of the family; and even if his sister became dissolute, and was defiled, nobody could hinder her from still being his sister." (D'Arvieux.) This is confirmed by Niebuhr. "I learnt at Basra, that a man is not allowed to kill his wife, even on account of adultery; but that her father, brother, or any of her relations, were suffered to do it without being punished, or at least paying a small sum as an atonement, because her relations had been dishonoured by her bad behaviour; but that after this satisfaction, nobody is permitted to reproach the family. They remembered examples of it in Basra and Bagdad; in this latter place, a rich merchant, a few years since, had found a young man with a relation of his, and not only hewed her in pieces on the spot, but also, by witnesses and money, caused the young man, who was the son of a respectable citizen, to be hanged the same night by the magistrates."--ROSENMULLER.

Ver. 30. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land.

So said Jacob to Simeon and Levi. Of a man who has lost his honour, whose fame has entirely gone, it is said, "Ah! he has lost his smell-where is the sweet smell of former years?" "Alas!" says an old man, my smell is for ever gone."--ROBERTS.

CHAP. 35. ver. 2. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.

The household of Jacob had strange gods among them, and he ordered them to put them away, and to make themselves clean, and to change their garments in token of their purity. When people have been to any unholy place, they always on returning wash their persons and change their garments. No man can go to the temple, wearing a dirty cloth: he must either put it on clean, or go himself to a tank and wash it; or put on one which is quite new. Hence, near temples, men may be seen washing their clothes, in order to prepare themselves for some ceremony. (Exodus xix. 10.)--ROBERTS.

Ver. 4. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their ear-rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. The nose-jewel is another ornament peculiar to the East, which the Jewish females were accustomed to wear, and of which the Asiatic ladies are extremely fond. It is mentioned in several parts of scripture; thus the prophet Ezekiel: "And I put a jewel on thy forehead," or, as it should have been rendered, on thy nose. This ornament was one of the presents which the servant of Abraham gave to Rebecca, in the name of his master: "I put," said he, "the ear-ring upon her face;" more literally, I put the ring on her nose. They wore ear-rings besides; for the household of Jacob at his request, when they were preparing to go up to Bethel, gave him all the ear-rings which were in their ears, and he hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. The difference between these ornaments is clearly stated by the prophet: "I put a jewel on thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears.' The nose-jewel, therefore, was different from the ear-ring, and actually worn by the females as an ornament in the East. This is confirmed by the testimony of Sir John Chardin, who says, "It is the custom in almost all the East, for the women to wear rings in their noses, in the left nostril, which is bored low down in the middle. These rings are of gold, and have commonly two pearls and one ruby between them, placed in the ring; I never saw a girl or young woman in Arabia, or in all Persia, who did not wear a ring after this manner in her nostril." Some writers contend, that by the nosejewel, we are to understand rings, which women attached to their forehead, and let them fall down upon their nose; but Chardin, who certainly was a diligent observer of Eastern customs, nowhere saw this frontal ring in the East, but everywhere the ring in the nose. His testimony is supported by Dr. Russel, who describes the women in some of

the villages about Aleppo, and all the Arabs and Chinganas, (a sort of gipsies,) as wearing a large ring of silver or gold, through the external cartilage of their right nostril. It is worn, by the testimony of Egmont, in the same manner by the women of Egypt. The difference in the statements of these travellers is of little importance, and may be reconciled by supposing, what is not improbable, that in some eastern countries they wear the ring in the left, and in others in the right nostril; all agree that it is worn in the nose, and not upon the forehead. Some remains of this custom have been discovered among the Indians in North America, where Clark and Lewis, in their travels to the sources of the Missouri, fell in with some tribes that wore a long tapering piece of shell, or bead, put through the cartilage of the nose.--PAXTON. Ver. 8. But Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el, under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. Savary, speaking of the Egyptian women, and their manner of nursing their children, says, "When circumstances compel them to have recourse to a nurse, she is not looked upon as a stranger. She becomes part of the family, and passes the rest of her life in the midst of the children she has suckled. She is honoured and cherished like a second mother." So the Syrian nurse continued until her death with Rebecca, and was buried with great solemnity of mourning: since that oak was from that time distinguished by the name of the Oak of Weeping.-HAR

MER.

Ver. 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.

The following account from the recent and valuable Travels in Palestine, by Mr. Buckingham, on the subject of Rachel's tomb, will be found highly interesting. "In the way, on the right, at a little distance from the road, is hewn the reputed tomb of Rachel, to which we turned off, to enter. This may be near the spot of Rachel's interment, as it is not far from Ephrath, and may correspond well enough with the place assigned for her sepulchre by Moses, who says, in describing her death in childbirth of Benjamin, and Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrathi, which is Bethlehem; and Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.' Gen. xxxv. 19. Instead of a pillar, the spot is now covered by a Mohammedan building, resembling in its exterior the tombs of saints and scheiks in Arabia and Egypt, being small, square, and surmounted by a dome. We entered it on the south side by an aperture, through which it was difficult to crawl, as it has no doorway; and found on the inside a square mass of masonry in the centre, built up from the floor nearly to the roof, and of such a size as to leave barely a narrow passage for walking around it. It is plastered with white stucco on the outer surface, and is sufficiently large and high to enclose within it any ancient pillar that might have been found on the grave of Rachel. This central mass is certainly different from any thing that I have ever observed in Arabian tombs; and it struck me on the spot, as by no means improbable, that its intention might have originally been to enclose either a pillar, or fragment of one, which tradition had pointed out as the pillar of Rachel's grave; and that as the place is held in equal veneration by Jews, by Christians, and by Mohammedans, the last, as lords of the country, might have subsequently built the present structure over it in their own style, and plastered the high square pillar within. Around the interior face of the walls, is an arched recess on each side, and over every part of the stucco are written and engraved a profusion of names in Hebrew, Arabic, and Roman characters; the first executed in curious devices, as if a sort of abracadabra." P. 216. -BURDER. (See Engraving.)

CHAP. 36. ver. 6. And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house.

The Margin has, for persons, "souls." Has a man gone to a distant place, it is said, " Viravan, and all the souls of his house, have gone to the far country.' "Have you heard that the old man and thirty souls have gone on a pilgrimage?" "Sir, I can never get rich, because I have fifteen souls who daily look to me for their rice."-ROBERTS.

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

The Hebrews ascribe the invention of mules to Anah, the son of Zibeon, whose daughter, Aholibamah, was given in marriage to Esau. "This was that Anah, that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father." In this text, Moses evidently censures the misguided and preposterous industry of Anah, who, not satisfied with the numerous flocks and herds which the bounty of Providence had bestowed on his family, or, perhaps, actuated by impure and licentious motives, contrived a new and spurious breed of animals unknown to nature, and contrary to the laws which regulate her operations. Whatever might be the motive, the conduct of this Horite prince was certainly criminal. We cannot, on any other supposition, account for the peculiar and emphatical phrase which Moses employs: "This was that Anah, that found the mules in the wilderness." In opposition to this idea, Bochart contends, that if Anah had found out the method of procreating mules, the sacred historian would not have said he found them; because the verb (ND) matsa, among the Hebrews, does not signify to invent, but to find something already in existence. Nor to strengthen this conjecture, is it sufficient, that Anah is said at the time to have tended the asses of Zibeon his father; for mules are not procreated of asses only, but of an ass and a mare, or of a horse and a female ass. But of horses or wild asses, by whose union with the domestic ass a mule is generated, no mention is made in this passage. In addition to these arguments, our author insists on the improbability, that the method of generating mules was discovered in Idumea at that early period; because, the use of these animals does not seem to have become common in Judea, till the reign of David, about five hundred years after the death of Anah. No mention is made of mules in the flocks and herds of Abraham, of Isaac, of Job, and other shepherd princes of the East. In the various enumerations, horses, camels, asses, oxen, sheep, and goats, are expressly mentioned, but in relation to mules, the profoundest silence is uniformly observed; hence, Bochart argues, that the origin of mules is involved in great uncertainty. But the assertion of that celebrated writer, that the Hebrew verb (ND) matsa, signifies only to find, not to invent, is incorrect. In Leigh's Critica Sacra, it signifies also to procure for himself by labour and industry; and in Parkhurst, the seventh sense is, to obtain, to procure. According to these respectable authors, the text may be rendered, This was that Anah, who, by labour and industry, procured for himself mules in the wilderness, which is quite consistent with the common exposition. If Anah did not invent the method of procreating mules, but only found them already existing, what can the sacred writer mean by the emphatical phrase, He, Anah; or, as in our version, This was that Anah? What was so remarkable or important in a person merely finding a knot of mules in the wilderness, that Moses should reckon it necessary to use such emphatical terms? And what reason can be given, that he takes not the smallest notice of those who found horses, or camels, or asses in the wilderness, although some individual must have found and reduced them to a state of servitude? Something unusual and peculiar is certainly intended in the phrase which Moses employs: and what can that be, but the invention of a new breed of animals. The want of mules in the numerous herds of the patriarchs, and the late period at which they came into general use among the Jews, will not prove that Anah was not the inventer of that spurious breed, but only, that it was not in much request till the reign of David. That the procreation of mules was actually discouraged among the holy people, we have the highest authority for asserting. The God of Israel, who is a God of order and not of confusion, enacted a law, which he introduces with more than usual solemnity, not indeed to prohibit the use

of mules when procreated, but the rearing of them: "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind." The mules which David and the nobles of his kingdom rode, were therefore, in all probability, imported from other countries where they abounded, long before the time of that illustrious monarch. Bochart offers another interpretation, which he thinks ought to be preferred; that the original term which our translators render mules, is in reality the name of a people, probably the same as the gigantic Emim, mentioned in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis. The Samaritan Pentateuch, accordingly reads here, (D) the Emim; and the Targum in Genesis, renders the term by (2) giants; and Aquila and Symmachus retain the Hebrew name, Emim; so, that the passage should be rendered: This is that Anah, who found, or lighted upon, the Emim in the desert. The verb (NSP) matsa, when spoken of enemies, is used for lighting upon them, or even attacking them suddenly: several examples of which, are quoted by Parkhurst. Thus, Anah is said to have found the Emím, or to have fallen upon them, or attacked them suddenly. By this daring exploit, which was greatly celebrated at the time it happened, whether he discomfited these gigantic enemies by his valour, or eluded the snare they had prepared for him by his address, he transmitted his fame to succeeding generations; and by this criterion the historian distinguishes him from others of the same name.-PAXTON.

[But for this interpretation there is no evidence in history, and we shall exhibit as more plausible, though by no means conclusive, the opinion of Mr. Bryant, (Observations upon some Passages in Scripture, p. 26.) There is reason to think, that the nature of these thirsty regions_above mentioned is alluded to in the history of Anah, who was of the family of Seir the Horite, into which Esau had married. "And these are the children of Zibeon" (the son of Seir) "both Aiah and Anah: this was that Anah, who found mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon, his father.” Gen. chap. xxxvi. ver. 24. Why the word, Yamim, is here rendered mules, I know not; and why in some other versions it is expressed giants. It manifestly denotes waters; and is so translated in the Syriac version; and by aquas calidas in the Vulgate. The translations of Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus, retain the original word, which they express in Greek characters ιαμείν, Οι ταμειμ, as if it were a proper name. The word, I make no doubt, was in common use among the Edomites, and Horites of Mount Seir. It is the same as of the scriptures, and as the word Hammim, by which baths and waters are denoted at this day by the Arabians, Persians, and other nations in the east. The account given in scripture is short, and was well understood by the persons to whom it is addressed, and undoubtedly related to water. The circumstance mentioned must have been of consequence, otherwise there would have been no necessity to specify the person, by whom it was effected. We should therefore read, that instead of mules Anah found out water in the wilderness: but to what does the history amount? Every known spring must have had somebody to have discovered it; so that Anah, if this be all, did no more than hundreds had done before. But to me there seems to be something of more importance in the account than at first appears; and for that reason the name of the person is recorded, as being of moment to those who lived in the vicinity of Edom, and were acquainted with the rites of Midian. It is to be observed, that the sacred writer, in speaking of Anah's first discovery of these waters, does not inform us, when, or where, he was feeding his father's asses; but only that the event took place, as he was feeding them. This may be found of some moment. I imagine, that the latent purport of the history is this. As Anah was attending these animals, in the desert, he observed that faculty with which they were endued, of snuffing the moisture of the air, and being by these means led to latent waters. Accordingly, either by the intimation of those which he fed, or by the traces of the wild brood, he was brought to the knowledge of those resources. And as those animals, which had been beneficial, were entitled in many countries to a particular regard, so these among others met with uncommon reverence among the Horites of Mount Hor, and the people of Seir: for they were looked upon as the instruments of Heaven, towards the finding out in those barren wilds the greatest blessing. Hence

And

arose a town, and temple, where the divinity was worshipped under this emblem. They stood in a valley beneath Mount Hor, which was a part of the mountains Kiddim, upon the skirts of Edom. Thus, as I have before mentioned, what was natural sagacity, they looked upon as a supernatural impulse, an intimation from Heaven. And the animal, like the Apis and Mnevis in Egypt, was esteemed a living emblem of the Deity, and oracular. From the situation of Petora, which was very recluse, the place being almost surrounded by high mountains, we may suppose, that the water was first found out in the manner above: in consequence of which the animal was looked upon as an oracle, and accordingly reverenced. when the false prophet proved disobedient, and was going to utter his curses against God's people, he was terrified by an angel, and rebuked by the beast he strode. Instead of that divine energy, which it was at times supposed to enjoy, and for which at Petora it was in an idolatrous manner reverenced, God gave the ass a human voice, a far superior and more surprising gift. Hence his power was shown above that of the gods of Edom and Midian; and the miracle was well calculated, in respect to the person on whose account it was exhibited. That the history did not relate either to mules, or to the Emims, but on the contrary, to water and fountains, may be seen in the name of the person. This was my, Anah, directly from ry, Ain, a fountain; and is analogous to Inyatos in Greek, and Fontanus, or Fonteius, in Latin. It is what the Greeks called 2 μετονομασία, and was bestowed in consequence of the discovery; and is applicable to nothing else.]-B.

CHAP. 37. ver. 3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Rauwolf says, "that Turks of rank at Aleppo dress their sons, when they are a little grown, and can walk, in loose coats of a fine texture, in which various colours are woven, and which look very handsome."--ROSENMULLER.

The margin has, instead of colours, "pieces;" and it is probable the coat was patch-work of different colours. For beautiful or favourite children, precisely the same thing is done at this day. Crimson, and purple, and other colours, are often tastefully sewed together. Sometimes children of the Mohammedans have their jackets embroidered with gold and silk of various colours. A child being clothed in a garment of many colours, it is believed that neither tongues nor evil spirits will injure him, because the attention is taken from the beauty of the person, to that of the garment. Children seldom wear them after they are eight years of age; though it must have been the custom among the ancients referred to in the Bible to wear them longer, as we read of Tamar having " a garment of divers colours upon her; for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled."-ROBERTS.

Ver. 10. Shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth.

The Hebrew word here translated bow down, (by Luther, anbelen, i. e. worship,) means the manner customary in all Asia of testifying respect to kings and princes, by falling on the knee, and stooping till the forehead touches the ground. Ovington says, "The mark of respect which is paid to kings in the East approaches very near to adoration. The manner of saluting the Great Mogul is, to touch with the hand first the earth, then the breast, and then to lift it above, which is repeated three times in succession as you approach him."-BURDER.

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

What is here meant by a pit is an empty cistern or reservoir dug in the ground, in which the rain-water is collected, of which there are many in the Arabian deserts. Rauwolf, in the account of his Journey through the Desert of Mesopotamia, says, "That the camels, besides other

necessaries, were chiefly laden with water to refresh themselves and their cattle in the sultry heat of the sun, as they do not easily meet with springs or brooks in crossing the desert: though they may by chance meet with pits or cisterns, which are for the most part without water, which only runs into them from the rain."-ROSENMULLER.

Ver. 34. And Jacob rent his clothes.

This ceremony is very ancient, and is frequently mentioned in scripture. Levi (Rites and Ceremonies of the Jews, p. 174) says, it was performed in the following manner: they take a knife, and holding the blade downward, do give the upper garment a cut on the right side, and then rend it a hand's-breadth. This is done for the five following relations, brother, sister, son, or daughter, or wife; but for father or mother, the rent is on the left side, and in all the garments, as coat, waistcoat, &c."-BURDER.

CHAP. 38. ver. 14. And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath: for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

The habit of eastern females was also suited to their station; and women of all ages and conditions, appeared in dresses of the same fashion; only a married woman wore a veil upon her head, in token of subjection; and a widow had a garment which indicated her widowed state. The daughters of a king, and ladies of high rank, who were virgins, wore a garment of many colours, reaching, as is supposed, to the heels or ankles, with long sleeves down to the wrists, which had a border at the bottom, and a facing at the hands, of a colour different from the garment: it was likewise embroidered with flowers, which in ancient times, was reckoned both splendid and beautiful. Before the Jews were carried captives to Babylon, their wives and daughters had arrived at the greatest degree of extravagance in dress. The prophet Isaiah gives a long list of the vestments, trinkets, and ornaments in use among the ladies of Israel, in that remote age; the greater part of which, it is extremely difficult to describe. A common prostitute among the Jews was known, as well by the peculiar vesture she wore, as by having no covering upon her head, and her eyebrows painted with stibium, which dilated the hair, and made the eyes look black and beautiful. In the days of Jacob, the harlot seemed to have been distinguished by her veil, and by wrapping herself in some peculiar manner; for these are the circumstances that induced Judah to consider Tamar his daughter-in-law as a woman of this character. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot, because she had covered her face. It may be justly inferred from this passage, that modest women did not constantly wear a veil in those days. Rebecca, indeed, put a veil upon her face when she met Isaac in the field but it was a part of the marriage ceremony to deliver the bride covered with a veil, from head to foot; and Rebecca, in this instance, only followed the established custom of her country. Had it been the practice of modest women in that age to cover their faces, in the presence of the other sex, she would not have needed to veil herself when her future husband met her in the field. She seems to have had no veil when Abraham's servant accosted her at the well; nor, for any thing that can be discovered, was Rachel veiled at her first interview with Jacob; or if they did appear in veils, these prevented not a part of the face from marriage ceremony, must, therefore, be referred to a later being seen. The practice of wearing veils, except at the period, and was perhaps not introduced till after the lapse of several ages. These observations may serve to illustrate the address of Abimelech to Sarah: "Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee; and with all other." Sarah, you have not been used to wear the veil constantly when at home, as a person of your beauty and accomplishments should do, and by that circumstance we were tempted; but now I insist that you wear a covering, which, by concealing your beautiful countenance, may prevent such desires; and henceforth be correct, (as the word may be rendered, that is, circumspect,) and do

not show yourself; or, as in our translation, thus she was corrected, reproved, by a very handsome compliment paid to her beauty, and a very handsome present paid to her brother, as Abraham is sarcastically termed by Abimelech.

-ΡΑΧΤΟΝ.

Ver. 18. And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? and she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thy hand and he gave it her, and came in unto her and she conceived by him.

The signet used by kings and persons of rank in the East was a ring which served all the purposes of sealing. All the Orientals, instead of signature by sign manual, use the impression of a seal on which their name and title (if they have one) is engraved. Among intriguing and malicious people, it is so easy to turn the possession of a man's seal to his disgrace, by making out false documents, that the loss of it always produces great concern. This shows how much Judah put himself in the power of Tamar, when he gave her his signet; and one reason of his anxiety, "Let her take it to her, lest we be ashamed," may therefore mean something beyond the mere discovery of the immoral action; Lest by some undue advantage taken of the signet, I may be endangered." In an Indian court, the monarch still takes the ring from his finger, and affixes it to the decree, and orders the posts to be despatched to the provinces, as in the reign of Ahasuerus. When an eastern prince delivers the seal of empire to a royal guest, he treats him as a superior; but when he delivers it to a subject, it is only a sign of investiture with office. Thus the king of Egypt took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand, when he made him ruler over all his dominions; and the king of Persia took off the ring which he had taken from Haman and gave it unto Mordecai.-PAXTON.

CHAP. 39. ver. 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.

All respectable men have a head servant called a Kanika-Pulli, i. e. an accountant, in whose hands they often place all they possess. Such a man is more like a relation or a friend, than a servant; for, on all important subjects, he is regularly consulted, and his opinion will have great weight with the family. When a native gentleman has such a servant, it is common to say of him, "Ah! he has nothing-all is in the hand of his KanikaPalli."-"Yes, yes, he is the treasure pot." "He knows of nothing but the food he eats."—ROBERTS.

CHAP. 40. ver. 13. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy 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.

The ancients, in keeping their reckonings or accounts of time, or their list of domestic officers or servants, made use of tables with holes bored in them, in which they put a sort of pegs, or nails with broad heads, exhibiting the particulars, either number or name, or whatever it was. These nails or pegs the Jews call heads, and the sockets of the heads they call bases. The meaning therefore of Pharaoh's lifting up his head is, that Pharaoh would take out the peg, which had the cup-bearer's name on the top of it, to read it, i. e. would sit in judgment, and make examination into his accounts; for it seems very probable that both he and the baker had been either suspected or accused of having cheated the king, and that, when their accounts were examined and cast up, the one was acquitted, while the other was found guilty. And though Joseph uses the same expression in both cases, yet we may observe that, speaking to the baker, he adds, that Pharaoh shall lift p thy head from off thee, i. e. shall order thy name to be struck out of the list of his servants, by taking thy peg out of the socket.-BIBLIOTHECA BIBLICA, cited by STACKHOUSE.

CHAP. 41. ver. 40. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Pococke, when he describes the Egyptian compliments, tells us, that upon their taking any thing from the hand of a superior, or that is sent from such a one, they kiss it, and as the highest respect put it to their foreheads. This is not peculiar to those of that country: for the editor of the Ruins of Balbec observed, that the Arab governor of that city respectfully applied the firman of the Grand Seignior to his forehead, which was presented to him when he and his fellow-travellers first waited on him, and then kissed it, declaring himself the Sultan's slave's slave. Is not this what Pharaoh refers to in Gen. xli. 40? "Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word," (or on account of thy word,)" shall all my people kiss," (for so it is in the original;) "only in the throne will I be greater than thou:" that is, I imagine, the orders of Joseph were to be received with the greatest respect by all, and kissed by the most illustrious of the princes of Egypt. Drusius might well deny the sense that Kimchi and Grotius put on these words, the appointing that all the people should kiss his mouth. That would certainly be reckoned in the West, in every part of the earth, as well as in the ceremonious East, so remarkable for keeping up dignity and state, a most strange way of commanding the second man in the kingdom to be honoured. It is very strange then that these commentators should propose such a thought; and the more so, as the Hebrew word pee is well known to signify word, or commandment, as well as mouth. As this is apparent from Gen. xlv. 21; so also that the preposition by al, often signifies according to, or on account of, is put out of the question by that passage, as well as by Sam. iv. 12, Ezra x. 9, &c. These are determinations that establish the exposition I have been giving. "Upon thy commandment," or when thou sendest out orders, my people, from the highest to the lowest, shall kiss," receiving them with the profoundest respect and obedience.-HARMER.

In Psalm ii. 12, it is written, "Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way." Bishop Patrick says on this, "Kiss the son; that is, submit to him, and obey him." Bishop Pococke says, "The Egyptians, on taking any thing from the hand of a superior, or that is sent from him, kiss it; and, as the highest respect, put it to their foreheads." It is therefore probable that Pharaoh meant, that all should submit to Joseph, that all should obey him, and pay him reverence, and that only on the throne he himself would be greatest. When a great man causes a gift to be handed to an inferior, the latter will take it, and put it on the right cheek, so as to cover the eyes; then on the left; after which he will kiss it. This is done to show the great superiority of the donor, and that he on whom the gift is bestowed is his dependant, and greatly reverences him. When a man of rank is angry with an inferior, the latter will be advised to go and kiss his feet; which he does by touching his feet with his hands, and then kissing them.

When the Mohammedans meet each other after a long absence, the inferior will touch the hand of the superior, and then kiss it. All, then, were to kiss Joseph, and acknowledge him as their ruler.-ROBERTS.

Ver. 42. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand.

That is, his signet. In the ring there is generally a seal, on which the name of the sovereign is engraved. This signet is dipped in a coloured matter, and impressed over the royal orders, instead of the king's title. Whoever is in possession of this seal, can issue commands in the name of the king. What is said in this text, would be expressed in modern language by, "Pharaoh raised Joseph to the dignity of grand vizier." The symbol of power and authority given to the grand vizier, is the seal of the sultan with his cipher, which is intrusted to his care. The signet was considered, in the East, from the most ancient times, as the sign of delegated power. That given to the grand vizier is so great, that no officer of state, no minister, dares to resist, or even to contradict his orders, without risking his head, because every one of his commands is obeyed, as if

it had proceeded from the throne, or from the mouth of the sultan. He likewise receives almost royal honours; all about him bears the stamp of the highest honour, power, and splendour. Lüdecke, in his Description of the Turkish Empire, says, "The grand vizier is the principal of all the officers of state, and his dignity is similar to that with which Pharaoh invested Joseph. He is called Your Highness. The emperor scarcely differs from him except in name. There is nothing at the European courts similar to his dignity, and the prémiers ministres, as they are called, are nothing to him. Being keeper of the imperial signet, he always has it suspended round his neck. The investing him with it, is the sign of his elevation to office, and the taking it off, of his discharge. Without further orders or responsibility, he issues all orders for the empire." In like manner, when Alexander the Great, on his death-bed, delivered his signet to Perdiccas, it was concluded that he had also given to him his royal powers, and intended him for his successor. (CURTIUS.)-The arraying of Joseph in fine linen, was probably a part of the ceremony of investing him with his high dignity. Thus the grand vizier on the day of his appointment is invested with a double golden caftan, or robe of honour.-ROSEN

MULLER.

This practice is still common, but was much more so in former times. Aruchananan, a king, once became greatly enamoured with a princess called Alli, and desired to have her in marriage; but being in doubt whether he should be able to have her, he sent for a woman who was well skilled in palmistry! She looked carefully into his hand, and declared, 'You will marry a princess called Alli-you shall have her.' The king was so delighted, that he took his ring off his finger, and put it upon that of the fortuneteller." Should a rich man be greatly pleased with a performer at a comedy, he will call him to him, and take off the ring from his finger, and present it to him. Does a poet please a man of rank; he will take the ring off his finger, and put it on his. A father gives his son-inlaw elect a ring from off his finger. When the bridegroom goes to the house of his bride, her brother meets him, and pours water on his feet; then the former takes a ring from off his finger, and puts it on that of the latter. Does one man send to another for any particular article, or to solicit a favour, and should he not have time to write, he will give his ring to the messenger, and say, "Show this in proof of my having sent you to make this request." 'Is a master at a distance, and does he wish to introduce a person to the notice of another; he says, "Take this ring, and you will be received." Pharaoh's ring carried with it the highest mark of favour towards Joseph, and was a proof of the authority conferred on him.-ROBERTS.

Ver. 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 ruler over all the land of Egypt.

As to magnificent riding, chariots are not now made use of in the East, either by men, or even the fair sex. It may be difficult to say what this is owing to: whether to the difficulty of their roads, or to the clumsy and unmechanical. manner of constructing their carriages; or to a junction of both causes. Certain it is, that they are not now used in these countries: and the magnificence of the furniture of their horses makes up the want of pompous chariots. Anciently, however, chariots were used by the great: they were thought most deadly machines of war; it was courage in war that in those ruder times gave dignity, and seems to have been chiefly looked at in conferring royal honours; it was natural then for their kings to ride in chariots, as their great warriors at that time in common did; which royal chariots were without doubt most highly ornamented. In the most magnificent of all that Pharaoh had, but one, Joseph was made to ride. But when chariots were laid aside in war, their princes laid aside the use of them by degrees, and betook themselves to horses, as upon the whole most agreeable, and they endeavoured to transfer the pomp of their chariots to them, and richly indeed they do adorn them.-HARMER.

The Hebrew has for bow the knee, "Tender Father," which I believe to be the true meaning. Dr. Adam Clarke

says the word 7 abrec, which we translate bow the knee, might as well be translated any thing else. In chapter xlv. 8, Joseph says himself, "God hath made me a father to Pharaoh." A younger brother is called the little father; he being the next in authority. The king's minister (if a good man) is called the little father. There are five persons who have a right to this parental title. The father himself, a king, a priest, a gooroo or teacher, and a bene factor. Joseph was indeed the father of the Egyptians.ROBERTS.

CHAP. 42. ver. 15. Hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

Extraordinary as the kind of oath which Joseph made use of may appear to us, it still continues in the East. Mr. Hanway says, the most sacred oath among the Persians is "by the king's head;" and among other instances of it we read in the Travels of the Ambassadors, that "there were but sixty horses for ninety-four persons. The mehemander (or conductor) swore by the head of the king, (which is the greatest oath among the Persians,) that he could not possibly find any more." And Thevenot says, "his subjects never look upon him but with fear and trembling; and they have such respect for him, and pay so blind an obedience to all his orders, that how unjust soever his commands might be, they perform them, though against the law both of God and nature. Nay, if they swear by the king's head, their oath is more authentic, and of greater credit, than if they swore by all that is most sacred in heaven and upon

earth."-BURDER.

Ver. 37. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

Is a man placed in great difficulty, and does he make a solemn promise, in which another person is also involved; he will say, "Ah! if I do not this thing, then kill my children." "Yes, my lord, my children shall die if I do not accomplish this object." "Ah! my children, your lives are concerned in this matter."-ROBERTS.

CHAP. 43. ver. 3. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

See on 2 Sam. 14. 24.

Ver. 7. And we told him according to the tenor of these words.

The margin has, for words, "mouth." Send a messenger with a message to deliver, and ask him, on his return, what he said, he will reply, " According to your mouth !”ROBERTS.

Ver. 18. Seek occasion against us, and fall upon us.

The margin has this, "Roll himself upon us." (Job xxx. 14. Psa. xxii. 8. xxxvii. 5. Prov. xvi. 3.) For to say a man rolls himself upon another, is the eastern way of saying he falls upon him. Is a person beaten or injured by another: he says of the other, “He rolled himself upon me." Of the individual who is always trying to live upon another, who is continually endeavouring to get something out of him, it is said, "That fellow is for ever rolling himself upon him." So, also, "I will not submit to his conduct any longer; I will beat him, and roll myself upon him." Has a man committed an offence, he is advised to go to the offended, and roll himself upon him. A person in great sorrow, who is almost destitute of friends, asks in his distress, "Upon whom shall I roll myself?" When men or women are in great misery, they wring their hands and roll themselves on the earth. Devotees roll themselves round the temple, or after the sacred car.-ROBERTS.