A. M. 2315. B. C. 1689. 2 CHAP. XLIX. 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? y Hos. 5. 4. Rev. 5. 5-2 Numb. 23. 24. & 24. 9-a Namb. 24. 17. Jer. 30. 21. Zech. 10. 11-bisa. 60. 7. & 105. 8. or, Numb. 21. 18-c Deut. 23. 57.-Isa. 11. 1. & 62. с 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, 11. Ezek. 21. 27. Dan. 9. 25. Matt. 21. 9. Luke 1. 32, 33.-e Isa. 2. 2. & 11. 10. & 42. And our Lord's most significant miracle was wrought at ince, attached to Syria on the deposal and banishment of Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, for maladininis- this fountain, when he gave sight to a man of forty years tration, and an assessment of property, or taxing, was old, blind from his birth, by sending him, after he had carried into effect by Cyrenius, then governor of Syria, anointed his eyes with moistened clay, to wash in the pool the same, who before, as the emperor's procurator, had of Siloam, which is the Greek pronunciation of the Hemade the enrolinent, Luke ii. 2. Acts v. 37. and thence-brew Siloah, or Siloh, Isa. viii. 6. where the Septuaforth Judea was governed by a Roman deputy; and the gint version reads Ex: signifying, according to the judicial power of life and death taken away from the evangelist, Ts, sent forth, and consequently derived from n shalach, to send, John ix. 7. Our Lord Jews, John xviii. 31. thus assuming to himself his two leading titles of MESSIAH, signifying, anointed, and SHILOH, sent forth, or delegated from God; as he had done before at the opening of his "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he mission. hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me forth (air) to heal the broken-hearted," &c. Luke iv. 18. 2. Their ecclesiastical polity ceased with the destruction of their city and temple by the Romans, A. D. 70. At which time the Gospel had been preached through the known world by the apostles, "his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth," Matt. xxiv. 14. Acts ii. 8. Rom. x. 18. And a vast congregation of Christians then formed, both among Jews and Gentiles. 21. And in the course of it he declared, I was not sent forth, Our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, before his (a) but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Matt. xv. 24. by a twofold reference to his character in crucifixion, "riding on an ass, even a colt, the foal of an ass;" which, by his direction, his disciples brought to him Jacob's prophecy of SHILOH and SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL, for this purpose:-"Go into the village over against you, Gen. xlix. 10-24. "This is life eternal, to know thee the and presently ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her, only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou sentest forth," Matt. xxi. 2-5. re-(TX) to instruct and save mankind, John xvii. 3. loose them and bring them to me.' and he thus distinguishes his own superior mission, from "AS THE FATHER hath markably fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, ix. 9. is no his commission to his apostles, πέμπω ύμας, John xx. less a fulfilment of this prophecy of Shiloh, "binding or sent ME, TAX μs, so I send you,' tying his foal to the vine, even his ass's colt to the choice Whence St. Paul expressly stiles "Jesus Christ the vine." In ancient times, to ride upon white asses, or ass colts, was the privilege of persons of high rank, princes, Apostle (O ATOTOROs) and high priest of our profession," judges, and prophets, Judg. v. 10. x. 4. Numb. xxii. 22. Heb. iii. 1. and by an elaborate argument, shows the suAnd, as the children of Israel were symbolized by the periority of his mission above that of Moses; and of his priesthood above that of Aaron, in the sequel of the epistle. vine, Psal. lxxx. 8. Hos. x. 1. and the men of Judah, by His priesthood was foretold by David to be a royal priest"a (choice) vine of Sorek," in the original, both here hood, after the order of Melchisedek, Psalm cx. 4. but where and in the beautiful allegory of Isaiah, v. 1-7, adopted by Jeremiah ii. 21. and by our Lord, Matt. xxi. 31. who shall we find his mission or apostleship foretold, except in styled himself the true vine, John xv. 1. so, the union of Jacob's prophecy of Shiloh? which was evidently so unboth these images, signified our Lord's assumption, as the derstood by Moses when God offered to send him as his promised Shiloh, of the dignity of the king of the Jews; ambassador to Pharaoh, and he declined at first the arduous not in a temporal, but in a spiritual sense, as he declared mission, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of Him to Pilate, John xviii. 36. as a prelude to his second coming whom thou wilt send, or by the promised Shiloh, Exod. iii. in glory, "to restore again the kingdom to Israel," Matt. 10. iv. 13. by whom in his last blessing to the Israelites, parallel to that of Jacob, he prayed that "God would bring xviii. 64. Acts i. 6. back Judah to his people," from captivity, Deut. xxxiii. 7. The vengeance to be then inflicted on all the enemies of his church, or congregation of faithful Christians, is expressed by the symbolical imagery of "washing his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: which, to understand literally, would be incongruous, and unusual any where; while it aptly represents his garments crimsoned in the blood of his foes, and their immense slaughter; an imagery frequently adopted in the prophetic scriptures, see Isa. lxii. 11. lxiii. 1-6. Rev. xxii. 12. and vi. 2. xix. 11-15. xiv. 20. The strength and wholesomeness of Shiloh's doctrine are next represented, by having "his eyes red with wine, and his teeth white with milk." And thus the evangelical prophet, in similar strains, invites the world to embrace the GOSPEL. Ho every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, Without money and without price. Isai lv. 1. On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, it was customary among the Jews, for the people to bring water from the fountain of Siloah, or Siloam, which they poured on the altar, singing the words of Isaiah xii. 3. With joy shall ye draw water from the fountain of salvation, which the Targum interprets, With joy shall ye receive a new doctrine from the ELECT of the JUST ONE; and the feast itself was also called Hosanna, Save, we beseech thee. And Isaiah has also described the apostasy of the Jews from their tutelar God IMMANUEL, under the corresponding imagery of their "rejecting the gently flowing waters of Siloah," Isa. viii. 6-8. Hence our Lord, on the last day of the feast, significantly invited the Jews to come unto him, as the true and "If any thirst, let living fountain of waters, Jer. ii. 13. him come to ME and drink," John vii. 37. He also compared his doctrine to new wine, which required to be put into new bottles, made of skins, strong enough to contain it, Matt. ix. 17. while the Gospel is repeatedly represented as affording milk for babes, or the first principles of the oracles of God for novices in the faith; as well as strong meat (and strong wine] for masters in Christ, or adepts, Matt. xiii. 11. Heb. v. 12-14. Here then we find the true meaning and derivation of This important prophecy concerning Judah intimates: Verse 10. From Judah the sceptre shall not depart] The Jews have a quibble on the word w.shebet, which we translate sceptre; they say it signifies a staff or rod, and that the meaning of it is, that afflictions shall not depart from the Jews till the Messiah comes;" that they are still under afflictions, and therefore the Messiah is not come. This is a miserable shift to save a lost cause. Their chief Targumist, Onkelos, understood and translated the word nearly as we do, and the same meaning is adopted by the Jerusalem Targum, and by all the ancient versions, the Arabic excepted, which has kazeeb, a rod; but in a very ancient MS. of the Pentateuch in my own possession, the word u sebet is used, which signifies a tribe. Judah shall continue a distinct tribe till the Messiah shall come: and it did so; and after his coming, it was confounded with the others, so that all distinction has been ever since lost. Nor a teacher from his offspring.-I am sufficiently aware that the literal meaning of the original pan mi beyn ragelair, is from between his feet; and I am as fully satisfied that it should never be so translated ;—from between the feet, and out of the thigh, simply mean progeny, natural offspring; for reasons, which surely need not be mentioned. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and the Jerusalem Targum, apply the whole of this prophecy 173 1 At the haven of the seas shall Zebulun dwell, And he shall be a haven for ships. And his border shall extend unto Sidon. Verse 13. Zebulun's lot or portion in the division of the promised land, extended from the Mediterranean sea on the west, to the lake of Gennesareth on the east; see his division, Josh. xix. 10, &c. The Targum of J. ben Uzziel paraphrases the passage thus: "Zebulun shall be on the coasts of the sea, and he shall rule over the havens; he shall subdue the provinces of the sea with his ships; and his border shall extend unto Sidon." 14. Issachar is a strong ass Couching between two burthens. 15. And he ear the resting-place, that it was good, Verse 14. Issachar is a strong ass] chamor geram is properly a strong-limbed ass,-couching between two burthens; bearing patiently, as most understand it, the fatigues of agriculture, and submitting to exorbitant taxes, rather than exert themselves to drive out the old inhabitants. The two burthens literally mean the two sacks or panniers, one on each side of the animal's body, and couching down between these, refers to the well-known propensity of the ass, whenever wearied or overloaded, to lie down even with its burthen on its back. Verse 15. He saw the rest] The inland portion that was assigned to him between the other tribes; he inclined his shoulder to the load. The Chaldee paraphrast gives this a widely different turn to that given it by most commentators. "He saw his portion that it was good, and the land that it was fruitful; and he shall subdue the provinces of the people, and drive out their inhabitants, and those who are left shall be his servants and his tributaries." Grotius understands it nearly in the same way. The pusillanimity which is generally attributed to this tribe, certainly does not agree with the view in which they are exhibited in Scripture. In the song of Deborah, this tribe is praised for the powerful assistance which it then afforded, Judg. v. 15. And in 1 Chron. vii. 1-5. they are expressly said to have been valiant men of might in all their families, and in all their generations; i. e. through every period of their history. It appears they were a laborious, hardy, valiant tribe, patient in labour, and invincible in war; bearing both these burdens with great constancy whenever it was necessary. When Tola of this tribe judged Israel, the land had rest twenty-three years, Judg. x. 1. 16. Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of larael. 17. Dan shall be a serpent on the way, A cerastes upon the track, Biting the heels of the horse, And his rider shall fall backwards. Verse 16. Dan shall judge] Dan, whose name signifies judgment, was the eldest of Jacob's sons by Billah, Rachel's maid; and he is here promised an equal rule with those tribes that sprung from either Leah or Rachel, the legal wives of Jacob. Some Jewish and some Christian writers understand this prophecy of Samson, who sprang from this tribe, and judged, or as the word might be translated, avenged the people of Israel, twenty years; see Judg. xiii. 2. xv. 20. 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. 16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. 19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. I Judg. 18. 27.-m Heb. an arrow-snake.-n Ps. 25. 6. & 119. 166, 174. Isa. 25, 2 o Deut. 33. 20. 1 Chron. 5. 18. here ascribed to the shephiphon. The word orach, which we translate path, signifies the track, or rut made in the ground by the wheel of a cart, wagon, &c. And the description that Nicander gives of this serpent in his Theriaca, perfectly agrees with what is here said of the shephiphon: Η και αματροχιησι παρα στιβου ενδυκες ανει.ν. 292. It is intimated that this tribe should gain the principal part of its conquests more by cunning and stratagem, than by valour; and this is seen particularly in their conquests of Laish, Judges xviii. and even in some of the transactions of Samson, such as burning the corn of the Philistines, and at last pulling down their temple, and destroying three thousand at one time; see Judg. xvi. 26-36. 18. For thy salvation have I waited, O Lord! This is a remarkable ejaculation, and seems to stand perfectly unconnected with all that went before and all that follows. Though it is probable that certain prophetic views, which Jacob now had, and which he does not explain, gave rise to it: and by this he at once expressed both his faith and hope in God. Both Jewish and Christian commentators have endeavoured to find out the connexion in which these words existed in the mind of the patriarch. The Targum of Jonathan expresses the whole thus: "When Jacob saw Gideon the son of Joash, and Samson the son of Manoah, which were to he saviours to a future age; he said, I do not wait for the salvation of Gideon, I do not expect the salvation of Samson, because their salvation is a temporal salvation; but I wait for, and expect thy salvation, O Lord, because thy salvation is eternal." And the Jerusalem Targum much to the same purpose. "Our father Jacob said; Wait not, my soul, for the redemption of Gideon the son of Joash, which is temporal, nor the redemption of Samson which is a created salvation, but for the salvation which thou hast said by THY WORD should come to thy people, the children of Israel, my soul waits for this thy salvation." Indeed these Targums understand almost the whole of these prophecies of the Messiah, and especially what is said about Judah; every word of which they refer to Him. Thus the ancient Jews convict the moderns of both false interpretations and vain expectations. As the tribe of Dan was the first that appears to have been seduced from the true worship of God, see Judg. xviii. 30. some have thought that Jacob refers particularly to this; and sees the end of the general apostasy only in the redemption by Jesus Christ: considering the nachash above as the seducer; and the Messiah, the promised seed. The prophecy seems to refer generally to the frequent disturbances to which this tribe should be exposed, and their hostile, warlike disposition, that would always lead them to repel every aggression. It is likely that the prophecy had an especial fulfilment, when this tribe, in conVerse 17. Dan shall be a serpent] The original word is junction with that of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, nachash, and we have seen on chap. iii. that this has got a great victory over the Hagarites, taking captive one a great variety of significations. It is probable that a ser-hundred thousand men, two thousand asses, fifty thousand pent is here intended; but of what kind we know not- camels, and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep: see yet as the principal reference in the text is to guile, cun- 1 Chron. v. 18-22. Dr. Durel and others translate the ning, &c. the saine creature may be intended as in chap. iii. last word spy âkab, rear-"He shall invade their rear;" A cerastes in the track] The word D shephiphon, which contains almost no meaning, as it only seems to which is nowhere else to be found in the Bible, is thus state, that though the army that invaded Gad should be translated by the Vulgate, and Bochart approves of the successful, yet the Gadites would harass their rear as they translation. The cerastes has its name from two little returned; but this could never be a subject of sufficient horns upon its head, and is remarkable for the property consequence for a prophecy. The word apy âkab is fre A. M. 2315. B. C. 1689. CHAP. XLIX. 20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and | hands of the mighty God of Jacob; ( from he shall yield royal dainties. 21.1 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. 22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the b Deut. 33. 24. Josh. 19. 24.- Deut. 33. 23-d Heb. daughters.--e Ch. 37. 4, 24, 2&3.20. & 42 21. Ps. 118. 13-Job 29. 20. Psa. 37. 15-g Psa. 132. 2,5. quently used as a particle, signifying in consequence, because of, on account of. After the Gadites had obtained the victory above mentioned, they continued to possess the land of their enemies till they were carried away captive. The Chaldee paraphrasts apply this to the Gadites going armed over Jordan before their brethren, discomfiting their enemies, and returning back with much spoil. See Josh. iv. 12, 13. and xxii. 1, 2, 8. And he shall produce royal dainties. This refers to the great fertility of the lot that fell to Asher, and which appears to have corresponded with the name, which signifies happy, or blessed, and whose great prosperity Moses describes in this figurative way-Let Asher be blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil," Deut. xxxiii. 24. This is Bochart's translation; and perhaps no man, who understands the genius of the Hebrew language, will attempt to dispute its propriety; it is as literal as it is correct. Our own translation scarcely gives any sense. The fruitfulness of this tribe, in children, may be here intended; from his four sons, Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem, which he took down into Egypt, ch. xlvi. 24. in the course of two hundred and fifteen years, there sprung of effective men 53,400; but, as great increase in this way was not an uncommon case in the descendants of Jacob, this may refer particularly to the fruitfulness of their soil, and the especial providential care and blessing of the Almighty; to which, indeed, Moses seems particularly to refer, Deut. xxxiii. 23.-0 Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord. So that he may be represented under the notion of a tree planted in a rich soil, growing to a prodigious size, extending its numerous branches in all directions, and becoming a shade for men and cattle, and a harbour for the fowls of heaven. 22. The son of a fruitful (vine) is Joseph; The son of a fruitful (vine) by the fountain: 23. They sorely aflicted him, and contended with him; 24. But his bowe remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. And on his crown who was separated from his brethren. Verse 22. The son of a fruitful vine] This appears to me to refer to Jacob himself, who was blessed with such a numerous posterity, that in two hundred and fifteen years after this his own descendants amounted to upward of 600,000 effective men; and the figures here are intended to point out the continual growth and increase of his posterity. Jacob was a fruitful tree, planted by a fountain, which, because it was good, would yield good fruit; and because it was planted near a fountain, from being continually watered, would be perpetually fruitful. The same is used and applied to Jacob, Deut. xxxiii. 28. The FOUNTAIN of JACOB shall be upon a land of corn, and wine, and oil, &c. The daughters- benoth, put here for branchesshoot over, or run upon the wall] Alluding probably to the case of the vine, which requires to be supported by a wall, trees, &c. Some commentators have understood this literally, and have applied it to the Egyptian women, who were so struck with the beauty of Joseph, as to get upon walls, the tops of houses, &c. to see him as he passed by. This is agreeable to the view taken of the subject by the Koran. See the notes on ch. xxxix. 7. Verse 23. The chief archers] nya baâley chatsim, the masters of arrows, Joseph's brethren, who either used thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed h Ch. 45. 11. & 47. 12 & 50. 21.-i Psa. 80, 1.-k Isai. 28. 16.1 Ch. 28. 13, 21. & 35. 3. & such weapons, while feeding their flocks in the deserts, Verse 24. But his bow remained in strength] The By the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel] Jehovah and El-Elohey Israel, see chap. xxxiii. 20. This appears to me to refer to the subject of the xxxiid. chapter, where Jacob wrestled with God, had God's name revealed to him, and his own name changed from Jacob to Israel; in consequence of which he builded an altar, which he dedicated to God, who had appeared to him under the name of Elohey-Israel, the strong God of Israel; which circumstance led him to use the term Rock, which, as an emblem of power and strength, is frequently given to God in the Sacred Writings, and which may here refer to the stone which Jacob set up, and which was called Beth-el, see ch. xviii. 18, 19. It is very probable that the word Shepherd is intended to apply to our blessed Lord, who is the Shepherd of Israel, the good Shepherd, John x. 1117. and who, beyond all controversy, was the person with xxxii. 24. whom Jacob wrestled.-See the notes on ch. xvi. 7. and Verse 25. The God of thy father] How frequently God is called the God of Jacob, none needs be told, who reads the Bible. God All-sufficient] Instead of nN ET Shaday, THE Almighty, or All-sufficient, I read N EL Shaday, GOD All-sufficient, which is the reading of the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, and Coptic, and of three reputable MSS. in the collections of Kennicott and De Rossi. The copies used by those ancient versions had evidently S EL, God, in the text, and not nN et, THE, a mistake produced in later times. On the word El Shaday, see the note on chap. xvii. 1. The blessings of the heavens from above] A generally pure, clear, serene sky, frequently dropping down fertilizing showers, and dews, so as to make a very fruitful soil and salubrious atmosphere. Blessings lying in the deep beneath] Whatever riches could be gained from the sea or rivers, from mines and minerals, in the bowels of the earth, and from abundant springs in different parts of his inheritance. Our translation of this line is excessively obscure. Blessing of the deep that lieth under] What is it that lies under the deep?-By connecting na birecoth, blessings, with nsan robetseth, lying, all ambiguity is avoided, and the text speaks a plain and consistent sense. The blessings of the breasts and of the womb] A numerous offspring, and an abundance of cattle. The progeny of Joseph, by Ephraim and Manasseh, amounted at the first census, or enumeration, Numb. i. to 75,900 men, which exceeded the sum of any one tribe; Judah, the greatest of the others, amounting to no more than 74,600. Indeed, Ephraim and Manasseh had multiplied so greatly in the days of Joshua, that a common lot was not sufficient for them. See their complaint, Josh. xvii. 14. Verse 26. The blessings of thy father, &c.] The blessings which thy father now prays for and pronounces, are neither temporal nor transitory-they shall exceed in of the head of him that was separate from his | lah, (which is before Mamre, in the land of Cabrethren. naan,) which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying-place. r 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: tbury me with my fathers "in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpe q Judg. 20. 21, 25. Ezek. 22 25, 27.-r Numb. 23. 24. Esther 8. 11. Ezek. 39. 10. Zech. 14. 1, 7.-8 Ch. 15. 15. & 25, 8. their duration the eternal mountains, and in their value and spiritual nature all the conveniences, comforts, and delicacies, which the everlasting hills can produce. They shall last when the heavens and the earth are no more, and shall extend throughout eternity. They are the blessings which shall be communicated to the world by means of the Messiah. The Jerusalem Targum paraphrases the place thus: "The blessings of this father shall be added unto the blessings wherewith thy fathers Abraham and Isaac, who are likened to mountains, have blessed thee; and they shall exceed the blessings of the four mothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, who are likened to the hills: all these blessings shall be a crown of magnificence on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was a prince and governor in the land of Egypt." 27. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf: In the morning he shall devour the prey, This tribe is very fitly compared to a ravenous wolf, because of the rude courage and ferocity which they have invariably displayed, particularly in their war with the other tribes, in which they killed more men than the whole of their own numbers amounted to. "This last tribe," says Dr. Hales, "is compared to a wolf, for its ferocious and martial disposition, such as was evinced by their contests with the other tribes, in which, after two victories, they were almost exterminated," Judg. xix. 20. Its union with the tribe of Judah seems to be intimated in their joint conquest, expressed nearly in the same terms-" Judah went up from the prey"Benjamin devoured the prey." Moses, in his parallel prophecy, Deut. xxxiii. 12. confirms this, by signifying that the sanctuary should be fixed in his lot, and that he should continue as long as the existence of the temple itself. The beloved of the Lord shall dwell with him in safety, And shall cover him all the day long; And shall dwell between his shoulders. Deut. xxxiii. 18. In the morning, &c.] These expressions have been variously understood. The sense given above, is that in which the principal interpreters agree; but Houbigant protests against the prophecy signifying the continuance of this tribe, as the words, "in the morning devouring the prey," and in the evening dividing the spoil," are supposed to imply; because, he observes, "that after the return from the Babylonish captivity, this tribe is no more mentioned." But this may be accounted for from the circumstance of its being associated with that of Judah, see 1 Kings xii. 21-24. after which it is scarcely ever mentioned but in that union. Being thus absorbed in the tribe of Judah, it continued from the morning till the evening of the Jewish dispensation, and consequently till the Lion of the tribe of Judah was seen in the wilderness of Israel. In the morning, according to Mr. Ainsworth, "signifies the first times: for Ehud of Benjamin was the second judge that saved the Israelites from the hands of the Moabites, Judges iii. 15, &c. Saul of Benjamin was the first king of Israel: he and his son were great warriors, making a prey of many enemies, 1 Sam. xi. 6, 7, 11. xiv. 13, 15, 47, 48. And the evening, the latter times; for Mordecai and Esther of Benjamin delivered the Jews from a great destruction, and slew their enemies, Esth. viii. 7, 9, 11. ix. 5, 6, 15, 16." Verse 28. Every one according to his blessing] That is, guided by the unerring spirit of prophecy, Jacob now foretold to each of his sons all the important events which should take place during their successive generations, and the predominant characteristic of each tribe; and, at the same time, made some comparatively obscure references to the advent of the Messiah, and the redemption of the world by him. Verse 29. Bury me with my fathers, &c.] From this it appears, that the cave at Machpelah was a common 31 (There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.) 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein, was from the children of Heth. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. t Ch. 47. 30. 2 Sam. 19. 37.-- Ch. 50. 13.-y Ch. 23. 16-w Ch. 23. 19. & 25. 9. x Ch. 35. 29-y Ver. 29. burying-place for Hebrews of distinction; and, indeed, the first public burying-place mentioned in history. From ver. 31. we find that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, had been already deposited there, and among them Jacob wished to have his bones laid; and he left his dying charge with his children to bury him in this place, and this they conscientiously performed.-See ch. 1. 13. Verse 33. He gathered up his feet into the bed] It is very probable, that while delivering these prophetic blessings, Jacob sat upon the side of his bed, leaning upon his staff; and having finished, he lifted up his feet into the bed, stretched himself upon it, and expired! It is And was gathered unto his people] The testimony that this place bears to the immortality of the soul, and to its existence separate from the body, should not be lightly regarded. In the same moment in which Jacob is said to have gathered up his feet into the bed, and to have expired, it is added, and was gathered unto his people. certain that his body was not then gathered to his people, nor till seven weeks after; and it is not likely that a circumstance, so distant in point both of time and place, would have been thus anticipated, and associated with facts that took place in that moment. I cannot help, therefore, considering this an additional evidence for the immateriality of the soul; and that it was intended by the Holy when a holy man ceases to live among his fellows, his soul Spirit to convey this grand and consolatory sentiment, that becomes an inhabitant of another world, and is joined to the spirits of just men made perfect. See the notes on chap. xxv. 8. that the eleven stars that bowed down to Joseph might 1. It has been conjectured, (see note, on ch. xxxvii. 9.) probably refer to the Signs of the Zodiac, which were very anciently known in Egypt, and are supposed to have had their origin in Chaldea. On this supposition, Joseph's eleven brethren answered to eleven of these signs, and himself to the twelfth. General Vallancy, well known for his curious antiquarian researches, has endeavoured, in his Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, vol. vi. part ii. p. 343. to trace out the analogy between the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve signs of the Zodiac, which Dr. Hales, (Analysis, vol. ii. p. 165.) has altered a little, and placed it in a form in which it becomes more generally applicable. As this scheme is curious, many readers, who may not have the opportunity of consulting the above works, will be pleased to find it here. That there is an allusion to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and probably to their ancient asterisms, or characters by which they were distinguished, may be readily credited; but how far the peculiar charac teristics of the sons of Jacob were expressed by the animals in the Zodiac, is a widely different question. 5. Issachar " A strong ass," or or, both used in husbandrythe sign Taurus, or the Bull. 6, 7. Dan-" A serpent biting the horse's heels”—Scorpio, the Scorpion. On the celestial sphere, the Scorpion is actually represented as biting the heel of the horse of the archer Sagittarius: and Chela, "his claws," originally occupied the space of Libra. 8. Joseph-"His bore remained in strength"--the sign Sagittarius, the archer, or boo-man, commonly represented, even on the Asiatic Zodiacs, with his bow bent, and the arrow drawn up to the head-the bow in full strength. 9. Naphtali-by a play on his name, no talek, the Ram,the sign Aries, according to the rabbins. See Buxtorf's Rab. Lex. A. M. 2315. B. C. 1689. CHAPTER L. CHAP. L Joseph bewails the death of his father, and commands the physicians to embalm him, 1,2 The Egyptians mourn for hum seventy days, 3. Joseph begs permission from Pharaoh to accompany his father's corpse to Canaan, 4, 5. Pharaoh consents, 6. Pharaoh's domestics and elders, the elders of Egypt, Joseph and his brethren, with chariots, horsemen, &e form the funeral procession, 7-9. They come to the threshing-foor of Atad, and mourn there seven day, 10 The Canaanites call the place 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; (for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmmourned for him Abel-Mizraim, 11. They bury Jacob in the cave of Mackpelah, 12, 13. Joseph ed:) and the Egyptians threescore and ten days. returns to Egypt, 14. His brethren, fearing his displeasure, send messengers to him to entreat his forgiveness of past wrongs, 15-17. They follow and prostrate themselves before him, and offer to be his servants, 18. Joseph receives them affectionately, and assures them and theirs of his care and protection, 19-21. Joseph and his brethren dwell in Egypt, and he sees the third generation of his children, 22, 23. Being about to die, he prophesies the return of the children of Israel from Egypt, 24, and causes them to swear that they will carry his bones to Canaan, 25. Joseph dies, aged one hundred and ten yeare, is embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt, 26. a AND Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. a Ch. 46.4-b 2 Kings 13. 14.- Ver. 26. 2 Chron. 16. 14. Matt. 26. 12. Mark 14. 10. Zebulun-"A haven for ships"--denoted by Cancer, the What likelihood the reader may see in all this, I cannot NOTES ON CHAPTER L. Verse 1. Joseph fell on his father's face.] Though this act appears to be suspended, by the unnatural division of this 4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die; in my grave which I have digged for me h d Heb. wept.-e Numb. 20. 29. Deut. 34. 8-f Esther 4. 2-g Ch. 47. 29,-h 2 verse from the preceding chapter, yet we may rest assured Verse 2. The physicians] D rophim, the healers, those whose business it was to heal or restore the body from sickness by the administration of proper medicines; and when death took place, to heal or preserve it from dissolution, by embalming; and thus give it a sort of immortality or everlasting duration. The original word on chanat, which we translate to embalm, has undoubtedly the same meaning with the Arabic i hanata, which also signifies to embalm, or to preserve from putrefaction, by the application of spices, &c. and hence i hantat, an embalmer. The word is used to express the reddening of leather; and probably the ideal meaning may be something analogous to our tanning, which consists in removing the moisture, and closing up the pores, so as to render them impervious to wet. This probably is the grand principle in embalming, and whatever effects this, will preserve flesh as perfectly as skin. Who can doubt that a human muscle undergoing the same process of tanning as the hide of an or, would not become equally incorruptible. I have seen a part of the muscle of the human thigh, that having come into contact with some tanning matter, either in the coffin or in the grave, was in a state of perfect soundness, when the rest of the body had been long reduced to earth; and it exhibited the appearance of a thick piece of well-tanned leather. In the art of embalming, the Egyptians excelled all to which they carried nations in the this art, may be seen by the numerous mummies, as they tice. Instances of the perfection was a common pracare called, which are found in different European cabinets, and which have been all brought from Egypt. This people not only embalmed men and women, and thus kept the bodies of their beloved relatives from the empire of corruption, but they embalmed useful animals also. I have seen the body of the Ibis thus preserved; and though the work had been done for some thousands of years, the very feathers were in complete preservation, and the colour of the plumage discernible. The account of this curious process, the articles used, and the manner of applying them, I subjoin from Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, as also the manner of their mournings and funeral solemnities, which are highly illustrative of the subjects in this chapter. When any man of quality dies, says Herodotus, all the women of that family besmear their heads and faces with dirt; then, leaving the body at home, they go lamenting up and down the city with all their relations; their apparel being girt about them, and their breasts left naked. On These things being the other hand, the men, having likewise their clothes girt about them, beat themselves. done, they carry the dead body to be embalmed; for which there are certain persons appointed who profess this art. These, when the body is brought to them, show to those that bring it certain models of dead persons in wood, according to any of which the deceased may be painted.. One of these they say is accurately made like to one, whom, in such a matter, I do not think lawful to name: του ουκ οσιον ποιούμαι το ούνομα επι τοιούτω πρηγματι ονομάζειν, (probably Osiris, one of the principal gods of Egypt, is here intended,) then they show a second, inferior to it, and of an easier price: and next a third, cheaper than the former, and of a very small value; which being seen, they ask, them after which model the deceased shall be represented? when they have agreed upon the price, they depart; and those with whom the dead corpse is left, proceed to embalm it after the following manner; first of all, they with a crooked iron draw the brain out of the head through the nostrils, next with a sharp Ethiopic stone, they cut up that part of the abdomen called the ilia, and that way draw out all the bowels, which having cleansed 177 and washed with palm-wine, they again rinse and wash |