the cruel covenant by which Joseph was sold to the Midianites, Gen. 37. 27, Come let us sell him (Heb. Machar') to the Midianites.' As Reuben was not present at this transaction, we may suppose that Simeon and Levi acted the principal part in the plot, though first suggested by Judah, Gen. 37. 23–29.

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V. 6. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. 'Into their secret;' i. e. into their secret assembly, their conclave, their place of private deliberation. Thus, Ps. 64. 2, Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked;' Heb. 'from the secret of the wicked.' Ps. 89. 7, God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints;' Heb. ' in the secret of the saints.' Jer. 15. 17, I sat not in the assembly of the mockers; Heb in the secret of the mockers.' Gr. into their counsel let not my soul come;' Chal.my soul was not in their secret; Targ. Jon. ' in their counsel my soul had not complacency;' Arab. into their conspiracy my soul did not enter." The Sam., Syr., and Jerus. Targ. also render it in the past. Mine honor;' Heb. my glory.' This may be of equivalent import with the former expression, my soul;' but it is more probably used to signify tongue,' which is sometimes called 'glory.' Thus, Ps. 16. 9, Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;' explained by the Apostle, Acts 2. 26, Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad.' Gr. ' and in their contentions let not my inward parts contend;' Chal. in their congregations let not my glory be convened;' Syr. 'in their assembly I have not fallen from my glory;' Targ. Jon. and when they were assembled against Shechem to destroy it, my soul did not unite itself.' By this language the patriarch solemnly disclaims any participation in their impious plots and counsels, and

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felicitates himself that he can now leave the world guiltless of all connivance at the crimes of his sons.In their anger they slew a man,' or Heb. the man.' This is usually understood as equivalent to honorable man,' (Heb. Ish,' in contradistinction from Adam,' common man,) and to have reference to Hamor or Shechem, slain by Simeon and Levi. We are inclined rather to interpret it of Joseph, called emphatically 'the man,' from his worth and eminence compared with his brethren. Thus, Ps. 105. 17,' He sent a man, (Heb. Ish,' the man,) before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.' This man' his two brethren intentionally slew; their conduct towards him was prompted by murderous motives; and they are therefore charged with the deed. And in their self-will they digged down a wall;' or, according to the marginal rendering, 'in their self-will they houghed the

'Shur,' the Hcb. term for wall, is written with precisely the same letters as Shor,' an ox, but they differ in their vowel-points; and as the word here has unequivocally the points of the latter, it ought doubtless to be so rendered, as it is indeed by several of the ancient versions. Thus for instance the Gr. 'in their cupidity they cut the ham-strings of the bull;' Sam. and in their pleasure they houghed the ox.' This is usually explained of the cruel act of Simeon and Levi in the affair of the Sheche mites, where it is supposed that they not only slew the inhabitants, but also wantonly disabled their cattle, by cutting the tendons of their legs. This, however, is not asserted in the narrative; it rests merely upon conjecture; and we are therefore disposed to consider ox' in this place as a symbolical term for Joseph. In this interpretation we are countenanced by the language of Moses in the parallel benediction, Deut. 33. 17. Speaking of Joseph; His glory is like the firstling of his bullock; and his horns are like the horns of unicorns.' Thus also the Jerus. Targ. in their wilfulness they sold Joseph their brother, who is likened to an ox.' In the

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elevated and figurative style of prophecy, for reasons soon to be given, Joseph might be styled anox,' and his brethren may be said to have done what in them lay to hough the ox,' when they sold him into Egypt, and thus endeavored to frustrate the fulfilment of his dreams. In accordance with this interpretation, it has been maintained by several learned commentators that the Egyptian god Apis or Serapis, who was worshipped under the form of an 'ox,' was no other than Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose eminent services to that nation led them at length to preserve and honor his memory by enrolling him among their deities. That the ox' would be a suitable hieroglyphic for such a benefactor will be evident if we bear in mind the fact of his interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams of the fat and lean kine, and consider the serviceableness of this animal in ploughing the field for the production of corn, and in treading it out preparatory to its being ground and converted into bread. All these circumstances would render the ox' a very apt emblem of one who like Joseph had sustained the office of provider of food. And we see not why the Spirit of prophecy, which all the future was naked and open, might not have given this symbolical denomination to Joseph in allusion to this very fact. It is also worthy of notice that the Egyptian Apis was anciently represented bearing a bushel on his head, indicating, in all probability, the circumstance of Joseph's having distributed the corn by measure to the necessities of the people. Finally, as a confirmation of this view of the subject, it may be observed that bulls,' in Scripture, are interpreted in several instances by some of the ablest critics as a figurative expression for nobles, potentates, great men. Thus, Ps. 22. 12, Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.' Ps. 68. 30, Rebuke the company of spearmen and the multitude of bulls, with the calves of the people;' i. e. leaders and followers.

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V. 7. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

⚫ Cursed be their anger;' not their persons; much less their posterity. I will divide them in Jacob;' j. e. I predict or announce that they shall be divided. So Ezek. 43. 3, When I came to destroy the city;' i. e. to foretell its destruction. See note on Gen. 19. 13. This was fulfilled in the posterity of these two brethren; for the tribe of Simeon, as we learn from Josh. 19, was in great measure merged in that of Judah; And their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah;' while that of Levi had their cities assigned them in the midst of the other tribes, all over the land of Canaan, Josh. 21. 2, 3, &c. The dispersion of Levi, however, in consequence of their commendable zeal on a particular occasion, Ex. 32. 26-29, was converted to a blessing by their having had the honor of the priesthood conferred upon them, in consequence of which they became teachers of the law, in the schools and synagogues of Israel. Deut. 33. 10, They shall teach Jacob thy judgments and Israel thy law; they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.' The Jerus. Targ. thus paraphrases the passage; 'I will therefore divide the tribe of Simeon, that they may become scribes and teachers of the law in the synagogues of Jacob, but the tribe of Levi will I distribute that they may preside in the assemblies among the sons of Israel.'

V. 8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies: thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.' The phraseology of the original is so constructed as

to involve a paranomasia, or what would be termed in English a play upon words in respect to the_name of Judah, which signifies praise or confession. It is as if he had said, Judah, praised is thy naine, and praised shalt thou be. A more exact rendering is, 'Thou art he whom thy brethren shall confess; i. e. shall acknowledge as superior; shall recognise and honor as possessing the regal part of the birthright. Jerus. Targ. Judah, to thee shall all thy brethren confess, and by thy name shall all the Jews (Judeans) be called.' From him too the land of Canaan was called Judea. A far more important reason, however, for the praise' or 'confession' which was here prophetically secured to Judah was, that not only the royal house of David descended from him, but that he was the progenitor according to the flesh of the Messiah, whose kingdom is everlasting. Heb. 7. 14, For it is evident that our Lord sprung out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Thy father's children shall bow down before thee.' This was the supremacy which for the present pertained to Joseph, but eventually the perinanent pre-eminence was to redound to Judah; and this prediction began to be accomplished when he took precedency of the other tribes in leading the armies of Israel after the death of Joshua, Judg. 1. 1. But its complete accomplishment was to be realized only in Christ, in that transcendant dignity with which he is invested as King of kings and Lord of lords. Its ultimate spiritual fulfilment is to be seen symbolieally represented in Rev. 5. 5-8, where when the Lion of the tribe of Judah takes the sealed book, the whole host of heavenly worshippers are discovered in prostrate adorations at his feet.

V. 9. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?