto her. 3 And she conceived, and bare a son ; and he called his n^ime ^Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bare a son ; and she called his name ^ Onan. 5 And she yet again conceived and bare a son ; and called his name ^ Slielah : and he was at Chezib when she bare him. 6 And Judah ^ took a wife for Er his first-born, whose name was Tamar. 7 And ^ Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the Lord ; ' and the Lord slew him. b ch. 34 -.2. c 1 Chroa. 2:3. d ch. 46 : 12 ; Numb. 26 : 19. e ch. 46 : 12 ; Namb. 26 : 19' f ch. 46 : 12 ; Numb. 26 : 20. g ch. 21 : 21. h ch. 48 : 12 ; Numb. 26 : 19. i 1 Chron. 2 : 3. Joseph. But we find Judah evident- ly with his brothers at that time, and not removed from them as is here re- corded. Kurtz, Keil and Delitzscli, etc., maintain that Hezron and Ha- mul were born in Egypt, and not in Canaan. So Heng. And the twen- ty-three years Avhich elapsed between the taking of Joseph into Egypt and the migration of Jacob thither, is time enough for all that is recorded in this chapter. " If we suppose that Ju- dah, who was twenty years old when Joseph Avas sold, went to Adullam soon afterwards and married there, his three sons might have been born four or five years after Joseph's cap- tivity. And if his eldest son was born about a year and a half after the sale of Joseph, and he married him to Thamar when he was fifteen years old and gave her to his second son a year after that, Onan's death would occur at least five years before Jacob's removal to Egypt. Time enough therefore both for the gener- ation and birth of the. twin sons of Judah by Tamar, ana for Judah's two journeys into Egypt with his brethren to buy corn." — Keil and Delitzsch. (See ch. 46 : 8.). Those who hold that Hezron and Tamul, the sons of Pharez, were born in Ca- naan, must set the time further back, (say about Jacob's sojourning in She- chem,) as do Murphy, Baumgarten, Bush, etc., — and this is consistent with the general phrase " at that time ; " but Judah seems not yet to have set up his separate household Avhen Joseph's sale took ])lace. (See Heng. Pent. vol. ii p. 290.) ^ Went down from Hebron, (ch. 3 7 : 14,) to the lowland of Judah bordering on Phihstia. (Josh. 15 : 35.) Rob.— He pitched up to a man of Adullam, in his neighborhood, for friendly inter- course. Why he so separated does not appear, but it seems to be the beginning of mischief, and was doubt- less a wrong step on his part. \ Ca naanite. This was a forbidden con- nection for the covenant family. 3-5. These particulars are here given because Judah was he through whom the Messiah was to come. ^ Chezib. In the south portion of the low country of Judah. The place is mentioned that the descend- ants of Shelah might know the birth- place of their ancestors, — unnecessary in the case of the others, who died childless. 6- 7. This wife of Er was probably a Canaanite also, and he was smitten to death by God for his wickedness- Whereupon his brother Onan was commanded by his father to act th» 164 GENESIS. [B. C. 18(?j 8 And Judah said unto Onan, Gro in unto ^ thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be ^ his : and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to lAs brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord : wherefore ]ie slew ™ him also. 11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, " Kemain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown ; (for lie said. Lest peradventure he die also as his brethren did) ; and Ta- mar went and dwelt ^ m her father's house. 12 ^ And in process of time, the daughter of Shuah, Judab's wife, died: and Judah p was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying. Behold thy father-in-law goeth up 1 to Timnath to shear his sheep. 14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and ^ sat in an open place, wliich is by the way to Timnath : for she saw ^ that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to he a harlot ; because she had covered her face. k Deut. 25 : 5 ; Matt. 22 : 24. 1 Deut. 25 : 6. m ch. 46 : 12 : Numb. 26 : 19. n Ruth 1 : 13. o Lev. 22:13. p 2 Sam . 13 : 39. q Josh. 15 : 10,57 ; Judg. 14 : 1. rProv. 7:12. sver.ll, 26. jvirt of a husband to the widow ac- cording to the custom of Levirate marriage, afterwards legalized by rJoses. In order that the family might not die out, and the covenant line perish, this v/as an important provision. (Ruth 4: 10.) Onan, however, proved false, and his crime of violating God's ordinance by a ^liameful abomination was also pun- ished with death. Thus the cove- nant household seems degraded and disgraced. But the salvation lies not with them, but with God. 11. The death of these two sons makes Judah hesitate about giving lier the third, perhaps from a super- sdtious idea that there was something fatal in the connection. But he gives the excuse that Shelah was too young to marry, and advises the widow to return to her father's house, accord- ing to the custom in such case of having no children. (Lev. 22: 13.) Meanwhile she was to regard herself as the betrothed wife of Shelah, though he did not intend that he should be her husband. 12-17. Tamar, seeing that she is unfairly denied the promised mar- riage with Shelah, and knowing how heathenish Judah had become by his unlawful connections, planned re- venge and sought to seduce him. Her method was truly heathenish, as might have been expected. She suc- ceeded to his shame. In proceaa of time. Heb. — yThe days were multi-' plied. Some considerable time had elapsed, and Shelah had grown up, and Tamar had waited in vain. 1^ Timnath. A town on the moTm^ tains of Judah, (Josh. 15 : 57,) about seven miles south of Hebron. B. C. 18 (?).] CHAPTER XXXYin. 165 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee ; (for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law ;) and she said, What wilt thou give me that thou mayest come in unto me ? 17 And he said, * I will send thee a Md from the flock : and she said, "" Wilt thou give vie a pledge, till thou send it ? 18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee ? And she said, ^ Tliy signet, and thy bracelets^ and thy staif that is in thy hand : and he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by liim. 19 And she arose, and went away and ^ laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adal- lamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand : but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Wliere is the harlot that was openly by the wayside ? And they said, There was no harlot in this i^tlax^e. 22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her ; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this jilace. 23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed : behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. 21 TF And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told to Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath ^ pla^^ed the harlot ; and also, behold, she is witli child by whoredom. And Judah said. Bring her forth, * and let her be burnt. t Ezek. 16 : 33. ii ver. 20. x ver. 25. y ver. 14. z Judg. 19 : 2. a Lev. 21 : 9 ; Deut. 22 : 21. I The sheep-shearing was a hohday with the shepherds. She sat hij the gate of Enayim the same as Enam in the lowland of Judah. (Josh. 15 : 34.) 18. Thy bracelets. Heb. — Strings. The signet-ring or seal was suspend- ed from the neck upon the bosom by a silken cord, and lay in the folds of the garments, and was kept with great care. These seals were also worn upon the hand by the Babj^Io- nians and Egyptians, and were the tokens of authority, and pledges of covenant fideUty. Giving one's seal to another was i ideed giving up to another the power to act in one's stead in transactions requiring the seals. The loss of one's seal was therefore a very serious calamity. 23. When Judah hastened to re- deem his pledges, and Tamar could not be found, he exclaims with cha- grin, " Let her take them (the articles pledged) to her, (let her keep them for herself) that ice may not hejome a reproach" Judah is now anxious and disappointed at losing his seal, but he is more in dread of the open dis- grace, and therefore will let it go rather than make a noise about it. He is afraid now of exposure. 24. Let her he burnt. This is a se- vere punishment ordered by Judah :g6 GENESIS. [B.C. 1825. 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man whose these are, am I with child : and she said, ^ Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, ^ the signet, and bracelets, and staff. 26 And Judah ^ acknowledged fliem, and said, ^ She hath been more righteous than I ; because that ^ I gave her not to Shelah my son : and he knew her again ^ no more. 27 % And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that behold, twins tuere in her womb. 2S And it came to pass when she travailed, that tlie one put out his hand ; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. 29 And it came to pass as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out ; and she said, How hast thou broken forth ? this breach he upon thee : therefore his name was called ^^ Pharez. 30 And afterward came out his brother that had the scarlet tln^ead upon his hand ; and his name was called Zarah. b ch. 37: 32. c ver. 18. d ch. 37: 33. e 1 Sam. 24: 17 h ch. 46 : 12 ; Num. 26 : 20 ; 1 Chron. 2:4; Matt. 1 : 3. f ver. 14. g Job 34 : 31, 32 as head of his tribe, and he himself a guilty party in the crime. He did not know as yet how his own crimi- nality was to be exposed. The cap- ital punishment under the law after- ward, was by stoning. (Ueut. 22 : 20, 21, 24.) Burning was the punish- ment only in aggravated cases. (Lev. 20: 14; 21: 9.) Men so severely treat in others the very crimes they themselves have perpetrated. 25. When Judah is confronted now with his own pledges, he is driven to confess. She is more in the rigid than /, for therefore (to bring this about) have I not given her to Shelah my son ? He now acknowl- edges that in withholding his son from the widow and denying her i:jght he had brought about this shameful and sad result. It is evi- dent from the narrative that she was driven to this stiatagem, not from base lewdness, but to obtain throuoh Judah himself the covenant posteri- ty of which he was wrongfully de- priving her, 27. Tamar became the mother of twin sons in circumstances somewhat like the birth of Jacob and Esau. (Ch. 25: 25, 26.) Perez, in the struggle before birth obtained the primogeniture, and in the tenth gen- eration David, the king of Israel de- scended from him. (Ruth 4 : 18-22.) lamar, therefore, has a place as one of the female ancestors in the. gene- alogy of Jesus Christ. 2^9. Whij hast thou broken forth ? (]\Iatt. 1 : 3.) Keil and Delitzsch read. What a breach hast thou made for thy part ? Upon thee the breach y (the blame of it.) We see the mischief of unholy al- liances in life, leading away from God into the unholy habits of such, and into the dreadful miseries con- sequent. So the apostle exhorts, "Be ye not unequally yoked togeth- er with unbelievers, for what concord liath light with darkness ? " Instead of the wicked party being converted by the injEluence of the good, the good is more commonly led astray by the wicked, as here in the case of Judah. B. C. 1814.] CHAPTER XXXIX. CHAPTER XXXIX. 167 AND Joseph was brought down to Egypt : and ^ Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, aa Egj^tian, ^ bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. 2 And ° the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man : and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord ^ made all that he did to prosper in his hand. a ch. 37 : 36 ; Ps. 105 : 17. b ch. 37 : 1 Sam. 16 : 18 ; and 18 : -14, 28 ; Acts 7 : c ver. 21 : ch. 21 : 22, and 26 : 24, 28 ; and 28 : 15 : d Ps. 1 : 3. This chapter is given with all its shameful details to show in full the connection of our Lord with Abra- ham as detailed by Matthew, and this is done faithfully and without concealment of the shame ; showing thus how our Lord " made Himself of no reputation," and " despised the shame" in his redeeming work for sinners. In the light of Judah's faithless character Joseph's integrity and vir- tue will now more clearly appear. CHAPTER XXXIX. § 62. Joseph sold to Potiphar IN Egypt. His Temptation AND Imprisonment. The " generations of Jacob " are now resumed in the further history of Joseph. At the early age of sev- enteen, sold as a slave into a strange country and among heathen, what could bear him up but such firm faith as he had, especially from revelations made to him of his coming greatness. 1. Pharaoh from Phra, meaning the !>un^ as Potiphar means, He who is of the sun. The facts of his being sold into Egypt to Potiphar, by the Ishmaelite merchants who bought him of his recreant brothers, are here repeated, from ch. 37 : 36. Though the band are called Midianiles as the general term, yet the transaction of purchase and sale seems to have been at the hands of the Ishmaelites who belonged to the caravan. 2. r/ie ^Zor^— Jehovah. This is the covenant name in which God ap- pears in His special redemptive ca- 'pacity. God will now show Himself to be Jehovah. He was with Joseph, and this is the great secret of this wonderful history — of Joseph's deliv- erancesin every peril, and of his pros- perity notwithstanding his being so offcast by his own brethren. " When my father and mother forsake me, then Jehovah will take me up." ^ A prosperous man. Heb. — A man caus- ing success — successful. " Whatso- ever he doeth shall prosper." (Ps. 1, and vs. 3.) 3. Thus his heathen master saw that God's favor was manifest to him in his wonderful success. (See ch. 26 : 28; ch. 30: 27.) Men who do not know God are made to see how re- markably His people are cared for and prospered, and how safe and valuable such men are. Thus his favor with God gained him favor with men. So our Lord Himself grew in favor with God and men. (Luke 2 : 52.) Joseph was advanced to the highest position in Potiphar's house — was made overseer, having charge of all the affairs of the house- hold. 168 GEiN'ESIS. [B. C. 1814 4 And Joseph • found grace in liis siglit, and he served him . and he made him ^ overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him over^ seer in his house, and over all that he had, that ^ the Lord blessed the Eg3^ptian's house for Joseph's sake ; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand ; and he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat : and Joseph ^ was a goodly i^erson^ and well favored. 7 If And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph : and she said, ^ Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife. Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. 9 There is none greater in this house than I ; neither hath he kept back any thing from me, but thee, because thou art his wife : ^ how then can I do this great wickedness, and ^ sin against God ? e ch. 18 : 3, and 19 : 19 ; \er. 21. f Gen. 24 : 2. g ch. 30 : 27. hi Sam. 16 : 12. 12 Sam. 13:11. k Prov. 6 : 29, 32. 1 ch. 20 ; 6; Lev. 6 ; 2; 2 Sam. 12: 13; Ps. 51 : 4. 5. From the time of Joseph's ele- vation, the blessing of God upon the house and the field was manifest. God chooses often to bless men for His people's sake, so as to show the advantage of belonging to His peo- ple and of having His covenant care, even as He blessed the house of Obed-Edom for the sake of the ark that was there. 6. He left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not knoto anything loith (or near) him but the bread he did eat. So entirely did he give up all his household affairs to the keeping of Joseph, that he knew only of his meals as they came on. The refer- ence is to castes in Egypt, and to the laws concerning meats enforced in that land. ^ A goodly person. Heb. — Beautiful of form, and beautiful of appearance, in form and feature. (Ch. 29: 17.) This statement pre- pares the way for what follows. 7-9. Potiphar's wife was charmed by Joseph's beauty and made base proposals to him. But he had the strong religious principle to stand firm against the shocking sin. He refuses on the double ground of be- ing entrusted with his master's con- fidence, which he would scorn to abuse, and on the ground of his du- ty to God, whom he would not of- fend by this great sin. Gratitude to his master and gratitude to God re- strained him. " How can I do such a thing ? " He sees how h''- is in the poAver of this wicked avo /lan, who could easily revenge heii-^lf upon him for refusing her comn And. He does not utter any repts Ach, but pleads the impossibility ijj his case, and yet calls the deed by its right name — this great ivickedn^ys. The immorality of Egyptian vrt-men has long been proverbial. In modern times Mohammed Ali aboh'shed the lewd practice of the dancinj^ women, so far as to make the Alma dance visible only by women and not by men. This we heard spoken of in Cairo as a very \inTp(^i^nt ro- form. B. C. 1814.] CHAPTER XXXIX. 169 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Josepli day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. li And it came to pass about this time, that Josejih went into the house to do his business; and there ivas none of the men of the house tliere within. 12 And "' she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me . and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his gar- ment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying. See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us : he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice : 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17 And she ° spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me : 18 And it came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. 19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me ; that his ° wrath was kindled. m Prov. 7 : 13, etc. n Exod. 23 : 1 ; Ps. 120 : 3. o Prov. 6 : 34, 35. 11, 13. This abandoned woman, after being daily refused, took occa- sion when alone in the house with him to attempt compulsion. ^ ^ About this time. Heb. — At this day (of the occurrence.) This particular day. He makes most violent resistance, even to the loss of his garment. "Jo- seph is thus stripped of his garment a second time — then for envy now for lust."— 5;?. Hall. 14. She now seeks revenge upon him whom she cannot entrap. She called her house servants and said, See^ he (her husband of whom she speaks so contemptuously) has brought in to us a Hebrew man to 15 mock Its (to act the part of a wanton in the household.) 15. Left his garment ivith me — by my side (not in my hand) as was the truth. 16, 17. She tells to them her un- blushing lie, and takes care to do the same to her husband. ^ She laid up his garment by her so as to make it appear as if he had left it there. ^ To mock me, to insult me by lewd- ness. 19-21. She had throArn the blame heavily upon her husband. This would excite his wrath. While he may not have fully believed her state- ments, yet he must vindicate his hou- 170 GENESIS. [B. C 1814. 20 And Joseph's master took hinij and ^ put him into the ^ pris- on, a place where the king's prisoners were bound : and he was there in the prison. 21 IF But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and ^ gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison ^ committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison ; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand ; because * the Lord was with him : and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper. p Ps. 105 : IS ; 1 Pet. 2 : 19. q ch. 40 : 3, 15, and 41 : 14. r Exod. 3 : 21, and 11 : 3, and 12 : 36 ; Ps. 106 : 46 ; Prov. 16 : 7 ; Acts 7 : 9, 10. s ch. 40 : 3, 4. t ver. 2, 3. or. He thrusts Joseph into prison. ^ Into the prison — into the house of enclosure, called (ch. 41 : 8,) a dun- geon^ and here described as a place where the king's prisoners (state pris- oners) were confined. This was a mild punishment. The penalty in Egypt for an attempt at adultery was one thousand blows. In Ps. 106 : 18, Joseph's imprisonment is referred to : " Whose feet they hurt with fet- .ters ! " Yet, even in prison, Jehovah his Covenant God, was with him, and made his deliverance most remarka- ble. " What safety is there against great adversaries when even argu- ments of innocence are used to con- vict of evil ? "—Bp. Hall, ^ Gave him favor. This is in the hand of God as the king's heart is. ^ Keeper of the prison. Heb. — Keeper of the home of the toioer — an officer having charge of the prisoners. Here again Joseph was found to be the man for special trust, reliable and fit for most responsible duties, because he was a truly pious man. The iavor of the Lord is our highest security against all possible harm. (Prov. 8 : 35 ; 12: 2.) If God be for us, who can be against us ? 22. By reason of this Divine favor which followed him to the prison, Joseph was made the head and chief of all its aifairs. The prisoners were commonly set to hard labor, and he had the office of superintendent de- volved upon him (under-keeper ;) besides another position of a respon- sible kind. (Ch. 40: 4.) ^ And what. Heb. — And the luhole which they were doing there he teas doing. Every- thing v/hich had to be done there was done through him as the factor and principal. 23. Heb. — The keeper of the pris- on was not seeing anything in his hand, because Jehovah icas ivith hirn, and what he ivas doing Jehovah made to prosper. (Ps. 1:3.) Joseph in Egypt is a sole repre- sentative of the church among the heathen and in many respects re- minds us of Jesus in the world — be- loved by his father, hated by his brethren, conspired against, betrayed into the hands of enemies, and sus- tained in all his sufferings, proving himself a sufferer for his enemies and betrayers, the lord of the world- ly realm, the saviour of the house- hold, to whom every knee was brought to bow, and every tongue to confess, in whom the church was rep- resented and developed. " This wronged and afflicted Joseph is justi- fied, exalted, raised to reign over all the land, to wield all royal sovereign- ty and power, to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his own people Israel." — Candlish. Note.^ (1.) The basis and security of all true B. C. 1814.] CHAPTER XL. 171 CHAPTER XL. AND it came to pass after these things, that the ^butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was ^ wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 '^ And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph luas bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them ; and they continued a season in ward. a Neh. 1 : 11. b Prov. 16 : 14. c ch. 39 : 20, 23. prosperity lies in the favor of God. (2.) The source of strength in re- sisting temptation, however sudden and severe, is in the fear of God. This is decisive, admits no parleying nor doubt. What God forbids can- not possibly be entertained for a mo- ment. (3.) The ground of comfort and hope in false accusations and persecutions is in God's righteous control of all issues and events. (Ps. 37.) CHAPTER XL. §63. Joseph Interprets Dreams. Unless Joseph has the strongest faith he must regard his dreams as beyond any likeKhood of fulfilment. Away from home and brethren, a slave in a prison, in a strange land, how can he hope for the exaltation ■which his dreams encouraged him to expect ? But God is his friend, and God is greater than his enemies. He is now brought by God's wonder- working Providence to be an arbiter of destiny and the dispenser of life and death to his fellow-prisoners in a way to prepare for his own exalta- tion. How strange and wonderful is the chain of events ! How abso- lute is God's control over the world of mind ; swajang all characters and classes to do his bidding ! 1. The butler was the cupbearer and overseer of the wine-making and storing and serving, an important officer of the king. (2 Kings 18:17.) He was now a state prisoner (Isa. 36 : 2) for an offence against Pha- raoh. ^ Flis baJcer. This was an- other officer in trust of the king's bread and of its making ; and his post was one of high trust, because they who had the charge of the food of the king might easily poison him. " Abu Moslem is said to have con- sumed at his table every day three thousand tarts, one thousand sheep, besides oxen and fowls, and to have had a thousand cooks." 2, 3. Pharaoh icas wroth against (these) two of ?iis officers, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, (the trabantes,) the prison luliere Joseph himself icas confined. This prison was connected with the keeper's house. This seems purely incidental that they should be put in the same prison with Joseph. But see Avhat important results follow from this as a Divine Providence. 4. The captain of the guard, (This was Potiphar,) charged Joseph with them — made him to visit (wait on) them, (not to watch them.) He served 172 GENESIS. [B. C. 1814. 5 IF And they dreamed a dream botli of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream ; the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and behold, they wei^e sad. 7 And he asked Pharaoh's officers that wey^e with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying. Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day ? 8 And they said unto him, ^ We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, ^ Do not interpretations belong to God ? Tell me them, I pray you. 9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said unto him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me ; 10 And in the vine were three branches : and it was as though it budded, a7id her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes : 11 And Pharaoh's cup tvas in mine hand : and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 12 And Joseph said unto him, ^This is the interpretation of it : The three branches ^are three days : 13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh ^ lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place : and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. d ch. 41 : 15. e ch. 41 : 16 ; Dan. 2 : 11. 28, 47. f ver. 18 : ch. 41, 12, 25 ; Judg. 7 : 14 ; Daa. 2 : 36 ; and 4 : 19, g ch. 41 : 26. h 2 Kings 25: 27 ; Ps. 3: 3 ; Jer. 52 : 31. them, according to his appointment, waiting on them with supplies for their necessities, etc. ^ A season. Heb — Bays. Some suppose a year — since the king's previous anni- versary. 8 It was that they had a dream, but no interpreter of it, and were therefore left to the worst forebodings. Joseph, true to his religion, insists that interpretations belong to God, and inquires what were the dreams. 5. They both dreamed the same j 9. The butler's dream was natu- nlght, which fact tended to strengthen rally in his department of business, the impression and assure of the re- i *' A dream cometh through the nuil- sult as impending. ^ According to ! titude of business." A vine with the interpretation, etc. Each had a ' three branches (perfection) passing dream evidently suited to his case, ; through the processes of budding, so as to impress each with its appli- ; blossoming, and fruit-bearing. The cation to himself. ' butler saw himself pressing the ripe 6, 7. The men were troubled with grapes into the royal goblet and pre- the solemn import of the dream and senting it to Pharaoh. with their anxiety to discover the; 12, 13. The interpretation was meaning. Joseph entered their natural ; but the time was revealed apartment at his morning work, and by God. Heb. — The three branches, observed their troubled countenance three days they. There is no verb and inquired of them the reason. expressed. Represent is the idea B. G. 1814." CHAPTER XL. 173 14 But ^ think on me when it shall be well with thee, and ^ shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house : 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews ; ^ and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Josej)h, I also ivas in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on mine head : 17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bake-meats for Pharaoh : and the birds did eat them out of the bas- ket upon mine head. 18 And Joseph answered and said, ^ This is the interpretation thereof : The three baskets are three days : 19 "Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree ; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. i Luke 23: 42. k Josh. 2: 12 ; 1 Sam. 20: 14, 15 ; 2 Sam. 9 : 1 ; 1 Kings 2 : 7. 1 ch. m Ter. 12. n ver. 13. understood. The butler saw himself again at his work, and so he was to be restored within three days to his office. His head lifted up. To lift up the face is the Heb, phrase for acquittal of crime. 14. But. Joseph here puts in a plea for himself. Heb. — But remem- ber me with thee, according as it shall go well to thee, etc., and cause me to come forth from this house. 15. Heb. — For stolen I loas stolen, etc., (carried away secretly and by force, and hence I am not in this country of my own choice,) out of the land of the Hehreios. And hence, too, he was of a superior class to that from which slaves were commonly taken. This phrase is no interpola- tion. Judea was probably known by this name in Egypt, which Abraham had visited from that land. It may also favor the presumption that the land was inhabited by Hebrews be- fore Canaan took possession of it. (See Murphy.^ And also here 1 have not done anything that they have put me into the hole, (dungeon.) He pleads 15* his innocence of crime and asks for the butler's intercession with the king against Potiphar's unjust imprison- ment of him. Joseph's gift of inter- pretation did not include a prophecy of his own release. 16. The chief baker now, encour- aged, tells his dream, which was also in his department of business, and the number three, as before^ indi- cating the days. ^ Baskets on my head. This was the method of men in carrying baskets, as we see from the figures on Egyptian monuments, while the women carried on the shoulders. '■'■ Baskets of white Iread," and in the top basket all kind of food for Pharaoh, pastry. Lit. — The work of a baker. The ancient Egj-ptians were called by the Greeks in de- rision hread-eaters, because they made this their chief article of food. The dough was kneaded with the hands or feet and formed into rolls, and these (sprinkled over the 'cop with seeds) -were shaped in the form of an ox, sheep, or fish, etc. 19. In&iQdi^oi lifting up the head in 174 GENESIS. [B. C. 1812, 20 IT And it came to pass the tliird day, which was Pharaoh's ° birthday, that he ^ made a feast unto all his servants ; and he "1 lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21. And he "■ restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and ^ he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand : 22 But he * hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but "forgat him. CHAPTER XLI. A ND it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed : and behold, he stood by the river. o Matt. 14 : 6 . p Mark 6 : 21. q ver. 13 : 19 ; Matt. 25 : 19. r ver. 13. s Neh. 2:1. t ver. 19. u Job. 19 : 14 ; Ps. 31 : 12 ; Eccl. 9, 15, 16 ; Amos. 6 : 6. acquittal it should be lifted in death. ^ Hang thee on a tree, as accursed. (Deut 21 : 22, 23.) 20. Pharaoh's birthday, — a season of royal festivities and solemnities. The fulfilment was according to Jo- seph's interpretation. ^ Lifted up the head. In Exod. 30 : 12 and Numb. 1 : 49 this phrase is used in the sense of numbering, and, if so here, then it would mean that in re- counting his officers, Pharaoh num- bered these — took their poll. — Turner. Gesenius regards this phrase as ellip- tical here, for the full expression to lift up the head out of prison ; such places of confinement being usually under ground. (See 2 Kings 25 : 27.) 22. He hanged. This part of the fulfilment proved Joseph's interpre- tation to have been divinely dictated. This was not hanging by the neck, but the exposing of the body on a tree after beheading. As to this practice, which was common in Egypt, it was forbidden by the Jew- ish law that the body be exposed after sunset on the day of execution. (Deut. 21 : 22.) 23. The man, so befriended by Joseph and appealed to for a kind remembrance when he should be re- leased, failed to do him the service requested. Thus the poor Hebrew prisoner is left to his simple faith in God for the realization of his own dreams, when it seems now further off than ever. Meanwhile God is so ordering events as to make Jo- seph's deliverance due more directly to Himself than to any human agency. Joseph is encouraged by the gift of interpreting the dreams to rely on God as his counsellor and friend, who, in His own good time and way, will release him also from the prison. Observe. — How hard- ening is the effect of worldly pros- perity ! How often it leads to forget- fulness of old friends and of sacred obligations! How our ingratitude towards the New Testament Joseph, in forgetting all that he has done for us in our bondage, will fill us with confusion at the great day ! CHAPTER XLI. § 64. Joseph Interprets Pha- raoh's Dream. Seven Years Famine. 1-4. — Two fidl years — two years of days — in days. Two years from B. C. 1812.] CHAPTER XLI. 175 2 And behold, there came up out of the river seven well-favored kine and fat-fleshed ; and they fed in a meadow. 3 And behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed ; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed the second time : and behold, sev- en ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass in the morning, ^that his spirit was troubled ; and he sent and called for all ^ the magicians of Egypt, and all the ^ wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dreams j but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. a Dan. 2 : 1, and 4 : 5, 19. b Exod. 7 : 11, 22 ; Isa. 29 : 14 ; Dan. 1 : 20, and 2 : 2, and 4 : 7. 6 Matt. 2 : 1. the release of the chief butler, Joseph was still kept in prison, or it may mean two full years from his impris- onment. ^ The rive?- — Nile. The river of Egypt, the source of its fer- tility and bounty. He saw seven fat cows come up from the river. The cow, in Egypt, is the symbol of na- ture's fruitfulness, of agriculture and of the earth. The goddess of the earth, Isis, was worshipped in this form, like the sacred bull Apis, and not allowed as food. These seven cows fed in a meadow on the green marsh of reeds and bulrushes. Sev- en is the sacred number. Seven lean, gaunt, ugly-looking cows came up after the others and devoured them. 5. He had a second dream con- veying the same general idea, but more distinctly. Corn is the term for grain in general, and it is the ex- pression of nature's bounty. The seven full ears represent fertility, while the seven thin, blasted ears represent dearth. Seven ears sprout- ing on one stalk refer to the " Egyp- tian wheat" cultivated in the Nile valley and the chief source of the nation's wealth. These full ears were devoured by the thin, blasted ones, so that they vanished beside them. The east wind here is the Chamsia from the south-east or desert of Arabia. It withers every green thing if it continues to blow any time. 7. At the first dream Pharaoh awoke and did not seem troubled, but when it was thus repeated he was startled. Behold ! a dream. 8. Was troubled. Heb. — Smitten — beaten as with bloAvs. Like his officers in the prison, he was dis- turbed by a dread of this mysterious foreboding. ^ All the magicians. This was a class of wise men, " Magi- ans " professedly skilled by supernat- ural gifts, in resolving mysteries and secrets, and prying into the spirit- world. These are such as confront- ed Moses,' and pretended to do so loith their enchantments as he did in his miracles. They are called from a word signifying pencil., and mean- ing scribes, who were conversant 176 GENESIS. [B. C. 1812. 9 IT Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do re- member my faults this day : 10 Pharaoh was ^ wroth with his servants, ® and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, bot/i me, and the chief baker; 11 And ^we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he: we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And thej'e was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, ^ servant to the captain of the guard ; and we told him, and ho ^ interpreted to us our dreams : to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, ' as he interpreted to us, so it was : me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. 14 IT ^ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they ^ brought him hastily ™ out of the dungeon : and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it : ^ and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ^ It is not in me : P God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. d ch. 40 : 2, 3. e ch. 39 : 20. f ch. 40 : 5. g ch. 37 : 36. h ch. 40 : 12, etc. i ch. 40 : 22. k Ps. 105 : 20. 1 Dan. 2 : 25. ml Sam. 2 : 8 ; Ps. 113 : 7, 8. n ver. 12 ; Ps 25 : 14 ; Dan. 5 : 18- o Dan. 2 : 30 : Acts 3 : 12 ; 2 Cor. 3:5. p ch. 40 : 8 ; Dan. 2 : 22, 28, 47, and 4 : 2. with the sacred arts and sciences of Egypt, and the hieroglyphics, astrolo- gy, etc. They practised soothsaying, divination, etc., and were regarded as possessors of secret arts. (Ex. 7 : 11.) ^ The wise men. These in- cluded all classes of this sort. These however could not interpret the dreams. 9-13. He now recites the circum- stances in which he became acquaint- ed with Joseph, and his wonderful success in interpreting dreams. It is not so much to do Joseph a favor that he commends him, as it is to raise himself in Pharaoh's esteem. •|| Ml/ faults — leading to his impris- onment. 14. Brought him hastily. Heb. — Caused him to run. In haste to re- lieve Phaifioh, and possibly also out of interest in Joseph. It was cus- tomary in Egypt to shave the hair of the head and beard except in times of mourning; and he would change his prison raiment for such as would be furnished him to appear before the king. 15. 1 have heard say of thee. Heb. — 1 have heard concerning thee, say- ing, thou wilt hear a dream to inter- pret it — hast only need to hear it in order to interpret it. 16. Not in me. Heb. — Without me. (It is not in me.) God will ansioer as to the welfare of Pharaoh. Noble fidehty to the cause of God ! Ingenuous simplicity of, haracter, not boasting himself, but referring the Divine gift of interpretation to God alone. So in ch. 40 : 8, he had pointed the state prisoners away from himself to God. The Sept. reads, " Not so — without God there shall not an answer of peace be giv- en to Pharaoh." B. C. 1812.] CHAPTER XLL 177 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 1 1n my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river : 18 And behold, there came up out of the river seven Idne, fat- fleshed, and well-favored ; and they fed in a meadow : 19 And behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor, and very ill-favored, and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness : 20 And the lean and the ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine : 21 Ajtid when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them ; but they we7X still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good : 23 And behold, seven ears, withered, thin, a7id blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them : 24 Ajid the thin ears devoured the seven good ears : and ^ I told this unto the magicians ; but there luas none that could de- clare it to me. 25 IF And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one : ® God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good kine are seven years ; and the seven good ears are seven years : the dream is one. 27 And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them aj'e seven years ; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be * seven years of famine. 28 "" This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh : what God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come ^ seven years of great plenty throughoufc all the land of Egj^pt : 30 And there shall ^ arise after them seven years of famine ; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt ; and the famine ^ shall consume the land : 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following: for it sliall he very grievous. qver. 1 r ver. 8 ; Dan. 4 : 7. s Dan. 2: 28, 29, 45 ; Rev. 4: 1. t 2 Kings 8:1. u ver. 25. X ver. 47. y Ter. 54. z ch. 47 : 13. 19. Pharaoh describes the lean kine as most exti-aordinarily bad, beyond anything he had ever seen i'n Egypt. 21. He here adds that the appear- ance of these lean cows was not at all improved by their eating the fat ones. When they had eaten them up, etc. Heb. — And they had en- tered into the inside of them and it was not bnown, etc. 25. Reh.— Whai (the) God is do- ing (about to do) he hath declared to Pharaoh. 26. The dream is one. Though two- fold in form, yet it is one in meaning.. 178 GENESIS. B. C. 1812. 32 -And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice ; it is because the "■ thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33 ]!:^ow therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land; and ^ take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And ^ let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh ; and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt ; that the land '^ perisli not through the famine. 37 IT And ^ the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man ^ in whom the spirit of God is ? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art . 40 ^ Thou shalt be over mine house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled : only in the throne will I be greater than thou. a Num. 23 : 19 ; Isa. 46 : 10, 11. b Prov. 19 ; Acts 7 : 10. f Num. 27 : 18 ; Job. 32 : i 3. g Ps. 105 : 21, 22 ; Acts 7 : 10. :6, 7, 8. ever. 48. d cb. 47 : 15, 19. e Ps. 105 : Prov. 2:6; Dan. 4 : 8, 18, and 5 : 11, 14, and 6 ; 32. Heb. — And concerning the doubling of the dream to Pharaoh twice. So far as this is concerned it is to show the certainty of the dream and the speedy execution of it. This positive interpretation is in striking contrast with the utter ignorance of all Pharaoh's wise men. 33-36. Joseph now proceeds to give counsel to Pharaoh such as the occasion required. He advises Pha- raoh to look out a man wise and pru- dent, to act as chief of this depart- ment of suppHes — who should ap- point overseers to take up (as a tax) the fifth part of the crop for the sev- en years of superabundance to be stored under the hand of Pharaoh as a national reserve for the years of famine. This was a public measure for the highest pubhc good, that the land perish not through the famine. The government of Egypt has in modern times taxed the crops seven- ty per cent, instead of one-fifth which would be^ twenty per cent. The number five seems to have been the sacred number of the Egyptians. They were accustomed to a tax of a tenth in ordinary years, for the pub- lic granaries. The extra crop would enable them easily to double the tax or rent. 37, 38. Pharaoh was pleased with the plan and so were all his servants. And naturally enough he fixed upon Joseph as the overseer or chief of this bureau of supplies — a man in lohom the spirit of God is — the spirit (as Pharaoh saw) of supernatural knowledge and wisdom. 39, 40. Forasmuch. Ueh.— After B. C. 1812.] CHAPTER XLI. 179 41 And Pharaoh said '.into Joseph, See, I have ^ set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh * took off his ring from his hand, and put ifc upon Joseph's hand, and ^' arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck ; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had : ^ and they cried before him. Bow the knee : and he made him rule?' ° over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without ^hee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah ; and ie gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On : and Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. h Dan. 6:3. i Esth. 3 : 10, and 8 : 2, ?2 : 6, and 45 : 26 : Acts 7 : 10. k Esth. 8:15. 1 Dan. 5 : 7, 29. m Esth. 6 : 9. n ch. God hath shewed thee all thii : leave one of your brethren Jiere with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone : 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me : then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men : so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall ^ trafSc in the land. 35 IT And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that be- liold, ^ every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and whe.i /•oth they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. . I r ch. 43 : 21. s ver. 7. t ver. 15, 19, 20. v ch. 34 : 10. x ch. 43 : 21. 27. Jn the inn. A camping place ibr the night rather than a caravan- sera. The term is from a verb meaning to lodge, and lias the local prefix. These halting-grounds are well understood by travellers, and i)rQ fixed according to the distance and the convenience of -water for man and beast. 28. This discovery of the money by one of them alarmed them, be- cause of their evil conscience. " The v>^icked fiee when no man pursueth." They regard it as a Divine infliction. Providence, they say, is plainly against them to involve them in new difficulties at every turn. Afterward they find that the rest also have their money in their sacks, (vs. 35.) 29-34. They arrive at home and narrate to their venerable father what had occurred, and begin to ex- plain Simeon's detention. ^ Ye shall ti'affic, etc. This clause is add- ed to Avhat appears in the history. They were to be admitted to com- mercial privileges in case they should prove themselves true and honest men. 35. As they emptied. Only one had discovered his money till now. They would be several days on the road (five or six), and, if the rest had opened their sacks on the way, it was only one of them which had the money in the sack's mouth, (27.) The rest discovered theirs only when emptying their sacks. They seem to withhold the fact of their previous discovery in one case. B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLIII. 189 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye ^ be- reaved ofviy children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin aivay : all these things are against me. 37 And Beiiben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee : deliver him into mine hand, and I M^ill brir-g him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with jow ; for ^ his brother is dead, and he is left alone ; ^ if mischief befall him by the «'ay in the which ye go, then shall ye '^ bring down my gray hairs idth sorrow to the grave. CHAPTEE XLIII. AND the famine was °- sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the com wdiich they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. ych.43:14. a Ter. 13, and ch. 37 : 33, and 44 : 28. b ver. 4, and ch. 44 : 29. c ch. 37 : 35, and 44 : 31. a ch. 41 : 54, 57. 36. Poor Jacob! ^'- Ye are malcing me diildless. Joseph is c/one, and Simeon is gone ; and will ye take Benjamin? All this falls upon me." — Keil and Delitzscii. Rather, Me ye have utterly bereaved.'^ Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye icill take Benjamin. All of these (things) are against me. How little does Ja- cob in this extremity see how a faith- ful God is ordering all those things for his salvation ! 37. Reuben, the first-born, now comes forward, offering to give up his tAvo sons to be kept as hostages for Benjamin, and to be slain if Ben- jamin be not brought back. Full well did Reuben know that, in the possible event of their not returning Benjamin, the aged grandfather woukl find little satisfaction in slay- ing these lads thus left as guarantees. But it was the farthest that a father could go in satisfying a father's anxiety and doubt. 38. Jacob firmly refused. He looked upon Benjamin as liis only son left after Joseph. So the chil- dren of Rachel had possession of his heart ; and Benjamin is now his all — his idol, worshipped as if in the stead of God. If, as might so easily be, mischief should befiill his darling by the Avay, then he sees nothing but sorrow and the gi-ave before him for his gray-haired old age. And this i-esult he charges upon their proposal. How often, when we think that everything is against us, everything is' really for us and working together for our good. God strikes our idols. Painful as it is, this last, bitterest stroke of parting with Benjamin must be endured for the happy issue. The darkest hour is just before the day. In the mount Jehovah shall be seen, as it was with Abraham. But Jacob had not the faith that so freely gave up Isaac. He looked at the human agents, and overlooked the Divine Agent in it all. If God be for us, who can be against us ? God brings His chosen people through sorrow to joy and through labor to rest. 190 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your ^ brother he with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food : 5 But if thou wilt not send him we will not go down : for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother he with you. 6 And Israel said. Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother ? 7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive, have ye another brother ? and we told him according to the tenor of these words : Could wo certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down ? b ch. 42:20, and 44: CHAPTER XLIir. §66. Benjamin sent. Recep- tion BY Joseph. 1, 2. The famine in Canaan con- tinues, and the pressure is felt more and more. " It is not reasonable to suppose that nine men with nine sacks could convey corn enough to last the large family of Jacob long." — Rosen. Indeed the twelve house- holds had to be supplied, and the store they had brought was now running out ■ — began to fail. (See John 2 : 3.) The famine was chiefly in corn, while other products of the soil were had in some measure ; (as grapes, nuts, olives, almonds, figs, vs. 11;) yet the staff of life was lacking. ^ Go again. Heb. — Return. ^ A Utile food. Little in proportion to their need was all they could buy or bring. 3. Judah here presents to the aged and anxious father the difficulty in the case — the sole condition upon which they could hope to gain any- thing by going back to Egypt. Some months had now elapsed, and Simeon } was still held as a hostage, and the j father could not avoid anxiety for' his return. And now he is balancing between food and Simeon to be had in Egypt, and his darling Benjamin to be parted with for that errand. 4, 5. Judah undertakes to say that if he will allow them to take Benja- min with them, so as to meet this condition of Egypt's lord, they would go down and buy food ; but not other- wise, since it would be a vain errand. 6, 7. Wherefore dealt ?/e, etc. Heb. — Wherefore have ye done evil to me to tell the man., etc. The distressed heart of Jacob must relieve itself by these reflections upon the indiscretion of his sons in revealing this fact of their having a younger brother at home. But they vindicate them- selves by insisting that they frankly replied thus to his particular question- ing, without any suspicion that he would require them to bring him there. ^ Asked us straitly. Earnestly in- quired about us and about our kindred. The narrative foregoing does not mention these inquiries, only that they were constrained b}^ his charge against them (of being spies) to en- ter into full particulars. These very questions, it would seem, were put to them. ^ According. Heb. — Upon B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLIII. 191 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go ; that we may live and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him ; of mine hand shalt thou require him ; *^ if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever : 10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. 11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it Tnust he so now, do this : take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and ^ carry down the man a present, a little ^ balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds : 12 And take double money in your hand ; and the money ^ that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man : c ch. 44 : 32 ; Philem. 18 : 19. d ch. 32 : 20 ; Prov. 18 : 16. e ch. 37 : 25 ; Jer. 8 : 22. f ch. 42 : 25, 35. the mouth o/(in conformity with) these words (his questions.) They were as much surprised as the father could have been at this unexpected de- mand for Benjamin. They should not therefore be blamed. The an- swer is in good temper and fully jus- tifies their speech. 8-11. Judah now urges comphance with the hard condition ; and when Ja- cob thinks of the sad alternative — the starvation of all the household — he is constrained to yield. Judah offers to guarantee Benjamin's safe return. He will take all the risk and all the blame in case of failure. (1 Kings 1 : 21.) This is to assure Jacob that there shall be no failure, if human energy and fidelity can accomplish the safe return of Benjamin. ^ Ex- cept. Judah further reminds Jacob that, but for this hesitancy and delay, the journey would already have been accomplished, and they would have been safely at home. This practical, business-like appeal prevails with Jacob. Pity to delay, when he must yield at last. ^ Take. He acts with the same prudence as in case of meeting Esau. He will conciliate the prime-minister of Egypt with presents. ^ Best fruits. Heb. — The song of the land — that Avhich is most praised of its productions. These are the same (excepting in two cases) with the articles conveyed to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. (Ch. 37 : 25.) These are articles that grow best in a drought. 1 2. Double money. Heb. — Money of second, that is, more money, — not double the amount, — but, of course, money for a second purchase, whether more or less than before. ^ And the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks return it again in your hand. Perhaps it (loas) a mistake, namely, that it was in your bags by some mistake or oversight. 13, 14. Take also your brother. This was the bitter trial, hardest of all for Jacob to say. He refers the case now to the Covenant God. The weakness of his faith appears in his trusting the case to God only when he could hold out no longer ; and it is an equivocal trast, that savors more of despair. ^ If I he bereaved^ GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 14 And God Almighty give you merc}^ before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin: ^If I be be- reaved of r)iy children, I am bereaved. 15 •[[ And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin ; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Josepli saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ^ ruler of his house. Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready : for these men shall dine with me at noon. 17 And the man did as Joseph bade : and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid because they w^ere brought into Joseph's house ; and they said. Because of the money that was re- turned in our sacks at the first time, are we brought in ; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. g Esther 4 : 16. h ch. 24 : 2, and 39 : 4, and 44 : 1. etc. Heb. — And 7, according as I am bereaved, I am bereaved. (Esth. 4 : 16.) If it must be so, then be it so. So he gives up. Could he not confide rather in Hun who had saved him from the wrath of Esau, that He would deliver Shneon and Benjamin? It is too much in the desponding spirit of his former complaint. (Ch. 42 : 36.) He looked too much at the secular, human side of the matter, and too little at the spiritual and di- >^ine side. When we are in the dark, why should we not rather ex- pect deliverance than }'ield to de- spondence ? Why not look on the bright side — the sunny side — where the Sun of Righteousness shines ? Where is our faith, and where is our Christian hope ? " Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him," " AVhat time 1 am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Or, is this indeed the temper of Jacob's mind, and are Ave to re- gard this rather as the language of resignation and submission to the will of God ? So Candlish, Keil, etc. 15. The brothers set out according to the plan of Jacob with present in hand, and arrived in Egypt, and came into the presence of Joseph, probably at the public office. 16. The sight of Benjamin moved Joseph. His object had been ac- complished of bringing him thither, after all the delay. He Avas now re- heved of the fears which had beset him lest Benjamin also had been persecuted by his brethren for being the favorite of his father. He imme- diately handed them over t© the charge of his steward (Ihe ruler of his house^ ch. 39 : 5), Avith orders to take them into his house, and prepare a dinnerfor them and for him. % Slay. Flesh Avas used among the Orientals only on very special occasions and as a holiday meal. This Avould serve to indicate Joseph's kind reception of them. " As is the custom in Egypt and other hot climates, they cooked the meat as soon as killed, with the same vicAv of having it tender Avhich makes northern people keep it until decomposition is beginning." (^Wil- kinson^ p. 1 74.) 17, 18. Their guilty conscience is constantly accusing them, and turn- ing CA^en their generous reception in- to a source of alarm. This is the B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLUL 193 19 And tliey came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, 20 And said, 0 sir, ' we came indeed down at the first time to buy food : 21 And ^ it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money luas in the moutli of his sack, our money in full weight : and we liave brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food : we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. i ch. 42 : 3, 10. k ch. 42 : 27, 35. misery of sin. Conscience makes cowards of them. They thought of the mysterious finding of the pur- chase-money in their sacks, and feared that now they were to be ar- raigned and held in bondage on this account, and that all this strange hos- pitality must be only a blind for en- trapping them, and securing their imprisonment. And yet the Orien- tals were wont to express their friend- ship and good faith by eating a meal with another. How Ihen can they interpret this mystery ? % Seek oc- casion against us. Heb. — Roll him- self upon us, — a common Oriental phrase, similar to the next clause, which is more familiar in other lan- guages. We speak of turning upon a foe, and coining clown upon him, and falling upon him. 19. The steicard. the same person spoken of as ruler or manager of the house (vs. 18), a chief confidential servant. This officer, who had his orders for their entertainment, they communed with, talked confidentially with him at the door of the house. The Egyptian house, especially of i the better sort, is in the Oriental: style, built around an open square. ■ The door is the single opening in the I wall upon the street, which opens in- 1 to the vestibule, and thence into the open court. They were too trou- bled to enter the house without un- 11 burdening their anxiety and explain- ing the mysterious money matter. 20, 21. And said, etc. Heb. — And they said, ice pray, 0 Lord, we (descended) came down, etc. They refer to the first finding of the mon- ey at the halting-place, which dis- coyery was completed at home. ^ In full iceight. The full amount, as money was loeighed at that time. Heb. — According to our silver in its weight — the full amount which we had paid in the purchase. 22. Other money spoken of before (vs. 12) as silver of repetition. ^ We cannot tell. This was to relieve themselves of any suspected complic- ity in the strange transaction. They felt that it was such a thing as re- quired explanation. And all they knew about it was that they had nothing whatever to do with it, and no knowledge of the way in which the money came there. Often cir- cumstances may be such as to throw grave suspicion upon good men. On this account, it is of the utmost im- portance to have a well-established character, which shall be above sus- picion so far as possible, and which shall avail for a man's defence when unjust suspicion has fixed upon him. Here also appears the disadvantage of a bad character, that such an one is suspected ©f wrong doing even when he is not guilty. Besides, these 194 GENESIS. [B. C. 1808. 23 And lie said, Peace he to you, fear not : your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks : I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought the men unto Joseph's house, and ^ gave them water, and they washed their feet ; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon : for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26 IF And when Joseph came home, they brought him the pres- ent which tvas in their hand into the house, and ^ bowed them- selves to him to the earth. 1 ch. 18 : 4, and 24 : 32. m ch 37 : 7, 10. men feel that they have a bad rec- ord with their own conscience, and " a guilty conscience needs no ac- cuser." Trust in God is the chief confidence in such a dark hour. (Ps. 37.) 23. The reply of the steward was unexpectedly encouraging and assur- ing to the distressed brothers. They were innocent of this, but guilty of another and greater crime. The wicked man exposes himself to charg- es and suspicions even when he is innocent, simply because he has lost the confidence of those who know of his misdoings. •[[ Peace he to you. The Oriental salutation of friendship. •|[ Fear not. This was doubly as- suring. ^ Your God and the God of your fathers. How perfectly com- forting that this officer of Egypt's dreaded lord acknowledges the God of the Hebrews, and recognizes Him as the God of these brothers and of their fathers. What a rebuke to their lack of faith. Why should they have been so slow to see His hand in thus supplying them with corn with- out money and without price ? Here again is our New Testament Joseph, who will have no pay for what He has to give, but gives it all freely and of grace, and on no other terms, to whosoever will. ^ / had your money. This is the steward's ac- knowledgment that he had received payment in full for the corn, and that no charge could be brought against them. 24, 25. Every mark of hospitality is shown to them, and Simeon is brought out. Now they could enter the house of Egypt's lord with good cheer. Their consciences are re- heved. They seek only now to ap- pear before him in a becoming man- ner, and present their gift of grati- tude and praise. ^ For they heard that they should eat bread there. Jo- seph would be at home at the dining hour of noon, from his public and official duties, and they will be pre- pared to meet him with a gift espec- ially because of the glad tidings that they were to eat bread there. Jesus has spread a table for us, and anoint- ed our heads with generous oil, and made our cup run over, and chiefly, He has spread His own sacramental table, and will sup with us and we with Him. Well may we bring pres- ents. He will take as purchase- money for His provisions of grace no pay for the Bread of Life. But He win receive our grateful offerings of praise, and with such sacrifices God is well pleased, 2G-28. Now along with the fam- ily, and present in hand, these breth- r«i of Joseph bow themselves to him. B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLUI. 195 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father (rell, the old man " of whom ye spake ? Is he yet alive ? 28 And they answered, Tliy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive : ° and they howed down their heads and made ohei- sance. 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his hrother Benjamin, P his mother's son, and said. Is this your younger brother, ^ of whom ye spake unto me ? Ajid he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste : for ^ his bowels did yearn upon his brother : and he sought tvhere' to weep ; and he entered rnto his chamber, and ^ wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said. Set on * bread. 32 And they set on for himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians which did eat with him, by themselves; be- cause the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews ; for that is ^ an abomination unto the Egyptians. n ch. 42 : 11, 13. o ch. 37 : 7, 10. p ch. 35 : 17, 18. q ch. 42 : 13. r 1 Kings 3 : 26. s ch. 42 : 24. t ver. 25. u ch. 46 : 34 ; Exod. 8 : 26. His dream is verified. The sun, moon, and eleven stars pay him obei- sance. ^ And he asked. (Heb.) — He asked of them of peace, or wel- fare. ^ Ls your father well? Heb. — Whether is peace to your father! Heb. — And they answered peace {or well-being) to thy servant our father — he yet lives. 29. He asks if this is Benjamin, and without awaiting their answer adds, God he gracious to thee., my son. Benjamin was only about a year old when Joseph was sold, as he was six- teen years the younger. 30. And Joseph made haste — has- tened away. He hurried aside smit- ten with overwhelming emotion. His bowels did yearn. Heb. — Were kin- dled upon his brother. (Hos. 11:8.) Kalisch. His love was loarmed for his brother. He is in danger of be- traying his fraternal feeling and thus prematurely reveahng himself as their brother. He retires hurriedly to his chamber. How all the most tender memories of home and of his fond mother and aged father rushed upon him like a flood, at the sight of Benjamin, and the aifecting history of his own separation from home, and of the conspiracy of the broth- ers against him, and the very fulfil- ment of his dream to the letter, now in this strange manner proving God's covenant faithfulness to him, — all this was more than he was able to con- tain. He must relieve himself in tears. 31. Set on bread. That is, bring on the meal. Bread is the term for food in general. 32. Separate tables were provided for him and for them, and for his Egyptian attendants. Joseph eats by himself with regard to his high rank, and as required by Egyptian custom. The table was much the same as at the present day, — a small stool supporting a round tray on which the dishes were placed ; but it differed from this in having its cir- cular summit fixed on a pillar or leg, which was often in the form of a 196 GEN'S SIS. [B. C. 1803, 33 And they sat before liim, the first-born according to his birth- right, and the youngest according to his youth : and the men mar- velled one at another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him : but Benjamin's mess was ^ five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry wdth him. xch. 45:22. man, generally a captive, who sup- ported the slab on his head, the whole being of stone or of some hard wood. One or two guests generally sat at table, though from the mention of persons seated in rows according to rank it has been supposed that the tables were occasionally of a long shape, as may have been the case in this instance. " But even if round, they might still sit according to rank ; one place being always the post of honor, even at the present day at the round table of Egypt." ( V/ilkinson, p. 179.) "The guests sat on the ground or on stools and chairs, and having neither knives nor forks nor any substitute for them, like the chop- sticks of the Chinese, they ate with their fingers and with the right hand like the modern Asiatics." ( Wilkin- son, p. 181.) The law of caste sepa- rated diiferent ranks of Egyptians to different tables. And Herodotus mentions the unwillingness of the Egyptians to have any familiar in- tercourse with foreigners. (2 : 41.) The Egyptians were prevented from eating with the Hebrews because the latter slew and ate animals which the former regarded as sacred — the cow, the ox, etc. ; so that the Egyp- tians would not even use the cooking utensils of a Greek. The cow was regarded as the symbol of nature's fertility, and was sacred to Isis. Be- sides, the Hebrews did not practise the same religious ceremonies at meals as the Egyptians. It is also said, (ch. 46 : 34^) that " every shep- herd is an abomination to the Egyp- tians." " They considered all for- eigners unclean." (Rawlinson.) 33. They sat before him. " In their mode of sitting on chairs they resem- bled the modern European rather than the Asiatics, neither using soft divans nor sitting cross-legged on carpets. Nor did they recline at meals as the Romans on a triclinium." ( Wilkinson.) They were here ranged exactly in accordance with their ages, and no wonder they marvelled one at another because they could not see how Joseph should know their respective ages, except by supernat- ural aid. Here was another m}'stery in the strange transaction. The frst- born according to his birthright, and the smallest (youngest) according to his smallness (youth.) 34. And he took — impers. — One took messes (dishes.) The yroper official or servant bore from J ;seph's table the messes or portions Plotted to each. This was to do them honor, and this gave opportunity to distin- guish Benjamin above the reat by a Jive-fold portion. Five seems to have been the sacred number among the Egyptians. (See ch. 41 : 34 ; 45 : 22!) 1" Five times. Heb. — Five hands. (See 1 Sam. 9 : 23, 24.) He thus expressed his special affec- tion for his own brother, and tested the rest as to the envy and jealousy which such a treatment might awaken in them, as aforetime in his own case. *[[ They drank and drank freely with him. Not meaning that they drank excessively. (See Hag. 1:6; Sol. Song 5:1.) All their alarm and B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLIV. 197 CHAPTER XLIV. AND lie commanded the stewcard of his house, saying, Pill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money : and he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they, and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward. Up, follow after the men ; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them. Wherefore have ye re- warded evil for good ? 5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and wherehy indeed he divineth ? ye have done evil in so doing. 6 IF Ajid he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. apprehension was put to rest by this cordial and generous hospitality. So our New Testament Joseph bids us sit at the table which He richly fur- nishes in His house. He anoints our head with oil, in token of honorable reception, and our cup runneth over. (Ps. 23 : 5.) And such condescend- ing love puts all our doubts and fears to rest CHAPTER XLIV. § 67. Silver Cup in Benjamin's Sack. Judah's Plea. Joseph has yet one more expedi- ent for putting his brothers to the test and preparing them, under their awakened anxiety, for the discovery which he will make of himself to them. He introduces another mys- terious item into their affairs, which shall seem to them like the working of supernatural judgment bringing them to account. He will now con- trive to put Benjamin in special peril, and see how they will act towards him and whether their jealousy re- mains as it was in his case. Besides that, all this shall be calculated to revive the memories of their wicked treatment of him on account of envy. 1, 2. The command to the ruler or steward was now to fill the sacks and return the money as before, and, be- sides, to put his silver cup into the mouth of Benjamin's sack. 3-6. So soon as it was light. Heb. — T7ie morning was light, and the men were sent away, etc. They had left the city and were not far off, and Jo- seph said, etc. ^ Wherefore, etc. — Why have ye rewarded evil instead of good ? Is not this which my lord drinketh in it ? and he, divining, will divine in it — will, or can, certainly divihe in it. This is said to enhance the value of the cup, as one fit for such incantations and auguries as the Egyptians were known to practise by cups or goblets. It is not said that Joseph actually used it for this pur- pose. And it would also suggest to them the idea of his familiarity with secret things and sacred mygteriea 198 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words ? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing : 8 Behold, * the money which we found in our sack's mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold ? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, ^ both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bond-men. 10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant 5 and ye shall be blameless. 11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched, arid began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they "^ rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. a ch. 43 : 21. b ch. 31 : 32. c ch. 37 : 29, 34 ; Num. 14 : 6 ; 2 Sam. 1 : 11. (See vs. 15.) This would deepen their impression of supernatural agency at work in all this matter of their arrest and judgment, and would tend to quicken their consciences as to their great sin towards Joseph. Jamhlichus speaks of these incanta- tions. Clean water was poured into a goblet, and pieces of gold or silver or precious stonfes were dropped into the water, and the observations were then made from the appearance of the contents. Certain figures, re- flected by the rays of light in pure water, were taken as indications of future events. 7-9. They protest their innocence. " God forbid;' etc. lieb.—Far he it to thy servants fro7n doing, etc. They plead their honesty in the former case (returning the money found, mysteriously in their sacks) in evi- dence of their innocence of this charge of theft. A man who is known to lie sulTers the penalty by being disbelieved when he speaks the truth. And so a character for vera- city will stand a man in stead when he is accused of falsehood. So, also, in regard to one's established honesty when charged with theft. They are so conscious of rectitude that they at once propose that the one with whom the cup shall be found shall pay the forfeit by death, and the rest should go into bondage in Egypt. This was a very rash proposal, as the re- sult proved. 10. The steward accepts this only in part, confining the punishment of servitude to the one with whom the cup should be found — the rest to be acquitted. 11. Then, etc. Heb. — And they hasted and took down. They were most eager for the search, to prove their innocence. 1 2. The search was made by the steward, and, as he passed from the eldest down, they were doubtless ex- ulting in their undoubted clearance, when, lo ! at the very last, in the bag of the one who could least of all have done it, and whom they could bear the least of all to be sacrificed, the cup is found ! 13. What now shall they do ? They are horror-sti'uck, and give B. C. 1803.J CHAPTER XLIV. 199 14 IF And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, (for he icas yet there :) and they ^ fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done ? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine ? 16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord ? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants : behold, ® we are my lord's ser- vants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. 17 And he said, ^ God forbid that I should do so : hut the man in wliose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant ; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. d ch. 37 : 7. e ver. 9. f Prov. 17 : 15. vent to their bitter grief. But they ■will not leave Benjamin to his hap- less fate of a slave. They will at once return to the city (not far off), and make their defence and plea. 14. Judah, who had become surety- for Benjamin to his aged father, heads the procession, and they come to the house of Joseph and find him still there. He doubtless expected to hear from them very soon. They again bow before him. Again his dream is fulfilled. He has the destiny of the family in his hands. God has plainly invested hina with superiority, so that they cannot evade his power nor escape out of Jiis hands. Must they not, all this while, think of Joseph's dreams, and conclude that there is some mysterious con- nection between them and these events V Perhaps they think that, as they wickedly put him out of the way rather than bow to him, God is making them bow to another — a stranger — a foreign lord — instead of to Joseph. Now they are stung to the quick. 15. Joseph challenges them with the strange and ugly-looking facts. % Wot ye not. Heb. — Do ye not know that a man luho is as I, divining will divine — can or could certainly divine this ? This refers them to the supernatural features of the case, to stir their conscience to the depths. Joseph does not profess to divine. He only claims this prerogative for such an one as he, and refers to his supernatural knowledge as being manifest in the case such, as they were wont to attribute to diviners. Though they do not yet recognize Joseph, must they not think of his dreams ? 16, 17. Judah does not attempt any defence. Though he is conscious of innocence, he does not see how to stand up against the stubborn fact — the finding of the cup. Heb. — What shall we say to my lord — how shall ive speak, and how shall ice jus- tify ourselves ? The God (the Per- sonal God) has found out the wicked- ness of thy servants. Not that he confesses this theft, but the wicked- ness of life, and especially that griev- ous sin against Joseph. (See ch. 42 : 21.) This is the desired result. He is smitten with the reproach of their sin in selHng Joseph. This was doubtless the effect of Joseph's expedients, under Divine direction, to bring them to this sense of sin in their treatment of him, before he shall reveal himself as their brother. Our Kinsman Redeemer does the same. He brings us to a sharp sense of sin in order to be more welcome when He reveals Himself as the Sa- 20C GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 18 IT Then Judah came near unto liim^ and said, 0 my lord, let thy servant, I pray tliee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and ^ let not thine anger burn against thy servant : for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother ? 20 And we said unto my lord. We have a father, an old man, and ^ a child of his old age, a little one : and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, ^ Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes u]3on him. 22 And we said unto my lord. The lad cannot leave his father ; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, ^ Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24 And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And ^ our father said. Go again, and buy us a little food. 2Q And we said, We cannot go down : if our youngest brother g ch. 18 : 30, 32 ; Exod. 32 : 22. h ch. 43 : 2. ' 3. i ch. 42 : 15 : 20. k ch. 43 : 3, 5. 1 ch. viour of sinners. This makes the gospel glad tidinys to such. Judah will now give up all claim to freedom for all of them, though none were to be held guilty but the possessor of the cuj^. And so the steward replies. 17. Will the brothers now leave Benjamin to his fate, and go home with the sad tale to Jacob ? 18-20. Judah now pleads as only one can plead whose whole soul is stirred to an agony of prayer. Now Judah proves himself a wrestler like Jacob. " I would give very much," says Lu- ther^ " if I could pray to our Lord God as well as Judah prays to Joseph here ; for it is a perfect specimen of prayer — the true feeling that there ought to be in prayer." He recites the tender items in the history, seiz- ing upon the points most calculated to move the stoutest heart, and skil- fully weaving his plea so as to make it a model of pathos and force. It has the eloquence of facts — of facts such as must move any heart that is not past feeling. The alternative ia given in the very words of Jacob — that his gray hairs must be brought down with sorrow to the grave. ^ A word. He asks the privilege of speaking a word. " Say, what is prayer, when it is prayer indeed? The mighty iitterance of a mighty need." He begs that the lord's anger may not burn against him. He is in hia power ; the evidence is against him ; he may be consigned to swift destruc- tion ; the facts are fatal to his case. But he will press his suit, if possible to get a hearing. He owns the royal authority which he addresses, — For so art thou as Pharaoh, — but he must tell the facts, in some faint hope of prevalence. 21. Set my eyes upon him to show him favor. (Jer. 39 : 12 ; 40 : 4.) B. C. 1803.J CHAPTER XLV. 201 be with us, then will we go down ; for we may not see the man's face, except our j^oungest brother he with us. 27- And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that ^ my wife bare me two sons : 28 And the one went out from me, and I said, "^ Surely he is torn in j^ieces ; and I saw him not since : 29 And if ye ^ take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now therefore when I come to th}^ servant my father, and the lad he not with us ; (seeing that ^' his life is bound up in the lad's life ;) 31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 Eor thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father,^ saying, "i If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever. 33 Now therefore, I pray thee, ^ let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bond-man to my lord ; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad he not with me ? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father. CHAPTER XLY. THEN Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him ; and he cried. Cause ever}^ man to go out from me: and m ch. 46 : 19. u ch. 37 : 33. o ch. 42 : 36, 83. p 1 Sam. 18 : 1. q ch. 43 : 9. Exod. 32 : 32. 27. My wife. "Jacob regards Rachel alone as his actual wife." (Ch 46 : 19.) 28. And I said. Heb.— " And 1 was obliged to say, Only torn in pieces has he become." — Keil and De- litzscli. 30, 31. He calls attention to the bitter, fatal consequence of going home without Benjamin. ^ His soul (of the father) is bound up in his (the youth's) soul. He loves him as his own soul. ^ Will have sinned, for- ever— will be held forever guilty. 33. Judah is even ready to forego all the charms of home, and submit 1 for us." to wear out his life in Egyptian ' bondage, rather than have such a calamity befall his father as the loss of Benjamin. And he had so plighted his faith to his father, though he was the birthright son. It is through this Judah that our blessed Lord comes ; and this is His proposal — to bear the curse that would fall upon us ; and, though Himself the birthright Son, He would endure the cross, despising the shame, that we — the humblest, youngest, or obscurest of us — may go free, and that His Father's pleasure may be fulfilled in the salvation of His chosen. " He was made a curse 202 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. tliere stood no man witli him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud ; and the Egyptians and tjie house of Pharaoh heard. CHAPTER XLV. § 68. Joseph discovers Himself TO HIS Brethren. Sends for Jacob. " Now at length all the love, which during twenty-two long years had been pert up in Joseph's breast, bursts forth with irrepressible might." — De Sola. Joseph can no longer conceal his feelings as a brother. No official garb can cover any longer the brother's heart. Judah's appeal was overwhelming. And now the great object of Joseph was gained, under God, in bringing the recreant broth- ers to the sharpest sense of their mis- deeds, so as the better to prepare them for the glad and gracious dis- covery of himself as their savior. Such trials and vexations are in God's plan of discipline for bringing sinners to salvation. And this "his- tory, in which Joseph acts as the type of our New Testament Joseph, only shows us how God pleases often by a series of delays and disappoint- ments to prepare us for the revela- tion and appreciation of His grace. It was so with the sisters at Bethany. It is so with us all. " Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revela- tion of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen we love." Our Elder Brother aims, in the midst of all our severest trials, to reveal Himself — walking on the wave at the fourth watch, standing on the shore when we have caught nothing. Blessed is he who can first cry out, like the beloved disciple, It is the Lord. (John 21 : 7). Joseph did not contemplate severity. He would only be satisfied by all the tests, that the brothers were in a state of mind to be trusted with his favor. 1. Joseph's brotherly heart was now so stirred to the depths that he could not contain himself He was in danger of giving way to his feel- ings in the presence of the Egyptian attendants. But there are feelings that " the stranger intermeddleth not with." To have allowed those out- siders to remain would have been to expose the whole history to the need- less damage and shame of the broth- ers. He therefore commanded ac- cordingly. % Cause every man — that is, except the brothers — and there stood no man loilh him. He was left alone Avith them, for the trying, ex- citing disclosure of this deep secret of his heart. Must they not have had their misgivings ? Was there nothing at ail in feature, voice, or manner to give any hint of Jo- seph ? 2. He wept aloud. Heb. — He gave {lifted up) his voice in weeping. How his tender, fond, fraternal heart now shows itself in tears to be the heart of Joseph. Before he could give ut- terance amidst his choking emotions, must they not have seen the long- i lost brother in the swimming eyes I and piercing tones of love '? It was * the wicked brothers who should have filled the house with outcries and bitter groans of repentance. But it is Joseph who weeps in the presence of the transgressors. How our New Testament Joseph weeps at the grave of Lazarus to think of all the rava- ges wliich sin has made ! " He wept that we might weep Each sin demands a tear." B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLV. 203 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren : ** I atn Joseph ; doth my father yet live ? And his brethren could not answer him ; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you : and they came near : and he said, I mil Joseph your brother, ^ whom ye sold into Egypt. a Acts 7 : 13. b ch. 37 : 28. Not your tears, sinner, but the tears and agonies of Jesus must avail for salvation. No wonder that Joseph wept at the thought of home, of the dear old father in his sore distress, of these wayward brothers in their tribulation, and of all the exciting discoveries that he had in his heart to make to them for the salvation of the household. ^ The Efjijptians and the house of Pharaoh — the royal family — heard. The attendants just put out from his presence would nat- urally have heard, and the report would go to the Egyptian court from these officials. 3. He must now speak out in plainest terms. Thi? is the great se- cret. / (am) Joseph. How this brief sentence goes to their heart, explains the mystery, fills them with awe and self-reproach, yet invites their confidence. How we are re- minded of Saul of Tarsus, when our New Testament Joseph reveals Him- self to him. " Who art thou, Lord ? I AM Jesus whom thou persecutest." What shall Joseph now say ? Shall he remind them of the pit and the sale into slavery, to confound them utterly ? No ! He asks only " Doth my father yet live f " This is to con- fess them as his brethren, by ac- knowledging their common father. So Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. (Heb. 2:11.) Only as a next step will Joseph refer to their wrong-doing, and then the rather to bid them not h^ grieved nor angi-y with themselvos so as to keep them aloof from '.tifli with feai'. He had heard them speak of his father as alive. But the fondness of his filial nature breaks forth in this tender in- quiry after his father. And thus he discovers himself as yet their brother, notwithstanding all their alienation and all that had occurred. ^ Trouh' led. Confounded before him. The sense of sin drives us away from God. Adam hides in the thickets of Para- dise. Only the revelation of Divine love to sinners can bring us to confi- dence and comfort. Accordingly this is the gospel plan. 4. Come near to me. How inex- pressibly tender and loving. How disposed to forget and bury their sin. He invites them to his free favor. So our Joseph in the gospel bids U3 come to Him. This is the gospel message, Come unto me. Already they are assured that this is a gra- cious invitation. This is the entreaty of love. He will have them ap- proach more closely and come boldly that he may more fully reveal him- self, and open his heart to them. They felt the power of this gracious word and they came near. ^ And he said, only what would more fully reassure them, / am Joseph your brother. Before it was only, "laro Joseph," now he adds, your brother. He recognizes the relation as un- broken by all their harsh dealing. We are yet sons, though prodigal sons. So our Joseph is " not ashamed to call us brethren." " He that doeth the will of God, the same is my broth- er, and sister, and mother." Yet he will refer to their sin, — whom ye sold 204 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 5. !N"ow therefore *^ be not grieved, nor angry witli yourselves, that ye sold me hither : *^ for God did send me before you to pre- serve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land : and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither he earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you, to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 3 Isa. 40 : 2 ; 2 Cor. 2:7. d ch. 50 : 20 ; Ps. 105 ; 16, 17 ; 2 Sam. 16 : 10, 11 ; Acts 4 : 24. into Egypt. So said our Joseph to Saul, 1 am Jesus whom thou persecut- est. But this is all a revelation of gospel grace. It is hard for thee (He does not say, It is hard for me) to kick against the pricks. So here. ^ Now therefore be not grieved nor angry luith yourselves^ etc. Lit. — Let it not hum in your eyes. Now he will point them to the grand scheme of redemption. He will lead them away from themselves, and from self-reproaches, and from despair, to view the gracious ways of God in the salvation of His people. Let not your feelings terminate in self-con- demnation for your sins, though grief and self-abhorrence are appropriate enough. But look beyond all this at the gracious plan of God. His prov- idence is redemptive. His redemp- tion is providential, God's hand was in this matter; and with a saving purpose to preserve life. He sent him before them. So sang the Psalm- ist : " He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant." (Ps. 105: 17.) And the psalm recites the items of Joseph's history in the language of devout praise to God. So of our New Tes- tament Joseph the apostle says, " Whom being delivered by the de- terminate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." This only shows God's abso- lute control of all creatures and events, but it in no wise excuses the conduct of the wicked that God can and does overrule it to accomj)Hsh His own holy purposes, for the cove- nant household. 6. For these two years. Murphy notices hence that the sons of Jacob obtained a supply on the first occa- sion sufficient for a year. Five years out of the seven remained, and these were to be years of severest famine, in ichich there would be neither ear- ing nor harvest. To ear in the An- glo Saxon means to plough — from the word " erian." It is so used, Exod. 34 : 12 ; Deut. 21 : 4. There would be no tillage because no crop, and hence no inducement to till the soil. If the famine was occasioned by a failure of the Nile to overflow on account of excessive drought, then the land would be in no condition to plant. (Ch. 41 : 57.) 7. He repeats here the reference to God's agency for good to them, in all the history. It was to preserve you a posterity in the earth — " to estab- lish you a remnant upon the earth. (Compare 2 Sam. 14 : 7) — to secure to you the preservation of the tribe and of posterity during this famine," and to preserve your lives by a great deliverance, or " to a great deliver- ance— to a great nation delivered from destruction." — Keil. (Ch. 50 : 20.) Thus Joseph predicts the grand and gracious results. B C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLV. 205 8 So now it icas not you that sent me hither, but God : and he hath made me "" a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste yq, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Eg^^^t ; come down unto me, tarry not : 10 And ^thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's chil- dren, and thy flocks, and thine herds, and all that thou hast : 11 And there will I nourish thee, (for yet there are five years ech.41: 43; Judg. 17 : 10; Job 29: 16. fch, 47: 1. 8. So now. Again he insists that it was God (even more than they) who was concerned in sending him to Egypt. Heh.—Ha-Elohim. The personal God — author and dispenser of all events. '' God executes His decrees in the works of creation and Providence." ^ A father to Pha- raoh— Governor. — Kalisch. Second author of hfe to him. — Murphy. Most confidential counsellor and friend. — Keil. So Haman is styled a second father to Artaxerxes. (Esther 13 : 6. See Greek.) ^Lord, etc. (Comp. ch. 41 : 40, 41.) God's hand was in his transfer to Egypt, as part of a plan for his elevation over all the land, overruling the wicked devices of his brethren to fulfil His purpose as predicted in the dreams. 9. Joseph wUl now send them back to their father vrith such exciting news, and such inviting message. He will have them hasten. His fil- ial heart longs to have his father there where he can cheer and com- fort ajid support his declining years, and bind up this grievous wound, be- fore his death. He will put forward in the front of the whole matter, not the wicked brothers, but God as He who hath elevated to such place and power the old man's son and their brother, the long-lost Joseph. What an astounding result cf their mission ! i Better than abundance of corn is it, i to be assured that the lord of the I granaries is his own Joseph. How blessed to know from the gospel that the dispenser of universal providence and the proprietor of the universe is our God, forever and ever, — that our elder brother is exalted at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And then the message, come down unto me — tarry not. (So John 14.) Faith in the Father and the Son is the cure for heart-trouble. " I will surely come again to take you to myself that where I am there ye may be also." 10. He already has a place pre- pared for the covenant household. " Thou shalt dwell in the land of Go- shen." This was the most fertile part of the land, best suited for shepherds, east of the Nile, and not far from the capital of the Pharaohs, — easily reached by carriai[2;e. It was not ex- clusively occupied by the Hebrews, for, in the time of the Exodus, the dwellings of the Hebrews were marked" to distinguish them from those of the Egyptians, against the destroying angel. (Exod. 12: 23.) The covenant household is now to be transferred to Egypt, for their de- velopment from a family to a nation. (Ch. 47:11.) 11. / will nourish thee. This ia 206 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803 of famiae ;) lest tliou, and thine houseliold, and all that thou hast come to poverty. 12 And hehold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Ben- jamin, that it is ^ my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen : and ye shall haste, and ^ bring dowr. my father hither. 14 And he fell ujjon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them and after that his brethren talked with him. g ch. 42 : 23. h Acts 7 : 14. Joseph's pledge for all the years of famine — his guarantee to supply liim with food and maintain him and his house during all the severities of the coming five years, lest thou and thj household and all that thou hast come to poverty. Joseph speaks as one having authority. He who has such power to forgive has also such power to give. " Whether is easier to say ? " (Mark 2:9.) ^ Come to poverty. Heb. — Be stripped, of all things and possessed by another. Joseph kept his word to the letter. (Ch. 4 7: 12.) 12. He appeals to their natural senses in proof of his identity. You see,, he says, that it is I. The eyes of my brother Benjamin must recognize me, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. Onk. — That I speak to you in your own language, tie spoke now without an interpreter in his native tongue, and they must have known now that it was he indeed, strange, incredible as it might seem. So our Joseph reveals Himself that we may not fail to recognize Him. It is I, be not afraid. (1.) Fihal piety is beautiful. (2.) It is a shame to a son when he becomes exalted to despise and neglect his poor parents. 13. He bids them bear to his father a full report of all that they had seen with their own eyes of his glory in Egypt, of his power and preroga- tive in the land of plenty. And he will have them hasten and bring down his father thither. So our Joseph prays, " Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may be- hold my glory." His glory and hap- piness will be doubled to him by having his father share the benefits. 14. Now he could no longer keep off the neck of his dear brother Ben- jamin, the pet, and pride, and joy of his bereaved father. After the Ori- ental manner he expressed his emo- tion by falling on his neck and kiss- ing him. (Ch. 50: 1.) This emotion and affection was responded to by Benjamin in like manner. The de- votion was mutual. 15. In the spirit of a fond brother, and not of an offended judge, he kisses all of them' as well as Benja- min, and thus assures them of for- giveness more expressly than any la- bored language could have done. The effect was manifestly as he de- sired. They were emboldened to speak to him after this. After he had thus assured them thrice of God's gracious hand in the matter of his elevation to power in Egypt, and af- ter he had certified them of a broth- er's love notwithstanding all their B. C. 1803.J CHAPTER XLY. 207 16 IF And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, say- ing, Joseph's brethren are come : and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye ; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan ; 18 And take your father, and your households, and come unto me : and I will give yon the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat ' the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye ; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for j^our little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Also regard not your stuff: for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. i ch. 27 : 28 ; Numb. 18 : 12, 29. wickedness, they ventured then to talk with him. After all our Joseph's assurances by word and deed in the gospel, by His loving life, and His living love, we may come boldly to the throne, seeing it is the throne of grace. Our Elder Brother, our Kinsman Redeemer is such an one as we need. Our Joseph will have us emboldened to talk with Him in prayer and communion. 16, 17. The fame or report of their arrival was soon heard in the palace of Pharaoh, and the king and his servants were well pleased that Jo- seph's brethren had come. Joseph was so highly respected and honored, that what pleased him so much would please the royal court. Though Jo- seph had already given them com- mandment to go and bring their fa- ther and all the household to settle in Egypt (vs. 9, 11), it was proba- bly not without Pharaoh's knowledge and consent. And now the king- most formally extends to them, through Joseph, the invitation in most large and liberal terms. Jo- seph had spoken only of the five years of famine, as if he contempla- ted their temporary sojourn there. But Pharaoh seemingly invites them to a permanent settlement — promises to them the best produce of the land. (See vs. 20, 23 ; ch. 24 : 10.) The fat of the land is the choicest prod- uct of the land. 19. Tliou art commanded. This royal command to Joseph was requi- site, since it was strictly forbidden that wagons should be taken out of Egypt. (See vs. 21.) Wilkinson says that " wagons were commonly used in Egypt for travelling, and Strabo performed the journey from Syene to the spot where he crossed the river to visit Philoe in one of these carriages." Vehicles are de- scribed on the monuments as two- Avheeled — chariot-shaped. At this day a few carriages are to be seen in Alexandria, even an omnibus meets you at the wharf. And in Cairo a European carriage, four-wheeled with two horses, may be occasionally seen driven through the street, pre- ceded by an usher who cracks a huge whip and cries out to the people to clear the narrow street, lest the}^ be run over. AVe took such a car- riage from our hotel in Cairo to go to "Heliopolis. But the deep sand so clogged the vehicle, that we found it expedient to unharness the horses and take to their backs. 20. Regard not your stuff. Heb. 208 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. 21 And tlie cliildren of Israel did so : and Joseph gave tliem wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the waj'. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment : but to Benjamin he gave three humhed. jyiaoes of silver, and ^ five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this inanner ; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them. See that ye fall not out by the way. k ch. 43: 34. --Let not your eye care for — look vc'ilh mourninc) at — your goods — your furniture and household goods. The khig was rich enough to ailbrd them ample outfit in their new settlement in Egypt. Our Joseph is rich, and why need we care for these articles of our mere temporary habitation V • For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle v/ere dis- solved, we have a building of God." " All things are yours — the world, life, death — things present, things to rome." "This free and honorable invitation of Pharaoh is related cir- cumstantially because it involved the riLjlit of Israel to leave Egypt again v/ithout hindrance." 21. It was done according to the royal direction and Joseph's plan. And Joseph gave the brothers wag- ons according to — at the moul/i of — Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. ^Vheelcd vehicles are scarcely seen in Palestine. 22. To show his liberality towards them, as well as most favorably to impress his aged father and concil- iate him to return with them, he gave them, according to Oriental (rustom, changes of raiment, fine hol- iday dresses, to change for a special oc( asion. But to Benjamin three hundred pieces (shekels) of silver and five changes of raiment. (Ch. 41 : 34.) Oriental dresses, as they con- tinue in fashion, are of permanent value, and constitute a large portion of the wealth of families. Joseph would show his special fondness for his own brother, and this would no longer excite the jealousy of the rest, while it would touch the heart of the doting father. Parents are often best won by especial attentions to their children. 23. To his father. Joseph sent the most substantial gifts — loads of the best produce of Egypt, and loads of food for the aged father by the ivay, that his journey to Egypt might be richly provided for in every way. 24. Joseph had one injunction for his brethren on their journey. See that ye fall not out by the way. Gr. — Do not get angry by the way. Cal- vin suggests that this was to guard them against charging each other with the blame of Joseph's exile, and thus, by mutual criminations, becom- ing involved in disputes and quarrels about Joseph. So excited as they would be, and so left to themselves to dwell upon the strange, amazing facts of Joseph's history, it was most natural to fear this result. Brothers of our Joseph should love one an- other, and not indulge in mutual censures and reproofs, to rend the household of faith, but comfort one B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLV. 209 25 IT And they went up out of Egj-pt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And tokl him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governoi over all the land of Egypt. ^ And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had gaid unto them : and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their fother re-^dved : 28 And Israel said. It is enough : Joseph my son is yet alive : I will go and see him before I die. 1 Job 29 : 24 ; Ps. 126 : 1 ; Luke 21 : 11, 11. another with these gospel words of pardon, peace, and salvation. Ka- li^ch reads, " Do not he afraid on the way" " The word admits of this meaning. The brothers had indeed to convey to their father a most joy- ous and happy message ; but, in do- ing this, they were obliged at once to confess to hira the detestable crime committed by them against Joseph. How could they fece his look of min- gled reproach and horror ? " Be- sides, the shameful deception prac- tised upon their father during these long years must now be confessed to him with dee])est shame and disgrace. 25, 26. They left Egypt, accord- ingly, and came into Canaan, with all their imposing equipage. And what a message have they for the anxious and depressed father ! In few words they tell the grand story — a living, loving Joseph, lord of ail Egypt ! This is better than the largest stores of corn for the lamine. The proprietor of the land of plenty is the long-lost son 1 " If thou hast wherewithal to spice a draught When griefs prevail, And for the future time art heir To th' Isle of Spices — is't not fair ? " Joseph is still living — yea (emphatic) he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. And JacoVs heart fab. ted (stopped,) for he 'believed them not. The news was only too good to be credited. How could he believe such astound- ing good tidings, without most special evidence ? 27. He hstened to all the words of Joseph, and the doubting heart was incredulous. So we hesitate to be- lieve the gospel. The good news seems too good for sinners. We think there must be some mistake- some work to be done by ug — not everything for nothing ! Free favor, free grace ! It seems too much. ^ When he saw the icagons ivhich Joseph had sent to carry him., the .spirit of Jacob their father re rived. When we see the history of redemp- tion, the progress of Christianity, the means of grace, our confidence in God's gracious intent is strengthened. When the Christian at last sees the provision made for his departure, the Intercessor gone before, the mansion prepared, the escort of angels, the welcome home, he receives dying grace, and often is most cheered and comforted in death. The spirit of Jacob reciced. 28. And hrael said. '■'■Jacob" now becomes " Israel." His faith triumphs. His grief of twenty-two years is ended. It is enough 1 The assurance of a Living Lord and Sa- viour is soul-satisf^-ing. We want to go and see Him. Phil. 1 : 23, 210 GENESIS. [B. C. 1808. CHAPTER XL VI. AND Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to " Beersheba, and offered sacrifices ^ unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spake unto Israel <^ in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob ! and he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, ^ the God of thy father : fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I will there ^ make of thee a great nation : a ch. 21 : 31, 33, and 28 : 10. b ch. 26 : 24, 25, and 28 : 13, and 31 : 42. c ch. 15 : 1 ; Job 33: 14,15. d ch. 28: 13. e ch. 12: 2; Deut 26: 5. CHAPTER XL VI. § 69. God appears to Jacob. The Migration of Jacob's House. " The second dream of Joseph is now to receive its fulfilment. His father is to bow down before him. His mother Is dead. The figure by which the dream shadows forth the reality is fulfilled when the spirit of it receives its accomplishment." — Murphy. Israel was now passing from the condition of a family in Canaan to become a nation in Egypt, and so to return to the promised land. This was the second stage of the covenant history, and the sec- ond stage of necessary development from the chosen family to become a covenant nation, first for training in Canaan, and thenceforth never to be lost sight of, in all the future his- tory of the world. " Israel was God's illuminated clock set in the dark steeple of time." 1. Jacob now journeyed ivitJi all that he had to take up a new abode, further fulfilling the Divine plan and prediction (ch. 15: 13,) in a land of strangers, as a second stage in the accomplishment of the four hundred years of oppression. The church now enters in*o the domain of heathendom to give and take, un- til the church shall appropriate to it- self all the world's resources, and fill the whole earth. Jacob, on his part, recognizes God's covenant leading, and as he came to Beersheba, the fron- tier town, where Abraham and Isaac had acknowledged God (ch. 21 : 33; 26 : 24, 25), he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Thus he, on his part, attested the cove- nant which God had made with his fathers. How blessed, amidst all the changes of the household, to have a family covenant with its sa- cred seak. 2. It was a crisis in the patriarchal history, at which we might expect God to appear to Jacob. He Avas leaving the sacred soil for a strange land. He was taking with him his family and his earthly all for a new abode, among heathen. And though Joseph was there in power, by the manifest providence of his Covenant God, he naturally trembled for the future of his household, when he should so soon be laid in the grave. But he receives assurance upon these points, in the visions of the nighty that is, in such revelations as God was wont to make to the patriarchs in dreams and visions during the night-seasons. (See Job 33 : 15.) 3. Thus did God appear to him in his flight from Canaan (ch. 28 • B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLYL 211 4^1 will go down with thee into Egypt ; and I will also surely s bring thee up again : and '' Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 5 And ' Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba : and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons ^ which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 Ajid they took their cattle, and their goods which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, ^ Jacob, and all his seed with him ; 7 His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. f ch. 28: 15, and 48: 21. g ch. 15: 16, and 50: 13, 24, 25; Exod. 3 : 8. h ch. 50: 1. i Acts 7 : 15. k ch. 45 : 19, 21. • 1 Deut. 26 : 5 ; Josh. 24 : 4 ; Ps. 105 : 23 ; Isa. 52 : 4. 12,) revealing Himself (1.) as the Omnipotent — (Ha-Ei.) the Mighty One — able to fulfil all His covenant engagements and to carry him through all difficulties of the present and the future ; (2.) as the God of thy father, recognizing the household covenant and the patriarchal history throughout, as not by any means to be overlooked. This was the com- forting aspect in which he needed now to behold God's dealings. ^ Fear not. This woukl signify to him that he should go down into Egypt un- der the Divine protection. And this is declared to be an important item in the Divine plan, and in the cove- nant history. ^ For there will I make of thee a great nation. (See Exod. 1: 20; 12: 37.) This word of en- couragement and of promise was the more important as Isaac his father had been forbidden to go into Egvpt. (Ch. 26: 2.) The time had "iiow come for the promised expansion of the family into the nation, that so they might in due season occupy the promised laud. 4. It was further promised that he should have the presence of God with him in going down to that land of strangers, and that he should not be left there, but be brought up again (in his descendants, of course), in the fulness of the time. Besides, it was most consoling to the patri- arch to know that Jiis tavorite Joseph would close his eyes in death, as he had already been assured that he should be buried with his fathers in peace. (Ch. 15 : 15.) The passage here is emphatic. " Itvill go down toith thee into Egypt., and 1 — bring thee up again also icill I ; and Joseph shall close thine eyes." Jacob was now one hundred and thirty years old, and Joseph thirty-nine ; Reuben about forty -six, and Benjamin about twenty-six. 5-7. The descent is now described. The sons of Jacob convey the patri- arch and the entire household iii the wagons ichich Pharaoh had sent to carry him. The goods which they had gotten include all their substance. % Daughters, etc. Only one daugh- ter is named in the list, and one granddaughter. There may have been other daughters and grand- daughters, who, if they married to Egyptians, or other strangers, (or for other reasons,) would not be included in the genealogical list, as " mothers in Israel." (See Turner.) Or " the plural may be adopted in order to correspond with the general form of classification." — Murphy. AVe can see reasons why God would so order 212 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803. T[ 8 And "' these are the names of the cliildren of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacoh and his sons : " Eeuhen, Jacob's first-horn 9 And the sons of Reuben ; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 IF And ° the sons of Simeon ; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 ^ And the sons of ^ Levi ; Gerslion, Kohath, and Merari. 12 IF And the sons of ^ Judah ; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and riiarez, and Zarah : but "" Er and Onan died in the land of CV naan. And ' the sons of Pharez M^ere Hezron and Hamul. 13 IF *And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Pliuvah, and Job, a,nd Shimron. 14 IF And the sons of Zel)ulon ; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These he the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters luere thirty and three. 16 IF And the sons of Gad ; " Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and'Arodi, and Areli. 17 IF ''And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Tsui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah ; He- ber and Malchiel. 18 ^ These are the sons of Zilpah, "" whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter : and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. 19 The sons of ilachel, *^ Jacob's wife ; Joseph and Benjamin. 20 ^ ^ And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Ma- nasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah }>riest of On bare unto him. 21 IF ^ And the sons of Benjamin ivei^e Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naamau, ^ Ehi, and Bosh, *" Muppim, and lluppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob; all the souls tuere fourteen. 23 IF ^And the sons of Dan; Hushim. 24 IF ^ And the sons of Naphtali ; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Gezur, and Shillem. m Ex. 1; 1, and 6: 14. n Numb. 26 : 5 ; 1 Chron. 5:1. o Ex. 6: 15; 1 Chron. 4: 24. p 1 Chron, 6 : 1, 16. q 1 Chron. 2: 3, and 4: 21. r ch. 38 : 3, 7, 10. s ch. 38 : 29 ; 1 Chron. 2:5. t 1 Chron. 7:1. u Numb. 26 : 15, &c. x 1 Chron. 7 : 30. y ch. 30 : 10. z >'h. 29 : 24. a ch. 44: 27, b ch. 41: 50. c 1 Chron. 7: 6, and 8:1. d Numb. 26: 38. o Numb. L6 : 39. f 1 Chron. 7 : 12. g 1 Chron. 7 : 13. as that there should be such an ex- cess of male children in Jacob's fam- ily for the first two generations. (See Kurtz.) 8-27. The catalogue here driven of this emigrating household has been severely criticised as unhistorical, while Kalisch pronounces it " hislori" cal," but not '' literal" It is plain that the statement is a summarv one — with B. C. 1803.] CHAPTER XLVI. 213 ' 25 ^ These are the sons of Bilhah, ^ which Lahan gave unto Bachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob : all the souls were seven. 26 ^ All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six ; 27 And the sons of Joseph which were born him in Egypt, luere two souls : ' all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. 28 IF And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, ^ to direct his face unto Goshen ; and they came "^ into the land of Goshen. li ch. 30: 5, 7. i ch. 29: 29. k Ex. 1 : 5. 1 Deut. 10: 22; Acts 7 : 14. m ch. 31: 21 n ch. 47 : 1. an object, and from a special point of view — and it is also plain that there is no blundering;, but that the author has all along intimated the explana- tion of his reckoning so as to clear up the difficulties to all such as are not aiming, in the spirit of contra- diction, to deny the sacred text. ^ Thei^e are the names. It is to be noted that Jacob himself is here in- cluded in the list — and is reckoned (vs. 1 5) along with his sons and his daughtei'S who descended from Leah, his lawful wife — making up tldrty- three. These with the descendants of Zilpah — sixteen — (vs. 18), and the descendants of Rachel (vs. 22), in- cluding Joseph and his two sons — fourteen — and the descendants of Bilhah — seven — make the total of seventy (vs. 27). Now these are ex- pressly named as the children of Is- rael who came into Egypt (vs. 8), " Jacob and his sons." These, there- fore, are given both in their numbers and in their names, also, to make it clear how the total of seventy is counted and to be understood. How then can any one honestly accuse the historian of blundering or falsity ? These are charges which apply rather to the critics in question. Jacob is counted in where he most properly beloni;s, alonj; with the list of Leah his lawful wife, counting Jacob him- self and each of his sons, — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, with their children, and omitting Er and Onan, who are no- ticed as having died in Canaan, but adding Hezron and Ilamul, who are inserted in this place expressly, and for this reason as substitutes for Er and Onan, in the list of those who came into Egypt, and adding Dinah as notified, we find that the historian has most carefully made oat his total of seventy, and in the briefest manner has given notice of those very partic- ulars which are charged with difficul- ty. Why else should he insert " the sons of Pharez " immediately after the statement that Er and Onan had died in Canaan, except to plainly notify that these two great-grandsons of Jacob were to be counted in the place of Er and Onan, his grandsons who had died before the migration ? And accordingly we find them reck- oned, instead of their two deceased uncles, as making up the count. It was proper to name the facts, and he does it most expressly ; as if he had said, " Had Er and bnan lived they would have tilled the sacred number of seventy. But they hav- ing died, these two, their nephews, are substituted in the enumeration." 214 GENESIS. [B. C. 1803 But liere a second difficulty occurs. The historian reckons those two sons of Pharez as among those who went down to Egypt. But if this was Ht- erally the fact, then, as Murphy sup- poses, Judah and Pharez must have been, at the most, in their fourteenth year, when their first sons, Er and Hezron, were born. Though this is not impossible at the East, yet it is more probable that Hezron and Hamul were born in Egypt, and are named here as in the place of Er and On an, and so reckoned as construc- tively born in Canaan, We see the reason of this substitution when we find in the full census of the house of Israel (Kumb. 26 : 20, 21) the names of Hezron and Hamul inserted as heads of families, and that in connection with the same statement, that " Er and Onan died in Canaan." 33ut we find in vs. 20 that Joseph's two sons, who are expressly noticed as having been born in Egypt, are numbered with those who came down into Egypt with Jacob. And again in vs. 27 distinct notice is given of this fact, and then the summing up is made, including them in the number of the immigrants. But in this sum- mary count (vs. 26) it is given in terms which explain all the facts. " Ail the souls that came with Ja- cob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six.' This reckoning omits Joseph and his two sons and Jacob, and gives notice that if they be left out, the total is more strictly speaking but sixty-six. The writer, therefore, evi- dently understands himself, and makes all reasonable effort to be un- derstood. He cannot be charged with either blundering or falsity. *' Tlie writer's point of view, as Kurtz remarks, led him to regard the em- igration of Joseph and his sons into Egypt as not actually completed un- // and Belitzsch.) " Had Jacob, there- fore, promised to his son Judah the sceptre, and the ruler's statf over the tribes until he came to Shiloh, he would have uttered no prophecy, but simply a pious wish, which would have remained entirely unfulfilled." Shiloh is, therefore, to be taken as a personal name and not the name of a place. It is in close' connection with Shilomoh — Solomon. It is from the verb signifying to rest, and means the personal rest. Jesus is called our peace. The A^irgin's son is pre- dicted by Isaiah as " the Prince of peace." " The counsel of peace shall be betwixt them both " — both his offices. (Zech. 6 : 13.) We regard 238 GENESIS. [B.C. 1786. tliis, therefore, as a title of the Mes- siah, in common with the whole line of Jewish interpreters and the whole Christian church. And the advent of' the Messiah is here pointed to, and proclaimed. This makes the sense consistent, that before Mes- siah's coming, the highest pitch of Judah's supremacy in its primary form was to be attained. So it was attained. By the coming of Shiloh, that supremacy was to be replaced by the higher form of pre-eminence wlii(.'h the Prince of Peace inaugu- rated. Though Judea had become a conquered province of the Ro- mans prior to Christ's coming, yet it retained its religious polity and its power of self-government until some seventy years after His advent, when the Jewish temple and polity were destroyed. The tribal sceptre was with Judah in all the periods from the time of David, (1 Chron. 28 : 4,) under the revolt, till the captivity, when the nation was virtually at)- sorbcd in Judah ; and whatever trace of self-government remained be- longed to him until the birth of Je- sus, who was the lineal descendant of the royal line of David, and of Judah, and was the Messiah, the anointed of heaven to be the king of Zion and of Israel in a far higher sense than ever before. (See Mur- pJuj.) To object to this interpreta- tion that the expectation of a per- sonal jNlessiah was foreign to the pa- triarchal age, is to beg the v.ery ques- tion in dispute, and " to decide how nuich the patriarch Jacob ought to have been able to prophesy." " It has been supposed by Eusebius and other very respectable writers, that " the sceptre departed from Judah " on the accession of Herod, who is called "a foreigner," and who was not of Jewish extraction. But the fact does not warrant the conclusion. The Jewish nation still retained the right of self-government. The exer- cise of the sceptre was indeed re- stricted, but was not taken away. Herod's government was Jewish gov- ernment and was regulated by Jew- ish laws. As well might it be said that the sceptre departed from the , French nation when the Corslcaii became their Emperor. The civil rights of the Jewish people were controlled by the influence of the ! Romans, but they were not entirely I taken away until the overthrow of j the nation." — Turner. The prophe- cy of a personal Saviour was dimly given in the garden, and developed in Noah's benediction. And now those same prophetic ideas are more fully expressed in this passage, of a great Comer putting down evil, and of Japheth dwelling in the tents of Shem, or the seed of Abraham blessing the nations, or the obedience of the nations accruing to the Shiloh. \ This view harmonizes the whq^e chain of early prophecies. In the very next prediction (Balaam's) the ideas are more fully developed, and Judah's lion-hearted nature is trans- ferred to Israel as a nation, (Numb. 23 : 24 ; 24 : 9,) and the figure of the sceptre or ruler coming forth from Israel to smite all his foes (Numb. 24 : 17) is taken verbatim from these, (vs. 9, 10.) And so the prophecies expand and are unfolded till Nathan announces to David the promise, which is the basis of all the Messianic Psalms, that he should never fail to have a son to sit upon his throne. (2 Sam. 7 : 13.) In this sense the reign and sceptre of the tribe of Judah, in the person of the Shiloh, is to ho, forever. So Sol- omon saw in his own reign of peace (by the spirit of prophecy) the com- ing glorious, peaceful reign of the Prince of Peace, the Shiloh — rest or peace. (Ps. 72.) And thus the kingdom of Judah arose from its temporary overthrow to a new and imperishable glory iu Jesus Christ, B.C. 1786.] CHAPTER XLIX. 239 11 ^ Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine ; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes : 12 ^ His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. c 2 Kings 18 : 32. d Prov. 23 : 29. (Heb. 7: 14,) who conquers all foes as " the Lion of the tribe of Judah," (Rev. 5:5,) and reigns as the true Prince of Peace and as " our Peace," (Eph. 2 : 14,) forever and ever. (See Keil and Delitzsch. See Isa. 9: 5, 6; 11: 1-10; Ezek. 21: 27, " till he comes to loliom the right helongs") Calvin has it, when Shi- loh should come the tribe should no longer boast either an independent king or a judge of their own. The phrase expressed by until 13 ^ does not necessarily limit the suprem- acy, as if it would then terminate, though this has been the general view, and is the more common mean- ing. (See Jer. 26 : 13, '■'• and grew until he became very great.") It does not imply that that was the end of the growth, or that thence there was a decline. So says Keil : " It is evi- dent that the coming of Shiloh is not to be regarded as terminating the rule of Judah, from the last clause of the verse, according to which it was only then that it would attain to dominion over the nations." It is more commonly understood as pointing to the destruction of the Jewish state subsequent to the com- ing of the Shiloh. And difficulties have been found in the fact that Ju- dea became a conquered province of Rome prior to Christ's coming. But the Jewish polity was retained, and the right of self-government, un- til A. D. 70. Yet in the larger sense of the passage Judah is to be understood as only then attaining to full dominion, when Shiloh's coming should introduce the obedience of the nations. And the prophecy does not exclude the idea of a temporary loss of power. (Ezek. 21 : 29.) Fi- nally, the history proves the prophe- cy. The facts illuminate the phrases Such a Shiloh has come. Such a kingdom has arisen from Judah as is here implied. And already it is plainly indicated to whom it is, and to whom alone, that the obedience of the nations can be said to be and belong — the Lord Jesus Christ. ^ The gathering of the people. The temi here, yiqlmth, means the obedi- ence of a son — willing, filial obedi- ence, homage. The people cannot refer to the associated tribes, for Ju- dah already holds the tribal sceptre over them prior to the coming of the Shiloh. It must refer to the people or nations of the world. Universal obedience shall be rendered to Him — the Shiloh. This is " the seed of Abraham in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed." Thus the Messianic promise narrows down to describe the personal Messiah. First, it is the seed in general terms. Then thy seed, Abraham's. The-n the very tribe of Abraham's descend- ants is here given — Judah. 11, 12. Binding his foal unto the vine — binding his she-ass to the vine. Judah's blessing is here continued in a description of his abundant products and possessions in the prom- ised land. Judah is represented as having attained dominion over sur- rounding enemies, and so he may enjoy his repose amidst the abun- dance of his heritage. The quiet ass which he rides is tied to the vine. Riding was upon asses, commonly (except camels), and in later times 240 GENESIS. [B. C. 1786 13 IF ^ Zebulun sliall dwell at the haven of the sea ; and he shall he for an haven of ships ; and his border shall be unto Zidon. 14 ^ Issachaf is a strong ass, couching down between two bur- dens : 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it ivas pleasant ; and bowed ^ his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. e Deut. 33 : 18, 19 : Josh. 19 : 10, 11. f 1 Sam. 10 ; 9 riding upon an ass was the mark of dignity and state. (Judg. 1 : 14 ; 10: 4; 12: 14; 2 Sam. 19: 27.) Riding upon white asses was the equipage of judges. Luther and gome of the Fathers regard this pas- sage as describing the Shiloh, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His advent, who rode upon an ass and an ass's colt. But the application to Judah is best carried out. ^ Wine and milk were the rich products of Palestine, and here the wine is represented as so abundant that his clothes may be washed in it as in water. And so, too, he has his fill of wine and milk, so as to have his ej/es red or sparJding or dull with ivine, and his teeth white with milk. This — ichite of teeth from milk — shall be the full enjoyment that Judah shall have in the abun- dant products of the soil, which '■'■ flowed with milk" and abounded in wine. There is a reference, also, to the gospel provisions, which are called by the prophet " wine and milk" (Isa. 55 : 1,) as there is in the former clause, to the Messiah's advent of peace and triumphant entry into Je- rusalem, sitting upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zech. 9 : 9.) The soil of Judah near Hebron and Engedi produced the best wine in Canaan. That hill country of Judea was the district from which the spies took the enormous clusters. We saw around Hebron the most enormous bunches of young grapes on the vines. (See Numb. 13: 23, 24.) Fine pasture lands were and are still found in Judah's territory — by Tekoah and Carmel. (1 Sam. 25 : 2 ; Amos : 1 ; 2 Chron. 26 ; 10.) 13. Zehulun means dwelling. ^ At the haven of the sea — to the shore of the ocean. — Keil. On the coast of seas. For a haven of the sea he dwells, for a haven of shij^s is he. — Kaliseh. It is commonly thought that this tribe was located on the sea-coast extending to Sidon. Keil reads, And indeed, towai^ds the coast of ships, and his side towards Sidon. Lit. — Upon Sidon. Keil holds that it " did not touch the jNIediterranean nor Sidon, but was separated from it by Asher, and from the Sea of Galilee by Napthali. So that here is proof that the prophecy could not have been written after the event." Keil thinks that the meaning of the name is dwelt upon to point out the blessing this tribe was to receive from the situation of its inheritance. (Deut. 33 : 19.) Zebulun may have had some shipping ports on the PhcE- nician coast near Sidon, or near Carmel. 14, 15. Issachar — burden-hearer. A bony (or strong) ass, crouching be- tween the folds. — Kaliseh. Lying down tvithin his borders. — Turner. Crouch- ing betiveen the hurdles. — Murphy. Lounging among the pens or stalls in which the cattle were lodged. (Judg.. 5 : 16.) " Ease, at the cost of liberty, AvIU be the characteristic of the tribe of Issachar." — Delitzsch. Content B. C. 1786.] CHAPTER XLIX. 241 16 H ^ Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Is- rael. 17 ^ Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 ' I have waited for thy salvation, 0 Lord ! 19 IF ^ Gad, a troop shall overcome him : but he shall overcome at the last. g Deut. 33 : 22 ; Judg. 18 : 1, 2. h Judg. 18 : 27 25 : 9. k Deut. 33 : 20 ; 1 Chron. 5 : 18. i Ps. 25 : 6, and 119 : 166, 174 ; Isa. with material good — given to agri- culture and satisfied with his slavish work and easy wages. " Like an idle beast of burden, he would rath- er submit to the yoke and be forced to do the work of a slave than risk his possessions and peace in the strug- gle for liberty." The next clause ex- plains to this effect. ^ He saw tliat rest was a good, (Keil,) and the land that it was pleasant, and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant of tribute. Issachar, however, in the wars of the judges, gained renown for heroism. (But see Judg. 5: 14,-15, IS.) And they are credited with being prudent and sagacious. " They were men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do." (1 Chron. 12: 32.) ^Between two burdens. Rosenmiiller reads, between the two borders, or boundaries. This involves a passing censure or reproach. 16, 17. Dan. The sons of the handmaids here follow the sons of Leah. Dan — from a verb that means to judge. Dan will procure his peo- ple justice. Keil. Dan will judge his jjeople. Kahsch. Though the son of a handmaid, he was to be as one of the tribes of Israel. "He shall have equal portion with his brethren, the sons of Leah." Let Dan become a serpent by the ivay — a horned adder in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that its rider falls back. — Keih Dan shall be a serpent upon the loay, that biteth, etc. A serpent subtlety was a characteristic of the tribe in •which the romantic chivahy of the 21 brave, gigantic Samson is conspicu- ous, "when, with the cunning of the serpent, he overthrew the mightiest foes. This " horned serpent " is of the color of the sand, and fatally wounds the traveller by throwing out its feel- ers. Samson, who was also an eminent one of the judges, was of this tribe. And some have supposed that this passage is a prophecy of Samson as a judge of his people. 18. Severe conflicts are implied already by these characteristics of Dan. Hence the patriarch now breaks out in the earnest prayer, " / have waited for thy salvation, 0 Jeho- vah." Thus he expresses his confi- dence that his descendants would receive the help of the Covenant God, and he expects His salvation — " the redemption of Messiah, the Son of David, which thou through thy word hast promised to bring to thy people, the children of Israel. For this, thy redemption, my soul waits." This is the paraphrase of the Tar- gums (Jerus. and Jona.) which re- gards the passage as Messianic. 19. Gad — a troop. A troop shall overcome him — will crowd upon him. A host will oppress him. — Kalisch. A press presses him. — Keil. But though subject thus to the assaults of the enemy, he shall press his heel — harass his rear. He is counted among the braves. (1 Chron. 5 : 18 ; 12 : 8-15.) Keil understands this term (heel) not of the rear guard, but rather of the reserves. He shall rout and pursue his enemies. 242 GENESIS. [B. C. 1786. 20 "fr ^ Out of Asher his bread shall he fat, and he shall yield voyal dainties. 21 IF ""^ ISTaphtali is an hind let loose : he giveth goodly words. 22 IT Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful hough by a well, whose branches run over the wall : 1 Deut. 33 : 24 : Josh. 19 : 24. m Deut. S3 : 23. 20. Out of Asher. The word means blessed. Out of Asher, fat (rich) his bread (cometh) and he yieldeth royal dainties. A very fertile soil is thus indicated. The territory of Asher, extending from Carmel to Tyre, comprised some of the richest plains, abounding in wheat and oil. " He idllfurnvih royal dainties." Sol- omon supplied the household of King Hiram from this district. (1 Kings 5:11.) 21. Naphtali is a hind let loose — A deer roaming at liberty. — Taylor. He shooteth forth goodly branches (majestic antlers.) He utiereth ivords of beauty. — Kalisch. A bounding hind. Woi'ds of pleasantness he brings. Murphy thinks that " eloquence in prose and verse was characteristic of this tribe." They are found tri- umphing over Jabin's host, and this is celebrated in the song of Deborah and Barak. (Judg. 4 : 5.) If the first clause of the verse refers to the pleasant territory over which the tribe roams at liberty, then the second clause may refer to the ex- altation and joy of the tribe. De Wette and Dathe read Naphtali is a spreading iree^ (terebinth,) ivhichputs forth beautiful branches. So Bochart. But the former rendering is better. May not Naphtali have outstripped his brethren on returning from Egypt, and have fir?t conveyed the news of Joseph's dignity and power V " The Naphtalites were the high- landers of Palestine." Jacob may have had in eye one of their own gazelles as an emblem of the tribe. A hind roaming at large. We have seen these beautiful creatures leap- ing over the hills in this upland re- gion. And they might also seem to represent the character of the tribe. " Timid and undecided at first, more inclined to flee than to fight ; but, when once brought to bay, a fierce, active, and dangerous foe." (Comp. 2 Sam. 2:18; 1 Chron. 12:8.) He utiereth words of beauty has been thought to refer to the poetic effu- sion of Barak — the war-song of the Naphtaiite h.ero and Israel's deliv- erer. (Judg. 5.) But may it not rather refer prophetically to the gospel words of our Lord — those words of matchless beauty ? And is not this the point of the reference in Matt. 4 : 13, 16, " And leaving Nazareth He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea-coast in the borders of Zabulon and Naphta- lim : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon and the land of Naphtalim, the region of the sea, Perea, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light " ? The sea-coast re- fers to the Sea of Galilee, Avhich was in the province of Naphtalim. And this sea privilege, together with its proximity to the Mediterranean coast, is compassed by the patriarch's blessing. And so Moses repeats the idea. " O Naphtali, satisfied with fa- vor, filled with the blessing of Jeho- vah, possess thou the west and the south." Lit— Deut. 33: 23. The Sea (of Galilee) and Darom. 22-26. Joseph. The full heart of Jacob overflows towards his beloved, JB. C. 1786.] CHAPTER XLTX. 243 23 The archers hkye ° sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him : 24 But his ° ho\^^ abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of ^ the mighty God of Jacob : (^ from thence "" is the shepherd ^ the stone of Israel) : 25 ^ Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, " and by the Almighty, ^ who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven n ch. 37 : 4, 24, 28 ; and 39 : 20 ; and 42 : 21 ; Ps. 118 : 13. o Job 29 ; 20 ; Ps. 37 : 15. p Ps. 132:2,5. q ch. 45: 11, and 47: 12, and 50: 21. r Ps. 80 : 1. B Isa. 28»: 16. tch. 28:13, 21, and 35 : 3, and 43 : 25. u ch. 17 :-l, and a5 : 11. x Deut. 83 : 13. long lost, but restored and exalted son Joseph; and on bim he pro- nounces the richest, largest benedic- tions, as the savior of his house and the type of the commg Deliverer. ^ A fruitful hough. Heb. — Son of a fruit-tree — a fruit-tree scion. This denotes the remarkable increase of this adopted tribe. (Numb. 1 : 33-35; Josh. 16: 17; Deut. 33 : 1 7.) «If By a ivell—at the well. This is the emphatic feature. " He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (streams) of water." (Ps. 1 : 3.) ^ Branches (Heb. — daughters} run {mount) over the loall (by the trellis- work). The twigs and boughs of this flourishing fruit-tree (severally) creep over the wall. The different branches are represented as creep- ing up over the wall in richest and most spreading luxuriance, outgrow- ing the enclosure. He is savior of the people, and he is the twofold tribe, whose lot becomes double. 23. Yet he should be the object of attack to his enemies. ^ The archers assault him. Lit. — And they harassed him, and shot at him, and Tuaylaid him, the masters of arrows — arrow-men. Referring not so much to the past as to the future as already past — the conflicts of his descend- ants. ^ And shot at him, etc. Kalisch reads, And they assembled in multi- tude and persecuted him. But the former verb is rather as rendered in our version. ^ But his bow abode in strength. In a strong, unyielding po- sition. — Keil. His bow, for repeUing the assaults of the archers, was not weakened, but strongly strung and powerful in execution. (Job 29 : 20.) ^ And the arms of his hands re- main pliant. — Keil. Were brisk. — Ka- lisch. The word means to be flexible, active, nimble, for the use of the bow with great agility and promptitude. In 2 Sam. 6:16 the same word is used. The arms are elastic, else the hands could not hold or direct the arrow. And this is from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, enduing him with strength, and giving him alacrity and vigor in the use of liis weapons against all foes. The Mighty One of Jacob, who had shown His mightiness in Jacob's deliver- ance. (See Isa. 1 : 24.) ^ From thence — the Shepherd, the Stone of Is- rael. This is the Living, Personal Source of all strength and blessing. From thence — from Him who is the Shepherd, (ch. 48 : 15,) the Guardian and Guide of His covenant people. Turner reads, By the name (power) of the Shepherd, the Stone (rock) ojf Israel. Stanley refers this title to the Stone of Bethel, Jacob's pil- lar. Ch. 28 : 18, 19. See also Zech. 3 : 9, the foundation of hope and of subsistence, " the Rock that is higher," the tried Stone, the pre- cious Corner-stone, the sure founda- tion. (Ps. 118; 1 Pet. 2 : 4, 6.) 25. The passage is here contniued. Heb. — From the God of thy father — and He shall help thee and with the AU 244 GENESIS. [B.C. 1786. above, blessings of tlie deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb : 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the bless- ings of my progenitors, ^ unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills ; ^ they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. 27 IT Benjamin shall ravin "" as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, ^ and at night he shall divide the spoil. y Deut. 33 : 15 ; Hab. 3 : 6. z Deut. 33 : 16. a Judg. 20 : 21, 25 ; Ezek. 22 : 25, 27. b Numb. 23 : 24 ; Esther 8 : 11 ; Ezek. 39 : 10 ; Zech. 14 : 1, 7. mighty and He shall bless thee. Bless- ings of heaven from above, etc. (shall come upon thee. Vs. 26.) The blessings of rain and sun and dew of heaven above, and blessings of running brooks and the deep foun- tains/rom beneath. And not to stop here with the vegetable world, but blessings of the breasts and of the womb, in all animal nature.' " What- ever of man and of cattle can be fruitful shall multiply and have enough. The children of the house- hold and the young of the flocks and herds " are comprehended. 26. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above, etc. Keil reads, " Surpass the blessings of my progen- itors to the borders of the everlasting hills." " In the spirit he sees the Divine promises already fulfilled, while his ancestors were obliged to rest content with the assured hope of their fulfilment." — Philippson. The blessings here pronounced upon Jo- seph surpass those that came upon Jacob from his fathers, U7ito the boundary of the everlasting hills — as far as the old mountains tower above the earth, or so that they should reach to the summits of the primeval mountains ; like a great deluge of blessing, rising so as to cover all the highest mountains. This rendering follows the Vulgate and Chaldee and the Masorite reading. But the clause, as parallel with the following, " everlasting hills," means, rather, " eternal mountains." So Kalisch and Gesenius. And this is supported by Deut. 33 : 15 ; Hab. 3 : 6. Then it will read. Surpass the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bound, or glory of the everlasting hills. The term taivath means commonly desire, delight. Others render it here bound- ary, from another root. So Ewald, Delitzsch, etc. But the parallelism fa- vors the former and common read- ing, delight, charm, glory. ^ They shall be, or inay they be (these bless- ings upon) for the head of Joseph, and (upon) /or the croion of the (head of him who was) separated from his brethren. Separated, first by painful exile, then by glorious promotion and distinction. These ample bless- ings upon Joseph were abundantly realized, as is shown by the history of the two tribes Manasseh and Ephraim. 27. Benjamin — a wolf He will tear in pieces. All day long busy, hunting after prey. In the morning he devours prey, and in the evening he divides spoil. " Incessant and victorious capture of booty." — De- litzsch. This warlike character of Benjamin, well sustained by suc- cesses, appears in the history, Judg. 5 : 14; its distinguished archers and slingers, Judjr. 20 : 16 ; 1 Chron. 8 : 39, 40; 12 :^2 ; 2 Chron. 14 : 7, 8; 17 : 17. Saul and Jonathan sprang from this tribe. (1 Sam. 11 and 13; 2 Sam. 1 : 19-23. 20; Deut. 33 : 12.) See Judg. 19 : B. C. 1786.] CHAPTER XLIX. 245 28 IF All these are the twelve tribes of Israel ; and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them : every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I "" am to be gath- ered unto my people : ^ bury me with my fathers ^ in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan ^ which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying-place. 31 (° There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife ; ^ there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife ; and there I buried Leah.) 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein, ivas from the children of Heth, 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. c ch. 15 : 15, and 25 : 8. d ch. 47 : 30 ; 2 Sam. 19 : 3 : 19, and 25 : 9. h ch. 35 : 29. i ver. 29. ech. 50: 13. f ch. 23: 16. g ch. 28. All these are the tribes of Is- rael— twelve — intimating that these blessings on the sons are, indeed, pronounced upon the twelve tribes respectively, and to be realized in their history — " Every one with that which was his blessing he blessed him " — that is, every one with his ap- propriate blessing. Even Reuben^ SimeoHj and Levi, though they were condemned for sins, received a share of the patrimonial blessing. 29—32. Jacob now solemnly re- peats his charge to bury him in the family sepulchre. He had before this charged Joseph by oath with the special execution of this trust (ch. 49: 29, 31.) He now charges his twelve sons. ^ Bury me with my fathers. Abraham and Isaac were buried there — also Sarah and Leah and Re- bekah. He most carefully describes the burial-place, and the ownership which they had in the property. They who do not believe in any res- urrection of the body are commonly careless of their burial-places, and are willing to blot out all family lines in their arrangement. But it b civUized and Christian to re- 21* spect our places of sepulture, and to retain our family grouping and abode there so far as we can. Jesus watch- es over the dust of his people. Which Abraham bought — the pur- chase of a field from the children of Heth. See Acts 7 : 16, notes. 33. A nd ivhen Jacob had made an end, etc. He had been di^'inely strengthened (as would seem) for this dying benediction by the same spirit which gave him the prophetic power ; and now he feels that all is over — his work is done. He had been sitting upon his bed. He then gathered up his feet into the bed and expired — as if calmly breathing out his life without a struggle. His age is not here stated. It had been mentioned by anticipation at ch. 47 : 28. Tf Was gathered unto his people. (See ch. 25 : 8.) The entire passage may be ren- dered thus : — Reuben, my first-bom thou ! M}' might— the firstling of my strength, The superiority of rank — superiority of power. Efter\^escence like waters, thou shalt not be superior, I For thou didst ascend thy father's bed j 246 GENESIS. [B. C. 1786. CHAPTER L. A ND Joseph ^ fell upon liis father's face, and ^ wept upon him, and kissed him. a ch. 46 : 4. b 2 Kings 13 : 14, Then thou didst defile (it.) My couch he hath ascended. Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of violence (are) their swords. Into their council come thou not, my soul: In their assembly mine honor shall not join. For in their wrath they slew (a) man, And in their revenge they houghed oxen. Cursed (be) their wrath, for (it is) pow- erful ; And their vengeance, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, And I will scatter them in Israel. JuDAH ! thee thy brothers shall praise. Thy hand is on the neck of thine ene- mies. Thy father's sons shall bow down to ' thee. A lion's whelp is Judah. From the prey, my son, thou arisest ; He stoopeth, he croucheth like a lion. Like a lioness — who shall rouse him ? There shall not depart the sceptre from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet Until Shiloh come ; And his shall be the homage of the na- tions. Binding his she-ass to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine, He washes his garments in wine, And in the blood of grapes his raiment. His eyes are sparkling from wine, And white of teeth (is he) from milk.' Zebulun — For a haven of the sea he dwells For a haven of ships is he ; And his side upon Sidon. IssACHAR — a strong ass. Lounging among the folds ; And he saw repose that (it was) good, And the land that (it was) pleasant ; And he bowed his shoulder to bear. And he became a servant of tribute. Dan will judge his people. As one of the tribes of Israel (he shall be.) Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, An adder upon the path. That biteth the heels of the horse, And his rider falls backwards. For thy salvation I have waited, 0 Je- hovah ! Gad — a troop will crowd upon him, But he will crowd upon the heel. From AsHER rich (shall be his) bread. And he will yield dainties of a king. Naphtali— a hind roaming at large. Words of pleasantness he brings. A fruit-tree branch is Joseph — A fruit-tree branch at a well. (His) branches mount over the wall. And they harassed him, and shot at him. And waylaid him — the archers — But his bow abode in strength. And the arms of his hands were elas* tic. From the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From thence, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, From the God of thy Father, and He shall help thee, And from the Almighty, and he shall bless thee. Blessings of heaven from above, Blessings of the deep from beneath, Blessings of the breast and of tha womb. The blessings of thy father overtop The blessings of the eternal mountains, The glory of the everlasJtin^ hills. May they be for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the separated from his brethren. Benjamin — a wolf, he will tear in pieces. In the morning he devours prey, And in the evening he divides spoil. CHAPTER L. § 73. Burial of Jacob at Mach- PKLAH. Death and Burial OF Joseph. 1. Joseph now expresses most touchingly his fond, filial love in tears and kisses upon the dead face of his father (ch. 46 : 4.) Oh ! what B. C. 1786.] CHAPTER L. 247 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to balm his father : and the physicians embalmed Israel. c ver. 26 ; 2 Chron. 16 : 14 ; Matt. 26 : 12 ; Mark 14 : 8, and 16 : 1 ; Luke 24 : 1 ; Jolin 12 : 7, and 19: 39,40. crowds of overwhelming thoughts held him to that dear embrace ! Though our faith goes with our de- parted Christian friends to glory, where they immediately enter, yet we cannot commonly restrain the natural emotion that bewails their loss to us, though the gain to them be unspeakable. If we could look at Christian death as the manifest pas- sage to heaven, we should oflener has-e our feelings restrained at the cofhn and grave of our beloved ones. Nay ; we might bring flowers to adorn the coffin and the tomb, and sing of the joyous transition. 2. After Joseph has given way to this outburst of his filial grief, he composes himself so as to give the orders to his servants the physicians to embalm his father. There was commonly at first a preliminary mourning during the first day — then the body was given over to the embalmers, who formed a class by themselves, and commonly spent seventy days in their work, but in this case only forty. Embalming was the more necessary in this case, as the body was to be transported into Canaan. So soon as the em- balming commences, the regular mourning season begins, and lasts i about seventy days, and ends com- monly with the process of mummify- ing. But in this case the seventy days' mourning period exceeded the embalming operation by thirty days. Medical science made much preten- sion in Egypt, but amounted to ht- tle. There were special physicians for each kind of disease. These were physicians belonging to Joseph's ' retiime. Herodotus gives an account ' of the ancient processes of embalm- ' ' ing. The most expensive cost $1 250 ; the next about $400. There was a third process, very cheap. But with the Egyptians seventy days may have been commonly employed, or, perhaps, insisted on, because they believed that the existence of the soul depended on the preserva- tion of the body. But Joseph's faith was the faith of the Scriptures. Hengstenherg, Keil, etc., contend that this forty days' term is quite in keep- ing with the statements of Herodo- tus, rightly understood. Thirty days, it is supposed, were employed in pre- parino; the body, by the removal of material from the cavities, and by drying up the humors. Then forty days were employed in saturating it with spices, and wrapping it in folds of muslin or hnen, and saturating the cloths with the embalming mixture. Kalisch gives a minute account of embalming as commonly practised in Egypt. " Though some mummies were not bandaged at all, but only covered with a mat, the quantity of bandages employed in others is ex- traordinary. They are often folded twenty to thirty time? around the body — in some cases, they consist of not less than a thousand ells (up to a yard in breadth) and weigh thirty pounds and upwards. But the tex- ture is occasionally as fine as mushn — the ' woven air,' — the admiration of the ancient world. I brought with me from the pyramids of Sakhara, — ■ where I bought it, — a female hand, in excellent preservation. The coarser muslin bandages first wound around each finger and the thumb, and then around the whole hand, several times, were thoroughly satu- rated with the embalming mixturo 248 GENESIS. [B. C. 1786 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him ; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed : and the Egyptians ^ mourned for him threescore and ten days. 4 And when the days of his mourning were past^ Joseph spake unto ^ the house of Pharaoh saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, s|)eak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ^ My father made me swear saying, Lo, I die ; in my grave s which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said. Go up, and bury thy father according as he made thee swear. 7 *f[ And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. d Numb. 20: 29; Deut. 34 : 8. e Esther 4:2. f ch. 47: 29. g 2 Chron. 16; 14j Isa 22 : 16 ; Matt. 27 : 60. and then wrapped round with a finer material in long strips, altogether dozens of times. 2. Foj^ty days. A public mourn- ing was ordered, as on the death of a royal personage. ^ Spake unto the Jiouse of Pharaoh. After the pe- riod'of mourning was ended, Joseph, who could not go into the king's presence because he was unshaven and in mourning attire, (ch. 41 : 14. Comp. Esther 4 : 2,) applies to the king through the " house of Pha- raoh " — the royal courtiers who were his attendants. He needed to use the best influence of the court (vs. 6) to obtain this permission, as he wished to go beyond the Egyptian border, and to take with him a large retinue, and the king would easily fear that such a valuable force might not re- turn. " It belongs to the Egyptian sense of propriety to go with shorn head and beard, and only so is it al- lowed to appear before the king. Compare ch. 41 : 14, where Joseph shaved himself and changed his gar- ments before he went to Pharaoh." — Egypt and Books of Moses. Such peculiar customs serve to establisli the relation of the Pentateuch to Egypt and Moses. 5 Joseph pleads the solemn obli- gation of an oatli, under which he lay to his deceased father, to pay to him the last rites of nature. ^" Which 1 have digged for me. This term is ap- pUed to the preparation of a tomb. (2 Chron. IG: 14.) He thus speaks of having himself done what had been done by Abraham, (ch. 24,) though it is not impossible that he had made preparations there for himself when he buried Leah, 6. The permission was granted to Joseph, on the basis of the oath by v/hich he was pledged. 7. The funeral procession went up, consisting of a very large train — ■ all the servants of Pharaoh^ the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. The royal retinue were assigned to Joseph in honor — the leading officials of the court and the state. This train of nobihty and military with their equipages, consti- tuting the royal suite of Joseph on this occasion, would make a grand impression. The route was about three hundred miles. B. C. 1786.] CHAPTER L. 249 8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house : only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Groshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen : and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is be- yond Jordan, and there they ^ mourned with a great and very sore lamentation : ' and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said. This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians : wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. h 2 Sam. 1 : 17 ; Acts 8:2. i 1 Sam. 31 : 13 ; Job 2 : 13. 8. The funeral train is further de- scribed. All the house of Joseph. Besides the court procession, there came also as special mourners, all the household of Joseph and his breth- ren and his father's house. " Not only the heads, but also all the sons and servants who were able to go." All of them went. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds were left behind, some suitable care for the little ones being of course provided, in the women who are not mentioned. We saw the represen- tations of such funeral processions traced in the chambers of the tombs at Sakkara and Ghizeh. " The cus- toms of funeral trains (sa}-s Rossel- lini) was peculiar to all periods and to all the provinces of Egypt. 9. Chariots and horsemen, added to this great procession, would make it formidable in a military point of view, and secure it from an attack of the predatory tribes on the bor- ders. Kalisch thinks that the funeral train journeyed in a north-eastern di- rection towards Gaza (from Goshen), a journey of eight to ten days, within the boundaries of Canaan, and prob- ably not much to the south of He- bron. They stopped at the threshing- floor of Atad, where both the sons of Jacob and the Egyptians who accompanied them, renewed their mourning during seven days. The former next proceeded alone to the Cave of Machpelah to discharge their melancholy duty, while the latter waited at Atad for the return of the Hebrews, with whom they then jour- neyed back to Egypt." (See vs. 1 2.) If Lepsius is right in supposing that Joseph and his brethren were in Egypt during the reign of Sethos I., the constant wars that monarch waged with the Canaanites would have increased the difficulty which Joseph feared in obtaining the per- mission of Pharaoh, to go thither, and would have suggested the cir- cuitous routes. ^ And it ivas a very great company — a very large, army. The Egyptians were fond of large and imposing processions at funerals. {Heng. Egypt and Books of Moses.) The train mights have gone by (xaza, which is the more common route now. But they went around by the Dead Sea, as perhaps more safe at that tin;e. They came to the threshing-floor of Atad — Ooren Atad (the buck-thorn floor.) This was on the eastern side of the Jordan, (vs. 11.) Here they carried on a formal mourning of seven days — a great and very sore lamentation. The Canaanites, who watched the mourning, said, this is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians. 250 GENESIS. [B. C. 1786. 12 And his sons did unto liim according as lie commanded tliem : 13 For 'Miis sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah which Abraham ' bought with the field for a possession of a burying-place of Eph- ron the Hittite, before Mam re. 14 IF And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his bretliren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15 1[ And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, "* they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will cer- tainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph saying. Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin ; " for they did unto thee e"vdl : and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of ° the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and ^ fell down before his face ; and they said, Behold we he thy servants. k ch. 49 : 29, 30 ; Acts 7 : 16. 1 ch. 23 : 16. m Job 15 : 21, 22. n Prov, 28 : 13. o eh. 49 : 25. p ch. 37 : 7, 10. And hence they called the place Abel-Mizraim, or mourning of the Egyptians. 12, 13. His sons are here spoken of as alone having borne him to the burial ; the escort having probably stopped short at the border. (Vs. 8, note.) Here the burial-place is again noted and its purchase again recorded, as the title on holy record confirmed. 14. The procession returned after the burial, having reunited on the way. 15. Joseph's brethren are now again seized with sharp compunc- tion for their sin against Joseph, and in their changed circumstances — the venerable father gone, who was a bond of love between the brothers — they bethink themselves of what might now be their case, supposing that Joseph should punish them for their abuse of him. Heb. — If Joseph now should punish us, and requite all the evil that we have done to him — what then ? 16, 17. The brothers, therefore, taking counsel of their fears, deputed one of their number to Joseph, im- ploring pardon. It may have been Benjamin whom they sent. It would seem that the aged patriarch, before his death, commanded them to secure such a thorough reconciliation. Oh, pardon the transgression of thy breth- ren and their sin ; for they have done thee evil. They made further use of their deceased parent's influence when they call themselves servants of the God of thy father. " Accord- ing to the Jewish Talmud, (Gr. Ye- bamoth, fol. 63,) they invented this message. Jacob, who knew Joseph better, never suspected him, and left no message of the kind." — Raphall. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. So tenderly did he receive their petition. It was humiliating to them and painful to him. 18. They press their plea with all their importunity, showing every sign of penitence and entreaty. They prostrate themselves before him, B. C. 1786.] CHAPTER L. 251 19 And Joseph said unto them, ^ Fear not : ' for am I in the place of God ? 20 ^ But as for you, ye thought evil against me ; but * God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not : ^ I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 22 IF And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house : and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children "^ of the third genera^ tion : y the children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, ^ were brought up upon Joseph's knees. q ch. 45: 5. r Deut. 32 : 35 ; Job 34 : 29 ; Rom. 12 : 19 ; Heb. 10 : 30 : 2 Kings 6:7. s Ps. 56 : 5 ; Isai. 10 : 7. t ch. 45 : 5, 7 ; Acts 3: 13, 14, 16. v ch. 47 : 12 ; Matt. 6 : 44. x Job 42: 16. y Numb. 32 : 39. z ch. 30 : 3. making true still further the very dream of prophecy for which they so bitterly hated and persecuted him. 19. Joseph answered most ten- derly, disclaiming any intention of revenge or any desire of their wor- ship. / in God's stead 1 he exclaims. He calls them to their feet with en- couragement. 20. And now hS refers them to God's wonder-working providence, controlling all the events and issues and even their wicked intentions. The happy result did not excuse their cruelty. So they felt it. Jo- seph's promotion had indeed been brought about by their jealousy and wickedness ; but does this satisfy their conscience ? Never ! It only sends to the heart a sharper sting. Heb. — Ye had, indeed, evil in your mind against me ; hut God had it in mind for good — to make the evil event- uate in good, to bring to pass, as is noio evident, (Lit. — as has occurred this day, Deut. 2 : 30 ; 4 : 20, etc.,) to presei've alive a great nation. (Comp. ch. 45 : 7.) 21. Now, therefore, fear not; I will nourish you and your little ones. Thus our New Testament Joseph freely forgives our sins, in which we have crucified our Elder Brother and Kinsman Redeemer, and He points us to the Divine plan, by which in His death we may have life ; and more than all. He promises to take us into closest covenant fa- vor, and pledges for ourselves and for our children to nourish and pro- vide for us. So he comforted them^ and spoke kindly to them. 22. Joseph's closing history is now recorded. So soon the son goes af- ter the father, and the new record is made of death and burial. They who one day bury us, are the next day carried to the tomb. Joseph was settled in Egypt as were his fa- ther's descendants, and he lived one hundred and ten years. He Uved eighty years after his exaltation as prime-minister of Egypt. 23. And Joseph's family was large- ly increased. He saw Ephraim's sons of the third generation, that is, sons of great-grandsons, great-great- grandsons. These are not to be un- derstood as grandsons. The term here for the third (link) is distin- guished expressly from children's children in Exod. 34 : 7. Keil ex- plains the possibility of this as fol- lows : " As Joseph's two sons were born before he was thirty-seven years old, (ch. 41 : 50,) and Ephraim 252 GENESIS. [B. C. 1733. 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die ; and * God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, unto the land ^ which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And *^ Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God wiU surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old : and they ^ embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. a ch. 15 : 14, and 46 : 4, and 48 : 21 ; Exod. 3 : 16, 17 ; Heb. 11 : 22. b ch. 15 : 14, and 26 : 8, and 35 : 12, and 46 : 4. c. Exod. 13 : 19 ; Josh. 24 : 32 ; Acts 7 : 16. d ver. 2. therefore was born at the latest in his thirty-sixth year, and possibly in his thirty-fourth, since Joseph was married in his thirty-first, he might have had grandsons by the time he was fifty-six or sixty years old, and great grandsons when he was from seventy eight to eighty-five ; so that great-great-grandsons might have been born when he was one hun- dred or one hundred and ten years old." Besides, it is immediately add- ed that he saw the great grandsons of Manasseh, viz., the sons of Machir, Manasseh's sons, but this is expressed by different terms. Murphy finds here a proof that an interval of about twenty years between the the birth of a father and of his first- born was not unusual in the time of Joseph. ^ Upon Joseph's knees. This phrase commonly refers to a form of adoption, of children had through a handmaid or concubine. Machir was the first-born son of Ma- nasseh. All this is recorded to show the rapid increase of Joseph's family and descendants in Egypt. 24, 25. Joseph now expresses his sense of approaching death. Where- upon he makes confession of his faith in the Covenant before his brethren, that God would bring them into the promised land, as He swore to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Accordingly, in this sure confidence of faith, he requires of them an oath, that in their removal to their own land, they would not fail to carry up with them his bones. The rec- ord of his burial is preserved, (Exod. 13:19; Josh. 24 : 32.) It was at ^^e- chem. The tomb was pointed out to us, and the greedy natives exact largely of those who desire to enter it. (Ch. 33: 19; notes.) Joseph gave this commandment by faith. (Heb. 11: 22.) 26. In accordance with Joseph's request, and in order to preserve his remains for burial in Canaan, they embalmed him and put him in the cof- fin commonly in use, made of syca- more. Accordino|^ to the custom, the coffin was placed m a chamber, and could be removed after many years, as was not uncommon among them. " Thus the account of the pilgrim- life of the patriarchs terminates with an act of faith on the part of the dy- ing Joseph. And after his death, in consequence of his instructions, the coffiin with his bones became a stand- ing exhortation to Israel, to turn its eyes away from Egypt to Canaan, the land promised to its fathers, and to wait in the patience of faith for the fulfilment of the promise." — Keil, K period of bondage and distress is now before the Israelites in Egypt, when God's remembrance of them, to place them in the land of the Cov- enant, shall prove to be their only help and hope. The reason that Jo- seph did not order his bones carried up immediately to Canaan as his fa- ther's had been, may be that he would have this abiding testimony B. C. 1732.] CHAPTER L. 253 and plea left among them to urge their departure at the proper time, and that he would be understood as thus casting in his lot with them in the patience of hope. (1.) Joseph may be viewed as typical of Christ in the personal characteristics of meekness, wisdom, integrity and purity, and triumphant resistance of temptation. (2.) The history may at least be regarded as typical, and foreshadowing the New Testament Joseph, who was to come. He is betrayed and sold into the hands of the Gentiles, and all is or- dered that he might be exalted to the right hand of power, and work deliverance and salvation for the covenant household, while he is a light to lighten the Gentiles among whom he sojourns. (3.) As he gave commandment concerning his bones in the faith of that better country, and of the better covenant, so our Joseph sings by the mouth of David, " My flesh also shall rest in hope." — See CancUish. The Book of Genesis has led ug from the dawn of the creation to the descent of a chosen people into Egypt. The leading points of the history intervening are Paradise, the Deluge, and the Covenant with Abra- ham. These are points of new Rev- elation and of new Promise, the con- sistent steps in the unfolding of the Plan of Grace, according to the first Prophecy in the Garden. These all evince, in their agreement, the unity of the Book of Genesis, while the book itself, as a whole, serves as the fitting introduction to a volume which is manifestly bound up with it, and to which it is indispensable. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ja- cob, Joseph, are the heads of the his- toric list, as the record advances from Paradise to Palestine and Egypt — from the garden of Eden to the land of Exile, until now we are led to look from the land of Bondage back to the Promised Land. APPENDIX. APPENDIX A. The history of the world is the history of Redemption. God created the world with a view to redeem it. All things were created, not only hy Jesus Christ, but for Him also, and by him all things consist. Col. 1:16, 1 7. The record of man's creation is therefore the Preface of the Book of Redemption ; and the old creation is briefly narrated as an introduction to the new creation. The history of the world incorpo- rates, therefore, the history of the Church in the world, and brings early and prominently to view the annals of the covenant people chosen out of the world to constitute the Church of God. Adam, therefore, points directly to Abraham, through Koah; and Noah is the representa- tive and type of the elect people, as the Ark is of the Church, outriding the deluge of God's wrath upon the wicked world, and landing its ten- antry safe under the headship of one whose name is Noah — Rest, and who is thus the type of the Shiloh who was to come, and to whom should be " the obedience of the na- tions." The record, therefore, has- tens from Adam to Abraham, through a fevr brief chapters ; compassing the period of two thousand yeai's, and half the history from the creation to Christ in so small a space, to show that it is not the mode of the crea- tion, half so much as the manner of the redemption, that God would set forth in the Scriptures. Murpluj analyzes the Book of Gen/- esis, and divides it into eleven com- ponent parts, which he supposes to have been different documents, either used by Moses, as the editor, or orig- inally composed by him. We have seen in the introduction that the use of existing documents, by direction of the inspiring Spirit, does not at all compromit the highest doctrine of inspiration. And yet, we prefer to regard these eleven parts as only dif- ferent sections of the book, and aJl equally due to the authorship of IMoses, though Z)/-. Murphy inclines to the other view. These sections, excepting only the first, which has no introductory phrases, begin with the formula, " These are the genera- tions,"— the third section, however, having " This is the book of the gen- erations." " On the supposition that writing was known to Adam, Gen. I.-IV., containing the first two of these doc- uments, formed the Bible of Adam's descendants, or the antediluvians. Gen. I.-XI. 9, being the sum of these two and the following three documents, constituted the Bible of the descendants of Noah. The whole of Genesis may be called, the Bible of the posterity of Jacob. And we may add that the five books of the Law, of which the last four are im- mediately due to I\Ioses, were the first Bible of Israel as a nation." (255) 256 APPENDIX. SECTIONS. DOCUMENTS. I. Creation. i.-ii. 3. I'l M • • II. The Man. ii. 4-25. 1 III. The Fall. iii. . g IV. The Race. iT. II. fcri V. Line to Noah. v.-Ti. 8. III. ■ § VI. The Deluoe. vi. 9-viii J IV. ^ 2 VII. The Covenant WITH Noah. ix. * VIII. The Nations. :^. -xi 9, V. IX. Line to Abram. si. 1>26. VI. 9 X. Abraham. xi. 27-xxv. 11. VII. XI. Isaac. (XXT. ( XXV. 12-18. 19-xxxv. VIII. IX. XII. Jacob. xxxvi. xxxvii.-l X. XI. It is to be remarked that the his- tory follows the godly and covenant Hue, dismissing tlae outside branches raore or less summarily, and passing on to trace the narrative in the course of the promised Seed. Ac- cordingly it proceeds from Adam to Seth and to Noah, and thence through Shem to Terah and Abram, and thence to Isaac and Jacob and Joseph ; not according to natural laws of primogeniture, but often through the younger sons, according to the election of grace. (I.) ADAM. Creation. Eden. Fall. (Promise.) V J Chs. I.-III. Cain. Seth. ungodly line. | godly line. \ Chs. IV. V. , — ^ N Fjk)od. (II.) >roAH. 1 Ark. (Promise.) \ Chs. VI.-IX. SHEM, Ham, Japheth, and descendants, peopling the earth. I Ch. X. I Babel. Ch. XI. 1-9. Ch. XI. 10-32. (III.) ABPwAM. (Covenant Promise.) Nahor, See Ch. XXII. 20-24. Rebekah. Haran Lot. I Moab, Amman, Ch. XIX 87, 89. ISHMAEL. I Ch. XXI. 9. I Descendants by Keturah. Ch. XXV. 1-6, and XXV. 12-18, (TV.) ISAAC. Ch. XXV. 19. and XXXV. 29. I (V ) JACOB. (Promise.) Esau. Ch. XXXVI. twelve sons, including JUDAH and JOSEPH. Chs. XXXVII, -L. APPENDIX. 257 It is interesting here to trace the Messianic idea in its gradual unfold- ing through the Book of Genesis. The Patriarchal period has four great promises of the Messiah ; one for each of the four great epochs — the Fall — the Flood — the Cove- nant with Abraham — and the Bondage in Egypt. Each of these is couched in terms suited to the time, and shaped by circumstances, so as to be most intelhgible, by being clothed in the drapery of passing events. Meanwhile, . between these great promises there occur signifi- cant hints of the coming Messiah, and traces of the idea in the minds of the people. Adam.— The Fall. Ch. 3:15. The Messiah is promised as the Bruiser of the Serpent. Our first parents would thus understand that there should be a great conflict between good and evil; that a De- stroyer of the Evil One was promised, who should be " the seed of the loo- man" of human birth — and a Person — not the race in general. " He (not ' it ') shall bruise thy head," (ch. 3 : 15, Hebrew.) Accordingly Eve., at the birth of her first son, exclaims, " 1 have gotten a man., Jehovah." She here first uses the term " Jehovah," and prob- ably in its mere grammatical sense, as He toho shall be — the Coming One, the most natural designation of Him who was promised, and who was not yet understood. God Himself as- sumes the term as a title of Himself i in His redemptive capacity, and ex- plains, it (Exod. 6: 3). 'And the j historian (Moses) uses it as early in the record as in chap. 2 : 5, in con- j nection with the absolute name of God — " Jehovah God" planting the garden of Eden, and putting man on 22 *- trial there for salvation. In the line of Seth, in the time of Enos his son, the first grandson of Adam, in the third generation of the godly line — it is recorded that " Then men began to call on the name o/ Jehovah," Avhich implies that then there was a begin- ning made in the formal, public in- vocation of this redemptive name ot God. This implies that there had been a further unfolding of the Mes- sianic idea, so far as to exhibit thf Coming One as God. There had been public worship before, at the gate of Eden ; but this was a com- mencement made in ihe worship of the Promised Seed as divine. We find this name used by Lamech at the birth of Noah, (ch. 5 : 29.) Referring to the ground as cursed by Jehovah, he regards this son, Noah,?iS the promised one, who would some- how remove the curse, and hence he calls him Noah — Rest. But the true Noah, " the Shiloh," (or Rest,) promised to Jacob, was another, whose coming this Noah only hinted of We must look farther on for the promise to Noah. (See H. — Noah. — The Flood.) He uses the name and sets it in its proper light as refer- ring to God himself, as " God of Shem." We find the name Jehovah used by Abraham with still fuller conception of its meaning. (See III.) (Ch. 24 : 3, 12.) The name occurs in Genesis one hundred and sixty-txoo times, either alone or in connection with Elohim. Dr. Davidson, (Edinburgh,) in his " Pentateuch Vindicated," takes the ground : (I.) " That the term Je- hovah was known as an appropriate and personal name of the one hving and true God from the very begin- ning. (II.) That the divine person who appeared visibly to the Patri- archs, and conversed with them, and entered, as the representative of Je- hovah, into covenant with them, did 258 APPENDIX. not take the name Jehovah to hinv- self — did not make himself known, j\ov enter into covenant with them, h;i this name. This is imphod in the liotable passage, Exod. 6: 3. (HI.) That the divine person who appeared to the Patriarchs and entered into covenant with them by the name El- S/iaddai, and who "appeared" to .Moses, and entered into covenant v/ith Israel by the name Jehovah, vv^as the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ, in his pre- existing nature and condition as God. (IV.) That though from the beginning the name Jehovah Avas known as that of the Eternal Deity, the divisi- ble and incomprehensible God, it was not known to he a name belonging also to the visible representative and Angel of God, the second person of the God- head, till both at the bush and in Eqijpt the secret was revealed to Moses.'' This first promise, however, called " the Protevangelio7i," or first Gospel, was not the whole of the Messianic IJevelation belonging to this first Period of the Fall. Here was (a.) The Institution of Sacrifice. Already in the garden, this substitution of animal victims in a vicarious death for sinners was set forth as exhibiting God's method of grace for atonement and salvation by a Redeemer. Vicarious blood- shedding was thus instituted, and b'ood became the standing symbol o ' atonement. Clothing with the skins of the animals slain for Expia- tory Sacrifice, was the symbolical transaction by which God would ex- hibit his plan for the application of hi.s grace. The individual faith was retpiisite that v/ould put on and wear the garment thus provided. And in ch. 3:22, the plan is definitely stated. The benefit of thus standing invested with the sacrificial raiment, " of putting on Christ," is that " the man is become as one of vs." (Ch. 3 : 42, notes.) This typical and symboli- cal Institution of Sacrifice embodied the ideas of sin and satisfaction, and all along through the ages of the ritual economy spoke of the Coming One, as to be a Sacrifice offered for sinners, and in whose raiment we may stand, accepted as one with Christ. The great leading idea of Substitution was thus early signified and symbolized. Here, also, in the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, the great distinction was made between that which pointed to the coming sacrifice and that which did not. (b.) Here also is set forth the car- dinal idea of Mediation. While the sacrificial victim set forth the great idea of substitution, the offerer of the victim, who was the Head and Father of the Family, ex- pressed in his oflice-work the idea of Mediation. At the place of sacri- fice the first man, the fallen father, ia seen offering and interceding for his fallen human family. And thus the first Adam pointed forward to the second Adam, who was to be both Priest and Sacrifice, the glorious com- er— God-man — Mediator and Re- deemer. (c.) Here, also, was set forth the idea of the God-man in the Cherubim. (Ch. 3 : 24.) This highest idea of Life, in this complex form, hinting of an Incarna- tion of God, and of an exaltation of man to a fellowship with God, was stationed at the Gate of Eden : — " the Ideal Manhood," a great riddle, hint- ing of " the Mystery hid from ages," the puzzle of human intellect — these compound forms, " the four living creatures," mounted there together with a flaming sword " to guard the way of the Tree of Life," and there inviting worship, as the She- chinah, or visible manifestation of God. In these prophetic similitudes Mercy and Justice Avere here met to- gether, preaching hope for sinners at APPENDIX. 259 the gate of Eden, and pointing for- ward to the Tree of Life as again to "be enjoyed, and in the Better Land. Kev. 22:2. (d) Here, also, in this Patriarchal age, was The Sabbath instituted by God himself, — the seventh-day rest, as a sacred division of time, and a preparatory type of the Christian Sabbath, — as the creation is a preparation and type of the new creation, — a symbol also of the rest, the Sabbath-keeping that remaineth for the people of God, and into which they enter by virtue of His finished work who is the New Creator, and the victorious " Seed of the Woman." Heb. 4 : 9. (I. a.) Here also was given a Proph- ecy and promise of the Coming Je- hovah, by Enoch. Though not re- corded in these brief records, it is re- ferred to and cited in the New Tes- tament, Jude vs. 14, 15. Enoch was " the seventh fi'om Adam," in the godly line of Seth — the seventh (as the sacred number) being the type of •'the fulness of the time " — the epoch of perfection or consummation, when the redeemed church shall walk wjth God as Enoch did. He was a Prophet and prophesied of the Coming One as Jehovah, " The Lord Cometh" — and of the judgment as to be carried on by this promised Seed — and of His coming with ten thousand of His saints — implying clearly the victory of the promised Deliverer with his " Seed " over the seed of the Evil One ; and thus overleaping all intervening his- tory, it points to the winding up of all things in the final judgment. This prophecy, therefore, would serve to set forth the Coming One, and the grand results of His work. Here, also, in this connection and in the person of Enoch, is exhibited the truth of an L^visible World, to which the good are taken up in a victory over death ; and that the tri- umphing faith which walks with God is that vital principle by virtue of which he was translated, that he should not see death ; " for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God." (Heb. 11 : 5.) (H.) Noah.— The Flood. Ch. 9: 26, 27, More than sixteen hundred years had now passed, and the promised victory over the serpent had not yet been achieved. On the contrary, the powers of evil seemed to be gain- ing a mastery over the race, and no Deliverer had appeared among the posterity of the woman. The uni- versal corruption provoked the wrath of God in an universal Deluge, from which Noah and his house were saved. Noah becomes, thus, the Second Head of the Race — more especially the personal head of the family of saved ones. Here the Ark was a type of Christ, in whom, and covered by whose merit and defence, believers shall outride the deluge of divine wrath upon sinners. Here Noah builded an Altar unto Jehovah," (ch. 8 : 20.) And " Je- hovah smelled a sweet savor. And Jehovah said in his heart, " I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake," etc. He, therefore, who covenanted with Noah as to the salvation of the earth from any future deluge of waters, was this same Je- hovah, though He appears in that transaction under the absolute name of (xod, as the Creator. Now that the earth, swept with the waters of the flood, is to be peo- pled, and the sons of Noah are to be distributed over the globe, Noah is inspired to forecast the promised deliverance in setting forth the des- tiny of 'his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ch. 9 : 26, 27.) " Blessed be Jehovah, the God 260 APPENDIX. of Shem." Here the personal rela- tion to which God, in liis redemptive capacity, enters with each of his peo- ple, is first set forth, and it is founded in their relation to His Eternal Son. By virtue of hissonship, they become sons, and this on account of the union between Jehovah and Elohim. It is Jehovah who appears here in a special redemptive relation to the Semitic race. Besides, " God shall 'Marge Japheth, and he (Japheth) fhall dwell in the tents of Shem." (a.) in the line of Shem spiritual blessings ire to descend to Japheth, who is to have enlargement and to dwell in the tents of Shem ; that is, to partake of his heritage, spiritual and tem- poral. These two sons, who were associated in their filial fidelity, are to be advanced in rank and authority aver Canaan, the representative and ihe type of the evil power. (b.) " The seed of the woman," promised as to come, is thus fixed in ibQ line of Shem ; and a beginning )ji thus made of a family Hneage for the Messiah, to be traced through \oug genealogies to the Advent. (c.) Shem is thus introduced in a relation of Mediator — the medium and conveyancer of blessings to his brethren — to Japheth, and to the de- scendants of Ham, excepting Canaan. In this blessing an advance was made in the Messianic idea, by an- nouncing a positive good in a cove- nant relation to God, and not merely the subjugation of evil. (in.) Abraham. — The Covenant. Oil. 12: 3; 18: 18; 22: 18. An individual here, for the first . time, receives fromGod a direct prom- ise of the Messiah; and a further advance is made in the Messianic idea. " Jehovah" who was promised to be the God of Shem, reveals him- self as the God of Abraham, and enters into covenant Avith him, as head of a faithful line, to inherit the " land of Canaan." This was signifi- cant of the promised victory of good over evil — that his seed should '• pos- sess the gate of his enemies." Abra- ham was to be the medium and con- veyancer of divine blessings to all the nations and families of the earth. And this could be only by the trans- mission of spiritual blessings. This covenant promise was repeated to Isaac, (ch 26 : 4.) and to Jacob, (ch. 28: 14,) <' heirs with him." Thus " God preached before the gospel unto Abraham," in this promise, "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith." (Gal. 3 : 8, 16.) He saith not "And to seeds, as of viany, but as of oi^E, and to thy seed ; which is Christ.'' Here, also, appears a personal and official type of the Messiah, in Melchizedek — a King-Priest — to whom the patriarch Abraham paid tithes, and who blessed Abraham. (Ch. 14 : 18.) This was full of sig- nificance, as Paul has shown in the Epistle to the Hebrews. (Ch. 7:6.) And this Melchizedek was genea- logically " without beginning of days or end of life — a type of the Mes- siah as Eternal. Here, also, in the birth of Isaac, an intimation is given of the miracu- lous incarnation of the promised Messiah, (Rom. 4 : 17-21,)— " the seed of the Woman" in this special sense. Here, also, in the offering up of the covenant-son Isaac, is revealed to Abraham the New-Testament Isaac, the divine Son of Promise, to be offered up as a sacrifice ; and in receiving him from the dead in a figure, (Heb. 11 : 19,) is revealed the resurrection of Christ. Abraham, therefore, " saw Christ's day and ivas glad." He called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah wilt see or appear. APPENDIX. 261 He calls God, « Jehovah, God of Heaven," and " Jehovah, God of earth." (Ch. 24 : 3, 12.) The patri- arch's servant speaks of Jehovah, God of his master. And Laban recognizes the redemptive relation, when he speaks of the servant, as " blessed of Jehovah" (vs. 31.) But the fulness of the time had not yet come. Still there is a series of delays and disappointments. Abra- ham must sojourn in a strange coun- try, and Jacob must also go down into Egypt. The family enlarge- ment into a nation must take place in that strange land, before the Land of Promise could be possessed by the Seed of Promise. There is, there- fore, a further promise for the period of bondage. JUDAH.- (IV.) -The Bondage. 10. Ch.49 Here, also, the Messiah is prom- ised in terms suited to the circum- stances of the time. In bondage under Egyptian rulers, the Sceptre was promised to Ju- DAH, one of the twelve sons of Ja- cob. (1.) That in the line of Judah there should be the dominion. (2.) That the right of self-government should be retained until (3.) The Shiloh should come ; and (4.) That 1 to Him (the personal Shiloh — Peace, or Rest) ihe obedience of the nations should be given. Thus it is further revealed, (1.) How the na- tions were to be blessed in the Abra- hamic seed. (2.) In what distinct branch of it (Judah) the blessing should descend ; and (3.) That ir should be by the advent of a per- sonal Shiloh — of the Promised One who should be Peace, Pacifica- tor or Rest. And this is " The Lion of the Tribe of Judah." Rev. 5 : 5. Here is already a prediction of the Theocratic Kingdom, culmi- nating in the Messiah's reign of peace. " Our Lord sprang out of Ju- dah." (Heb. 7 : 14.) Here, also, is Jacob's Ladder, a vision of the way opened for com- munication and intercourse between heaven and earth. And this was the inspired revelation of the Personal Ladder — the Son of Man — upon whom the angels of God should ascend and descend, keeping open the com- munication. Jacob, therefore, when he came to die, testifies of the Promised Dehv- erer, and of his faith in His advent : " I HAVE waited for THY SAL- VATION, O Jehovah." (Ch. 49 : 18.) Lange notes this blessing of Jacob as a middle stadium of theocratic revelation, between Ihe blessing of Isaac and the blessing of Moses. APPENDIX B. The Family of Judah. 46: 12. Ch. Dr. P. Davidson, Edinburgh, ex- plains, as follows : " The first difficul- ty is that in regard to the family of Judah which is found in the cata- logue of the names of those who who went down to Egypt with Jacob, contained in Gen. 46. I beg to in- troduce it with a few observations on the genealogical tables and list of names, contained in Scripture generally. And I remark, first, " That the inspired men did not frame these genealogies, and are therefore not responsible for the diffi- culties or apparent discrepancies to 262 APPENDIX. be found in them. No one, I pre- sume, imagines that these lists of names were communicated to them by divine revelation. The inspired men found them , framed to their hand, and brought down by tradition or by the public and private regis- ters of the Jewish tribes and fami- lies. They were led by the spirit of inspiration to copy so much of these records as served the purposes which they had in view ; and all that they were responsible for was, to give an accurate copy so far as they went. This is plainly all they had to do in the matter. " I remark, secondly, That in their original state the Jewish genealogies must have been unchallengeably cor- rect. For, as legal documents, and as involving the highest interests and honor of the tribes and families to which they belonged, they must have been constructed and preserved with the utmost care, and, when published, must have been open to the chal- lenge and correction of every indi- vidual who had an interest or who felt an interest in the matter. This also is unquestionable ; and it ought to give us confidence in these gene- alogies, provided we have no reason to think that they have been tam- pered with since. " The third remark I make is, that at the same time no portions of Scrip- ture were so liable, in the nature of things, to become dark and unintelli- gible to us and to all readers of other times. Why ? For very obvious reasons. We know not the princi- ples on which these genealogical tables were constructed. We can- not now trace the operation of the very peculiar laws and customs of Jewish society, as embodied in these records ; and even the different names given in different genealogies to the same individual, as well as the same names to different individuals, are apt to lead us astray. Thus, with the most perfect accuracy in the documents themselves, there may be to our minds the greatest obscurity in them, or an appearance of the most inextricable confusion. " And what, then, is the practical lesson which these remarks convey ? Plainly, that we may, most rationally, confide in the general truth of the genealogies of Scripture, even when we cannot harmonize them, or solve the difficulties which may be found in them. Take the genealogies of Christ, for instance, contained in the first chapter of Matthew's and in the third chapter of Luke's gospels. To harmonize these has always been a hard or impossible task to the Biblical scholar. I know not whether any unexceptionable way of doing so has ever been discov- ered. But ought this to stumble or distress the mind of any sincere be- liever in the inspiration of the Word of God '? Not for a moment. These genealogies were doubtless copied from public and authentic docu- ments, existing in the archives of the Jewish nation, or of the royal family. They were published when, had they been challengeable, they could have been and would have been challenged by thousands. This is enough to prove their original ac- curacy ; and it only confirms that proof to add that, so far as known, they never were challenged until the principles on which they were constructed, and the peculiarities of law and custom which they em- bodied, had been lost .sight of by those who challenged them, or has become altogether unknown. " The truth and importance of these remarks will be illustrated in some measure by the difficulty, to the con- sideration of which we now proceed, — that in regard to " the family of Judah. That difficulty is shortly this : That in the list of the names of those who went down with Jacob to Egypt APPENDIX. 263 (Gen. 46: 8-27), the names (Hez- ron and Hamul) of two of the grand- children of Judah, who could not then have been born, are found. Yet you cannot leave out these names, or consider them as interpolated afterwards, for you cannot without them, make up the list of sixty-six persons, which are said, both there and elsewhere, to have gone down to Egypt with Jacob. Such is the difficulty — the appar- ent discrepancy to be found in this part of the Pentateuch ; and what are we to say in reference to it ? I answer, that the difficulty may be solved, I think, in a single sentence ; but it will take a good deal of ex- planation to show that solution to be sound and scriptural ; and I beg to be allowed, therefore, to enter some- what minutely into the subject. It is not necessary to quote from Bishop Colenso's volume, for I have little or nothing to say against his way of statin^ the difficulty. Generally speaking, his premises are sound, his calculations unquestionable, and his answers to Kurtz, Hengstenberg, and others, unanswerable. I do not mean, of course, that I assent to his conclu- sions ; but merely to say that his data and calculations are correct, and that his answers to former solutions appear to be so. The solution which I propose has not, ^o far as I know, been before given ; and being anxious to give it fully, I prefer to state the whole story with which the difficulty is connected, as I understand it. That story, as recorded in the thirty-eighth chapter of Genesis, is not a very pleasant or morally pretty one ; but for the sake of truth we must be content to look at it for a little. The story is this : When Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, was about twenty years of age, he married the daughter of Shuah, a Canaanite, and by her had (in three successive years, we may suppose) three sons named Er, Onan, and Shelah. When Er, the first-born, became maiTiagenble, (which we cannot suppose wouTd be in less than sixteen years after his father's marriage, and when Judah, therefore, would be about thirty-six years of age,) he was married to Ta- mar ; but " he was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him." In other words, he died suddenly, without having a child. According to the levirate law of mar- riage, which then prevailed, and of which I shall afterwards have occa- sion to speak, Tamar, his widow, was, probably after some interval, given to his brother Onan to wife ; but he also died suddenly without issue. Tamar was then directed by Judah to remain in widowhood in her fa- ther's house till Shelah, his third son, was grown ; which she did ; but afterwards, finding or suspecting that the requirements of the levirate law were not complied with, she, by a stratagem, entrapped Judah himself, and by him had the twin sons Pha- rez and Zarah. We might be tempt- ed here to speak of the disgusting impurity and villany of these trans- actions ; but we forbear. Our pres- ent business is not with the moral character, but with the facts and times of these occurrences ; and it is very obvious that, when these two sons of Judah, by Tamar, were born, their father could not be less than thirty-nine years of age. And, there- fore, at the time of the going down to Egypt, when Judah was certainly not more than forty-two, these chil- dren could not be more than about three years old. Pharez was the father of Hezroa and Hamul, whose names appear in the list of those who came out of Jacob's loins, and who came with him to Egypt. But how could that be ? These children of Pharez, and grandchildren of Judah, could not be born till twelve or thirteen yeari 264 APPENDIX. at least after the migration to Egypt ; and how, then, could their names be reckoned among the sixty-six who went down to Egypt with Jacob ? My answer is, that the names of Hezron and Hamul are not reckoned among the sixty-six; they are only mentioned parenthetically, for a rea^ son that can be easily explained ; and that the names that are reckoned to make up the sixty-six are those of Er and Onan, the dead sons of Judah. For though they themselves were dead, their names were still alive ; that is, they had still the power and privilege of founding families in Is- rael, and were still " written," there- fore, " among the living " in Jacob. This is the answer which I propose to support, and I shall do so as briefly as seems consistent with perspicuity. 1. Permit me to remind you how great an honor it was always es- teemed to have a living name in Is- rael— a name, that is, enrolled in the genealogies of the tribes and families, and preserved to all genera- tions. For, besides that the continu- ance of the inheritance in a man's family depended on this, it secured him also a kind of immortality on earth. His name was remembered as one of the builders of the house of Israel. Hence the blessing of hav- ing many sons; hence the curse of being written childless ; " and hence also the figurative language about being " blotted out," or " not blotted out," from the book of the living. And this honor, it should be re- marked, would be especially cared for in the earlier days of the Isra- elitish people ; for then the great, the chief families were being founded, almost all of which bore the names of the grandchildren of Jacob, who went down with him to Egypt, as may be seen in the 26 th chapter of the book of Numbers. 2. Let me remind you, next, of ihe various ways by which an Isra- elite might secure this honor of hav- ing a living name, «ven after his own death. The first and most di- rect way was, of course, by having one or more sons to represent him, to inherit his property, and to build up his house and name. Another way was, if the deceased had daughters only, by these daugh- ters, as heiresses, being married to husbands of their own kindred, and their husbands taking the name, and being written as the sons of their de- ceased father-in-law. Of this we have an appropriate illustration in the case of the daughters of Zelo- phehad, spoken of in the 27th and 36th chapters of Numbers. But there was a third way in which a man's name might be preserved and numbered among the living, after his death ; namely, by a younger brother or kinsman marrying his widow, and raising up seed to him. This was what IS called the levirate marriage law, of which we have many illustra- tions in Scripture. We have a me- morial of it, for instance, in the ques- tion which the Sadducees put to Christ, touching the resurrection, when they proposed the hypothetical case of seven brothers who had mar- ried one woman, and died childless. * We have an illustration of it also, I need hardly remind you, in the beau- tiful story of the book of Ruth ; and in it we are expressly told that the design in view in the marriage of Ruth to the kinsman of her first hus- band was, " to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren." f The law of Moses on the subject, also, was express and pointed : " If breth- ren dwell together, and one of them die and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger : her husband's brother shall * Mark 12 : 19-57. f Ruth 4 : 10. APPENDIX. 265 go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the first-born which she beareth shall succeed in the name of the brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel : " liter- ally, that his name be not blotted out of Israel." * But the story which we have re- peated from the 38th chapter of Genesis is the most impressive of all the illustrations of the operation of this law, and of its design. It shows us, besides, that the law was not originated by Moses, but existed long before his day. It existed among the Canaanites, as well as the Israelites, and was probably one of those t}Tant- customs (arising as Michaelis thinks, out of the custom of polygamy,) which no lawgiver can at once put down, but which he can only regu- late and modify. The law is said to prevail still among the Mongols of Tartary and China, among whom also polygamy is rampant. 3. But without enlarging, I have only to remind you further how, by virtue of this law, Er and Onan, the dead sons of Judah, had a " living name " in Israel, or had a right to be named among the founders of the first and chief families of the nation, to re- cord the names of whom was the very object of the list in the 46th chapter of Genesis. Er and Onan had a very peculiar kind of right to this; for Pharez and Zarah, the sons of Ju- dah by Tamar, stood in a very pecu- iar relation to them. Let us confine our attention to Pharez. By the law of nature he was the son of Judah ; but by the levirate law he may be said to have been the grandson of Ju- .dah, being the son of his daughter-in- law. And so in regard to the two dead brothers — Pharez, by the law of nature, was their younger brother, but Deut. 25:5,6. 23 by the levirate law he was their son, being the son of their wife. This, how- ever, gave the dead brothers only a double claim to have their names raised up, or preserved alive, through him. And accordingly it was so; for Pharez, instead of being the founder of one family in Israel, be- came the founder of three distinct families: as we read in the 26th chapter of Numbers. His two eldest sons, Hezron and Hamul, founded the families of the Hezronites and Hamulites; and then the other sons of Pharez bore his own name, and constituted the family of the Pharzites. Thus, I contend, the two dead sons of Judah were afterwards, through Hezron and Hamul, founders of families in Israel, and therefore, though dead, their names were not blotted out, but were to be counted among the sixty-six that went down with Jacob to Egypt. And hence, too, the reason why Hezron and Hamul, though not then born, were parenthetically mentioned, though not counted, in this list of sixty-six names. It was through them that the dead sons of Judah afterwards secured their legal and. acknowledged right. And here I may remark, by the way, that the construction of the verse that con- tains their names agrees with this supposition — that they were not to be counted, but were only mentioned as in a parenthesis: a fact which Bishop Colenso has either not no- ticed or has designedly suppressed ; for in quoting the verse he changes its construction. The verse reads thus in our translation, which is per- fectly literal : " And the sons of Ju- dah, Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul." The Bishop leaves out the substantive verb " were " in this last clause, and so makes it a continuatioo 266 APPENDIX. of the preceding sentence, whereas it is completely distinct, and, as we have said, virtually a parenthetical sentence. It does not mean that Hezron and Hamul went down to Egypt with Jacob, or were then born, but only that they were the sons of Pharez ; and this is mentioned because, according to the levirate law, they were to be reckoned the sons of Er and Onan, and became afterwards the founders of families in their names, or as their representa- tives." XHB SNIlb