cunning were now turned into a right channel, for he took the most effectual method to appease his brother, (had he been irritated) and save, at least, a part of his family. This dividing and arranging of his flocks, family, and domestics, has something in it highly characteristic. To such a man as Jacob such expedients would naturally present themselves.

Verse 9. O God of my father Abraham, &c.] This prayer is remarkable for its simplicity and energy: and it is a model too for prayer, of which it contains the essential constituents. 1. Deep self-abasement. 2. Magnification of God's mercy. 3. Deprecation of the evil to which he was exposed. 4. Pleading the promises that God had made to him, and 5. Taking encouragement from what God had already wrought.

Verse 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies. The marginal reading is more consistent with the original: non sapi non sopp katoneti mikol ha-chasadim u-micol ha-emeth. I am less than all the compassions, and than all the faithfulness-which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Probably St. Paul had his eye on this passage, when he wrote Eph. iii. 8.-unto me who am less than the least of all saints. A man who sees himself in the light of God, will ever feel that he has no good but what he has received, and that he deserves nothing of all that he has. The archangels of God cannot use a different language; and even the spirits of just men consummated in their plenitude of bliss at God's right hand, cannot make a higher boast.

For with my staff] i. e. myself alone, without any attendants, as the Chaldee has properly rendered it.

Verse 11. And the mother with the children] He must have had an awful opinion of his brother, when he used this expression, which implies the utmost cruelty, proceeding in the work of slaughter, to total extermination; see Hos. x. 14.

Verse 12. Make thy seed as the sand] Having come to the promise by which the covenant was ratified both to Abraham and Isaac, he ceased; his faith having gained strong confirmation in a promise which he knew could not fail, and which he found was made over to him, as it had been to his father and grandfather.

Verse 13. And took of that which came to his hand] Man ha-babe-yado, which came under his hand, i. e. what, in the course of God's providence, came under his

рогоет.

Verse 14. Tuo hundred she-goats, &c.] This was a princely present, and such as was sufficient to have compensated Esau, for any kind of temporal loss he might have sustained in being deprived of his birthright and blessing. The thirty milch camels were particularly valuable; for milch camels among the Arabs, constitute a principal part of their riches, the creature being every way BO serviceable, that the providence of Gol appears peculiarly kind and wise in providing such a beast for those countries, where no other animal could be of equal service. "The she-camel gives milk continually, not ceasing even when with young; the milk of which," as Pliny has remarked, "when mixed with three parts of water, affords

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 be 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.

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there

k Prov. 21. 14.-1 Heb. my face. Job 42. 8, 9.-m Deut. 3. 16.-n Heb. caused to pass.

the most pleasant and wholesome beverage." Cameli lac habent, donec iterum gravescant, suavissimumque hoc existimatur, ad unam mensuram tribus aquæ additis. Hist. Nat. lib. xi. cap. 41.

Verse 15. Ten bulls.] The Syriac and Vulgate have twenty; but ten is a sufficient proportion to the forty kine. By all this we see that Jacob was led to make restitution for the injury he had done to his brother. Restitution for injuries done to man, is essentially requisite if in our power. He who can and will not make restitution for the wrongs he has done, can have no claim even on the mercy of God.

Verse 22. Passed over the ford Jabbok] This brook or rivulet rises in the mountains of Galaad, and falls into the Jordan at the south extremity of the lake of Genesaret.

Verse 24. And there wrestled a man with him] This was doubtless the Lord Jesus Christ, who, among the patriarchs, assumed that human form, which in the fulness of time he really took of a woman; and in which he dwelt thirty-three years among men. He is here styled an angel, because he was μεγάλης βουλης Αγγελος, (see the Septuagint, Isa. ix. 7.) the Messenger of the great counsel, or design, to redeem fallen man from death, and bring him to eternal glory; see chap. xvi. 7.

But it may be asked, Had he here a real human body, or only its form?-The latter, doubtless. How then could he wrestle with Jacob? It need not be supposed that this angel must have assumed a human body, or something analogous to it, in order to render himself tangible by Jacob; for as the soul, which is pure spirit, operates on the body by the order of God, so could an angel operate on the body of Jacob, during a whole night, and produce in his imagination, by the effect of his power, every requisite idea of corporeity; and in his nerves, every sensation of substance, and yet no substantiality be in the case.

If angels, in appearing to men, borrow human bodies, as is thought, how can it be supposed that with such gross substances, they can disappear in a moment? Certainly they do not take these bodies into the invisible world with them; and the established laws of matter and motion require a gradual disappearing, howsoever swiftly it may be effected. But this is not allowed to be the case; and yet they are reported to vanish instantaneously. Then they must render themselves invisible by a cloud, and this must be of a very dense nature, in order to hide a human body. But this very expedient would make their departure still more evident, as the cloud must be more dense and apparent than the body, in order to hide it. This therefore does not remove the difficulty. But if they assume a quantity of air or vapour so condensed as to become visible, and modified into the appearance of a human body, they can, in a moment, dilate and rurefy it and so disappear; for when the vehicle is rarefied beyond the power of natural vision, as their own substance is invisible, they can instantly vanish.

From Hos. xii. 4. we may learn, that the wrestling of Jacob mentioned in this place, was not merely a corporeal exercise, but also a spiritual one; He wept and made supplication unto him; see the notes there.

Verse 25. The hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint] What this implies is difficult to find out it is not likely that it was a complete luxation of the thigh-bone. It may mean no more than that he received a stroke on the groin, not a touch, for the Hebrew word yn nagâ often signifies to smite with violence, which stroke, even if comparatively slight, on such a part, would effectually disable him for a time, and cause him to halt for many hours, if not for several days. I might add that in this place, the groin, a blow might be of fatal consequence: but as the angel gave it, only as a proof of his power, and to show that he could not prevail, because he would not, hence the blow was only disabling, without being dangerous; and he was probably cured by the time the sun rose; see verse 31.

Verse 26. Let me go, for the day breaketh] Probably meaning, that as it was now morning, Jacob must rejoin his wives and children, and proceed on their journey. Though phantoms are supposed to disappear when the sun rises, that could be no reason in this case. Most of the angelic appearances mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, took place in open day.

Verse 28. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but

wrought in him, sufficiently showed who he was. After this clause, the Aldine edition of the Septuagint, and several MSS. add ο εστι θαυμαστον, Οί και τετο εστι θαυμαστον, which is wonderful; but this addition seems to have been taken from Judges xiii. 18.

Verse 31. The sun rose upon him] Did the prophet Malachi refer to this, chap. iv. 2.-Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings? Possibly, with the rising of the sun, which may here be understood as emblematical of the Sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus, the pain and weakness of his thigh passed away; and he felt both in soul and body that he was healed of his plagues.

Verse 32. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew] What this sinew was, neither Jew nor Christian can tell; and it can add nothing either to science, or to a true understanding of the text, to multiply conjectures. I have already supposed that the part which the angel touched or struck, was the groin; and if this be right, the sinew, nerve, or muscle that shrank, must be sought for in that place.

THE serious reader must meet with much instruction in this chapter.

שרה sar, a prince, or שר Yisrael, from ישראל [Israel

sarah, he ruled as a prince, and el, God; or rather, from ish, a man, (the aleph being dropped) and raah, he saw, el, God: and this corresponds with the name which Jacob imposed on the place, calling it SD peniel, the faces of God, or of Elohim, which faces or appearances being manifested to him, caused him to say, panim, i. e. "I have seen the Elohim faces to faces, (i. e. fully and completely, without any medium,) Linnatsel naphshi, and my soul is redeemed."

raithi Elohim panim el ראיתי אלהים פנים אל פנים .30 verse

We may learn from this, that the redemption of the soul will be the blessed consequence of wrestling by prayer and supplication with God: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." From this time, Jacob became a new man: but it was not till after a severe struggle, that he got his name, his heart, and his character changed. After this, he was no more Jacob the supplanter; but Israel, the man who prevails with God, and sees him face to face.

And hast prevailed] More literally, thou hast had power with God, and with man thou shalt also prevail, an ay im elohim, with the strong God: D by im anashim, with weak feeble man. There is a beautiful opposition here between the two words: seeing thou hast been powerful with the Almighty, surely thou shalt prevail over perishing mortals. As thou hast prevailed with God, thou shalt also prevail with men, God calling the things that were not, as though they had already taken place: because the prevalency of this people, the Israelites, by means of the Messiah, who should proceed from them, was already determined in the Divine counsel. He has never said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye my face in vain. He who wrestles must prevail.

Verse 29. Tell me, pray thee, thy name] It is very likely, that Jacob wished to know the name of this angel, that he might invoke him in his necessities; but this might have led him into idolatry, for the doctrine of the incarnation could be but little understood at this time; hence, he refuses to give himself any name, yet he shows himself to be the true God, and so Jacob understood him, see ver. 28. but he wished to have heard from his own lips, that name by which he desired to be invoked and worshipped.

Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name] Canst thou be ignorant who I am? And he blessed him there: gave him the new heart, and the new nature, which God alone can give to fallen man: and by the change he

1. After his reconciliation with Laban, Jacob proceeds on his way to Canaan, and as God, who was continually watching for his welfare, saw the trials to which he would shortly be exposed, therefore he provided for him the instructive vision of angels, that he might see that those who were for him, were more than those who could be against him. A proper consideration of God's omniscience is of the utmost advantage to every genuine Christian. He knows whereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust, he sees our trials and difficulties, and his eye affects his heart. Hence he is ever devising means that his banished be not expelled from him.

2. Jacob's recollection of his unkindness and injustice to his brother, when he hears that he is coming to meet him, fills his soul with fear, and obliges him to betake himself to God by prayer and supplication. How important is the office of conscience! And how necessary are times of trial and difficulty, when its voice is loudest and the heart is best prepared to receive its reproofs. In how many cases has conscience slumbered, till it pleased God to send some trial, by which it has been powerfully awakened, and the salvation of the sinner was the result. Before I was afflicted I went astray.

3. Though salvation be the free gift of God, yet he gives it not to any who do not earnestly seck it. The deeper the conviction of guilt and helplessness is, the more earnest the application to God for mercy is likely to be. They whose salvation costs them strong crying and tears, are not likely, humanly speaking, to part with it lightly: they remember the vinegar and the gall, and they watch and pray that they enter not into temptation.

4. In the strife and agony requisite to enter in at the strait gate, it is highly necessary that we should know, that the grace and salvation of God are not purchased by our tears, &c. for those things, which are only proofs and arguments that we have sinned, can never remove the iniquity of our transgressions. A sensible and pious man, observes on this subject, "That prayer and wrestling with God should be made, as though no other means were to be practised; and then, the best means be adopted, as though no prayer or wrestling had been used." God marks even this strife, though highly pleasing in his sight, with such proofs of its own utter insufficiency, that we carry about with us the memorial of our own weakness, worthlessness, and slowness of heart to believe. God smote the thigh of Jacob, 1. That he might know he had not prevailed by his own strength, but by the power and mercy of his God.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

En, with four hundred men meets Jacob, L. He places his children under their respective mothers, passes over before them, and bows himself to his brother, 2, 3.

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

Leah, Rachel, and their children, 5-7. Jacob offers him he present of cattle which he at first refuses, but after much entreaty, accepts, 8-11. Invites Jacob to Recompany him to mount Ser, 12 Jacob excuses himself because of his flocks and Esau offers to leave him some of his children, but promises to follow him, 13, 14.

his attere lants, which Jacob declines, 15. Esau returns to Seur, 16, and Jacob jour nies to Succoth, 17, and to Shalem in the land of Canaan, 18. Buys a parcel of ground from the children of Hamor, 19, and erects an altar which he calls El-eloheTerael, 20.

present at my hand; for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

a

behold, Esau came, with four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, 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.

b

3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

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 women and the children; and said, Who are those e with thee? And he said, the children 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 themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

8 And he said, & What meanest thou by hall this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

a Ch. 32 6-b Ch. 18. 2. & 42. 6. & 43. 25.—c Ch. 32. 29-d Ch. 45. 14, 15.-e Heb. to theef Ch. 49. 9. Ps. 127. 3. Isai. 8. 18.-g Heb. What is all this band to thee? h Ch. 32. 16.4 Ch. 32. 5.—k Heb. be that to thee that is thine.-1 Ch. 43. 3. 28am. 3. 13 & 14. 24, 28, 32 Matt 1x 10-m Judges 1. 15. 1 Sam. 25. 27. & 30. 25. 2 Kings 5. 15-a Heb. all things. Phil. 4. 18.

2. That he might have the most sensible evidence of the reality of the divine interposition in his behalf. 3. That he might see God's displeasure against his unbelief. And, 4. That men in general might be taught, that those who will be the disciples of Christ must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and mortify their members which are upon the earth. Those who have not cut off a right hand or foot, or plucked out a right eye, for the kingdom of heaven's sake, are never likely to see God. The religion that costs us nothing, is, to us, worth nothing.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIII. Verse 1. Behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men] It has been generally supposed, that Esau came with an intention to destroy his brother; and for that brought with him four hundred armed men. But, P. there is no kind of evidence of this pretended hostility: 2. There is no proof that the four hundred men that Esau brought with him were at all armed. 3. But there is every proof that he acted towards his brother Jacob with all openness and candour; and with such a forgetfulness of past injuries, as none but a great mind could have been capable of. Why then should the character of this man be perpetually vilified? Here is the secret. With some people, on the most ungrounded assumption, Esau is a reprobate, and the type and figure of all reprobates; and therefore he must be every thing that is bad. This serves a system; but, whether true or false in itself, it has neither countenance nor support from the character or conduct of Esau. Verse 2. He put the handmaids and their children foremost] There is something so artificial in this arrangement of Jacob's family, that it must have had some peculiar design. Was Jacob still apprehensive of danger, and put those foremost whom he least esteemed, that, if the foremost met with any evil, those who were behind might escape on their swift beasts? ch. xxxii. 7, 8. Or did he intend to keep his choicest treasure to the last, and exhibit his beautiful Rachel and favourite Joseph, after Esau had seen all the rest, in order to make the deeper impression on his mind?

Verse 4. Esau ran to meet him] How sincere and genuine is this conduct of Esau, and at the same time how magnanimous! He had buried all his resentment, and forgotten all his injuries; and receives his brother with the strongest demonstrations, not only of forgiveness, but of fraternal affection.

n

And he urged and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, let us go, and I will go before thee.

and 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 servant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the chil dren be able to endure, until I come unto my lord 4 unto Seir.

15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me: And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

8

16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

17 And Jacob journeyed to "Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 And Jacob 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.

o2 Kings 5. 23-p Heb. according to the foot of the work, &c. and according to the foot of the children.-9 Ch. 32, 3-r Heb. set, or places Heb. Wherefore is this 7-t Ch. 34. 11. & 47. 25. Ruth 2. 13-u Josh 13. 27. Judges 8. 5. Psa 60. 6. That is, booths.-w John 3. 23.-x Called, Acts 7. 16. Sychem -y Josh. 24. 1. Judges 9. 1.

And kissed him]p vaiyishakehu. In the Masoretic Bible, each letter of this word is noted with a point over it, to make it emphatic. And by this kind of notation, the rabbins wished to draw the attention of the reader to the change that had taken place in Esau, and the sincerity with which he received his brother Jacob.

Verse 10. Receive my present at my hand] Jacob could not be certain that he had found favour with Esau, unless the present had been received: for, in accepting it, Esau necessarily became his friend, according to the custom of those times, and that country. In the eastern countries, if your present be received by your superior, you may rely on his friendship: if it be not received, you have every thing to fear. It is on this ground that Jacob was so urgent with Esau to receive his present, because he knew that, after this, he must treat him as a friend.

Verse 14. Until I come unto my lord unto Seir] It is very likely that Jacob was perfectly sincere in his expressed purpose of visiting Esau at Seir; but it is as likely, that circumstances afterward occurred, that rendered it either improper or impracticable; and we find that Esau afterward removed to Canaan, and he and Jacob dwelt there together for several years. See ch. xxxvi. 6.

Verse 17. Journeyed to Succoth] So called from noo succoth, the booths or tents, which Jacob erected there for the resting and convenience of his family, who, in all probability, continued there for some considerable time.

Verse 18. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem] The word o Shalem, in the Samaritan Shalom, should be translated here in peace, or in safely. After resting some time at Succoth, which was necessary for the safety of his flocks and the comfort of his family, he got safely to a city of Shechem, in health of body, without any loss of his cattle or servants; his wives and children being also in safety. Coverdale and Matthews translate this word as above, and with them agree the Chaldee and the Arabic: it is not likely to have been the name of a city, as it is no where else to be found. Shechem is called in Acts vii. 16. Sychem, and in John iv. 5. Sychar-in the Arabic it is called Nablous, and to the present day Neapolis. It was near to Samaria, and the place where the wretched remains of the sect of the Samaritans were lately found, and from whom Dr. Huntington received a perfect copy of the Samaritan Penta

teuch.

20 And he erected there an altar; and called it El-elohe-Israel.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob; 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

ravished by Shechem the son of Hamor, 1,2 He entreats his father to get her for him to wife, 3. Jacob and his sons hear of the indignity offered to Dinah, 5-7. Hamor proposes the suit of Shechem to Jacob and his sons, and offers them a variety of advantages, 9-10. Shechem himselt comes forward, begs to have Dinah to wife, and offers dowry to any extent, 11, 12 The sons of Jacob pretend scruples of conscience to give their sister to one who was uncircumcised; and require, as a condition of this marriage, aurl of intermarriages in general, that all the Shechemites should be circumcised, 13-17. Hamor and Shechem consent, 18, 19. They lay the business before the elders of their city, dwell on the advantages of a connexion with

Jacob and his family, and propose to them the condition required by the sons of Jacob,

20-23. The elders consent, and all the males are circumcised, 24. While the Shechemites are incapable of defending themselves, on the third day after their circum

cision, Sinteon and Leri, the brothers of Dhish, came upon the city, slew all the cattle belonging to the Shechemites, 25-29. Jacob is greatly displeased and alarm

males, sacked the city, took the women and children captives, and seized on all the ed at this treachery and cruelty of his sons, and lays before them the probable consequences, 30. They endeavour to vindicate their conduct, 31. A. M. cir. 2266 B. C. er. 1738.

a

AND Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the

Josh. 24. 32 John 4. 5.- Called, Acts 7. 16, Emmor.--x Or, lambs.-y Ch. 35 7.-2 That is, God the God of Israel-a Ch. 30. 21-b Tit. 2. 5.-e Ch. 6. 2 Judges 14. 1. d Ch. 20. 2.-e He humbled her. Dent. 22. 29.

Verse 19. For a hundred pieces of money.] The original op AND be meah kesitah, has been a matter of long and learned discussion among critics. As kesitah signifies a lamb, it may imply that Jacob gave the Hamorites one hundred lambs for the field; but if it be the same transaction that St. Stephen refers to in Acts vii. 16. it was money, Tuns agyugio, a sum or price of silver, which was given on the occasion. It has been conjectured that the money had the figure of a lamb stamped on it, because it was, on an average, the value of a lamb; and hence it might be called a kesitah or lamb from the impression it bore. It is certain that in many countries, the coin has had its name from the image it bore: so among our ancestors a coin was called an angel, because it bore the image of an angel; hence also a Jacobus, a Carolus, a Lewis (Louis d'or), a Joe, because certain coins in England, Spain, France, and Portugal bore on one side the image of the kings of those countries James, Charles, Lewis, Joseph. The Athenians had a coin called us, an or, because it was stamped with the figure of an ox: hence the saying in Eschylus,

AGAM. V. 36.

Τα δ' αλλα σιγώ, τους επί γλωττης μέγας Βέβηκεν. "I must be silent concerning other matters; a great ox walks upon my tongue;" to signify a person who had received a bribe for secrecy; i. e. a sum of money, on each piece of which an ox was stamped; and hence called βους, απ οτ. The word opes, riches, is a corruption of the word oves, sheep, because these animals, in ancient times, constituted the principal riches of their owners: but when other cattle were added, the word pecunia, (from pecus, cattle) which we translate money, and from which we still have our English term pecuniary, appears to have been substituted for oves; because pecus, pecoris and pecudis, were used to signify all kinds of cattle, large and small. Among our British and Saxon ancestors, we find coins stamped with the figure of an or, horse, hog, goat, &c. and this custom arose, in all probability, both among them and other nations, from this circumstance, that in primitive times, the coin was the ordinary value of the animal whose image it bore. It is, all circumstances weighed, most likely that a piece of money is here intended; and possibly marked with the image of a lamb; but as the original word op kesitah, occurs only here, and in Josh. xxiv. 32. and Job xlii. 15. this is not sufficiently evident, the word itself being of very doubtful signification. Mr. Parkhurst is of opinion that the kesitah bore the image of a lamb; and that these lamb-coins of the ancient Hebrews typified the Lamb of God, who in the divine purpose, was considered as slain from the foundation of the world; and who purchased us unto God with his own blood. The conjecture is, at least, pious, and should lead to useful reflections. Those who wish to see more on this subject, may consult the writers in the Critici Sacri, and Calmet.

Verse 20. And he erected there an altar] It appears that Jacob had a very correct notion of the providence and mercy of God; hence he says, ver. 5. The children which God hath GRACIOUSLY given thy servant-and in ver. 11. he attributes all his substance to the bounty of his MakerTake, I pray thee, my blessing-because God hath dealt

in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they

were come.

6 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 it: and the men were he had wrought folly in Israel, in lying with grieved, and they were very wroth, because 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

f Heb. to the heart of the damsel: See Isai. 40. 2. Hos. 2. 14-g Judg. 14.2 h1 Sam. 10. 27. 2 Sam. 13. 22-i Ch. 49. 7. 2 Sam. 13. 21-k Josh. 7. 15. Judges 20. 6.- Deut. 23. 17. 2 Sam. 13. 12.

Hence

GRACIOUSLY with me, and because I have enough. he viewed God as the God of all grace, and to him he erects an altar, dedicating it to God, the God of Israel, referring particularly to the change of his own name, and the mercies which he then received: and hence, perhaps, it would be best to translate the words, The strong God (is) the God of Israel; as by the power of his grace and goodness he had rescued, defended, blessed, and supported him from his youth up, until now. The erecting altars with particular names appears in other places. So Exod. xvii. 15. Moses calls his altar Jehovah-nissi, "the Lord is my banner."

1. WHEN a man's ways please God, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. When Jacob had got reconciled to God, God reconciled his brother to him. The hearts of all men are in the hands of God, and he turns them howsoever he will.

2. Since the wrestling with the angel of the covenant, we see in Jacob much dependence on God, accompanied with a spirit of deep humility and gratitude. God's grace alone can change the heart of man; and it is by that grace only, that we get a sense of our obligations; this lays us in the dust, and the more we receive, the lower we shall lie.

3. "The first thing," says good Bishop Wilson, “that pious men do, is to provide for the honour and worship of God." Jacob buys a piece of ground, and erects an altar on it in the land of a heathen, that he might acknowledge God among his enemies, and turn them to the true faith: and there is every reason to believe that this expedient would have been successful, had it not been for the base conduct of his sons. How true is the saying, one sinner spoileth much good. Reader, beware lest thy conduct should become a stumbling-block to any.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIV. Verse 1. And Dinah-went out to see the daughters of the land] It is supposed that Jacob had been now about seven or eight years in the land, and that Dinah, who was but about seven years of age when Jacob came to Canaan, was now about fourteen or fifteen. Why, or on what occasion, she went out, we know not; but the reason given by Josephus is very probable, viz. that it was one of their festivals.

Verse 2. Prince of the country] i. e. Hamor was prince; Shechem was the son of the prince, or chief. Our version appears to represent Shechem as prince; but his father was the chief of the country.-See ver. 6, 8, &c.

Verse 3. Spake kindly unto the damsel.] Literally, he spake to the heart of the damsel-endeavoured to gain her affections, and to reconcile her to her disgrace. It appears sufficiently evident from this and the preceding verse, that there had been no consent on the part of Dinah, that the whole was an act of violence, and that she was now detained by force in the house of Shechem. Here she was found, when Simeon and Levi sacked the city, ver. 26.

Verse 7. He had wrought folly in Israel] The land, afterward generally called Israel, was not as yet so named; and the sons of Jacob were neither called Israel, Israelites, nor Jews, till long after this: how, then, can it be said that Shechem had wrought folly in Israel? The words

10 And ye shall dwell with us: and m the land shall be before you; dwell and " trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

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 according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

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 were a reproach unto

us:

15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become 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 Hamor's son.

19 And the young man deferred not to do the

in Ch. 13. 9. & 20. 15-n Ch. 42. 34.-0 Ch. 47. 27-p Exod. 22 16, 17. Deut. 22. 29. 1 Sam. 18. 25.-r See 2 Sam. 13. 14, &c.- Josh. 5. 9.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,,

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 circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

25 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.

W

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,

1 Num. 22. 15. 2 Chron. 4. 9. Isai. 3 3-5-u Ch. 23. 10. Matt. 7.6. Rom. 2. 28, 29. v Ch. 49. 5, 6, 7.--w Heb. mouth. Deut. 32. 42. 2Sain. 2. 26. Isai. 31. 8.

Verse 12. Ask me never so much dowry] See on chap. xxix. 20, &c.-See the law relative to this, Exod. xxii. 16, 17.

Verse 13. Answered-deceitfully] Which nothing could excuse: yet to show that they had much provocation, it is immediately subjoined, va-yedaberu, they spoke thus, because he had defiled Dinah their sister; for so this parenthesis should be read.

Verse 14. That were a reproach unto us] Because the uncircumcised were not in the covenant of God; and to have given an heiress of the promise to one who had no kind of right to its spiritual blessings, from whom might spring children who would naturally walk in the way of their father, would have been absurd, reproachful, and wicked. Thus far they were perfectly right: but to make this holy principle a cloak for their deceitful and murderous purposes, was the full sum of wickedness.

Verse 17. Will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.] It is natural to suppose, that the tribe of Hamor was very inconsiderable, else they would not have sought an alliance with the family of Jacob, and have come so readily into a painful, disgraceful measure, without having either the sanction of divine authority or reason; for it does not appear that the sons of Jacob urged either. And they are threatened here, that if they do not agree to be circumcised, Dinah shall be taken from them, and restored to her family; and this is probably what the Shechemites saw they had not power at present to prevent.

Verse 23. Shall not their cattle and their substancebe ours?] This was a bait held out for the poor unsuspecting people of Hamor, by their prince and his son, who were not much less deceived than the people themselves. Verse 24. Every male was circumcised] These simple people must have had very great affection for their chief and his son, or have been under the influence of the most passive obedience, to have come so readily into this measure, and to have submitted to this rite. But the petty princes in Asiatic countries have ever been absolute and despotic, their subjects paying them the most prompt and blind obedience. I shall give a few examples.

"Abu Thaher, chief of the Carmathians, about the year nine hundred and thirty, ravaged the territory of Mecca, defiled the temple, and destroyed nearly 40,000

"Hassan Sabat, one of those petty princes formerly known in Asia and Europe by the title Sheekh-ul-jibel, or old man of the mountain, being required by an ambassador to do homage to his master, the Sultan Malekshah Jelaleddin, without giving any answer, ordered one of his attendants to poniard himself, and another to leap from the battlements of the tower; and he was instantly obeyed! Then, turning to the ambassador, he said-'Seventy thousand are thus attentive to my commands. Let this be my answer.'" On a principle of this kind, we may account for the prompt obedience of the people of Hamor.

Verse 25. On the third day, when they were sore] When the inflammation was at the height, and a fever ensued which rendered the person utterly helpless, and his state critical-Simeon and Levi-the uterine brothers of Dinah-took each man his sword-probably assisted by that portion of the servants which helped them to take care of the flock-came on the city boldly- betach, securely, without being suspected, and being in no danger of meeting with resistance-and slew all the males. Great as the provocation was, and it certainly was very great, this was an act of unparalleled treachery and cruelty.

Verse 27. The sons of Jacob] The rest of Jacob's sons, the remaining brothers of Simeon and Levi-spoiled the city. Though the others could slay the defenceless males, it was not possible that they could have carried away all the booty, with the women, children, and cattle: it is therefore most natural to suppose, that the rest of the sons of Jacob assisted at last in this business.

Verse 30. Ye have troubled me] Brought my mind into great distress, and endangered my personal safety-to make me to stink. To render me odious to the surrounding tribes, so that there is every reason to suspect, that when this deed is come abroad, they will join in a confederacy against me, and extirpate my whole family. And had he not been under the peculiar protection of God, this, in all human probability, would have been the case: but he had prevailed with God, and he was also to prevail with men. That Jacob's resentment was not dissembled,