and obtaineth the blessing.

Before CHRIST

about 1760.

a Hebr. 11. 20.

CHAP. 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

may

25 And he said, bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that bless thee. And soul my he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed :

28 Therefore, a God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine :

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be

XXVII.
every one that curseth thee, and bles-
sed be he that blesseth thee.

Esau bringeth venison.

30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau,

Before CHRIST about 1760.

trembled

greatly.

33 And Isaac + trembled very ex- + Heb. ceedingly, and said, Who? where is with a great he that hath taken venison, and trembling brought it me, and I have eaten of Heb. all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a

hunted.

nation likewise, Isaac was bound to confer his blessing upon Jacob; and therefore his wife, perceiving his erroneous intention, laid a scheme, which induced him to do ignorantly, what God had pre-ordained to be done. Furthermore, when her artifice had succeeded, and Jacob was blessed, Isaac was fully satisfied with what he had done: "I have blessed him, yea, and he shall be blessed" which sudden change of mind may be imputed to some Divine inspiration, opening his understanding, and convincing him that he had given the blessing to the right person. These considerations may serve to alleviate the crime: still it must be owned, that Rebekah was guilty of a fault, in suggesting such wicked advice to her son; and that Jacob committed another, in suffering himself to be seduced by so bad a guide: and that both of them presumed to limit the power of God, by thinking that a complication of frauds was necessary for the accomplishment of a Divine prophecy. Had Rebekah put her husband in remembrance of this prophecy, and shewn how Esau had forfeited the blessing by selling his birthright, and by marrying strange wives, this had been a much more honourable proceeding. But she was left to pursue her own indiscreet method; and thus God accomplished his righteous purposes by converting, as He often does, human folly to the promotion of his glory. Stackhouse.

24. -And he said, I am.] Jacob got his father's blessing by a lie: but see what followed. His brother purposed to murder him:-he was in a manner banished from his father's house;-his uncle dealt deceitfully with him, as he had done with his father, and treated him with great rigour: and his mother, who put him upon this fraud, never saw him after. Bp. Wilson.

28. Therefore God give thee] Or, will give thee: it is a prophecy as well as a prayer. Bp. Kidder.

the dew of heaven,] Rain fell only at certain seasons in that country: but there was a recompence for it by plentiful dews, which very much refreshed the

earth, and are represented as a Divine gift, Job xxxviii. 28; Mic. v. 7. Bp. Patrick.

and the fatness of the earth,] Canaan, the lot of his inheritance, was a fruitful, and therefore by the Prophet called, a fat land, Neh. ix. 25. Stackhouse.

29. Let people serve thee,] As the former part of the blessing relates to wealth, so does this to dominion and empire: it was signally fulfilled in the days of David, when the Moabites, Ammonites, Syrians, Philistines, and Edomites also, were subdued under him. Bp. Patrick.

-be lord over thy brethren,] This is a third part of the blessing, giving him a prerogative in his own family. Bp. Patrick.

In the following chapter, ver. 14, the promise is made to Jacob, "In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed;" and to this are to be referred in their full force those expressions, "Let people serve thee, &c." It appears that Jacob was a man of more religion, and believed the Divine promises more than Esau. The posterity of Jacob likewise preserved the true religion and the worship of one God, while the Edomites were sunk in idolatry. And of the seed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy instrument of conveying these spiritual blessings to all nations. This was his greatest superiority over Esau: and in this sense St. Paul understands and applies the prophecy, "The elder shall serve the younger," Rom. ix. 12. The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of some one family and Jacob's was preferred to Esau's out of the good pleasure of Almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and hath an undoubted right to dispense his favours as He shall see proper: "for He saith to Moses," as the Apostle proceeds to argue, ver. 15, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' And when the Gentiles were converted to Christianity,

CHRIST great and exceeding bitter cry, and about 1760. said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

|| That is, a supplanter.

|| Or,

supported.

b Hebr. 12. 17.

c Ver. 28. Or, of the fatness.

35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

36 And he said, Is not he rightly named || Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I || sustained him: and what shall I now do unto thee, my son?

38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, Ó my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

b

the prophecy was literally fulfilled, "Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee;" and will more amply be fulfilled, when "the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved." Bp. Newton.

39. — Behold, thy dwelling &c.] Esau had cattle, and beasts, and substance in abundance. And when the Israelites on their return from Egypt desired leave to pass through the territories of Edom, it appears that the country contained fields and vineyards. There is, however, a manifest difference between this and Jacob's benediction. For here is no mention of plenty of corn and wine; nor is there dominion given to him, as there was to Jacob: and, whatsoever fatness was in the soil of the country, it did not last, as appears from Mal. i. 3. Bps. Newton and Patrick.

40.-by thy sword shalt thou live,] Live upon spoil. Bp. Patrick. The Edomites were always distinguished for their violence and martial spirit. Josephus gives them the character of "a turbulent and disorderly nation, always erect to commotions, and rejoicing in changes; at the least adulation of those who beseech them, beginning war, and hastening to battles as it were to a feast." Bp. Newton.

XXV, 23.

shalt serve thy brother;] See note on chap.

He threateneth Jacob.

Before

41 And Esau hated Jacob be- CHRIST cause of the blessing wherewith his about 1760. father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I d Obad. 10. slay my brother Jacob.

42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill

thee.

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

35.

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, e I e Chap. 26. am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

CHAP. XXVIII.

1 Isaac blesseth Jacob, and sendeth him to Padan-aram. 6 Esau marrieth Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael. 10 The vision of

thou shalt break his yoke &c.] In the reign of Jehoram, "the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king,' (2 Kings viii. 20;) thus fulfilling this prophecy 900 years after it was delivered. Bp. Newton.

46.—I am weary of my life &c.] However culpable Rebekah may be thought in the former instance, there is not the like imputation on her, in hiding from her husband the true reason of her sending Jacob away. It is prudence to conceal the truth, when the discovery will occasion more harm than good. Therefore that she might not afflict her husband's old age with the unwelcome news of his son Esau's wicked design against his brother, and thereby provoke his indignation against him; she covered the dismission of Jacob with a reason, that was true indeed, but not that chief and latent one, which gave her the most uneasiness; and which, if communicated to her husband, might have been the means of bringing down his grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. So that on the whole, and according to the Proverbs of the wise king, she acted the part both of a careful wife and of a prudent woman: for "the tongue

Isaac blesseth Jacob.

Before CHRIST 1760.

20 Jacob's vow.

ND Isaac called Jacob, and bles

7 And that Jacob obeyed his fa

Chap. XXVIII. ver. 1.-blessed him,] Renewed and confirmed his former blessing, that it might not be thought of less force, because procured by artifice and subtilty. Bp. Patrick.

4.- the blessing of Abraham,] That blessing, not only temporal, but spiritual, which was promised to Abraham, chap. xii. 2, 3; xvii. 19; xxii. 17, 18; and was by God Himself transferred to Isaac, chap. xxv. 11, and xxvi. 3; and is here by Isaac assured to Jacob and his seed. Bp. Kidder.

10. And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba,] Isaac's life was not more retired and quiet, than Jacob's was busy and troublesome. In the one I see the image of contemplation; of action, in the other. None of the Patriarchs saw so evil days as he; from whom justly hath the Church of God therefore taken her name. Neither were the faithful ever since called Abrahamites, but Israelites. As an emblem of his future lot, he began his strife in the womb: after that, he flies for his life from a cruel brother to a cruel uncle. With a staff goes he over Jordan alone, doubtful and comfortless, not like the son of Isaac. In the way the earth is his bed, and a stone his pillow; yet even there he sees a vision of angels. Jacob's heart was never so full of joy, as when his head lay hardest. God is most present with us in our greatest dejection; and loves to give comfort to those that are forsaken of their hopes. Bp. Hall.

- behold a ladder &c.] This ladder, according to the sense of the best interpreters, is an emblem of the

CHRIST 1760.

8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan † pleased not Isaac + Heb. were his father;

9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

b

evil in the eyes, &c.

Acts 7. 2,

10 ¶ And Jacob went out from about 1760. Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. b Called, 11 And he lighted upon a certain Charran. place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

C

& 48. 3.

13 And, behold, the LORD stood c Chap. 35. 1. above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou

Divine Providence, which governs all things. Its being "set up on the earth" denotes the steadiness of Providence, which nothing can unsettle: its "reaching up to heaven" signifies, that it extends over all things: the several "steps of the ladder " are the motion and action of Providence: the "angels going up and down" shew, that they are the great ministers of Providence, always employed in the preservation of the just: their "ascending" represents their going up to receive the Divine commands; and their "descending," their coming down upon earth to execute them. So that God hereby signified to Jacob, now full of cares and uneasy apprehensions, that the man, who was under the custody and protection of Divine Providence, wanted not company in a wilderness; nor security in danger; nor direction in difficulties: since there were so many "ministering spirits," holding correspondence between earth and heaven; and daily and hourly "sent forth" from God's presence "to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation," Heb. i. 14.

Another interpretation deserves our attention. The promise, which God makes to Jacob, from the top of the ladder, relates chiefly to his covenant with Abraham, which was principally founded in Christ, that chosen Seed, "in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed." The analogy of the thing may therefore lead us to believe, that this ladder was designed for a type and emblem of the covenant of grace, which was in force from the time of man's first apostacy, and began to be put in execution at the incarnation of our Saviour Christ, that only Mediator, who opened an intercourse between earth and heaven: by whose intercession plenty of all spiritual blessings descend to us and by whose merits and doctrines his

The stone of Beth-el.

Before CHRIST

liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy

about 1760. seed;

forth.

d Deut. 12. 20.

Jacob's vow.

e Chap. 12. 3. & 18. 18. &

22. 18. & 26. 4.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it

not.

17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he

disciples are sanctified, and so become "meet to be partakers with the saints in light," or to ascend into heaven. To this mystical meaning of the ladder, our Saviour Himself may be thought to allude, when He says, "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man," John i. 51. Stackhouse.

18. took the stone and set it up &c.] That it might preserve the memory of this heavenly vision; and serve as a token to point out to him the place, when God should bring him back again. He afterwards poured oil upon it, to consecrate it as a monument of God's great mercy to him. Hence arose the Pagan custom of anointing stones, and consecrating them to the memory of great men after their death, and falling down, and worshipping before them; a proof, how the best and noblest acts of piety may be perverted into a foolish and degrading superstition. This idolatrous practice arose very early: whence Moses forbade the erecting of such pillars, they being in his time converted to a profane use. Bp. Patrick, Stackhouse.

19.—the name of that city] Which was near the place where this pillar was set up. Bp. Patrick.

20.-Jacob vowed a vow,] Annotators have observed, that this is the first vow we read of in Scripture. Jacob however appears to have done no more than his father had done before him. When, for example, the Lord is said to have made a covenant with Abraham, it must be supposed that Abraham on his part expressed his consent and acceptance; and not only so, but vowed and promised to perform the conditions, in order to attain the benefits of it. Biblioth. Bibl.

and will give me bread &c.] To work our own contentment, we should not labour so much to increase our substance, as to moderate our desires. Jacob did not propose to himself any great endowments, rich revenues, and large possessions: but only "bread to eat, and raiment to put on." No matter of what coarse grain, so it were but bread to give nourishment, and

21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

CHAP. XXIX.

1 Jacob cometh to the well of Haran. 9 He taketh acquaintance of Rachel. 13 Laban entertaineth him. 18 Jacob covenanteth for Rachel. 23 He is deceived with Leah. 28 He marrieth also Rachel, and serveth for

the house of God.

maintain life. No matter for the stuff or fashion, so it were but raiment to cover nakedness, and to keep off heat and cold. Neither doth St. Paul speak of any choicer or costlier gifts: "Having food and raiment,' saith he, "let us be therewith content," 1 Tim. vi. 8. He saith not delicacies, but food; not ornaments, but raiment, coverings. Bp. Sanderson.

The conditions of Jacob's vow seem to denote the secret wish and desire of his soul, and not any express stipulation with God. Man certainly cannot insist on terms with his Maker; but he may desire and humbly hope for a supply of his wants. More than this the Patriarch did not expect; and less than this God never intended to give. "Our heavenly Father knows that we have need of food to eat and raiment to put on ;" and it is a renunciation of our dependence upon his providential goodness not to ask them. To serve God for no consideration, but that of his own glory, is a notion, that may well enough comport with our future exalted state, when we shall "hunger no more, neither thirst any more," and where our service will always be attended with vision; but while we are invested with these weak and frail bodies, they and their concerns will tenderly affect us: and God, who "considers whereof we are made," expects no other than that they should. Stackhouse.

21.—then shall the Lord be my God:] I will suffer no idolatry in my house or family. Bp. Wilson. He does not mean, that he would not worship God, if He did not bring him home in peace: for the right which God has to the service and homage of his creatures is absolute and inalienable; but that, if He did, he would perform some special service to Him, and worship Him with extraordinary devotion. Bp. Patrick, Stackhouse.

22. I will surely give the tenth unto thee.] The tithe of all his income, saith Josephus: for the maintenance of burnt sacrifices, and other pious purposes; perhaps also for the relief of the poor; the order of priesthood being not yet instituted.

This is the second mention of tithes or tenths, and