And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. Ver. 1. _And came to Beersheba._] A place, (1.) Consecrated to God's worship; (2.) Where he and his fathers had met God, and received many mercies; (3.) That lay in his... [ Continue Reading ]
And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here [am] I. Ver. 2. _Here am I._] Josephus tells us, _a_ he said, Who is there? He seems never seriously to have read the Bible; but only _in transcursu, et quasi aliud agens._ Is not that then a proper exc... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, I [am] God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: Ver. 3. _Fear not to go down into Egypt._] Cause of fear he might see sufficient; but God would have him not to look downward on the rushing and roaring streams of miseries... [ Continue Reading ]
I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up [again]: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. Ver. 4. _I will go down with thee._] That was as good security as could be. For if Caesar could say to the fearful ferryman, in a terrible storm, Be of good cheer, thou... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. Ver. 5. _And Jacob rose up from Beersheba._] The word "rose up" is emphatical, and imports that his heart was lightened, an... [ Continue Reading ]
And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: Ver. 6. _And they took their cattle, and their goods._] Though Pharaoh sent to them they should not, yet, not willing to be much chargeable, they brought... [ Continue Reading ]
His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. Ver. 7. His daughters, and his sons' daughters.] That is, by a synecdoche, _integri; _ his niece Serah, and his daughter Dinah, who came down with the rest into Egypt; and... [ Continue Reading ]
And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. Ver. 12. _And the sons of Pharez were Hezron._] Hezron and Hamul, not yet born, are reckoned instead of Er and Onan, who were dead before... [ Continue Reading ]
_All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls [were] threescore and six;_ Ver. 26. _Which came out of his loins._] Heb., _e femore eius._ A modest description of generation, by the instrumental and material cause thereof. And... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, [were] two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, [were] threescore and ten._ Ver. 27. _Threescore and ten._] St Stephen reckons seventy-five. Act 7:14 And so the Greek translateth here, which Stephen seemeth to foll... [ Continue Reading ]
And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. Ver. 28. _And he sent Judah before him._] "A good man guides his affairs with discretion"; Psa 112:5 doth all things decently, and in order. It was great "joy" to the apostle to behold t... [ Continue Reading ]
And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. Ver. 29. _Presented himself unto him._] Joseph, a prince, was no whit ashamed of the poor old shepherd his father, before... [ Continue Reading ]
And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou [art] yet alive. Ver. 30. _Vow let me die._] What would this good old man have said, had he seen Christ in the flesh, which was one of Augustine's three wishes? _a_ How merrily would he have sung out his soul, as... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men [are] shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. Ver. 32. _The men are shepherds._] The truly virtuous or valorous are no whit ashamed of their lowly parentage, but rather glory in themselves, that th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What [is] your occupation?_ Ver. 33. _When Pharaoh shall call you._] At Athens every man gave a yearly account to the magistrate, by what trade, or course of life, he maintained himself; which if he could not do, he was banishe... [ Continue Reading ]
That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, [and] also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination unto the Egyptians. Ver. 34. Thy servants' trade hath been, &c.] They were not ashamed of the... [ Continue Reading ]