poses of His providence, by seemingly accidental and unsuspected means. It is an useful example also, of the protection and final reward of virtue, though for a season oppressed with afflictions and misfortunes. But if we expect, that, because Joseph was rewarded with riches and honours, therefore we shall be the same, we carry the example farther than it will bear. It proves that virtue is under the protection of God, and will ultimately be taken care of, and rewarded; but in what manner, and in what stage of our existence, whether in the present, or the future, or in both, is not determined by the example.

9.-Ye are spies;] That is, Are ye not spies? This he said to prove them.

11. We are all one man's sons;] And no man would send all his sons on so dangerous an enter prise. Nor was it probable that one man could have a design on Egypt, but all the great men of Canaan must have joined in it; and then they would have sent men of different families.

13.-and one is not.] That is, he is dead: alluding to Joseph, whom they supposed to be so. 18.-for I fear God:] I know there is a God, who will punish all injustice and cruelty; therefore ye may expect justice from me.

21.-We are verily guilty concerning our brother,] See the power of conscience, which flies in their face and reproaches them for a fact committed above twenty years before!

24. took from them Simeon, and bound him &c.] Simeon was the eldest of those, who had proposed to murder him, and was therefore a fit for proxy the rest. He was the man, the Hebrews say, who put Joseph into the pit, and was now very justly served in a like manner.

28. and their heart failed them,] Their guilt made them afraid: otherwise they would have rejoiced. But all things terrify an evil conscience. 38.- he is left alone:] The only child of Rachel, as Jacob supposed.

CHAP. XLIII.

Verse 16.-and slay, and make ready;] Kill animals and prepare a plentiful provision.

18. And the men were afraid, &c.] They who have not showed mercy are very apt to believe they shall receive none.

30. And Joseph made haste; &c.] He hastened out of the room to weep where he might not be seen; for he could not refrain from tears.

32.-because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.] On account perhaps of the very different manners of the Hebrews from the Egyptians, particularly at their meals. Or more probably for another reason: Egypt had formerly been invaded and subdued by a tribe of Cushite shepherds from Arabia, who cruelly enslaved the whole country, until the native princes rebelled, and after a war of thirty years shook off the yoke, and expelled the shepherds to Palestine. This happened about twenty-seven years before Joseph's administration. But the memory of their tyranny was still fresh in the minds of the Egyptians, so that "every shepherd was an abomination unto the Egyptians." Gen. xlvi. 34. And they could not endure to "eat bread with the Hebrews," because they were shepherds, and came from the neighbourhood of Palestine.

83.- the men marvelled one at another.] That they should be so exactly disposed according to the order of their birth; and so kindly treated by one who had lately used them so roughly.

34. And he took and sent messes unto them &c.] The ancient manner of eating was, for every one to have one or more dishes to himself. The whole of these dishes were set before the master of the feast, and he distributed to every one his portion. As a mark of particular esteem for Benjamin, Joseph sent him five dishes to the others one; or five times as much meat in his mess, as in one of theirs.

God had now brought them to suffer punishment.
He alludes to their evil treatment of Joseph..
God is said to "find out iniquity" when He
punishes it.

CHAP. XLV.

Verse 6. neither be earing nor harvest.] "Earing" is an old English word for ploughing.

20.- regard not your stuff;] Your goods. If you are not able to bring them, care not for them: you shall have better here.

24.-See that ye fall not out by the way.] About what you have formerly done to me; or any thing else that I have said to you. But when you reflect on your selling me, adore the Providence of God, which by that means brought about your happiness and mine.

26.-Jacob's heart fainted,] He fell into a swoon at the mention of Joseph's name, whom he fully believed to be dead.

CHAP. XLVI.

Verse 4. I will go down with thee] I will take care of thee in thy journey, and preserve thee and thy family there.

bring thee up again:] His body was brought into Canaan, and (what seems principally intended) his posterity also returned thither.

-

Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.] He shall be with thee, when thou leavest the world, and take care of thy funeral. The first thing done, when one expired, was to close his eyes, which was performed, both among Greeks and Romans, by the nearest relations, or dearest friends. In short, by these words God assures Jacob, that he should die before his son Joseph, and that he should die in peace, with his children about him.

30.-Now let me die, since I have seen thy face,] I could now die contentedly, since I know that thou art alive.

34.-every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians]; See note on Chap. xliii. 32..

CHAP. XLVII.

Verse 4.to sojourn in the land are we come ;] Not to settle in it; and therefore they desire Goshen, which was part of lower Egypt, as being near to Canaan.

S.-my pilgrimage] So good men are wont to call their life, though they depart not from their native soil: looking upon it as a passage, not a settlement. But Jacob had reason to call his life so, more literally: having been tossed from place to place, ever,since he first left his father's house.

life been] They had been few, in comparison with his forefathers; and evil, because full of labour and care and sorrow on many occasions.

11.-in the land of Rameses,] In that part of the land of Goshen, which was afterwards called Rameses.

13. And there was no bread in all the land;] There was no corn now left, except what Joseph had laid up.

19. Wherefore shall we die-we and our land?] The land is said to die, when it lies untilled and unproductive.

we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh:] We, that are free, will become the king's bondinen; and our land, which was our own, we will hold of him.

-give us seed,] They desired corn, not merely for food, but also to sow, in hopes of a crop the next year. For Joseph had told them there should be but seven years of famine.

29.-If now I have found grace in thy sight,] If thou lovest me.

-put-thy hand under my thigh,] Swear to me, that thou wilt shew me true kindness, in promising and performing what I desire. See note on Chap. xxiv. 2.

31.-Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.] Raised up his head from his pillow, and bowed, either to Joseph, in thankfulness for his promise, or to God, for the assurance he had received, that he should be buried with his forefathers. Or it may be, he laid himself down upon his pillow, as weak men are accustomed to do after they have sat up some time..

CHAP. XLVIII.

Verse 2.-Israel strengthened himself,] He exerted his strength; and possibly, when he had raised himself, he supported himself by bearing on his staff. Heb. xi. 21.

5.-thy two sons-are mine;] They shall be reckoned as if I had begotten them; and accordingly shall have, each of them, an inheritance equal with the rest of my sons, and be distinct tribes.

6. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, &c.] But as to whatever sons you shall hereafter have, I give them no such privilege as this. They shall not be the heads of tribes, but comprehended in those of Ephraim and Manasseb.

12.- brought them out from between his knees,] That is, Jacob's. Joseph fearing his two sons might press too long or too hard on their grandfather in his feeble state, took his sons from between his father's legs, and reverently thanked him for the kindness he had expressed to his children.

13.-Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand,] Joseph so placed them, that his father might lay his right hand on Manasseh the eldest. Laying hands on the head of any person was a usual way of giving blessings.

14. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger,] God chose in several instances to prefer the younger before the elder; as Isaac before Ishmael; Jacob before Esau, &c. to shew that the Divine benefits were not limited to the order of nature, but dispensed freely according to God's most wise goodness.

guiding his hands wittingly;] He did it of choice, not by chance.

16.-let my nume be named on them,] Here he adopts them for his children. Let my name, as their father, be named on them as my sous.

20.- In thee shall Israel bless,] When the Israelites, my posterity, would wish all happiness Lo others, they shall use this form of speech, "God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh."

CHAP. XLIX.

Verse 1. that I may tell you that which shall befall you &c.] Jacob was divinely inspired to foretell the condition of his descendants. These last words of his may be called prophecies, rather than benedictions.

in the last days.] That is, hereafter. The predictions were to be fulfilled in sundry times; aud part of them to extend to the time of the Messiah, which is called "the last days." Isaiah. ii. 2. Acts. ii. 17. Heb. i. 2.

3.- my might, and the beginning of my strength,] Whom I begot, when I was in my full vigour; and the first fruits of my strength. Or, perhaps the phrase may signify, not the personal vigour of Jacob, but the beginning of his strength" as a tribe. The strength of the Patriarch cousisted in the number and valour of his sons; and the future greatness of the tribe depended on their increase.

-the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:] Who hadst the pre-eminence among thy brethren, it thou hadst not lost it by thy folly: and who wast born to the bighest authority among them.

4. Unstable as water,] Or, poured out like water. It denotes Reuben's fall from dignity, as water suddenly disappears when it is poured out on the earth, and sucked up into it.

pre

thou shalt not excel;] Not have that eminence among thy brethren, which belonged to thy birth-right. Nothing great or excellent is recorded of this tribe.

5. Simeon and Lévi are brethren ;] Not only

as being born of the same father and mother; but brethren in iniquity, as being confederates in the barbarous slaughter of the Shechemites. Chap. xxxiv. 25. The swords there mentioned, are the instruments of cruelty mentioned here.

6. O my soul, come not thou into their secret;] He disclaims all knowledge of their wicked deed beforehand; and all approbation of it afterwards. By soul is meant himself: and the word honour seems to mean the same. Their secret is their secret cruel designs.

they slew a man,] That is, Hamor, the chief of the Shechemites. Or the word may mean a number of men, in allusion to their killing "all the males."

-they digged down a wall.]. Either the wall of the town, or of Hamor's house.

7.-I will divide them in Jacob,] The tribe of Simeon had not any inheritance properly their own, but only a portion in the midst of the tribe of Judah. Josh. xix. 1-9. whence several of them afterwards went in quest of new habitations. 1. Chron. iv. 39, 42. and so were divided from the rest of their brethren. As to the tribe of Levi, they had no inheritance allotted to them, but were dispersed among all the tribes.

8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:] Or confess. The rest of the nation were cal called Jews, and their whole country Judea, from Judah. This tribe was famous also for their conquest over their enemies, Judg. i. 2. and the dominion, which it enjoyed over their brethren. It was famous for the kingdom of the house of David; but especially, because the Messiah was born of this tribe.

9. Judah is a lion's whelp] He is compared to a lion's whelp on account of the warlike temper of this tribe, and the terror they inspired into their enemies.

from the prey, my son, thou art gone up:] Jacob speaks as if he saw them returning in triumph with the spoils of their enemies; alluding to lions, who, having gotten their prey in the plain, return satiated to the mountains.

who shall rouse him up?] That is, as other creatures are afraid to disturb a lion, so shall the neighbouring nations be afraid to assault the tribe of Judah, or any of the Israelites, during the great power which that tribe shall possess in the days of David and Solomon. And this shall be fulfilled in a much higher manner, when the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdom of Christ, who is expressly styled the lion of the tribe of Judah, as He in whom this prophecy is to receive its utmost completion.

10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah,] The meaning is, that Judah should not cease from being a tribe, or body politick, having rulers and

governors of their own, till the period here foretold.

-nor a lawgiver from between his feet,] There should not be wanting a judge of the race of Judah, according to the Hebrew phrase of children's coming from between the feet, until "Shiloh," that is, the Messiah, come.

This prophecy concerning Judah has received its accomplishment. For through all their captivities and oppressions they still continued a distinct tribe, and had rulers and governors of their own. We may observe farther, that when it is said the scepter should not depart from Judah until Shiloh come;" it is implied that it should depart then. Accordingly we find that in our Saviour's time, when the Jews were under the 'Roman yoke, their authority was much abridged. The scepter was then departing: they had not then the power of inflicting capital punishments. And shortly afterwards, their city, temple, and whole constitution were destroyed. And they have ever since been dispersed among all nations; and have had no supreme authority or government in any part of the earth.

unto him shall the gathering of the people be.] That is, of the Gentiles. In a few years after our Saviour's death the Gospel was spread through the most considerable parts of the then known world. We ourselves were of the Gentiles, but are now gathered unto Christ.

11. Binding his fole unto the vine,] The expressions in this verse, which are very figurative, signify the fruitfulness of the country inhabited by the tribe of Judah. They imply that vines were as common there as thorns in other places, so that they might tie asses with their colts to them; and wine as plentiful as water, so that they might wash their clothes in it.

13. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea ;] Had Jacob been present at the division of the land of Canaan, he could hardly have described Zebulun's lot more exactly. It extended from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, to the lake of Gennesaret on the cast, and was very commodious for trade and navigation.

14. Issachar is a strong ass] The description of Issachar is no less remarkable: since though a laborious people in rural employments, they had no inclination to war; and were therefore frequently subjugated by strangers, especially in the time of the Judges. As Judah was compared to a lion, for his valour; so Issachar is compared to an ass; which was principally employed for hard labour in those countries.

15.- he saw that rest was good,] His posterity shall prefer quiet and peace to gain or arms. 16. Dan shall judge his people,] Though Dan

was the son of a bondwoman, yet his posterity shall be governed by a ruler of his own tribe.

17. Dan shall be a serpent by the way,] This is supposed to be a description of Sampson, who was of that tribe, and, by pulling down the temple on the 1 hilistines, overthrew them by craft and subtilty. Perhaps it belongs rather to the tribe of Dan in general; Jacob foreseeing that they would manage their wars rather by cunning and deceit than by open hostility.

18. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.] Jacob foreseeing the distresses of his children, prays that God would help them, and teach them to look up to Him in their necessities. Or else, Jacob's spirits failing him in the middle of his speech, he breaks out into this exclamation with respect to himself, not to his sons, saying I wait, O Lord, for a happy deliverance out of this world. 19. Gad, a troop shall overcome him:] The inheritance of Gad bordering on the countries of the Ammonites, Moabites, &c. they would be liable to be invaded and harrassed by their neighbours; but would in time overcome them.

20. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, &c.] That is, out of his country, which was very fertile, producing the choicest fruits, fit to be served up to the table of kings.

21. Naphtali is a hind let loose: &c.] And like it, will be great lovers of liberty. To preserve the peace and freedom of their country, they will use great smoothness and address in treating with the neighbouring people.

22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, &c.] Joseph is fitly compared to a fruitful bough, by reason of his numerous offspring. He was the head of two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, both of which were very numerous.

23. The archers have sorely grieved him, &c.] Joseph was, as it were, shot at, and greatly oppressed by his enemies. His own brethren reviled him, shooting at him with the arrows of bitter words: they contrived his death. He was sold into Egypt through envy, and imprisoned by a lie.

24. his bow abode in strength, &c.] The Divine help and mercy did not forsake him: he was preserved and relieved by the mighty God of Israel. From thence, that is, from the same Divine power and mercy, Joseph, who had been so greatly afflicted, became the feeder and support (called here the stone) or rock of defence of his father and family.

25.- with blessings of heaven above, &c.] That is, with the dew of heaven and with rain. By "blessings of the deep," is meant, springs and rivers; and by those "of the breast and of the