THE TÔLDÔTH ISAAC (Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29). THE BIRTH OF ISAAC’S SONS. Abraham begat Isaac — The _Tôldôth_ in its original form gave probably a complete genealogy of Isaac, tracing up his descent to Shem, and showing thereby that the right of primogeniture belonged to him; but the inspired... [ Continue Reading ]
XXX. (1) GIVE ME CHILDREN, OR ELSE I DIE. — There is an Oriental proverb that a childless person is as good as dead; and this was probably Rachel’s meaning, and not that she should die of vexation. Great as was the affliction to a Hebrew woman of being barren (1 Samuel 1:10), yet there is a painful... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD MY MAID BILHÀH. — Rachel had little excuse for this action; for there was no religious hope involved, as when Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham (Genesis 16:2), but solely vexation at her own barrenness, and envy of her sister. All that can be said in her defence is, that the custom existed, and, pe... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD HATH JUDGED ME. — Rachel has no misgivings herself as to the rectitude of her conduct, and by the name she gives the child, she affirms that God also had given a decision in her favour; for “Dan” means _judging._ While, too, Leah had spoken of Jehovah, Rachel speaks of Elohim, not merely because... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH GREAT WRESTLINGS. — Heb., _wrestlings of God,_ but the Authorised Version undoubtedly gives the right sense. (See Note on Genesis 23:6.) By _wrestling,_ some commentators understand prayer, but the connection of the two ideas of wrestling and prayer is taken from Genesis 32:24, where an entirel... [ Continue Reading ]
(9-13) LEAH... TOOK ZILPAH... — By ceasing to bear, Leah had lost her one hold upon her husband’s affection, and to regain it she follows Rachel’s example. The struggle of these two women for the husband gives us a strange picture of manners and morals, but must not be judged by our standard. Leah h... [ Continue Reading ]
REUBEN WENT... — When Leah ceased from bearing, there would be a considerable interval before she and Jacob gave up all expectation of further seed by her. Slowly and unwillingly she would substitute Zilpah for herself, and there would then be a further period of three or four years, to give time fo... [ Continue Reading ]
ISSACHAR. — Heb., _there is hire._ As is so often the case in Hebrew names, there is a double play in the word: for, first, it alluded to the strange fact that Jacob had been hired of Rachel by the mandrakes; but, secondly, Leah gives it a higher meaning, “for God,” she says, “hath given me my hire.... [ Continue Reading ]
ZEBULUN. — Leah is more than usually obscure in the reasons she gives for this name; for she plays upon two words, which probably both belonged to the Mesopotamian _pato is:_ and as this was a Syriac dialect, we must look to that language for their explanation. The first is _zebed;_ and here there i... [ Continue Reading ]
DINAH. — That _is, judgment._ (See Note on Genesis 30:6.) The birth of Dinah is chronicled because it led to Simeon and Levi forfeiting the birthright. Jacob had other daughters (Genesis 37:35; Genesis 46:7), but the birth of a girl is regarded in the East as a misfortune; no feast is made, and no c... [ Continue Reading ]
(22-24) GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL. — Rachel’s long barrenness had probably humbled and disciplined her; and, cured of her former petulance, she trusts no longer to “love-apples,” but looks to God for the great blessing of children. He hearkens to her prayer, and remembers her. (Comp. 1 Samuel 1:19.) In... [ Continue Reading ]
JACOB SERVES LABAN SIX YEARS FOR WAGES. (25) JACOB SAID UNTO LABAN, SEND ME AWAY. — After Jacob had served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters, he continued with him for twenty years without any settled hire, receiving merely maintenance for himself and family. During most of this time he wo... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE. — Heb., _I have divined._ The verb means, _to speak between the teeth; to mutter magical formulœ._ Others wrongly suppose that it signifies “to divine by omens taken from serpents;” and some imagine that Laban had consulted his teraphim. Words of this sort lose, at a ve... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WAS LITTLE. — The Rabbins see proof of this in Laban’s sheep being kept by a young girl like Rachel (Genesis 29:9). IT IS NOW INCREASED. — Heb., _broken forth,_ spread itself abroad with irresistible might. (Comp. Exodus 1:12.) SINCE MY COMING. — Heb., _at my foot._ This answers to “before I ca... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SPECKLED AND SPOTTED CATTLE (SHEEP). — In the East sheep are generally white, and goats black or brown. Jacob, therefore, proposes that all such shall belong to Laban, but that the parti-coloured should be his hire. By “speckled” are meant those sheep and goats that had small spots upon their co... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE REMOVED. — The question has been asked whether it was Jacob or Laban who made the division, and whether Jacob was to have all such sheep and goats as were parti-coloured already, or such only as should be born afterwards. The authors of the Authorised Version evidently thought that Laban hims... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SET THREE DAYS’ JOURNEY BETWIXT HIMSELF AND JACOB. — This means that Laban required that there should be an interval of between thirty and forty miles between “himself,” that is, his flocks, and those of Jacob. His wealth in sheep and goats must have been enormous to require so large a separate f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JACOB TOOK HIM RODS... — Jacob’s plan was to place before the ewes and she-goats at breeding time objects of a speckled colour, and as he put them at their watering-place, where everything was familiar to them, they would, with the usual curiosity of these animals, gaze upon them intently, with... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE GUTTERS... — Heb., _in the troughs at the watering-places._ So virtually all the versions; and see Exodus 2:16, where the word rendered here “gutters” is rightly translated _troughs._ The idea that there were gutters through which to pour the water into the troughs is utterly modern, but all... [ Continue Reading ]
JACOB... SET THE FACES OF THE FLOCKS TOWARD... — As the speckled lambs and kids would for some time remain with Labau’s flocks, this may perhaps mean that, when driving them to water, Jacob placed all the striped kids and dark lambs together, that, by being in a mass, they might work upon the imagin... [ Continue Reading ]
THE STRONGER CATTLE... WHEN THE CATTLE WERE FEEBLE. — The words for “strong” and “feeble” are literally _bound_ and _covered,_ so that evidently we have technical terms, which Onkelos and the Syriac explain of the females at the two breeding seasons. The ewes in the spring, after the cold season, ar... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MAN INCREASED EXCEEDINGLY. — Heb., _broke forth,_ as in Genesis 30:30. Wool, as the chief material for clothing, is a very valuable commodity in the East, and by the sale of it Jacob would obtain means for the purchase of male and female servants and camels. The latter were especially valuable f... [ Continue Reading ]