_JACOB, HAVING PURGED HIS HOUSE OF IDOLS, BUILDS AN ALTAR AT BETH-EL. RACHEL DIES, IN CHILDBIRTH OF BENJAMIN. REUBEN LIETH WITH BILHAH. THE SONS OF JACOB ARE ENUMERATED. THE DEATH OF ISAAC._ _Before Christ about 1739._... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SAID, &C.— After the unpleasing transaction in the former chapter, it was peculiarly gracious in the Almighty, to reveal himself to Jacob, to enjoin his removal from a place which could not but be disagreeable to him, and to dissipate the fears from which his mind could not well be free, by... [ Continue Reading ]
PUT AWAY THE STRANGE GODS— Heb. _the gods of the strangers_] i.e.. of the Shechemites, or others, who had joined themselves to his family; from which, being resolved to make a total reform, and to establish the worship of Jehovah only, Jacob orders every object of false worship to be removed, every... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE STRANGE GODS—AND ALL THEIR EAR-RINGS, &C.— St. Austin is of opinion, that the _ear-rings_ mean the _jewels_ which were in the ears of the idols. See Calmet. The word rendered _ear-rings,_ signifies _jewels_ in general: and hence it is plain, that if they belonged to the women, they had been... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TERROR OF GOD, &C.— The sacred writer here assigns a reason, why Jacob and his family were not pursued and cut off by the inhabitants of the neighbouring cities, for Simeon and Levi's cruelty to the Shechemites: God cast a panic fear, a dread of them upon the inhabitants. See Exodus 23:27. Joshu... [ Continue Reading ]
EL-BETH-EL— That is, _the God of Beth-el._... [ Continue Reading ]
DEBORAH, REBEKAH'S NURSE— See ch. Genesis 24:59. This incident is mentioned to give the reason of the name of the place, which was afterwards celebrated, Allon-bachuth, the oak of mourning. It has been supposed, that Rebekah was now dead, and that Deborah had joined herself to Jacob's family, where... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD APPEARED, &C.— For the _seventh_ time God was pleased peculiarly to reveal himself to Jacob, and to confirm to him all the promises which had been made in the former appearances. Compare the rest with this, wherein the Almighty ratifies to him the Abrahamic blessing.... [ Continue Reading ]
SET UP A PILLAR— For a monument and an altar, which he consecrated with the usual form, by pouring wine and oil upon it. Thus he dedicated the place to God, and, no doubt, performed all that he had vowed, ch. 28: Some one, speaking of Jacob's vow, excellently observes, "Though God always gives when... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WAS BUT A LITTLE WAY, &C.— _There was but "a small piece, or portion of ground,"_ (so the word כברת _kiberath_ signifies,) between them and _Ephrath;_ or in other words they were very near to _Ephrath._... [ Continue Reading ]
HER SOUL WAS IN DEPARTING— An expression aptly describing the nature of death, which is the dissolution of the union between soul and body. _BEN-ONI,_ &C.— Rachel, to express her sorrow amidst the pangs of child-birth and death, called her son _Ben-oni,_ that is, the son of my sorrow: but Jacob, to... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHRATH,—BETH-LEHEM, &C.— Concerning _Bethlehem,_ &c. we shall have occasion to speak at large hereafter.... [ Continue Reading ]
SET A PILLAR, &C.— The learned Bochart is of opinion, that this monument of Rachel's (which is the first that we read of in Scripture) was a _pyramid,_ curiously wrought, and raised upon a _basis_ of twelve large stones, whereby Jacob intended to intimate the number of his sons. It was certainly sta... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TOWER OF EDAR— i.e.. Of the flock. It appears from Micah 4:8 that there was a tower of that name near Jerusalem. Some say, that it was a thousand paces from Bethlehem, and was at the place where the angels brought the news of the birth of Christ to the shepherds.... [ Continue Reading ]
REUBEN WENT, &C.— Dr. Kennicott says, this is one of the twenty-five or twenty-eight places, where the Jewish transcribers have left a vacant place in their manuscripts in the middle of the verse; and where a space has been also left in the printed editions. But the Greek version is very full. The s... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME UNTO ISAAC, &C.— Came to dwell with him, and comfort him in his old age; as it is hardly to be supposed, that this was the first visit he made him after his return from Laban. He continued with the good old man almost the space of thirteen, some say nineteen years, till he departed this life in... [ Continue Reading ]
ESAU AND JACOB BURIED HIM— Instead of taking this opportunity of murdering Jacob, as he had purposed, Esau's heart was so influenced, that he amicably assisted at Isaac's funeral.... [ Continue Reading ]