Genesis 9:27

God shall enlarge, &c.— Some render the word (it is so rendered in the margin of our Bibles) God shall persuade, or allure, Japheth, so that he shall come over to the true religion, and dwell in the tents of Shem. But the best critics in the language have remarked, besides other reasons, that they who translate the word by persuade, or allure, did not consider that when it is so taken, it is used in a bad sense, and governs an accusative case, not a dative, as in this place. God shall enlarge Japheth, is the best translation; and, in the original, there is a manifest allusion to Japheth's name, such as is familiar to the Hebrew writers: see our note on ch. Genesis 4:1. see ch. Genesis 5:29. Genesis 49:8; Genesis 49:16; Genesis 49:19, &c. for Japheth signifies enlargement. Was Japheth then more enlarged than the rest? He was, both in territory and in children. The territories of Japheth's posterity were indeed very large; for, besides all Europe, great and extensive as it is, they possessed the Lesser Asia, Media, part of Armenia, Iberia, Albania, and those vast regions towards the north, which anciently were inhabited by the Scythians, and now by the Tartars: and it is nearly, if not quite certain, that the New World was peopled by some of his, or their, descendants, passing thither by the Straits of Anian. The enlargement of Japheth may also denote a numerous progeny, as well as ample territory: and if you consult the genealogies of the three brothers, comprised in the following chapter, you will find that Japheth had seven sons, whereas Ham had only four, and Shem only five. And the northern hive was always remarkable for its fecundity, and hath been continually pouring forth swarms, and sending out colonies into the more southern parts, both in Europe and in Asia, in former and in latter times.

He shall dwell in the tents of Shem— This passage is capable of a double construction: for thereby may be meant, either that God, or that Japheth, shall dwell in the tents of Shem: tents, speaking according to the simplicity of those times. They who prefer the former construction, seem to have the authority of the original text on their side; for there is no other noun to govern the verbs in the period, but God; there is no pronoun in the Hebrew answering to the HE, which is inserted in our translation: the whole sentence would run thus, "God will enlarge Japheth, and will dwell in the tents of Shem." And the Chaldee of Onkelos also thus paraphraseth it, "and will make his glory to dwell in the tabernacles of Shem." They who prefer the latter construction, seem to have done it, that they might refer this 27th verse wholly to Japheth, as they refer the 26th wholly to Shem; but the other appears to me the more natural and easy construction (especially if you refer to the metrical division we have given above, and not to the modern division of verses). Taken in either sense, the prophecy has been most punctually fulfilled. In the former sense, it was fulfilled literally, when the Shechinah, or Divine Presence, rested on the ark, and dwelt in the tabernacle and temple of the Jews: and when the Word, who was with God, and was God, (John 1:1.) εσκηνωσεν, pitched his tent, and dwelt among us, John 1:14. In the latter sense, it was fulfilled, first, when the Greeks and Romans, who sprung originally from Japheth, subdued and possessed Judea and other countries of Asia, belonging to Shem: and again, spiritually, when they were proselyted to the true religion; when they who were not Israelites by birth, became Israelites by faith, and lived as we and many others of Japheth's posterity do at this day, within the pale of the church of Christ. We cannot help observing in conclusion, what is memorable enough, that though Ham hath, in some instances, and upon some occasions, been superior, yet of the four famous monarchies of the world, the Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman; the two former were of the descendants of Shem, as the two latter were of the sons of Japheth!

And is not this a must extraordinary prophecy: a prophecy which was delivered near four thousand years ago, and yet hath been fulfilling through the several periods of time to this day! It is both wonderful and instructive. It is the history of the world, as it were, in miniature.