Section . I \ cL 
 
BIBLICAL IIEVIEW 
 
 INTENDED AS A NEW AND IMPEOVBdV ^ 
 
 MAF;251S27 
 
 COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE: 
 
 WHEREIN THE AUTHOR ATTEMPTS TO GIVE MORE 
 
 MTIOML INTEEPRETATONS OF SUBJECTS AND PASSAGES, 
 
 THAN ARE COMMON IN WORKS HAVING THE SAME GENERAL PURPOSE; ON A 
 PLAN THAT RENDERS THE BOOK AS WELL FITTED FOB 
 READING AS FOR REFERENCE. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 BY REV. W. E. MANLEY. 
 
 AUBURN : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 1869. 
 
Entered according to Act ot Congress, in the year 1859, by 
 ■W. E. M A N LE Y, 
 tiiu Clerk's Office of the District Court of Mjusachusetts- 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The author of this volume, has, for many years, 
 entertained the purpose of preparing a work upon the 
 Bible, that should present more rational views of that 
 venerable book, and of the subjects contained therein, 
 than are commonly put forth in other works, having 
 the same general object ; and the present volume is 
 an attempt to carry out that purpose. We have wait- 
 ed for circumstances to be more favorable to the 
 execution of this design, till we have become con- 
 vinced that waiting for favorable circumstances is not 
 the best way to accomphsh any important object. 
 We have not had access to as many valuable books, 
 relating to the subjects treated of, as we could have 
 desired ; and hence our interpretations are mostly 
 original ; but this circumstance we do not so much 
 regret, when we consider the tendency of writers to 
 rely on other authors, where they have them a*t hand, 
 and can easily consult them, rather than make the 
 requisite effort to search out original facts, in w^hich 
 case, however skilfully the borrowed knowledge may 
 be applied, the aggregate of human ideas has received 
 no accessions. If, therefore, the present work is less 
 highly valued, (or if it be less highly valuable,) on 
 account of its comparative deficiency in references to 
 standard authors or quotations therefrom, we trust 
 that this lack may be compensated, in part, if not 
 wholly, by certain original thoughts (or what seems 
 to the author to be such, though scores of others, 
 
iv PREFACE. 
 
 whom he has not consulted, may have entertained the 
 same) which we have put forth on various subjects 
 we have had occasion to refer to and discuss. 
 
 If our views on some topics (inspiration for exam- 
 ple, visions, etc.,) are regarded by any as unsound, 
 we hope they will hold the author alone responsible, 
 who would be understood as speaking only for himself, 
 and not for others, either in his own denomination or 
 out of it, who may and may not hold the same opin- 
 ions. We feel a sincere respect and reverence for 
 the Bible, both from education and from the views we 
 have of its teachings ; but our respect for that book 
 does not require nor permit us to entertain views 
 concerning it, that plainly conflict with the facts of 
 its history in the world, and which can be accepted 
 by none but the ignorant and superstitious, and the 
 truth of which would imply a perpetual miracle, as 
 unnecessary as the facts on which the presumption 
 of its reality rests, are untrue. The Bible must be 
 accepted, at the present day, if accepted at all, on 
 reasonable grounds, (reasonable, not in view of a 
 very limited number of facts, from which men too 
 generally form their conclusions, but in view of all 
 the facts having a bearing on the subject ;) and if it 
 cannot be defended on such grounds, it will and 
 ought to be rejected. 
 
 We believe it can be defended on such grounds, 
 when we regard it with reference to the claims which 
 are put forth in the book itself, and not the claims 
 that men have falsely set up for it. We have been 
 influenced by an ardent desire to give such views 
 of subjects, and such interpretations of texts, as are 
 true and at the same time fitted to restore the confi- 
 dence of thinking men for the sacred volume, which 
 has been weakened, and in many minds, destroyed, 
 by the false and unreasonable claims that have been 
 set up for the Bible, as well as the interpretations 
 of its contents that are sanctioned neither by reason 
 nor facts. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 The plan of this work, is believed to be an improve- 
 ment on the usual plan of Commentaries, as better 
 fitted for reading, and not less for reference. It is 
 well known that Commentaries are owned by but few 
 persons — that, when owned, they are seldom referred 
 to, and almost never read — not that the matters con- 
 tained therein are unimportant, for their importance 
 is conceded by most persons, not excepting those who 
 never consult them ; but because the form in which 
 they are presented is not fitted to make the reading 
 easy or interesting. We expect Dictionaries to be 
 read, as much as we do Commentaries ; and they are 
 read perhaps quite as much. Both are useful for 
 reference ; and both are referred to — the former 
 frequently, as the occasion requiring such reference 
 is frequent, the latter seldom, since men seldom feel 
 any necessity for so doing. In view of this consider- 
 ation, we have sought to make our work a readable 
 one ; and though this may be difficult from the nature 
 of the work, we trust we have done something in this 
 direction, if not as much as is desirable. As we shall 
 issue only a moderate sized volume at once, we feel 
 the more confidence that the work will be read ; for 
 it is well known that men will read more, when they 
 have small books to read, than when they have large 
 ones. 
 
 As we treat the contents of the Bible by subjects 
 rather than by texts, we do not always follow the 
 order of passages given in the Bible ; but an Index 
 of passages, in the regular order, will enable the 
 reader at once to refer to any passage he may wish 
 to consult ; and the numbering of the paragraphs 
 will aid those who may desire to study the book. 
 
 If some subjects are treated more extensively in 
 this volume than is deemed suitable for such a work, 
 and others are thought not to have received sufficient 
 attention, we would simply say, that, in our judgment, 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 the first class of subjects here referred to, have gen- 
 erally received too little attention in other works, and 
 the other class, too much ; and it has been our inten- 
 tion to obviate this objection, in doing which, we may 
 have gone to the opposite extreme or in that direction. 
 Whether we have or have not, is merely a matter 
 of opinion. We have acted according to our best 
 judgment in the matter. 
 
 With these observations, concerning our humble 
 effort, we submit the present volume to the judgment 
 and candor of all who respect the Bible and wish to 
 understand its teachings. 
 
 Chicago, 1858. W. E. M. 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Abel — page 218. Abram, Biography of, 240-279. Adam, Biog- 
 raphy of, 211-226. Animals, Domestic, 86 ; Wild, 87; in the 
 Ark, 185. Antiquity, of Genesis 9 ; of the Earth, 124; of 
 Man, 124, 152. Ararat, mountains of, 190, 104. ARCiiiEOLo- 
 GY, 70-103. Ark, 184. Arts, 98. Attributes of God, 192. 
 Author of Genesis, 15. 
 
 Bara, (create,) 56. Battle of the kings, 247. Birth and Birth- 
 right, 71; birth of Abel, 217; of Isaac, 267; of Esau, and Ja- 
 cob, 281. Blessing, of Esau and Jacob by Isaac, 288; of Jo- 
 seph's sons by Jacob, 365 ; of Jacob's sons by their father, 367. 
 Burial Customs, 78. 
 
 Cain, 218 ; " Where did he get his wife " 160, 162. Cause of the 
 Deluge, Moral, 174; Physical, 175. Chronology, 119-121. 
 Cities and Towns, 106-118. Circumcision instituted, 254. 
 Commerce, 90. Composition of Genesis, 16-24. Contracts, 
 90. Contract of Jacob with Laban, 309. Condition primitive, 
 of the Earth, 137. Confusion of tongues, 236. Covenant Avith 
 Noah, 230 ; with Abimelech, 269, 286. Creation considered, 
 &c., 137-156; of man 156; of Adam and Eve, 212. Creator, 
 necessity of, 135. Criticism, 52-70; on Elohim, 53; on Bara, 
 56; on Rhua and Nephish, 58; on Olim, 64; on Sheol, 65; on 
 Malak, 67. Cup of Joseph, 354. 
 
 Dates, 119. Daughters of Lot, 264, 75. Days of Creation, 155. 
 Death and Burial Customs, 78 ; death of Adam, 220 ; of Noah, 
 232; of Sarah, 273; of Abraham, 279 ; of Isaac, 329; ofKachel, 
 327 ; of Jacob, 372 ; of Joseph, 374. Deluge and Geology, 174 
 -184 ; duration of, 187 ; extent of, 176. Divisions, geographi- 
 cal, 103. Doctrines of Theology, 191-210. Domestic uten- 
 sils, 82 ; animals, 86. Dress, 79. Dreams, of Jacob, 299, 311 ; 
 of Joseph, 329 ; of the butler and baker, 339 ; of Phaifioh, 341. 
 
 Elohim, (God), 53. Esau sells his birthright, 282. Eve, crea- 
 tion of, 214. Existence of God, 123-136. 
 
 Family of Adam, 217; oflshmael, 280; of Esau, 291; of Jacob, 
 303. Famine, 361. Food, 85 ; during Flood, 187. 
 
 Garden of Eden, 201. Genealogy of Cain, 220; of Seth, 221 ; 
 of Shem, 233 ; of Ham, 235 ; of Japhet, 238. Geography, 103 
 -118. Geology and the Creation, 137-156. Government, 93. 
 God and his Attributes, 192. Groves, 105. Gomorrah, de- 
 stroyed, 260. 
 
 Habitations, 81. Hagar given to Abram, 252; rejected, 268. 
 Hospitality, 97. 
 
VIU INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Inspiration, 24. Interview at Mt. Gilead, 313 ; of the brethren 
 with Pharaoh, 359 ; of Israel with Pharaoh, 360. Ishmael, 280. 
 Isaac, 281. 
 
 Jacob, 298. Joseph sold, 329. Journey of the brethren to 
 Egypt, 346, 350 ; of Israel 357. 
 
 King of Edom, 295. Kings, battle of, 247. 
 
 Language of Genesis, 39. Lot separates from Abram, 245 ; his 
 daughters, 264. 
 
 Malak, (angel,) 67. Marriage, 74 ; second, of Abraham, 278 ; 
 of Jacob, 302. Measures and Weights, 100. Moral cause of 
 Deluge, 174. Mountains, 104; of Ararat, 190. Meeting of 
 Jacob and Esau, 319. 
 
 Nahor, 272. Name of Genesis, 9. National designations, 118. 
 Natural causes of Creation, considered, 131. Nature and re- 
 sponsibiHty of Man, 195. Nephish, (soul,) 58. Noah blessed, 
 228. Number of animals in the Ark, 185. Nuptials of Adam 
 and Eve, 214. 
 
 Oaths, 90. Occupation, 83. Offering of Isaac, 270. Olim, 
 (forever,) 64. Oriental hospitahty, 97. Ornaments, 79. 
 
 Patriarchal wealth, 88. Parentage and relations of Abraham, 
 240. Physical causes of Deluge, 175. Plains, 105. Pha- 
 raoh's dreams, 341. Possibility of Deluge, 176. Probabil- 
 ity of Deluge, 178. Prediction of Noah, 231. Proofs of the 
 Deluge, 180. Pursuit of Jacob, 313. 
 
 Readings, various, 50. Relations of Abraham, 240. Religion 
 of Patriarchs, 102. Removal of Abram to Haran, 241 ; of 
 Isaac to Beersheba, 285; of Jacob to Egypt, 357. Return of 
 Jacob to Isaac, 327. Rewards and Punishments, 199. Rhua, 
 (spirit,) 58. Rivers, 105.- 
 
 Salutation, 98. Sarah, death of, 273. Seas, 106. Seir, 295, 
 Servitude, 95. Sheol, (grave,) 65. Silver Cup, 352. So- 
 journ of Abram in Gerar, 265; of Isaac in Gerar, 283; of Ja- 
 cob in Shalem, 321. Style of Genesis, 45. 
 
 Temptation, 217. Theological doctrines 191. Trade and 
 Commerce, 90: Truth of Genesis, 31. Theories of Creation, 
 131, 134; of the Races, 165, 171; of Inspiration, 25. Triumph 
 of good, 200. 
 
 Unity of God, 53, 195 ; of the Races, 160, 163. Utensils, 82. 
 Various readings, 50. Valleys, 105. Visions, 214, 246, 250, 
 
 254, 258, 260, 317, 358. 
 Wars, 92. Wealth, 88. Weights, 100. AVild animals, 87. 
 
 Wilderness, 105. Wife for Isaac, 275. Wives of Esau, 292. 
 
 Words criticised, 52. World not eternal, 129. 
 
PART I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CHABACTER OF THE BOOK OP QEIfESIS. 
 
 Contents. — Its Name — Antiquity — Author— Composition — Inspira- 
 tion — Truth — Language— Style — Various Readings. 
 
 SECTION I.— Name of the Book. 
 
 1. The first book in the Bible is called in Hebrew, 
 BeresJiith, that being the word with which the book 
 begins. The Hebrews were accustomed to name the 
 books of the Bible in this way. The name " Genesis " 
 is Greek, and has the meaning of generation or origin, 
 and is given to the book on account of the subject of 
 which it first treats. 
 
 SECTION II.— Its Antiquity. 
 
 2. How do we know that the book we call the Bible 
 is an ancient book, and made its first appearance in 
 the world at a far distant period in the past ? And 
 how do we know the dates of the several books of 
 w4iich it is composed? We propose briefly to answer 
 these questions. There is a regular succession of 
 writers, both Christian and Infidel, from the days of 
 Christ down to the present time — all recognizing the 
 existence of certain sacred books called the " Bible," 
 
 1* 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " Scriptures/' or by some similar designation. Such 
 references prove the existence of the Bible, back as 
 far as the Christian era. But the New Testament con- 
 tains many references to sacred writings, still more 
 ancient. It speaks of them as the '^ Law and the 
 Prophets/' or the " Law, Prophets and Psalms," or by 
 some other equivalent name. The Law is usually as- 
 sociated with the name of Moses ; and the Prophets 
 are sometimes called by name ; and when they are not 
 tlms designated, they are still clearly identified by 
 passages quoted from them, corresponding with such 
 as Ave now find in the prophetical Avritings. Other 
 writers, who lived near the time of Christ, furnish us 
 with similar references. Philo and Josephus, both 
 Jewish writers of repute, often refer to the Scriptures. 
 Josephus gives us a particular account of the books 
 held sacred by the Jews ; and these correspond 
 with the books we now have in the Old Testament col- 
 lection. Besides, in giving us his History of the Jews, 
 ho- quotes largely from the sacred writings ; and it is 
 certain-that the Bible he refers to, and quotes from, is 
 the same book we now designate by that name. 
 
 3. Nearly three hundred years farther back than 
 the time of these writers, and soon after the last of 
 the Old Testament books was written, we find a trans- 
 lation of the Jewish Bible into the Greek language, 
 (though some portions of this translation may have a 
 later date,) which was generally adopted and used by 
 that people, in Egypt, Palestine, and other countries. 
 
 4. Thus the Bible is proved to have been in exist- 
 ence nearly as far back as the date of the last book of 
 the collection ; and this remark applies to the Old 
 Testament, as well as the New. But how do we 
 know that some of these books date still further back ? 
 And if this fact can be ascertained, how are we to deter- 
 mine the particular date of each book? To these 
 questions satisfactory answers can be given, from 
 several considerations ; for, though the exact date of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 each book may not be ascertained, a sufficient approx- 
 imation to that result can be arrived at. 
 
 5. The later books of the Old Testament refer to 
 earlier books, sometimes directly, and sometimes indi- 
 rectly. The book of Moses (for what are now five 
 books, was originally one book) is referred to by 
 Ezra, one of the latest of the prophets. He speaks of 
 the people gathering themselves, and offering sacri- 
 fices, as required in the " Law of Moses, the man of 
 God." He speaks of " the Priests in their divisions, 
 and the Levites in their courses for the service of 
 God, which is at Jerusalem, as it is written in the 
 book of Moses." Nehemiah, cotemporary with Ezra, 
 also speaks of certain things '^ written in the Law ; " 
 and they are things found in the Law of Moses now 
 in our hands. He mentions ^' God's Law which Avas 
 given by Moses, the servant of God ; " and he desig- 
 nates a number of the laws and institutions of Moses. 
 The earlier Prophets make frequent references to tlie 
 same book, or Law of Moses ; and they thereby con- 
 firm the alleged antiquity of that portion of the Bible. 
 We find such references in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, 
 Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. There are numerous refer- 
 ences of a similar character in the Psalms ; also in the 
 Kings, Chronicles, Samuel, Judges, and Euth. The 
 author of the books of Kings, speaks of the "Law of 
 Moses," and the " Book of the Law of Moses," and of 
 things written therein, corresponding with what we 
 now find there; and the author of Chronicles refers 
 to the " Book of Moses," and to the " Book of the Law 
 of the Lord." In Joshua, too, we read of the "Book 
 of the Law," and the " Book of the LaAv of Moses ; " 
 and it is said to have been a guide to that hero in the 
 conquest of Canaan. 
 
 6. The following references, showing the truth of 
 the foregoing statements, may be passed over by the 
 reader, if he desires, and consulted by such only as 
 wish to studi/ the subject. See Ezra iii. 2; vi. 18; 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Neh. X. 34, 36, 29 ; 1 Kings ii. 3 ; ix. 9 ; xii. 28 ; 2 
 Kings xiv. 6 ; xxi. 4-7 ; 1 Chron. xvi. 14-18 ; 2 Chron. 
 xvii. 9 ; xxiii. 18 ; 1 Sam. iv. 8 ; x. 18 ; xii. 8 ; 2 Sam. 
 vii. 23 ; Ruth iv. 11, 12 ; Judges vi. 7-13. Compare 
 Ezek. XX. 10-28 with Ex. xiii. 3 ; xiv. 11 ; Lev. x. 10, 
 11 ; xviii. 5 ; Num. xiv. 11. Compare Jer. xi. 1-8, with 
 Deut. iv. 20; xi. 13, 14; xxvii. 26. Compare Micah 
 vi. 4, 5, with Deut. iv. 20 ; Num. xxii. 1-3. Compare 
 Isa. i. 9, with Gen. xix. 24, 25. Compare Hosea xii. 
 12, 13, with Gen. xxix. 18 ; xxvii. 43 — 45 ; Hosea xii. 
 3-5, with Gen. xxv. 26; xxviii. 12; xxxii. 24; Hosea 
 xi. 8, with Gen. xix. 25. Compare Amos ii. 9, with 
 Num. xiii. 33. Consult Psl. Ixxviii., and compare with 
 it, Deut. iv. 9 ; Ex. xxxii. 9 ; xiv. 21 ; xiii. 21 ; xvii. 
 6. Consult also Psl. Ixxxiii. and Psls. cv., cvi., and 
 cxxxvi. See 1 Sam. iv. 8 ; x. 18 ; xii. 8 ; 2 Sam. vii. 
 23 ; Ruth iv. 11, 12 ; Judges vi. 7-13 ; Josh. i. 8 ; viii. 
 31, 34; xi. 12; xxiii. 6, 10. And, aside from direct 
 references in these books, the transactions they record, 
 are based on the truth of the previous records. They 
 have the same localities, customs, institutions, &c., 
 with such variations only as the progress of affairs 
 would necessarily require. 
 
 7. Thus, all through the Old Testament Writings, 
 back to the time of Moses, we find references to the 
 books we now have that pass under his name. And 
 we may safely affirm that there is no book of ancient 
 times, in which such references could be expected, 
 where they are not found. And as to Genesis, there 
 can be no doubt as to its being the first of the five 
 books, since its contents are such as to give it that 
 place ; and so far as we know, it has always occupied 
 that position. 
 
 8. We may add to the above, several other facts, 
 that will tend to confirm our position, as to the an- 
 tiquity of the books we now call the Pentateuch. One 
 is, that tlie Jews and the Samaritans, both have these 
 books ; and ^he hostility that has always existed be- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 tween these two branches of the family of Israel, 
 makes it obvious that the one did not obtain them 
 from the other, and that, therefore, both must have 
 been in possession of them, at the time the separation 
 took place ; (B. C. 975 ;) and whatever views we may 
 have of the record, as true or false, we must allow 
 considerable time to have elapsed before a book of 
 such claims and of so much importance, could have 
 come into existence, and have gained the universal 
 acceptance of the people ; and this allowance being 
 made, we shall be compelled to place the book in the 
 age to which it is generally referred, and to which 
 its records apply. 
 
 9. Another fact is important. There are some va- 
 riations between the copy in the hands of the Jews, 
 and the one possessed by the Samaritans, resulting 
 obviously from the many transcriptions through which 
 they have respectively passed. This circumstance is 
 favorable to the antiquity of the book, for the varia- 
 tions here referred to, could not have arisen, except 
 through the lapse of many centuries. Another cir- 
 cumstance may be mentioned in this connection. It 
 not unfrequently occurs that some later author has 
 added to the earlier records, occasional explanatory 
 remarks, with a view generally to connect the monu- 
 ments of former days, with his own times. Such re- 
 marks, which are themselves very ancient, presuppose 
 a considerable period, during which the book must 
 have been in existence, to require any explanation to 
 be added, or to furnish a reason for such additions. 
 
 10. The difference of style between the modern, 
 and more ancient books of the Bible, has been noticed 
 by some writers, and is indeed an important consider- 
 ation. ^^ It is an undeniable fact that Hebrew ceased 
 to be the language of the Jews, during the Babylonish 
 captivity ; and that the Jewish productions after that 
 period, were in general either Chaldee or Greek. . . . 
 It necessarily follows, therefore, that every book that 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is written in pure Hebrew, was composed, either be- 
 fore or about the time of the Babylonish captivity. 
 This being admitted, we may advance a step farther, 
 and contend that the period which elapsed between 
 the most ancient and most modern book of the Old 
 Testament, was very considerable ; or in other words, 
 that the most ancient books of the Old Testament 
 were written a length of ages prior to the Babylonish 
 captivity. No language continues during many cen- 
 turies in the same state of cultivation ; and the 
 Hebrew, like other tongues, passed through the seve- 
 ral stages of infancy, youth, manhood, and old age. 
 If, therefore, on comparison, the several parts of the 
 Hebrew Bible are found to differ, not only in regard 
 to style, but also in regard to character and cultiva- 
 tion of language ; if the one discovers the golden, 
 another the silver, a third the brazen, a fourth the 
 iron age, we have strong internal marks of their hav- 
 ing been composed at different and distant periods. 
 No classical scholar, independent of Grecian history, 
 would believe that the poems ascribed to Homer were 
 written in the age of Demosthenes, or the orations of 
 
 Demosthenes in the time of Origen For the 
 
 very same reason, it is certain that the ^ve books as- 
 cribed to Moses, were not written in the time of Da- 
 vid, the Psalms of David in the age of Isaiah, nor the 
 Prophecies of Isaiah in the time of Malachi. But it 
 appears from what was said above in regard to the 
 extinction of the Hebrew language, that the book of 
 Malachi could not have been written much later than 
 the Babylonish captivity : before that period, there- 
 fore, were written the Prophecies of Isaiah, still earli- 
 er the Psalms of David, and much earlier than these, 
 the books which are ascribed to Moses." — Home's In- 
 troduction, vol. ii. p. 18. 
 
 11. This argument is strengthened b}^ the fact that 
 the language of the Hebrews, like their social cus- 
 toms, underwent changes very slowly ; and that slight 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 differences between Malachi and Isaiah, or Isaiah and 
 David; or David and Moses, would indicate much long- 
 er intervening periods, than would be expected, aside 
 from this consideration. And a proper allowance be- 
 ing made, we shall find no difficulty in regarding the 
 Pentateuch as belonging to the time of Moses. 
 
 SECTION III. — Author of the Book. 
 
 12. That the Pentateuch was written by Moses, is 
 the uniform testimony of antiquity ; and no dissenting 
 opinion was ever expressed until very modern times. 
 This fact ought of itself to be deemed satisfactory in 
 a case of this kind. If the Book had had any other 
 author, the fact would have been known, and would 
 have been stated, or at least implied, in some of the 
 numerous references to this part of the Bible. To 
 this consideration we may add others. That Moses 
 was instructed to write a book, and that he did ac- 
 cordingly write one, is made known in the book itself 
 See Ex. xvii. 14 ; xxiv. 4, 7 ; xxxiv. 27 ; Num. xxxiii. 
 2 ; Deut. xxviii. 61 ; xxix. 21, 27, dtc. Besides this, 
 the minuteness and particularity with which the events 
 of his day are described, indicate clearly that the re- 
 cord was made at the time, and by one who was inti- 
 mately acquainted with the transactions he describes; 
 and this can be affirmed of no one so well as of 
 Moses. 
 
 13. That Moses did not write every word contam- 
 ed in the book, (the account of his own death, for ex- 
 ample,) may be conceded with no detriment to our 
 argument. Nor do we insist on his being the author 
 of the book, with a view of maintaining its reliability 
 as a true record on that ground ; but simply because 
 the evidence, so far as ascertained and understood, 
 leads to this conclusion. The truth of the record, 
 depends, aside from its author, on certain considera- 
 tions which we will give in their proper place. 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION IV. — Composition of the Book. 
 
 14. Assuming that Moses is the author of the book 
 of Genesis, we may ask in what way he came by a 
 knowledge of the facts contained in the book, as the 
 latest of these facts occurred several hundred years 
 before his day. We know of but two answers to this 
 question, one of which only can be true. Either the 
 facts were given him by divine inspiration, or he ob- 
 tained them from pre-existing records. We adopt the 
 latter theory. Moses nowhere tells us how he came 
 by the records he gives us, which he would not have 
 omitted to do if he had received them directly from 
 God. In other instances he says that ^' the Lord 
 spake" to him; but he never makes this statement in 
 regard to the facts recorded in Genesis. We con- 
 clude then, that there were in existence, at that time, 
 some writings in which these things were made 
 known, and that from these Moses made up his book. 
 Of course he did not need to make any direct state- 
 ment as to the source of his information, since that 
 was a matter well understood by the people. 
 
 15. Besides, there is an intrinsic propriety in this 
 view of the subject. The same reasons for making 
 known these things to Moses, may be urged in favor 
 of their having been made known before. It was 
 quite as necessary that Abraham should be informed 
 of what had occurred previous to his time, as that 
 Moses should be. And if Abraham, w^hy not Noah? 
 And if Noah, why not Adam? 
 
 Evidently all these, and all the people between 
 Adam and Moses were interested to know the past 
 history of the world, as much as was Moses and those 
 who succeeded him. We can hardly suppose, there- 
 fore, that the records of Genesis were unknown till 
 the time of Moses, and then, for the first time, were 
 revealed to him. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 16. But if we go back to Adam, it will not be diffi- 
 cult to see that the events of his time could be known 
 to him and transmitted to others without any special 
 aid of inspiration. The same may be said of Noah. 
 What occurred in his day, he could understand and 
 make known, without any special illumination. So 
 could Abraham; so could Isaac, and Jacob, and Jo- 
 seph. True, the art of writing may not have been 
 known in the days of Adam; but tradition was quite 
 sufficient to have transmitted the few things that are 
 recorded of that early age, and to have preserved 
 them till the art of writing could put them into a 
 more permanent and enduring form. 
 
 17. When this art was first known, cannot be de- 
 termined by any certain and reliable evidences. — 
 Jewish tradition refers it back to a very ancient pe- 
 riod, to the days of Enoch, or to Adam. A more re- 
 liable opinion places it in the days of Abraham; and 
 it is certain that writing had been known for a con- 
 siderable period before the time of Moses. Hence, 
 when first referred to in the Bible, it is not spoken of 
 as a new thing. See Ex. xvii. 14. That it did not 
 exist in the days of the Patriarchs, has been argued 
 from the use of monuments and symbols, as memen- 
 toes of certain transactions; for it is contended that 
 written memorials would have taken the place of 
 these, if writing had been known. I take this argu- 
 ment not to be wholly conclusive, since such monu- 
 ments were in use at a later day, when the art of 
 writing is known to have existed. Indeed, in most 
 cases, if not all, where such monuments were em- 
 ployed, there is reason to beheve that they answered 
 the purpose had in view better than any writing 
 could have done; and if so, they may have been 
 chosen on that account. Or, if this fact be not ad- 
 mitted, the scarcity of the knowledge of this art, 
 rather than its entire absence, is all that we ought to 
 infer from the circumstance in question. 
 
18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 18. The theory that makes Moses to have made up 
 the book of Genesis from former records, known and 
 acknowledged by the people, while it is the most 
 natural theory, does, at the same time, allow of all the 
 inspiration that can be justly claimed for the book. 
 Adam, for example, could know the fact of the crea- 
 tion of the world, more especially the order observed 
 in the creative process, only by divine inspiration; 
 but having received such a communication, he could 
 preserve it along with the facts of his own experi- 
 ence, without any special divine aid. Noah could be 
 informed of God's intention to drown the world, and 
 the proper arrangements to be made in view of such 
 a calamity, only by a commuication from God; but 
 the communication once made, it could be preserved. 
 with other events, and the record handed down to 
 the next generation. Abraham, too, received divine 
 knowledge in dreams and visions; but he needed no 
 special aid to relate his experience of this kind, and 
 to hand it down with other transactions. 
 
 These remarks will show the views we entertain of 
 the manner in which the book was brought into ex- 
 istence, and the extent and mode of its inspiration. 
 But the subject of Inspiration belongs to another 
 place, and need not be treated of now. 
 
 19. Again; in the estimation of some theologians 
 of eminence, there are good reasons for believing that 
 the history of the world prior to the time of Abra- 
 ham, and perhaps still later, was preserved in two 
 separate and distinct documents, which are combined 
 in the record we now have. We confess that the 
 theory has some strong reasons in its favor, though 
 we are not entirely satisfied of its truth. One of 
 these documents is called, by these theologians, the 
 ''Elohim Document," because Elohim, in the original, 
 is the name for God used by its author; and the oth- 
 er, for a similar reason, is called the "Jehovah Docu- 
 ment. " 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 20. The Elohim Document commences with the 
 first chapter, and continues to chapter second, 4th 
 verse; or, perhaps to the middle of that verse. It is 
 then resumed in chapter fifth, and continues through 
 that chapter. Then vi. 9-22. It next takes up the 
 record at verse 7th, of chapter seventh, and ends 
 with verse 16th, omitting the last clause. Then 
 chapter viii. 1-19. Then ix. 1-29; and finally xi. 
 10-26, bringing the account down to the time 
 of Abraham. All these passages are found to con- 
 nect themselves together as a regular narrative, be- 
 sides the circumstance before named, that they uni- 
 formly call the Deity by the name of God. (Elohim, 
 in the original. ) 
 
 Of course, what is called the Jehovah Document, is 
 found in the places we have omitted, viz: ii. 4 to iv. 
 26: vi. 1-8; vii. 1-6; vii. 16-24; viii. 20-22; x. 1 to 
 xi. 9. These do not connect themselves together 
 as in the former case, indicating an omission, it is 
 thought, of some words or paragraphs from this 
 document, when the two were combined. The pas- 
 sage in vi. 1-8, has "G-od" instead of ^'Lord," (Je- 
 hovah) in three instances; but one of these, (verse 
 5th,) is a mistranslation, while the other two are 
 regarded as spurious readings. Assuming the theo- 
 ry of the two documents to be correct, the differ- 
 ences between them would require an explanation. 
 We do not see in them the contradictions that are 
 claimed for them by the advocates of the theory. 
 
 21. In the one document, as we before said, the 
 name of God is Elohim, while in the other, it is Jeho- 
 vah or Jehovah Elohim, the first being translated God, 
 and the last, Lord^ or Lord God. 
 
 Both give an account of the creation, not indeed 
 wholly alike, but not necessarily contradictory. It is 
 better to say, that one account, in chapter first, lays 
 down the exact order, and marks each step of the 
 progress by the term "day,'' while the other account. 
 
20 INTRODUCTION. ' 
 
 in chapter second, gives us the main particulars, but 
 with no intention of giving us the order in which the 
 work was done ; and with this view the differences 
 need not be regarded as contradictions. 
 
 The Jehovah Document gives us an account of the 
 temptation, of Cain and Abel, and the genealogy of 
 Cain ; while the other document passes over these 
 things in silence ; but this difference, though impor- 
 tant, does not involve a contradiction. The omission 
 of the one does not prove the untruth of the other. 
 
 The Elohim Document, in chapter 5th, gives us the 
 genealogy of Adam through his son Seth. The other 
 does not give us this genealogy ; but it has that of 
 Adam through Cain. Neither is there a contradiction 
 here. Both genealogies may be alike true. 
 
 Each document has a sufficiently full account of the 
 Deluge ; and both combined give us many apparent 
 repetitions. The main difference of the two docu- 
 ments, in respect to the Deluge, is, that one makes all 
 the clean beasts, as well as the unclean, to have been 
 preserved by pairs ; the other makes the clean beasts 
 to have been preserved by sevens, and the unclean, 
 by pairs. And though this looks like a contradiction, 
 I doubt whether we are authorized to call it such. It 
 is certain that seven of every kind of clean animals, 
 includes two of every kind ; and the one writer, having 
 the main purpose in his mind, which was to preserve 
 enough to perpetuate the race, mentions only the two ; 
 while the other, more accurately, states the full num- 
 ber, seven ; all over two, being intended, as we have 
 suggested in another place, as food during the flood. 
 
 The Elohim Document contains some specific in- 
 structions to Noah, about the shedding of blood, the 
 bow in the clouds, c&c. ; but the other document does 
 not contradict these, though it does not mention them. 
 
 So on the otlier hand, the Jehovah Document gives 
 us the genealogies of Shem, Ham and Japhet ; while 
 the other has only that of Shem ; but it is worthy of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 note that the genealogy of Shem is alike, on both 
 lists, so far as they are intended to run parallel. 
 
 22. The above are all the important differences, 
 between what are thought to have been at first two 
 separate accounts of the creation, the deluge and other 
 ancient events ; and our remarks upon them have been 
 offered on the presumption that the theory is true. 
 But we are not yet convinced of its truth ; and will, 
 therefore, give a few reasons for our dissent. 
 
 One is, that those who adopt the theory, are not 
 agreed how far to extend it. Some stop at Abraham, 
 and others find distinct portions of these documents 
 in all the books of Moses ; and some find them m the 
 later writings. Again, God and Lord are frequently 
 interchanged in the various readings; and hence it 
 does not certainly appear but that God should be the 
 reading, in some of the instances, where Lordi^ found 
 in the Jehovah Document, and Lord in the Elohim 
 Document ; and if this be supposed, the mam feature, 
 by which the two documents are distinguished, is done 
 
 away. 
 
 Besides, the differences and repetitions may arise 
 from the imperfection of the art of writing, in its in- 
 fancy, and not from the combination of two documents. 
 With this view, what is regarded as the second account 
 of creation, is, more properly, a supplement, by the 
 same writer, in which some things are added and en- 
 larged upon, and others repeated from the first chapter, 
 to show the connection between them. The creation 
 of man, is mentioned in chapter first ; it is repeated 
 in chapter second, with some additions. So the crea- 
 tion of woman. So the creation of animals. The 
 several statements, that make up the history of the 
 deluge, are considerably mixed up, and sundry rep- 
 etitions occur ; but we detect here an unskilful hand, 
 rather than separate and contradictory documents. 
 And were it otherwise, one of the evidences of the 
 antiquity and primitive origin of the book, would be 
 wanting. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The difference between what are called the two 
 documents, in regard to the number of clean beasts, 
 preserved from the flood, admits of an explanation 
 quite as rational without the theory as with it. We 
 have already suggested the explanation ; but if that 
 explanation is not accepted, and a contradiction is 
 contended for, it is quite as rational to suppose that 
 one author should contradict himself, through some 
 inadvertence, as that two authors should contradict 
 each other. Noah is represented as going into the 
 ark, no less than four difierent times, or rather in four 
 different passages ; but it will be observed that each 
 additional statement combines some circumstance not 
 mentioned before. The first passage is a prediction 
 of the flood and the preservation of Noah and his 
 family. The next commands Noah to go into the ark. 
 The next passage relates the actual entrance into the 
 ark, of Noah and his family. And the last passage 
 connects this event, with the precise time when it oc- 
 curred. See vi. 18-22; vii. 1-5; vii. 7-12; vii. 
 13-16. A similar reason may be given for other 
 repetitions. 
 
 Another thing may be noticed in this connection. 
 The Hebrew language has but two tenses, the Past 
 and the Future ; and the modes that belong to other 
 languages, are but imperfectly represented here. Rep- 
 etitions sometimes arise from these defects. 
 
 23. In connection with the " Composition of the 
 Book of Genesis," we may mention a feature of the 
 book that seems to belong as properly here as else- 
 where. I refer to some passages that seem to have 
 been added by a later writer than the original author 
 of the book. They seem intended to explain some 
 circumstance that might not otherwise be understood, 
 or to connect some ancient practice with more 
 modern times. 
 
 24. The language concerning the Sabbath, ii 3, is 
 probably one of those passages. It is not necessar}^ 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 in the place where we find it ; but is a very natural 
 addition after the Sabbath was instituted, as giving a 
 reason for that institution. As it now stands, and 
 viewed as a part of the original account, it implies 
 that the Sabbath was instituted immediately after the 
 creation of the world, which is hardly consistent with 
 the silence regarding it all through the book of Gen- 
 esis. Had it existed at first, some allusion to it would 
 have been found among the Patriarchs ; and as no 
 such allusion is seen, we conclude that it did not exist; 
 and that hence the passage now under consideration, 
 is an addition as late at least as the time of Moses. 
 
 25. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then 
 in the land. xiii. 7. This is regarded by some as being 
 added after the conquest of Canaan, when the Canaan- 
 ites and Perizzites had been driven out ; as if the 
 author had said, " at that time these people were in 
 the land ; but they have since been expelled." But 
 the passage does not require us to take this view. It 
 was well known by the original author, that Canaan 
 was some time to be the possession of the seed ol 
 Abraham, as this promise is often referred to ; and the 
 presumption was, that when this should be accom- 
 plished, the Canaanites would not occupy that country. 
 As yet, however, the writer tells us, they were in that 
 land. 
 
 26. All these were Joined together in the Vale of Sid- 
 dim, which is the Salt Sea, xiv. 3. " Which is the Salt 
 Sea" was added by a later hand, for the purpose of 
 informing the reader that what was now the Salt Sea 
 had once been the Yale of Siddim, where the battle of 
 the kings was fought. 
 
 27. The same is the father of the Moahites, unto this 
 
 day 17ie same is the father of the children of Am- 
 
 mon, unto this day. xix. 37, 38. These tribes were 
 numerous and powerful, in the time of Moses, and it 
 is he, probably, that here refers to their parentage. 
 
 28. Therefore, the name of the city is Beersheba, unto 
 
24 INTRODUCTIOJj. 
 
 this day. xxvi. 33. The passage contains no intimation, 
 when it was written, as the place referred to, retained 
 that name for many centuries. 
 
 29. Therefore, the children of Israel eat not the sinew 
 that shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto 
 this day, xxxii. 32. This is an early gloss, as the custom 
 alluded to, does not seem to have existed, even as late 
 as the time of Moses. At least we know of no allusion 
 to it. 
 
 30. And these are the Icings that reigned over the land 
 of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children 
 of Israel, xxxvi. 31. This remark would not be likely 
 to be made till the time when kings reigned over 
 Israel ; and it must therefore be referred to the time 
 of the kings. 
 
 31. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt, 
 unto this day, xlvii. 26. This law probably existed in 
 Egypt for a long period after the time of Joseph ; and 
 at any period during its existence, this gloss might 
 have been made. 
 
 SECTION v.— Inspiration. 
 
 32. If the question were here propounded : What 
 reason have we for supposing that any of the recorded 
 statements of the book of Genesis, were dictated, in 
 any special manner, by the Divine Spirit, we should 
 insist, in the first place, upon a strong antecedent 
 probability that such was the case. There was a time 
 when men began to exist in the world. This is a self 
 evident proposition. That man is the product of a 
 superior Power and Intelligence is scarcely less self- 
 evident. 
 
 And the existence conferred on man at first,- must 
 have been preserved by some special aid. No other 
 supposition is admissible. The aid we now have from 
 our parents and friends, in the infancy of life, was not 
 famished, and could not be, from the nature of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 25 
 
 case, to our first parents. Something must have been 
 supphed as a substitute. If they needed no such 
 special aid, then it follows that we have more than we 
 need ; and if we have no more than we need, and 
 they needed the same, then some special means were 
 necessary to provide it. To make such special aid 
 necessary, we need not suppose that the first human 
 pair were formed babes. Let it be admitted that they 
 were made with full dimensions, and with the strength 
 of manhood ; yet they needed instruction as to the 
 use they w^ere to make of their powers. They needed 
 some special communications as to the purpose of 
 their existence, and the modes of securing it. What 
 is now furnished us by natural means, must have been 
 furnished them, by means supernatural or special. 
 Let the needed knowledge be given them in the form 
 of a superior instinct, or by special impressions pro- 
 duced on the brain, or by dreams and visions, or by 
 any other means, the result is the same ; — It is a rev- 
 elation. The necessity of a revelation, at that time, 
 is, therefore, an obvious and well sustained conclusion. 
 How often revelations should be made, and how long 
 continued in the world, can be judged of better by 
 Him who made us, and knows all our needs, than by 
 any other being. 
 
 33. Sundry theories have been put forth concern- 
 ing the inspiration of the Scriptures. The two extreme 
 theories are the following : — One theory regards every 
 word of the book as immediately dictated by the 
 Divine Spirit, so as to exclude all errors from the 
 record ; the other finds in the Bible, no inspiration 
 but such as has been common to men in all ages of the 
 world. It is obvious that the truth lies somewhere 
 between these two extremes ; but where between 
 them, it may be difficult to determine. 
 
 34. The ground we take, is, that inspiration cannot 
 be affirmed of the language of the Bible. This is 
 
 2 
 
26 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 made evident from the many imperfections of language 
 found in the book. The composition of its several 
 parts is evidently the work of men ; and of men, too, 
 in an age of the world when literature and science 
 were far behind the present age. Again, a difference 
 in style is observable in the several writers ; and the 
 style is found to vary, not only with the temper and 
 disposition of the writer, but with the habits and 
 prevailing intelligence of the age Avhen he wrote. 
 These circumstances are not consistent with the doc- 
 trine of verbal inspiration. 
 
 35. Again ; if Moses, for example, was inspired to 
 write the five books ascribed to him, in such a way 
 as to secure the work from all mistakes, we ask for a 
 reason for this, that does not apply, Avith equal force, 
 to other things for which no such claim is put forth. 
 Doubtless if he was so inspired, it was to keep those 
 who should read his writings, from imbibing errors 
 concerning the matters communicated. Not conceiv- 
 ing any other reason possible, we shall take this to be 
 the one adopted. But would such inspiration secure 
 the object? These books were soon to pass into 
 other hands, and the inspired author could not always 
 retain them. Besides, if more than one copy of the 
 inspired book was to exist, the second must be trans- 
 cribed from the first, and so on, indefinitely ; and this 
 work of transcribing would be attended by mistakes, 
 unless the copyists were also inspired, which we 
 believe no one has yet maintained. Farther than this, 
 the inspired original would not always last. If it 
 were not lost or destroyed, it would at length waste 
 away and disappear ; and then none but imperfect and 
 uninspired copies would remain. 
 
 36. Again; no one at the present day, that ac- 
 knowledges the truth of revelation, doubts that the 
 Bible was intended for universal use. It must, then, 
 not only be copied from the first written volume, but 
 it must be translated into other languages ; and it is 
 
INTRODUCTION. 27 
 
 just as important and necessary, to guard men from the 
 errors of a bad translation, as those of a faulty copy. 
 If the original intention was to give men an exact 
 knowledge of divine things, and without any alloy of 
 error, the means of protection, one would suppose, 
 should be continued, and the translations and copies 
 both be placed under the guidance of the Divine Spir- 
 it; and as such is not the case, and no one assumes 
 that it is, it occurs to us that the design of God has 
 been mistaken as to the first record. We can con- 
 ceive of no reason why that should be absolutely in- 
 fallible that does not apply as well to the copies and 
 translations made from it. 
 
 37. There is still another consideration that has 
 some weight with us. Men, constituted and circum- 
 stanced as they are, would not all read and under- 
 stand the Bible alike if every copy in use were infal- 
 libly correct; and if they understood it differently, 
 some of them must be in error; and thus the original 
 inspiration would fail of its purpose. There is but 
 one conceivable way to secure such a purpose, and 
 that is, by an inspiration that shall not only make the 
 first record correct, but that shall secure the infallible 
 accuracy of all copies and translations; and, indeed, 
 that shall give an infallible understanding to all read- 
 ers of the record. But were it desirable to secure 
 the purpose here contemplated, an immediate inspira- 
 tion to every man, without the record, would be a 
 more natural and consistent method. It was then, no 
 part of the Divine plan, to give us a revelation that 
 should be miraculously protected from error. 
 
 38. The book has been subjected to the usual acci- 
 dents to which other books are exposed, with such 
 exceptions only, (important, to be sure,) as would 
 arise from the character of the book, and the circum- 
 stances of the people and times through which it has 
 come down to us. The book has always been re- 
 garded with feelings of peculiar sacredness; and this 
 
28 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 has thrown around it an additional protection over 
 other books; and in this, as in many other things, 
 even superstition has had its beneficial tendencies. 
 There have been, also, many sects and parties, all 
 claiming its authority; and this has led to the same 
 result, as no one party could make any alteration in 
 the book without exposure from the rest; and if any 
 alteration occurred, by mistake or design, the great 
 number of copies in the world would aid the work of 
 correction. With these exceptions, and perhaps some 
 others, we say the Bible has been subjected to the 
 common fortune of other books. It was written by 
 liuman hands as much as any other work. By human 
 hands it has been transcribed and printed. It has 
 been translated by men of fallible understanding. It 
 was written on perishable materials, and like other 
 books, is subject to decay. 
 
 39. The inspiration of the Bible relates to its prin- 
 ciples, ( we mean such as are there expressly referred 
 to God as their author,) and not to its verbal records; 
 and while the latter are subject to imperfection and 
 decay, the former have never been impaired by the 
 revolutions of the world, and will remain, though the 
 world should pass away. That the Bible contains 
 many divine communications, no one can doubt who 
 admits its authority or truth in any respect. The 
 en'or that Christians have too generally fallen into, 
 ( now being followed, as we might expect, by the op- 
 posite extreme,) is to ascribe to the Bible what it does 
 not claim, and thereby to weaken its evidences in the 
 view of intelligent and inquiring minds. 
 
 40. As examples of its divine communications, as 
 coming within the sphere of our present investiga- 
 tions, we place the creation of the world, more espe- 
 cially the order observed in the creative process, so 
 exactly corresponding with the discoveries of mod- 
 ern science; for Ave cannot see how men could have 
 learned these things in the early days of the world 
 
INTRODUCTION. 29 
 
 without divine aid; since, as far back as we can trace 
 the Bible reccj-d, the most profound ignorance has 
 prevailed among men in regard to those sciences that 
 throw light upon this subject. The coming deluge, 
 and the means of preservation, must have been an- 
 nounced to Noah in like manner. The moral princi- 
 ples inculcated in the beautiful allegory of Eden, 
 could have been made known at first only by a divine 
 revelation, for they are even now but imperfectly com- 
 prehended by the Avisest of men. The announce- 
 ment that the seed of the woman should bruise the 
 serpent's head, the sense of which we cannot well 
 mistake, contains a sentiment that could not have 
 been known without divine aid. The same remark 
 will apply to the promise to Abraham, that in his 
 seed all the fxmihes and nations of the earth should 
 be blessed. That Jesus Christ was the seed of Abra- 
 ham, we all know; and that his religion is destined to 
 bless the world, none can doubt. A promise, there- 
 fore, so far-reaching, both in respect to time and 
 space; and one which, for thousands of years, the 
 merest accident might have defeated, can have ema 
 nated from no other source than a divine Omnis 
 cience, that could take in the whole history of the 
 world at one view, and a divine benevolence to plan 
 its redemption and salvation. 
 
 41. Let it be added here, that no age before the 
 present one has furnished such strong proofs of the 
 inspiration of these announcements, though found in 
 the oldest book in existence, as are now presented 
 before us in the condition of the world, so plainly in- 
 dicating the triumph of good over evil, and the bless- 
 ing of the race through Jesus Christ. We are, in- 
 deed, farther from the time the book was written, but 
 we are nearer to the fulfilment of its announcements, 
 and are, therefore, made more sure of its truth. 
 Hence, we add, that the objection sometimes urged 
 against the Bible, that its records, the more ancient 
 
30 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ones especially, are so far back in the past, that we 
 are wholly uncertain in regard to their truth, here 
 meets with a reply that cannot fail to be appreciated. 
 Its most important announcements become more ob- 
 viously true with the lapse of ages. 
 
 42. There are many less important events that are 
 local and circumscribed, of which we cannot be so 
 certain, when viewed by themselves; but connected 
 as they are witii more important events, and resting 
 on the same original basis, our belief of one, so well 
 sustained, makes us yield assent to the others. 
 
 43. The mode by which divine communications 
 were originally made, is a proper subject of inquiry 
 in this connection, for there seems to be considerable 
 confusion in the minds of men in regard to this mat- 
 ter. Divine communications were obviously made to 
 our first parents, as this was a necessity of their con- 
 dition; but in what manner they were made, is not 
 dehncd. Several communications were made to Noah; 
 but Jiow made, we are not informed. So revelations 
 were made to Abraham; but in general, the method 
 of making them is left to inference. In regard to 
 these, and all other instances, ( unless special reasons 
 oppose,) we feel safe in saying, that the mode was the 
 same as in other instances, where it is definitely and 
 explicitly stated. 
 
 When it is said, that the word of the Lord came to 
 Abraham in a vision ; and that Jacob saw the Lord in 
 a dream ; and that God spake to Israel in the visions 
 of the night; we feel safe in concluding that the 
 same mode was adopted in other cases. — xv. 1; 
 xxviii. 12; xlvi. 2. 
 
 44. This is rendered the more evident from several 
 considerations. One is, that no other mode is speci- 
 fied. Another, that the same language and phrase- 
 ology are found in those passages where the mode is 
 not stated; as in those where it is. Add to these cir- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 31 
 
 cumstances, that the language following some of 
 these revelations, shows them to have been in the 
 night, and the inference is, that they occurred in a 
 dream or a vision. As examples ; immediately after 
 the communication to Abraham, recorded in xxi. 12, 
 13, it is added, ^^ and Abraham rose top early in the 
 mo}'ning,^^ &c. When Abraham was instructed to take 
 his son Isaac, and offer him upon a certain mountain, 
 it is not said that this instruction was given him in a 
 dream or vision ; but when it is added, that " Abra- 
 ham rose up early in the morning^^^ and proceeded to 
 execute the divine mandate, the conclusion seems 
 plain, that the revelation had been made in the night, 
 and by natural inference, that it was made in a dream, 
 xxii. 3. 
 
 When, therefore, God spake to Adam, to Cain, or 
 to Noah, we suppose he spake in the manner here 
 indicated, no other mode being obvious ; and this 
 view we deem the more reliable, and worthy of 
 acceptation, from the fact that it removes much of 
 the mist in which this matter seems involved in many 
 minds, and so far as it has this effect, it adds beauty 
 and consistency to the record, and brings it more 
 immediately within the reach of human credibility. 
 
 SECTION VI. — Truth of the Book. 
 
 45. The truth of the recorded statements, found 
 in the book of Genesis, is quite a different thing 
 from its inspiration. An inspired book would be, no 
 doubt, a true book; but a book, not inspired, may 
 be true. I do not suppose that any special inspira- 
 tion guided the hand of the writer of the book 
 under consideration, and I trust the reasons already 
 given for this opinion may be deemed satisfactory, 
 founded as they are upon facts. Even the divine 
 messages, that Avere then given to man, had to be 
 entrusted to human hands, and were written down 
 
32 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Avitli other records by the same falhble agency. 
 Tliat the book is substantially true, however, we 
 have no doubt ; and we come to this conclusion, 
 from considerations, affecting its veracity, as we 
 would in any otiier case. We cannot assume its 
 trutli on the previous assumption of its inspiration. 
 
 46. That the book is true, as to its pretensions of 
 embracing sundry divine communications, is proved 
 by the necessity before shown to have existed at 
 tliat time, for such special aid. 
 
 Its truth is farther indicated by the views it gives 
 us, in some passages, elsewhere noticed, that seem 
 plainly the product of an early age, and the infant 
 condition of our race. We may mention another 
 circumstance, nearly allied to this, that goes to 
 sustain the same thing. Many events that we are 
 accustomed to refer to secondary causes, the Patri- 
 archs refer directly to God. There are two reasons 
 for this. One is, that divine communications, where- 
 in God appeared to them and spake to them, would 
 make them feel a nearness to him that others would 
 not feel who were not thus distinguished. Another 
 is, that the investigations of science and philosophy 
 had not yet disclosed the existence of secondary 
 causes, as they were understood afterwards. 
 
 47. That its historical records may be relied upon, 
 may be made out from various considerations. 
 There is no opposing record. The Jews, who had 
 the best means of judging on this subject, all agree 
 in receiving the book as a true account of ancient 
 and prknitive times. Another circumstance, which 
 we may regard as providential, if we will, and an 
 illustration that temporary evils are overruled for 
 good, helps to sustain this argmuent. Tlie children 
 of Israel, at a very early period, were separated into 
 two parts, and have ever since been hostile to each 
 other ; and yet, both portions of the people receive 
 the record we now have, and about which avo are 
 
INTRODUCTION. 33 
 
 prosecuting our inquiries, though tliey are not agreed 
 in regard to some of the later writings. The book 
 existed, therefore, before the separation ; and if we 
 make a reasonable allowance for the time requisite to 
 bring it into general repute, upon the claims it sets 
 up, we shall be compelled to refer it to the age of 
 Moses, and concede that there must have been good 
 reasons, at that time, for receiving its statements as 
 substantially correct. 
 
 48. The truth of a book is to be judged of in two 
 ways. One is, by means of external evidences in its 
 favor, and the other is by the indications of truth in 
 the book itself Most books, with which we are 
 acquainted, may be proved or disproved by other 
 cotemporary documents. Other external marks of 
 the truth of a book (if it be true,) may exist in co- 
 temporary monuments and institutions. As to the 
 record now under consideration, it so occurs, that 
 this kind of evidence is mostly denied us. There is 
 no other book so ancient. There is no cotemporarv 
 writing that can corroborate its declarations. Uncer- 
 tain tradition is all that can be urged, as coming the 
 nearest to evidence of this kind. And few mon- 
 uments can be found, that can be referred back to so 
 early a period. So for as these traditions and mon- 
 uments bear upon the subject, they favor the record ; 
 and in respect to a few things, they are exceedingly 
 nnportant and convincing. It is hardly to be doubted, 
 for example, that the book gives us a true account of 
 the creation of the world ; for all the discoveries of 
 modern science, confirm its truth by monuments 
 found m the depths of the earth, that are every year 
 becoming more convincing. The fact of a deluge, is 
 m harmony with all the phenomena of the past and 
 present, that can affect this question ; and the tra- 
 ditions of all nations furnish most extraordinary 
 confirmation. 
 
34 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 49. The intrinsic probabilities of the truth of the 
 record, and the harmony of its several statements, 
 furnish the best evidence, perhaps, that can be urged 
 in its favor ; and indeed, this kind of evidence is 
 generally most convincing, witli regard to any book, 
 whether ancient or modern ; nor does the distance of 
 time destroy or materially weaken it. 
 
 50. Several particulars may be designated as afford- 
 ing internal evidence of the truth of the Mosaic 
 records, in the book now under consideration. One 
 is, that the degree of intelligence, the book shows to 
 have existed at that time, is precisely what might be 
 expected, under the circumstances. The world, like 
 the individual, has its childhood and youth, its matur- 
 ity and old age. We know from the past, what is the 
 rate of its progress or growth. When Ave look at its 
 youth, we know what must have been its childhood 
 or infancy. And though this is a subject about 
 which we may not claim to be above mistakes ; yet, 
 in our judgment, the record we have in Genesis, of 
 the infancy and childhood of the race, is a very exact 
 statement of what we should suppose it ought to be, 
 in view of what we know of its subsequent condition 
 and progress. The language of social life, the cus- 
 toms that prevailed, the views of God and his opera- 
 tions there set forth, all indicate a primitive condition 
 of the race. And Avhen we look at its condition at a 
 subsequent period, when seen through the light of 
 authentic history, its advancement is only, and pre- 
 cisely, what it ought to be, from such a beginning, 
 and during the space of time that had preceded. 
 
 51. Again, many of the objections to the book, 
 drawn from its internal character, are really argu- 
 ments in its favor. It is said to contain unworthy 
 conceptions of God and his operations. We admit it 
 does, so far as the author's language may be under- 
 stood as expressing his own views, or employed in 
 accommodation to the prevailing vicAvs of the peo- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 35 
 
 pie ; but this is what might be expected, and is 
 indeed a clear mark of its antiquity. But this mat- 
 ter is treated more at large, in another place, to 
 which the reader is referred. (See p. 47-49.) 
 
 The book is said to contain many things that are 
 immodest. We adniit that some things in the book 
 would be immodest under other circumstances ; but 
 as the case is, this feature is an internal mark in its 
 favor. It shows that the record belongs to a prim, 
 itive age, Avhen the ideas of propriety and fitness 
 that now prevail, had not been suggested, at least, 
 had not grown into their present shape and form. 
 
 52. Again; a combination of circumstances, each 
 in itself unimportant, will sometimes furnish an argu- 
 ment that amounts almost to a demonstration. In 
 view of this fact, let the following circumstances be 
 added to the particulars already noticed. The early 
 inhabitants of the globe lived, in what we would noAV 
 call a prairie country. We find them at the very 
 first, with their flocks and herds ; and we continue to 
 see notices of this kind, all through the book ; nor is 
 there any intimation that the ground had to be 
 cleared of its forests before this branch of labor 
 could be pursued. There are many people in the 
 world by whom this circumstance would be under- 
 stood as an internal mark of its untruth. There was 
 a time, when to us, had it attracted our attention, it 
 would have occasioned not a little embarrassment. 
 But now, knowing that prairie lands form a consider- 
 able portion of the earth's surface, I can easily 
 beheve that the part of the earth, where the Bible 
 places the origin of the race, was of this kind ; and I 
 can farther see great propriety in selecting such a 
 location for such a purpose. The references in Gen- 
 esis to the wilderness and to groves, are such only as 
 apply to a prairie country where portions of timber 
 land do now and then occur. 
 
36 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 53. There is another species of internal evidence, 
 to which more or less importance will be attached. 
 It consists of what are called ^' undesigned coin- 
 cidences." In all true writings there are more or 
 less circumstances that are '^ coincident " Avith each 
 other, without any apparent intention of the author 
 that they should be so ; and it is this last circum- 
 stance, that gives them their importance. What is 
 here intended will be best understood by a few 
 examples. It is common with us to name persons 
 after others among our acquaintances or relations ; 
 and we find the same practice to have prevailed, to 
 some extent, in ancient times. Hence, in the two 
 genealogies of Adam, one through Cain, and the 
 other through Seth, we find some similar names. 
 Enoch and Lamech occur in both ; and some of the 
 other names are so nearly alike, that they may have 
 been originally the same ; and indeed are regarded 
 as the same in the Septuagint or Greek version. A 
 fictitious writing might have the coincidence here 
 referred to ; but it would be quite as likely not to 
 have it. 
 
 54. But there are other examples more to the 
 point. In the genealogy of Ham, we find the names 
 of Sheba and Dedan. They were Ham's great-grand- 
 children. So in the genealogy of Shem, we find a 
 Sheba ; and in the family of Abraham by Keturah, 
 we find a Sheba and Dedan. That the writer 
 intended these coincidences, we have no reason for 
 supposing. Notice also that the father of the last 
 Slieba and Dedan was one Jokshan ; and the flxthcr 
 of Sheba, in the lineage of Shem, was also Jokshan. 
 One Avould be inclined to think that the latest Jok- 
 shan, named his son Sheba, because another Jok- 
 shan had done the same ; but at length, having 
 another son, he names him Dedan, remembering that 
 the same combination of names (Sheba and Dedan) 
 was found among Ham's descendants. What was 
 
INTRODUCTION. 37 
 
 more natural than tliis^ allowing the record to be 
 true; though we should not expect to find such a 
 circumstance in a false or fictitious one. Many other 
 similar examples could be produced; and they are 
 the more remarkable as we know that the Hebrews 
 generally named their children on a different prin- 
 ciple, forming the name from some circumstance 
 occurring at the birth of the child. 
 
 55. Nearly allied to the foregoing, is the practice 
 of naming places from persons. The writer does not 
 tell us how Haran, the first residence of Abraham, 
 after leaving Ur of the Chaldees, came by its name ; 
 but as Abraham had recently lost a brother Haran, it 
 was quite natural that the place should be named 
 from him. So Mamre, the residence of Abraham in 
 Canaan, was obviously named from Mamre, one of 
 Abraham's confederates; though the name of the 
 place and of the person, are never mentioned in such 
 connection, as to make the coincidence obvious, 
 except to the careful reader. Sidon was the oldest 
 son of Canaan, and is mentioned in the Kst of Ham's 
 posterity ; and in process of time, with no special 
 reference to his name, we find an important city, 
 bearing the same name, in the north-west corner of 
 Palestine. 
 
 Not very unlike this is the next instance to be 
 noticed. In one part of the narrative, we read of 
 the Amalekites, as one of the tribes of Canaan ; in 
 anotlier and still later passage, we find one Amalek, 
 among the descendants of Esau. Now it hardly 
 admits of doubt, that the tribe was named from 
 the man, and are indeed his descendants. This is 
 accounted for, from the fact, that in naming the 
 tribes of Canaan, some are spoken of by anticipa- 
 tion. There is an apparent incongruity, which an 
 impostor would have avoided; but there is also a 
 coincidence which is an evidence of truth ; and all 
 the more conclusive, as being joined with the appa- 
 rent incongruity. 
 
38 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Again ; one of the grand-sons of Nahor, is Aram. 
 Was not Padan-^7T/m, the residence of Nahor, named 
 after him ? This Nahor and his family are called 
 Syrians ; but tlie original is Arameans. 
 
 56. Again; we read of Abraham going down to 
 Egypt, in consequence of a famine in the land of 
 Canaan ; and Avhile there, he received many valuable 
 presents from Pharaoh, among which were servants 
 and handmaids. At a subsequent period, and writing 
 about a very different subject, the author tells us that 
 Sarah had an Egyjjtian handmaid whose name was 
 Hagar. Still later, this Hagar was sent away from 
 her home, and was found in the way to Shur ; and we 
 learn in another part of the book that Shur lay in the 
 direction of Egypt. What more natural than that 
 Hagar should seek her former home in Egypt, and 
 being a female and a slave, what more natural than 
 that she should lose her way? At a subsequent 
 period, when driven out, a second time, with her 
 child, she is said to have wandered in the wilderness 
 of Beersheba ; and this place, too, we know lay in 
 the same direction. 
 
 57. Finally ; the difference between Palestine and 
 Egypt, is made obvious by scores of allusions and 
 circumstances, entirely incidental, and plainly having 
 no such purpose on the part of the writer. Going 
 to Egypt from Canaan, is habitually spoken of as 
 going down to Egypt ; and from the latter place to 
 the former, was going i^p to Canaan. In Egypt, too, 
 we find a regular, established government, a king and 
 his officers, a captain of the guard, a chief butler, a 
 baker, a prison and gallows. Here were fine linen 
 and golden chains, chariots and horsemen ; and here 
 the choicest productions of the East found a ready 
 market. In Palestine these things are not found ; 
 and it is worthy of being added, that money, and 
 gold and silver ornaments, are not alluded to, until 
 after the first journey to Egypt. The productiveness 
 
INTRODUCTION. 39 
 
 of the country, even when famine prevailed else- 
 where, is often alluded to, and had, as we all know, 
 a natural cause. Such a circumstance, as seven years 
 of plenty, followed by seven years of famine, was, in 
 Egypt, a natural occurrence, though we know of no 
 other country on the globe, of which the same thing 
 could be affirmed. We say, then, in conclusion of 
 this particular, that Genesis has all the internal and 
 external marks of truth, that can be fairly required 
 or expected under the circumstances. 
 
 SECTION VII. — Language of the Book. 
 
 58. Except a few passages in Chaldee, the Old Tes- 
 tament was written in the Hebrew language, some 
 peculiarities of which, taken from the book of Gen- 
 esis, may be here noticed. 
 
 1. Hebrew idioms : — 
 
 59. («.) The name of God is often used for empha- 
 sis. Examples : ^' The earth was corrupt before 
 God." The earth was very corrupt, is the meaning. 
 '' The men of Sodom were wicked sinners, before the 
 Lord, exceedingly.'' They were exceedingly corrupt. 
 '^ The garden of the Lord," may refer to the garden 
 of Eden, and it may not ; but the meaning is, a very 
 beautiful garden. " That I may bless thee, before 
 the Lord," has simply this meaning; — that I may 
 invoke upon thee the richest blessings. " With 
 great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister," is, 
 in the original, with the wrestlings of God, have I 
 wrestled with my sister. ^^ God's host," may, accord- 
 ing to the same idiom, mean, only a great company, 
 vi. 11 ; xiii. 13 ; xiii. 10 ; xxvii. 7 ; xxx. 8 ; xxxii. 2. 
 
 60. There are other instances, but these are suf- 
 ficient to illustrate the principle. Sometimes there 
 may be a doubt how such instances should be trans- 
 lated. Hence the phrase, ^^ Spirit of God," i. 2, has, 
 by some, been thought to mean a great icind ; for 
 
40 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the word for " spirit " has sometimes the meaning of 
 ivind; and '^ wind of God/' would mean a great 
 wind, according to the idiom we are now iUustrating 
 Such appears to have been the understanding of 
 Josephus. Again ; the translators have said that the 
 *' terror of God " was upon the cities ; while the 
 more rational idea is, that a great terror was upon 
 the cities. The terror was inspired, not so much by 
 God, as by the sons of Jacob, xxxv. 5. 
 
 61. (6.) The Hebrew verb is often repeated for 
 the sake of emphasis. Examples : — '^ Thou mayest 
 freely eat," is literally to eat, thou mayest eat. The 
 translation doubtless gives the true idea. '^ Thou 
 shalt surely die," is literally, to die, thou shalt die. 
 Ye shall not surely die, is a similar example. " Abra- 
 ham shall surely become a great and mighty nation." 
 To become, shall become, is literal. '^ He wiU needs 
 be a judge." To judge, he will judge. In describing 
 the blessing of Abraham, the translators have, ver}^ 
 singularly, preserved, or nearly so, the Hebrew idiom. 
 '^ In blessing I will bless thee ; and in multiplying I 
 will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven." A 
 true rendering would be ; I will greatly bless thee, 
 and I will greatly multiply thy seed, d:c. ii. IG) 17; 
 iii. 4 ; xviii. 18 ; xix. 9 ; xxii. 17. 
 
 Other examples of the same idiom may be found 
 in tlie following passages that need not be quoted, 
 xxvi. 13, 28; xxx. 16; xxxi. 15; xxxvii. 8; xl. 15; 
 xhii. 3,7 ; xliv. 5. 
 
 62. (c.) The Hebrews used the word son to ex- 
 press various relations. Examples: — '^ Noah was 
 six hundred years old ; " literally, Noah was son of 
 six hundred years. ^' Abraham was seventy years 
 old ;" son of seventy years. ^' Eight days old:" son 
 of eight days. " A calf," son of the herd. " People 
 of the East," sons of the East. There is generally 
 no difficulty in translating or understanding such 
 instances, as the sense is sufficiently obvious, vii. 
 6 ; xvii. 1, 12 ; xviii. 7; xxix. 1. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 41 
 
 2. Hebrew Modes and Temes. 
 
 63. The Hebrews had but two Tenses to their 
 verbs, the Past and the Future, in place of the six 
 tenses that belong to our language. This can be 
 regarded only as a defect ; and it sometimes embar- 
 rasses the translator. Of course the connection and 
 circumstances of the passage are the only resort to 
 determine the true rendering. A few examples will 
 illustrate this pecuHarity and its difficulties. Gen. i. 
 14-19 seems to be an account of the first production 
 of the sun, moon and stars ; but as there could be 
 no day and night without a sun, we conclude that that 
 luminary must have existed on the first day ; and we 
 are led to ask, whether the translation may not be 
 made to harmonize with this view. We think it may, 
 in the following manner : — Verse 16th should be put 
 in brackets and read thus : — [And God had made two 
 great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the 
 lesser light to rule the night — he had made the stars 
 also.] All before and after this, may be read as it 
 now is. We are thus taught, that, before the fourth 
 day, God had made the sun, moon and stars ; and 
 that, on the fourth day, he set them in the firmament 
 of heaven, to give light upon the earth. The same 
 change may be made in ii. 19. And out of the 
 ground God had formed every beast of the field. 
 Then the passage may proceed as it does in the com- 
 mon version ; or, more of it, perhaps all to verse 24, 
 may be thrown into the past in the same manner. 
 This would, at least, obviate some difficulties that 
 men see in this, and other similar passages, and save 
 them the necessity of seeking other modes of inter- 
 pretation, less obvious and rational. In xii. 1, the 
 rendering is correct. Now the Lord had said unto 
 Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, &c. The 
 circumstances alluded to, had taken place on a former 
 occasion ; though, aside from these circumstances, it 
 would have been equally correct to have used the 
 
42 JXTJIODUCTION. 
 
 expression, " the Lord said unto Abraham." Tlie dif- 
 ference is this : — One translation makes God to have 
 spoken to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, and to 
 regard that as the country of Abraham, from which 
 he was to depart. The other makes the command to 
 be given in Haran ; and the latter to be the country 
 referred to, in the expression, " thy country." There 
 is in Hebrew no difference in the form of the verb 
 for says, said, has said, had said. These modifications 
 must be learned from the sense and circumstances of 
 the passage. 
 
 64. The modes, too, of verbs, are but imperfectly 
 represented in the Hebrew language. One peculiar- 
 it}^ only need be noticed. To some of the modes it 
 is customary to ascribe what is called a ^' causative " 
 sense. For example ; — I will cause it to rain upon 
 the earth, vii. 4 ; more literally, I will rain upon the 
 earth. The same tense in the same form, is so ren- 
 dered in xix. 24. The Lord rained upon Sodom and 
 upon Gomorrah. God made a wind to pass over the 
 earth, viii. 1. God passed a wind over the earth. 
 We suspect that such instances of translating are 
 generally suggested by the supposed necessity of 
 making the ancients express themselves after our 
 modes, rather than their own. On the same principle 
 the translators might have rendered some other pas- 
 sages differently from what they have done, and 
 thereby removed difficulties that are important. '^ I 
 will remember my covenant." ix. 15. I will cause 
 to remember my covenant, or, I will cause my cov- 
 enant to be remembered, would be equally sustained 
 by this usage. " I will look upon it, that I may re- 
 member the everlasting covenant." ix. 16. I will 
 cause to look upon it, and remember, or, I will cause 
 it (the bow) to be looked upon and my covenant to 
 be remembel-ed, may express the true meaning of the 
 passage. Again ; would it not be better to say, that 
 God caused Abimelech and his wife to be healed, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 43 
 
 rather than to say that God healed them. So in the 
 next verse, God caused to be ^' closed," some natural 
 cause bemg immediate, as in the other instance. Did 
 God take away Laban's cattle and give them to 
 Jacob ? xxxi. 9, or was it done by a device of Jacob 
 himself? and, if the last, which we know to be the 
 fact, then it was only in a very qualified sense, that 
 God even caused it to be done. The Lord slew Er 
 and Onan, sons of Judah. xxxviii. 7, 10. He caused 
 it to be done, would suit our ideas better."^ 
 
 65. But in reference to all these examples, it must 
 not be forgotten, as before intimated, that the ancients 
 had not our ideas, and must not be expected to ex- 
 press themselves in the same way. They had not 
 learned the existence of intermediate causes between 
 God and the operations of the world, as the moderns 
 have done ; and the latter, we suspect, have some- 
 thing to unlearn before they find the true philosophy. 
 There is a more intimate connection between God 
 and his works, than most of our modern philosophers 
 and theologians have allowed us to beheve ; and if 
 this be so, the ancient usage may, after all, be more 
 strictly accurate than the modern. 
 
 3. Hebreio Voivels and Consonants. 
 
 66. It is generally conceded that the Hebrew laur 
 guage had originally no vowels, and that what are 
 used as vowels, at the present day, in most printed 
 
 * If the Hebrew scholar should meet me with the reply, that, 
 in the passage last quoted the form of the verb is not Hi- 
 phil, to which the causative sense is generally attached ; and that 
 hence the causative form of translating is not required here, as m 
 the other instances ; we would say in return, that it is not claimed 
 that Hiphil always has this sense, and that whenever this sense is 
 as ribed to it, the nature of the passage is urged in defence of 
 this construction. We urge the same consideration in favor of 
 giving the causative sense to other forms besides Hiphil ; and if 
 the argument is good in the one case, we see no reason why it 
 should not be allowed in the other. 
 
44 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 editions, (though some are without them,) are an in- 
 vention since the language ceased to be spoken. 
 That this opinion is correct, scarcely admits of doubt. 
 The language consisted at first, and as long as it was 
 a living language, of consonants alone, the vowel 
 sounds, without which words cannot be pronounced, 
 in any language, being supplied by custom and con- 
 trolled by popular usage. At first view, this would 
 seem to involve an impossibility ; but a little thought 
 will convince any one, that the English language is 
 but little better off. We have vowels, to be sure, but 
 the sounds we are to give to them, are far from uni- 
 form ; and what sound is required in each individual 
 case, must be determined with us, as with the He- 
 brews, by popular usage ; and this being so, there is 
 no great difference between popular usage with the 
 vowels, and popular usage without them. 
 
 67. It is obvious, however, that when a language 
 ceases to be spoken, popular usage ceases to be avail- 
 able ; and the pronunciation must be guided by cer- 
 tain marks placed upon the words of the language in 
 the books where it is used. The Hebrew has such 
 marks ; and this is the purpose for which they were 
 invented. They serve to indicate the vowel sounds, 
 accents, c&c. They came into use by degrees, and 
 the system was completed several centuries after the 
 Christian era. That they are not a perfect guide to 
 a right pronunciation, but only a help, will readily 
 appear; for though each mark is designed to have 
 but one sound, what that one sound is, must be 
 learned from Jewish Rabbis or Hebrew scholars, who 
 are not perfectly agreed. Hence after all, popular 
 usage determines the pronunciation, and that varies 
 in different countries. In some Hebrew Bibles these 
 marks are omitted, and usage only is relied upon ; 
 and in those editions where they are employed, if 
 they affect the sense of a passage, as they sometimes 
 do, they are to be regarded as of no more authority, 
 than the opinion of their inventors. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 45 
 
 SECTION VIII. — Style op the Book. 
 
 68. There is one peculiarity of style in the book 
 that deserves some attention. It relates to its repe- 
 titions, A number of particulars, recorded in chap- 
 ter first, are repeated in chapter second ; and this is 
 one reason why, as we have shown elsewhere, some 
 have concluded that the original account was made 
 up of separate documents. So, in describing the 
 Deluge, and the arrangements relating to that event, 
 there are several repetitions. But in both these in- 
 stances the repetitions seem intended to connect the 
 event repeated, with others. 
 
 But i\\Q reason here given does not apply to the 
 examples about to be introduced. 
 
 69. Let us make man in our image , after our like- 
 ness, i. 26. We are not able to discover any differ- 
 ence in sense, between the clause, '^ in our image,'^ 
 and the clause, '' after our Kkeness ; " and we suspect 
 there is no difference ; and that this usage belongs 
 alone to the style of the writer. The importance of 
 the^ thing asserted, may, in some such cases, be 
 assigned as the reason of the repetition. Still this is 
 only conjecture. So God created man in his own 
 image; m the image of God created he him. i. 27. 
 One part of the verse evidently repeats the other. 
 And on the seventh day, God ended his ivork lohich he 
 had made; and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day 
 Jrom all his work which he had made. ii. 2. The last 
 half of this verse is precisely Hke the first. An in- 
 stance occurs in xi. 31, which would lead us to 
 believe that the author intended to amuse himself or 
 his readers, by a play upon words, if other and sim- 
 ilar instances did not occur often enough to remove 
 ^^J'^'^V^^^^-^^on. The passage reads as follows: — 
 And Terah took Abram, his son ; and Lot, the son of 
 Haran, his son's son ; and Sarah, his daughter-in-law, 
 his son Ahram's wife ; and they went forth with them, 
 
46 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 d^c. In a former verse (29) we read of " Milcali the 
 daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the 
 father of Iscah." It was not enough to tell us that 
 Milcah was the daughter of Haran, it is added that 
 Haran was father of Milcah. It may be added, that 
 all the relations mentioned in verse 31, had been 
 before described in the connection ; and therefore we 
 see no need of the immediate repetition of them. It 
 is most rationally accounted for, perhaps, by refer- 
 ring it to a habit of describing people by their rela- 
 tions, a matter of necessity in those days, w^hen each 
 individual had but one name ; and the habit being 
 established, it would lead to a repetition of such rela- 
 tions sometimes when not necessary. 
 
 70. Again ; " Esau is Edom/' is repeated no less 
 than four times in one chapter, xxxvi. 1, 8, 19, 43. 
 That we may live^ and not die, xliii. 8, is several times 
 found ; though one clause implies the other, and 
 would have been sufficient, except that the author 
 must be permitted to express himself in his own way. 
 The days of the years of my pilgrimage, are a hundred 
 and thirty years ; few and evil have the days of the 
 years of my life been, and have not attained unto the 
 days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of 
 their 2^ilgrimage. xlix. 9. And Jacob set up a pillar in 
 the place lohere he talked ivith him, eveii a pillar of 
 stone ; and he pioured a drink offering thereon ; and he 
 poured oil thereon, xxxv. 14. I would improve this 
 statement thus : — And Jacob set up a pillar of stone 
 in the place where he talked with him, and poured a 
 drink offering of oil thereon. 
 
 71. Several allusions are made tothe cave of Mach- 
 pelah, and in all the instances, the circumstance of 
 its purchase by Abram of Ephron, the Hittite, and 
 its location before Mamre, &c., are distinctly and spe- 
 cifically mentioned ; though one would suppose that 
 a single statement would have been sufficient. For 
 some reason we think the writer intended to place 
 great stress upon that transaction. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 47 
 
 72. There is another class of passages, that may as 
 well be noticed here as anywhere, as belonging in a 
 certain sense, to the style of the book, since they 
 show the author's mode of representing the divine 
 operations. Such passages are not to be understood 
 literally ; nor indeed are we authorized to say that 
 the writer himself intended them as literal; — they 
 are his mode of bringing before us certain acts of 
 the Creator. 
 
 AVe read in connection with the creation of the 
 world, such expressions as the following : — '' God 
 said, Let there be light." ^' God called the hght day ; 
 and the darkness he called night." '^ God said. Let 
 there be a firmament." " God said, Let us make 
 man." Of course no human being could have listened 
 to the divine voice on that occasion ; and no human 
 being could know what the Lord said, unless a divine 
 communication were expressly given to convey this 
 information, for which we see no necessity ; and hence 
 we propose a different view of these and some other 
 passages. Such language, ascribed to God, is simply 
 to be referred to the author's mode of represerding the 
 divine operations, and is to be understood rhetorically 
 rather than literally. This is evident from the com- 
 parison of two passages in the first chapter. God 
 said to our first parents, ^^Be fruitfal and multiply 
 and replenish the earth." He is represented as saying 
 the same thing to the beasts, which can be understood 
 in no other wav than the one we have suggested, that 
 is rhetorically."^ i. 28, 22. 
 
 73. Again ; " And God saw that the wickedness 
 of man was great in the earth, and that every imag- 
 ination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil 
 continually. And it repented the Lord that he made 
 (had made) man upon the earth ; and it grieved him 
 at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man 
 whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both 
 man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls 
 
48 INTR0DUCTI02V. 
 
 of the air ; for it repenteth me that I have made 
 them." vi. 5-7. Let the reader compare this passage 
 with a direct communication from God to Noah, 
 and note the differences. The communication is 
 this : — " And God said unto Noah, The end of all 
 flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with 
 violence through them ; and behold I will destroy 
 them with the earth. . . . And behold, T, even I, do 
 bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all 
 flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under hea- 
 ven ; and everything that is in the earth shall die." 
 vi. 13, 17. It is true that some of the statements in 
 this passage are the same as in the other ; but it is 
 also true that others are very different. Here we 
 find notliing about the total corruption of the race, or 
 of the repentance and grief of the Creator. We infer 
 that the passage that has these expressions belongs to 
 the style of the author, and is not to be literally 
 understood. 
 
 74. We place the following on the same list. '^ And 
 the Lord said, Behold the man has become as one of 
 us." iii. 22. It is not stated that the Lord said this 
 to anybody, and we conclude that the expression be- 
 longs to the author's rhetoric, rather than his theol- 
 ogy. '^ And the Lord smelled a sweet savor, and the 
 Lord said in his heart, I will not again any more, 
 curse the ground for man's sake, for the imagination 
 of man's heart is evil from his youth ; neither will I 
 any more smite every living thing as I have done. 
 While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and 
 cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and 
 night, shall not cease." viii. 21, 22. How did the 
 writer know what the Lord said in his heart? Such 
 language is so obviously to be referred to the author's 
 stylo, that I can hardly suppose Infidelity so obtuse 
 as not to perceive it. 
 
 75. The language concerning Babel, ix. 5-8, is 
 another passage of the same kind. " And the Lord 
 
INTRODUCTION. 49 
 
 came down to see the city and the tower which the 
 children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold 
 the people is one, and they have all one language, and 
 this they begin to do ; and now nothing will be re- 
 strained from them, which they have imagined to do. 
 G-o to, let us go down and confound their language, 
 that they may not understand one another's speech. 
 Ho the Lord scattered them abroad from thence, upon 
 the face of all the earth ; and they left off to build 
 the city." We accept this, upon the statement of the 
 writer, so far as it relates a historical fact ; but the 
 Lord's cogitations and sayings in bringing the thing 
 about, we may accept or substitute others, with equal 
 propriety. 
 
 76. We would add, that, though such passages, 
 literally explained, contain unworthy views of the 
 Creator, there is really no evidence that the author 
 himself intended them to be literal. It is impossible 
 to describe the divine operations in language that is 
 not more or less faulty. This is true now, with even 
 the wisest of men ; and more than this certainly could 
 not be expected of the man who wrote the first book 
 the world ever saw. A moment's thought, concern- 
 ing our own modes of expression, will convince any 
 one of the difficulty of properly representing the 
 Deity by human langMage. Our language not only 
 fails to represent the divine character and doings as 
 they are, but it fails to represent our ideas on these 
 subjects. Our ideas of God are far in advance of our 
 language ; and if this be so now, more than this ought 
 not to be required in the earliest age of the world. 
 That was an infant state of society, and its views cor- 
 responded. Still it is right to presume that what is 
 true now, was true then, that their language was not 
 equal to their ideas. 
 
 Such passages as we have been considering, are an 
 evidence of the antiquity of the book where they 
 are found ; and if any one is disposed to insist 
 3 
 
50 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 on their grossness, he only adds strength to the 
 argument. 
 
 SECTION IX. — Various Keadings. 
 
 77. Many good Christians, on hearing of the 
 " various readings " of the Bible, have become very 
 much alarmed, lest Christianity should be thrown 
 from its foundations by this discovery ; and with 
 equal inconsistency. Infidels have sought to make 
 what they seem to regard, as an overwhelming argu- 
 ment from the same consideration. The copies of 
 the Bible show differences in the readings, as might 
 be expected, and would be expected, by all reason- 
 able men ; these copies having been, as of necessity 
 they were, written by human hands, and transmitted 
 by fallible agency from generation to generation. 
 Such readings have been carefully collected from all 
 the manuscripts and copies known in the world ; and 
 though they are very numerous, amounting to many 
 tliousands ; yet, but few of them possess any impor- 
 tance, as affecting the sense of the passages. Much 
 the largest proportion of such readings, relate to the 
 spelling of words, the position of words in the sen- 
 tence without affecting the sense, the use of synony- 
 mous words, or even a dot or mark employed to guide 
 the pronunciation. 
 
 78- Tn respect to the book of Genesis, (and indeed 
 all the five books of Moses,) no various readings have 
 been collected and preserved, with one unimportant 
 exception, but such as relate to the vowel points, or 
 marks before described ; and as these are no part of 
 the original language, and are only intended to guide 
 the pronunciation, the variations found in them, can 
 have but little bearing on the interpretation of the 
 book. Doubtless, however, there have been various 
 readings in the consonants as well as vowels, not 
 only from the impossibility of avoiding them ; but 
 the ancient translations make the fact quite evident. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 51 
 
 Still the same translations, from which such various 
 readings are proved to have existed, make us certain 
 that they could not have been such as to materially 
 affect the sense. 
 
 79. To illustrate the little importance that should 
 be attached to the various readings of the Bible, as 
 affecting the meaning of passages, we will give the 
 various readings of the first two chapters of the Sep- 
 tuagint. This version of the Bible dates back three 
 hundred years before the Christian era; and of 
 course there has been no lack of time for various 
 readings to accumulate. 
 
 Gen. i. 4. In the phrase, " God saw the light," 
 the spelling of the word for "saw" is not alike in all 
 the copies. 
 
 i. 7. Some copies subjoin to this verse, "it was 
 so ; " while others omit this phrase. 
 
 i. 11. The phrase "after its kind," has, in some 
 copies, the additional expression, "after its likeness." 
 
 i. 14. "To rule over the day and over the night" 
 is added by some and omitted by others. 
 
 i. 22. The word "blessed" is differently spelled. 
 
 i. 25. In one part of this verse, "their kind" has, 
 in some copies, "their," and in some not. 
 
 i. 28. "Blessed" differently spelled. So in ii. 3. 
 
 ii. 5. Some have Lord instead of God. So in ii. 8. 
 
 ii. 10. "Garden" is in a different case in some co- 
 pies from what it is in others. 
 
 ii. 11. "Pison" is differently spelled as to a single 
 letter. So the name Havilah. 
 
 ii. 13. The spelling of Gihon varies. 
 
 ii. 14. The original for "goeth" is slightly varied. 
 
 ii. 17. The word for "eat," in the latter part of 
 the verse, slightly varies. 
 
 ii. 19. Some have "their name," and some have 
 "^Ys" name. 
 
 ii. 21, 22. Lord for God. 
 
 ii. 23. "She was taken from ner husband" is the 
 
52 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 reading of some; and "she was taken from man^^ is 
 the reading of other manuscripts; but the use or 
 omission of a single letter, makes all the difference. 
 
 ii. 24. "His father and mother," or, "his father 
 and his mother;" so "his wife" has a trifling variation 
 in different copies. 
 
 80. How these variations originated, is easy to be 
 seen. Different spelling would naturally occur. That 
 Lord should be used for God, might also be expected. 
 The phrase, "it was so," being several times used in 
 the first chapter, it would very easily be inserted 
 where it did not belong. "To rule over the day and 
 over the night" was presumed to be required in i. 
 14, because it was used in a similar connection else- 
 where. Similar reasons can be given for other vari- 
 ations. In all these examples the sense of the pas- 
 sages is scarcely varied in the slightest degree. Most 
 of the various readings are of this character; and 
 though some are more important, they are not such 
 as to affect the general teachings of the book, or to 
 lessen our confidence therein, as a true and reliable 
 record of ancient times, or as a basis of our theo- 
 logical faith. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 CRITICISM ON IMPORTANT WORDS. 
 Contents : Elohim, Bara, Rhua, Nephish, Olim, Sheol, Malak. 
 
 There are some words in the book of Genesis, to 
 which more than ordinary importance should be at- 
 tached, from their relation to important subjects, or 
 from the use that has been made of them to sustain 
 doctrines that are adverse to the general teachings of 
 the book. These we propose to notice in the present 
 chapter. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 53 
 
 SECTION I. — Elohim, the Name of God. 
 
 81. This name, in Hebrew, is found in the plural 
 number; and a literal rendering of the first sentence 
 of the Bible would be, '^In the beginning Gods ere- 
 ited the heavens and the earth. " What shall we say 
 in regard to this word in this form? Shall we say, as 
 some Infidels have said, that the Hebrew Scriptures, 
 hke the Mythology of the Pagans, recognize more 
 Gods than one? or shall we conclude, as some Chris- 
 tian theologians have taught, that the reference is to 
 the plurality oi persons in the Godhead? or can we 
 find an explanation less objectionable in the idiom of 
 the language? The latter is what we propose to 
 make out. 
 
 82. The evidence that Elohim, though plural in 
 form, is singular in sense, and denotes but one being, 
 when applied to the Supreme Divinity, is indicated 
 by several circumstances worthy of note. In the 
 first place, though the word God is plural, it is joined 
 with verbs in the singular. The only consistent ex- 
 planation that can be given of this fact, is, that 
 though the form of the word is plural, the sense is 
 singular; for in Hebrew, as in other languages, the 
 rule is applicable, that " the verb must agree with its 
 nominative case in number, tfec." 
 
 ^ Again; other words joined with Elohim, and mean- 
 ing the same thing, ("in apposition with it," as gram- 
 marians say, ) are found in the singular number. Ex • 
 amples: " I am God, the God of thy fathers." xlvi. 3. 
 The first word for God, (El) is in the singular, while 
 the last, ( Elohim ) is plural ; and yet that both words 
 are alike in sense, no one can doubt. The same 
 term, (El) in the singular, occurs again ii: xlvi. 3, 
 xxviii. 3, xvii. 1, and is used to denote the same be- 
 ing as the other word. Again; Elohim has the sin- 
 gular pronoun joined with it. The following exam- 
 ples are a few of the many that might be adduced 
 
54 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 under this head. Shall / hide from Abraham that 
 thing which / do. / know that thou didst this iu 
 the integrity of thy heart. By myself have I sworn, 
 /am the God of Abraham, /am the God of Bethel. 
 / will go down with thee into Egypt, xviii. 17; xx. 
 6; xxii. 16; xxvi. 24; xxxi. 13; xlvi. 4. 
 
 In all these instances, the singular pronoun refers 
 to Elohim, showing that the latter, as Avell as the for- 
 mer, is singular in sense, 
 
 83. But what shall we do with a few exceptions to 
 the principles last noticed? They are the following: 
 Let us make man in our image, i. 26. Behold, the 
 man is become as one of us. iii. 22. Let us go down 
 and there confound their language, xi. 7. From the 
 general use of the singular pronoun in connection 
 with the word God, we would infer that the three ex- 
 ceptions here given, must have some special reasons 
 to justify their use, aside from the plurality of the sub- 
 ject to which they relate. We are certainly not to 
 take them as indicating the rule, when they are so 
 few, and a multitude of examples belong to the other 
 side. They are evidently the exception. On this 
 usage I would just remark, that Gods, and not three 
 2?ersons in the Godhead, is the subject of the sen- 
 tence. There can really be no controversy between 
 us and Trinitarians, for the Trinity is no way implied 
 in the language. The only controversy that can ex- 
 ist, is between us and those who would make Poly- 
 theism a doctrine of the Bible. In the next place, all 
 the^e passages are found on the list of what we have 
 denominated rhetorical passages, and must be ex- 
 plained accordingly. It is not a far-fetched conclu- 
 sion, we think, that the author intended to bring be- 
 fore us the fact that God has his attendants, often al- 
 luded to in other parts of the book, who are ever 
 ready to execute his will, and whose presence is here 
 recognized. The language does by no means imply 
 
INTRODUCTION. 65 
 
 an equality among those included in the term "i^.'^ 
 The king with his officers, or the master with his ser- 
 vants, may say, let us do this or that, without imply- 
 ing an equality between him and them. 
 
 84. If it be replied that, ^^Let us make man" can 
 have no reference to the angels, since we cannot sup- 
 pose them capable of doing such a work, we answer, 
 that they are not said to have done this work; but it 
 is immediately added, that God made man in Ms own 
 image. If, again, it be said, that Adam and Eve were 
 encouraged to expect they would become as Gods, 
 knowing good and evil, and that the declaration af- 
 terwards, -Hhe man has become as one of us," has 
 the same reference, and applies to the Gods, and not 
 to his messengers, we would respond, by referring to 
 passages where angels, and even men, are called 
 Gods in the Bible. See even in Genesis, xvi. 10, 7, 
 9, 11, 13; xxi. 17; xxii. 15; xxiv. 7; xxxi. 13; xlviii. 
 15, 16, 1. 19. 
 
 85. Another particular ought to be noticed in con- 
 nection with the word God in the plural form. It is 
 this : How can we know when to give a plural sense 
 to the term, since the form does not determine this? 
 We answer, that the context and circumstances of 
 the passage must decide this question. Hence, the 
 translators make the serpent to say, ^' Ye shall be as 
 Gods, " iii. 5, either because the statement afterwards, 
 ^'the man has become as one of us," seemed to re- 
 quire it, or because they thought it more suitable 
 that the serpent should speak as a Pagan, than as a 
 true believer in one God. So in regard to Laban's 
 gods;^ they are expressly called images; and hence, 
 in this case, it Avas obvious that Elohim was to be 
 understood in the plural, xxxi. 30; xxxi. 19,34, 35; 
 XXXV. 2. 
 
 86. In these passages the translators have been 
 guided by circumstances, and have given the true 
 rendering. Why they have not been equally consis- 
 
56 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tent in some other instances, I cannot say. Why, for 
 instance, should they in one breath, make Laban to 
 have his gods, and in the next, make him speak as if 
 he behoved in one Supreme divinity like the He- 
 brews? See XXX. 27; xxxi. 29, 50, 53; xxiv. 50. 
 Why, too, did they make the Philistine king, and the 
 king of Egypt, use the language of the patriarchs? 
 See xxi. 22, 23; xxvi. 28; xli. 38; xliii. 23. And why 
 make Joseph in Egypt, while personating the ruler 
 of that country, speak like a Hebrew, and not like an 
 Egyptian? xliii. 29. Or are we to believe that the 
 Syrians, the Philistines, and the Egyptians, were true 
 Theists, like the Hebrews, and not Polytheists and 
 idolaters? If they were the former, then the trans- 
 lation is right; but if the latter, as we suppose true, 
 then the translation is wrong. 
 
 87. We will add one thing more respecting the use 
 of Elohim in the plural. It is, that the same usage 
 prevails, to some extent, with other words. The 
 word "heaven" is in the plural; (or as the vowel 
 points make it, in the dual;) and so is the word 
 ''face,'' and "moimtain," and "life." So is "Lord," 
 as applied to Potiphar, and to Pharaoh, and to Jo- 
 seph. See i. 1; viii. 5; xxiii. 1; xxv. 7, 17; xxxix. 
 20; xl. 1; xlii. 30, 32, &c., &c. On the other hand, 
 the singular is often used for the plural. That is the 
 case with "day," "year," "man," &c. v. 5; viii. 5; 
 xxxiii. 1. This usage, in either case, seldom occa- 
 sions any ambiguity, as the connection generally 
 shows the sense intended, with sufficient clearness. 
 We think the same remark wiU apply to Elohim. 
 
 SECTION n. — Bara, Create. 
 
 88. The word create has occasioned no little dis- 
 cussion among theologians, some claiming that this 
 word means to produce from nothing, and others re- 
 garding the word as meaning no more than to make 
 
INTRODUCTION. 67 
 
 or form. It is very certain that these words ( create, 
 make, form,) QiYe used interchangeably, and seem to 
 be synonymous. The following examples will make 
 this obvious: 
 
 Compare i. 1 with ii. 2. In the one it is said, God 
 created the heavens and the earth; and in the other, 
 that on the seventh day God ended the work which 
 he had made. Ch. ii. 4, brings both words together 
 as follows : These are the generations of the heavens 
 and the earth, when they were created, in the day 
 that the Lord made the earth and the heavens. Com- 
 pare i. 21 with i. 25. The first reads thus : And God 
 created great whales, and every living thing that 
 moveth. The last says : God 7nade the beasts of tlie 
 earth, &c. Compare, again, i. 26 with i. 21. And 
 God said, Let us make man. So God created man. 
 Add to this, ii. T. And the Lord formed man of the 
 dust of the ground. 
 
 89. Add to the above usage, the following fact: 
 It is said, God created great whales ; and it is then 
 said, the waters brought them forth ; a plain indication 
 that the materials of which they were composed, exist- 
 ed in the waters prior to their conversion into living and 
 moving forms. So God niade the beasts of the earth ; 
 that is, the earth brought forth the living creature. 
 God made man ; that is, he formed him of the dust 
 of the earth. Create, then, does not mean to 2?roduce 
 from nothing, but to produce from something — to 
 form, or make, from pre-existing materials. 
 
 It is said that some of the old Jewish Rabbis found 
 evidence of the production of the earth from noth- 
 ing, in the use of a little Hebrew word ( eth, ) that 
 precedes the word " heaven " and the word " earth '' 
 in the first verse of the Bible. But as this word is 
 used in thousands of instances when no such idea 
 can be conjectured, the evidence is entirely unrelia- 
 ble. Indeed, no respectable scholar, at the present 
 day, will venture his reputation on such a pretence. 
 3* 
 
58 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 90. There is one passage relating to the creation 
 of the Avorld, from which a much more reasonable 
 argument has been deduced ; but we doubt not that a 
 knowledge of the idiom of the language, would place 
 this argument, with the rest, as equally unsatisfac- 
 tory. It is ii. 3. ^^And God blessed the seventh 
 day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested 
 from all his work, which God created and made.^^ 
 The meaning is thought to be, that God first created 
 the world, and then made it ; that is, he produced the 
 materials from nothing, and then made the world, or 
 formed it from them. A more literal rendering of 
 the passage, is thought to convey this idea still more 
 clearly. ^'God created, to make" is literal. We re- 
 ply, that this language is a Hebrew idiom, and means 
 no more than one of these words alone would do. 
 The same thing, precisely, is expressed more than 
 once in the immediate connection, in the use of only 
 one of these words. God ended his work which he 
 had made. God rested from all his work which he 
 had made. Does the next verse express anything 
 more than this, when it is said that God rested from all 
 his work which he created to make? Evidently not. 
 Let it be noticed farther, that the same form is used 
 with reference to other things. The dove sent forth 
 by Noah, to see if the waters were abated, '^went 
 forth to go." viii. 7. Abram ^^went to go." xii. 9. 
 Such is a literal rendering. Can any one suppose 
 that more is meant than that the dove went forth 
 from the ark, and that Abram went from one place 
 to the other? ^^ Created to make," is precisely hke 
 these examples, and means simply created, or what is 
 the same thing, made. 
 
 SECTION III. — Rhua, NEPmsH. 
 
 91. The words soid and spirit deserve some atten- 
 tion, under the head of Criticism. There are two 
 Hebrew words, Bhua and NejMsh, that ought to be 
 
INTRODUCTION. 59 
 
 noticed in this place. One is rendered spirit, and the 
 other soul, though other renderings sometimes occur, 
 as will be seen. There is no method of judging the 
 meaning of words, so reliable as to ascertain their 
 usage. Indeed, this the only reliable method. The 
 origin of words is not to be depended upon; for 
 words may have a primitive signification, quite differ- 
 ent from their meaning afterwards acquired; and if 
 we interpret their later usage by their earlier and 
 primitive sense, we shall be led into an error. Lexi- 
 cographers are not reliable; for if they make up their 
 definitions from any other source than usage, they 
 will certainly lead us astray; and if this is to them 
 the only safe resort, it is so to us; and, indeed, this is 
 the only way we can test the accuracy of their defi- 
 nitions. 
 
 92. We propose to collate the passages Avhere 
 these two terms occur, and deduce from them their 
 significations. These passages may be classified as 
 follows : 
 
 1. Nephish is used with reference to animals. It is 
 rendered "creature" in the following places: i. 20, 
 21, 24; ii. 19; ix. 10, 12, 15, 16. In i. 30 it is joined 
 with another word, and rendered "life." 
 
 2. It is applied to animals and men, and has the 
 sense of natural life, and is translated life. The flesh 
 with the life thereof. Your blood of your lives. 
 Will I require the life of man. Escape for thy life. 
 Saving my life. My life is preserved. His life is 
 bound up in the lad's life. ix. 4, 5; xix. 17, 19; 
 xxxii. 30; xliv. 30. 
 
 3. It is rendered soul in the following places, where 
 life would be equally correct. My soul shall live; 
 meaning my life shall be preserved. Her soul was 
 departing, xii. 13; xxxv. 18. 
 
 4. It is rendered soul, and denotes simply the per- 
 son. Man became a living soul; ii. 7, a living person 
 or being, a living creature; the same as other living 
 
60 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 creatures mentioned in the passages given in No. 1. 
 This passage contains no intimation of man's pre-emi- 
 nence over the beasts, as the same term, precisely, is 
 applied to both. Man's pre-eminence is taught in i. 
 26, 27, where he is said to be created in the image of 
 God, a thing not affirmed of any other creatures. 
 Again; the souls they had gotten in Haran. xii. 5. 
 That soul shall be cut off from his people, xvii. \^. 
 See also, xlvi. 15, 18, 22, 25, 26, 27. 
 
 5. It is rendered person, and means the same as the 
 above. All the persons of his house. Give me the 
 persons, xiv. 21; xxxvi. 6. 
 
 6. It is rendered soid, and means the same as 7, or 
 some other personal pronoun. That my soul may 
 bless thee. That I may bless thee, is the evident 
 meaning. The following may, perhaps, be ranked 
 under this head. His soul ( he ) clave unto Dinah. 
 The soul of my son (simply my son,)longeth for your 
 daughter, xxvii. 4; xxxiv. 3. See also, xxvii. 19, 25, 
 31. The term occurs in xxxvii. 21, and is not trans- 
 lated; but an equivalent is employed in its place. 
 Let us not kill him. Let us not take his life. In 
 sense this passage ranks under No. 2. 
 
 7. It is once rendered mind. If it be your mind, 
 that I should bury my dead, xxiii. 8. It seems to 
 have the same meaning in xlii. 21. When we saw 
 the anguish of his soul; though this may, perhaps, 
 rank under No. 4, and be rendered " when we saw his 
 anguish." 
 
 93. It is a somewhat remarkable circumstance, 
 that tliough this word is translated soul several times, 
 it does in no instance, denote precisely what we mean 
 by that term at the present day. The passage where 
 it is rendered mind, comes the nearest to this idea; 
 but the most that can be affirmed of this place, is, 
 that a single action of the mind or soul is intended. 
 The soul, as denoting a distinct substance, and con- 
 stituting a part of man that is separate from his body, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 61 
 
 and destined to immortality, is not had in view. So the 
 soulofShechem longed for Dinah; but the affections 
 only can be had in view, and no one can suppose any 
 reference to our higher nature. 
 
 When it is said of Kachel, that her soul departed, 
 it would suit our modern usage quite well to suppose 
 the soul, or spirit, to be referred to, and that its exit 
 from the body is had in view; but to give this con- 
 struction to the language, would be opposed to all 
 the usage of that age; w^hile the rendering, '^ her life 
 departed, " has abundant usage to support it. When 
 it is said, that the soul of Isaac blessed his sons, we 
 may put upon that expression a construction anala- 
 gous to modern usage, and say that the soul of the 
 patriarch invoked a blessing on his sons ; but this 
 would evidently be a forced construction, and con- 
 trary to prevailing usage at that time. Isaac blessed 
 his sons, is all the idea contained in this passage. 
 His soul simply means he or himself. 
 
 94. The other word we propose to discuss, is, per- 
 haps, equally unsatisfactory, as denoting what we call 
 the immortal part of our nature. It is used as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 1. To denote the spirit of God. The spirit of God 
 moved upon the face of the waters. My spirit shall 
 not always strive with man. In whom the spirit of 
 God is. i. 2; vi. 3; xli. 38. The meaning here can- 
 not be mistaken. The spirit of God denotes God 
 himself 
 
 2. It is rendered '' breath " in the following places, 
 and refers to the breath of life that belongs to all liv- 
 ing creatures. It would not be improper to translate 
 all such instances the "spirit of Hfe," or "living 
 spirit ; " and it is certain the Bible speaks of the 
 spirit of the beast, as Avell as of man. vi. 17; vii. 15, 
 22. 
 
 3. It occurs in the phrase " cool of the day, " iii. 8, 
 and is rendered wind in viii. 1. 
 
62 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 4. The word is used with reference to men, and 
 seems to denote, and perhaps does denote, the human 
 soul. His spirit was troubled. His spirit revived. 
 A grief of mind unto Isaac, xli. 8 ; xlv. 27 ; xxvi. 
 35. 
 
 95. That the same term which denotes the human 
 soul, should, at the same time, have the meaning of 
 " breath, ^' or " wind, " may be regarded as a some- 
 what singular circumstance. We suggest, as a reason 
 for this, that the ancients may have supposed some 
 analogy between the two things; and hence, the same 
 word came to denote them both. But if we can see 
 no analogy from which we can trace the different 
 meanings of this word, there is still another fact that 
 will help us to understand this subject. There is, in 
 the Hebrew language, as there is in every other lan- 
 guage, and not less in our own than others, this pecu- 
 liarity, that the same word is used in senses exceed- 
 ingly diverse from each other. The explanation is 
 this: that two or more things chanced to be called by 
 the same name, though having no necessary relation 
 to each other. A score of instances, from the book 
 of Genesis, could be adduced to illustrate this pecu- 
 liarity. The word rendered "naked" in ii. 25, is ren- 
 dered "subtil" in the very next verse; and in both 
 places the translation seems correct, though we can 
 see no relation which the one word has to the other. 
 We think the words are separate and distinct, as 
 much as though composed of different letters. 
 
 The word " repent," in vi. 6, is " comfort " in v. 29 ; 
 and we can see no error in the translation in either 
 passage, and we conclude that what appears to be the 
 same word, is not the same. The words, though 
 alike in form, are unlike iu sense ; and are, in fact, 
 different and distinct words. 
 
 The word " kneel," applied to the kneehng of cam- 
 els at the well, xxiv. 11, is the same word that is ren- 
 dered " bless " in many other passages ; nor is it ne- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 63 
 
 cessary to trace any relation between the two words. 
 They are probably not related. As many different 
 persons are called by the same name, so are many 
 different things, not from any real or supposed resem- 
 blance, but merely from accident. 
 
 96. These examples are sufficient ; and they show 
 that the different meanings of the word " spirit " may 
 be accounted for, independent of any analogy be- 
 tween the things denoted by that term. At the same 
 time, they set aside the argument sometimes used, 
 that, as " spirit " has the sense of breath, or wind, 
 and is, indeed, applied to beasts as well as men, there- 
 fore there is no evidence that man has a soul more 
 than other animals. We have just shown, that " spir- 
 it " in the one case, may have no relation to " spirit " 
 in the other. The words are really not the same, 
 though alike in form ; and if this be so, no argument 
 can be drawn from their usage, that shall bring man 
 down to the level of the beast. 
 
 97. In conclusion, I would remark, that in some in- 
 stances, the translators have made the writer to have 
 used the word '^ ghost," where there is nothing to 
 correspond with it in the original. This is true of all 
 those instances where persons are said, at their 
 death, to give up the ghost, xxv. 8 ; xxv. 17 ; 
 XXXV. 29 : xlix. 33. These passages speak of 
 the death of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, and Jacob. 
 That these persons expired is all that is intended ; 
 and though they did give up the ghost, as we are ac- 
 customed to speak, yet we ought not to make the 
 writer use our phraseology, when he really did no 
 such thing. The translation here is calculated to 
 mislead us. 
 
64 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION IV. — Olim. 
 
 98. The word Olim is generally translated everlast- 
 irig and forever. It may be classed under the fol- 
 lowing heads : — 
 
 1. It denotes past time. Of old, men of renown. 
 vi. 4. 
 
 2. Applied to the covenant with Noah. This is 
 
 the token of the covenant for 2^^^'2^(^tual 
 
 generations. That I may remember the everlasting 
 covenant, ix. 12, 16. 
 
 3. Apphed to the covenant with Abraham. An 
 everlasting covenant, xvii. 7, 13, 19. 
 
 4. The possession of Canaan. All the land which 
 thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for- 
 ever. An everlasting possession, xiii. 15 ; xvii. 8 ; 
 xlviii. 4. 
 
 5. The striving of God's spirit. My spirit shall not 
 always strive with man. ' vi. 3. 
 
 6. Moral life of Adam. And live forever, iii. 22. 
 
 7. To God. The everlasting God. xxi. 33. 
 
 99. The term here used was employed to denote 
 time, and generally duration : but it plainly denotes 
 duration of various extent. The covenant with Noah, 
 was doubtless to last as long as the world should 
 stand ; for the explanation given at the time, makes 
 this obvious. The covenant with Abraham was to 
 last as long as the Jews remained God's peculiar peo- 
 ple. It was to co-exist with the everlasting posses- 
 sion of Canaan, as both are spoken of in the same 
 connection, and are limited by the same term. The 
 everlasting God, is an expression that gives to the 
 word everlasting its strongest significance. Still, if 
 we had no evidence of his perpetual being, but the 
 use of this term, the proof of his eternity would be 
 quite unsatisfactory. The conclusion to which Ave 
 come in respect to this word, is, that the duration de- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 65 
 
 noted by it, must be determined, not by the word 
 itself, but by other circumstances connected with it; 
 and this conclusion, we suspect, will be rendered still 
 more certain by reference to other parts of the Bible, 
 which, however, does not come within our present 
 purpose. 
 
 SECTION Y.— Sheol. 
 
 100. The word slieol is rendered grave. I will go 
 down into the grave to my son, mourning. Then 
 shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the 
 grave. Thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs 
 of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave, 
 xxxvii. 35; xhi. 38; xliv. 31. 
 
 We have the authority of some forty-seven of the 
 wise men of England, in the days of King James, the 
 First, that the word sheol here means the grave. 
 We are disposed to agree with them; for the usage 
 of the word, the only rightful authority, shows this 
 to be a just conclusion. 
 
 True, the term occurs in this book but few times, 
 and these few instances do not develop very many 
 circumstances fitted to define the meaning with pre- 
 cision. But all that is said, favors this interpretation. 
 It is very natural and proper to associate the gray 
 hairs of the patriarch, with the grave, or resting 
 place of the dead. And it is certain that the last pas- 
 sage quoted, is spoken with the single reference to 
 the patriarch's death. With its preceding connection 
 it reads thus: Now, therefore, when I come to thy 
 servant, my father, and the lad be not with us, ( see- 
 ing that his life is bound up in the lad's life,) it shall 
 come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with 
 us, that he will die; and thy servants shall bring 
 down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with 
 sorrow to the grave. Another circumstance, show- 
 ing that sheol has properly the meaning of grave, is, 
 
60 
 
 INTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 that it is spoken of as helow us. Jacob expected to 
 go doion to the grave. His son Judah speaks in tlie 
 same way; he would bring doion tlie gray hairs of his 
 father to the grave. 
 
 101. To tliis view, two objections have been of- 
 fered. One is, that Joseph ( wlien Jacob said lie 
 would go down to sheol, to his son, mourning,) was 
 supposed to be torn in pieces by wild beasts, and 
 could not be regarded as properly in the grave. Ja- 
 cob, therefore, could not have expected to go to his 
 son in the grave, as his son was not there. We reply, 
 that the passage does not necessarily imply that Jo- 
 seph was in the grave. Doubtless the patriarch re- 
 garded his son as having been " gathered to his peo- 
 ple," or to his fathers, as the phrase then was ; but he 
 knew he could go to him only through death; and 
 this last is the idea, and the only idea, he intended to 
 express. The patriarch expected to go down, mourn- 
 ing, to the grave, and Iherehy, to go to his son in the 
 spiritual state. 
 
 102. There is another objection against regarding 
 sheol as the grave. It is this : The Hebrews had an- 
 other word for grave, and did not need sheol for this 
 purpose. This objection has no force. It is very 
 common to have more than one name for the same 
 thing in all languages. The word '' sheol," and the 
 word " keber," ( the other word referred to, ) denote 
 substantially the same thing ; though, like synony- 
 mous words in other languages, their respective usage 
 may not be precisely alike. The difference between 
 them seems to be mainly, if not entirely, this : that 
 while sheol denotes the grave in general, keber is 
 more commonly applied to some particular burial 
 place. As an illustration : Jacob expresses his expec- 
 tation to go down to the grave. When he died, he did 
 go down to the grave, as he expected. This was sheol. 
 Jacob, however, was buried, by his request, in the 
 cave at Hebron. This was keber. The burial place at 
 
INTRODUCTION. 6< 
 
 Hebron, is always called keber; but the grave, with a 
 general and indefinite reference, is denoted by sheol. 
 
 103. There are two interpretations of sheol, differ- 
 ing from the one given in the common version. One 
 is, that it denotes a place of departed spirits ; and an- 
 other, that it denotes a place of future punishment. 
 Certainly the last will not be insisted on in the in- 
 stances now under examination ; for that would be to 
 consign Joseph to such a place, and to represent the 
 venerable Jacob as expecting the same destiny. That 
 a place of spirits is had in view, has quite as little to 
 sanction it. It is not consistent to associate a place 
 of spirits with gray hairs, nor to locate it beneath us. 
 And it is certain that no such idea is supported by its 
 usage. We read, indeed, of departed spirits, ( if an- 
 gels are such, as is commonly believed,) but their re- 
 sidence is heaven above us, not sheol, beneath. And 
 I would respectfully suggest, that if heaven is now, 
 or ever is to be, a place of spirits, that it may have 
 been such in the days of the patriarchs. 
 
 The patriarchs are said to be gathered to their 
 fathers, or to their people, xv. 15 ; xxv. 8, 17 ; xxxv. 
 29; xlix. 29, 33; language which we understand to im- 
 ply a place of departed spirits, and a re-union in the 
 other world ; but as to the name of that place, we are 
 left to inference. That it is heaven, as above sug- 
 gested, seems the best sustained, if, indeed, we may 
 not regard it as a clearly revealed fact. Of course, 
 what is here said, relates only to the teachings of the 
 book of Genesis, and not to what we might gather 
 from other parts of the Bible. 
 
 SECTION VI. — Malak. 
 
 104. The term malak, generally rendered angel, 
 claims our attention. The term lefers, first, to spirit- 
 ual beings, and second, to men. 
 
 1. To sjoiritual beings. 
 
 The ''ajigel of the Lord/' is a phrase that occurs 
 
68 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 four different times in a brief passage relating to Ha- 
 gar in the wilderness. On another occasion, the an- 
 gel of God called to Hagar out of heaven. So the 
 angel of the Lord called unto Abraham, as he was 
 about to slay his son. Isaac told his servant that 
 God would send his angel before him. Jacob, in his 
 dream, saw the angels of the Lord. The angels of 
 God met Jacob. In his blessing upon the sons of Jo- 
 seph, he has this language: The angel which re- 
 deemed me from all evil, bless the lads. xvi. 7, 9, 10, 
 11; xxi. 17; xxii. 11, 15; xxiv. 7;(see verse 40,) 
 xxviii. 12; xxxi. 11; xxxii. 1; xlviii. 16. 
 
 105. That the angels here referred to were spirit- 
 ual beings, is certain from what is said of them. They 
 are called angels of the Lord. They speak from 
 heaven. They are invested with great authority. 
 Hence, the angel said to Hagar: I will multiply thy 
 seed exceedingly; and it is added, that she called the 
 name of the Lord that spake unto her: Thou God 
 seest me. The angel that appeared to her on another 
 occasion, uses a similar expression; "I will make him 
 a great nation." xxi. 18. The language of the angel 
 to Abraham, on Mount Moriah, indicates a similar au- 
 thority. The dream of Jacob shows the office of the 
 angels, and the work they perform. That dream 
 speaks of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. It 
 represents God as standing at the top of the ladder, 
 and the angels ascending and descending upon it, 
 thus showing that it is through the mission of angels, 
 that his administration, having in view the interests 
 of man, is carried on. The angel that spake to Ja- 
 cob on another occasion, assumes to say, I am the 
 God of Bethel, &c., xxxi. 11, 12, 13. So the angel 
 that was to bless the sons of Joseph, was plainly a 
 superhuman being. 
 
 106. It has been observed, by some interpreters, 
 that the word ^' angel" is not so much the name of a 
 class of beings, as it is the name of an office. I un- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 69 
 
 derstand it to be the name of both. It is the name 
 of an office, and denotes persons sent on a mission; 
 and in this sense, it appHes as well to men as to supe- 
 rior beings, and is, indeed, applicable to inanimate 
 objects that are made the agents of the Divine pleas- 
 ure. But it is the name of a class of beings, as well 
 as the office they fill; (applied to them, it may be, on 
 account of their office, ) and hence, they are ordinarily 
 spoken of as angels, as much as God is spoken of as 
 God, or men as men. 
 
 2. Applied to men. 
 
 107. Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau. 
 And the messengers returned to Jacob, xxxii. 3, 6. 
 That human beings are here meant, no one will doubt. 
 There is an another instance of the same usage, as 
 we understand the passage, about which there will 
 not be a perfect agreement. We refer to the angels 
 that came to Sodom, and were entertained by Lot. 
 xix. 1. Most persons, we suppose, regard these an- 
 gels as spiritual beings, having put on the form of 
 men for this particular occasion. But the circum- 
 stances convince us that the prevailing notion is in- 
 correct. The translators probably believed them 
 spirits, else they would not have rendered the word 
 angels, and in the other case, mentioned above, ren- 
 dered it messengers. But it should be observed, that 
 these persons are expressly called men; xix. 10, 12, 
 16; that they ate, and talked, and put forth physical 
 strength, like men; and the usual characteristics 
 given to angels, are mostly withheld from them. They 
 did not come from heaven; they did not speak from 
 heaven. They are not called angels of the Lord. 
 They did not appear to Lot, as the term is, in many 
 other places. They came to Sodom at the close of 
 the day, and were entertained by the hospitable Lot. 
 If they were invested with miraculous power, and 
 with a foresight of the future, the same is true of the 
 prophets, who are quite distinct from angels. 
 
70 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 108. We are no less dispopod to dissent from the 
 common opinion, which makes angels of the men that 
 came to Abraham as he sat in his tent door, and an- 
 nounced the birth of Isaac and the overthrow of 
 Sodom, xviii. 1. The persons here spoken of, as in 
 the other passage, are called men; and we are not au- 
 thorized to depart from the record. 
 
 The whole scene presented in that passage, is, 
 without doubt, a vision; and we have treated it as 
 such in another place; but this circumstance does in 
 no way conflict with the view we take. It is quite 
 as fit that men should be seen in a vision, as that an- 
 gels should be. 
 
 In the light of these remarks, we may understand 
 better than is generally done, what is said of the con- 
 flict of Jacob with some unknown person, on his re- 
 turn from Padan Aram. It is said that Jacob was 
 left alone ; and there wrestled a man, with him until 
 the breaking of the day. xxxii. 24. Observe, the 
 person who wrestled with Jacob, is called a man; but 
 the circumstances indicate that it was a man seen in a 
 vision or dream. 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 ARCH-aEOIiOGY. 
 
 Contents : — ^Birth and Birthright ; Marriage, Death and Burial ; 
 Dress and Ornaments; Habitations; Domestic Utensils ; Occupa- 
 tions; Food; Domestic Animals; AVild Animals ; Patriarchal 
 Wealth; Trade and Commerce; Oaths and Contracts; Wars; 
 Government; Servitude ; Oriental Hospitality; Salutations; The 
 Arts ; Weights and Measui»es ; Religion. 
 
 109. Archaeology treats of the customs and insti- 
 tutions of the ancients, including their domestic and 
 social habits, occupations, modes of life, government, 
 religion, &c. It is a department of knowledge that 
 
INTRODUCTION. 71 
 
 is exceedingly interesting as illustrating the difference 
 between men who lived in the early age of the world, 
 when the arts and refinements of life were but little 
 understood, and men of more modern times, when 
 education, and all the arts and institutions of civilized 
 society are carried to a high degree of perfection. 
 And as there are no people with whose customs and 
 institutions we are at all acquainted, in the earliest 
 period of their history, that date so far back in the 
 past as the Hebrews ; so there are no people whose 
 primitive cusjtoms can excite a greater interest. Add 
 to this, that a Divine Revelation and a Divine Saviour 
 are to be traced back to this people, and our interest 
 in them will be greatly augmented. 
 
 Besides, we ought not to overlook the fact, that a 
 true interpretation of the Scriptures is to be arrived 
 at by a knowledge of the customs of the ancient He- 
 brews, with more certainty, than by any other means, 
 — a consideration that renders this branch of knowl- 
 edge more important than most any other within the 
 reach of human attainment. 
 
 SECTION I. — Birth and Birthright. 
 
 110. One thing will have been observed, even by 
 the casual reader of the book of Genesis, as well as 
 many other parts of the Bible, namely: that what we 
 call modesty, at the present day, and in our country, 
 was little known among the cotemporaries of the pa- 
 triarchs. There is very good reason for this, though, 
 unfortunately, all do not understand the reason; for 
 if they did, they would not bring, as an objection to 
 thp book, a circumstance that rightly appreciated, is 
 an argument in its favor. 
 
 _ That the ancients were not void of modesty, is in- 
 dicated by several circumstances, alluded to in the 
 book; but it is certain that the principle did not show 
 itself after the modern style, as we had no right to 
 
72 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 expect that it would. Whether the}^, or we, should 
 claim the advantage in this particular, is a question 
 we will not take upon ourself to decide. I doubt not 
 that we are quite as much exposed to their criticism, 
 as they are to ours. This matter is controlled en- 
 tirely by custom; and what is perfectly modest and 
 proper in one community, is quite otherwise in an- 
 other; nor can we always account for the difference, 
 or give a reason for it. The same diversity exists, 
 more or less, at the present time, among the different 
 nations of the earth, and to some extent among the 
 different circles in the same community. 
 
 The freedom of speech, among the ancient He- 
 brews, in the matter of which we are now speaking, 
 is one plain indication of the antiquity of that people, 
 and of the books where this peculiarity is show^n. 
 The fact indicates a primitive state of society, and is 
 one important proof of the integrity and truthfulness 
 of the record in which this characteristic prevails. 
 
 111. The book of Genesis contains many passages 
 which prove that the love of offspring w^as a predomi- 
 nant characteristic of that age. It was one of the 
 strongest feelings cherished in those days, by both 
 sexes. How else can we account for Sarah's giving 
 up to ihQ embrace of her husband, her Egyptian 
 handmaid, that she might raise up children by her, as 
 she could have none of her own? It is added, that 
 when the handmaid became a mother, her mistress 
 was despised in her eyes. With what satisfaction did 
 Leah offset her fruitfulness against the beauty of her 
 sister. And with what unfeigned earnestness did 
 Isaac pray that Rebekah might have a son. And 
 when she left -her father's house to become the wife 
 of Isaac, one clause in the benediction then pro- 
 nounced upon her, was, that she might be the mother 
 of thousands of millions. 
 
 Again; it was one of the particulars embraced in 
 the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that their 
 
INTRODUCTION. 73 
 
 seed should be as the stars of heaven, for multitude, 
 and as the sands upon the sea shore, xvi. 1-4; xxix. 
 31-35; XXX. 9-13; xxv. 21; xxiv. 60. 
 
 If we seek for a natural reason for this feeling, we 
 may find it partly in the condition of society at that 
 time. The more numerous a family or tribe, the 
 greater their personal security; as each family was a 
 community by itself, and had to depend mainly, for 
 its defence, on the strength of its individual members. 
 Besides, there was a divine command relating to this 
 subject, which they may not have felt themselves at 
 liberty to disregard, i. 22. The existence of a class 
 of females called " midwives, " places the ancients be- 
 fore us, in respect to some of their social institutions, 
 to which there seems to be at present a tendency to 
 return. Retracing our steps is sometimes the way to 
 advance, xxxviii. 28. 
 
 112. Great importance was, then, attached to being 
 the first-born. It was through the first-born that the 
 lineage was traced, unless special circumstances re- 
 quired a departure from this rule. To the first-born, 
 too, special privileges were given. This was the "birth- 
 right" which Esau sold for a mess of pottage. "Thus 
 he despised his birthright." The importance attached 
 to this subject, made particular caution necessary at 
 the birth of twins, that the true first-born might not 
 be mistaken. Hence, the scarlet thread put upon the 
 hand of Zarah at his birth, to distinguish him from 
 his twin brother, Phares. xxv. 33, 34; xxxviii. 28. 
 
 113. One circumstance that has some relation to 
 the topic we are now upon, and may, accordingly, be 
 Damed in connection with it, is but once mentioned 
 In the book, and then in a very brief and incidental 
 manner. It is said that Abram and Sarah, when Isaac 
 was loeaned, made a great feast; but whether it was 
 common to celebrate that event in this way , cannot 
 be safely inferred from this single reference, xxi. 8. 
 
 4 
 
74 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTIOxN II. — Marriage. 
 
 114. The institution of marriage is divine; nor can 
 any reasonable construction be put upon the passage 
 where tiiis subject is referred to for the first time, but 
 such as makes it prohibit the possession of more than 
 one wife. And it is behoved that this was the usual 
 understanding of that subject by the patriarchs. La- 
 mech, one of Cain's posterity, is the first mentioned 
 as having disregarded that salutary regulation ; and 
 the importance attached to this fact, making it worthy 
 special notice, shows plainly that it was not a common 
 occurrence, ii. 18. iv. 19. Abraham had but one 
 wife ; so had Isaac. And though the former had a 
 concubine, under peculiar circumstances and at the 
 suggestion of his wife, that does not seem to be re- 
 garded as a violation of the marriage institution. 
 Jacob had two wives, but that was no fault of his, as 
 one was put upon him by fraud ; and if he had con- 
 cubines, he had the best reasons for this that the 
 nature of the case admitted of; and these seem to 
 have been satisfactory. It may be remarked here, 
 that if we would understand the ancients, we must 
 not try them by our standards. We must not make 
 them to have seen with our eyes, or more properly, 
 to have seen with the same light that is shed upon 
 us. If revealed religion has not elevated us above 
 them, what good has it done us ? 
 
 115. Another thing will attract attention in rela- 
 tion to the marriage customs of the ancients. They 
 married their near relations ; nor did they express, or 
 seem to feel, that there was the least impropriety in 
 so doing. Nahor married his niece. Abraham mar- 
 ried his half sister ; and if we go back to the days of 
 Adam, we know that some of Adam's sons must have 
 been joined in wedlock with their own sisters, as they 
 could, at first have had no others, nor with the light 
 that then prevailed, could they discover any reason 
 against such a union ; and indeed, under the circum- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 75 
 
 Stances, and in the absence of any divine prohibi- 
 tion, there was no reason against it. xi. 29. xx. 12. 
 
 116. And here we may remark an interesting cir- 
 cumstance, showing a harmony in the recorded state- 
 ments of the book on which our discussions are em- 
 ployed. At first we know that brothers must have 
 married sisters ; at least one or more such instances 
 must have occurred.* This being so, we the more 
 readily account for a union between near relations at 
 a later day ; and it may throw some light on what 
 would otherwise seem incredible in the conduct of 
 the daughters of Lot, when they supposed all the rest 
 of the world to be destroyed, and the only hope of a 
 future race, depended on themselves. They had no 
 divine command to restrain them. They had the 
 union of very near relations, as a not uncommon 
 practice. Their residence in Sodom had not im- 
 proved their sensibilities ; and the mountain cave 
 shut out their crime from all the rest ol the world, 
 even if they did not suppose (as the passage seems 
 to indicate) that all the rest of the world were de- 
 stroyed, xix. 30, 38. 
 
 117. It was not anciently necessary that the parties 
 who were to be united in marriage should be previ- 
 ously acquainted. Hence Abraham sent his servant 
 to procure a wife for Isaac, whom he had never 
 before seen. It will be farther observed that tlie par- 
 ties themselves had very little to do in the matter. 
 The principal things were attended to by their pa- 
 rents. The case of Abraham, just alluded to, is to 
 the point. So when Shechem, son of Hamor, became 
 enamored of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, he imme- 
 diately applied to his father, saying, '' Get m.e this 
 damsel to w^ife." Judah took a wife for Er, his first 
 born. In this particular there is a remarkable coinci- 
 dence with the practice of the Aborigines of our own 
 country. It may be a matter of question whether 
 this arrangement, if it existed now, would not be 
 quite as favorable to domestic happiness, as the one 
 
76 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that prevails among us. It seems a little inconsist- 
 ent, that the most important transaction of life, 
 should ba put wholly into youthful and inexperienced 
 hands — that the father should allow his son to select 
 a wife, when he would not trust him to buy a horse 
 or a cow. xxiv. 4 ; xxxiv. 4 ; xxxviii. 6. 
 
 118. Another interesting circumstance connected 
 with ancient marriages, is, that the wife was, in some 
 sense, purchased. Hence the presents given to Re- 
 bekah by Abraham's servant, and the " precious 
 tilings " given to her mother and brother ; and the 
 labor of seven years exacted by Laban from Jacob^ 
 in consideration of giving him his daughter. Hence, 
 too, the offer of Shechem to give to Jacob any amount 
 he might exact for his daughter, Dinah, xxiv. 22, 30, 
 53; xxix. 20, xxxiv. 12. 
 
 119. Every wif3 seems to have been furnished with a 
 maid to go with her and to be her special companion 
 and attendant. Sarah had the maid Hagir. Leah 
 had Zilpih, Richel had Bilhah, Rebekah, too, had 
 her " damsels," among whom Deborah is especially 
 named, xvi. 1; xxix. 24, 29; xxiv. 61; xxxv. 8. 
 When Jacob was married, it is said that Laban, his 
 father-in-law, '' gathered together all the men of the 
 place, and made a feast ; " which shows that marriage 
 entertainments are very ancient, xxix. 22. 
 
 120. It will be observed that the Hebrew patri- 
 archs were exceedingly desirous of avoiding all mar- 
 riage relations, outside of the family or tribe to which 
 they belonged. Abraham sent fir away to procure 
 one of his relations for Isaac, and exacted an oath of 
 his servant that he would not obtain for him a wife 
 of the d lughters of Canaan. And when Esau married 
 among the people of the land, it was a great grief to 
 his pirents. The language of Rebekah to Isaac, 
 betrays the feeling that prevailed on this subject: — 
 '^ I am weary of my life because of the daughters of 
 Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, 
 such as these which are the daughters of the land, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 77 
 
 what good shall my life do me/' This feeling was at 
 length expressed in the law of the land. xxix. 3; 
 xxvi. 35 ; xxviii. 8 ; xxvii. 46. 
 
 121. There must have been something very pecu- 
 liar in t'le marriage rights of those days, else we shall 
 find it difficult to understand, why Jacob should not 
 have kno^vn, at the time, whether it was Leah or 
 Rachel, that shared his marriage bed, the first night 
 of his wedded life. That such customs did exist, as 
 would involve this uncertainty is not, however, a 
 thing to be disbelieved, so different were their cus- 
 toms from ours. 
 
 122. The reason of the fraud practiced by Laban 
 on that occasion, viz., ^^ it must not be so done in 
 our country, to give the younger before the first- 
 born," may be construed as a mere pretence, or it 
 may be understood as indicating the usual custom. 
 But if the last, we need not extend the custom 
 beyond the immediate vicinity of Laban, who, it is 
 well known, resided far away from Canaan, the land 
 of the Hebrews, xxix. 26. 
 
 123. The language of Laban to Jacob: — ^'Fulfil 
 her week, and we will give thee this also, for the ser- 
 vice which thou shalt serve me, yet seven other 
 years," may be understood as denoting the " week " 
 during which the wedding feast was continued. It 
 would not be proper to give him another wife, till all 
 the ceremonies of the first wedding had been ob- 
 served, xxix. 27. 
 
 121. A somewhat singular custom existed at that 
 time, that, when a brother died, leaving a wife Avith 
 no children, the next brother should marry the sur- 
 viving widow, and the fruit of this new marriage, 
 should be regarded in the same light, as if they had 
 been the product of the first union, xxxviii. 8, 9. 
 
 125. Th.e wearing of a veil, by unmarried women, 
 in the presence of their intended, is shown in the 
 case of Rebekah, as she approached Isaac, when about 
 
78 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to become his wife. The maid descended from the 
 back of the camel, and placing her veil over her face, 
 went forward to meet her husband, xxiv. 65. 
 
 SECTION III. — Death and Burial. 
 
 126. It is worthy of remark, that, nowhere in the 
 book of Genesis, is there any reference to ill health, 
 save in one single instance. The references that 
 come the nearest to this, do not imply actual disease. 
 Leah was tender-eyed ; but this may have no allusion 
 to disease. The patriarchs became blind in their 
 extreme old age. So the infirmity of barrenness was 
 not uncommon. Men died in those days, sometimes 
 prematurely by violence, as Abel did by the hand of 
 Cain ; and as they were slain in the battle field ; or 
 swept away by some divine judgment, but we can 
 recall no instance where they are said to have died 
 of disease. The sickness oi' Israel, just before his 
 death, xlviii. 1, was evidently nothing more than the 
 infirmity of old age, as life gradually faded away, and 
 the lamp was about to become extinct. 
 
 127. How the dead body was prepared for burial, 
 in ordinary cases, we are not informed. In Egypt it 
 was customary to embalm the body and place it in a 
 coffin. At least, this was done with persons of dis- 
 tinction. But Egypt had its own usages, which must 
 not be produced as those of Canaan or the patriarchs, 
 1. 26. The place of burial in Canaan was usually 
 a natural cave. Such was the cave of Machpelah 
 which Abraham bought of the sons of Heth. There 
 Abraham was himself buried, and Sarah, his wife. 
 There too were buried Isaac and Rebekah, and there 
 Jacob buried Leah. Rachel was buried near Beth- 
 lehem, and a pillar was placed over her grave, which 
 remained there a long time. Deborah, Rebekah'a 
 nurse, was buried under an oak near Bethel, xxiii. 
 16; xlix. 31; xxxv. 19, 20. 
 
INTRODUCTION. T9 
 
 128. The Hebrews, like others, had a strong desire 
 to be buried in their own land. Hence Israel exacted 
 an oath of Joseph that he would carry him back to 
 the land of Canaan, and bury him with Abraham, and 
 Isaac, in the sacred cave near Hebron; and this oath 
 was faithfully executed. Joseph, too, was embalmed 
 and kept in Egypt, till the removal of the children ol 
 Israel from that country, xlvii. 29 ; 1. 25, 26. 
 
 ■»29. Mourning for the dead is sometimes men- 
 tioned. Abraham mourned for Sarah; but what cer- 
 emonies were observed we are not informed. The 
 Eo-yptians mourned "threescore and ten days" for 
 Is'^-ael, such being their custom. And when the pro- 
 cession that attended the body of that patriarch 
 from Egypt to Canaan, had passed into that land they 
 mourned seven days, that being, perhaps the patri- 
 archal custom. The language, '' they made a mourn- 
 ing," shows that the allusion is not to the exercise of 
 grief, but to certain funeral ceremonies. It appears 
 that widows were accustomed to wear a peculiar 
 dress, to indicate their widowhood. Hence it is said 
 of Tamar, that she " put off her widow's garments." 
 xxiii. 2 ; 1. 3, 10 ; xxxviii. 14. 
 
 SECTION lY. — Dress and Ornaments. 
 
 130. The necessity of dress, became obvious even 
 to our first parents; hence they sewed fig leaves 
 together to make themselves aprons ; hence, too, 
 they were afterwards supplied with coats of skin. 
 Allusion is made to the garments of Noah ; but 
 whether they were made of skin or other material, 
 does not appear. Other allusions are equally indefi- 
 nite. The coat of many colors, given to Joseph, was 
 evidently unusual ; but more than this cannot be 
 ascertained. Sackcloth, worn on occasions of mourn- 
 ing, was, doubtless, something manufactured ; but of 
 what material is left wholly to conjecture. It took 
 
80 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 its name, sack cloth from the use commonly made of 
 it. It is reasonable to conclude that they had some- 
 thing finer for ordinary wear, xxxvii. 3.1:. 
 
 The form of their clothing is not less uncertain, 
 than the material of which it was made. There must 
 have been something peculiar in the widow's gar- 
 ments before alluded to. That females wore veils, 
 under certain circumstances, we know. That the 
 garment of Joseph, left in the hands of his mistress 
 was a loose robe, easily parted with, is a plain infer- 
 ence from the circumstances of the case. The shoe- 
 lachet, once mentioned, would imply the use of shoes, 
 but the frequent washing of the feet, mentioned in 
 the book, makes it evident that the shoes, worn in 
 those days, were but an imperfect protection. Neces- 
 sity would suggest the propriety of a change of gar- 
 ments ; and hence we read of such in several places, 
 xxxviii. 14; xxiv. 65; xxxviii. 14;xxxix. 12, 15; xiv. 
 23 ; xli. 14 ; xiv. 22. 
 
 131. The Hebrews were not insensible to the claims 
 of beauty ; and they sought to add the use of orna- 
 ments to their natural charms. The signet, staff and 
 bracelet of Judah, are well known as associated with 
 his personal degradation. Ear-rings and bracelets 
 were given to Rebekah ; so also were ^' jewels of sil- 
 ver and jewels of gold." Other '^ precious things" 
 were given to her mother and brother, which may 
 have been ornaments, or they may have been things of 
 more substantial value, xxxviii. 18, 25 ; xxiv. 30,53. 
 
 Fine linen, worn in Egypt, was for beauty, as Avell 
 as for comfort, no doubt. The ring of Pharaoh, given 
 to Joseph as a badge of his authority, was as much 
 an ornament, as a mark of distinction. The gold 
 neck-chain has the same significance. It must be 
 ad led, however, that the refinements and luxuries 
 of Egypt, must not be referred to the shepherds of 
 Canaan. It is well to mark the differenoe in the two 
 countries, as we read the sacred narrative, xli. 42. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 81 
 
 As the Egyptians and Hebrews, however, had the 
 same period of history, according to the Mosaic 
 account, it may not be easy to account for the differ- 
 ence. It is perhaps to be attributed mainly to the ex- 
 ceeding fruitfulness of Egypt, and the greater perma- 
 nency of the people. A nomad hfe i^' more iavorable 
 to simplicity and integrity, than it is to social cultiva- 
 tion and refinement. 
 
 SECTION y.— Habitations. 
 
 132. Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents 
 and have cattle. From the earliest time, therefore, 
 the keeping of flocks and herds was a prominent oc- 
 cupation ; and this occupation did not admit of per- 
 manent dwelhngs. The shepherds, therefore, dwelt 
 in tents, which they carried from place to place, as 
 occasion required. And even when they remained in 
 the same locality several years, as they sometimes 
 did, they did not, on that account, relinquish their 
 tents to adopt more permanent habitations. In the 
 cities of Canaan, (which were inconsiderable villages) 
 the people lived in houses, which, by the references 
 to them., are plainly distinguished from the tents of 
 the country. The references to Lot's house in Sodom, 
 are a plain illustration of what is here stated. The 
 strife between him and the men of Sodom, at the door 
 of his house, shows that it was comparatively a per- 
 manent and substantial structure. The city itself 
 seems to have been surrounded by ,a wall, as an allu- 
 sion to the gate of the city plainly shows, iv. 20 ; 
 xix. 6, 10. It would seem that men and women, not 
 excepting husbands and wives, occupied separate 
 tents, xxiv. 67 ; xxxi. 33. It is obvious that the 
 structures of Egypt, the prison, the house of Pharaoh, 
 the house of Potiphar and of Joseph, were more 
 spacious and substantial than any alluded to in Pales- 
 tine. 
 
 4* 
 
82 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION TI.— Domestic Utensils. 
 
 133. The knife that Abraham took with him, with 
 the wood for a burnt offering, was not originally in- 
 tended for any such purpose as he then had in view. 
 It would be safe to regard it as one of the domestic 
 utensils of those days. The instrument, with which, 
 on the same occasion, he '^ clave the wood for a burnt 
 offering," may be reckoned as another; though its 
 existence is learned only by implication. The pitcher 
 that was used to draw water, was another domestic 
 utensil, and probably combined the advantages both 
 of a bucket and a pitcher, and was more like the 
 former than the latter. The bottle and its use, are 
 indicated by the provision that Abraham made for 
 Hagar, as he sent her away from his house. Carrying 
 it on the shoulder would lead us to infer that it was 
 quite different in form from the bottles of our day ; 
 and the art required in making our bottles was not 
 known in those ancient times, xxii. 6 ; xxiv. 14. 
 
 134. Out-door utensils, as well as in-door, were no 
 doubt much more numerous than the allusions would 
 lead us to infer ; but what they were, except so far as 
 they are mentioned or implied, we do not assume to 
 say. For hunting they made use of the bow and 
 quiver. For carrying their grain they had sacks. 
 They had watering troughs, out of which their cattle 
 could drink. They sheared their sheep, and of course 
 they had some instrument to do it with. Seeing a 
 ladder in a vision, would imply its existence as a real- 
 ity. They cut their grain, and must have had some- 
 thing to cut it with, and some mode of threshing and 
 cleaning it. The cup of the butler in Egypt, and the 
 basket of the baker, belong to the refinements of that 
 country, and may have no representatives in the 
 grazing districts of Canaan, xxvii. 3 ; xlii. 25 ; xxiv. 
 20 ; xxxviii. 12 ; xxviii. 12 ; xxxvii. 7 ; xl. 11, 16. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 83 
 
 135. We have mentioned some implements that are 
 known to have existed by implication, as well as those 
 expressly named. Many more may be noticed. Having 
 tents and houses, the Hebrews must have had some 
 implements for constructing them. Milking their kine 
 and their goats, they must have had some vessel for 
 containing the milk. Building the gates of cities, 
 would require some mechanical tools to work with. 
 
 But here I may correct a popular error. Some 
 writers make Sodom (a city often referred to,) to have 
 been a city of great magnificence, with mighty works 
 of art, and surrounded by imposing walls of stone. 
 Some have pretended that relics of lofty temples, and 
 other magnificent structures, have been found in the 
 vicinity of the Dead Sea, that once belonged to the 
 doomed city, and are now the monuments of the 
 divine wrath that occasioned its overthrow. It is 
 hardly necessary to say that such a representation 
 betrays vast ignorance of the times in which Sodom 
 was destroyed, and is contradicted by all the facts 
 mentioned in Genesis having any bearing on this 
 subject. 
 
 SECTION YII.— Occupation. 
 
 136. Man was originally intended for cultivating 
 the earth. This was one object of his creation. 
 Hence in all ages past, and in all ages to come, this 
 has been, and must be, his principal dependence for 
 physical support. When Adam was placed in the 
 garden of Eden, he was instructed to keep it and 
 dress it. And when he was sent forth from the gar- 
 den, he was to gain his bread by tilling the ground. 
 Cain is mentioned as a tiller of the ground. Of Noah 
 it is said, ^^ This same shall comfort us concerning our 
 work, and the toil of our hands, because of the 
 ground which the Lord hath cursed." It is plain, 
 therefore, that, from Adam to Noah, tillage had been, 
 
84 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 as it must of necessity be, a principal occupation. 
 When the flood was over, a gracious promise was 
 given to the world, that seed time and harvest should 
 not cease till the end of time, a farther evidence that 
 tillage was to be as perpetual as the world, i. 28 ; 
 ii. 15 ; iii. 23 ; iv. 2 ; v. 29 ; viii. 22. 
 
 137. The first instance of tillage after the flood 
 was that of Noah, w4io planted a vineyard and drank 
 of the wine thereof The next is that of Isaac, who 
 sowed the ground in the land of the Philistines, and 
 received an hundred fold that year. The allusion to 
 the '' wheat harvest" shows that this was one of the 
 occupations of the patriarchs, in the time of Jacob. 
 Joseph's dream, in which he supposes himself to be 
 binding sheaves in the field, is of the same import. 
 The threshing floor of Atad implies the same occupa- 
 tion and the mode of making it available. The grain 
 produced in Egypt by which the people were sup- 
 ported during seven years of famine, is a proof not 
 only that agriculture was one of the occupations of 
 that people, but that the country was one of uncom- 
 mon fruitfulness, as it has always been from that 
 day to this. ix. 21 ; xxvi. 12 ; xxx. 14 ; xxxvii. 7 ; 1. 
 10. 
 
 138. The patriarchs not only occupied themselves 
 with the cultivation of the ground, but with the keep- 
 ing of flocks and herds. Abel was a keeper of sheep. 
 Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents and 
 have cattle. Tents and cattle are here associated, 
 because they were in fact inseparable. He who had 
 the one dwelt in the other. As water was not abun- 
 dant in that country, the digging of wells requiring a 
 good deal of labor, became a matter of necessity ; and 
 these being a valuable possession, were not unfre- 
 quently the occasion of strife among the herdsmen. 
 The herdsmen of Abram and Lot strove. Through 
 envy the Philistines stopped up the wells that were 
 dug in the days of Abram ; and when Isaac was in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 85 
 
 that country, he caused them to be opened, and called 
 them by the names they had borne at first. A strife 
 between Isaac and the herdsmen of Gerar, is men- 
 tioned in the same connection ; and the wells were 
 named Esek and Sitnah with reference to this circum- 
 stance. Another, about which they strove not, he 
 named Rehoboth. It may be added, that the nammg 
 of wells shows the importance attached to them at 
 that time. iv. 2, 20 ; xiii. 7 ; xxvi. 18, 20, 21, 22. 
 
 139. The immediate care of the flocks and herds 
 was frequently, perhaps generally, given into the 
 hands of females. At least, the business of watermg 
 them, which was done once or more every day, was 
 attended to by them. xxiv. 11 ; xxix. 7—10. 
 
 140. A man's prosperity, in those days, was esti- 
 mated mainly by the increase in the number of his 
 cattle, and the man who had large flocks and herds, 
 gained distinction more by this circumstance, than by 
 any other, xxx. 30, 43 ; xxvi. 14. 
 
 SECTION VIIL— Food. 
 
 141. The occupation of the patriarchs, will at once 
 suggest their mode of living, and the food they ate. 
 "Every herb bearing seed, and fruit tree bearing 
 fruit," was originally given to man for food. He 
 was furthermore to have dominion over the beasts of 
 the field, and the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the 
 sea, evidently with the intention of his deriving a part 
 of his subsistence from that source. Animal, as well 
 as vegetable food, was directly allowed after the flood, 
 and was allowed by implication before. A few refer- 
 ences will bring to view difl'erent kinds of both. The 
 food prepared by Abraham for the men that appeared 
 to him in Mamre, consisted of fine meal, made into 
 cakes and baked upon the hearth ; also a^ fatted calf, 
 tender and good ; and butter and milk. i. 29 ; ix. 2 ; 
 xviii. 6, 7. Unleavened bread was provided by Lot 
 
86 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 for the messengers that came to him at Sodom. Bread 
 and a bottle of water were given to Hagar, as she left 
 the abode of her mistress. Pottage is mentioned as 
 that for which Esau sold his birthright. Savory meat, 
 made of the flesh of wild animals, was a favorite dish 
 with Isaac in his old age. It was a kind of meat that 
 could be imitated by a skilful hand. " Plenty of corn 
 and wine," are among the blessings invoked upon 
 Jacob by his aged father. " Mandrakes," about which 
 Rachel and Leah had some altercation, were proba- 
 bly not food but medicine ; intended perhaps to 
 remove an infirmity of which Rachel was afflicted at 
 that time. The Ishmaehtes of Gilead carried into 
 Egypt " spicery, balm and myrrh." These were lux- 
 uries not indulged in at home, but were such as 
 found a ready market in Egypt, another evidence 
 that civilization and luxury go hand in hand. Another 
 passage speaks of ^^ a little balm, and a little honey, 
 spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds," being sent as a 
 present to Joseph in Egypt, xix. 3 ; xxi. 14 ; xxv. 
 29, 34; xxvii. 4, 9, 28; xxx. 22; xxxvii. 25; xliii. 11. 
 
 142. No mention is made of any kind of drink but 
 water and wine. Noah drank wine ; so did Lot. 
 And wine was brought forth to Abraham by Melchiz- 
 edek, as the former returned from the slaughter of 
 the kings. So wine as well as corn were among 
 the blessings invoked upon Jacob by his aged father, 
 ix. 21 ; xix. 32 ; xiv. 18. 
 
 SECTION IX.— Domestic Animals. 
 
 143. The following domestic animals are alluded to 
 in the book of Genesis : — sheep, oxen, asses, camels, 
 goats, doves, pigeons, mules, and horses. Horses aie 
 mentioned only in connection with Egypt. Sheep 
 were kept, not only for food, but for the fleece and 
 skin. Oxen was a name that included both sexes, and 
 they were used as food. Asses were beasts of bur- 
 den ; so were camels The people ate the flesh of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 87 
 
 goats, and drank their milk. The skins of these ani- 
 mals they made into bottles, or water-sacks. The tur- 
 tle dove and pigeon, as well as the sheep, heifer and 
 goat, were offered as sacrifices, xii. 16 ; xv. 9 ; 
 xxxvi. 24; xlvii. 17; xlix. 17; xxiv. 63; xv. 9. 
 
 SECTION X.— Wild Animals. 
 
 144. Nimrod is called a mighty hunter ; and this 
 imphes the existence of many wild and dangerous 
 animals at the time he lived. 8o was Esau a hunter. 
 Ishmael too, is called an archer, which means the 
 same thing. Speaking of a sacrifice, it is added, ''And 
 when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram 
 drove them away," a plain intimation that there were 
 wild and voracious birds, as well as the tame ones 
 before mentioned, x. 9 ; xxv. 27 ; xxvii. 3 ; xxi. 20 ; 
 
 XV. 9. . r v.. 
 
 145. When Esau went to procure venison tor his 
 father's savory meat, his success of course, implies 
 the existence of wild animals fit for food. When Lot 
 left Sodom, as that city was about to be destroyed, 
 he was unwiUing to go to the mountains, '' lest some 
 evil take him and he die," a reference, it would seem, 
 to the dangerous animals to which he would be ex- 
 posed. The sad conclusion to which Jacob came in 
 regard to Joseph, " that some evil beast had devoured 
 him," must have the same application. Jacob in his 
 defence to Laban, refers to the beasts that had in- 
 fested his flocks. Reference may be here made to 
 the wolf, as we find that animal once alluded to, in a 
 highly figurative passage. The serpent is mentioned 
 in the account of the temptation, and still later, the 
 serpent and adder. The raven was one of the birds 
 sent forth from the ark of Noah. The lion is once 
 mentioned ; and this is sufficient to establish the fact 
 that such an animal was known in those days, xxvii. 
 3 ; xix. 19 ; xxxvii. 33 ; xxxi. 39 ; xlix. 27 ; iii. 1 ; 
 xlix. 17 ; xlix. 9. 
 
88 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION XL— Patriarchal Wealth. 
 
 146. The wealth of the patriarchs consisted chiefly 
 of their flocks and herds. Abraham had '^ sheep, and 
 oxen, and he asses, and men servants, and maid ser- 
 vants, and she asses, and camels." He is also said to 
 have been '^ rich in cattle, and silver and gold." Lot 
 had flocks, and herds, and tents. Abimelech took 
 sheep and oxen, and men servants and women ser- 
 vants, and gave them to Abraham. The present sent 
 to Esau by Jacob, which seems to have been but a 
 small part of his possessions, was still very consider- 
 able. It consisted of Iwo hundred she goats, and 
 twenty he goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 
 thirty milch camels, with their colts, forty kine, ten 
 bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals, xii. IG; xiii. 
 2, 5 ; XX. 14 ; xxiv. 35 ; xxxii. 14, 15. 
 
 147. Mention is made of money ; but it does not 
 seem to have been regarded as any part of wealth. 
 Abraham paid money, four hundred shekels of silver, 
 for the cave of Machpelah and the surrounding field. 
 Several allusions are made to the money that was 
 sent down to Egypt for the purchase of corn. In 
 this instance the money is reckoned by weight, while 
 in most cases it is estimated by the number of pieces. 
 The phrase " current money with the merchant," 
 shows that there was some established usage, as to 
 the mode of estimating it, and the value placed upon 
 each piece. It was only, or principally with the mer- 
 chant, that money was made the medium of excliange. 
 Hence twenty pieces of silver were paid for Joseph, 
 by the Midianites. Had money been in common use, 
 we can hardly account for its being omitted in other 
 transactions, where it would have been a great conve- 
 nience. Jacob paid for his two wives by labor, and 
 was afterwards paid for his labor l)y a certain pro- 
 portion of the flocks and herds. Judah ofl'ered Ta- 
 mar a kid, when the pa3mient of its equivalent in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 89 
 
 money, would have been much more cuuveuient, and 
 might have saved hhn a subsequent disgrace, xxiii. 
 9, 15; xhi. 25, 35 ; xliii. 21 ; xxiii. 16; xxxvii. 28 ; 
 xxxviii. 17. 
 
 148. Ileal estate possessions are recognized. Cities 
 and countries were separated from each other by cer- 
 tain, not very dehnite boundaries ; and the rights of 
 the people, within such limits, were seldom made the 
 occasion of conflict. The boundaries of Canaan, for 
 example, are described thus : — '^And the border of 
 the Canaanites was fromyidon,as thou comest to Gerar 
 unto Gaza, as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 and Admah and' Zeboim, even unto Lasha." In the 
 days of Peleg the earth was divided, which may mean 
 (and may not) that there was some arrangement 
 about the particular portion of territory that should 
 belong to each nation. Hence such language as the 
 following, in the same connection, may have refer- 
 ence to such an arrangement. ^' These are the sons 
 of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in 
 their lands, after their nations.'' x. 19, 25, 31. ^^ The 
 plain of Mamre " seems to recognize the right of 
 Mamre (who was one of Abram's confederates xiv. 
 13,) to the ownership of that region of country. The 
 valley of Shevah is called '^ the king's dale," referring 
 to the king of Sodom, to whom that valley belonged. 
 The offer of Abraham to purchase the cave of Mach- 
 pelah was an acknowledgment that the property be- 
 longed to another whose consent to its occupancy 
 must first be obtained. Farther than this ; as one par- 
 ticular individual among the sons of Heth, namely, 
 Ephron, had to be sought for and consulted, it is evi- 
 dent that thefield and cave were not held in common 
 by the tribe, but were the possession of that man 
 alone. So Jacob, when he returned from Padan 
 Aram, and pitched his tent near Shalem, bought a 
 parcel of a field where he had spread his tent, at the 
 hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for 
 
90 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 a hundred pieces of money. So in Egypt, when the 
 people had paid all their money to Joseph for food, 
 they say to him : " There is not aught left in the sight 
 of our lord, but our bodies and our lands." It is 
 added ; Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pha- 
 raoh ; for the Egyptians sold every man his field." 
 The lands of the priests were exempted from this ar- 
 rangement, xiii. 18 ; xiv. 17 ; xxiii. 15 ; xxxiii. 19 ; 
 xlvii. 18-22. 
 
 SECTION XII. —Trade and Commerce. 
 
 149. In the arrangement that was lo have been en- 
 tered into by Shechem and his father Hamor, on the 
 one side, and Jacob and his sons on the other, the 
 latter were to have the privilege of '' remaining in the 
 land and trading and getting possessions therein." 
 The trade, here referred to, however, must have been 
 quite limited. There was a class of professional " mer- 
 chantmen" whose business is sufficiently described in 
 the only passage that speaks of them. They carried 
 down to Egypt the choicest productions of their coun- 
 try, " balm, spicery and myrrh." And the fact that they 
 purchased Joseph ; and the thing is not mentioned as 
 unusual, shows us that they were not unaccustomed 
 to the traffic in human chattels. Indeed the frequent 
 allusion to servants, bought with money, makes it evi- 
 dent that this was one article of commerce in those 
 days, not only with the Ishmaelites and Egyptians but 
 with Abraham and the other patriarchs. That real 
 estate was bought and sold we have seen in another 
 place, xxxiv. 8-11 ; xxxvii. 28 ; xxxiii.l9. 
 
 SECTION XIII. — Oaths and Contracts. 
 
 150. As a specimen of contracts, or rather the mode 
 of making them, that between Abraham and Abime- 
 lech, may be noticed. Abimelech, said to Abraham ; 
 " Now, therefore, sware unto me here by God, that 
 
INTRODUCTION. 91 
 
 thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, 
 nor with my son's son; but, according to the kindness 
 I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and 
 to the land wherein thou hast sojourned." Abraham 
 did swear as requested, and gave Abimelech sheep 
 and oxen, to remind him of the obhgations that rested 
 upon the parties. And, moreover, having had some 
 difficulty with Abimelech concerning a well which 
 the latter had at length admitted to be Abraham's, 
 seven ewe lambs are placed by themselves, and given 
 over to Abimelech as a perpetual memento of the 
 proper ownership of the well. The covenant between 
 Jacob and Laban, after being sufficiently explained, 
 was attested by a monument, a heap of stones, that 
 should ever remind the contracting parties of their 
 mutual obhgations, and help to perpetuate the under- 
 standing to future times. The bargain of Jacob and 
 Esau, by which the latter sold his birthright, was sanc- 
 tioned by an oath. xxi. 23-32 ; xxxi. 44-55 ; xxy. 33. 
 The form of swearing, with a view to ratify an 
 engagement, was not always the same. It was some- 
 times by hfting up the hand and swearing by God, 
 and sometimes by placing the hand under the thigh. 
 Swearing was sometimes by God, and sometimes by 
 other forms. Jacob swore by the fear of Isaac, and 
 Joseph, by the life of Pharaoh, xiv. 22 ; xxiv. 2 ; 
 xlvii. 29 ; xxxi. 53 ; xlii. 15. 
 
 151. The most important of all contracts are such 
 as the Deity condescended to make with man. _ The 
 Covenant with Noah and his sons, and every living 
 creature, that there should no more be a flood upon 
 the earth, was ratified by a perpetual sign, the bow in 
 the clouds. The promise to Abraham that God would 
 make him exceedingly fruitful, and give to him, and 
 to his seed after him, the Avhole land of Canaan, was 
 to be remembered by the change of the name Abram 
 to Abraham, the latter more clearly expressing the 
 nature of the divine promise. On another occasion, 
 
92 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the promise is repeated with some important additions, 
 and confirmed by an oath. The rite of circumcision 
 was instituted, as another memento of the same thing, 
 ix. 9-13 ; xvii. 2 ; xxii. 16-18 ; xvii. 11. 
 
 SECTION XIV. — Wars. 
 
 152. The most important war recorded in Genesis, 
 is the one spoken of in chapter fourteenth. It seems 
 to be related chiefly to give the experience of Abra- 
 ham and Lot in relation to it. The latter was taken 
 captive and afterwai'ds restored by the prompt and 
 energetic movements of his uncle, and brought back 
 to his home in Sodom. The narrative brings clearly 
 before us the state of society, in that country, at the 
 time when the circumstances occurred. Each king 
 is spoken of as exercising authority over a single city 
 and its surrounding country ; but what are here called 
 '' cities" were obviously but inconsiderable villages of 
 a few scores, or at most, a few hundreds of inhabitants, 
 and are not to be estimated by the cities of modern 
 times. 
 
 153. The w^eapons made use of in the wars of those 
 times, may be learned by several brief allusions. The 
 sword is several times mentioned. So is the sword 
 and bow. xxvii. 40 ; xxxi. 26 ; xxxiv. 25 ; xlviii. 22. 
 In describing the descendants of Ishmael, mention is 
 made of their '' castles," which might have been, and 
 probably were, places of defence against an invading 
 foe. XXV. 16. The apprehension of Jacob that the 
 Canaanites and Perizzites would gather themselves 
 together and destroy him and his house, on account 
 of the treacherous conduct of his sons, xxxiv. 30 ; 
 and the reason given why they did not do this, shoAvs 
 clearly that war was not uncommon in those da^^s. 
 The covenant between Abraham and Abimelech, and 
 that between Laban and Jacob were evidently intended 
 to prevent such an occurrence. That the military 
 forces of those times were subject to some system, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 93 
 
 seems indicated by the mention of Pliicol, the chief 
 captain of Abimelech's host. The captain of the guard, 
 was an officer in Egypt. The incidental allusion to 
 the ^' digging down of walls" and " putting the hand 
 on the neck of enemies/' and '^ instruments of cru- 
 elty," seem to have in view warlike operations, xxi. 
 22 ; xxxvii, 36 ; xlix. 5, 6, 8. 
 
 SECTION XV.— Government. 
 
 154. Some sort of government is essential in any 
 form of society. In the age of which we are writing, 
 the patriarchal seems to have been the prevailing 
 form. The father was the presiding sovereign over 
 his family, including his own children, and, to some 
 extent, his grand children. And even when a son had 
 a family which he was expected to govern, he still 
 felt bound to regard the wishes of his father. The 
 kings that ruled over the cities mentioned in chapter 
 fourteenth, were both civil and military rulers. They 
 are called " kings," while Abraham is not so desig- 
 nated, yet he was doubtless so regarded by others. 
 And the part he took in the war as leader of his 
 '^ trained servants," shows that he occupied the same 
 position. 
 
 155. The government of Egypt shows a more ad- 
 vanced state of society than that of Canaan. Pharaoh 
 was king, and he had his subordinate princes, his 
 harem, his chief butler and baker, his magicians and 
 wise men, his captain of the guard, his state prison 
 and his gallows ; and surely the last named append- 
 ages have always been regarded as evidences of civil- 
 ization, xii. 15, 19 ; xl. 1 ; xl. 19 ; xl. 3 ; xxxix. 20 ; 
 xL 19. 
 
 That the officers of government in Egypt were dis- 
 tinguished by some badge of authority, is plain from 
 what is said of the ring of Pharaoh, the vestures of 
 fine linen, and the golden chain, that were put upon 
 
94 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Joseph, xli. 42, 43. When such personages were vis- 
 ited by persons from a distance, asking for favors, it 
 was customary to bring to them, as presents, the 
 choicest productions of the country ; not so much, it 
 is presumed, on account of the value of the present, as 
 the respect and deference thus shown to the prince. 
 There is an allusion to the " sceptre," which is a 
 requisite accompaniment, of the exercise of kingly 
 power, xliii. 11 ; xlix. 10. 
 
 156. Lot ^' sat in the gate" of the city of Sodom. 
 Did he not sit there to administer justice ? We know 
 that this language has this meaning at a later day. 
 Did not the mob that surrounded his house, on that 
 memorable night, the last in the history of that city, 
 have in view the exercise of authority by Lot, when 
 they said, 'Hhis one fellow came in to sojourn, and he 
 will needs be a judge ;" and was it not the adminis- 
 tration of that good man, by which he sought to re- 
 strain their wild and reckless career, that mainly 
 excited their displeasure ? Men are seldom so bad as 
 to commit outrages, such as are here described, with- 
 out some plausible excuse. The one their language 
 would seem to imply, is, that he had assumed to exer- 
 cise more authority over them than was proper for a 
 stranger, xix. 1-9. The judge sat at the gate of the 
 city to exercise authority, that being a conspicuous 
 place ; and there, too, for the same reason, were 
 contracts entered into. xix. 1 ; xxiii. 10 ; xxiv. 60 ; 
 xxxiv. 20. 
 
 157. The only specific punishment for any specific 
 crime mentioned in reference to this subject, as con- 
 nected with Canaan and the patriarchs, is the punish- 
 ment of death for harlotry. The punishment, however, 
 is only named, not being inflicted, on account of palli- 
 ating circumstances, xxxviii. 24. The imprisonment 
 of Joseph was in Egypt, and has reference to that 
 country. It was obviously not what it would have 
 been, had there not been suspicions of his innocence. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 95 
 
 And though such suspicions are not mentioned, the 
 mildness of the infliction, clearly justifies the impres- 
 sion that there were such. What offence the butler 
 and baker had committed, we are not informed. It is 
 evident that their punishment was subject to modi- 
 fication by subsequent disclosures, as this is neces- 
 sary to account for the one being released and the 
 other executed, contrary to their expectations. That 
 being reduced to servitude, was one of the punish- 
 ments of crime, may be inferred from the proposition 
 to retain Benjamin as a servant, for having stolen 
 (as Avas supposed) the silver cup. I infer that the 
 punishment of the chief baker was first decapitation ; 
 after which his headless body was hung upon a tree. 
 xxxix. 20 ; xl. 2, 21, 22 ; xliv. 10. 
 
 SECTION XVI. —Servitude. 
 
 158. Noah predicted that Canaan should be a ser- 
 vant of servants. Abraham had three hundred and 
 eighteen servants born in his house and trained in 
 the art of war. Eleazer, Abraham's steward, was a 
 servant, as the phrase '^ born in the house,'' is applied 
 to him. He was prospective heir of the patriarch. 
 He was the oldest servant and ruled over all his mas- 
 ter had ; and for this reason, he was selected to go 
 and procure a wife for Isaac. He is called Eleazer of 
 Damascus, and probably came with Abraham from the 
 north, from Ur of the Chaldees ; as Damascus Avas 
 located in that region, ix. 25 ; xiv. 14 ; xv. 2, 3 ; 
 xxiv. 2. 
 
 159. Hagar was a handmaid to Sarah, and is called 
 an Egyptian. And it may be remembered that before 
 this, Abraham had been down into Egypt and had so- 
 journed there for a time, and maid servants are men- 
 tioned as among the presents he received from the 
 Egyptian king. This Hagar was, at first, treated with 
 great respect, and was assigned to Abraham as hi-s 
 
96 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 concubine : and if her son was shut out from being 
 heir, that was not because he was a servant ; for the 
 sons of the second wife of Abraham were treated in 
 the same manner, xxv. 5. Servants were sometimes 
 bought with money ; and those born in the house, 
 must have sprung from such as were at first bought, 
 x/i. 1 ; xii. 10, 16 ; xxv. 5 ; xvii. 13. 
 
 160. The important mission entrusted to Eleazer, 
 as well as the oath exacted of him, shows the confi- 
 dence placed in him by his master. Nor could any 
 one have been treated with more deference and re- 
 spect, than was he, by the people to whom he was 
 sent. The handmaids given to Leah and Rachel, 
 and afterwards given by them to Jacob, were treated 
 with considerable distinction. The sons of the hand- 
 maids are reckoned among the twelve patriarchs, as 
 well as the sons of the wives ; and though the sons 
 of Rachel are treated with special affection, and for 
 an obvious reason, no diiference is apparent between 
 the sons of the concubines and those of Leah. xxiv. 
 3,31. 
 
 161. Servants were made such by being taken cap- 
 tive in war. Simeon and Levi, when they destroyed 
 Shalem, took the wives and little ones as captives. 
 They were made servants by the commission of crime. 
 They were bought with mone3^ xxxiv. 29; xliv. 17. 
 
 It m\y be ad lad that there is no evidence that the 
 relation of master and servant grew up among the 
 patriarchs, nor do we find any divine requirement that 
 men should have servants. The institution came into 
 existence, like any other social custom, as the result 
 of circumstances ; and was allowed to remain without 
 any special condemnation. It was, however, a very 
 different thing from the system of servitude in our 
 country, as several of the references already given 
 will make sufficiently obvious. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 97 
 
 SECTION XVII. — Oriental Hospitality. 
 
 162. Nothing is more interesting than to observe 
 the hospitality of the ancients. They treated stran- 
 gers and travellers with the greatest tenderness and 
 respect. Let us notice some examples. As Abraham 
 sat in the door of his tent, he saw three men ap- 
 proaching. Rising, he ran to meet them and said ; 
 " my lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, 
 pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant ; let a 
 little water, I pray thee, be fetched ; and wash your 
 feet, and rest yourselves under this tree ; and I will 
 fetch a morsel of bread ; and comfort ye your hearts." 
 He then makes arrangements for their entertainment 
 in the most expeditious and generous manner. It is 
 true that these men were divine messengers ; but it 
 does not appear that Abraham at first knew them to 
 be such, or that this fact had any influence on his con- 
 duct towards them. Indeed, the conduct of Abraham 
 is only one instance, out of many, where the same 
 generous hospitality is oifered to strangers. The lan- 
 guage of Lot to the angels that came to him in the 
 evening, is of the same kind with that just noticed 
 " Behold, now my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your 
 servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your 
 feet ; and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways." 
 These men are indeed called angels, but this term is 
 quite as applicable to human beings, as to those not 
 human ; and it is certain that Lot had no knowledge 
 of their divine mission till a later period. The readi- 
 ness with which Rebekah supplied the wants of Abra- 
 ham's servant, by giving him drink and offering to 
 water his camels, is quite in harmony with the gener- 
 ous sentiment that every where shows itself in those 
 ancient times. Not less generous was the conduct of 
 the ^ sons of Heth, when they offered Abraham his 
 choice, in regard to a burial place for his dead, and 
 showed a delicate unwiUingness to receive pay for 
 5 
 
98 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 such a privilege. And one cannot suppress the con- 
 viction that Abraham insisted on paying for a place 
 of burial ; with an ulterior purpose ; presuming, it 
 may be, that the amicable state of things then existing 
 might not always continue, xviii. 4, 5 ; xix. 2 ; 
 xxiv. 18-20 ; xxiii. 6. 
 
 SECTION XVIII. — Salutations. 
 
 163. The observances of friends on meeting and 
 parting, may be noticed here. The language of Laban 
 to Jacob, shows that parting with friends was some- 
 times attended with music and merriment. The par- 
 ties kissed each other on meeting and separating. 
 When Jacob first met Rachel, his future wife, he 
 kissed her, and then informed her of the relation that 
 existed between them. So Laban ran out to meet 
 Jacob ; and embracing, kissed him. When Jacob 
 was about to meet his brother Esau, after a long sep- 
 aration, having a desire to show him special respect, 
 he bowed seven times to the earth. Esau ran to meet 
 him ; and embracing him, fell on his neck and kissed 
 him and both of them wept. A similar meeting is 
 recorded of Joseph and Benjamin in Egypt, and after- 
 w^ards of Joseph and his aged father. JBowing to the 
 earth, or perhaps only towards the earth, was a com- 
 mon token of respect and deference. Abraham bowed 
 himself to the people of the land when he was about 
 to negotiate with the sons of Heth for Machpelah. 
 So Jacob bowed himself before Esau, as seen above. 
 xxxi. 2T, 2S, 55 ; xxix. 11, 12, 13 ; xxxiii. 3, 4 ; xlv. 
 14 ; xlvi. 29 ; xxiii. 7, 12. 
 
 SECTION XIX.— The Arts. 
 
 164. Of course what we call the arts of life, were 
 in a very imperfect state, during the age of the patri- 
 archs. Jubal Avas the father of such as handle the 
 harp and the organ. The tabret and liarp are also 
 mentioned. These instruments of music were doubt- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 99 
 
 less rudely constructed; but their existence shows 
 that men were then not very unhke what they are 
 now. Of course the mechanic art of constructing 
 these instruments, as well as the fine art of playing 
 on them, must have been known at that time. iv. 21 ; 
 xxxi. 27. 
 
 165. Tubal-cain was instructor of every artificer in 
 brass and iron ; and though allusions to instruments 
 of brass and iron are not numerous, there are enough 
 such to show their existence. The knife and the 
 sword must have been made of one of these metals. 
 The manufacture of cloth must have been known, as 
 references to the wool of their flocks, would indicate. 
 Sackcloth may have been of this material, though of 
 this there is no certainty. In Egypt fine linen is men- 
 tioned. Frequent references to gold and silver orna- 
 ments, indicate some knowledge of the art of refining 
 silver and gold, and working them into such forms as 
 are fitted to please the fancy. It is quite probable, 
 however, that the gold and silver ornameijts, mention- 
 ed in connection with the patriarchs and their families, 
 were obtained from Egypt ; as no mention is made 
 of these things till Abraham had visited that country. 
 Indeed, it is worthy of note that as soon as Abraham 
 returned from Egypt, he is spoken of as being rich in 
 cattle, in gold and silver, iv. 22 ; xii. 42 ; xliv. 2 ; 
 xiii. 2. 
 
 166. The implements of agriculture were undoubt- 
 edly very rude, though they answered all- the purposes 
 of practical life at that time. The fields were sowed^ 
 it is said ; and of course they must have been plowed ; 
 and some instrument for this purpose must have been 
 in use. They bound sheaves in the field ; then they 
 mast have had some instrument for cutting the grain. 
 We read of the threshing floor of Atad ; then Atad 
 must have had some mode of threshing his grain, 
 though it was not after the modern fashion. Bread, 
 made of fine meal, was an article of food ; of course 
 
100 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 there was some method of grinding the grain. We 
 will not say that they separated the flour from the 
 bran, as they probably lived on Graham principles, 
 xxvi. 12; xxxvii. 7 ; 1. 11 ; xviii. 6. 
 
 167. As early as the days of Noah, the art of build- 
 ing must have been carried to a great degree of per- 
 fection ; else how could the ark have been built 
 and fitted to carry its enormous burden over the tur- 
 bulent abyss of waters. All the instruction given to 
 Xoali by the Divine Being would still leave many 
 things, it is presumed, to the knowledge and skill of 
 the architect. The making of tents and houses, at a 
 later day, would require some skill. The manufacture 
 of brick, with which to build the tower of Babel, is 
 another instance of the skill of those primitive times. 
 
 168. There are a few references to carriages. Jo- 
 seph rode in the second chariot of Egypt ; and there 
 went up to Canaan Avith him, both chariots and horse- 
 men, at the burial of his father. Wagons were sent 
 from Egypt to Canaan, to bring the patriarch and his- 
 family down to that country. It is probable that both 
 wagons and chariots were used only in Egypt, or sel- 
 dom elsewhere. In Canaan burdens were carried 
 upon asses ; and men and women rode on camels, 
 xlvi. 29 ; 1. 9. 
 
 SECTION XX.— Weights and Measures. 
 
 169. Time was then reckoned by days, weeks, 
 months, and years, nearly in the same manner as with 
 us. Forty days and forty nights, is the same kind of 
 reckoning then as now. Months are mentioned as 
 made up of days. Hence we read of the first day of 
 the month, the seventeenth day of the month, and the 
 seventh and twentieth day. We also read of the first 
 month, the second month, and the seventh month. 
 By comparing vii. 11 with viii. 4, it will be seen that 
 five months is precisely 150 days, which make one 
 
INTRODUCTION. 10) 
 
 month to be thirty days. A similar comparison ofvii. 
 11 and viii. 13 ,will show that a Jewish year consisted 
 of twelve months, vii. 4:, 11 ; viii. 13, 14; viii. 4. 
 
 170. The seasons of the year were the same as 
 with us, only that summer and winter are the only 
 names by which they were designated, unless seed 
 time and harvest be intended as denoting spring and 
 autumn, viii. 22. 
 
 Length, in respect to short distances, was reckoned 
 in cubits ; long distances by the number of days jour- 
 ney. A ''bow shot'' is employed to denote a brief 
 space over which an arrow might be sped. vi. 15 ; 
 xxxi. 23 ; xxi. 16. 
 
 The points of the compass are named ; but a care- 
 ful observation will show that they are used with 
 great indefiniteness. A place laying in a northerly 
 direction was said to be north, though it might lay 
 far east or west ot that point. So of the other points. 
 This makes it quite difficult to determine with accu- 
 racy the location or direction of places, xiii. 14; 
 xxviii. 14. 
 
 The word " measure " has reference to a vessel of 
 a certain capacity. Hence " three measures of meal," 
 were not, as we might infer from our use of that term 
 meal in three separate vessels ; but it was a certain 
 amount three times repeated, xviii. 6. 
 
 Isaac sowed his field, and received that year a 
 " hundred fold ; " that is, an hundred times as much 
 as he sowed, which, though a great yield, was not un- 
 usual in that country, xxvi. 12. 
 
 Money was sometimes reckoned by pieces, and 
 sometimes by shekels, or by weight. There were 
 shekels of silver and shekels of gold, xxxiii. 19 : xxiii. 
 15 ; xliii. 21 ; xlv. 22. 
 
102 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION XXI. — Religion of the Hebrews. 
 
 4 
 
 171. It is obvious that the Hebrews recognized 
 but one supreme Divinity, to whom a good and virtu- 
 ous life was the most acceptable service. They 
 prayed to him in times of need. They built altars 
 and offered sacrifices thereon. It is remarkable that 
 no mention is made of priests in connection with the 
 patriarchs. Melchisedek was a priest of the most 
 High God ; but to what race he belonged does not 
 appear, from the narrative; and the apostle Paul, refer- 
 ring to this personage, speaks of him as being '^ with- 
 out father or mother," &c., meaning thereby, that we 
 have no account of his parentage, his history, or his 
 death. The patriarchs themselves offered sacrifices 
 and officiated at the altar. This was done by Abel, 
 Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There were priests 
 in Egypt, who owned some real estate, and were sup- 
 ported, when occasion required, out of the public 
 treasury, iv. 3, 4 ; viii. 20 ; xii. 8 ; xxvi. 25 ; xxviii. 
 18; xxxi. 51; xlvii. 22. 
 
 172. '' Men began to call upon the name of the Lord," 
 even before the flood — language that seems to imply 
 at that time, some arrangement for the maintenance 
 of public worship. Paying tithes is mentioned once 
 or twice. Abraham paid the tenth of the spoils he 
 had obtained in battle, to Melchisedek. Jacob prom- 
 ised to pay to the Lord the tenth of all he had, if he 
 should be prospered in his way. The animals offered 
 in sacrifice, were the heifer, she goat, ram, turtle dove 
 and pigeon. Pouring oil on the top of a pillar, was 
 understood, no doubt, as a rehgious offering, xiv. 20; 
 xxviii. 22; xv. 9; xxviii. 18 ; xxxv. 11. 
 
 173. The worship of images is alluded to in con- 
 nection with the family of Laban. The earrings of 
 which we read in connection with these images, were 
 appendages to the same worship, and not the usual 
 ornaments worn by damsels. Abraham planted a 
 
INTRODUCTION. 103 
 
 grove in Beersheba, where the worship of God was 
 observed. At a later day such groves became very 
 obnoxious, as places where idol worship, accompanied 
 by obscene and immoral rites, was practiced. The 
 rite of circumcision was instituted as a perpetual me- 
 morial of religious obligation, xxxi. 19 ; xxxv. 4 ; 
 XXIV. 30, 47 ; xvii. 10 ; xxi. 33. 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 Contents : — General Divisions ; Mountains ; Valleys and Plains ; 
 Rivers ; Groves and Wildernesses ; Seas ; Cities ; National De- 
 signations. 
 
 SECTION I. — General Divisions. 
 
 174. Canaan is often alluded to as the residence of 
 the patriarchs, and the country that was to be the 
 everlasting possession of their descendants. The 
 boundaries are defined in a general way in x. 19, from 
 Avhich it appears that Sidon, Gerar, Gaza, Sodom, Go- 
 morrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Lasha, lay on the outer 
 borders around it. 
 
 175. When Abram came to Canaan he came from 
 Ur of the Chaldees. Chaldea is, therefore, another 
 country alluded to in the book. Assyria, that lay in 
 the same general direction, is referred to ; and as that 
 name seems to have been given to the country by 
 Asshur, the cities he built were probably in that 
 country, xi. 31 ; xxv. 18 ; x. 11, 12. 
 
 176. Laban, into whose family Jacob married, is 
 called a Syrian. Thus, by implication, Syria is refer- 
 red to. The same country is called Mesopotamia and 
 Padan Aram, xxviii. 5 ; xxi v. 10 ; xxviii. 2. 
 
 ^It. Seir was an extensive region, as is evident 
 from what is said of it and the cities it contained. It 
 
lOi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was also called Edom. xxxvi. The land of the Philis- 
 tines is referred to ; but no name is given to it, 
 though it is thought to have originated the name of 
 Palestine. It was included in the gift to the seed of 
 Abraham, as a part of their everlasting possession, 
 xxi. 32 ; xxvi. 3. 
 
 177. Egypt is too often referred to, to require par- 
 ticular description. It embraced the land of Goshen 
 or Rameses ; and one of its principle cities, viz., On, 
 is once or twice named. The '^ river " often alluded 
 to in connection with Egypt, though not named, is 
 understood to be the Nile. The '^ river of Egypt" 
 may be the same, and it may not. xlvii. 6, 11 ; xli. 
 50 ; xli. 1 ; xv. 18. 
 
 SECTION II.— Mountains. 
 
 178. The first mountain named in the Bible is Mt. 
 Ararat where the ark of Noah rested. Mesha and 
 Sephar are mentioned in connection with a mountain 
 of the East ; but the passage is equivocal ; and we 
 cannot tell which of those names was intended to 
 designate the mountain referred to ; and perhaps the 
 reference is to a mountain between the two. There 
 is a reference to " a mountain on the east cf Bethel," 
 but its name is not given. It was between Bethel 
 and Hai. viii. 4 ; x. 30 ; xii. 8. 
 
 179. There was a mountain in the land of Moriah, 
 on which Abraham offered his son Isaac in sacrifice. 
 It is called the '' mountain of the Lord." We com- 
 monly refer to it as Mt. Moriah, but it is not so called 
 in the book. It was in the land of Moriah. xxii. 2, 
 14. 
 
 Mt. Gilead lay in the direction of Syria, and is 
 noted as being the place where an interesting confer- 
 ence was held between Laban and Jacob, xxxi. 21, 
 55. Mt. Seir was an extensive country and was the 
 possession of Esau and his descendants. It was also 
 
INTRODUCTION. ^^^ 
 
 railed Edom. It was called Seir, from Seir who first 
 governedThe country, and Edom, from Esau, whose 
 name was also Edom. xxxvi. 
 
 SECTION III. — Valleys and Plains. 
 180 There was a plain in the land of Shinar where 
 Baberwas built. The^ plain of Jordan is Bovei^al t^es 
 mentioned. It was a very fertile region of country. 
 ^iTe ;iarn of Mamre was where Hebi^on ^^^o^ 
 and was the principal residence of the patiidrcii^. 
 life val ey of Shaveh belonged to the king of bodom, 
 and is called the " king's dale.'' The vale of .idc^^m 
 was where Sodom was located, and was ferwai d. 
 the Salt Sea. The valley of Gerar was not far ftom 
 a city of the same name m the land of the Phili.tmes. 
 xi. 2 ; xiii. 11, 18 ; xiv. 8 ; xiv. 3 ; xxvi. IT. 
 
 SECTION IV.— Rivers. 
 181 Gihon, Pison, Hiddekel and Euphrates are 
 mentioned in connection with Eden. The last named 
 river is also alluded to in describing the eastern 
 boundaries of the Abrahamic possessions. '[ Kiver 
 of E^ypt" is mentioned in the same passage, m con- 
 nectfon with the western boundary. It may be the 
 Nile or it mny be some other river near to Egypt. 
 The'ford Jabbok was probably a ford across a river 
 of the same name. A river is mentioned as being m 
 the land of Edom, on which Rehoboth was situated ; 
 but the name is not given. The most important ot all 
 the rivers alluded to in Genesis, is the Jordan, run- 
 ning along the eastern border of Canaan, n. 10-11: ; 
 XV. 18 ; xxxii. 22 ; xxxvi. 37 ; xiii. 10. 
 
 SECTION V. — Groves and Wildernesses. 
 182. Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba. We 
 also read of the wilderness of Beersheba and the 
 wilderness of Paran. xxi. 33 ; xxi. 21. 
 5* 
 
106 INTBODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION VI. — Seas. 
 
 183. The Salt Sea was once the Yale of Siddim. 
 The sea where Sidoii or Zidon was located is not 
 named, but it is evidently the Mediterranean. xKx. 
 13. xiv. 3. 
 
 Isles. We read of the " Isles of the Gentiles ;'' but 
 YiQ cannot say whether there is an allusion to islands, 
 as we now use that term, or to some other tracts of 
 country, x. 5. 
 
 SECTION VII. —Cities and Towns. 
 
 184. A careful observation of passages will enable 
 us to determine with considerable accuracy, the loca- 
 tion of the principal cities mentioned in the book of 
 Genesis ; and from this method alone we may easily 
 obtain more information concerning the Geography 
 of Palestine, than is commonly possessed by most 
 readers of the Bible. We shall reach our object best 
 by speaking of places in groups ; or regarding them 
 from certain stand points, from which we can trace 
 their relations with each other. 
 
 185. The first city mentioned in the Bible is the 
 city of Enoch, built by Cain, and named after his son 
 Enoch, iv. 17. Its location is not defined, except 
 that it is spoken of as east of Eden. It was in the land 
 of Nod; — so the passage seems to teach; but the 
 word Nod means " vagabond," and may refer to Cain 
 and not the place of his residence. 
 
 186. Babel, ErecJi Accad, CahieJi. Speaking of 
 Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, it is said, " the beginning 
 of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech,and Accad, and 
 Calneh, in the land of Shinar." x. 10. It will be re- 
 membered that Babel was the place where men atr 
 tempted to build a tower that should reacli to heaven 
 and where their language was confounded, xi. 3-9. 
 Nimrod it would seem was the principal leader in this 
 
INTRODUCTION. 107 
 
 attempt. This and the other places, mentioned with 
 it, was the land of Shinar. 
 
 187. Nineveh^ BeJioboth, Calah, Eesen. " Out of that 
 land [Shinar] went forth As^'lmr, and builcled Nine- 
 veh, and the city of Rehoboth, and Calali, and Eesen, 
 between Nineveh and Calah ; the same is a great city." 
 X. 11, 12. It is generally understood that Assyria 
 took its name from Asshur ; and of course Nineveh 
 and the other places mentioned with it, were in that 
 country. 
 
 188.*^ Sidon, Gerar, Gaza, Sodom, Gomorrah, Ad- 
 mah, Zeboim, Laslia. The border of the Canaanites — 
 in other words, the boundary of Canaan, is thus given ; 
 it was from Sidon as thou comestto Gerar unto Gaza, 
 as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah 
 and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. x. 19. These places 
 lay at various points around Avliat was then regarded 
 as the land of the Canaanites. The traveller, com- 
 mencing at Sidon, would pass by Gerar to Gaza, and 
 thence to Sodom, &c. even unto Lasha ; and from 
 Lasha [it is implied] he would come again to Sidon, 
 ^^ the place of first beginning." 
 
 189. The location of these places, we can deter- 
 mine, with considerable certainty, both by direct 
 statement, and by reasonable inference. Let us see. 
 The location of Sidon seems to be settled within cer- 
 tain limits, by the folloAving passage ; — '^ Zebulon 
 shall dwell at the haven of the sea ; and he shall be a 
 haven for ships ; and his border shall be unto Zidon." 
 xhx. 13. The inference is that Zidon [or Sidon] was 
 on the sea coast. Of course the Mediterranean sea is 
 had in view, as no other is known to border on Canaan 
 that can at all answer the description here given. 
 This is one point gained, as to one of the places by 
 which Canaan was bounded. 
 
 190. Gerar is another of the places named in the 
 boundary. The location of this may be determined 
 by several references. It was " in the south country, 
 
108 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and between Kadesh and Shiir ;" xx. 1 ; and the latter 
 place is said to be " before Egypt." xxv. 18. Now 
 as Egypt was in a south-west direction from Canaan, 
 it follows tliat Kadesh, Gerar and Shurwere near the 
 south-west corner of that country. This settles the 
 location of Gerar, the second point in the boundary 
 line. Sidon, before mentioned, to ansAver the descrip- 
 tion, must be placed on the Mediterranean, in the 
 north-west corner of Canaan. And as the boundary 
 line is made to commence there, and proceed to 
 Gerar at the south, we are prepared to infer the loca- 
 tion of the next places named on the line. 
 
 191. We infer that Gaza lay east of Gerar, in the 
 direction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zebo- 
 im ; and that the latter places were on the east border 
 of the country. This inference we find to be correct. 
 
 It is said " the plain of the Jordan, was well watered 
 d:c., before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah." xiii. 10. Abraham dwelled in the land of Ca- 
 naan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and 
 pitched his tent toward Sodom, xiii. 12. Sodom 
 and Gomorrah then, were on the Jordan, which we 
 know ran on the east line of Palestine. Admah and 
 Zeboim were doubtless near by, as they are not only 
 mentioned in connection with Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 in the boundary line, but also in the battle of the 
 kings, xiv. 8. It cannot be doubted, then, that La- 
 sha, the only remaining place in this boundary, was 
 in the northeast corner of Canaan, opposite to Sidon, 
 the place of beginning. 
 
 Notwithstanding the indirect way we arrive at the 
 result, we feel almost as sure of its accuracy, as if we 
 had visited those places. And having determined 
 these principal points, we are better prepared to seek 
 for others by the guidance of tliese. We can make 
 no use of Sidon to determine the location of other 
 places, as that place is not mentioned, except in the 
 instances already quoted. The same is true of Gaza 
 
INTRODUCTION. 109 
 
 and Lasha. Not so of Gerar ; nor Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah. 
 
 192. Gerar J KadesJi, Shur, Zoar,Mamre or Hebron, 
 Gerar, we have seen, was ^^ in the south country," 
 and " between Kadesh and Shur.'' Isaac Avent doAvn 
 to that country, apparently with the intention of 
 going on to Egypt ; but was divinely admonished to 
 remain in Gerar. Gerar was a city of the Philistines, 
 and the capital of that country. There was a valley 
 of the same name not far off. Of course Kadesh and 
 Shur were not far from Gerar. The one place locates 
 the others, xxv. 18 ; xxvi. 1, 6, 17. 
 
 We read of " Bela which is Zoar," and as Lot fled 
 to Zoar, when he left Sodom, it was evidently near 
 that city. It was a small place, xiv. 2 ; xix. 22, 23 ; 
 xix. 20. 
 
 193. Abraham dwelt in the plain of Mamre, when 
 the angels came and announced the destruction- of 
 Sodom. It is obvious from the circumstances that 
 Mamre and Sodom were not very far apart. Abraham 
 could see the smoke of the country, after its destruc- 
 tion. Mamre, however, was not very near to Sodom, 
 as it appears that Abraham and Lot had separated 
 thus far, to avoid collisions between their respective 
 herdsmen. Neither was it so near that Abraham 
 could know of Lot's captivity, till a messenger in- 
 formed him. We will learn more of Mamre, [which, 
 it will be remembered, is the same as Hebron,] in 
 connection with other places, xix. 28 ; xiv. 13 ; xiii. 
 12. 
 
 194. Shinar, Mlassar, Blam, Sodom, Gomorrah, 
 Admali, Zehoim, Zoar, Ashteroth-Karnaim, Ham, Sha- 
 veh-Kiriathaim, Mt. Seir, Elparo^n, Vale of Siddim, 
 Kadesh, Hazezon-tamer. The kings of the first three 
 places named, and one king whose place is not named, 
 making four in all, make war with the kings of 
 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar. They 
 fought in the vale of Siddim, afterwards called the 
 
110 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " salt sea/' meaning the same as the Dead sea. Prior 
 to this celebrated battle, they had conquered all the 
 other places mentioned in this list ; and in this battle, 
 too, they were successful, carrying away much spoil, 
 and many captives, (including Lot and his family.) 
 They extended their conquests as far as Kadesh, 
 which, as we have seen, was not far distant from 
 Egypt. The location of the other places is quite 
 uncertain, though some other passages will be quoted, 
 by and by, with reference to some of them, that 
 will enable us to approximate to the truth. 
 
 195. Ashteroth-Karnaim is not located by any cir- 
 cumstance in the narrative, nor by any parallel passa- 
 ges in Genesis. Ham may have been named after the 
 son of Noah, as we know^ that many of Ham's de- 
 scendants settled in Canaan ; and it is quite natural 
 that they should name some place after him, but its 
 location is not given. ^Jt. Seir has already been 
 spoken of, and we shall have occasion to refer to it 
 again. Hazezon-tamer appears to have been the resi- 
 dence of the Amorites and perhaps the Amalekites ; 
 but its location does not appear. Mamre, after whom 
 the plain of Mamre was named, was an Amorite, and 
 it is reasonable to presume that the residence of that 
 tribe was not far from Mamre; and this places their 
 residence in the direction of Kadesh, spoken of with 
 it. Elparan was by the wilderness, perhaps the wil- 
 derness of Paran, and this, too, lay in the same direc- 
 tion towards Kadesh. xiv. 1-10. 
 
 196. Dan^ Hohoh, Damascus, Salem, Valley of Sha- 
 veh, Abraham, hearing that Lot had been taken cap- 
 tive and carried away, took his trained servants, and 
 his confederates, Mamre, Eschol, and Aner, and pur- 
 sued them unto Dan. He then attacked them and 
 pursued them to Hobah, on the left hand of Damas- 
 cus. These places, therefore, were all north of Ca- 
 naan, and on the way to Shinar, and the other places 
 to which these kings belonged and to which they 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ill 
 
 were returning. On his return, Abraham was met by 
 Melchisedek, king of Salem, an evidence that Salem 
 was between Mamre and the other places just named ; 
 at least it was north of Mamre, as Abraham was on 
 his way home toward the south. It is thought that 
 this Salem, was the same as Jerusalem, so distin- 
 guished afterwards as the chief city of Judea. 
 
 197. The king of Sodom, too, went out to meet 
 Abraham at the valley of Shaveh, which locates this 
 place also in the same general direction as Salem. 
 Besides, this valley was the " king's dale,'' or valley, 
 and must have been near to Sodom. Furthermore, 
 the spoils were there divided, Abraham's confederates 
 taking their share, and the king taking the rest, Abra- 
 ham himself declining to receive any. Place this val- 
 ley a little north and west of Sodom and we have the 
 proper location to suit the circumstances. Was not 
 this Shaveh, the same as Shaveh-Kiriathaim, men- 
 tioned in the same account as being taken by the 
 northern kings ? The resemblance in the name would 
 make this probable ; for we shall have occasion to 
 see that double names are often abridged, xiv. 14- 
 18. 
 
 198. Ur, Haran, Moreli, Bethel , Hai, Hebron ^ Laliai- 
 roi, Gerar, Beersheba. We will now take the patri- 
 arch Abraham as our guide, and follow him, and note 
 the places he passes through, and the place of his 
 residence. The first mention of Abraham is in con- 
 nection with Ur of the Chaldees. Leaving this 
 place with Terah, his father, and with Lot, his nephew, 
 he is next seen in Haran, a place obviously taking its 
 name from a brother of Abram, who had recently 
 died in Ur. Of course Haran lay in the direction of 
 Canaan, as Abram was on his way to that country. 
 We shall find the same place mentioned in another 
 passage, as the retreat of Jacob when he left home to 
 escape the wrath of Esau. How natural that he 
 should go to the former residence of his grandfather, 
 where some of his relatives still resided. 
 
112 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 199- Soon alter this, Abram starts for the land of 
 Canaan, and comes into that country. He came to 
 Sichem unto the plain of Moreh. Soon thereafter he 
 removed to a mountain on the east of Bethel, having 
 Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east. This places 
 Abraham's residence on the mountain. Bethel, and 
 Hai, on an east and west line. But farther than this, 
 their location does not appear, xii. 5, 6. 
 
 It is added that ^' Abram journeyed, going on still 
 toicard the southJ' This settles the point of his orig- 
 inal residence. It was north of Palestine. Ur was 
 far north ; Haran not so far. Sichem, and the plain 
 of Moreh, in Palestine, were north of Bethel and Hai. 
 All these things are thus rendered certain, xii. 9. 
 
 200. After making a journey to Egypt, Abram re- 
 turns to Bethel, and to his place between Bethel and 
 Hai. xiii. 3. At this time Abram and Lot separated, 
 to avoid unpleasant collisions between their respective 
 herdsmen ; and as Lot chose the plain of the Jordan, 
 near Sodom ; and as that was the eastern boundary 
 of Canaan, the inference is, that Abram resided west 
 of Sodom, though not very far off, as we have before 
 seen. Besides, it is expressly said of Lot, when he 
 separated from Abram, that he went east. xiii. 11. 
 Abram's next residence is in the plain of Mamre, 
 which is Hebron. Mamre, in whose plain was Hebron 
 was one of Abram's confederates, and one of those 
 who went with liim in pursuit of the kings that had 
 carried away Lot. Hebron was also called Kirjeth- 
 arba. It was here that Sarah died, and near here was 
 the cave of Machpelah, the place where she was 
 buried. 
 
 Hebron, in Mamre, was a long time the abode of the 
 patriarchs. Abram dwelt there, so did Isaac ; and to 
 the same place Jacob returned, Avhen he came back 
 from Padan-aram. Abram died in Hebron and was 
 buried in Machpelah. xiii. 18 ; xiv. 13, 24 ; xxiii. 2, 
 17 ; xxxv. 27 ; xxv. 8 ,9. 
 
INTKODUCTION. 113 
 
 201. Isaac had his abode near the well Lahai-roi, 
 which must have been near Hebron. Afterwards, on 
 account of a famine in the land, he went down to the 
 country of the Phihstines, and dwelt in Gerar. He 
 afterwards went from there to Beersheba ; and it was 
 here that the unhappy conflict between Jacob and 
 Esau occurred ; and it was from this place that Jacob 
 was sent away, to avoid the vengeance of his brother, 
 xxiv. 62 ; xxv. 11 ; xxvi. 6, 23 ; xxviii. 10. 
 
 202. Padan-aram, Haran, Bethel, Mt. Gilead, Maha- 
 iiaim, Seir, Jabbok, Peniel, Succoth, Shalem, U^hrath, 
 Arbah or Hebron. We will now take another guide. 
 We will follow^ Jacob on his excursion to the north. 
 He was instructed to go to his uncle Laban at Padan- 
 aram. This same Laban is called a Syrian. Padan- 
 aram, then was Syria. The original of Syria is Ara- 
 mea, which can at once be seen to have been derived 
 from the last half of Padan-aram. xxviii. 5. Notice 
 another circumstance. When Jacob left Beersheba, 
 it is said he started for Haran, and when he arrived 
 there he inquired of the men of Haran, whether they 
 knew Laban, and was told that they did. This makes 
 Haran, too, to be in Syria. Chaldea, it will be remem- 
 bered, was still further north, as Abram came from 
 that country to Haran, on his way to Canaan, xxviii. 
 10 ; xxix. 4, 5. 
 
 203. On his way to Haran from Beersheba, Jacob 
 stopped over night at a place which he called Bethel, 
 from a vision he had there. It was before called Luz. 
 He visited the same place on his return from Haran. 
 xxviii. 19 ; xxxv. 1. It may be recollected that this 
 is mentioned in connection with Abraham, and called 
 Bethel, though at that time, it had not received this 
 name. The writer gives the modern name, and not 
 the ancient one, a not uncommon occurrence in the 
 Bible, as well as in other books. From Bethel Jacob 
 went on his journey, and came into " the country of 
 the people of the east." 
 
114 INTRODUCTIO.N. 
 
 The residence of Laban was evidently in a north- 
 east direction from Canaan, and hence it is regarded 
 as both north and east. xxix. 1. 
 
 204. As we are in search of places merely, and not 
 transactions, we will pass over the experience of 
 Jacob Avith Laban, and commence with his return from 
 that country ; which, as he moves slowly with his 
 family, his'flocks and herds, will naturally bring before 
 us a number of places. It is quite probable, too, that 
 he did not take the same route as when he came, since 
 he seems to have wished to evade pursuit. At all 
 events we first find him, on his return route, at Mt. 
 Gilead, where Laban after a seven days' journey, had 
 overtaken him. There, after some angry altercation, 
 they entered into a solemn compact, set up a pillar of 
 stones, as a memento thereof; and at length separated 
 for their respective destinations. Laban called the 
 place Jegar-sahadutha ; but Jacob called it Galeed, or 
 Gilead. He also named it Mizpah. xxxi. 47, 49. 
 
 205. The next place is caUed Mahanaim, on account 
 of a vision of angels he saw there. It may be added 
 here, that names given, like this, to celebrate some 
 passing event or circumstance, were not always per- 
 manent, though they sometimes appear to have been 
 so. Here it is said that Jacob sent messengers before 
 him to Esau, his brother, unto the land of Seir, the 
 country of Edom. It follows, then, that Seir or Edom 
 lay between him and Canaan. It will be recollected 
 tliat Mt. Seir is mentioned among the conquests of the 
 kings, whose visit to Sodom has before been spoken 
 of. This is very natural, for it lay right on their 
 route, xxxii. 2, 3 ; xiv. 6. Still farther along, Jacob 
 passed over the ford Jabbok, and near that place he 
 wrestled with the angel, and called the place Peniel or 
 Penuel. After the interview with Esau, Jacob jour- 
 neyed to Succoth. He then came to Shalem, in the 
 land of Canaan, and pitched his tent before the city, 
 and there erected an altar which he called El-elohe- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 115 
 
 Israel. From this place he goes again to Bethel, 
 where he had a vision on his way to Haran. From 
 Bethel he goes a little way to Ephrath, where his fa- 
 vorite wife Eachel is taken from him and where she is 
 buried. Ephrath is described as the same as Bethle- 
 hem. Jacob, or Israel, as he is now called, journeyed 
 and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Edar ; and 
 at last he came back to his father, now in Hebron, 
 though, wlien Jacob left, he was in Beersheba. xxxii. 
 31 ; xxxiii. 17, 18 ; xxxv. 19, 21, 27. 
 
 206. The flight of Jacob has given us an interest- 
 ing line of travel, from Syria, northeast of Canaan, 
 to the patriarchal home in Hebron. The places that 
 lie along this route, beginning at the north, are 
 Haran, in Syria, Mt. Gilead, Mt. Seir or Edom, the 
 ford Jabbok, Succoth, Shalem, Bethel, Ephrath or 
 Bethlehem, tower of Edar, and finally Mamre or 
 Hebron. Succoth and all the preceding places lay 
 beyond the line of Canaan; the others in that country. 
 That the route here spoken of was quite meandering, 
 is obvious. Jacob probably went out of his way to 
 visit his brother at Mt. Seir. He had to leave his 
 return route too, when he visited Bethel, though his 
 route to Syria was through that place. 
 
 207. GeraVj Kadesh^ Shur, Beersheba, Valley of Gerar. 
 The intercourse that the patriarchs held with the 
 Philistines, will help us to locate some of the places 
 mentioned in Genesis. Gerar was a city of the Phil- 
 istines, and the residence of the king. It was near to 
 Egypt and between Kadesh and Shur. Add to this, 
 that the wilderness in the way to Shur, is the place 
 where Hagar wandered when she left the home of 
 her mistress, the first time. And as Shur was near 
 Egypt, the wilderness must have been in that direc- 
 tion. Was not Hagar seeking her former home in 
 Egypt? xvi. 7; xxvi. 1. 
 
 The second time she left, with Ishmael, her son, she 
 was found in the wilderness of Beersheba. Was not 
 
116 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 this then in the same general direction ? What con- 
 firms this opinion, is, that when Isaac left the valley 
 of Gerar, he went up to Beersheba. When the people 
 of those days went to Egypt, or towards that country, 
 they went doivn. When they returned they went uj). 
 Going Irom Gerar iqj to Beersheba, locates the latter 
 place in the direction of Hebron from Gerar. Of 
 course Hagar might very naturally get lost in that 
 wilderness, on her way to Egypt, xxi. 14 ; xxvi. 23. 
 
 This Beersheba was an important place. Abram 
 planted a grove there and called on the name of the 
 Lord. He afterwards dwelt at Beersheba for a time. 
 There Abimelech, king of the Phihstines, made a cov- 
 enant with Abraliam, and afterwards with Isaac. In- 
 deed, it was called Beersheba or, icell of (lie oath, 
 because there a controversy concerning a well had 
 been settled, and a solemn covenant entered into 
 between the parties, xxi. 33 ; xxii. 19 ; xxvi. 33. At 
 a subsequent period Jacob visited Beersheba on his 
 way to Egypt, which is a very natural occurrence, as 
 that had been the residence of his father and grand- 
 father. The circumstance shows also that the place 
 was in the direction of Egypt as we had before con- 
 jectured, xlvi. 1. 
 
 208. Hebron, Shechem, Dothan, lit. GileacI, On, Go- 
 slien, Barneses. The history of Joseph w^ill help us 
 to locate some of the places alluded to in Genesis. 
 When Joseph had his dreams, his father Jacob resided 
 at the old paternal mansion in Hebron; and he sent 
 Joseph to inquire after his brothers at Shechem 
 where they were tending their flocks. It is obvious 
 then that Shechem was not far from Hebron. The 
 place was probably named after Shechem, son of 
 Hamor, who is mentioned in another place, xxxvii. 
 13, 14; xxxiii. 19. 
 
 Joseph does not find his brethren at Shechem, and 
 on inquiring he proceeds to Dothan. And here the 
 plot of taking his life was formed, which resulted in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 117 
 
 selling him as a slave to the Midianites, or what is the 
 same, the Ishmaelites, who were on their way from 
 Mt. Gilead to Egypt, carrying thither balm, spicery 
 and myrrh, xxxvii. 17, 25. 
 
 All this confirms our previous location of places. 
 There seems to have been a well known route from 
 Egypt to Syria, and so on to Chaldea. Along this 
 route lay Grilead, Succoth and sundry other places 
 before mentioned. The route passed near enough to 
 Pothan to attract the attention of the sons of Jacob, 
 as the merchantmen passed with their camels. In 
 connection with Egypt, mention is made of On, of 
 which place Potipherah was priest — of Goshen where 
 the sons of Jacob resided — of Rameses, which seems 
 only to be another name for Goshen, xli. 45 ; xlv. 10; 
 xlvii. 11. 
 
 209. BinJiahah, Bosrah, Temani, Avith, 3Iasrekah, 
 Rehohoth, Fan. All these places were in Edom, the 
 residence of Esau, the location of which has before 
 been noticed, xxxvi. 32-39. 
 
 210. HavilaJi, Shur, Mesha, Sephar, JeJiovali-jireh, 
 Chezib, Timnath, Shiloh. These places we will notice 
 without any particular stand-point of observation. 
 The Ishmaelites are said to have their residence from 
 Havilah to Shur. The latter place being near to 
 Egypt, Havilah must have been in the other direction, 
 on the Assyrian route, and a considerable way off, as 
 the Ishmaelites were a numerous tribe. Mesha and 
 Sephar are mentioned in defining the residence of 
 the children of Jokshan, one of the descendants of 
 Shem. Where they were, we cannot say, except that 
 they are said to be in the east. Jehovah-jireh is the 
 place where Isaac was taken for sacrifice. Chezib 
 was the birthplace of Shelah, one of the sons of 
 Judah, and Timnath is where Judah went to shear his 
 sheep. Shiloh, we understand is a place in Canaan, 
 and not as commonly regarded, a name of the prom- 
 ised Messiah, xxv. 18; x. 30 ; xxii. 14; xxxviii. 5, 
 12 ; xlix. 10. 
 
118 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SECTION VIII. — National Designations. 
 
 211. It seems proper to note the national design-a- 
 tions, in connection with the Geography of Pales- 
 tine. 
 
 Canaanites. These were the descendants of Canaan, 
 son of Ham, son of Noah. And as most of the people 
 of Palestine were the children of Canaan, therefore, 
 that land was called after his name. The term Ca- 
 naanite is sometimes used in a more restricted sense, 
 and denotes the people of a city or district, x. 15 ; 
 XV. 21. The following tribes are expressly said to be 
 descended from Canaan, viz., Jebusite, Amorite, Gir- 
 gasite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvadite, Zemarite, Ham- 
 athite. Hetli^ too, was a son of Canaan, and his tribe 
 is called Hittites. x. 15-18. 
 
 The Rephaims, Zuzims, Emims, Horites, Amalekites 
 and Amorites are mentioned as being conquered in 
 the war of the kings, xiv. 4-7. So we have the 
 Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Perizzites, in addi- 
 tion to the above, as the people of Canaan, xv. 19, 
 20. The surrounding nations are sometimes referred 
 to. Hence we read of the Chaldees, Syrians, Egyp- 
 tians. So we have the Edomites or Horites, and Ish- 
 maelites. 
 
 212. Some of these names have a derivation that is 
 obvious, and some have not. The Hittites from Heth, 
 were probably at first called Hethites, which was 
 shortened into Hittites. Horites may have taken 
 their name from Hori, son of Lotan, son of Seir. 
 xxxvi. 22. Amalekites from Amalek, grandson of 
 Esau, xxxvi. 16. Another grandson, Kenaz, may 
 have originated the Kenizzites. xxxvi. 15. Edom- 
 ites were called so from Edom, one of the names of 
 Esau ; and Ishmaelites from Ishmael ; and Canaanites 
 from Canaan. AduUamite is twice mentioned, xxxviii. 
 1, 12. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 119 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 CHRONOLOGY. 
 
 Contents: — I>ates from the Creation to the Deluge ; Dates from 
 the Deluge to Abraham ; Dates from Abraham to the death of 
 Joseph ; Remarks. 
 
 213. Chronology treats of the dates of important 
 events. In the present chapter we shall, of course, 
 speak of only such events as are recorded in the book 
 of Genesis. Three important periods are compre- 
 hended in the book. The first of these is from the 
 Creation to the Flood ; the second, from the Flood to 
 the patriarch Abraham ; and the last extends from 
 Abraham to the death of Joseph. We subjoin a chro- 
 nological table, having reference to each of these 
 periods. 
 
 SECTION I.— First Period. 
 
 214. 
 
 From 
 
 Adam to Seth, was 
 
 130 
 
 years. 
 
 Gen, 
 
 . V. 3. 
 
 
 Seth to Enos, 
 
 105 
 
 (( 
 
 n 
 
 V. 6. 
 
 
 Enos to Cainan, 
 
 90 
 
 « 
 
 <( 
 
 V. 9. 
 
 
 Cainan to Mahalaleel, 
 
 70 
 
 (( 
 
 (C 
 
 V. 12. 
 
 
 Mahalaleel to Jared, 
 
 65 
 
 (( 
 
 a 
 
 V. 15. 
 
 
 Jared to Enoch, 
 
 162 
 
 « 
 
 (< 
 
 V. 18. 
 
 
 Enoch to Methusaleh, 
 
 65 
 
 (( 
 
 <( 
 
 V. 21. 
 
 
 Methusaleh to T;amech, 
 
 187 
 
 « 
 
 (( 
 
 V. 25. 
 
 
 Lamech to Noah, 
 
 182 
 
 tt 
 
 a 
 
 V. 28. 
 
 
 Noah to Shem, 
 
 500 
 
 it 
 
 11 
 
 V. 32. 
 
 
 Shem to Flood, 
 
 100 
 
 it 
 
 « 
 
 vii. 6. 
 
 Total from Adam to the Flood, 1656 
 
 215. Remarks. The Septuagint adds one hundre'd 
 years to each of the patriarchs, Adam, Seth, Enos, 
 Cainan, Mahalaleel and Enoch, before the birth of their 
 sons, while it takes twenty from the age of Methusa- 
 leh and adds six to that of Lamech. This of course 
 lengthens out the time that must have intervened 
 between the Creation and the Deluge, and makes it to 
 have been 2242 years, instead of 1656, as we have 
 
120 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 given it. All tlie copies of the Septiiagint are not, 
 however, precisely alike ; the Vatican liaving 2242, 
 as given above, and the Alexandrine 2262. So too, 
 the Hebrew Samaritan text differs from the Jewish 
 and makes the period only 1307. 
 
 SECTION II.— Second Period. 
 
 216. From the Flood to Arphaxad, 2 years. Gen. xi. 10. 
 
 <' Arphaxad to Salah, So'" " xi. 12. 
 
 « Salah to Eber, 30 " " xi. 14. 
 
 « Eber to Peleg, 34 " " xi. 16. 
 
 " Peleg to Rue, 30 " " xi. 18. 
 
 « Rue to Serug, 32 " " xi. 20. 
 
 « Serug to Nahor, 30 " " xi. 22. 
 
 « Nahor «o Terah, 29 " " xi. 24. 
 
 " Terah to Abram, 70 " " xi. 26. 
 
 Total from the Flood to Abram, 292 " 
 
 217. Bemarhs. Instead of this reckoning the Sa- 
 maritan copy makes this period to have been 942 
 years; the Vatican 1172; the Alexandrine 1072, and 
 Josephus 1002. The mode of reckoning made use of 
 by the ancient Hebrews was such as would very easily 
 lead to mistakes in copying; for they made use of 
 letters instead of figures, and some of these letters 
 60 nearly resembled each otha.r, that one would often 
 be mistaken for another, and would be so written 
 down by the copyist. This would of course, change 
 the reckoning. Hence, when the ancient translations 
 are found to differ from our Hebrew copy of the Bible, 
 the fact is best accounted for, perhaps, by supposing 
 that the Hebrew Bible they translated from was differ- 
 ent from ours, the difference having originated in the 
 manner here indicated. Still some variations may 
 have arisen since the translation was made. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 121 
 
 SECTION III.— Third Period. 
 
 218. From Abram to Isaac, 
 " Isaac to Jacob, 
 
 100 years. 
 60 « 
 
 Gen. xxi. 5. 
 " XXV. 26. 
 " xli.46,47. 
 ' " xlv. 6. 
 ' " xlvii.9. 
 " 1. 26. 
 
 " Jacob to Joseph, probably, 91 
 
 " Joseph to his death, 110 
 
 Total from Abram to the death of Joseph, 361 
 Total from Creation to death of Joseph, 2309 
 
 SECTION IV. — Dates of the Principal Events of the 
 Last Period. 
 
 219. Abram left Haran for Canaan, aged 
 Age of Abram, when Ishmael was born, 
 Age of Abram, when Isaac was born. 
 Age of Ishmael, when circumcised. 
 Age of Abraham, when circumcised, 
 Age of Sarah, when Isaac was born, 
 When Sarah died, she was 
 When Abraham died, he was 
 When Ishmael died, he was 
 Isaac, when married, was 
 When Jacob was born, Isaac was 
 When Esau was married, he was 
 When Isaac died, he was 
 Joseph, when promoted in Egypt, was 
 When Jacob went to Egypt, he was 
 When Jacob died, he was 
 When Joseph died, he was 
 
 6 
 
 1 75 years. 
 
 86 
 
 " 
 
 100 
 
 a 
 
 13 
 
 " 
 
 99 
 
 <( 
 
 90 
 
 « 
 
 127 
 
 « 
 
 175 
 
 .< 
 
 137 
 
 « 
 
 40 
 
 « 
 
 60 
 
 (< 
 
 40 
 
 (( 
 
 180 
 
 « 
 
 30 
 
 « 
 
 130 
 
 l( 
 
 147 
 
 (t 
 
 110 
 
 (I 
 
 Gen. xii. 4. 
 
 " xvi. 16. 
 
 " xxi. 5. 
 
 " xvii. 25 . 
 
 " xvii. 24* 
 
 " xvii. 17. 
 
 " xxiii. 1. 
 
 " XXV. 7. 
 
 " XXV. 17. 
 
 " XXV. 20. 
 
 " XXV. 26. 
 
 " xxvi. 34. 
 
 " XXXV. 28. 
 
 « xli. 46. 
 
 " xlvii-9. 
 
 " xlvii. 28. 
 
 " L26. 
 
PART 11. 
 PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 Contents : — Preliminary Topics ; The World not Eternal ; Crea- 
 tion by Natural Causes, considered ; Necessity of a Creator. 
 
 Gen. i. 1. In the beginning God | created the Heaven and the Earth. 
 
 220. The subject for this chapter, is the Existence of 
 God, as proved by the creation of the world ; and this 
 seems a fit subject with which to introduce the Philosophy 
 and Theology of the book of Genesis ; as it lies at the 
 basis of all true Philosophy, and is essential to the exist- 
 ence of all Theological science, and is the first thing an- 
 nounced in the " Book of books. '^ 
 
 SECTION I. — Preliminary Topics. 
 
 221. (1.) When was the creative work performed? 
 Assuming, what we shall hereafter prove, that God created 
 the world, it is worthy of inquiry when the work was 
 done. " In the beginning," is the only answer given in 
 the record ; and though this expression is quite indefinite, 
 the subject did not require it to be otherwise. If any lim- 
 itations or qualifications are required, they may be derived 
 from what follows. The six days or periods of creation, 
 are the "beginning" referred to. The condition of mat- 
 ter farther back than the six days, is not touched upon by 
 the writer of this book. We may speculate upon that 
 
124 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 subject, but we can decide nothing by divine authority. 
 As to the time that has intervened between the creation 
 and the present, dating from the creation of man, there 
 are no facts with which we are acquainted, that can be 
 urged as reliable proofs of a longer period than the one 
 given in the Bible, which is understood to be about six 
 thousand years. There is no evidence that men have 
 lived on the earth longer than that period. Animals and 
 plants have existed much longer, as is proven by their 
 fossil remains, found imbedded in the solid rocks that 
 compose the earth's crust — rocks that must have required 
 ages to form. But no human fossil has ever been found 
 in any situation indicating a longer period than we have 
 supposed. We adhere to the Bible account, and must be 
 excused for adopting no other, till we find something 
 better sustained. We believe this account may be safely 
 adhered to. We know of no facts that conflict with it. 
 AVe believe there are none. True, apparent conflicts do 
 exist ; but a careful examination shows them to be only 
 apparent. 
 
 222. It is well known, for example, that the Chinese 
 and Hindoos have laid claim to a greater antiquity than 
 is revealed in the Bible. So have the Egyptians. But 
 those who are best qualified to judge of these pretensions, 
 assure us that they are entirely unfounded. 
 
 223. (2.) What are we to understand by the phrase 
 " heaven and earth." We understand the common idea 
 to be, that this phrase was intended to include the whole 
 universe, and that all material things were produced at 
 the same time. The earth, sun, moon and stars, are men- 
 tioned, and must of course be included in the phrase. 
 But we need not take in more than our solar system to 
 justify this language. Less than this, will not answer 
 the description ; more than this, is not required. There 
 is, besides, good natural reasons for extending the crea- 
 tive work to the whole of our system, as all parts are 
 essentially connected ; but we know of no natural reason 
 for a larger application. 
 
 224. It is true that the solar system may be essentially 
 connected with other systems, and may be a necessary 
 part of the great universe. We believe it is. But it may 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 125 
 
 have no office to perform that would require the present 
 order and arrangement of its several bodies. 
 
 If the power of attraction, for example, be universal, 
 the solar bodies may, by that law alone, be essential to 
 the stability and permanency of the whole universe. But 
 the strength of this power is not lessened or increased by 
 placing these bodies in the order, and subjecting them 
 to the motions, that now belong to them. The same 
 power belongs to the mass of matter that makes up the 
 system ; whether it exists in one body or in thirty ; 
 whether it be permanent and stationary, or arranged into 
 moving forms. 
 
 225. Here I wish to suggest an idea, to be thought of 
 in connection with the creation of this world out of nothing. 
 All matter has the power of attraction. There was a time, 
 when, according to the popular theory, the matter that 
 makes up this world, did not exist. What then must 
 have been the effect upon the rest of the universe, 
 of creating this world, and investing it with such tre- 
 mendous power ? Would it not have disturbed the 
 balance of the other worlds and systems, and sent dis- 
 order and destruction throughout the whole range of 
 creation ? Nothing can be plainer than this ; and hence 
 it is well to suppose all worlds to be created at one and 
 the same moment ; for no other view can be reconciled 
 with the theory of creation from nothing. So one error 
 requires another, to sustain the harmony of the theory. 
 
 226. (3.) What was the condition of the planets be- 
 fore they assumed their present form ? allowing that they 
 existed before, which we assume to be not unphilosoph- 
 ical. We do not ask this question, because it is practi- 
 cally important ; but because it maybe made to teach us 
 a lesson that is practically important. 
 
 We are not satisfied to trace the unformed earth back 
 to the sun, or to any other source. There is a tendency 
 to push our inquiries still farther. Here, however, we 
 have no certain guide. On questions of this nature we 
 can only conjecture. It is not unreasonable, to suppose 
 that other worlds and systems may have been constituted 
 of the same materials, before they were worked into the 
 forms in which we now find them. We can hardly sup- 
 
126 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 pose that what admitted of being brought into forms, so 
 wisely and benevolently fitted to promote the happiness 
 of sentient crea-tures, should not be called into requisition, 
 for this purpose, during the whole of past eternity. 
 Still, if we go back of the present system, through thou- 
 sands of anterior systems, each having a life of ages, we 
 must at last come to the first ; and back of that, will lie 
 an eternity of unoccupied duration. This is a difficulty 
 we cannot avoid ; and if we suppose our system the first, 
 and an unoccupied eternity beyond it, we have only the 
 same difficulty; and to choose between two theories, 
 when the objections to each are equally balanced, is an 
 impossibility, and therefore we shall not attempt a choice. 
 The only wisdom (and this is the practical lesson I wish 
 to enforce) is, to restrain our inquiries when we can find 
 no firm ground on which to stand — when we have no 
 light of Philosophy or Revelation to guide us. 
 
 227. (4.) It maybe well to contemplate the original 
 creation, with reference to the mode by which the divine 
 power was applied to the creative work. 
 
 We are apt I fear, to entertain ideas of this subject 
 that make the Creator too much like one of us. We are 
 apt to imagine that he had an immense physical form, and 
 stood over the huge mass of materials, out of which the 
 world was to be made, and by some mysterious power, 
 unlike any thing that has ever been exhibited since, 
 operated upon those materials, and brought them into 
 their present form of order and beauty. 
 
 It is natural that some such ideas should be entertained, 
 as assimilate the Deity to the form and processes of 
 humanity ; and much of the stjde and phraseology of the 
 Bible, is accommodated to this tendency. Still we must 
 guard against ideas that are too gross and unrefined. We 
 must not forget that God is a spirit, and has a mode of 
 operation peculiar to himself. He acts upon matter 
 through the power of his spirit, and not as one ph^-sical 
 body acts upon another. The Divine Being, as we under- 
 stand the subject, was then no more obvious to human 
 perception than he is now. He was no more directly 
 active upon the vast bodies of matter that compose the 
 solar system, than he is at this moment. When he said, 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 127 
 
 " Let there be light," " Let there be a firmament," "Let 
 us malie man," he uttered no audible voice that he does 
 not now utter, in all the processes of the ever active 
 universe. If one of us, with the physical organs we now 
 possess, had been placed above the huge and chaotic 
 masses that were to form our beautiful world, and had 
 been permitted to look down upon the progressive work, 
 we should have seen no more of God — we should have 
 heard his voice no more than we do now. True, the 
 all-pervading spirit would have been there — the power 
 of the Almighty would have been felt upon the changing 
 masses, as they assumed continually more of order, form 
 and arrangement ; but it would have been a presence and 
 power that are felt now, as well as then — a presence and 
 power, felt by all other worlds, as much as by the one 
 that was to be our own. 
 
 228, We regard the Deity as in some sense inherent 
 in matter. He pervades it in every part. He is as pre- 
 sent in the molecules that are inconceivably diminutive, 
 as in the huge mass that forms the centre of our world. 
 He is as present now, as he was at the morning of time ; 
 he will be as present, in every part, through all the 
 cycles of the future, as he is now. Indeed, if we look 
 at the subject with clear philosophic vision, we shall dis- 
 cover that most of what are called the attributes of mat- 
 ter, are really the attributes of the Deity that dwells in 
 and pervades all parts of the material creation. Here I 
 propose to correct the notions of some men who are 
 called Philosophers. They tell us that the central sun 
 once sent forth the earth, and other planets, to their pres- 
 ent positions, by a power or force inherent in itself. 
 Was not this power the power of God, and not of mat- 
 ter ? They tell us that the earth and other planets are 
 carried round the sun by the combined action of two 
 forces, acting in different directions. This is making a 
 matter complicated that is itself simple. This thing is 
 not done by two forces, but by one ; and that is the 
 power of God ; and this is proved by the intelligence 
 that always accompanies its exercise. 
 
 In a word, matter has no power of its own. It cannot 
 cohere, nor separate ; it cannot move in a straight line, 
 
128 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 nor in a curve ; it cannot change its position in one way, 
 nor another ; it cannot arrange itself in order, nor in dis- 
 order : in fine, it cannot do any of the things that are 
 usually ascribed to it. The power of the universe is the 
 power of God, as much as the intelligence of the uni- 
 verse is the intelligence of God ; for both these attri- 
 butes are forever conjoined, and cannot be separated ; 
 and it is not good reasoning to refer one of them to the 
 Deity and the other to Nature. " All power is of God." 
 We are accustomed to speak of the " laws of 
 nature ;" and the phrase is not objectionable, if it does 
 not mislead us. It may help us to illustrate the truths 
 of natural science ; but sound Philosophy knows of 
 no such laws. The sovereign will, accompanied by an 
 almighty power, and guided by wisdom and benevolence, 
 is the true and only law. All forms of speech that do 
 not imply this, or are not based on this idea, are fal- 
 lacious and untrue. In theology they have done un- 
 speakable mischief. The tendency of men to shut out a 
 Deity from the universe, and to put Nature in the place 
 of Nature's God, should be firmly withstood by all who 
 would maintain a sound Philosophy or a consistent The- 
 ology ; and especially by all who would keep unimpaired 
 the substantial principles of morality and religion. 
 
 229. We have already yielded too much to the en- 
 croachments of infidel Philosophy. We have taken 
 from God a portion of his divine power, and given it to 
 Nature. We have allowed Nature to make her own 
 laws ; and many of us do not presume to think that the 
 Deity is consulted in the matter. The revolutions of the 
 planets, the changing of the seasons, the alternation of 
 light and darkness, the growth of vegetation, the pro- 
 duction of sunshine and showers, the support of animal 
 life; — these, and many other things, have been handed 
 over to Nature ; and many good men, and Christians too, 
 are ready to admit that the God they worship and whcjm 
 they call Supreme, has no immediate or direct agency in 
 any of them. Some even seem to regard it as a fine 
 achievement of theological science, an indication of a 
 high degree of divine knowledge, that they are able to 
 elevate the Deity above many of the inferior operations 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 129 
 
 of the universe. The sparrows used to fall to the ground 
 by our heavenly Father ; at present, this trifling affair is 
 attended to by the laws of Nature. 
 
 We have only to say that we have no sympathy with 
 this idea. It is not good Philosophy, it is still worse 
 Theology. It lessens the sanctions of moral duty. It 
 turns our thoughts away from God, and makes us wor- 
 ship the creature more than the Creator. The tendenc3^ 
 of the theory is atheistic, unchristian and immoral. 
 
 230. We are not unaware of the fact that the theory 
 is assumed by some, as enabling them the better to vin- 
 dicate the divine character, by removing from the Deity 
 the responsibility of certain evils that exist in the world; 
 but the theory does not reach the object. It rather in- 
 creases the difficulty ; for while it makes him no less 
 really the author of these evils, it attaches to him the 
 disgrace of seeking to hide himself behind the laws of 
 Nature, while the work is being done. 
 
 SECTION II. — The World not Eternal. 
 
 231. That matter is eternal, we may reasonably 
 assume, as the author of the language placed at the 
 head of this chapter, puts forth no opposing sentiment. 
 The word create does not imply the prod action of the 
 world from nothing, as we have shown in our criticism 
 on that term, (pp. 56, 57.) But the question has some- 
 times been asked, whether it is not as reasonable to sup- 
 pose that the world alw-ays existed, in an organized 
 system, as to maintain the eternal existence of inalfer in 
 any other form. If we admit the self-existence of any 
 thing, may we not as well admit the self-existence of the 
 world, as the self-existence of the materials out of which 
 the world was made ? We answer. No ; and we offer 
 our reasons for this decision : — A world of order and 
 beauty, such as ours — an organized system, in which all 
 the parts are wisely adjusted and benevolently fitted to 
 administer to the wants of living creatures — contains 
 the plainest indications of having been thus organized 
 and arranged by an intelligent Creator. No piece of 
 human mechanism contains clearer proofs of the work- 
 ings of genius and skill, than the world in which we 
 
 6* 
 
130 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 live. And as no one would tliink of accounting for the 
 one of these things, witliout an intelligent aij.thor ; so no 
 one can suppose this of the other. N(.t so with unorgan- 
 ized matter. It shows no design. It indicates no pre- 
 vious intelligence. It has no mechanical structure ; no 
 systematic organization. That it may have existed for- 
 ever, therefore, is not an unwarrantable supposition. 
 
 232. When we look upon a beautiful temple, we know 
 it has been made by human hands and human genius ; 
 ior such structures are never produced in any other way. 
 No one doubts the correctness of our conclusion. When 
 we look upon the trees of the forest, or the stones in the 
 quarry, of which temples are constructed, we do not 
 come to any such conclusion. We know that human 
 lumds and human skill are not necessary for the produc- 
 tion of these things. We might not at first conclude 
 that they had any maker at all. On a closer examina- 
 tion, however, we discover that the trees and stones, too, 
 show evidence of design. They are composed of parts, 
 nicely arranged, and must therefore have been made. 
 Could we, however, go back to that condition of matter 
 where no arrangement, or order, or system, could be per- 
 ceived, the necessity of admitting a Creator would then 
 cease. All organization must have an intelligent author ; 
 but back of all organization, no intelligent author need 
 be supposed. 
 
 233. Again ; another question, leading to the same 
 result with the one we have just discussed, is the follow- 
 ing : — Since, after admitting the creation of the world, 
 we are compelled to admit an eternal Creator, does not 
 this involve the same difficulty as to admit the world 
 itself eternal : and if it does involve the same difficulty, 
 why not as well adopt the one theory as the other ? We 
 answer that the two theories do not involve the same dif- 
 ficulties. That the world was made, we know from its 
 mechanical arrangements and wise adaptations. It is 
 strictly a machine, and must have been made by a wise 
 mechanic. Not so, God. He does not consist of "body 
 or parts." AVe cannot examine his structure, as we can 
 that of the human body, or the solar system, or any other 
 of his works ; and we cannot of course detect in him the 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 131 
 
 same indications of design, as we see in the system of 
 nature. The two things are quite unlike. Our conclu- 
 sions must correspond ; — the world was made ; God was 
 not made. 
 
 SECTION III.— Creation by Natural Causes. 
 
 234. Some Philosophers admit the fact of a creation, 
 but they seek to account for it on natural principles, 
 without the agency of a God. The solar system, for ex- 
 ample, came into its present form, and assumed all of 
 the beauty and harmony that belong to it, by the opera- 
 tion of natural laws that are inherent in matter itself. 
 
 According to one theory, advocated by these men, the 
 solar bodies — the sun and all the planets — were origi- 
 nally but one body in a highly heated state. This im- 
 mense mass of heated matter, was subject, as it naturally 
 would be, to violent explosions, of which earthquakes on 
 our globe are but miniature representations. By this 
 explosive power, the planets were thrown off from the 
 central mass, to the positions they now occupy ; and some 
 of these planets, in imitation of their illustrious parent, 
 ejected smaller bodies that now constitute their moons. 
 Thus all the great masses of the solar system w^ere loca- 
 ted. Add to this, that these bodies, turning on their 
 axes, would naturally become round, or as nearly so as 
 they are found to be. This was the commencement of the 
 system ; and as this was affected by natural laws, so all 
 else that occurred then, or has occurred since, is, in hke 
 manner, brought about by principles inherent in nature. 
 235. There are some things that are favorable to this 
 theory; and, associated with the doctrine of an all- 
 pervading Deity, it may be admitted as the true inter- 
 pretation of the origin of the world ; but of itself, it does 
 not account for all the facts of creation, and never can 
 account for them. The sun is apparently, perhaps really, 
 a highlv heated body. As such it may have been, and 
 majMioW be, explosive in its tendency. The other planets 
 may have been the same. There are many geological 
 facts which prove that the earth was originally so ; and 
 analogy would lead us to infer this of the other planets. 
 
132 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 The idea, therefore, that the planets may have been ejected 
 from the sun, and that the secondary planets may, in like 
 manner, and by the same cause, have been thrown out 
 from the primaries, is not unphilosophical. 
 
 236. Another thing may be urged in favor of the 
 theory. The sun is known to turn upon its centre. If, 
 therefore, the planets were thrown from it, the tendency 
 would be, to throw them all in one general direction, that 
 is, in the direction of its central motion. Hence, when 
 all the planets are found to occupy the position here in- 
 dicated, the fact affords confirmation to the theory. 
 
 Again ; that the planets should be of diflerent sizes, and 
 be thrown to different distances, is what we might ex- 
 pect, and is what we all know to be true. 
 
 So far the work seems natural. It could all be done 
 by forces now in existence. Farther than this. The sun 
 and other bodies, turning as we know they do, on their 
 axes, would, by a natural law, become round ; not mdeed 
 exactly round, but as nearly so as they really are. This 
 part of the work, too, is a natural process. 
 
 237. We will look now at some of the objections to 
 the theory — objections to it, as disconnected from the 
 idea of a Creator. 
 
 First, How did the planets, when thrown to the posi- 
 tion in which we find them, happen to remain there '/ If 
 a law of nature ejected them, why did not another law of 
 nature bring them back again ? We know there is such 
 a law. When any body is thrown up from the earth, it 
 comes back to the earth again ; and philosophers tell us 
 that this law is universal. How then did the law come 
 to be evaded, when the planets were thrown off from the 
 central body ? This matter has not been explained. 
 The theory recognizes one law of nature, and makes use of 
 it to eject the planets, and send them off to their proper 
 places ; but, to keep them there, it is obliged to ignore 
 another law, whose existence is no less certain. 
 
 238. Again ; when the planets were thrown out into 
 space, they not only did not return as we should expect 
 them to do ; but they commenced a motion that we 
 should not expect. They began a revolution round 
 the sun. What was the cause of this? What natural 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 133 
 
 law originated the annual revolution of the plan- 
 ets? 
 
 239. Philosophers tell us that the planets move round 
 the sun by the action of two forces ; one of which draws 
 them toward the sun, and is therefore called the centripe- 
 tal force ; the other acts in a different direction, and tends 
 to carry them away from the sun, and is therefore named 
 the centrifugal force. Acted upon by these forces, they 
 neither go to the sun, nor /rom it, but round it. One of 
 these forces may be called natural — it is the power of 
 attraction — the centripetal force ; but nature does not 
 supply the other ; and we cannot account for its existence 
 on any known principle. But suppose we could. How 
 did these forces happen to be so exactly balanced, that 
 the planets, vast as they are, and immense as are the 
 distances they travel, do not vary a hair's breadth from 
 the same track, year after year, and age after age ? Nor 
 this only ; they come round, with each revolution, to the 
 place of setting out, at precisely the same moment of 
 time ! 
 
 240. To appreciate the force of this reasoning, let us 
 look at the subject a little more closely. The power with 
 which the sun attracts the earth, (also the other planets,) 
 is said to depend on two conditions. One is, the amount 
 of matter in the attracting bodies ; and the other is, the 
 distance between them. This increases the difficulty of 
 accounting for the revolution of the planets upon the 
 natural theory. The earth for instance, is moved along 
 in space by a certain force. Acted upon by this force 
 alone, it would go forward in a straight line, till it passed 
 entirely out of the system and disappeared in the far off 
 regions of space. This not being the thing required, 
 another force is instituted, that draws the earth toward 
 the sun. Obeying neither force alone, it yields partly to 
 both, and turns into a circular or eliptical path around the 
 central body. The question then presents itself ; — How 
 did the sun happen to possess precisely that amount of mat- 
 ter, no more nor less, that would exert upon the earth the 
 requisite attraction ? If the sun had been larger than it 
 is, its attraction upon the earth would have been too 
 great ; and the earth, 3'ielding to it, would have been 
 
134 EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 drawn into the central body. On the other hand, had 
 the sun been smaller than it is, the attraction, being less, 
 would have been too little ; and the earth would have 
 passed away, and been lost from the system. The same 
 unhappy consequence would have followed, if the ear^th 
 had been larger or smaller than it is. 
 
 241. Nor this only. The distance of these bodies from 
 each other, is an important consideration. The amount 
 of their attraction is determined as much by this, as by 
 their size. How then did they happen to be just so far 
 apart, as to ensure the requisite power, no more nor less? 
 If they were farther separated, their attraction would be 
 less, and would of course be too small — if they were not 
 so far apart, the attraction would be greater, and of course 
 would be too great. Now we say, it was a marvellous 
 chance that adjusted their sizes and distances, with such 
 exact precision, and did that, not only with reference to 
 one planet, but with reference to a large number of 
 bodies. 
 
 242. The wonder is increased by one other circum- 
 stance. Not only must the size and distances of the 
 planets, be accurately determined, as they stand related 
 to the sun ; but a no less important adjustment is neces- 
 sary as they stand related to each other ; for they all at- 
 tract each other, and in accordance with the same law of 
 size and distance. What adds to the difficulty still more, 
 is, that their relative distances are perpetually changing, 
 as they move in different orbits, and with various veloci- 
 ties, around the central sun. 
 
 243. Another thing may be added that possesses some 
 importance. It is the motion of the planets on their 
 axes. Every planet turns on its centre, and presents its 
 sides alternately to the central luminary. To throw the 
 planet out from the sun, may be the action of a natural 
 law ; but to set it rolling on its centre, so as to warm and 
 enlighten its several sides, required another power, and 
 one "that nature does not seem to supply. The theory of 
 creation, without a Deity, fails to explain this difficulty. 
 
 244. The formation of the solar system has been ex- 
 plained differently by another class of theorists, alike 
 disposed to shut out the agency of the divine spirit. 
 
EXISTENCE OF GOD. 135 
 
 Their theory is this : — Originally all the matter that 
 makes up the solar system, existed in a vapory or 
 gaseous state, and was widely difiused throughout the 
 regions of space. In process of time, this widely dif- 
 fused substance began to consolidate at several different 
 points, each point forming a nucleus around which the 
 adjacent matter continued to collect, till a world, such as 
 ours, or such as any one of the other planets, was pro- 
 duced. Thus, by mere accident, (for without a God it 
 could be nothing else,) the planets were formed and 
 located. This being done by a natural law, the same 
 must be our conclusion, concerning other processes, 
 whether we can explain all the facts of the case, in 
 accordance with the theory, or not. 
 
 245. We reply that the theory leaves too many things 
 unexplained. It does not account for the commencement 
 of the creative work. It gives no reason for the begin- 
 ning of each world. It does not account for the size and 
 position of the heavenly bodies. Why did they happen 
 to be formed in the best possible places, and grow to the 
 best possible size ? And in what way, or by what cause, 
 did they commence the revolutions they perform, both on 
 their axes and round the sun ? These questions are not 
 answered, and cannot be, by any merely natural theory 
 that has ever been devised. We must seek an explana- 
 tion of these things from some other source. 
 
 SECTION IV. — Necessity of a Creator. 
 
 246. The solar system is a most wonderful contrivance 
 of the divine mind. The sun is the centre of the system. 
 It is a large body, and, according to the acknowledged 
 philosoph}^ of the subject, it exerts a controlling power 
 over the rest of the system. It could not have fulfilled 
 its evident purpose, if it had been of different size or 
 location. Without a Deity, it might have been different. 
 Chance might have made it larger or smaller ; it might 
 have made it give too much light or too little. So, too, 
 chance would have been quite as likely to place the sun 
 outside the circle of bodies, to be lighted and warmed by 
 it, as within that circle, where alone its work could be 
 
136 EXISTENCE OP GOD. 
 
 properly performed. Or, it would have been as likely to 
 have made a sun of some other body, the Earth, for in- 
 stance, or Venus, or Mars ; and who does not see, that, 
 in such a case, the operations of the system would liave 
 been very imperfectly performed, if performed at all 'i 
 
 247. Not only is the sun the only body that could per- 
 form its offices, and is located in the only proper place 
 for doing its work ; but the work is done, so to speak, in 
 the most economical and judicious manner. Observe ; 
 the sun does not travel round the planets to warm them 
 and give them light ; but it occupies a central and per- 
 manent position, and the planets, placed around it, are 
 turned over, and so alternately offer their several sides 
 to its light and heat. Could anything be more natural 
 and admirable than this arrangement ? The old doctrine 
 which taught that the earth was the centre of the s^^s- 
 tem, and that the sun and stars revolved around it, was 
 at once exploded, when the size and distance of the sun 
 were ascertained. Men reasoned thus : — It is not to be 
 supposed that an immense body, much larger than the 
 earth, and ninety-five millions of miles from it, should 
 make a circuit of such inconceivable extent, to accom- 
 plish an object that can be accomplished in a much bet- 
 ter way. The better way, the true economy, is, to turn 
 this little planet over every twenty-four hours, and thus 
 permit all parts to enjoy the blessings of the parent lumi- 
 nary. But the force of this reasoning, which facts show 
 to be conclusive, depends wholly on the idea that the 
 affairs of the system are wisely and judiciously con- 
 ducted. Reasoning upon the chance theory, the ancient 
 doctrine is as likely to be true as the modern. The true 
 plan was evidently chosen, because it was the best : and 
 this act of choosing, implies, of necessity, the existence 
 of an intelligent Creator, as choosing the best method, 
 shows his wisdom and goodness. 
 
 248. That God, in the beginning, did, therefore, cre- 
 ate the heavens and the earth, as the Bible says, seems 
 the most obvious and best sustained of all truths ; and 
 we are constrained to regard, as the most marvellous 
 thing, among the wonders of the world, the unbelief of 
 men, or even their doubts, in regard to this fact. Wo 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 13T 
 
 may be allowed to hope, then, that the arguments for a 
 creating . intelligence, that have been presented, more 
 especially the objections to opposing theories, may be 
 regarded as entirely conclusive, and may establish in the 
 mind, this soundest of philosophical truths, and most 
 practical of theological doctrines. 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 THE OKBATION CONSIDERED "WITH REFERENCE TO 
 THE FACTS OF GEOLOGY. 
 
 Contents : — Primitive Condition of the Earth j First Day of 
 Creation ; Second Day ; Third Day ; Fourth Day ; Fifth day ; 
 Sixth Day ; the Seventh Day. 
 
 SECTION I. — Primitive Condition of the Earth. 
 
 2. And the earth was "without 
 form , and void ; and darkness was 
 upon the face of the deep ; and the 
 
 Spirit of God moved upon the face 
 of the waters. 
 
 249. That the surface of the earth was originally water, 
 is conceded by all respectable Geologists. The strata of 
 rock, with vegetable and animal remains imbedded in 
 them, were evidently formed in water. And there can 
 be no doubt, that, what now constitute the highest moun- 
 tains on the globe, was once beneath the surface of the 
 ocean ; and that they have been lifted up to their present 
 position, by some power acting from below. There is 
 reason to believe that such upheavals and depressions 
 have occurred many times. Some of the witnesses 
 of what is here stated will be introduced. Professor 
 Jameson, of the University of Edinburgh, uses the follow- 
 ing language ; — "It is impossible to deny that the seas 
 have formerly, and for a long time, covered the masses 
 of earth that now constitute our highest mountains ; and 
 further, that these waters during a long time, did not sup- 
 port any living bodies.'' La Place, an infidel philoso- 
 pher, gives his testimony to the same point. He says ; 
 
138 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 '' There cannot be the least doubt, but that the sea cov- 
 ered a great part of our continents, on which it has left 
 incontestable proof of its existence." Buffon, too, main- 
 tains that the earth was once in a liquid state. De Luc 
 says : " It is unnecessary to stop to prove, that our con- 
 tinents have once formed the bed of the sea ; there is no 
 longer any diversion of opinion among naturalists upon 
 this point." Buckland says the same thing ; — '' All ob- 
 servers admit the strata were formed beneath the waters." 
 Professor Silliman, of Yale College saj^s ; — " The incum- 
 bent ocean is indispensable, equally so with the agency 
 of internal fires, to the correct deductions of the the- 
 oretical Geologists." See Bakewell's Geology, p. 562. 
 Turner's Sacred History, vol. I. p. 32. Buckland, vol. I. 
 p. 42. 
 
 250. It is an extraordinary coincidence, that many of 
 the pagan nations have had traditions, referring the 
 present order of things to original chaos. Such traditions 
 have been found among the Greeks and Komans, the 
 Phoenicians, the Scandinavians, the Bramins of India, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 SECTION IL— First Day of CreatioxX. 
 
 3. And God said. Let there be 
 light : and there Avas light. 
 
 4. And God saw the light, that 
 it was good: and God divided the 
 lisrht from the darkness. 
 
 5. And God called the light Day, 
 and the darkness he called Night: 
 and the evening and the morning 
 were the first day. 
 
 251 The statement that the Spirit of God moved upon 
 \\\Q face of the waters, shows that the writer is speaking 
 of the earth's surface. This was the place that was with- 
 out form and void ; and here the first effort of creative 
 power is put forth. AVe do not understand the expres- 
 sion, " Let there be light," as relating to the actual cre- 
 ation of light, but to its production in a particular locality. 
 " Let light be there, ^^ that is, on the face of the deep, or 
 at the earth's surface, would convey the true idea, as we 
 understand the subject. Till the time here referred to, 
 the earth was surrounded by a thick mist or vapor, rising 
 up many miles above its surface, and shutting out the 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 139 
 
 sun's rays. The removal of this vapor by the Divine 
 Spirit, or, if one prefers the expression, by a natural law, 
 would allow the light to shine down upon the earth's sur- 
 face, and drive away the surrounding darkness. The 
 whole was a natural process, as far as anything is natural ; 
 and it was, in a certain sense, supernatural, as all else, 
 in the same sense, now is. That this view of the subject 
 is correct, is proven, both by the language employed, and 
 by the philosophy of the subject. , , ^ . ^.^ 
 
 That darkness was upon the face of the deep, justifies 
 the inference that elsewhere it was not dark ; and that 
 the li^>-ht may have shined above, though not at the earth s 
 surface; and hence, ''Let there be light," must be ex- 
 plained with the limitation we have given the expression, 
 and which the connection seems to require 1 he other 
 clause, ''face of the waters,'^ where the Spirit of (rod 
 moved, confirms the view we have given, by confining to 
 that locality, this first effort of creative power. 
 
 Further than this ; — It is well understood, and acknowl- 
 edo-ed, by all who have investigated the subject, that 
 ori'^^inally the earth's temperature was much greater than 
 it is at present ; the result of which would be, the pro- 
 duction of the mist or vapor, and consequent darkness, 
 implied in our interpretation ; and the removal or diminu- 
 tion of that, would let the light be where it had before been 
 excluded. 
 
 252. The separation of light and darkness is easily 
 explained. The light, coming from any fixed point, on 
 one side of the earth, would produce darkness on the 
 other side; and thus a separation would take place. 
 " Evening and morning" are occasioned by an alternation 
 of light and darkness; and the revolution of the globe 
 on its axis, would produce this result. And it may be 
 added, that the mention of evening and morning implies 
 such a revolution; and we know, moreover, that such a 
 motion would have a tendency to bring our world into 
 its present globular, or nearly globular form, in accord- 
 ance with laws of matter now well understood. 
 
 If the views we have given of light be objected to, on 
 the ground that the sun was not created till the fourth 
 day, we simply ask that this objection be permitted to lie 
 
140 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 over till we come to that place in the record, when we 
 trust we may be able to give to it a satisfactory answer. 
 For the present we wish it assumed, that the sun did exist 
 on the first day, and gave light then, as it gave light 
 afterwards. 
 
 253. We will add here, as relating to the subject of 
 this section, that many pagan nations have traditions that 
 are in harmony with the Mosaic record. These traditions 
 doubtless had their origin with the ancient Hebrews. 
 Ellis, in his Polynesian Researches, says of the Otaheitaus, 
 that they "refer the first existence of their principal 
 deities, to the state of darkness, which they make I he 
 origin of all things. These are said to be " fanau Fo," 
 born of Night. ** Po, the world of darkness." The 
 Anglo Saxons began their computation of time from dark- 
 ness ; and the beginning of their year they call '* Mother 
 Night." Aristotle says of the Greeks ; — "The th(;ologians 
 say, all things are born frcm night, the philosophers, 
 that all things were mingled together." Were not both 
 substantially correct, in these particulars ? x\ccording to 
 Ovid, the same opinion existed with the Romans : and 
 Plutarch and Diodoros Siculns assert the same thing of 
 the Eg3^ptians. See Turner's Sacred History, vol. 1. p. 
 22, 28. 
 
 SECTION in. — Second Day of Creation. 
 
 6. IT AikI God said. Let there be a 
 firmament in the midst of the wa- 
 ters, and let it divide the waters 
 from the waters. 
 
 7. And God made the firmament, 
 and divided the waters which were 
 
 under tlie firmament from the wa- 
 ters which were above the firma- 
 ment : and it was so. 
 
 8. And God called tlie firmament 
 Heaven. And the evening: and the 
 morning were the second day. 
 
 254. The proper distribution of light and heat about 
 the surface of the earth, as well as the separation of the 
 waters, by evaporation, and sundry other purposes, re- 
 quired a firmament or atmosphere. The constituents of 
 the atmosphere, already existed in the waters, and needed 
 only to be evolved and compounded in the requisite pro- 
 portion. Tliis was done, like all the rest, by the Spirit of 
 God, that brooded over the great deep. And it is worthy 
 to be particularly noticed, that this part of the creative 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 141 
 
 work was done at the only proper time for doing it. The 
 light that now sliined down upon the earth, required the 
 agency of the atmosphere. The evaporation of water to 
 form the clouds, required it. The growth of vegetation, 
 and all the subsequent operations of the world required 
 it. It was not needed till this time, and till this time, the 
 surrounding space was otherwise occupied. It now be- 
 came necessary, and could not be dispensed with, in 
 conducting and completing the divine operations. That 
 the firmament was made in the midst of the waters, is the 
 clearest dictate of reason, in view of what we know of the 
 condition of the earth at the time here referred to. The 
 surrounding vapor, caused by the high temperature, had 
 indeed been diminished, so as to allow the light to shine 
 upon the earth, but it had not yet been wholly removed. 
 In the midst, then, of this vapor, the atmosphere was 
 formed. There was water below, within, and above the 
 firmament. 
 
 SECTION lY. — Third Day of Creation. 
 
 9. IT And God said, Let the waters 
 under the heaven be gathered to- 
 gether unto one place, and let the 
 dry land appear: and it was so. 
 
 10. And God called the dry land 
 Earth ; and the gathering together 
 of the waters called he Seas: and 
 God saw that it was good, 
 
 11. And God said, Let the earth 
 bring forth grass, the herb yield- 
 ing seed, a7id the fruit tree yield- 
 
 ing fruit after his kind, whose seed 
 is in itself, upon the earth: and it 
 was so. 
 
 12. And the earth brought forth 
 grass, and herb yielding seed after 
 his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, 
 whose seed was in itself, after his 
 kind: and God saw that it was 
 good. 
 
 13. And the evening and the 
 morning were the third day. 
 
 255. Two prominent particulars are here brought to 
 view. One is, the separation of the dry land and water ; 
 the other, the production of vegetation. We will notice 
 each in its order. 
 
 That what is now dry land, was once below the sur- 
 face of the water, is proved by the presence of vegetable 
 and animal remains, found in the rocky strata that com- 
 pose the earth's crust, as well as by the fact that these 
 strata must have been formed under water. Many of 
 these remains were dry land productions, that were 
 placed in their position above water, and afterwards sunk 
 
l-i2 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 with the general surface beneath the ocean, and still 
 later, lifted up again into dry land, to be again depressed 
 and raised indefinitely. 
 
 Plenty of Geological authorities can be adduced in 
 favor of the Mosaic account. We have before seen that 
 Professor Jameson regards the sea, as having once, and 
 for a long time, covered the earth's surface, including 
 those portions that now constitute the highest mountains. 
 This of course implies the separation mentioned by the 
 sacred writers ; for these mountains, being elevated from 
 under water, would form the dry land, and allow the 
 waters to flow together into one place. Higgins speaks 
 as follows, on this subject : — " The stratified rocks must 
 originally have been horizontal, or nearly so ; and many 
 of them were formed in the same manner as the deposits 
 which are always to be found in the beds of rivers, and 
 in the basins of the oceans, but they were afterwards 
 acted upon by mighty disturbing forces, which elevated 
 and disrupted them, throwing their strata into a variety 
 of forms. Some were upheaved in a mass, by an omnipo- 
 tent agent acting from beneath them ; and some were 
 tilted into inclined positions ; and others, acted upon in 
 more than one point, were made to assume the form of a 
 basin. These effects have been both local and general ; 
 at one time affecting a district not more than a few miles 
 in extent, and at others, elevating entire continents and 
 immense mountain chains. The agent, as we believe, 
 that produced these mighty effects, was internal heat, the 
 same cause, which, in the present day, mimics its former 
 results, by the exhibition of volcanic action, and other 
 phenomena." The same author snjs again: — "The 
 relative position, and superficial extent of land and 
 water, have been constantly changing ; not slowly and 
 imperceptibly, as at present, but by the action of causes, 
 the effects of which have been almost instantaneous ; 
 upheaving the bed of the ocean, and deluging the dry 
 lands. In some instances the cause, and consequently 
 the effect has been local : but at certain periods there 
 was probably a universal convulsive movement of the 
 entire crust of the earth, when element, warring with 
 element, involved all nature in one general ruin." Robert 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 143 
 
 Murdie has the following language : — " Those gigantic 
 masses, which can have been produced by no surface 
 action, are the result of energies, which, whatever they 
 may have been, have had their origin and their plan of 
 action, within the globe itself; whether the influence of 
 that action were more general or more local, whether it 
 went to the uplifting of a continent, or the building of a 
 chain of mountains, or merely raised the point of a vol- 
 canic cone above the waters of the sea.'' 
 
 These authorities are sufficient, though many more 
 might be produced — all showing that such revolutipns 
 have occurred, as described in the Mosaic account, by 
 which a separation of dry land and water was effected. 
 Higgius, p. 226, 2U. Murdie's Popular Guide, p. 22t. 
 
 256. The creation of vegetation is the next particular 
 embraced in the record. But here I wish it to be ob- 
 served that, according to the Bible account, there was a 
 time when vegetation did not exist ; and it is interesting 
 to see that Geology teaches the same thing. Let us hear 
 some of the witnesses to this fact. Bakewell says : — 
 '* The Primary Rocks were so called, because no fossil 
 remains of animals or vegetables, nor any fragments of 
 other rocks, were found embedded in them,'' Professor 
 Jameson says that the waters that originally covered the 
 earth, " did not, for a long time, support any living 
 bodies." Dr. Good, in his Book of Nature, says of the 
 Primary Formations, " Not a single relic of either ani- 
 mal or vegetable petrifaction, is found in any of them." 
 Bakewell's Geology, p. 1, 562. Book of Nature, p. 67. 
 
 257. AVhat Geologists call the Primary Formations, 
 meaning the lowest, or those first deposited, do not, as 
 they say, contain any vegetable or animal relics. There 
 was a time, then, when no vegetable or animal existed. 
 So say Geologists ; and so says the Bible record. In 
 Gen. ii : 5, we are informed that God made '' every plant 
 of the field, before it was in the earth, and every herb of 
 the field, before it grew." The idea seems to be, that 
 the germs of the vegetable kingdom, in their multifarious 
 forms, were first created in the earth, and then grew, as 
 the result of sunshine, and rain, and cultivation, as at 
 subsequent times. There are certain " laws," as we call 
 
144 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 them, that now regulate the vegetable kingdom ; but what 
 law of nature produced the original germs from which 
 vegetation springs ? We know that every form of vege- 
 table life, has associated with it, an arrangement for 
 securing its reproduction and perpetuity. This we call 
 natural ; but what natural law originated the first seeds 
 or germs that were to be thus perpetuated ? 
 
 The action of a divine power and intelligence, is the 
 only supposition that can explain this phenomenon. And 
 I would farther suggest : — if a divine agency first origi- 
 nated the arrangement, whether it be not the same 
 agency, (though we call it a law of nature,) that now 
 continues it. 
 
 258. The Primary Formations, we said, are such as lie 
 the lowest in the earth's crust, and were of course the 
 first deposited. 
 
 These having no vegetable or animal remains in them, 
 were placed in their position, before the creation of vege- 
 tation on the third day. Those Formations that occupy 
 a position next above these, are called Transition Rocks ; 
 receiving this name, because they intervene between the 
 rocks below them, that have no relics, and the rocks 
 above, where such relics are abundant. These Transition 
 Rocks are interspersed sparingly with these remains, 
 increasing with the advance upwards. This state of 
 things is perfectl}'' consistent with the Bible account. 
 That account allows a long period for the Primitive 
 Rocks to form, for we may suppose some part of this 
 work was done before the Bible account begins, as there 
 is nothing in the record to forbid this supposition, since 
 that record commences with the surface, and does not 
 relate to what may have been done far below. The 
 account then tells us of the creation of the vegetable 
 kingdom ; and of course all deposits made afterwards, 
 would contain, as we find they do, vegetable relics. 
 
 259. The Geologists speak of these Transition Rocks 
 as follows — Buckland : — "In the interior region of this 
 series, plants are few in number, and principally maiine ; 
 but in the superior regions, the remains of land plants 
 are accumulated in prodigious quantities.'' Higgins : — 
 " In every period after the formation of the primitive 
 
THE CIIEATION CONSIDERED. 145 
 
 rocks, it, [the earth,] appears to have been inhabited by 
 a class of animals, and decorated with vegetation, suited 
 to iLs physical condition : and the imbedded remains are 
 sufficient evidence of this fact." Dr. Good says of the 
 same (ieological strata : — ''It is in this second class of 
 formations, that petrifactions first make their appear • 
 ance ; and it deserves particular attention, that they 
 are uniformly confined, both in the animal and vegetable 
 kingdoms, to those in the lowest links in the scale of 
 organization. It is here also that the carbonaceous 
 matter, which is chiefly of vegetable origin, first makes 
 its appearance in any considerable quantity." Silliman : 
 — "In regard to vegetables, there is good reason to 
 believe that they were at least as early as animals. 
 Vegetables are found more or less through the whole 
 Transition Series." This author thinks that some vege- 
 tables have become so carbonized as to lose their iden- 
 tity, in which case, vegetable productions " will claim 
 the highest rank in organic antiquity." Buckland, vol. I. 
 p. 57. Higgins, p. 227. Good, p. 68. Bakewell, p. 555. 
 260. It has before been observed, that the earth pos- 
 sessed originally a much higher temperature than at pres- 
 ent ; a supposition indispensable to a correct and rational 
 system of Geology. The proof of the fact, (or one of 
 the proofs,) is derived from the vegetable and animal 
 relics just referred to. They are such as could not have 
 grown and lived in the climate that now prevails where 
 they are found ; and they are found too plentifully, and 
 in too perfect a foim, to have been transmitted lo the 
 place they now occupy, from some distant region. They 
 required, and must have had, a much higher temperature; 
 in other words, a much higher temperature must have 
 prevailed, on that part of the globe, at that time. The 
 fact doubtless is, that from the earth's primeval state, to 
 the present time, the temperature has been constantly 
 decreasing : sometimes very slowly, and at others very 
 rapidly, depending on. the convulsions and revolutions 
 that have taken place. 
 •7 
 
146 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 SECTION v.— Fourth Day of Creation. 
 
 14. IT And God said. Let there be 
 lights in the lirmament of the hea- 
 ven to divide the day from the 
 night; and let them be for signs, 
 and for seasons, and for days, and ^ 
 years: 
 
 1 5. And let them be for lights in 
 the firmament of the heaven to give 
 light upon the earth: and it was so. 
 
 16. And God made two great 
 lights: the greater light to rule 
 
 the day, and the lesser light to rule 
 the night: he made the stars also. 
 
 17. And God set them in the fir- 
 mament of the heaven to give light 
 upon the earth, 
 
 18. And to rule over the day and 
 over the night, and to divide the 
 light from the darkness: and God 
 saw that it was good. 
 
 10. And the evening and the 
 morning were the fourth day. 
 
 251. We would suggest what seems to us a ^eiy 
 rational theory, that what is stated of our planet, as to 
 its progressive formation, was also true of the other 
 planets that make up the system ; and no less true of the 
 central body that controls and governs the rest. The 
 sun, therefore, according to this theory, was in existence 
 on the first day, and gave light then, as it gave light 
 afterwards. It was not then a perfect sun, any more than 
 the earth was a perfect earth. The one changed and im- 
 proved as well as the other ; and the same was true of 
 the whole system. In process of time the whole was 
 completed ; and the system set in motion, as the writer 
 informs us. And since it was not his purpose to give us 
 a particular account of the other planets, but only of the 
 earth, he therefore passes over the processes to which 
 they were subjected ; and states, in a brief and general 
 way, the fact of their creation, and the arrangement of 
 the whole into one great S3^stem ; and he chooses the 
 only proper time for making this statement, viz. : at the 
 completion of the work on the fourth day ; though the 
 bodies referred to, may have existed, in an imperfect 
 state, as did the earth, at the very beginning. 
 
 262. It may be remarked, however, that the passage 
 admits of a construction that will obviate the difficulty in 
 another way. The past tense in the Hebrew language, 
 was not divided, as in our own, into Imperfect, Perfect 
 and Pluperfect ; but it expressed all these by one form 
 only ; and in translating, the sense of the passage, and 
 its connections, must determine what form of our verb to 
 use. Hence, verse 16, of the passage now under consid- 
 eration, may be put into brackets, and rendered thus ; — 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 147 
 
 [And God had made two great lights, the greater light 
 to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night ; the 
 stars also] which would throw the creation of these 
 bodies into the past, and make only the placing of them 
 in the firmament of heaven, to have been done on the 
 fourth day. We conceive that either mode of removing 
 the difficulty is sufficient ; and that the theory that would 
 commend itself to our judgment, as most wortiiy of 
 acceptance on the ground of reason, is also in harmony 
 with the Bible account, when rightly construed. 
 
 263. Another difficulty may be noticed and removed 
 by philosophical facts. The two great lights were placed 
 " in the firmament of heaven ;'\ but it will be objected 
 that this cannot be true, as these bodies are far beyond 
 our firmament or atmosphere. To this, it would be a 
 sufficient reply, perhaps, to say, that the writer makes 
 use of popular language, which is accommodated to ap- 
 pearances, rather than to facts, as when we speak of the 
 sun rising and setting, though we know no such thing 
 really occurs, but only appears to. But if the objector 
 insists on a philosophical accuracy of language, on the 
 part of the writer of the Bible account, we would remind 
 him that the language here used is strictly accurate and 
 philosophical. The lights are in the firmament of heaven, 
 and indeed they are but a little way from us, else we 
 could not see them, though the bodies that produce them 
 are far away. I do not presume that our philosophical 
 objector will claim that he can see to the distance of 95 
 millions of miles, or even 240 thousand miles. 
 
 As the mention of evening and morning, on the first 
 day. proves the diurnal revolution of the globe at that 
 time ; so the reference to the seasons and years, proves 
 the annual revolution of the earth, on the fourth day. 
 
148 
 
 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 SECTION VI. — Fifth Day of Creation. 
 
 20. And God said, Let the "waters 
 bring forth abundantly the moving 
 creature that hath life, and fowl 
 that may fly above the earth in the 
 open firmament of heaven. 
 
 21. And God create;! great 
 "whales, and every living creature 
 that moveth, which the "waters 
 brought forth abundantly after 
 
 their kind, and every "winged fo"wl 
 after his kind ; and God saw that 
 it was good. 
 
 2'2, And God blessed them, say- 
 ing, Be fruitful, and multiply, and 
 fill the waters in the seas, and let 
 fowl multiply in the earth. 
 
 23. And the evening and the 
 morning were the fifth day. 
 
 2S4. The number of living creatures, great and small, 
 that exist in the depths of the ocean, is beyond all human 
 calculatio-Q. The waters have truly br.uight forth ''abun- 
 dantly," from the great whales, down through all forms of 
 life to the minutest of living creatures, of which the naked 
 eye does not take cognizance. 
 
 The statement of the writer seems to convey the idea 
 that the waters brought forth the fowls, as well as the 
 fishes ; and there seems to be some propriety in receiving 
 the statement in this way ; for the two elements, water 
 and air, are similar, and their respective inhabitants are 
 constructed on similar principles. The passage, however, 
 admits of a different construction. It may be construed 
 thus : — Let the waters bring forth abundantly, &c., and 
 [let] the fowl fly above the earth. Again ; God created 
 great whales, which the waters brought forth, &c. ; and 
 [God created] every winged fowl, &c. 
 
 This passage speaks of marine animals ; and the ac- 
 count of the creation of land animals is subsequent to 
 this ; and hence the relics of marine animals are found 
 lowest in the earth, as men of science informs us. Bake- 
 well says ; — " The lower series of the transition beds 
 
 contain almost exclusively the remains of marine 
 
 animals." Speaking of the strata above the transition, 
 called the Secondary Formations, the same author says : 
 — " The fossil remains, in the upper secondaiy strata, are, 
 with some exceptions, those of marine animals, but of 
 different genera or species from those in the strata below 
 them." Buckland : — " The first remains of animal life, 
 yet noticed, are marine." Bakewell, p. 1. Buckland, vol. 
 i. p. 340. 
 
 265. The Bible record says that God created great 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 149 
 
 whales; but the term '' whale '^ denotes any large fish 
 or marine animal. And it must not be passed in silence, 
 that, among marine fossils, are found animals of immense 
 magnitude. Geologicall}^ such animals are called "rep- 
 tiles.'' On this subject Mantell has the following state- 
 ment : — "There was a period when the earth was 
 peopled by oviporous quairapeds of the most appalling 
 magnitude. Eeptiles were the lords of creation.'' Kig- 
 gins : — " There was a time in the history of our world, 
 when these animals (reptiles) attained an appalling mag- 
 nitude, and rioting in the wide expanse of waters, 
 swayed the sceptre of uncontrolled power over all other 
 created beings. They all appear to have existed at a 
 period when our earth enjoyed a much higher temperature 
 than it now possesses. Judging from the antiquit}^ of 
 the rocks, in which the bones of reptiles are found, they 
 appear to have been created a long period before the 
 viviporous animals, and at a time when the earth was 
 unfit for animals of a higher organization." Cuvier says : 
 — "It will be impossible not to acknowledge, as a certain 
 truth, the number, the largeness, and the variety, of the 
 reptiles that inhabited the sea and the land at the epoch 
 at which the strata of the Jura (mountains) were depos- 
 ited." Sir Humphrey Davy, Von Bush, Ure, and others 
 could be quoted in favor of the same thing. It is sufficient 
 to say that no respectable scholar, having the least ac- 
 quaintance with Geological science, assumes to deny the 
 fact stated in the Bible, that the first animal existences 
 were both abundant in quantity and monstrous in size ; 
 and that the element to which they principally belonged, 
 was water. liiggins, p. 257. 
 
 We may add that there is a natural reason why marine 
 animals were not created sooner than they were, which is, 
 that the element in which they w^ere to live, was not till 
 then, in a condition to receive them. Its temperature 
 was too high ; and it held in solution too many mineral 
 substances, as the rocky strata, formed above them, clearly 
 indicate. Nor was this element in a condition then to 
 support animals of ahigher and more perfect organization. 
 Hence, when it became so, the huge and unsightly mon- 
 sters disappeared, and more perfect races took their 
 place. 
 
150 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 SECTIOX VII. —Sixth Day of Creation. 
 
 24. IT And God said, Let the earth 26. IT And God said , Let us make 
 bring forth the living creature after man in our image, after our like- 
 his kind, cattle, and creeping tiling, ness : and let them have dominion 
 and beast of the earth aher his over the fish of the sea, and over 
 kind : and it was so. ! the fowl of the air, and over the 
 
 25. And God made the beast of i cattle, and over all the earth, and 
 the earth after his kind, and cattle, j over every creeping thing that 
 after their kind, and everything creepeth upon the earth. 
 
 that creepeth ujwn the earth after | 27. So God created man in his 
 his kind : and God saw that it was own image, in the image of God 
 good. created he him ; male and female 
 
 ' created he them. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 4. IT These arc the generations of i rain upon the earth, and there was 
 the heavens and of the earth when j not a man to till the ground, 
 they were created, in the day that i 6. But there went up a mist from 
 the Lord God made the earth and the earth, and watered the whole 
 the heavens. I face of the ground. 
 
 5. And every plant of the field i 7. And the Lord God formed 
 before it was in the earth, andevery J man o/the dust of the ground, and 
 herb of the field before it grew : for breathed into his nostrils the breath 
 the Lord God had not caused it to of life ; and man became a living 
 
 '■ soul. 
 
 266. The manner in which the beasts of the field, and 
 creeping things were formed at first, has been a trouble- 
 some question ; and no one has been able satisfactorily to 
 decide it, and perhaps never will. The Bible says ; the 
 earth brought them forth ; but further than this, it gives 
 us no definite information. So far as this ralates to the 
 smaller animals, the insects, for example, there may not 
 seem to exist the same difficulty as attends the creation 
 of the larger species. The reason is, that we witness the 
 same thing, or something analogous to it, at the present 
 time : and we can the more readily suppose the same 
 process at the outset. But concerning the larger animals ; 
 the lion, the tiger, the elephant, &c., we derive from the 
 present no light as to the mode of their creation at the 
 first. " Perhaps they have advanced to their present 
 size from very small beginnings." Perhaps the}' have. 
 Perhaps at first the}'- were mere animalcules, such as are 
 now generated in the summer's sun, and have advanced, 
 in the progress of ages, to their present stature. This does 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 151 
 
 not remove the diflSculty. It only changes it to a different 
 position. Nature alone can no more produce a small 
 animal, than a large one. It can no more generate life 
 in the microscopic animalcule, than in the ox or the ele- 
 phant. It can no more produce the result, by having 
 ages for the work, than it can in the twinkling of an eye. 
 We must associate a God with nature, to explain existing 
 facts ; and even then the exact mode of operation may 
 not be rendered certain. 
 
 267. There is one argument for the progressive theory. 
 It is the argument of analogy. All else in the creative 
 process, seems to have been gradual and exceedingly 
 slow. The condensation of the planets, the deposition of 
 strata, and doubtless other processes, required long ages 
 for their completion. Why not the same be true of the 
 vegetable and animal productions ? That God could 
 create the world at once, and could fill it with inhabitants, 
 with a single word, is not to be doubted. He has power 
 enough to do this ; but as he has not chosen this mode 
 in other productions and processes, why should we sup- 
 pose vegetable and animal life an exception to his ordinary 
 method '/ 
 
 But, though we adopt the progressiv^e theory, the idea 
 sometimes put forth, that an animal or a vegetable of one 
 kind, may have risen up from one of a different or inferior 
 order, has no analogy or good sense to support it. 
 Every plant and animal is made " after its kind ;" and 
 however long the time in producing them, the kinds must 
 have been separate and distinct. 
 
 238. The passage now before us, brings to view the 
 creation of land animals. Of course after their creation 
 we may suppose them to have shared the fate common to 
 all animal and vegetable existences before them. Tho}^ 
 must have perished, and left their bones to rot upon the 
 plains, or to be buried in the earth, or to be sunk in the 
 water. This has been done ; and according to the Mosaic 
 theory, ih.ej may be expected to be found in the earth, in 
 the order laid down in the record. On this point what do 
 Geologists say ? 
 
 Bakewell : — "The co-existence of land animals, at 
 the period when most of the secondary series were de- 
 
152 THE CKEATIUX CONSIDERED. 
 
 |3osited, is proved by the occasional occurrences of ter- 
 restrial fossil plants, and the bones of fresh water and 
 amphibious reptiles.'^ Jameson : — " The bones of mam- 
 miferous land quadrupeds, are found only above the 
 coarse limestone, which is above the chalk." The lime- 
 stone and chalk are down as far as the transition strata, 
 it is not until you get above these, says Professor Jame- 
 son, that laud animals are found. Vegetables, and marine 
 animals, we have seen, may be found lower. They 
 should be ; for according to the Bible record, they were 
 formed first. Cuvier has nearly the same language as 
 Jameson. So has Buckland. Sir H. Davy says : — 
 " The remains of quadrupeds of extinct species occur 
 next above those of birds and oviporous reptiles. ... It 
 is only in the loose and slightly consolidated strata of 
 gravel and sand, and v/hich are usually called diluvial 
 formations, tliat the remains of animals, such as now 
 people the globe, are found. '^ Bakewell, p. 7, 562. 
 
 269. The Bible tells us that man was created last. 
 How does the testimony of Geologists agree with this 
 statement ? We have the satisfaction of knowing thai 
 they all agree with the Bible account ; not because they 
 are glad to be found on the side of divine revelation, for 
 some of them are not ; but because facts compel them to 
 give in their testimony in its favor. The few we shall 
 quote will represent the declarations of the many. 
 Jameson : — " Man is found nowhere except at the sur- 
 face." Bakewell: — "The absence of human bones in 
 the stratified rocks, or in the undisturbed beds of gravel 
 or clay, indicate that man, the most perfect of terrestrial 
 beings, was not created till after those great revolutions 
 which buried many different orders, and entire genera of 
 animals, deep under the present surface of the earth." 
 Cuvier: — "It is a fact, that, as yet, no human bones 
 have been discovered among fossil remains." 
 
 270. Thus, all through the Bible account of creation 
 there is the most perfect agreement with facts as they 
 exist in the earth. It is the business of Geologists to 
 search out these facts, and bring them before the world. 
 They have done so ; and the result has been astonish- 
 ingly in favor of the Bible account. On this point, Cu- 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 153 
 
 vier, the great French Naturalist, whom we have several 
 times quoted, says: — "The books of Moses show us 
 that he had very perfect ideas respecting several of the 
 highest questions of Natural Philosophy. His Cosmog- 
 ony .... is exactly the same as that which has been 
 deduced from Geological considerations.'' Professor 
 Silliman, of Yale College, one of the best instructed 
 naturalists of this country, speaks as follows: — "The 
 order of the physical events, discovered by Geology, is 
 substantially the same, as that recorded by the sacred 
 historian.'^ Bakewell, 562, It, 554, 538. 
 
 271. I would add that many of the earlier events, re- 
 corded m the Bible, are found imperfectly represented in 
 the traditions of pagan nations. The most remarkable 
 instance of this kind, relating to the creation 'of the 
 world, is the account given in the Institutes of Menu, 
 which Sir William Jones regards as nearly as ancient as 
 the Avritings of Moses. The account of the six days of 
 the creation, as there given, so obviously resembles that 
 given in Genesis, that it is scarcely possible to doubt its 
 being derived from the same patriarchal communication. 
 There is a particular description given of the term "day,'' 
 and it is expressly stated to be a period of several thou- 
 sand years — a comment on the Mosaic use of that term, 
 of no small importance, when its antiquity is considered. 
 The sixth day of creation closes up the creative work. A 
 few remarks on the whole subject will close the discussion. 
 
 272. (1.) It is worthy of notice, as an occasion of ad- 
 miration, that the order of creation is the most natural of 
 any that could have been devised. Everything is made 
 at "its proper time. Removing the superincumbent vapor 
 from, the earth's surface, allowing the light to shine down 
 on the face of the deep, was the first work The cooling 
 process to which the earth was then subject would in- 
 duce this state of things. An atmosphere is next in 
 order. There is now a place for it ; and it is needed 
 to help carry on the subsequent work. Then a separa- 
 tion takes place between the dry land and water. With- 
 out this, vegetable and animal life, as it now exists, could 
 not be. All that followed this separation, required it; 
 nor was a different order possible. In other words, the 
 
 7* 
 
154 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 plants and animals required the dry land and water; but 
 the latter did not require the former. Again : The vege- 
 table kingdom occupies the only place that could have 
 been properly assigned it. Before this, it could not ex- 
 ist ; it was indispensable afterwards. It required all 
 that went before, the light, the atmosphere and the dry 
 land ; but it did not require anything that followed. 
 Then comes the creation of animals. Where else could 
 they have been placed? — not till there was light; not 
 till there was an atmosphere ; not till there was dry land; 
 not till there was vegetation. Man is made last, to 
 crown the work, as the most perfect of the creation, to 
 have dominion over, and make use of all the rest. I 
 would add another consideration. At first the temper- 
 ature of the earth was not adapted to its present inhab- 
 itants, nor indeed to inhabitants of any kind. Neither 
 was the atmosphere in a condition to subserve the pur- 
 poses of the subsequent vegetable and animal creation. 
 The high temperature filled it with too much mist or 
 vapor ; but at length, being removed by a diminution of 
 temperature, there would arise a rich and luxuriant vege- 
 tation, such as we find to have been the case, from the 
 first vegetable relics found in the earth. Under the state 
 of tilings then existing, such vegetation could exist 
 before the animals. And at length, when the temper- 
 ature and the purity of the atmosphere, would admit of 
 animals of some sort, it might still require a considerable 
 period for the condition of things to be suited to such 
 animals as now are, and especially to man. 
 
 273. (2.) There is supposed to be a discrepancy be- 
 tween the Bible account and the facts of Geology in 
 regard to the creation of vegetables, and the creation of 
 animals ; the latter being placed subsequent to the former 
 by the Bible, while Geology seems to regard them as 
 cotemporary, both being found on a common level in the 
 earth's crust. We remark in regard to this matter, that 
 the point here involved is not a settled question among 
 Geologists ; and until it becomes so, no argument can be 
 drawn from it. 
 
 Besides, we are to consider that vegetable relics may 
 have existed on the surface of the dry land, long before 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 155 
 
 animals were deposited there : and 3^et, as they could not 
 be covered up so as to be imbedded in the solid rucks by 
 aque:>us deposits, till sunk beneath the water, they Avould 
 occupy a common level with animals, and seem to have 
 been placed in their position at the same time. 
 
 274. (3.) The question whether the days of creation 
 were literal days, or periods of indefinite length ; both in- 
 terpretations being sustained by usage, is still open to dis- 
 cussion. That a special exercise of divine power could 
 have created the world in six natural da^'sis not doubted ; 
 and as the first production of the earth's arrangements, 
 must have been special, with any view we can take of the 
 subject, there is perhaps no more difficulty in regarding 
 it as special and peculiar, with respect to time, than 
 with respect to mode. Analogy, more than any exegesis 
 of terms, or facts of Geology, favor the idea of extending 
 the term '' day" to a long and indefinite period. Jf the 
 condensation of the planets, from a gaseous to a solid 
 state • the deposition of strata, forming the earth's crust ; 
 and other processes ; some of which must have occurred 
 before the Mosaic account begins, and others may have 
 occurred before that period, were slow, and required 
 periods of great length, as seems indisputable; then the 
 production of light at the earth's surface, the formation 
 of the atmosphere, the separation of dry land and water, 
 etc., would most naturally be subject to the same law of 
 progress, and require long periods for their completion. 
 Some Geologists take this view of the term da}^ among 
 whom may be mentioned, Jameson, Silliman, Good, 
 Hitchcock, &c. 
 
 275. If it be objected to this view of "day," that it is 
 described in the account as made up of an " evening'," and 
 a •'morning," and must therefore have been a natural day 
 of twenty-four hours ; we reply, that the passage ma}^ be 
 differently construed, with equal fidelity to the original ; 
 "There was evening and morning, the first day" — in 
 other words, the earth turned on its axis, producing a suc- 
 cession of evening and morning during the first period, 
 may be the true rendering. But if this does not meet the 
 objection satisfactorily, there is another reply that may, 
 and may not, be more satisfactory. It is this ; — Each 
 
156 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 period may be spoken of, with propriety, as liaviiig an 
 evening and a morning ; and it is worthy of remark that 
 each Geological epoch is represented as being marked by 
 a gradual approach, and then by a gradual decline, of 
 what constitute its distinguishing features, not unlike the 
 approach of light and its gradual decline in the natural 
 day. The late Hugh Miller takes this view, and illus- 
 trates it beautifully. 
 
 276. It is worthy of special notice, in this connection, 
 that the six days of creation are called " generations ;" 
 and the whole period of creation is called " a day," ii. 4 
 — a pretty good evidence that the latter term is used 
 in a very extended and indefinite sense — a usage the 
 more satisfactory, in establishing this point, for being 
 employed by the same writer, and in connection with the 
 same subject. 
 
 277. In conclusion of this subject, it may be proper to 
 recapitulate the main points of agreement, between the 
 Mosaic account, and the well ascertained facts of Ge- 
 ology. 
 
 (1.) The earth was originally in a liquid state, made so, 
 mainl}^ by the action of heat. 
 
 (2.) There was a time when no vegetable or animal 
 life existed on the earth. Moses makes a considerable 
 period to have elapsed before the creation of vegetables 
 or animals. Geologists, too, assure us that there could 
 have been no vegetable or animal, during the period the 
 Primitive Rocks were being deposited. 
 
 (3.) The whole earth, being once covered with water, 
 there must have been a time when the water and dry land 
 were separated. Such separation, Moses informs us, took 
 place by the fiat of Omnipotence. Geologists tell us 
 there was such a separation, and that similar convulsions 
 have been frequent in past ages. 
 
 (4.) The first living thing created, was vegetation. So 
 says the Bible ; and few Geologists have expressed any 
 doubt on this point. 
 
 (5.) The first living animals created, were marine. 
 Moses speaks thus, and so do Geologists, as these are 
 found lowest among the deposites of animal remains. 
 
 (6.) Man was made last. So says the Bible ; and 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 157 
 
 Geologists agree to this statement. All human relics are 
 found at the surface. This is admitted as true now ; but 
 there is, with some men, a lingering hope that future dis- 
 coveries will detect the existence of human bones m the 
 rocks (of which there are yet no well attested examples,) 
 that will prove the Bible false. We have only to wait 
 and see. 
 
 278. These are the prominent points of the Bible 
 record'; and they are fully sustained by scientific investi- 
 gations. These investigations, it should be added, belong 
 to modern times ; and so far as we know, only to modern 
 times. Hence there was no source from which the 
 ancients could have obtained such information, but from 
 the Divine Being, who must, therefore, have revealed it 
 to them. 
 
 SECTION VIII.— The Seventh Day. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 1. Thus the heavens and the 
 earth were finished, and all the 
 host of them. 
 
 2. And on the seventh day God 
 ended his work which he had made ; 
 and he rested on the seventh day 
 
 from all his work which he had 
 made. 
 
 3. And God blessed the seventh 
 day, and sanctified it: because that 
 in it he had rested from all his work 
 which God created and made. 
 
 279. That God blessed the seventh day and sanctified 
 it, because that on it he had rested {ceased, as the word 
 means) from all his work, is simply a statement of the 
 origin of the sabbath, as understood by the writer, and 
 was probably not written at the time the account was, 
 with which it is connected, but at a later period, when 
 other Mosaic institutions were established. This is made 
 obvious, both by a careful inspection of the place where 
 it is found, showing clearly that it does not belong there ; 
 and also by the fact, that, no where in the book of Gen- 
 esis, is there any allusion to such an institution as the 
 sabbath. 
 
 280. The original record simply states that God ended 
 his work which he had made ; and he rested (ceased) 
 on the seventh day from all his work which he had made ; 
 but it does not state that, on this account, God sanctified, 
 or set apart, that day as a sabbath. 
 
 14 
 
158 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 281. It may be added that the translators were evidnet- 
 I3' misled by this interpolation, and gave a rendering to 
 the word " rest," which does not belong to it in this con- 
 nection. True the original word means rest, and the 
 term sabbath, as denoting a day of rest, is derived from it ; 
 but it also means, rest from, or cease to do a thing, and 
 plainly has this meaning here. It is translated cease in 
 viii. 22. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 CREATION OF MAN AND THE UNITY OP THE RACE. 
 
 Contents: — Creation of Man; Unity of the Race as a Bible 
 doctrine ; Unity of the Race on Natural Grounds ; Common 
 Theory Considered ; True Theory. 
 
 SECTION I. — Creation of Man. 
 
 282. The creation of man is involved in greot obscur- 
 ity. The fact of his creation is asserted in the Scrip- 
 tures, and the fact of his creation is proved b,y Geok)gi- 
 cal phenomena : for there was a time when, according to 
 Geology, man did not exist : as he does now exist, it 
 follows that he must have been created. But the manner 
 of his creation, is wholly unknown. He was made of the 
 dust of the ground. This we know, independent of rev- 
 elation. All the materials that make up the human body 
 are found in the soil, the atmosphere, and other elements. 
 Perhaps it is as true of man, as to his physical existence, 
 as of other animals, that " the earth brought him forth." 
 It is certain that he can be referred to no other source. 
 We are not aware that "Philosophers" have ever 
 assigned him any other origin ; and therefore, in this 
 particular, they should not object to the Bible doctrine. 
 
 283. But this being admitted, the mind is still unsat- 
 isfied, and must ever be, as to the mode by which these 
 elements were combined into a human bod3^ To derive 
 man from the ape, and then from some other animal still 
 lower, and so on back to the insect, does not remove the 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 159 
 
 difficulty. The first starting point needs a God, as much 
 as the full stature of a perfect man ; and hence, were we 
 to admit this theory, we cculd not get rid of a first intel- 
 ligent cause that originated and conducted the long con- 
 tinued process. But admitting a God, the difficulty is 
 removed only in part, since the mode of creation, he has 
 not condescended to reveal, and philosophy throws no 
 clear light upon the subject. 
 
 284. God made man male and female. The word "man" 
 includes both sexes. This affords a conclusive argument 
 against any theory that shuts out a Deity from the creative 
 work. It v/ould have been a singular chance that produced 
 a man and a woman at the same time, especially if we 
 adopt the theory that traces our existence back through 
 untold generations to the smallest of earth-born creatures. 
 Two operations, commencing at the same time, and con- 
 tinuing on in parallel lines through innumerable ages, 
 and terminating at last in the perfect form of a male and 
 a female, and coming at this result at the same time, is a 
 chance phenomenon that few sensible men will be likely 
 to adopt. 
 
 285. One truth, we think, is beyond dispute, that it 
 is much more difficult to exclude a Deity from the crea- 
 tion, than to admit his agency, though we may see, or 
 think we see, objections to the latter view. We ought 
 not to reject propositions that are well sustained, though 
 involving some difficulties, when, in so doing, we are 
 compelled to admit others, at which common sense re- 
 volts and yet this is a common weakness, with a certain 
 class of men, who call themselves philosophers, and who 
 arrogate to themselves a much larger share of reason and 
 common sense, than they are willing to allow to others. 
 
 286. Two things are asserted of man, having reference 
 to his creation, that are worthy of special notice. One is, 
 man's physical creation. God made him of the dust of 
 the ground, and breathed into him the breath of life, 
 and he became a living soul. Another is, his spiritual 
 creation. God made him in his own image. The impor- 
 tance of this fact made the author repeat it. In the image 
 of God made he him. The first of these passages can 
 have no reference to the soul or spirit, as the term " soul'' 
 
160 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 there, is not used in the modern sense of that word, but 
 has the meaning of "creature.'^ And the last passage 
 can have no reference to the body, as that cannot be 
 regarded, as in any sense, the image of God. 
 
 SECTION II. — Unity of thk Race as a Bible Doctrine. 
 
 2S7. The common opinion among men who take the 
 Bible as their standard of faith, is, that all men had a 
 common origin, and sprang from one human pair. Some 
 few, however, have thought diiFerently, and at the same 
 time have professed adherence to the Bible history. 
 They tell us that the Bible is not decisive on this point. 
 It seems to them that the book mentions at least two 
 creations of men, one in chapter first, verse 26, of Gen- 
 esis, and the other, in chapter second, verse seventh. 
 Som.e add to this opinion, that the man created in the 
 second instance, was to till the ground ; while such was 
 not the purpose had in view in the first creation. On the 
 contrary, the man first made, was to have dominion over 
 the beasts of the field, the fowls ot the air, and the fishes 
 of the sea — a plain indication that he and his race were 
 to subsist by hunting and fishing, and not by cultivating 
 the ground. And we know there have always been men 
 of this stamp, of which our American Indians are perhaps 
 the most remarkable example. 
 
 288. Again : if there were not other creations besides 
 Adam and Eve, where, it is asked, did Cain get his 
 wife ? since Adam, Eve and Cain were the only persons 
 living, according to the Bible, at the time of his marriage, 
 and, who wore the inhabitants of the city that he built ? 
 and, how could Cain fear that those who should find him 
 would slay him, while there were yet no persons living, 
 from wliom he could expect any hostile intentions ? 
 
 289. Most men, however, who take the ground of dif- 
 ferent races, or different origins of the race, do so, either 
 with open and undisguised disregard of the Bible, or with 
 a disregard obviousl}^ implied ; and they rely for proofs 
 of their opinion, on the wide difierences there are among 
 men, in color, form, features, &c. 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 161 
 
 290. The question that divides inquirers on this subject 
 is not one that can be decided with as much ease and 
 dispatch as the casual observer may suppose. The allu- 
 sions in the Bible, to one origin, or more than one, are 
 not so decisive as to remove all doubts ; and the facts of 
 nature, are not such, as to admit of being brought into 
 harmony with the one theory or the other, witliout con- 
 siderable discussion. It is certain that much has been 
 written upon the subject ; and yet there is, by no means, 
 a uniformity of opinion respecting it. 
 
 291. For ourself we see no substantial reasons for re- 
 linquishing the common view of one origin of the race, 
 both as a Bible doctrine, and as most in harmony with 
 the facts of nature. Still we may not explain either the 
 Bible or facts, after the common mode, nor, perhaps after 
 any mode but our own. 
 
 Of course our purpose does not require nor permit a 
 long continued discussion. We hope, however, to give 
 the reader as much satisfaction, as he would be likely to 
 find, perhaps more, than if he were to read many volumes 
 on the subject. 
 
 292. In regard to the statements of the Bible, we re- 
 mark, first, that what are called two creations, are in fact 
 but two statements of one creation. The careful reader 
 will not, I think, fail to perceive this. The latter passage 
 only need be quoted to make this obvious. " These are 
 the generations of the heavens and the earth, when they 
 were created, in the day that the Lord God made the 
 earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before 
 it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it 
 grew ; for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon 
 the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 
 But there w^ent up a mist from the earth, and watered the 
 w^hole face of the ground ; and the Lord God formed man 
 from tlie dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils 
 the breath of life, and man became a living soul." ii. 4-7. 
 The statement that there was not a man to till the ground, 
 refers back to the period when there was yet no vegeta- 
 tion on the earth. At that time, there was not a man to 
 till the ground. The period referred to, w^as prior to what 
 is called the first creation. Of course the second account 
 
162 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 is only a repetition of the first, and cannot possibly be 
 referred to the creation of another and dilVerent race. 
 
 The language of the two passages is somewhat varied, 
 but they are sufficiently alike to make their meaning ob- 
 viously the same. To subdue the earth, in the one, and 
 to till the ground, in the other, are sufficiently identical. 
 And that the dominion over the animals, was not intended 
 to indicate a particular mode of life, is proved by the fact, 
 that the same dominion was given to Noah and his sons 
 after the flood ; and it was surely not then understood as 
 shutting them out from the cultivation of the earth. 
 
 293. The oft repeated question ; — Where did Cain get 
 his wife, if there was no other branch of the human race 
 but that of Adam, must be answered, as it has often been 
 answered before ; — he obtained her, from among other 
 members of the Adamic family ; for though none are men- 
 tioned up to that period of the history, the general state- 
 ment that " Adam had sons and daughters," without 
 assigning them any date, allows us to place some of these 
 in advance of the time that Cain took his wife, there being 
 nothing to exclude this idea, but some things that seem 
 to demand it. 
 
 294. No one can fail to perceive, that the order of time 
 is not observed by the sacred writer, nor are all events 
 recorded, that are presumed to have taken place. Still no 
 one need be misled at all, who sincerely desires to under- 
 stand and rightly interpret the bock. It is only such 
 as have a favorite theory support, or such as wish to 
 bring the book into disrepute altogether, that can fail to 
 perceive and appreciate the facts as they are. The writer, 
 having introduced the case of Cain, continues and finishes 
 what he has to say of that personage, his residence, hii 
 marriage, the city he built, and his posterity for six gen- 
 erations. He then mentions the birth of Seth, in the 
 place of Abel, whom Cain slew. Shall we say that things 
 are here recorded in the order they occurred, and that 
 Adam did not have Seth till six generations of Cain had 
 made their appearance, and most of them, perhaps, had 
 passed away l" This would be preposterous. Weall un- 
 derstand, that having disposed of Cain and his descendants, 
 the writer goes back, and takes up the history of Adam 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 163 
 
 where he had left it, and speaks of the birth of Seth. 
 There is nothing against the supposition, therefore, that 
 the birth of Seth, and of many, if not all, of Adams' other 
 sons and daughters, occurred before Cain took his wife. 
 Add to this that Seth was to fill the place of Abel, and as 
 sucli, there may have been some reason for the fears of 
 Cain lest that brother might avenge the murderous act that 
 had taken the life of Abel. 
 
 295. Let another thing be noticed. Cain was to be a 
 fugitive and a vagabond in the earth ; and yet the next 
 thing we hear of him is, that he had a son and built a 
 city. How could his sentence have been fulfilled, unless 
 a considerable time elapsed, between the first and last of 
 these events ? While Cain was leading a fugitive and 
 vagabond life, therefore, the " sons and daughters '^ of 
 Adam might have become sufificiently numerous to have 
 allowed him a fair opportunity for choosing a companion 
 and bringing together inhabitants for the city that he 
 built. Nor does it follow from this view, that Cain mar- 
 ried his sister, though it does follow that some one or 
 more of his brothers did ; and as there was no law or cus- 
 tom to prevent such a union, as at a later day, the occur- 
 rence was not an unnatural and an improper one. 
 
 SECTION III. — Unity of the Kace on Natural Grounds. 
 
 296. The reasons for concluding that men had more 
 than one origin, are quite as unsatisfactory on natural, as 
 on Bible grounds. That the extremes of the race are 
 widely separated, is certain ; but the difference and 
 shades of difference are so gradual, advancing from one 
 extreme to the other, that no one can point out the divid- 
 ing line that separates the different branches of the human 
 family. Hence, as might be expected, there is very little 
 uniformity of opinion, as to the number of races, some 
 giving us three, some five, and some a larger number. 
 
 297. The plan of dividing men into different races, so 
 as to favor the idea that they did not emanate from one 
 parentage, is liable to serious objections on another ac- 
 count. There is no mark of difference that does not 
 admit of infinite modifications. If it be the shape of the 
 
164 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 head, tliorc is every variety of form, from the upright 
 forehead of the most intelligent and refined European, to 
 the receding slope of the most ignorant and debased 
 negro. If the hair is made the test, there is no less va- 
 riety in this particular. Or if the thickness of the lips, 
 or the prominent cheek bones, or the projecting heels, be 
 chosen to mark the difference, there will be found the 
 same difficulty ; since the extremes of difference have 
 infinite intervening mollifications. There is the same 
 difficulty here, that there is in dividing men into saints 
 and sinners ; for, though you can speak of them under 
 these designations, having reference to persons widely 
 separated in respect to character, j-et the shades of char- 
 acter are so numerous, and run into each other so imper- 
 ceptibly, that no point can be fixed upon, where a dis- 
 tinct line of separation can be drawn. The same is true 
 of color. From the lightest to the darkest, there is a 
 gradation so imperceptible, that no place can be selected, 
 which, more than any other, can be regarded as the 
 dividing line. We may divide men into races on the 
 ground of intelligence, or character, as well as on the 
 ground of color ; and how, in such a case, shall we decide 
 the number of races ? The truth is, there are insuperable 
 difficulties in the w^ay of dividing men into races, many 
 or few, by any clear and distinct indications, on any 
 grounds that have yet been assumed. 
 
 298. Again, we know that what we call the races may 
 mix ; and the offspring of this union will possess, to a 
 limited extent, the peculiarities of both races. We know 
 they are thus mixed all over the world ; and it is pos- 
 sible to conceive of them as being much more completely 
 amalgamated than they are at present. And if this can be 
 conceived of as possible, may not the converse of this 
 be conceived of with equal consistency, in which case 
 the races thus mixed would become again separated, and 
 regain all the marked peculiarities they had at first ? 
 
 If this be good reasoning, then it follows that all 
 branches of the human family, ma}'' have proceeded from 
 a common parentage, having a combination of the char- 
 acteristics that are now seen more prominently in the 
 different tribes and races that emanated therefrom. In 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 165 
 
 what manner, and by what means, this could be done, 
 will be shown before we close this discussion. But the 
 usual mode of explaining the subject must first be no- 
 ticed. 
 
 SECTION" IV. — The Common Theory Considered. 
 
 299. The common theory, with those who acknowl- 
 edge one parentage, is that the differences among men, 
 are the result of climate, mode of life, peculiar diseases, 
 &c. 
 
 Dr. Good, in his '' Book of Nature,'' states and defends 
 this theory, in a manner that may be given as a fair sam- 
 ple of others, having the same opinions. We will make 
 some quotations from this author. In respect to color he 
 says : " All the deepest colors we are acquainted with, 
 are those of hot climates ; and all the lighter colors of 
 
 c(jld ones The same remark will apply to plants, 
 
 as well as to animals ; . . . hence the beasts, birds, 
 flowers, and even fishes, of the equatorial regions, are 
 uniformly brighter, and deeper tinctured in their spots, 
 their feathers, their petals, and their scales, than we find 
 
 them in any other part of the world Hence, too, 
 
 the reason why the Asiatic and African women, confined 
 to the walls of their seralios, are as white as Europeans ; 
 why Moorish children of both sexes are at first usually 
 fair, and why the fairness continues among the girls, but 
 is soon lost among the boys. As we approach towards 
 the poles we find everything progressively whiten ; bears, 
 foxes, hares, falcons, crows, and black-birds, all assume 
 the same common livery. The immediate matter of color 
 is the mucous pigment which forms the middle layer of 
 the general integument of the skin ; and upon this the 
 sun in hot climates appears to act in a two-fold manner, 
 at first, by the direct affinity of its calorific rays, with the 
 oxygen of the animal surface in consequence of which, 
 the oxygen is detached and flies off, and the carbon and 
 hj^drogen, being set at liberty, form a more or less per- 
 fect charcoal, according to the nature of their union : and 
 next, by the indirect influence which its calorific rays, 
 like many other stimulants, produce upon the liver, by 
 
166 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 exciting it to a secretion of more abundant bile, and of a 
 deeper hue." p. 205. 
 
 300. Dr. Good adds, as showing the reason why in cold 
 climates, some persons are more swarthy than otiiers, 
 that the pigment of the skin, above referred to, is more 
 abundant in some persons than others. Besides the etiect 
 of climate on color, the same author remarks, that " oils 
 and spirits produce a peculiar excitement of the liver, 
 and like the calorific rays of the sun, usually become 
 the means of throwing out an overcharge of bile into 
 circulation." The difierence in form and features, he 
 thinks, ma}^ have been the result, to some extent, of 
 lapsus naturag. Hence he adds, ''EveuAvhen accident, 
 or a cause we may not discover, has produced a pre- 
 ternatural conformation, or defect, in a particular organ, 
 it is astonishing to behold how readily it is often copied 
 by the generative principle, and how tenaciously it 
 adheres to the future lineage. A preternatural defect 
 upon the hands or the feet, has been propagated for many 
 generations. In like manner, in all probability, from 
 some primary accident, resulted the peculiar shape of the 
 head and face, in most nations, as well as most families.'' 
 p. 208. 
 
 301. The effect of different habits and modes of life, 
 upon the form and features, is alluded to as follows : — 
 " The whole difierence between the cranium of the negro 
 and that of the European, is, in no respect, greater than 
 that which exists between the cranium of the wild boar, 
 and that of the domestic swine. M. Blumenback . . . has 
 completely succeeded in showing, that the swine genus, 
 even in countries where we have historical and undenia- 
 ble proofs, as especially in America, of its being derived 
 from one common and imported stock, exhibits in its dif- 
 ferent varieties, distinctions, not only as numerous and 
 astonishing, but, so far as relates to the exterior form, 
 of the very same kind, as are to be met within the differ- 
 ent varieties of the human species." p. 208. The doctor 
 humorously remarks that the argument for the plurality 
 of races, is, at best, but skin deep. 
 
 302. That the climate, and especially the mode of life, 
 do produce a marked effect upon men and animals, is well 
 known and universally conceded. The same is true of 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 167 
 
 trees and plants. But that this fact sufficiently accounts 
 for all the diflerences in the human race, may not be quite 
 BO evident. A person residing at the north, will become 
 darker, in a certain degree, by a residence in a southern 
 climate ; but the change is not great, nor continued, so 
 far as we know, beyond certain limits. Nor indeed is the 
 change greater than we all experience, in the same cli- 
 mate, by an unusual exposure to the sun and wind. Such 
 change is very sudden, being produced in a single day or 
 two, and obliterated nearly as soon. 
 
 303. The mode of life, too, has its effect, as the differ- 
 ence between the domestic and the wild horse, between 
 the ox and the bison, the wild boar and the domestic 
 swine, the fruit trees found in the wilderness, and those 
 cultivated in our fields, does clearly indicate. But this, 
 too, will not satisfy every one as explaining the varieties 
 of the human race ; for persons, very unlike in form and 
 features, are possessed of very similar habits and mode 
 of life ; and when the mode of life has been substantially 
 the same for centuries, the differences in other respects, 
 have not been obliterated. The negro, who has lived in 
 the same climate with the white man, for hundreds of 
 years, and has had nearly the same mode of life, is still a 
 negro, and so far as we can discover is unchanged and 
 likely to remain so. 
 
 304. A writer in the Democratic Review for September, 
 1851, has some facts and arguments that seem worthy of 
 serious consideration. They do not indeed exactly har- 
 monize with those of Dr. Good, but we think they are 
 more reliable in those particulars wherein they differ. 
 
 " Previous to the settlement of the Europeans on this 
 continent throughout its whole length, from the cold 
 regions of the north, to those of the southern continent, 
 it was inhabited by a race, or a variety of races, nearly 
 resembling each other, in color, and with few exceptions, 
 in their general appearance, though differing widely in 
 their mode of life and degree of civilization. The uniform- 
 it}^ of color indeed approaches to monotony. Those who 
 occupy the mountains, and those who occupy the plains, 
 are the same." This author bases his statements on the 
 authority of Humboldt, than which none can be better. 
 
168 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 "The Indians that remain in the country, retain the 
 marks that distinguished their ancestors, although an 
 entire change has come over their condition." 
 
 305. What is here stated, will not be disputed by any 
 one ; and if there was nothing else to refute the theory of 
 varieties in the race, from climate and mode of life, 
 this single fact would be sufficient. The Indians are 
 everywhere the same, and have been so, for centuries, 
 in spite of climate and mode of life. The same is true of 
 the Spaniards in this country. ''In the vast regions, 
 peopled from Spain, from 40 degrees south to 40 north, 
 the Spaniard is everywhere to be met with." And the 
 Spaniard of this country, is precisel}^ like the Spaniard of 
 Europe, irrespective of climate and mode of life. It is 
 obvious, too, that the climate of England, France, Spain 
 and Italy, in Europe, is slightly unlike ; but the people, 
 it is well known, are more unlike than the climate. In 
 Asia '' we find the whole body of the population, of a dark 
 color, not indeed resembling the negro, but very far from 
 the complexion of the European, even in parallel latitudes. 
 The Monguls, notwithstanding their high latitude, (40 to 
 50 north) are of a dingy complexion ; while the Tartars, 
 extending south to the southern seas, are of a light com- 
 plexion. In the southern part of the Mongul region, 
 (say 40 north,) is Caucasus, the inhabitants of which, 
 have the perfection of the European form and complexion. 
 The Persians, between the tropic of Cancer and 40 north, 
 are from an olive to a dark brown. The Chinese, same 
 latitude, are a faint yellow. In Hindostan, (8 to 36 
 north,) there is a considerable variation of color, such as 
 might be easily allowed to climate. The average com- 
 plexion is darker than the region above, but it is lighter 
 still than the average of Arabia, the bulk of which country 
 is farther to the north than that of Hindostan. The 
 peninsula of Malacca is inhabited by a people who are 
 darker than the southern Arabs, being 20 degrees farther 
 north, and are darker than the Malays at the equator." 
 
 306. This we suppose is a fair and reliable description 
 of the people of Asia ; and it will be seen that the com- 
 plexion of the different tribes and nations, dwelling in 
 that part of the globe, does not correspond with climate. 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 169 
 
 If in some instances the color varies with the temperature, 
 as in Hindostan and Arabia, this circumstance is merely 
 accidental, as no such thing can be affirmed of the country 
 generally. The dark complexion is found in the north, as 
 well as in the south ; and in parallel latitudes, the com- 
 plexion is very unlike ; and it not unfrequently occurs 
 that a lighter complexion is joined with a hotter chmate. 
 
 307. How is it with Africa ? The writer before quoted 
 
 gays ; — " Africa has almost as great variation 
 
 of color, as the other sections, and there mixed up with 
 even less conformity to the degrees of temperature. 
 There are found on the Slave Coast, as ic is called, the 
 blackest and most degraded of the negro tribes ; yet in 
 the same region we find tribes, as difterent from these, as 
 any in Africa, except the Moorish races on the Mediter- 
 ranean. The Ashantee people, near the Gold Coast, 
 (6 to 8 north,) are lighter colored, and better featured, 
 than most of the negro tribes of the whole continent. 
 They have oval faces, and their hair curled rather than 
 woolly. They have also some degree of civilization. 
 
 308. Senegambia is on the coast west of Soudan, and 
 in the same latitude. The people are mostly full negroes. 
 In the midst of them, however, are large tribes of Foulahs, 
 extending from the Gambia river, in 10 degrees north, 
 southward to Cape Palmas, (Liberia,) 5 south, in a nearly 
 savage state, who have black, or, as some say, merely a 
 tawny complexion, straight, silky hair, regular and 
 pleasing features, totally unlike those of the negro. They 
 are said even to resemble the symmetrical and delicate 
 form of the Hindoos. The higher classes are the blackest, 
 the lower, or the slaves, are the whitest. 
 
 309. Desert of Sahara. Here, though we meet with 
 all the varieties, the prevailing character is the Arab, 
 which all the severity of desert life, is not able to convert 
 into a negro. The Touricks, who comprise the largest 
 class of native Africans, are of the complexion of the 
 Arabs, generally brown, or almost white. Egypt has 
 always had different races. The Nubians have oval faces, 
 curved nose, thick (but not negro) lips, frizzled (but not 
 woolly) hair, brown complexion, and fine form. Abys* 
 
 8 
 
170 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 sinians are the blackest people of Africa, excepting the 
 negroes of the west coast," 
 
 Parkins (Life in Abyssinia,) says of these people: — 
 *' In color, some of them are perfectly black, but the 
 majority are brown, or a very light copper or nut color ; 
 but men and women are remarkably well formed, and in 
 general handsome, often strikingly so. In features, as in 
 form, the young Abyssinian women are perhaps the most 
 beautiful of any on earth." " Again, the people of Ajan 
 (continues the author first quoted) have hair, long and 
 black, dark eyes, brown skin, and European features. 
 
 310. East Coast of Africa, south of the equator. The 
 people are next to brutes, but they are whiter than the 
 Arabians or Hindoos. The complexion here grows darker, 
 in receding from the heat, but there is no resemblance to 
 negroes. Thosein the southern part of this region, are of 
 the Caffre race, and of elegant symmetry, almost European 
 features. West Coast. The people of Congo, although 
 black, have no sign of negro features. Their faces resem- 
 ble the Caucassian, hair of a reddish brown color. This is 
 pretty nearl}^ the character of the rest of those regions. 
 They are in a low state of civilization. Hottentots are 
 of a yellowish brown, and some tribes are of a red or 
 copper color 
 
 311. In the Pacific Islands, the black and brown arc 
 both found, many times, in the same localities, but quite 
 separate. The brown race have long, black, shiny hair, 
 eyes brilliant and full of fire, great mental energy, and 
 determined character. Van Diemen's Land is inhabited 
 by regular negroes: New Zealand, by Malays, tall, well 
 formed, black eyes, and intelligent. Marquesas, finely 
 formed, and active population. Sandwich Islands, com- 
 plexion dark olive. That the Oceanic races have long 
 lived together, as they are found, is a fact admitting not 
 the slightest doubt." Of course, the same climate and 
 mode of life, ought to have made them alike, if such a 
 result could be expected from such a cause. 
 
 312. It may be remarked in general, that though ne- 
 groes have been traced from the nortli of Asia to the 
 south, and thence to E^ypt, and other parts of Africa, 
 they are everywhere the same. In Egypt the whites and 
 blacks have always kept distinct. The children of Israel 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 171 
 
 in ancient times, after a sojourn in Egypt of two hundred 
 years, went up out of that land every whit unchanged. 
 So all over the world, the same Hebrew people, formerly 
 and now, are easily distinguished. The Mamelukes in 
 EffVPt, after 260 years, were still very unlike the Egyp- 
 tians Tartars are the same in the north of Asia, and in 
 the south. So the Arabs at home, and in the desert. 
 The Moors, in the Barbary States„and the Moors in bpain, 
 are the same, after a separation of a thousand years 
 The Normans and Saxons in England, not very unlike at 
 first retained their separate identity for a long time, bo 
 all European nations in America, are the same as they are 
 at home. 
 
 313 In view of all these facts, what shall we say of 
 the cause or causes that have produced the actual diQer- 
 ences among men ? Climate and mode of life will not 
 suffice to answer this question ; nor, on the other hand 
 need we suppose a diflerent original parentage to each 
 variety. 
 
 SECTION v.— True Theory. 
 
 314. We propose a theory for removing the difficulties 
 of this subject, that is perhaps new. It is so at least to 
 us But we hope it may receive a candid examination, 
 an'd not be rejected till a better is found. It seems to us 
 to offer the best, and indeed the only satisfactory solu- 
 tion, of the great question we have been discussing. ^ 
 
 We know that children are not entirely hke then- 
 parents, nor like each other, and are not expected to be. 
 Some will possess a lighter, and some a darker com- 
 plexion; some will have a higher forehead, and some a 
 lower; some will be taller, and some not so tall. Ihe 
 color and texture of the hair will differ, as well as the 
 skin. And if this be true now, as we know it is the 
 same thing may be presumed of the first famihes ot the 
 earth. This being admitted, it is not unreasonable to 
 conclude, that the differences, at first slight, would be 
 enlarged, and become more marked in different individ- 
 uals and families. If a son, for instance, were darker 
 than his father, there would be just as good reason why 
 the grandson should be darker still, as there was that the 
 
172 THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 
 
 son should be. So we may go on, till we come to the 
 darkest face to be found among men. The same may be 
 concluded of any other peculiarity. 
 
 315. 1 know that what is here supposed would not be, 
 without a special reason. If all colors and forms, slightly 
 different, were kept continually mixed, the extremes 
 would not be likely to be far separated. But such mix- 
 ture has not been, and as men are, could not be expected. 
 Sympathy, on the one hand, and prejudice on the other, 
 w^ould lead to classes or castes. " Birds of a feather 
 will flock together;" and the principle has prevailed in 
 the past, as far back as history goes, as much as it pre- 
 vails in the present. And castes, once formed, to what- 
 ever peculiarity they might relate, would not be easily 
 broken up. The tendency would be rather to raise the 
 partition walls ; and the peculiarity that first led to the 
 separation, whatever it might be, would naturally become 
 more and more prominent indefinitely. If it were color, 
 the whitest would associate together, and so would the 
 blackest ; and the tendency would be to increase the 
 whiteness on the one hand, and the blackness on the 
 other. True, some would disregard existing prejudices ; 
 and this would throw in, between the extremes, shades 
 of color that would lessen the contrast ; as the same 
 thing is done at the present day, still, the general ten- 
 dency would not be broken up, as such instances would 
 be, as they now are, rare exceptions to a general rule. 
 
 316. In our view, the main cause of existing varieties 
 in the human race, is the influence of caste ; though, of 
 course, we must suppose, as before shown, an original 
 tendency to produce slight differences. This, to us, 
 appears to explain the whole thing. The animals are not 
 like us, for the reason that they have no sympathy or 
 prejudice, founded on such considerations. Our cattle 
 associate together, irrespective of color, size, shape of 
 the head, or length of the foot. Still, I can easily sup- 
 pose, that, should they get a prejudice against each 
 other, on account of color ; the red for instance, declar- 
 ing that they will not intermarry or associate with the 
 brown, and should carry out this resolution for a few gen- 
 erations, each excluding at once, any and every unlucky 
 
THE CREATION CONSIDERED. 173 
 
 new-comer, that was not red enough or brown enough, 
 to suit the popular taste ; the result would at length be, 
 that the ofispring of the red, would be red, and that of 
 the brown, would be brown ; and the tendency would 
 finally become so fixed and permanent, that variatiojis 
 from the common standard, would be exceedingly rare or 
 disappear altogether. 
 
 317. This theory harmonizes perfectly with the facts 
 that have already been adduced. How can two races 
 exist together, in the same locality for ages, except on 
 the principle here laid di^wn ? We know with certainty 
 that if they should mingle together, their separate pecu- 
 liarities would disappear. Such is the result, wherever 
 such a cause exists to induce it, and to the extent to 
 which it prevails ; and where it prevails sufficiently, all 
 distinction is ultimately lost, as is illustrated by our 
 ancestors, the Normans and Saxons, and as is being 
 illustrated continually before our eyes, by the intermin- 
 gling, in our country, of the nations and races from the 
 old world. 
 
 It is well for us, as Christian believers, to hesitate a 
 long time, before we give up, as unreliable, the teach- 
 ings of the Bible, or put on those teachings a forced con- 
 struction, not demanded by existing facts. The unity of 
 the race, we think, imposes upon us no necessity of 
 doing either of these things. 
 
174 THE DELUGE CO.NblDEKED. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DELUGE CONSIDEHED WITH llEFERENCE TO THE 
 FACTS OP GEOLOGY. 
 
 Contents : — Moral Cause of the Deluge ; Physical Cause of the 
 ])clu<;^e ; Possibility of the Deluge ; Probability of the Deluge ; 
 Proofs of the Deluge ; The Ark ; Number of Ar.imals in the Ark ; 
 Food during the Flood; Duration of the Flood; Mountains 
 of Ararat. 
 
 318. The account of the deluge, as well as that of cre- 
 ation, will be sustained or set aside, in most minds, mainly, 
 according' as it may seem to agree or disagree with the 
 facts of Geology. We believe that Geology, so far from 
 setting aside the fact of a deluge, furnishes strong confir- 
 mation to that event : and this is one of the things we 
 propose to show. There are several particulars connected 
 with this event, that may be noticed separately, as the 
 best mode of giving a complete view of the whole subject. 
 
 SECTION I. — Moral Cause of the Deluge. 
 
 This is stated by the writer thus : — S 
 
 CHAP. VL 
 
 5. IT And God saw that the wick- 
 edness of man was great in the 
 earth, and iJiat every imagination 
 of the thoughts of his heart was 
 only evil continually. 
 
 6 And it repented the Lord that 
 lie had made man on the earth, and 
 
 8. But Noah found grace in the 
 eyes of the Lord. 
 
 11. The earth was also corrupt 
 before God ; and the earth was filled 
 with violence. 
 
 12. And God looked upon the 
 earth , and, behold, it was corrupt: 
 
 it irricvc-d him at his heai't. | for all flesh had corrupted his way 
 
 7. And the Loud said, I will dc- : upon the earth, 
 stroy man whom I have created | 13. And God said unto Noah, 
 from the face of the earth; both The end of all flesli is come before 
 mm, andbe;ist, and the creeping me; for the earth is filled witli \io- 
 thin<_-, and the fowls of the air; for ence through them ; and, behold, 
 it ropenteth me that I have made | I will destroy them with the earth, 
 them. ' 
 
 319. That outward physical events are at all occasioned 
 by moral considerations, on the part of the Creator, seems 
 to be no part of the prevailing philosophy of modern 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDEEED. 1"5 
 
 times Much of the philosophy of modern times, however 
 is philosophy "falsely so called." He who made the 
 «hv cal worid, made also the moral ; and both are msep- 
 a ile oarts of one great system. Every physical event 
 ha its'^moral b.arin|s ; and if this be trne, it is a clear 
 dicf te oTreason, that such moral bearings were intended 
 bv the Creator ; and that the cause was set in operati-m 
 wU a v[ew to the foreseen result. Who does not know 
 th' mli's physical organization has much to do with his 
 moral character ? and that the latter has no less to do 
 vvUh his physical condition ? Here, then, is an obvious 
 CO mection between the physical and the moral worid, in 
 respect to 'the individual ; and surely a no less real con- 
 nectUm exists between the race, and the universe, outs.de 
 and a-ound us. It is not sound philosophy to separate 
 what'odhas so obviously joined t°f 'h;- I ^-^J-f 
 that could we understand the counsels of the Most Higti, 
 we should plainly discover, that most of what is done in tiie 
 outward world, is induced by moral considerations, llie 
 s n shiMand the rain falls, not wholly to give seed to 
 t " Bower and bread to the eater but, throngh these ben- 
 efactions, to lead intelligent '"/"'^^ "P; t'''-°."g^? "t, "\! of 
 nature's God, and thus to elevate them in the sea e ot 
 mtaland spiritual excellence. And if the outward Wcss- 
 ino-s of life have an ulterior moral purpose it is quite as 
 reasonable to conclude, that outward aiBictions are em- 
 ployed for the punishment of sin, to correct our faults and 
 improve our .virtues. 
 
 SECTIO>f H. —The Physical Cacse of the Deluge. 
 
 320 This is expressed by the sacred writer thus, — 
 " All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and 
 the windows of heaven were opened, vu. U ihe way 
 in which the deluge is regarded by most people, is, that 
 it was occasioned by along continued outpouring from the 
 skies. In their estimation it was the rain that caused 
 the flood. Hence, when the opposers of the Bible ha^e 
 shown, that all the rain in the clouds could "O* hr.?.P!°: 
 ducedsuch a result, the honest, but nmnformed believer 
 has no sufiScient reply to make. Fortunate indeed it is for 
 
176 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 such an one, if he comes to the conclusion that there may be 
 some things, connected with this subject, that he does not 
 fully understand, though he may not tell precisely wliat 
 they are. In this case he will w^isely hold on to his faith, 
 and wait for more light ; or rather not wait, but go in 
 pursuit of it. 
 
 321. "All the fountains of the great deep were brok- 
 en up." The true interpretation of this language, we 
 conceive to be, that there was such a breaking up of the 
 earth's crust, as to allow the waters of the ocean, or 
 "great deep," to overflow the land. There was an 
 upheaval of the bed of the ocean, and a depression, or 
 subsidence, of the dry land ; and thus the whole surface 
 was covered with water — not perhaps at the same 
 moment, but within the time during which the flood was 
 continued. The effect was increased, to some extent, by 
 the rain from heaven. 
 
 322. Now we take upon ourself to say, that there is 
 nothing unreasonable in the idea that such an event, as 
 here described, did really occur, aside from the positive 
 testimony in favor of its truth. We know, indeed, that 
 sundry objections have been brought against a universal 
 deluge ; and sundry expedients have been resorted to, to 
 meet these objections. By some the language of the 
 writer has been regarded as highly figurative ; and we 
 are told that we must understand it with reasonable and 
 judicious limitations ; and some analogous expressions, 
 evidently employed in a limited sense, are referred to, for 
 confirmation of this view. But w^e propose to show, 
 that there is nothing unreasonable in a deluge, with the 
 most extended construction that can be put upon the 
 phraseology by which it is described. 
 
 SECTION III. — Of the Possibility of a Deluge. 
 
 323. In the first place, we know abstractly, that all 
 things are possible with God ; but w^e do not rely on this 
 abstract truth. We prefer to note particular facts that 
 are fitted to make out our case. One of these facts is, 
 that there was water enough in the clouds, and on 
 the earth, to have produced a universal deluge. Some 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 177 
 
 have thought otherwise, and have sought for various 
 methods to account for the fact, on other grounds. One 
 theory supposes a condensation of the atmosphere, which, 
 we know, extends far above the earth, and may or may 
 not be suflScient to produce the result. One eminent 
 philosopher thinks that the tail of a cumet, passing nenr 
 the earth, at that time, became condensed, and occasioned 
 the deluge, though I am not informed how the water was 
 disposed of afterwards. 
 
 324. Leaving these theories, we will offer well attested 
 facts in their place. We have before shown that Geol- 
 ogists give their testimony in favor of the Bible, in re- 
 spect to another point, by saying that there was a time, 
 when the whole surface of our globe was covered with 
 water. The facts of Geology cannot be accounted for on 
 any other supposition. It is plain, then, that the same 
 water that covered the earth once, would be sufficient to 
 cover it again The same Power from which issued the 
 imndate, " Let the waters be gathered together into one 
 place," could reverse this order — could depress the dry 
 land, upheave the bed of the ocean, and overspread the 
 whole earth with a flood. 
 
 325. Again ; it is well known that most of the earth's 
 surface is now, and always has been, nearly overspread 
 with water. The proportion of dry land to water, is less 
 than one to two. A slight depression of the dry land, 
 therefore, if such a thing be admitted as possible, would 
 now occasion a universal deluge. 
 
 The common opinion seems to be, that the depth of the 
 ocean corresponds with the height of the land — that the 
 lowest depths and the highest mountains, are nearly equal 
 in extent But recent experiments have shown that the 
 depth of the ocean far exceeds this estimate. A French 
 author (Guyot, " Earth and Man") says on this subject ; 
 " The interior of the basins of the oceans, is unequal, 
 generally deeper than toward the borders. The greatest 
 observed depths are found in the middle region of the 
 Atlantic. They equal, or surpass by several thousand 
 feet, the elevation of the highest mountains of the globe. 
 The mean depth of the basin of the oceans, seems to be 
 much more considerable than the mean elevation of the 
 8^ 
 
178 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 continents above their surface." p. 91. This author gives 
 the different sounding's of experimenters as foUows ; 7,200 
 feet, 6,000, 7,800, 13,000, 10,800, 27,000, 16,000, 34,200. 
 This last number exceeds the highest mountain on the 
 globe, b}^ nearly 10,000 feet. La Place thinks that the 
 greatest depth of the ocean, is about 11 miles. In view 
 of these facts, it is not only obvious that there is water 
 enough on the globe, to produce a universal deluge ; but 
 a moderate elevation of the bed of the ocean, with a slight 
 depression of the land, would produce this result. 
 
 SECTION IV.— The Probability of a Deluge. 
 
 326. A deluge is not only possible ; but, in view of the 
 statements of Geologists, it is an event that may be re- 
 garded as exceedingly probable. These men tell us that 
 the depression of the dry land, and the upheaval of the 
 bed of the ocean, has occurred many times, in the past 
 history of our globe. The evidence of this is as conclu- 
 sive and satisfactory as any facts of science. The rock^ 
 strata that compose the highest mountains, were formed 
 under water. That they have been lifted up, and then 
 depressed ; and that this has occurred many times, is 
 proved by fossil remains found in them, Avhich are 
 sometimes those of the water and sometimes those of 
 the land, and which exist at all heights, from the lowest 
 transition strata, to the upper or diluvial formations. 
 This up and down movement of the earth's surface is one 
 of the processes that attended the earl}^ experience of our 
 globe. It was one of these, the last important one, that 
 produced the flood of Xoah, though the same thing has 
 been done, on a small scale, within the period of authentic 
 profane histor3^ A few quotations, some of which have 
 been used in another place, will show what Geologists 
 have said on this subject. 
 
 327. Buckland; — "The debris of the first dry land, 
 being drifted into the sea, and there spread out into 
 extensive beds of mud, sand and gravel, would forever 
 have remained beneath the surface of the water, had not 
 other forces been subsequently employed to raise them 
 into dry land. These forces seem to have been the same 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 179 
 
 expansive powers of heat and vapor, which, having caused 
 the elevation of the first raised portions of the fundamen- 
 tal crystaline rocks, continued their energies through all 
 succeeding Geological epochs, and still exert them in 
 producing active volcanoes." This author adds: "All 
 observers admit that the strata were formed beneath the 
 water." 
 
 Higgins : — " The stratified rocks must originally have 
 been horizontal, or nearly so ; and many of them were 
 formed in the same manner, as the deposits which are 
 always found in the beds of rivers and the basins of the 
 oceans : but they were afterwards acted upon by miglity 
 
 disturbing forces that elevated and disrupted them 
 
 These eflects have been both local and general, at one 
 time, aftecting a district not more than a few miles in 
 extent, at others, elevating entire continents and immense 
 mountain chains." Buckland, vol. I. p. 42. Higgins, 
 p. 226. 
 
 328. No one can help seeing that the elevation of an 
 entire continent would cause the water to flow over con- 
 tinents that had before been dry land ; and the elevation 
 of the latter, would, in their turn, throw the water back 
 upon the other. What is this but a deluge, or rather a 
 succession of deluges ? And as all parts of the earth 
 show marks of these changes, there must have been more 
 or less of these inundations all over the surface of our 
 globe. 
 
 329. Again: — The relative position and superficial 
 extent of land and water, have been constantly changing, 
 not slowly and imperceptibly as at present, but by the 
 activity'' of causes, the effects of which, have been almost 
 instantaneous, upheaving the bed of the oceans, and 
 deluging the drylands." Higgins, 2*74. 
 
 330. These quotations from men of eminence in the 
 scientific world, will show that a flood, such as is described 
 in Genesis, was a very probable event. From what the 
 earth had undergone, it was not unreasonable that a similar 
 event should occur in the days of Noah, The probability 
 is increased, by what has often occurred since. Extensive 
 surfaces have arisen up from beneath the water, and other 
 surfaces have sunk and disappeared. The Island of 
 
180 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 Hieri rose up from the sea, B. C. 193. Thia in A. D. 40. 
 These became united in A. D. 126. Graham Island rose 
 from the waters of the Mediterranean sea, in 1831. 
 During the earthquake at Lisbon, in 1755, the seas in 
 every part of Europe, were agitated ; and in some places 
 became turbid and thick. Had the cause of this agitation 
 been more active and powerful, as it would have been at 
 an earlier day, the whole of Europe would have been sub- 
 merged and formed the bed of the ocean. The poet, in 
 allusion to such agitations, has the following graphic 
 language ; — 
 
 " Diseased Nature often times breaks forth 
 
 In strange eruptions ; oft the teeming Earth 
 
 Is, with a kind of colic, pinched, and vexed. 
 
 By the imprisonment of unruly winds 
 
 Within her womb, which, for enlargement striving. 
 
 Shake the old bedlam Earth, and topple 
 
 Down steeples and moss grown towers." 
 
 SECTION v. — Proofs of the Deluge. 
 
 331. The testimony of Geologists, in favor of similar 
 changes with that of the flood of Noah, we have before 
 given ; and reasoning from analogy, we have deduced 
 the probability of such an event. It may be well to see 
 what some of them say expressly concerning this event. 
 Cuvier: — "I can concur with the opinion of M. DeLuc 
 and Dolomieu, that, if there be anything determined in 
 Geology, it is that the surface of our globe has been sub- 
 ject to a vast and sudden revolution, not longer ago than 
 five or six thousand years ; that this revolution lias 
 buried and caused to disappear, the countries formerly 
 inhabited by man, and the species of animals now most 
 known ; that, on the contrary, it has left the bottom of 
 the former sea dry, and has formed on it the countries 
 now inhabited." Comstock's Geology, 1841. 
 
 Buckland : — " The Alps and Carpathian, as well as 
 every other mountainous region which I have visited, 
 bear the same evidence of having been modified by the 
 force of waters, as do the hills of the lower regions." lb. 
 
 Professor Hitchcock: — "The conclusion to which I 
 am led irresistibly, formed by an examination of this 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 181 
 
 stratum, (in Massachusetts,) is, that all the diluvinm 
 which has been previously accumulated, has been modi- 
 fied by a powerful deluge, sweeping from the north and 
 north-west, over every part of the state, not excepting 
 the highest mountains.'' Report of the Geology of 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 332. That the earth's surface has sometimes, not 
 many thousands of years in the past, been overflowed 
 by a mighty inundation, is proved by the position and 
 location of many masses of rock, that have evidently 
 been moved from one place to another by this agency. 
 " In Sweden and Russia, large blocks of rock occur out 
 of place in great numbers ; and no doubt can be enter- 
 tained, that they have been transferred southward from the 
 north. Boulders have been transferred from the Savoy 
 Alps, to the Jura, across what is now lake Geneva. 
 Professor Buckland found amongst the transferred gravel 
 of Durham, twenty varieties of slate and greenstone, 
 which do not occur in places nearer than the lake dis- 
 trict of Cumberland. Between the Thames and the 
 Tweed are rocks that must have come from the coast of 
 Norway. On the coast of Yorkshire are fragments of 
 rocks that must have come from the coast of Norway, 
 and such as came from the Highlands of Scotland. In 
 East Lyme, Ct., near the road leading from Rope Ferr}^ 
 to Saybrook, is a huge block of granite, weighing, it is 
 estimated, about 400 tons, that was evidently carried 
 there from a mountain two miles distant. The boulders 
 of Plymouth and Barnstable came from the vicinity of 
 Boston and Cape Ann." Hitchcock. 
 
 333. Many other similar quotations might be made, 
 but these are sufficient. Whether what is here described 
 took place in the flood of Noah, may not be certain : but 
 they certainly belong to the same class of changes, and 
 by their analogy, they furnish evidence of that event. 
 Lyell supposes that deluges are a part of the regular 
 order of Providence ; and he predicts an American 
 deluge about 30000 years hence. 
 
 334. There is another branch of evidence, bearing 
 upon this subject, to which we are inclined to attach con- 
 siderable importance. I refer to the traditions of differ- 
 ent nations, concerning the deluge. It is quite remark- 
 
182 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 able that the traditions found among the most barbarous 
 nations, as well as those more enlightened, should show 
 a harmony, more or less exact, with the facts of Geology 
 and the deductions of science. Yet, if the deluge be a 
 reality, the existing state of things is only what we might 
 reasonably expect ; and it would be almost, if not quite, 
 as difficult to account for these traditions, without a 
 deluge to have originated them, as to account for the facts 
 of Geology, without that event. Richard W'atson 
 (Theol. Die. Art. Deluge,) has the following judicious 
 remarks, touching this point. " Its magnitude and sin- 
 gularity could scarcely fail to make an indelible impres- 
 sion on the minds of the survivors, which would be 
 communicated from them to their children, and wuuld 
 not be easily effaced from the traditions of theii latest 
 posterity. A deficiency of such traces of this awfwl 
 event, though it might not serve entirely to invalidate 
 our belief of its reality, would certainty tend consider- 
 ably to weaken its claims to credibility ; it being scarcely 
 probable that the knowledge of it should be utterly lost 
 to the rest of the world, and confined to the Jewish 
 nation alone. What we might reasonably expect, has 
 been actually and completely realized." Traditions of 
 the flood are found among the Greeks, Egyptians, Pha3- 
 nicians, Assyrians, Hindoos, Chinese, Otaheitans, Cubans. 
 Peruvians, Brazilians, Mexicans, &c., &c. 
 
 335. Humboldt, speaking of these traditions, makes 
 the following appropriate and forcible remarks : — 
 *' These ancient traditions of the human race, which we 
 find dispersed over the surface of the globe, like the 
 fragments of a vast shipwreck, are of the greatest interest 
 to the philosophic study of our species. Like certain 
 families of plants, which, notwithstanding the diversities 
 of climate and the influence of heights, retain their impress 
 of a common type, the traditions concerning the prim- 
 itive state of the globe, present, among all nations, a 
 resemblance that fills us with astonishment. So many 
 different languages, belonging to branches which appear 
 to have no connection with each other, transmit the same 
 facts to us. The substance of the traditions respecting 
 the destroyed races, and the renovation of nature, is 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. IbJ 
 
 everywhere almost the same, although each nation gives 
 it a local coloring/' Humboldt's Travels, School Dis- 
 trict Library, pp. 191, 192. 
 
 336. In ancient times the deluge was a matter of 
 record in profane history, deemed authentic. Josophus 
 afiirms that Berosus, a Chaldean historian, relates the cir- 
 cumstances of a great deluge in which all mankind perished, 
 except a few, and that Noachus, the preserver of tlio 
 human race, was carried in an ark to the summit of an 
 Armenian mountain. Josephus also states that Hiero- 
 nimus, the Egyptian historian, who wrote the antiquities 
 of the Phoenicians, and Nicholas of Damascus, together 
 with other writers, speak of the same deluge. Likewise 
 there is a fragment preserved of Abydemus, an ancient 
 Assyrian historian, in which it is said, not only that there 
 was a deluge, but that it was foretold before it happened, 
 and that birds were sent forth from the ark, three difier- 
 ent times, to see whether the waters were abated. 
 
 337. In addition to the opinion of Geologists, the tra- 
 ditions of all nations, and the testimony of ancient profane 
 historians, we have another history that has never been 
 impeached, to which we may do well to take heed • and 
 this history is the Bible. And while we give credit to 
 other ancient records, that have by no means been pre- 
 served with the same care, why should we not admit the 
 statements of this record, so long as no natural or histor- 
 ical evidence can be adduced against it. If it be said that 
 there are natural reasons against it, we meet the assertion 
 with a prompt and vigorous denial, and appeal to facts to 
 sustain our position. 
 
 338. Another question presents itself, in connection 
 with the deluge, that some may think more difficult than 
 the abstract reality of such an event. I refer to the 
 preservation of Noah and his family, together with the 
 number of animals that are said to have been saved at 
 the same time. On this point several things will be 
 noticed. 
 
184 
 
 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 SECTION VI.— The Ark. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 14. IT Make thee an ark of gopher 
 •wood; rooms shalt thou make in 
 the ark, and shalt pitch it within 
 and without with pitch. 
 
 15. And this is the fashion which 
 thou shalt make it of: The length 
 of the ark shdll be three hundred 
 cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, 
 
 and the height of it thirty cubits. 
 
 16. A window shalt thou make to 
 the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou 
 finish it above; and the door of the 
 ark shalt thou set in the side there- 
 of; with lower, second, and third 
 stoi'ies shalt thou make it. 
 
 339. A cubit is generall}^ thought to be a foot and a 
 half of our measure. Hence the ark must have been 450 
 feet in length, 75 feet in breadth, and 45 feet in height, a 
 proportion of length, breadth and height, corresponding 
 very nearly with vessels, at the present day, that are con- 
 structed on strictly scientific principles. That it was 
 made in a similar form, need not be supposed. Probably 
 it was not, as the object had in view was not to move 
 from place to place, requiring a form fitted to move with 
 the least resistance, but simply to preserve alive its 
 inmates. A flat bottom would answer the purpose as 
 well, perhaps better, and would be of simpler construction. 
 
 340. The three stories of the ark fitted it for containing 
 more burden, and for its better distribution, than it other- 
 wise could have been. Doubtless the common sense of 
 Noah was allowed its proper exercise, in the arrangement 
 and disposition of the lading, so that the heaviest would 
 be placed below, and the lightest above. But whether 
 the ark, large as it was, and conveniently arranged, would 
 contain all that was put into it, is a question that is not 
 very easily settled. We can approximate, we think, to 
 a just conclusion. 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 185 
 
 SECTION VIT.— Number of Animals in thr Ark. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 19. And of every living thing of 
 all flesh, two of every sort shalt 
 thou bring into the ark, to keep 
 ihe7n alive with thee ; they shall be 
 male and female. 
 
 20. Of fowls after their kind, and 
 of cattle after their kind, of every 
 creeping thing of the earth after his 
 kind, two of every sort shall come 
 unto thee, to keep them alive. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 2. Ofevery clean beast thou shalt 
 take to thee by sevens, the male 
 and his female : and of beasts that 
 are not clean by two, the male and 
 his female. 
 
 3. Of fowls also of the air by 
 sevens, the male and the female; 
 to keep seed alive upon the face of 
 all the earth. * * * 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 8. Of clean beasts, and of beasts 
 that are not clean, and of fowls, 
 and of every thing that creepeth 
 upon the earth. 
 
 9. There went in two and two 
 unto Noah into the ark, the male 
 and the female, as God had com- 
 manded Noah. 
 
 10. And it came to pass after 
 seven days, that the waters of the 
 flood were upon the earth. 
 
 14. They, and every beast after 
 his kind, and all the cattle after 
 their kind, and every creeping 
 thing that creepeth upon the earth 
 after his kind, and every fowl after 
 his kind, every bird of every sort, 
 
 15. And they went in unto Noah 
 into the ark, two and two of all 
 flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 
 
 16. And they that went in, went 
 in male and female of all flesh, as 
 God had commanded him; and the 
 Lord shut him in. * * 
 
 341. The opinion has been entertained by some, that 
 all animals absolutely were not preserved in the ark — that 
 some now extinct, and known to have lived only by their 
 fossil remains, were then totally destroyed. The language 
 above quoted does not seem to admit of any such limita- 
 tion or exception. On this subject we remark, that the 
 number of animals originally upon the earth, was very 
 large. This we know from their fossil remains ; but most 
 of these lived and perished long before the flood, and in- 
 deed long before the creation of man. Those that were 
 cotemporary with man were comparatively few in number: 
 and though they might have become very numerous, at 
 the time of the deluge, the number of kinds need not be 
 so regarded. The kinds are not now numerous. Buffon, 
 an eminent naturalist, says, that all existing species 
 (aside from the fishes and fowls) can be reduced to 250. 
 
18G THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 Tliis probaM;,' lulls far bcluw liio true estimate ; but, willi 
 all reasonable additions, the ark could have contained 
 them. But if this were proved to be impossible, their. 
 is no certainty that the number of kinds then, wer.' 
 equal to the present number : for it is not at all improba- 
 ble that some kinds, perhaps many, have been created 
 since the flood. Geologists tell us that, during the epochs 
 of creation, there must have been several distinct crea- 
 tions of animals, each creation suited to the condition of 
 the earth at the time, and succeeded by another, as lh(3 
 condition of things required it. And if this be so, analogy 
 would favor the idea, that some animals may have re- 
 ceived their existence since the deluge : and especially 
 because there is reason to believe that the climate of the 
 earth, underwent a great change, when the flood occurred. 
 
 342. " Dr. Hales has proved," says Comstock, " that 
 the ark was of a burden of 42,413 tons, as we com- 
 pute the tonnage of ships at the present day." We 
 suppose that 250 pairs, and a much larger nuniber, would 
 find ample room in that immense structure. As to the 
 largest animals, we may suppose, if we see reason for 
 so doing, that the young of these, and not those full 
 grown, were selected, as securing the result just as well. 
 But animals of this kind are not numerous, as are those 
 of a smaller size. 
 
 A few moments thought will convince any one, that 
 the number of arnmals, said to have been saved in the 
 ark, is really no objection to the truth or credibility of the 
 deluge. And though seven of each kind of clean beasts 
 were saved, and two of each kind of unclean, yet we 
 know that the kinds of the former, are not numerous, 
 arid of the larger ones, the young and small could have 
 been selected. 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 187 
 
 SECTION VIIL — Food during the Flood. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 21. And take thou 'unto thee of I 22. Thus did Noah; according 
 all food that is eaten, and thou | to all that God commanded him, so 
 fihalt jjcather it to thee; audit shall i did he. 
 be for' food for thee, and for them. | 
 
 343. It has greatly puzzled interpreters to determine 
 why seven of some animals were preserved, instead of 
 two. That Noah required clean beasts for the sacrilice 
 he offered to the Lord, on leaving the ark, which is the 
 usual reason given for this procedure, is quite unsatisfac- 
 tory. Noah did indeed require clean beasts for sacrifice, 
 but that he required five of every kind, is a somewhat 
 extravagant supposition. It does not seem to have 
 occurred to these expounders, that many animals are car- 
 nivorous, and must have been furnished with flesh to eat. 
 And the clean beasts were chosen for this purpose, rather 
 than unclean, for the reason that they could be more 
 easily procured, as being less wild and voracious. It 
 may be added here, that what was deemed an objection 
 in one part of the account, the preservation of seven 
 clean beasts instead of two, helps us to remove another 
 objection, quite as formidable, arising from the amount 
 of food required for their sustenance, since, with this 
 understanding, a small amount only of vegetable food 
 would be required. 
 
 SECTION IX. — Duration of the Flood. 
 
 344. At first view there seems to be a great want of 
 consecutive order, in the account we have of the flood. 
 The entrance of Noah and his faqiilyinto the ark, is men- 
 tioned not less than four times. There is a reason for 
 this, however, that may not at first appear. The passages 
 that seem to be repetitions are not precisely alike : and 
 though they might be greatly abridged, and every idea 
 be retained, yet we must allow the writer to tell his story 
 in his own way. We place below the passages side by 
 side : — 
 
188 
 
 THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 17. And behold I, even I, do 
 Lrinjr a flood of waters upon the 
 earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein 
 is the breath of life, from under 
 heavens ; a7id every thing that u in 
 the earth shall die. 
 
 18. But with thee will I estab- 
 lish mv covenant; and thou shalt 
 come into the ark, thou, and thy 
 soiis, and thy wife, and thy sons' 
 wives with thee. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
 5. And I^oah did according unto I 
 all that the Lord commanded him. 
 
 6. And Noah Avas six hundred I 
 years old when the flood of waters | 
 was upon the earth. I 
 
 7. T[ And Noah went in, and his 
 sons, and his wife, and his sons' 
 wives Avith him, into the ark, be- 
 cause of the waters of the flood. 
 
 ***** 
 
 11. In the six hundredth year of 
 Noah's life, in the second month. 
 
 CHAP. Yir. 
 1. And the Loril said unto Noah, 
 Come thou and all thy house into 
 the ark ; for thee have I seen right- 
 eous before me in this generation. 
 ***** 
 
 4. For yet seven days, and I will 
 cause it to rain upon the earth 
 forty days and forty nights: and 
 every living substance that I have 
 made will I destroy from off the 
 face of the earth. 
 . VII. 
 
 the seventeenth day of the month, 
 the same day were all the fountains 
 of the great deep broken up, and 
 the windows of heaven were opened. 
 
 12. And the rain was upon the 
 earth forty days and forty nights, 
 
 13. In the selfsame day entered 
 Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and 
 Japheth, the sons of Noah, and 
 Noah's wife, and the three wives 
 of his sons with them into the ark. 
 
 345. The first of these passages contains an announce- 
 ment of the flood and the preservation of Noah and his 
 family. The next commands Noah to go into the ark. 
 The writer next states that Noah and his family went into 
 the ark. The statement is then repeated, in connection 
 with the exact time when it occurred. 
 
 346. There is some indefiniteness as to the time tho 
 flood prevailed. We have the record as follows : — 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 11. In the six hundredth year of 
 Noah's life, in the second month, 
 the seventeenth day of the month, 
 the same day were all the fountains 
 of the great deep broken up, and 
 the windows of heaven were opened. 
 
 1*2. And the rain was upon the 
 earth forty days and forty nights. 
 
 17. And the flood was forty days 
 upon the earth ; and the waters in- 
 creased, and bare up the ark, and 
 it was lift up above the earth. 
 
 18. And the waters prevailed, 
 ami were incrovseil greatly ujxm 
 the earth; and the ark went upon 
 the face of the waters. 
 
 I 10. And the waters prevailed ex- 
 ' cee lingly upon the earth; and all 
 ; "iiie high hills that were under the 
 whole heaven, were covered. 
 
 20. Fifteen cubits upward did 
 the waters prevail; and the moun- 
 tains were covered. 
 ; 21. And all flesh died that moved 
 upon the earth, both of fowl, and 
 of cattle, and of beast, and of every 
 creeping thing that creepeth upon 
 the earth, and every man : 
 
 22. All in whose nostrils was the 
 breath of life, of all thatu'os in the 
 dry land, died. 
 
 23. And every living substance 
 
THE DELUGE CONSIDERED. 
 
 189 
 
 was destroyed which was upon tlie 
 face of the ground, both man, and 
 cattle, and the creeping things, and 
 the fowl of the heaven ; and they 
 were destroyed from the earth: and 
 
 Noah only remained alive, and 
 they that were with him in the ark. 
 '24. And the waters prevailed 
 upon the earth an hundred and fifty 
 days. 
 
 CHAP. VIII 
 
 1. And God remembered Noah, 
 and every living thing, and all the 
 cattle that icas with him in the 
 ark: and God made a wind to pass 
 over the earth, and the waters as- 
 suaged. 
 
 2. The fountains also of the deep 
 and the windows of heaven were 
 stopped, and the rain from heaven 
 was restrained. 
 
 3. And the waters returned from 
 otf the earth continually: and after 
 the end of the hundred and fifty 
 days the waters were abated. 
 
 4. And the ark rested in the 
 seventh month, on the seventeenth 
 day of the month, upon the moun- 
 tains of Ararat. 
 
 5. And the waters decreased con- 
 tinually until the tenth month: in 
 the tenth month, on the first day 
 of the month, were the tops of the 
 mountains seen. 
 
 6. IT And it came to pass at the 
 end of forty days, that Noah opened 
 the window of the ark which he 
 had made: 
 
 7. And he sent forth a raven, 
 which went forth to and fro, until 
 the waters were dried up from off 
 the earth. 
 
 8. Also he sent forth a dove from 
 him, to see if the waters were abat- 
 ed from off the face of the ground ; 
 
 9. But the dove found no rest 
 for the sole of her foot, and she re- 
 turned unto him into the ark, for the 
 waters u-erc on the face of the whole 
 earth: then he put forth his hand, 
 and took her, and pulled her in 
 unto him into the ark. 
 
 10. And he stayed yet other seven 
 days-, and again he sent forth the 
 
 347. A careful observation and comparison of pas^ 
 sages, in this account, will make out the following par- 
 
 dove out of the ark ; 
 
 11. And the dove came into him 
 in the evening; and, lo, in her 
 mouth was an olive leaf plucked 
 off': so Noah knew that the waters 
 were abated from off the earth. 
 
 12. And he stayed yet other 
 seven days; and sent forth the 
 dove; which returned not again 
 unto him any more. 
 
 13. IF And it came to pass in the 
 six hundredth and first year, in the 
 first month, the first day of the 
 month, the waters were dried up 
 from oft" the earth: and Noah re- 
 moved the covering of the ark, 
 and looked, and, behold, the face 
 of the ground was dry. 
 
 14. And in the second month, on 
 the seven and twentieth day of the 
 month, was the earth dried. 
 
 15. IT And God spake unto No- 
 ah, saying, 
 
 16. Go forth of the ark, thou, 
 and thy wife, and thy sons, and 
 thy sons' wives with thee. 
 
 17. Bring forth with thee every 
 living thing that is with thee, of 
 all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, 
 and of every creeping thing that 
 creepeth upon the earth ; that they 
 may breed abundantly in the earth, 
 and be fruitful, and multiply upon 
 the earth. 
 
 18. And Noah went forth, and 
 his sons, and his wife, and his sons' 
 wives with him: 
 
 19. Every beast, every creeping 
 thing, and every fowl, and what- 
 soever creepeth upon the earth, 
 after their kinds, went forth out of 
 the ark. 
 
190 THE DELUOE CONSIDERED. 
 
 ticulars : — Noah went into the ark on the ITth day of 
 the second month, when the flood commenced. The thxjd 
 continued from that date, 40 days and 40 nights, at wliich 
 time the waters exceeded the highest mountains by 15 
 cubits, or a little more than 22 feet. At this time all 
 land animals, not shut up in the ark, had perished. 
 
 318. When it is added that the waters prevailed upon 
 the earth 150 days, we must include in this n^cktJiiing. 
 the 40 days before alluded to. This is evident from \ iii : 
 4, where it is said that the ark rested, in the seventh 
 month, and on the 17th da}^ of the month, upon the 
 mountains of Ararat : for this period is just five months 
 (from the Hth of the second month to the 17th of the 
 seventh J from the time the flood commenced; and five 
 months of Jewish reckoning, is precisely 150 days. From 
 the time the ark rested on Ararat, up to the first day of 
 the tenth month, the waters continued to decrease, so that 
 then the tops of the mountains were seen. Forty days 
 later Noah sent forth a raven, and still later a dove. On 
 the first day of the first month, of the next 3^ear, Noah 
 removed the covering of the ark ; and in the sec(jnd 
 month, on the 27th day of the month, the ground was 
 dry, and Noah went forth from the ark, one Jewish year 
 and ten days after he had entered it. 
 
 SECTION X.— Mountains of Ararat. 
 
 349. The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. We 
 know there are such mountains as are here named. They 
 are two in number, and from their height are called the 
 Greater and Lesser Ararat. It is not improbable that the 
 ark first rested upon the one, and by degrees, as the 
 water subsided, passed down to the other, or to the plain 
 betwe(m the two. These mountains have been known 
 and called by this name, from the most ancient times ; 
 and the traditions of the people in that country, fully 
 Knstain the fact that this was the place where the ark 
 rested. 
 
 350. The author of " Earth and Man," in his admira- 
 ble lectures, has the following remarks that seem appro- 
 priate in this connection. " Here .... is the original 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRIXES. 191 
 
 country of the white race, the most perfect in body and 
 mind. If we take tradition for our guide, and follow, 
 step by step, the march of the primitive nations, as we 
 ascend to their point of departure, they irresistibly lead 
 us to the very centre of this plateau. Now in this cen- 
 tral part also, in Upper Armenia and in Persia . . . we 
 find the purest type of the historical nations. Thence 
 we behold them descend into the arable plains and spread 
 toward all parts of the horizon.'' pp. 292, 293. 
 
 351. *• Man presents to our view his purest, his most 
 perfect type, at the very centre of the temperate conti- 
 nents, at the centre of Asia-Europe, in the region of 
 Iran of Armenia and of Caucassus ; and departing from this 
 Geographical centre, in the three grand directions of the 
 lands, the types gradually lose the beauty of their forms, 
 in proportion to their distance, even to the extreme points 
 of the southern continents, where we find the most de- 
 formed and degraded of races, and the lowest in the 
 scale of humanity." pp. 254, 255. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 Contents : — God and his Attributes ; Unity of God ; Nature and 
 Responsibility of Man; Rewards and Punishments ; Final Tri- 
 umph of Good ; Garden of Eden. 
 
 352. One reason why the ideas of men respecting the 
 teachings of the Bible, are so indefinite and confused, is, 
 that they seek to comprehend the teachings of the whole 
 book at once, whereas they would have much clearer 
 conceptions, and a much better understanding of the sub- 
 jects treated of, if they would bring their investigations 
 at first to bear upon some distinct parts of the book, and 
 advance to others, onlyafter these w^ere clearly understood. 
 This is the method we now propose to follow. We will 
 first ascertain, as far as we can, what doctrines are taught 
 in the book of Genesis ; and at some other time, we will 
 do the same thing, with other portions of the Scriptures. 
 
192 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES 
 
 353. If it be thought that we shall be liable to fall into 
 errors, by taking so limited a view, the danger, we think, 
 can exist only with reference to doctrines not clearly 
 revealed in this part of the Bible ; and with respect to 
 these we should not be too confident. But the doctrines 
 that are expressed in clear and unambiguous terms, may 
 be learned and received with confidence ; and if the Bible 
 is a consistent book throughout, no part of it will be fouiid 
 adverse to these, but will fully confirm them. Our inves- 
 tigations will be most profitable to us by observing some 
 methodical arrangement. 
 
 SECTION I. — God and his Attributes. 
 
 354. We know that expressions are found in the book 
 of Genesis, that, literall}^ uuderstood, convey unworthy 
 ideas of God ; but we have elsewhere oflered, what we 
 hope may be regarded, as good reasons for not giving 
 such interpretation to these expressions : not merely 
 because we do not believe such things of God, as this 
 language would indicate, but because we have no good 
 reason for supposing that the author himself believes 
 thus. Doubtless their ideas of God were not equal to 
 ours ; for, if they were, we might pertinently ask : 
 What good has the Bible done us ? But their ideas were 
 not as low and puerile, as we might suppose, while look- 
 ing only at certain forms of expression which they employ. 
 This is evident from other representations found in the 
 book. Hence, if we find some rude expressions, as doubt- 
 less we do, they should be so interpreted as to harmonize 
 with other and higher representations. The best forms 
 of speech should be chosen to represent their ideas, rather 
 than other and ruder forms. 
 
 The author of a book on Natural Philosophy, for exam- 
 ple, should not be charged with error, when he speaks of 
 the rising and setting of the sun, so long as we know that 
 he has maintained tiie contrary of what this language 
 implies, while treating of the earth's motions. Nor do we 
 deal fiiirly b}^ him, if we say his book is inconsistent and 
 contradictory ; for while treating the subject of the diur- 
 nal revolution of our planet, he shows us plainly what are 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 193 
 
 the facts : but, while treating other subjects, he makes 
 use of popular language, which, though literally untrue, 
 does not mislead or deceive us. May it not be assumed, 
 then that the writers of the Bible will be treated with 
 equal fairness, by the readers of that book. It is certain, 
 that they are entitled to the consideration here asked for 
 them : and if it be not granted, the wrong must be 
 charged on their impugners and not on themselves. We 
 proceed then to show what are the ideas, inculcated in 
 the book of Genesis, concerning God and his attributes. 
 
 355. First, the actions ascribed to God, show the views 
 entertained of him. The work of creation, ascribed to 
 the energy of the Almighty, will of itself, vindicate the 
 book from the charge of narrow views, that might be 
 inferred from other allusions. The heavens and the earth 
 are the work of his hands. He spake and it was done ; 
 he commanded and it stood fast. All things are regarded 
 as created by the simple word of God. "Let there be 
 light, and there was light," has often b?en quoted as one 
 of the subhmest forms of speech. The original is perhaps 
 still better than the translation, " Light, Be ; and light 
 was,'' is a literal rendering. That the author of the 
 book of Genesis regarded God as simply a national divin- 
 ity, and had no higher conceptions of his character, is 
 asserted by some ; but the assertion has no proof. 
 
 356. That the providential care of the family of Abra- 
 ham, should encourage some such narrow views in the 
 minds of a rude people, in a low state of civilization, can 
 easily be supposed, and need not be denied. That forms 
 of expression, there used, may be so interpreted, we will 
 not dispute. We may go farther and say, that God him- 
 self may have designed to address the patriarchs in a 
 manner fitted to remind them of his special care and pro- 
 tection. But that these views were the highest concep- 
 tions entertained of God — much less, that these were 
 the only views that were revealed to the people of those 
 days, is contradicted by frequent references of a more 
 elevated character, of which, what is said of the creation, 
 is an obvious example. 
 
 357o What is said of the Deluge, is no less to our pur- 
 pose. That event was sufficiently momentous to indicate 
 9 
 
194 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 the interposition of an Almighty Power ; and to insist 
 that the historian who gives us the Bible account of it, 
 had none but low and unworthy conceptions of the char- 
 acter of God, to whose agency that event is referred, 
 shows an entire misconception of the facts as they are. 
 In the same spirit are the destruction of Babel and of 
 Sodom ; though these events are not of the same m.agnifi- 
 cent character as the former. Tliey show that the " God 
 of the Jews is also the God of the Gentiles,'' and that the 
 book so regards him, as it makes him to concern himself 
 with their aliairs, holding them responsible to him for 
 their conduct, and punishing them for their sins. Nor 
 are other references without significance, as inculcating 
 the same sentiment. Abraham once fell into an error on 
 this subject, and took what he thought were judicious 
 measures to guard himself from the wrongs of a people, 
 who as ho supposed, had no fear of God before their eyes. 
 The result showed his mistake. Isaac, too, did the same 
 thing, with a like misapprehension, and with the same 
 result ; and Jacob found the house of God and the gate 
 of heaven, where he did not expect the divine presence. 
 
 358. In the second place, the book employs lang-uage, 
 to set forth the divine attributes, fitted to give us exalted 
 views of the Creator. The language of Melchisedck is 
 to the point : — " Blessed be Abraham of the Most High 
 God, possessor of heaven and Earth ; and blessed be the 
 Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy 
 hands." The lanG;uage of Abram, on the same occasion, is 
 similar; " I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, the Most 
 High God, possessor of heaven and earth.'' The language 
 of God to this patriarch, on another occasion, is quite as 
 emphatic, and equally to our purpose; — "I am the Al- 
 migty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Simi- 
 lar is the language to Jacob ; — " I am God Almighty ;" 
 and this patriarch uses the same language to his sons. 
 '' God Almighty give you mercy before the man." xiv. 
 19, 20, 22; xvii. 1 ; xliii. 14; xlix. 25. 
 
 359. That the ancients had the same extended views 
 of " heaven and earth" that now prevail, is not presumed. 
 Doubtless their ideas of the physical universe were very 
 limited ; and their views of the Creator and Governor of 
 the universe, must have corresponded ; but it is certain 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 195 
 
 tliat all there was of the world, be it more or less, was 
 the product of the Power they worshipped — was in his 
 hands and subject to his control. 
 
 SECTION II. —Unity of God. 
 
 360. The unity of God is obviously the doctrine of the 
 book of Genesis. This is sufficiently manifest from the 
 absence of all conflicting doctrines. True, the name of 
 God (Elohim) is in the plural form ; but the use of synony- 
 mous words in the singular, the use of the singular verb, 
 the singular pronoun, &c., in conjunction with it, shows 
 clearly that the sense of the word is singular. This sub- 
 ject is fully discussed in our criticism on this word, and 
 need not be enlarged upon here. Consult p. 53-55. Few 
 that have any knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, will 
 maintain that any other than the unity of God is therein 
 revealed. 
 
 SECTION III. — Nature and Responsibility of Man. 
 
 361. It is worthy of being noticed, as a most important 
 fact of revelation, that man was made in the image of 
 God. This image can have no reference to man's physical 
 form. It v/as evidently his spiritual nature that has the 
 divine image ; and this fact is the best evidence, furnished 
 in this part of the Bible, to prove our immortality. We 
 may criticise the words "soul" and "spirit," as much 
 as we please : and we shall still be in the dark ; but in 
 the fact of man's likeness to the Divine Being, we see 
 good and substantial reasons for believing in the soul's 
 immortality. We are like God — so the book clearly rep- 
 resents. We have the same original attributes ; and 
 they are as imperishable in us as they are in him. 
 
 362. Were we to seek for a philosophical interpreta- 
 tion of the likeness we possess to the Creator, we should 
 find it in the language of the apostle to the Gentiles, who 
 calls God the "Father of our spirits," in contradistinctioji 
 to our earthly parents, whom he designates as the "fathers 
 of our flesh." The human soul is the child of God ; and 
 as such it is presumed to be like its parent ; and if we 
 
19G THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 look closely to what man is, as a spiritual being, the 
 resemblance will become quite too obvious to be mistaken. 
 The spirit of man and the Spirit of God are alike — the 
 one emanated from the other, as the cljild from a parent ; 
 and both have the same attributes. The wisdom and 
 power of man, and the wisdom and power of God, are 
 alike. The justice of man, and the justice of God, are 
 the same. The benevolence of man, and of God, are 
 identical. The difference is not in the nature of these 
 attributes, but only in their extent. Man is finite, and 
 God is infinite. 
 
 The first act of God's moral government over man, is 
 based on the doctrine here announced. There is an 
 assumption of human responsibility; and this can only 
 belong to a moral nature, such as no being but God pos- 
 sesses, and those made in his likeness. 
 
 363. But did human nature and responsibility remain 
 the same ? That man was originally hol}^ is generally 
 assumed. That he remained so, is generally denied. Ilia 
 nature was at first pure — he was indeed a child of God — 
 but when he fell, in other words, when he sinned, he 
 became wholly changed. This is the common opinion, 
 from which we are compelled to dissent. We see no 
 reason for the popular doctrine, that human nature un- 
 derwent a change, when Adam sinned. We are sure 
 that no intimation of such a change is given, in the 
 account we have of that transaction. Adam's condition 
 was changed. His character was changed. He was right 
 before he disobeyed, he was wrong afterwards. He was 
 innocent before, afterwards he was guilty. He was 
 happy before, lie was afterwards miserable. But this 
 does not relate to the nature of Adam. His nature was 
 unchanged. His reason and intellect were the same. 
 His conscience was not destroyed. If conscience admon- 
 ished him not to commit sin, it was no less faithful to 
 rebuke him after he had committed it. His conscious- 
 ness of guilt and condemnation, is far from indicating' a 
 totally corrupt condition. It is, on the contrary, a clear 
 proof that he was sensible of his responsibility as a moral 
 being, and therefore, not totally corrupt. 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 197 
 
 Nor can we see any reason why that one sin of Adam 
 should be so much more heinous than other sins. Surely 
 if Adam became totally corrupt by his first sin, all other 
 sins could be of little consequence to him. He might now 
 sin with an uplifted hand, as no farther effect could result 
 from his iniquities. Is this the view we are to take of 
 tliis subject ? If we take this view, we must do so, on 
 our own responsibility, as the divine record cannot be so 
 interpreted. 
 
 364. It is worthy of being added, that the subsequent 
 history of man, is opposed to the sentiment now under 
 review. Cain was punished for his sins, because he could 
 have avoided the crime for which he was made to suffer. 
 He had no more excuse than Adam had. He could not 
 plead his corrupt nature in extenuation of his guilt, more 
 than Adam could. This does not harmonize with the 
 common views. Indeed, if Cain was wholly corrupt, so 
 that he could not think a good thought, speak a good 
 word, or perform a good act, then he had the best reason, 
 in the world, for what he did ; and his punishment was 
 plainly unjust. We shall find no less difficulty in account- 
 ing for the good conduct of his brother, if the common 
 theory be true. Abel was acceptable for his righteous- 
 ness ; but how came he to be thus righteous, since he had 
 inherited a corrupt nature from his parents? True, he 
 may have " met with a change ;" but if this be so, it is 
 certain that the writer has omitted to give us the record 
 of that event. 
 
 The only rational conclusion is, that Adam's sons 
 were like himself, capable of sinning, or refraining from 
 sin, as they pleased ; that, before they sinned, they were 
 as innocent as himself; and that, after they had sinned, 
 they had no more excuse than he ; in other words, that 
 their nature, the divine image within them, was the 
 same, as it was at first. 
 
 365. With the view that is commonly held of the sin 
 of our first parents, and the consequent depravity, we 
 shall find it difficult to account for some y^stances of 
 virtue and piety that are found among men in those 
 ancient times. Enoch walked with God ; so did Noah ; 
 and in the days of Enos, a grand- son of Adam, it is 
 
198 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 said that men began to call on the name of the Lord. 
 How is this to be accounted for, in view of their native 
 depravity ? This we deem a pertinent question. And 
 it is quite as pertinent to ask, how we are to account for 
 other instances of good behavior that made their appear- 
 ance, after the flood, even with those that did not belong 
 to the chosen people. What could be more honorable 
 than the conduct of Pharaoh towards Abram and his 
 wife, or of Abimelech on another similar occasion ? 
 What more generous than the conduct of the sons of 
 lieth, when Abram proposed to purchase of them the 
 cave of Machpelah. The king of Sodom shows a becom- 
 ing sense of obligation to Abraham, when, after the 
 slaughter of the kings, he proposes to the patriarch : 
 " Give me the persons, but take the goods to thyself.'' 
 The king of Egypt, at a later period, could appreciate 
 the virtues of Joseph, and was not slow to reward them. 
 In all these instances w^e see goodness where we should 
 least expect it ; and they clearly show that the image of 
 God in man, neither the sin of Adam, nor any other 
 cause, had ever radically changed. 
 
 366. A few words in this connection, on the cause of 
 sin, will not be out of place. And the first thing we 
 would notice, is, that a corrupt nature is not necessary 
 to account for its existence ; for, were that so, we would 
 be obliged to refer the same thing to our first parents. 
 It is obvious that if they could sin without such a cause, 
 so can others, and so can all. They were naturally pure, 
 and yet they sinned : we then can sin, though naturally 
 as pure as they. It is a little remarkable that men have 
 accounted for the sin of Adam, without a corrupt nature 
 to engender it : but have not been able to account for 
 the sin of others in the same way. 
 
 367. When we look carefully at the mode of proced- 
 ure in the temptation of the first human pair, we cannot 
 help seeing that they were tempted precisely as we are, 
 and sinned in the same way. The forbidden object 
 looked to them desirable ; it was good for food ; it was 
 pleasant to the eyes ; it would make them wise. This 
 was oiic view of the subject. " But death will ensue, if 
 we eat/' they may have said; and yet they may have 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 199 
 
 thought, *' there is no certainty of this ; we do not see 
 how it can be ; and it is possible we may escape/' 
 Thus they reasoned, and they acted according to this 
 reasoning ; thus we have reasoned, and thus we have 
 acted. Say, if you will, that we do this, because we are 
 naturally inclined to evil. The inclination was with 
 Adam, as much as with us ; and yet of him no such 
 thing is affirmed. He sinned while acting from impulses 
 and desires within, called into exercise by circumstances 
 without. We do the same. The fact is indisputable, 
 and all can understand it. 
 
 368. The case of Adam and Eve shows that sin results 
 from an error in judgment, in regard to some forbidden 
 object. They erred in believing that a good could be 
 found in the way of transgression. They erred equally 
 in supposing that the punishment of sin could be avoided. 
 These are the two great mistakes they committed ; and 
 these are the two great mistakes we commit, whenever 
 we sin. The whole theory of sinning is here laid out 
 before us ; and the wa}^ of safety is plain : It is to trust 
 to no information but what we get from our rightful 
 Sovereign. Had Adam and Eve done this, they would 
 have been safe. There is no other safe way for us. 
 
 SECTION lY. — Rewards and Punishmexts. 
 
 369. The doctrine of rewards and punishments comes 
 properly before us in this discussion. The book we are 
 explaining says something on this subject ; and it is im- 
 portant for us to know what it says. 
 
 While Adam and Eve were innocent, they are repre- 
 sented as being in a beautiful and well-watered garden, 
 where there was everything to please and delight them. 
 When they became sinful, they were not only " driven 
 out " from the garden, but their condition is indicated by 
 images that imply a high degree of suffering. No one 
 can mistake the general design of the representation. 
 It associates with innocence, all that is beautiful and 
 attractive, and with guilt, what is painful and vexatious. 
 
 370. Besides this obvious representation, w^e have the 
 express declaration of the Almighty to the same effect. 
 "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." 
 
200 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 Two particulars, connected with pimisliment, arc here 
 stated. One is, tliat punishment is immediate : and 
 another, that it is certain. " In the day " conveys the 
 one idea; and "surely" the other. Instances t(j con- 
 firm the doctrine may be taken from the history of those 
 early times. Cain slew his brother, and was punished 
 with a present punishment that he thought was greater 
 than he could bear. The antediluvians became corrupt ; 
 and it is presumed that they, like Adam, suffered for 
 their sins a present retribution, as well as an ultimate de- 
 struction. So of the Sodomites ; so of Joseph's breth- 
 ren ; so of all others that sinned. None committed a 
 more heinous sin than Cain ; and it is presumed that 
 none were punished with a severer infliction ; and his 
 punishment we know was temporal. 
 
 371. There is no more instructive narrative, showing 
 the nature of punishment, than that relating to Joseph's 
 brethren. They committed a great sin ; and thej^ suf- 
 fered greatly on account of it. They not only suffered 
 what appears on the face of the narrative : but they 
 must, from the nature of the case, have suffered much 
 more than this. But when their punishment had properly 
 humbled them, and had accomplished the purpose orig- 
 inally intended, it came to an end ; and this brings to 
 view another feature of punishment, as administered by 
 the divine Being, viz., its salutary tendency, implying its 
 ultimate termination. 
 
 SECTION Y. — Final Triumph of Good. 
 
 372. There are, in the book of Genesis, some great and 
 precious promises, that must not be overlooked, in treat- 
 ing the doctrines revealed therein. One of these is spoken 
 of in connection with the sin of our first parents. " I 
 will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be- 
 tween thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, 
 and thou slialt bruise his heel.^' To bruise the heel, is 
 a small evil; but to bruise the head, denotes absolute 
 destruction. The language is obviously figurative ; but 
 its meaning will not be mistaken. It denotes the utter 
 extinction of moral evil ; and when the promise is fullillcd, 
 there will be no more sin nor suflering in the universe. 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 201 
 
 I am unable to see what other meaning can be attached 
 to this passage ; and I am convinced, that, if it had 
 received the attention it deserves, we should not now be 
 called upon to expose the teachings of that gloomy sys- 
 tem which announces the endless perpetuity of evil. 
 
 373. Another promise, worthy of being placed by the 
 side of this, was addressed to Abraham, and repeated to 
 Isaac and Jacob, that in their seed all the families and 
 nati »ns of the earth should be blessed. We know not 
 how this promise can be understood in any limited sense ; 
 and there are no conditions associated with it, that can 
 occasion a failure. Indeed, the promise is obviously being 
 fiilhlled at the present time. The world is being blessed 
 in the seed of Abraham. The work is now going on ; and 
 it gives joyful assurance that it will be gloriously accom- 
 plished, according to the spirit and letter of the original 
 declaration. 
 
 The whole subject of the divine government is beauti- 
 fully illustrated in the allegory of the Garden of Eden, to 
 which the reader's attention is now directed. 
 
 SECTION VI.— Garden of Eden. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 8. IT And the Lord God planted 
 a garden eastward in Eden; and 
 there he put the man whom he had 
 formed. 
 
 9. And out of the ground made 
 the Lord God to grow every tree 
 that is pleasant to the sight, and 
 good for food ; the tree of life also 
 in the midst of the garden, and the 
 tree of knowledge of good and evil. 
 
 10. And a river went out of Eden 
 to water the garden ; and from 
 thence it was parted , and became 
 into four heads. 
 
 11. The name ofthe first is Pison: 
 that is it which compasseth the 
 whole land of Havilah, where there 
 is gold ; 
 
 12. And the gold of that land is 
 good : there is bdellium and the 
 
 9* 
 
 onyx stone. 
 
 13. And the name of the second 
 river is Gihon: the same is it that 
 compasseth the whole land of Ethi- 
 opia, 
 
 14. And the name of the third 
 river is Hiddekel: that is it whicli 
 goeth toward the east of Assyria. 
 And the fourth river is Euphrates. 
 
 15. And the Lord God took the 
 man, and put him into the gaixlcn 
 of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it, 
 
 16. And the Lord God commaud- 
 ed the man, saying, Of every tree 
 of the garden thou mayst freely eat : 
 
 17. But of the tree of the knowl- 
 edge of good and evil, thou shalt 
 not eat of it : for in the day that thou 
 eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 
 
202 
 
 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 CHAP. m. 
 
 1. Now the serpent was more sub 
 tile than any beast of the field 
 which tlie Lord God had made: 
 and he said unto the wuman, Yea, 
 hath God said, Ye shall not eat of 
 every tree of the garden '! 
 
 2. And the woman said unto the 
 serpent, We may eat of the fruit of 
 the trees of the garden : 
 
 3. But of the fruit of the tree 
 wliich is in the midst of the garden, 
 God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, 
 neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die 
 
 4. And the serpent said unto the 
 woman. Ye shall not surely die: 
 
 5. For God doth know, that m 
 the day ye eat thereof, then your 
 eyes shall be opened ; and ye shall 
 be as gods, knowing good and evil. 
 
 6. And when the woman saw 
 that the tree was good for food, and 
 that it was pleasant to the eyes, and 
 a tree to be desired to make one 
 wise ; she took of the fruit thereof, 
 and did eat; and gave also unto her 
 husband with her, and he did eat. 
 
 7. And the eyes of them both 
 were opened, and they knew that 
 tiiey were naked: and they sewed 
 fig leaves together, and made them- 
 selves aprons. 
 
 8. And they heard the voice of 
 the Lord God walking in the gar- 
 doa in the cool of the day: and 
 Adam and his Avife hid themselves 
 from the presence of the Lord God 
 amongst the trees of the garden. 
 
 9. And the Lord God called unto 
 Adam, and said unto him. Where 
 art thou ? 
 
 10. And he said, I heard thy voice 
 in the garden; and I was afraid, 
 because I was naked; and I hid 
 myself. 
 
 11. And he said, Who told thee 
 that thou wast naked ? Hast thou 
 eaten of the ti'ce whereof I com- 
 manded thee that thou shouldest 
 not eat. 
 
 12. And the man said. The wo- 
 man whom thou gavcst to he with 
 me, she gave me of the tree, and I 
 did eat. 
 
 13. And the Lord God said unto 
 
 the woman, What is this that thou 
 hast done ? Antl the woman said, 
 the serpent beguiled me, and I did 
 eat. 
 
 14. And the Lcad God said unto 
 The serpent. Because thou hast 
 done this, ihoMart cui'sed above all 
 cattle, and above every beast of the 
 field: upon thy belly shalt thou go, 
 and dust shalt thou eat all the days 
 of thy lite. 
 
 15. And I will put enmity be- 
 tween thee and the woman, and be- 
 tween thy seed and her seed : it shall 
 bruise thy head, and thou shalt 
 bruise his heel. 
 
 16. Unto the woman he said, I 
 will greatly multiply thy sorrow 
 and thy conception; in sorrow thou 
 shalt bring forth children: and thy 
 desire shall be to thy husband, and 
 he shall rule over thee. 
 
 17. And unto Adam he said. Be- 
 cause thou hast hearkened unto the 
 voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of 
 the tree of which I commanded 
 thee, saying. Thou shalt not eat of 
 it: cursed is the ground for thy 
 sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it 
 all the days of thy life ; 
 
 18. Thorns also and thistles shall 
 it bring forth to thee; and thou 
 shalt eat the herb of the field : 
 
 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt 
 thou eat bread, till thou return 
 unto the ground ; for out of it wast 
 thou taken: for dust thou art, and 
 unto dust shalt thou return. 
 
 20. And Adam called his wife's 
 name Eve, because she was the 
 mother of all living 
 
 21. Unto Adam also and to his 
 wife did the Lord God make coats 
 of skins, and clothed them. 
 
 22. IT And the Lord God said , 
 Behold, the man is become as one 
 of us, to know good and evil: and 
 now, lest he put forth his hand, and 
 take also of the tree of life, and eat, 
 and live for ever: 
 
 23. Therefore the Lord God sent 
 him forth from the garden of Eden, 
 to till the ground from whence he 
 was taken. 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 203 
 
 24. So he drove out the man; and sword which turned every way, to 
 he placed at the east of the garden I keep the way of the tree of life, 
 of Eden CherubiniSj and a flaming | 
 
 374. Various opinions have been entertained concern- 
 ing the Garden of Eden ; nor is there any settled theory 
 at the present time, more than there has been in past 
 ages. The account we have in the Bible is generally 
 regarded as literal; and a theory of the trial, temptation, 
 and fall of our first parents, has been based upon this inter- 
 pretation, and made to assume a corresponding shape and 
 form. That the account is literal, however, seems to us 
 quite improbable. The balance of evidence is decidedly 
 against that interpretation. We will give some of the 
 reasons for differing from the generally received theory. 
 
 375. First, no such place as corresponds, in any proxi- 
 mate form, to the Garden of Eden, has ever been found, 
 on the face of the earth. Men have thought they had 
 found it ; and their several opinions would locate it in eve- 
 ry part of the earth. Asia, Africa, Europe and America, 
 have their respective claims, sustained by men of genius 
 and education. The opinions that have been put forth, 
 and the arguments in their defense, would fill volumes ; 
 and 3^et the world is quite as much in the dark now, as it 
 ever has been, as to the solution of this question. Did we 
 believe in a literal interpretation, it would be well to state 
 the various opinions of men, and to make a selection of 
 the best one ; but, believing we have found a more excel- 
 lent way, we do not think best to employ time in dis- 
 cussing theories, and deciding between them, when they 
 are all and equally false. We repeat that no such place 
 as the Garden of Eden has ever been found. If it be 
 replied that time would obliterate many of the features 
 of the garden ; so that an approximation to the Bible 
 description, is all that we could expect, and that such 
 approximation has been arrived at ; we reply, that no 
 such thing can be claimed for any theory with which we 
 are acquainted. This will be made the more evident as 
 we advance. 
 
 376. In the second place, there have never been such 
 rivers as are spoken of in connexion with the Garden of 
 
204: THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 Eden. One of the rivers was Pison that encompassed 
 the whole land of ITavilah. Another was Gihon that 
 encompassed the v\hole land of Ethiopia, The third river 
 was Hiddekel which goeth toward the east of Assyria ; 
 and the fourth was Euphrates. There was a place in 
 Palestine, or near that country, by the name of Havilah ; 
 but we know of no river Pison with which it was encom- 
 passed. Ethiopia was in Africa, and Assyria was in Asia ; 
 and we all know that no two rivers, arising near the same 
 source, could have encompassed the one of these coun- 
 tries, and gone to the east of the other. There is a river 
 Euphrates ; but there are no rivers connected with it, 
 that answer the description of the others mentioned in 
 this account. But if it could be shown that somewhere 
 near the Euphrates, four rivers are found, that may have 
 been the ones mentioned by Moses, that would not locate 
 the Garden of Eden there ; for we know that a thousand 
 similar instances can be adduced from all parts of the 
 world. It is quite common for elevated regions of coun- 
 try to send forth, not four only, but many, streams of 
 water, that go off into different and distant lands. 
 
 Let another thing be observed in connection with these 
 rivers. They were at first but one river, which after- 
 wards separated and became four. This at least is the 
 common view of the account ; and it involves a thing that 
 is quite unnatural. That several streams should meet 
 and form one, is natural, and what we all know to be the 
 usual arrangement ; but that one stream should part into 
 four streams, is unnatural, and not to be believed on any 
 slight evidence. It is still more unnatural, if possible, for 
 a river to encompass aland. It ma}^ pass through it, but 
 it cannot encompass or surround it. 
 
 377. In the next place, there never were such literal 
 trees as are mentioned in connection with the Garden. 
 Indeed, the names given to two of the trees of the Gar- 
 den, the one being called " the tree of life,'^ and the 
 other " the tree of knowledge of good and evil,'^ make 
 it as obvious as the light of day, that a moral and not a 
 literal interpretation was intended. We marvel that this 
 circumstance has not attracted attention before, and more 
 generally, and saved interpreters from many absurdities 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 205 
 
 into which they have fallen. It is quite certain that these 
 two trees are to be understood figuratively ; if so, why 
 not the other trees of the Garden, and the Garden itself, 
 and the rivers by which it was watered ? 
 
 378. Again ; there never was such a serpent as the 
 one alluded to in the account before us. Did serpents 
 talk in those days ? and did they interest themselves in 
 moral subjects, the obedience and disobedience of men ? 
 Did they know, and how, that our first parents would be 
 as gods, knowing good and evil, if they ate of the tree ? 
 Did they walk upright, making it a punishment to crawl 
 on the ground, as they now do, and as they are fitted to 
 do, by their configuration ? And what interpretation can 
 we attach to the promise, literally understood, that the 
 seed of the woman should 'bruise the serpent's head,' 
 which, in that case, would be nothing more than the 
 simple announcement, that Eve's descendants would kill 
 snakes. If it be said that the serpent was only an in- 
 strument in the hands of an invisible tempter, Ave would 
 reply : 1st, that no such idea is inculcated by the sacred 
 writer; and 2d, if it were so, that would not militate 
 against a moral application. 
 
 379. Another thing, equally difficult, as literally inter- 
 preted, is, that the partaking of the fruit of the forbidden 
 tree, should induce such consequences as described in 
 the account. How could Adam and Eve now know that 
 they were naked, rather than before they partook of the 
 fruit ? How could such fruit make them know good and 
 evil, or become as gods ? Nearly allied to this objection, 
 is, the consequences that followed disobedience. What 
 connection between the penalty inflicted on the woman, 
 and the fruit she ate ; or the punishment the man was 
 made to suffer, and the sin for which it was inflicted ? 
 All this is unnatural and unphilosophical, when inter- 
 preted literally ; and yet it admits of a consistent and 
 beautiful application when viewed allegorical! y. 
 
 380. Another thing is worthy of notice in this connec- 
 tion. That Adam and Eve should be put into a literal 
 garden, to keep it and cultivate it, and to confine their 
 labors to that ; when they had before received from the 
 Creator the dominion of the whole earth, and were com- 
 
206 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 rnanded to replenish and subdue it; — in other words, 
 that they should be cast out of the garden, and made to 
 do as a punishment for sin, what they had been instructed 
 to do at first, and before sin entered into the world — is 
 a theory that introduces diificulty and contradiction into 
 the record, without any just occasion for so doing. But 
 that, having given us an account of man's creation and 
 his physical relations, the writer should then, by the 
 ancient and symbolic method, instruct us in regard to his 
 moral condition, is a rational and natural supposition. 
 
 381. We understand the Garden of Eden as an alle- 
 gory ; and with this understanding, it reveals to us a 
 sound philosophy, in respect to man's moral state ; and 
 the fitness of the several parts of the allegory, to repre- 
 sent temptation to sin, the act of transgression, and the 
 consequences thereof will justify the interpretation. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that the most ancient form 
 of writing was by hieroglyphics or pictures. The mean- 
 ing of the picture depended, like any word or phrase in 
 any other form of writing, not only on itself, its form 
 and arrangement, but on other pictures that were asso- 
 ciated with it. It is very easy to see how the innocence 
 of our first parents in their primitive state, their subse- 
 quent temptation and fall, and the painful consequences 
 of their sin, could be set forth in this way. In this way, 
 in our judgment, it was set forth. 
 
 382. The first picture is that of a beautiful and well- 
 watered garden, having every tree that is good for food 
 and pleasant to the eye. In the mid4 of the garden 
 are two trees that attract special attention. They are 
 very unlike. Their respective names could be afterwards 
 inferred from their results. In this garden are our first 
 parents, with the evident intention that they shall culti- 
 vate it and enjoy its fruits. This is the p*^icture. The 
 meaning is not difficult. The Garden denotes a state of 
 innocence. What could be more appropriate r* The trees 
 are human actions. One tree only denotes wrong doing. 
 It is man's duty to cultivate his moral nature, and enjoy 
 the fruits of well-doing. 
 
 383. The next picture is the same as the first, with 
 the addition of a serpent, extending to Eve the fruit of 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTEINES. 207 
 
 the forbidden tree (which, from this circumstance, be- 
 comes known as the forbidden tree,) and Adam standing 
 near by, ready to receive it at her hand. Nothing could 
 more aptly represent temptation than this picture The 
 serpent is the most subtile of all the beasts of the field, 
 and is therefore better fitted to set forth the seductive 
 power of sin than any other animal. The conversation 
 of the serpent with the woman, is sufficiently indicated 
 by the picture itself, without any other expedient to de- 
 note it. Besides, it is the language of human experi- 
 ence. Sin looks attractive, and it promises much good ; 
 and it suggests that the punishment it may deserve, is 
 quite uncertain. It mixes up truth and error in its 
 promises, and by that means, the more effectually leads 
 us astray. 
 
 384. The next picture contains the same general fea- 
 tures as the former ones, except that it shows our first 
 parents as conscious of guilt, and seeking to hide them- 
 selves among the trees of the garden. That the serpent 
 has been successful is obvious ; that Adam, as well as 
 Eve, has sinned, is indicated by his appearance. That 
 they were tried and condemned by their lawful Sovereign, 
 was a legitimate inference, and is fully confirmed by 
 the next and last picture. 
 
 385. Finally ; the Garden no longer appears, or if it 
 does, our first parents are no longer its inmates. The 
 woman is represented in a condition of great pain and 
 distress, teaching us that great physical suflering is 
 requisite to adequately represent the consequences of 
 sin to her tender nature. The man is toiling in the 
 midst of briars and thorns that torture and goad him on 
 every hand, teaching him plainly that the way of the 
 transgressor is hard. A flaming sword and cherubim 
 are marked on this picture as standing between the 
 offenders and the tree of life, lest they should partake of 
 that, and not suffer the penalty that had been announced 
 as the result of transgression. The serpent is no longer 
 coiled about the tree of knowledge, from which he had 
 reached out the fruit to Eve ; but he lies prostrate in the 
 dust, from which he is to derive his sustenance ; and 
 some mark indicates (or it is a reasonable inference) that 
 
208 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 he shall ultimately be destroj^ed by a descendant of the 
 woman whom he had seduced from duty. 
 
 386. This is briefly the meaning of this beautiful 
 allegory. The most important lessons are here taught. 
 The representation gives us the experience of our first 
 parents, and not less the experience of their descend- 
 ants. It shows the responsibility of man, the process of 
 temptation and disobedience, and the consequences of 
 sin. We know the truth of what is here taught from 
 our own experience ; for we, as much as Adam and Eve, 
 have been in the Garden of Eden, have had the same 
 unfortunate interview with the serpent, have sinned and 
 fallen as they did, and found the consequences to be 
 what they experienced. 
 
 387. The theology of the church has not been satisfied 
 with these simple and beautiful lessons. It has therefore 
 added many things to the divine word, and has thus 
 marred the beauty of the sacred record, and brought it 
 into disrepute with many men, w^ho take the common 
 view as the true one, and have too much good sense to 
 accept it. 
 
 We will enumerate briefly the errors that have been 
 engrafted upon the Bible representation, and give a few 
 of the reasons why they ought not to be regarded as any 
 part of the divine teaching. First, men have made the 
 sin of our first parents to have produced a change in the 
 Deity, loving and blessing them before they sinned, and 
 hating and cursing them afterwards. Next, they have 
 believed and taught that human nature was wholly 
 changed by the first sin. It was before immortal and 
 immaculate ; it was afterwards subject to dissolution and 
 totally corrupt. Some have carried the idea of change, 
 so far, that they have represented the animals, as well as 
 men, as having undergone a similar transformation. They 
 became cruel and voracious, while before, they had no 
 such peculiarities. 
 
 Then again we are told that Adam's sin affected all his 
 posteiity, as it aftected himself; giving them a nature 
 wholly corrupt, and subjecting them to the wrath and 
 curse of God. And in harmony with these doctrines, 
 " all the miseries of this life, death itself, and the pains 
 
THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 209 
 
 of hell forever/' are made the penalty of transgression. 
 All these evils are attributed to a malignant spirit, who 
 concealed himself in the body of a serpent, and thereby 
 deceived our mother Eve. 
 
 388. That these doctrines have been engrafted upon 
 the divine record, without authority, and are no part of 
 the record itself, will be evident, in part from what is said 
 to the contrary, and in part from the entire absence of 
 any thing to sustain them. 
 
 From what can we infer that God was angry with our 
 first parents after they had sinned ? The gentle voice of 
 the Almighty, on that occasion does not seem to be 
 prompted by wrath. No curse is spoken against Adam 
 and Eve or their posterity. Man is changed, sadly 
 changed, but it is not his nature that is changed. He is 
 the same man, now, in all the essential attributes of his 
 being, that he was before the transgression. His posterity 
 are like their original progenitor. They sin as he sinned 
 and they suffer as he suffered. 
 
 The beasts were not changed. Many of them were 
 intended at first, for destroying and feeding upon other 
 animals. Their configuration shows this ; and they had 
 this configuration before the fall, as their fossil remains 
 clearly indicate. Men formed their theology without a 
 knowledge of Geological facts ; and now as they become 
 acquainted with these facts, they are compelled to make 
 corresponding changes in their religious systems. That 
 eternal death was threatened to Adam, is wholly assumed. 
 It was not eternal death, but smiply death that was an- 
 nounced. Nor this only ; it was a death that was to be 
 suffered, and was suffered, in the day of transgression. 
 If "all the miseries of this life" are the result of sin, 
 it is certain that they are not the result of Adam's sin. 
 " Death itself,'' referring to natural death, is not attrib- 
 uted to Adam's sin, in the record, but to the fact that he 
 was of earth, and must therefore return to the earth 
 again. "The pains of hell forever" are not mentioned. 
 That an ovil spirit was concerned in the transgression, is 
 an assumption, unfounded and absurd. 
 
210 THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 
 
 389. The following doctrines we consider to be plainly 
 inculcated ; 1st, that man is an accountable being ; 2d, 
 that a state of innocence is a state of happiness ,* 3d, 
 that sin brings immediate and certain punishment ; and 
 4th, that sin will ultimately be destroyed. All opposing 
 doctrines are without authority. 
 
PART III. 
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 390. Much the largest part of the book of Genesis is 
 comprehended in this division, though it may not require 
 the largest amount of discussion. There are but few 
 things of a historical character, that do not relate to the 
 personal experience of the patriarchs or that of their fam- 
 ihes. Most of the record, therefore, is Biography, rather 
 than History. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ADAM AKTD HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Contents: — Creation of Adam and Eve ; Their Nuptials; The 
 Temptation ; Family of Adam ; Genealogy of Cain ; Genealogy 
 of Seth. 
 
 391. If it surprises us that more is not said of so im- 
 portant a personage as the father of the human race, our 
 surprise will be diminished, if not wholly removed, by 
 considering the imperfect mode of perpetuating the knowl- 
 edge of events that must have existed at first, it being by 
 tradition, or by writing in its rudest form. And though 
 Moses had the means of writing a more extended history 
 of Adam, the fact of his having omitted to do so, shows 
 
212 
 
 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 clearly that he obtained his knowledge from brief records 
 then in existence, and could communicate only what lie 
 derived from that source. Hence it will be observed, that, 
 as tlie history of early times progresses, it becomes more 
 full and complete, for the obvious reason that the art of 
 writing, like all other arts, had improved with time ; and 
 of course the facility of making out historical records had 
 increased in the same proportion. 
 
 Several particulars connected with Adam and his family, 
 contained in the sacred record, may be noticed separately. 
 
 SECTION I. — Creation of Adam and Eve. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 26. And God said, Let us make 
 man in our image, after our like- 
 ness ; and let them have dominion 
 over the fish of the sea, and over 
 the fowl of the air, and over the 
 cattle, and over all the earth, and 
 over every creeping thing that 
 crcepeth upon the earth. 
 
 27. So God created man in his 
 own image; in the image of God 
 created he him; male and female 
 created he them. 
 
 28. And God blessed them ; aiid 
 God said unto them, Be fruitful, 
 and multiply, and replenish the 
 earth, and subdue it: and have do- 
 minion over the fish of the sea, and 
 over the fowl of the air, and over 
 
 every living thing that moveth 
 upon the earth. 
 
 29. IT And God said. Behold, I 
 have given you every herb bearing 
 seed, which is upon the face of all 
 the earth, and every tree, in the 
 which is the fruit of a tree yielding 
 seed ; to you it shall be for meat. 
 
 30. And to every beast of the 
 earth, and to every fowl of the air, 
 and to every thing that creepeth 
 upon the earth, wherein there is 
 life, I have given every green herb 
 for meat : and it was so. 
 
 31 . And God saw every thing that 
 he had made, and, behold, it was 
 very good. And the evening and 
 the morning were the sLxth day. 
 
 CHAP. n. 
 
 4. These are the generations of 
 the heavens and of the earth when 
 they were created, in the day that 
 the Lord God made the earth and 
 the heavens. 
 
 .5. And every plant of the field 
 before it was in the earth, and every 
 herb of the field befoi'e it grew: for 
 the Lord God liad not caused it to 
 rain iipon the earth , and there was ' 
 
 392. The purpose of God in creating man, is said to 
 be, that he might have dominion over all subordinate 
 creatures. We infer that he was to subsist on such as 
 
 not a man to till the ground. 
 
 6. ]5ut there went up a mist from 
 the earth, and watered the whole 
 face of the ground. 
 
 7. And the Lord God formed man 
 of the dust of the ground, and 
 breathed into his nostrils the breath 
 of life; and man became a living 
 soul. 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 213 
 
 were suitable for food ; as his dominion over them, can, 
 so far as we can see, have no other practical advantage. 
 In addition to the flesh of animals, which we understand 
 to be given him by implication, he is expressly told that 
 he is to have "every herb bearing seed" and ''every 
 tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed ;" while 
 "every green herb " simply, was to be food for other 
 animals. A distinction between the food of men and 
 animals seems to be had in view ; but this distinction is 
 not very clearly marked ; and a general, rather than a 
 specific and invariable rule, must have been intended. 
 
 393. The image of God, in which man was created, 
 we have spoken of elsewhere. So also the usage of the 
 expression, " Let us make man.'' p. 195, 54,55. 
 
 So much of the above passage as relates to man's 
 creation from the dust of the ground, is simply a repe- 
 tition of the account in chapter first, (Comp. § 292,) 
 with this variation only ; that, while the first account 
 comprehends both a spiritual and physical creation, the 
 last makes allusion only to the latter. A " living soul " 
 is not a spiritual and immortal being, in the Bible sense 
 of that expression, but simply a living creature, and may 
 apply to animals, and is applied to them, as well as to 
 men. The creation of man in the image of God, is the 
 only allusion to the spiritual and immortal part of our 
 nature, contained in the account of man's creation. 
 
 394. Gen. ii. 4, contains an appellation of Deity that 
 had not been before employed ; and this fact has been a 
 matter of speculation with interpreters. In the previous 
 account, the Deity is called "God;" he is now desig- 
 nated as " Lord God : " and this expression is continued 
 through the second and third chapters, with two or three 
 exceptions, and in some other passages. This matter is 
 discussed in another place to which the reader is referred, 
 pp. 18-20. 
 
214 
 
 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION II. — Nuptials of Adam and Eve. 
 
 CHAP. n. 
 
 18. IT And the Lord God said, 
 It is not good that the man should 
 be alone; I will make him an help 
 meet for him. 
 
 19. And out of the ground the 
 Lord God formed every beast of 
 the field, and evei-y fowl of the air; 
 and brought them unto Adam to 
 see what he would call them: and 
 whatsoever Adam called every liv- 
 ing creature, that was the name 
 thereof. 
 
 20. And Adam gave names to 
 all cattle, and to the fowl of the 
 air, and to every beast of the field; 
 but for Adam there was not found 
 an help meet for him. 
 
 21 . And the Lord God caused a 
 deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and 
 
 he slept; and he took one of his 
 ribs, and closed up the flesh instead 
 thereof; 
 
 22. And the rib, which the Lord 
 God had taken from man, made he 
 a woman, and brought her unto 
 the man. 
 
 23. And Adam said. This zs now 
 bone of my bones, and flesh of my 
 flesh: she shall be called Woman, 
 because she was taken out of Man. 
 
 24. Therefore shall a man leave 
 his father and his mother, and 
 shall cleave unto his wife: and they 
 shall be one flesh. 
 
 25. And they were both naked, 
 the man and his wife, and were 
 not ashamed. 
 
 395. It will be observed by the careful reader, that, 
 in the middle of the Bible account of the Garden of 
 Eden and the Temptation, there is another subject intro- 
 duced, that seems to have no immediate connection with 
 it. The writer gives us a description of the Garden, and 
 mentions the prohibition put upon man. 
 
 He then suspends the record, and introduces the nam- 
 ing of the beasts, and the making of a help meet for 
 Adam. After this, he resumes the subject of the tempta- 
 tion and the attending circumstances. How is this sin- 
 gular procedure to be accounted for ? 
 
 This matter is not without its difficulties. The com- 
 mon idea is, that the historian goes back to relate some 
 circumstances that had taken place before, and that he 
 describes the exact manner in which the woman was 
 made, as he had before only given us the simple foot of 
 hor creation in connection with that of man. We have 
 what we deem a better interpretation of this subject. 
 The creation of woman had several times been referred 
 to. She was created when man was, i. 27, and obviously 
 in the same way. Both were made of the dust of the 
 ground ; for, though this language is found in chapter 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 215 
 
 second, it refers to the same creation as that mentioned 
 in chapter first, and like that relates to the female as well 
 as the male ; the term man including both. And if it be 
 true that woman was made of the dust, it is not true that 
 she was made of one of the ribs of Adam. And when 
 it is said that God breathed into man the breath of life, 
 and he became a living soul, the reference is to both. 
 So both were made in the image of God. And when 
 God planted a garden, and placed there the man whom 
 he had formed, the meaning is, that he placed there both 
 the man and the woman. The prohibition was evidently 
 given to both. God called " their name Adam (or 
 man) in the day when they were created,'' v. 2 ; and of 
 course what is said of Adam, or of man, in these prelim- 
 inary statements, applies to both ; and this fact excludes 
 the idea that woman was made by a process diff'erent 
 from man. 
 
 396. Again ; there is nothing in the connection, where 
 the creation of woman from one of man's ribs is men- 
 tioned, to require an allusion to her original creation, but 
 only to the relation she sustained to Adam. Such rela- 
 tion seemed necessary to be understood, to account for 
 man's ready yielding to her solicitations, as well as her 
 subjection to the man alluded to afterwards. And it is 
 this relation, and not her first creation, that we suppose 
 the writer had in view in this passage. 
 
 397 We regard the whole of what is here said of the 
 woman, (and we think the naming of the beasts should 
 be included in the same view,) as a divine vision. 
 Explained thus, it is easy to understand it. The deep 
 sleep, brought upon Adam, was not designed, as the 
 common opinion is, that he might not feel the pain of a 
 surgical operation ; but it was a requisite condition for 
 viewing, with his mental organs, the instructive scene 
 that was to pass before him. With this view, we sup- 
 pose the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, &c., to 
 have passed before him to receive their name ; (and in a 
 vision, not unlike a dream, this could be done, in a very 
 brief space, though to do it literally, would require a 
 long period, as well as being altogether unnecessary:) 
 but the whole line of subordinate creatures offers no one 
 
21G ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 suitable to be his companion. The Lord then takes from 
 him one of his ribs, and makes a woman, or wife, as the 
 word also means, and gives her to him, as a companion. 
 Adam comprehends the purpose of the vision, takes the 
 woman for a wife, calls her name Eve, as about to become 
 the mother of the whole human race, and cherishes her 
 as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. 
 
 398. It is worthy of inquiry whether the passage itself 
 does not clearly require this construction. " A deep 
 sleep fell upon Adam, and he slept." Is not this plainly 
 tautological? After telling us that *^ a deep sleep fell 
 upon him, '^ why add, that ''he slept.'' Such an addi- 
 tion is of course superfluous. Ought we not then to 
 understand the term here rendered '* deep sleep," as 
 meaning something else or more, than simply sleep. 
 The Septuagint uses a word for deep sleep, that properly 
 denotes an ecstacy or vision ; and we And the same 
 Hebrew word employed in this sense in other places. 
 A deep sleep (the same word in the original) fell upon 
 Abram, xv. 12 ; and while in that state, sundry commu- 
 nications were made to him, a covenant entered into, and 
 the ratifying sacrifices performed. 
 
 399. If it be said that woman was made from one of 
 man's ribs, for the purpose of teaching Adam the nature 
 of the marriage relation, (the only reason for the pro- 
 cedure that we can conceive of,) we reply, that a vision, 
 wherein these things were enacted, would be equally in- 
 structive, without involving any difliculty or absurdity. 
 That God can perform wonders, by the exercise of his 
 miraculous power, we cheerfully admit — that he has done 
 this, in numerous instances, we firmly believe ; but that 
 he exercises his power in any extraordinary way, to 
 accomplish an object that can as well be accomplished 
 by its ordinary exercise, we are not at liberty to suppose. 
 We see no reason why the creation of woman should be 
 peculiar, and arrived at by a process entirely unlike the 
 creation of man ; and as the passage that seems to set 
 forth such an idea, can be rationally explained in another 
 way, such interpretation ought to be adopted. 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 217 
 
 SECTION III.— The Temptation. 
 
 400. The nature of the temptation, and the imagery 
 with which it is set forth, we have discussed elsewhere. 
 See p. 203-210. That our first parents were morally 
 responsible to the Creator — that they could obey or dis- 
 obey the divine requirements as they pleased — that they 
 were tempted and yielded to temptation — sinned and 
 were punished — arc the clear and explicit statements of 
 the sacred historian. The account we have of the fall, 
 shows them to have been the exact representatives of 
 men at the present day and of all past days. They were 
 tempted as we are — they were led astray by a similar 
 deception, that there is pleasure in sin, and that punish- 
 ment is uncertain ; and like us, too, they learned, too 
 late, that the way of the transgressor is hard. 
 
 SECTION lY. —Family of Adam and Eve. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 1 . And Adam knew Eve his wife ; 
 and she conceived, and bare Cain, 
 and said, I have gotten a man from 
 the Lord. 
 
 2. And she again bare his brother 
 Abel. And Abel was a keeper of 
 sheep, bat Cain was a tiller of the 
 ground. 
 
 3. And in process of time it came 
 to pass, that Cain brought of the 
 fruit of the ground an offering unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 4. And Abel, he also brought of 
 the firstlings of his flock and of the 
 fat thereof. And the Lord had re- 
 spect unto Abel and to his offering : 
 
 5. But unto Cain and to his offer- 
 inji he had not respect. And Cain 
 was very wroth, and his counte- 
 nance fell. 
 
 6. And the Lord said unto Cain, 
 Why art thou wroth ? and why is 
 thy countenance fallen ? 
 
 7. If thou doest well, shalt thou 
 not be accepted ? and if thou doest 
 
 10 
 
 not well , sin lieth at the door. And 
 unto thee shall be his desire, and 
 thou shalt rule over him. 
 
 8. IT And Cain talked with Abel 
 his brother : and it came to pass, 
 when they were in the field, that 
 Cain rose up against Abel his 
 brother, and slew him. 
 
 9. IT And the Lord said unto 
 Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? 
 And he said, I know not: A7n I my 
 brother's keeper ? 
 
 10. And he said, What hast thou 
 done ? the voice of thy brother's 
 blood crieth unto me from the 
 ground. 
 
 11. And now art thou cursed 
 from the earth, which hath opened 
 her mouth lo receive thy brother's 
 blood from thy hand. 
 
 12. When thou tillest the ground, 
 it shall not henceforth yield unto 
 thee her strength ; a fugitive and a 
 vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 
 
 13. And Cain said unto the Lord 
 
218 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 My punishment is greater than I 
 can bear, 
 
 14. Behokl, thou hast driven me 
 out this day from the face of the 
 earth; and from thy face shall I be 
 hid ; and I shall be a fugitive and a 
 vagabond in the earth; audit shall 
 come to pass, that every one that 
 tindeth me shall slay me. 
 
 15. And the Lord said unto him, 
 
 Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, 
 vengeance shall be taken on him 
 seven-fold. And the Lord set a 
 mark upon Cain, lest any finding 
 bim should kill him. 
 
 16. 11 And Cain went out from 
 the presence of the Lord , and dwelt 
 in the land of Nod , on the east of 
 Eden. 
 
 401. The reason why God had respect unto Abel and 
 his oliering, was not that one ofiering was intrinsically 
 better than the other ; but because it was prompted by 
 difl'erent motives, or was accompanied by a better dispo- 
 sition and character. This is plain from what follows • — 
 "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?"' The 
 employment of both was equally honorable, and equally 
 according to divine appointment. Man was to ha\e 
 dominion over the beasts, and he was to cultivate the 
 earth. Abel did the first, and Cain the last. The fruits 
 of the field, therefore, and the firstlings of the flock, were 
 alike worthy of the divine approval. Both are made 
 offerings under the law of Moses. 
 
 402. The right of primogeniture 's recognized in this 
 passage. Cain, as first born, was permitted to exercise 
 authority over his brother. This afterwards became an 
 established usage. 
 
 403. "And Cain talked with Abel his brother" — or 
 " Cain said to Abel his brother" — But what did he say ? 
 There is evidently an omission in the Hebrew ; but the 
 Greek version supplies it thus ; — And Cain said unto Abel 
 his brother, Let us go into the field. The passage then 
 proceeds as in our version. 
 
 404. The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me 
 from the ground. Had not Cain sought to conceal his 
 murderous act by burying his victim in the ground ? and 
 was not the language of God accommodated to this cir- 
 cumstance '{ 
 
 405. The punishment of Cain was, that he should be a 
 fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. These two words, 
 fugitive and vagabond, have nearly, if not exactly, the 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 219 
 
 same meaning, and are here combined, according to a 
 Hebrew idiom, for the sake of emphasis. The intention 
 is to show how great a vagabond he would be ; in other 
 words, how forlorn and wretched would be his condition. 
 He would be cursed from the earth, or by the earth — the 
 earth would curse him — it would not yield unto him its 
 strength ; not that it would not bring forth its productions 
 because he cultivated it ; but because his vagabond and 
 wandering life would not permit him to be sufficiently 
 permanent to cultivate it and reap its fruits. 
 
 406. The mark placed upon Cain has puzzled interpre- 
 ters. Some have thought he became black, and was the 
 progenitor of the African race. This theory does not 
 meet the case, unless we suppose that some of his de- 
 scendants escaped the flood. A mark of guilt and con- 
 demnation that would make him an object of compassion, 
 and thus prevent his being slain, is perhaps all that need 
 be understood ; and we need not suppose a deviation from 
 the ordinary laws of the human mind, to account for all 
 that is here said. 
 
 407. Cain dwelt in the land of Nod. The word Nod 
 means a vagabond ; and the passage may be rendered, 
 either as it now is, in which case we may suppose the 
 place to have been named from him, as being a vagabond ; 
 or it may be rendered that he " dwelt in the land, a vag- 
 abond," without designating where that land was, except 
 that it was east of Eden. 
 
 Another of Adam's sons was Seth, who was in the 
 likeness of Adam ; but the particulars of his life are not 
 given. 
 
 Besides these sons, Adam is said to have had sons and 
 daughters ; and tradition makes the number of them to De 
 very great, but this is only conjecture. 
 
220 
 
 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION V. — Death of Adam and Eve. 
 
 408. Adam died at the age of 930 years ; but the age 
 of Eve is not given, v. 5. 
 
 We might speculate upon many things connected with 
 the life and experience of the first human pair ; and our 
 speculations might not be far-fetched or unreasonable ; 
 but our business is with the simple record, and not with 
 speculations and conjectures, however just and plausible 
 they may be. 
 
 SECTION YI. — GexXealogt of Cain. 
 CHAP IV. 
 
 17. And Cain knew his wife : 
 and she conceived, and hare Enoch : 
 and he builded a city, and called 
 the name of the city, after the name 
 of his son, Enoch. 
 
 18. And unto Enoch was born 
 Irad ; and Irad begat Mehujael : and 
 Meliujael begat Methusael : and 
 Methusael begat Lamech. 
 
 19 ^ And Lamech took unto 
 him two wives: the name of the one 
 was Adah, and the name of the 
 other Zdlah. 
 
 20. And Adah bare Jabal: he 
 was the father of such as dwell in 
 tents, and of sack as have cattle. 
 
 21. And his brother's name was 
 Jubal: he was the father of all such 
 as handle the harp and organ. 
 
 22. And Zillah, she also bare 
 Tubal-cain, an instructer of every 
 artificer in brass and iron: and the 
 sister of Tubal-cain was Naaraah. 
 
 23. IT And Lamech said unto his 
 wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my 
 voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken 
 unto my speech: for I have slain a 
 man to my wounding, and a young 
 man to my hurt. 
 
 24. If Cain shall be avenged 
 sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy 
 and sevenfold. 
 
 409. Of these persons but little is recorded. The 
 name of the first son of Cain was given to the first city 
 we read of in the Bible. 
 
 410. Lamech had two wives : and the mention of this 
 circumstance leads us to infer that such a thing was not 
 common, even with that branch of the family of Adam, 
 which may, and may not, have been more corrupt than 
 the other. 
 
 411. Each of the sons of Lamech is distinguished by 
 a particular profession ; in other words, he stood at the 
 head of a clan : distinguished by the business here de- 
 scribed. It is not improbable that Lamech had other 
 sons, but not being thus distinguished, they are passed 
 over in silence. Doubtless other persons on this list had 
 sons ; but, for the same reason, they are not mentioned. 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 221 
 
 412. The language of Lamech to his wives is some- 
 what ambiguous, and may require a word of explanation. 
 It seems to have something of the form and spirit of 
 poetry, and maybe arranged thus: — And Lamech said 
 unto his wives, Adah and Zillah — 
 
 Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech; 
 
 Hearken unto my speech; 
 
 For I have slain a man to my wounding. 
 
 And a young man to my hurt. 
 
 If Cain shall be avenged seven-fold. 
 
 Surely Lamech, seventy and seven-fold. 
 
 Is not the meaning this: — I have slain a man for 
 wounding me, and a young man for hurting me ; that is. 
 I have killed a man in my own defence. If, therefore, he 
 who should kill Cain, for having slain his brother without 
 provocation, should be punished sevenfold ; surely, he 
 that shall be avenged upon Lamech, who only killed a 
 man in his own defence, ought to be punished seventy 
 and seven-fold. This construction of the passage makes 
 it convey a consistent sentiment ; and the original is 
 equally well rendered. 
 
 413. It may be added, as worthy of notice, that 
 Lamech, though living several generations after Cain, 
 was aware of the guilt of his ancestor, and of the lan- 
 guage of God to him in view of his guilt. And though 
 the language here quoted by Lamech had been trans- 
 mitted only by tradition, it seems to be accurately 
 represented. 
 
 SECTION VII. — Genealogy of Seth. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 1. This is the book of the gene- 
 rations of Adam. In the day that 
 God created man, in the likeness 
 of Gorl made he him ; 
 
 2. Male and female created he 
 them; and he blessed them, and 
 he called their name Adam, in the 
 day when they were created. 
 
 3. 'IT And Adam lived an hun- 
 dred and thirty years, and begat a 
 son in his own likeness, after his 
 
 image; and called his name Seth: 
 
 4. And the days of Adam after 
 he had begotten Seth, were eight 
 hundred years: and he begat sons 
 and daughters: 
 
 5. And all the days that Adam 
 lived were nine hundred and thirty 
 years: and he died. 
 
 6. IT And Seth lived an hundred 
 and five years, and begat Enos, 
 
 7. And Seth lived aifter he begat 
 
222 
 
 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Enos eight hundred and seven 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters: 
 
 8. And all the days of Seth were 
 nine hundred and twelve years: 
 and he died. 
 
 9. IT And Enos lived ninety years, 
 and begat Cainaii: 
 
 10. And Enos lived after he be- 
 gat Cainan eight hundred and fif- 
 teen years, and begat sons and 
 daughters; 
 
 1 1 . And all the days of Enos were 
 nine hundred and five years: and he 
 died. 
 
 12. IT And Cainan lived seventy 
 years, and begat Mahalaleel: 
 
 13. And Cainan lived after he 
 begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and 
 forty years, and ^begat sons and 
 daughters: 
 
 14. And all the days of Cainan 
 were nine hundred and ten years : 
 and h3 died. 
 
 15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty 
 and five years, and begat Jared: ! 
 
 16. And Mahalaleel lived after he 
 begat Jared eight hundred and thir- j 
 ty years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. ! 
 
 17. And all the days of Mahalaleel i 
 were eight hundred ninety and five 
 years: ?nd he died. 
 
 18. IT And Jared lived a hundred 
 sixty and two years, and he begat 
 Enoch: 
 
 19. And Jared lived after he be- 
 gat Enoch eight hundred years, 
 and begat sons and daughters: 
 
 20. And all the days of Jared 
 
 were nine hundred sixty and two 
 years: and he died. 
 
 21. IT And Enoch lived sixty and 
 five years, and begat Methuselah: 
 
 22. And Enoch walked with God 
 after he begat Methuselah three 
 hundred years, and begat sons and 
 daughters: 
 
 23. And all the days of Enoch 
 were three hundi-ed sixty and five 
 years: 
 
 24. And Enoch walked with God : 
 and he was not; for God took him. 
 
 25. IT And Methuselah lived an 
 hundred eighty and seven years, 
 and begat Lamech : 
 
 26. And Methuselah lived after 
 he begat Lamech seven hundred 
 eighty and two years, and begat 
 sons and daughters: 
 
 27. And all the days of Methu- 
 selah were nine hundred sixty and 
 nine years: and he died. 
 
 28. IT And Lamech lived an hun- 
 dred eighty and two years, and be- 
 gat a son : 
 
 29. And he called his name No- 
 ah, saying, This same shall comfort 
 us concerning our work and toil of 
 our hands, because of the ground 
 which the Lord hath cursed. 
 
 30. And Lamech lived after he 
 begat Noah five hundred ninety 
 and five years, and begat sons and 
 daughters: 
 
 31. And all the days of Lamech 
 were seven hundred seventy and 
 seven years: and he died. 
 
 32. IT And Noah was five hun- 
 dred years old: and Noah begat 
 Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 
 
 414. Setli is spoken of as being born in the image and 
 likeness of Adam, which can have but one of two mean- 
 ings. One is, that Seth had the same physical form as 
 Adam ; but a thing so obvious would not have been 
 mentioned. It is much more reasonable to conclude, 
 that there is a reference to his temper and disposition. 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAmLY. 
 
 223 
 
 415. Seth is spoken of in another place thus : — 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 26. And to Seth, to him also 
 there was born a son ; and he called 
 his name Enos; then began men to 
 call upon the name of the Lord, 
 
 25. IT And Adam knew his wife 
 again; and she bare a son, and 
 called his name Seth : for God , said 
 she, hath appointed me another seed 
 instead of Abel , whom Cain slew. 
 
 He was regarded, as appears from this passage, as 
 intended to 1111 the place of Abel, whom Cain slew. The 
 position of first born was assigned him, as Cain had 
 justly forfeited that right ; and there was no other on 
 whom it could be conferred. Hence he is placed at the 
 head of the permanent genealogical record. Enos, son 
 of Seth, is spoken of in the same passage, and it is said 
 that in his day men began to call on the name of the 
 Lord, which may be understood as complimentary to that 
 personage. 
 
 416. Enoch walked with God ; and he was not, for God 
 took him. This language obviously teaches that Enoch 
 was a good man, but that he did not die a natural death, 
 we do not consider quite so plain, though this has 
 been the almost universal interpretation. He did not live 
 to the usual age of the ancient patriarchs ; and therefore 
 it is said that God took him, or took him away, that is, 
 by an early death. The importance attached to this one 
 instance of piety and goodness, would lead us to infer 
 that the other names on the list, were not worthy of any 
 such commendation. Some of them, it is reasonable to 
 presume were corrupt, as well as the rest of the world, 
 and perhaps to the same extent. It is certain that Methu- 
 selah, the son of Enoch, died in the year of the deluge ; 
 but whether he was swept away by the deluge, does not 
 appear. 
 
 417. That Lamech, the father of Noah, was impressed 
 with the consciousness that his son was to fill an impor- 
 tant place among the men of that degenerate age, is 
 certain, from the language he uses concerning him ; but 
 whether he is to be understood literally or figuratively, 
 does not certainly appear. We suppose the last, since 
 the cursing of the earth in the time of Adam, to which 
 
224 ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 reference is here made, is unquestionably to be so under- 
 stood, as we have shown in another place. 
 
 418. The remark made respecting each person on this 
 genealogical list, that "he had sons and daughters,'' 
 besides the particular son named in the list, need not 
 always be understood as referring to sons and daughters 
 born after the one named ; for we know that the first 
 born was sometimes displaced, and a later son assigned 
 his position. This was so with Cain, first son of Adam ; 
 and it is not an unreasonable conclusion that the same 
 thing may have occurred with others. 
 
 419. Some interpreters have thought that men did not 
 live to so great an age, as they are here represented ; and 
 they have conjectured that some difierent mode of reck- 
 oning time from ours, must have been employed ; but we 
 know of nothing to sustain the theory. It is quite certain 
 that the writer had no mode of reckoning essentially dif- 
 ferent from ours. This is obvious from what he tells us 
 of the commencement, duration and termination of the 
 deluge. His months were thirty days, and his years 
 twelve months ; and though the weeks are not so dis- 
 tinctly marked, the mention of seven days, several times, 
 renders it probable that they reckoned weeks also as we 
 reckon them. Besides, if we suppose that a year was 
 only a month, or some other short period, and thus avoid 
 what we conceive to be a difiiculty, shall we not, by this 
 new mode of reckoning, involve ourselves in other difiS- 
 culties no less formidable ? It is obvious that while we 
 reduce the age of the oldest of the patriarchs to such 
 limits as may suit us, we must reduce the age of the 
 younger ones in the same proportion. How will this plan 
 succeed ? Supposing a month to be regarded as a year, 
 we make the age of Methuselah to be a trifle over eighty 
 years. So far the plan works well, for we can easily 
 believe men to have lived before the flood to that age, as 
 we have known them to live so long in our day. But 
 applying the rule to the father of Methuselah : it does not 
 work so well : for Enoch begat Methuselah at the age of 
 sixty five, which reduced in the same ratio, would make 
 him a little overj^ue years when his son was born ! 
 
ADAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 225 
 
 420. The truth is, that the present duration of life, is 
 to us more credible, simply because it is one to which we 
 are accustomed, and not because there is any natural 
 reason why it should be so. If the time ever comes, as 
 possibly it may, when men are old at thirty, and seldom 
 live beyond that age, there will not be wanting those who 
 will endeavor to show that, never in the history of the 
 world, have men lived to the incredible age of one hundred 
 years, though, by a peculiar use of words, or mode of 
 reckoning, historians may seem to so represent them. 
 One impression that seems to prevail, relating to this 
 subject, should be corrected in this place. The change 
 from the great age of the first inhabitants of the world, to 
 the present standard, was not sudden, as seems to be 
 commonly thought, but was gradual, extending over a 
 long period. The different ages from Adam to Joseph 
 stand thus: — 930, 912, 905, 910, 895, 962, 365, 969, 
 177, 950, 600, 438, 433, 464, 239, 230, 148, 205, 175, 
 180, 147, 110. 
 
 421. Again ; the understanding we have of vi. 1-4, 
 helps to confirm the idea of the great longevity of those 
 ancient times. The passage is as follows : — 
 
 CHAP VI. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, when men 
 began to multiply on the face of the 
 earth, and daughters were born un- 
 to them, 
 
 2. That the sons of God saw the 
 daughters of men that they were 
 fiir ; and they took them wives of 
 all which they chose. 
 
 3. And the Lord said. My Spirit 
 shall not always strive with man. 
 
 for that he also is flesh: yet his days 
 shall be an hundred and twenty 
 years. 
 
 4. There were giants in the earth 
 in those days; and also after that, 
 when the sons of God came in unto 
 the daughters of men , and they bare 
 children to them, the same became 
 mighty men, which were of old, 
 men of renown. 
 
 The " sons of God" were simply men, and the " daugh- 
 ters of men," were simply women ; and the giants of those 
 days, we take to be men of great stature, as well as pro- 
 longed age. The meaning is, that the men of those days, 
 as well as their immediate descendants, were of gigantic 
 stature, in comparison with those who lived at a later day 
 when the account was written. The phrase "of old" 
 shows that the writer is speaking of times that were an- 
 
226 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 cient to himself, and of course that he regards them in the 
 way of contrast with those of his own times. With this 
 view, which is an exceedingly natural one, we remove at 
 once the vain and absurd speculations of men concerning 
 this passage ; and the whole subject becomes more con- 
 sistent, as there seems great propriety in supposing that 
 the stature and age of men should correspond. We may 
 add one or two circumstances by way of confirmation. 
 We know that animals and vegetables, during the fossil 
 epochs, were much larger than any that are now found 
 in the same regions of country where these existed. May 
 we not then infer that when man was made, and forages 
 afterwards, they were of larger stature than they were at 
 a later day — this being true of man as of other animals 
 — the same principle prevailing that had prevailed before, 
 requiring a gradual decrease in size to correspond with 
 the decrease of temperature. Notice again, that as we 
 might expect, not only individuals but whole tribes, of 
 more than common size, are alluded to at a later day ; 
 and again that human relics of great magnitude, have 
 been found in all parts of the world. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Contents. — Incidental notices of Noah ; Noah Blessed j Covenant 
 with Noah ; Noah's Prediction ; Death of Noah ; Genealogy of 
 Shemj Of Ham; Of Japheth. 
 
 SECTION I. — iNcmENTAL References to Noah. 
 
 422. Noah was son of Lamech in the lineage of Adam 
 through Seth, and was five hundred j^ears old when his 
 sons were born. He was regarded by his fatlier as one 
 that should fill an important place in that age. v. 28-32. 
 Other notices of Noah will be found in the following pas- 
 sages where he is spoken of in connection with the flood. 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 227 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 8. But Noah found grace in the I perfect in his g:enerations,an«f Noah 
 eyes ot the Lord. 1 walked with God. 
 
 9. IT These are the generations of I 10. And Noah begat three sons, 
 Noah: Noah was a just man, and \ Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 
 
 This is a noble commendation, to which it is several 
 times added that " Noah did according to all that God 
 commanded him." vi. 22 ; vii. 5. 
 
 CHAP. vn. 
 
 6. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters 
 was upon the earth. 
 
 And his sons were about one hundred years old at this 
 time. Compare v. 32. 
 
 423. The transactions of Noah in the ark hardly need 
 a word of explanation. They are such as would naturally 
 suggest themselves under the circumstances. The raven 
 went to and fro till the waters were dried up from ofl" the 
 earth. That the raven returned to Noah, is not asserted. 
 It was not necessary to do so, to obtain food, as the dead 
 carcasses that floated upon the water, would aflbrd it 
 nourishment fitted to its nature and wants. The dove 
 returned to Noah, and at length brought to him an olive 
 leaf, from which he knew that the waters were greatly 
 diminished, and that the land would soon be dry. It has 
 been argued that the ark could not have rested on Mount 
 Ararat, as, nowhere in that vicinity, is the olive to be 
 found ; but it may be replied that we have no statement 
 where the olive leaf was obtained ; and we knov/ the 
 dove could have obtained it, at a great distance, and not 
 be gone long from Noah. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 20. And Noah builded an altar 
 unto the Lokd ; and took of every 
 clean beast, and of every clean 
 fowl, and oflfered burnt oiferings 
 on the altar 
 
 21. And the Lord smelled a sweet 
 savor: and the Lord said in his 
 
 for the imagination of man's heart 
 is evil from his youth ; neither will 
 I again smite any more every thing 
 living, as I have done. 
 
 22. While the earth remaineth, 
 seed-time and harvest, and cold 
 and heat, and summer and winter, 
 
 heart, I will not again curse the ■^ and day and night shall not cease, 
 ground any more for man's sake; | 
 
228 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 424. The ofieriug of sacrifices is mentioned in connec« 
 tion with Cain and Abel ; and now in conformity with 
 ancient custom, and on an occasion when it would seem 
 specially fit to do so, Noah selects a suitable number of 
 clean animals and offers them as an offering to the Lord. 
 
 SECTION II. — Noah Blessed. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 1. And God blessed Noah and his 4. But flesh with the life thereof, 
 
 Bons, and said unto them, Be fruit- 
 ful, and multiply, and replenish 
 the earth. 
 
 ivhich is the blood thereof, shall yo 
 Hot eat. 
 
 5. And surely your blood of vour 
 
 2. And the fear of you and the i lives will I require; at the hand of 
 dread of you shall be upon every j e\ery beast will I require it, and at 
 beast of the earth, and upon evejy the hand of man; at the hr.nd of 
 
 fowl of the air, upon all that mov. 
 eth upon the earth, and upon all 
 the fishes of the sea ; into your hand 
 are they delivered. 
 
 3. Every moving thing that liv- 
 eth shall be meat fur you ; even as 
 the green herb have I given you all 
 things. 
 
 every man's brother will I require 
 the life of man. 
 
 6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, 
 by man shall his blood be shed: for 
 in the image of God made he man. 
 
 7. And you, be ye fruitful, and 
 multiply ; bring forth abundantly 
 in the earth, and multiply therein. 
 
 425. " Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the 
 earth," is the same languag-e as that addressed to Adam 
 and Eve at first, except that the clause " subdue it '' is 
 omitted, which was not now as necessary as then. The 
 parallel reaches farther. The "fear and dread '^ that 
 were upon every beast of the field, &c., is substantially 
 the same as the " dominion " over the beasts given to 
 Adam. And when it is added, in the same connection, 
 " Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you," 
 we infer that the same thing was implied in the original 
 grant, and that animal food, as well as vegetable, was 
 intended for Adam as well as for Noah. 
 
 426. " The flesh, with the life thereof, which is the 
 blood there;)f, shall ye not eat." The life was first to be 
 taken by the shedding of the blood; after which the 
 flesh was to be eaten. "And surely your blood of your 
 lives will T require." Viewing this with reference to 
 what goes before, and placing the emphasis properly, 
 and we shall have the true sense of this difficult passage. 
 It was the same as to say : — The blood of animals, in 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 229 
 
 other words, the life of animals, is given over to you. 
 You may slay and eat as you have occasion ; but your 
 life or blood /require. That is to be held sacred. At 
 the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand 
 of man ; at the hand of every man's brother will I re- 
 quire the life of man. I command every man to respect 
 the life of his brother, and to protect and defend it. Let 
 the reader bear in mind that these statements are made 
 with reference to man's relation to the beasts, and to the 
 exposure of human life thereby implied. 
 
 427. This will prepare us to understand that much 
 controverted passage : — " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, 
 by man shall his blood be shed." We do not doubt that 
 " whoso," (which, in the original, may refer to animals 
 as well as to men, depending on the connection and cir- 
 cumstances,) has reference here to animals ; and the 
 meaning is, that wild and dangerous animals are to be 
 destroyed, though not intended for food. Whoso (the 
 animal that) sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his 
 blood be shed. The reason given for what is here stated, 
 is exceedingly appropriate, with this construction, " In 
 the image of God made he man." Man, by his nature, 
 is placed above the beasts. 
 
 428. Several reasons favor this view of the passage. 
 One is, that God would not be likely to require us to act 
 upon a principle on which he did not himself act, in a 
 similar case. Cain committed murder, and under very 
 aggravated circumstances. God sat in judgment upon 
 the crime, and pronounced sentence of condemnation 
 upon the criminal. But the punishment was banishment, 
 and not death. This is not all. Whoever should slay 
 the offender, should himself be punished with a severer 
 infliction. Is it reasonable to conclude that a principle 
 here approved, should so soon be repudiated : and a prin- 
 ciple here condemned, should so soon be enjoined as a 
 rule of action ? But the reason assigned, that man is 
 made in the image of God, is opposed to the common 
 views. Is not the murderer made in the image of God, 
 as well as his victim ? and if so, the same reason should 
 prevail against killing him, that should have restrained 
 him from killing his brother. It may be added that the 
 
230 
 
 NOAH AND HTS FAMILY. 
 
 life of man is required at the hand of the beast, as well 
 as at the hand of man ; and hence any violation of the 
 command on the part of the former, should be punished 
 with death, as well as with the latter. And those who 
 adopt the common construction, show great inconsist- 
 ency, in allowing the beast to escape, while they inflict 
 the penalty upon man. If one should be hung up by the 
 neck tor the ofience, we see no reason why the other 
 should not be. 
 
 SECTION III. — The Covenant with Noah. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 8. IT And God spate unto Noah, 
 and to his sons with him, saying, 
 
 9. And I, behold, I establish my 
 covenant 'with you, and with your 
 seed after you ; 
 
 10. And "with every living crea- 
 ture that is "with you, of the fowl, 
 of the cattle, and of every beast of 
 the earth with you; from all that 
 go out of the ark, to every beast of 
 the earth. 
 
 11. And I will establish my cove- 
 nant with you ; neither shall all 
 flesh be cut off any more by the wa- 
 ters of a flood ; neither shall there 
 any more be a flood to destroy the 
 earth. 
 
 12. And God said. This is the 
 token of the covenant which I make 
 between me and you and every liv- 
 ing creature that is with you, for 
 perpetual generations: 
 
 13. I do set my bow in the cloud, 
 
 and it shall be for a token of a cov- 
 enant between me and the earth. 
 
 14. And it shall come to pass, 
 when I bring a cloud over the earth, 
 that the bow shall be seen in the 
 cloud: 
 
 15. And I will remember my cov- 
 enant, which in between me and you 
 and every living creature of all 
 flesh; and the waters shall no more 
 become a flood to destroy all flesh. 
 
 16. And the bow shall be in the 
 cloud ; and 1 will look upon it, that 
 I may remember the everlasting 
 covenant between God and every 
 living creature of all flesh that is 
 upon the earth. 
 
 17. And God said unto Noah, 
 This is the token of the covenant, 
 which I have established between 
 me and all flesh that is upon the 
 earth. 
 
 429. It is not necessary to suppose that the bow was 
 set in the clouds at the time this covenant with Noah was 
 entered into. 
 
 I have set my bow in the clouds : and it shall be for a 
 token, &c., would be a better rendering. The bow had 
 always been in the clouds, when the position of the sun 
 and of the clouds was such as to produce it. It was 
 hereafter to be looked upon as a memento of the divine 
 promise, that there should no more be a flood upon the 
 earth. The reason of this arrangement is found in the 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 231 
 
 association of ideas. As often as the beautiful bow was 
 seen, it would remind the beholder of the gracious promise 
 of which it was the token. 
 
 430. That God, as well as men, would look upon the 
 bow and remember his covenant, is language that can be 
 understood only as accommodated to common modes of 
 speech among men. It cannot be literally true of thfl 
 Divine Being, who needs no such expedients to remina 
 him of his promises* Compare p. 41-43. 
 
 SECTION IV. — Noah's Prediction. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 18. If And the sons of Noah, that 
 •went forth of the ark, were Shem, 
 and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham 
 15 the fither of Canaan. 
 
 19. These are the three sons of 
 Noah: and of them was the whole 
 earth overspread. 
 
 20. xlnd Noah began to be a hus- 
 bandman, and he planted a -vine- 
 yard: 
 
 21. And he drank of the wine, 
 and was drunken ; and he was un- 
 co vered within his tent. 
 
 22. And Ham, the father of Ca- 
 naan, saw the nakedness of his 
 father, and told his two brethren 
 without. 
 
 23. And Shem and Japheth took 
 a garment, and laid it upon both 
 
 their shoulders, and went back- 
 ward, and covered the nakedness of 
 their father ; and their faces were 
 backward, and they saw not their 
 father's nakedness. 
 
 24. And Noah awoke from his 
 wine, and knew what his younger 
 son had done unto him. 
 
 25. And he said, Cursed 6e Cana- 
 an ; a servant of servants shall he 
 be unto his brethren. 
 
 26. And he said, Blessed he the 
 Lord God of Shem ; and Canaan 
 shall be his servant. 
 
 27. God shall enlarge Japheth, 
 and he shall dwell in the tents of 
 Shem ; and Canaan shall be his ser- 
 vant. 
 
 431. Noah planted a vineyard and drank of the wine. 
 That the juice of the grape would become wine and pro- 
 duce inebriety, could have been learned at first only by 
 sundry experiments, assisted by mere accident, perhaps, 
 as is not unfrequently the case. It is not improbable that 
 wine existed before the flood, as the writer here does not 
 seem to speak of it as a new thing ; but of this we know 
 nothing certainly. The idea is entertained by some that 
 Noah was the first one that used it, and not being fully 
 acquainted with its qualities and effects, he became unin- 
 tentionally intoxicated. This maybe the correct opinion 
 and it may not, as there seems to be no way of deciding 
 this question. 
 
232 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 432. His exposure in his tent, and the conduct of his 
 sons, are circumstances, not mentioned because of their 
 importance in themselves, but as showing the occasion 
 of the prediction that followed which was important. 
 Nor need we suppose that the curse upon Canaan for the 
 sins of his father, was uttered merely as pointing out the 
 punishment of that sin. Canaan was the father of the 
 Canaanites ; and the prediction of Noah points to the 
 subjugation of that people by the Israelites, as well as 
 their subjngaUun generally to the different branches of 
 Noah's family. 
 
 That Noah was divinely inspired when he uttered this 
 prediction, will doubtless be regarded by many as unques- 
 tionable. This may be a correct idea ; but it is not an 
 unwarrantable supposition that, when it became known 
 by Abraham and others of his family, that Canaan should 
 become their inheritance, any remark of Noah, indicating 
 the subjection of the Canaanites, would be so applied, 
 though it might not originally have been uttered with any 
 such intention. 
 
 433. Ham is called the younger son, Japheth the elder ; 
 but this fact seems to have had no influence on the order in 
 which they are mentioned, ix. 24; x. 21. Shem, Ham, 
 and Japheth is the order in which they are named in the 
 record, and the order in which we habitually refer to 
 them. 
 
 SECTION v. — Death 07 No AH. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 28. IT And Noah lived after the 
 flood three hundred and fifty years. 
 
 29. And all the days of Noah 
 
 were nine hundred and fifty years; 
 and he died. 
 
 434. The history of Noah's sons is not given us, ex- 
 cept that each of them is represented as having several 
 c5ons found on their genealogical records, to which refer- 
 ence may be had. That they had daughters, too, is a 
 reasonable inference, and of Shem is expressly stated ; 
 but their names are omitted. The age of neither son is 
 given us, except that we infer from what is said of Shem, 
 that he died at the age of six hundred years, xi. 10, 11. 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 233 
 
 SECTION yi. — Genealogy of Shem. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 21. IT Unto Shem also , the father 
 of all the children of Eber, the 
 brother of Japheth the elder, even 
 to him were children horn. 
 
 22. The children of Shem ; Elam, 
 and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and 
 Lud and Aram. 
 
 23. And the children of Aram; 
 Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and 
 Mash. 
 
 24. And Arphaxad begat Salah ; 
 and Salah begat Eber. 
 
 25. And unto Eber were born 
 two sons: the name of one was 
 Peleg; for in his days was the 
 earth divided; and his brother's 
 name was Joktan. 
 
 26. And Joktan begat Almodad , 
 and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, 
 and Jerah, 
 
 27. And Hadoram, and Uzal, 
 and Diklah, 
 
 28. And Obal, and Abimael, and 
 Sheba, 
 
 29. And Ophir, and Havilah, 
 and Jobab: all these were the sons 
 of Joktan 
 
 30. And their dwelling was from 
 Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar 
 a mount of the east. 
 
 31. These are the sons of Shem, 
 after their families, after their 
 tongues, in their lands, after their 
 nations. 
 
 32. These are the fimilies of the 
 sons of Noah, after their genera- 
 tions, in their nations: and by 
 these were the nations divided in 
 the earth after the flood. 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 10. IT These are the generations 
 of Shem: Shem was an hundred 
 years old, and begat Arphaxad 
 two years after the flood: 
 
 11. And Shem lived after he be- 
 gat Arphaxad five hundred years, 
 and begat sons and daughters. 
 
 12. And Arphaxad lived five and 
 thirty years, and begat Salah: 
 
 13. And Arphaxad lived after he 
 begat Salah four hundred and 
 three years, and begat sons aad 
 daughters. 
 
 14. And Salah lived thirty years, 
 and begat Eber: 
 
 15. And Salah lived after he be- 
 gat Eber four hundred and three 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 16. And Eber lived four and 
 thirty years, and begat Peleg: 
 
 17. And Eber lived after he be- 
 gat Peleg four hundred and thirty 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 18. And Peleg lived thirty years, 
 and begat Reu: 
 
 19. And Peleg lived after he be- 
 gat Reu two hundred and nine 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 20. And Reu lived two hundred 
 and thirty years, and begat Serug: 
 
 21. And Reu lived after he begat 
 Serug two hundred and seven 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 22. And Serug lived thirty years, 
 and begat Nahor: 
 
 23. And Serug lived after he be- 
 gat Nahor two hundred years, and 
 begat sons and daughters. 
 
 24. And Nahor lived nine and 
 twenty years, and begat Terah: 
 
 25 And Nahor lived after he b&- 
 gat Terah an hundred and nineteen 
 years, and begat sons and daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 26. And Terah lived seventy 
 years, and begat Abram, Nahor, 
 and Haran. 
 
234 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 435. That Shem was tKe father of all the children of 
 Heber, is a remark that seems intended for a particular 
 purpose ; and by supposing that the Israelites, who be- 
 long to this lineage, took the name of Hebrews from 
 Heber, here mentioned, that special reference to this 
 individual, will be accounted for ; nor is there any other 
 so good reason for the reference, nor any other so good 
 a way to account for the name Hebrews, being applied 
 to that people. 
 
 436. Asshur, mentioned on this list, as one of the 
 sons of Shem, we are told in x. 11, went out from the 
 land of Shinar and builded Nineveh and the city Reho- 
 both and Calah and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah ; 
 and the first of these we know became a city of great 
 magnificence. It is generally understood, too, that 
 Assyria, the country where these cities were located, took 
 its name from Asshur. 
 
 437. In the days of Peleg the earth was divided. 
 The name Peleg (signifying division) was given him in 
 view of this circumstance. But what division of the 
 earth was here intended, cannot be determined with 
 accuracy. The reference may be to some natural con- 
 vulsion which the earth underwent in that country ; and 
 we know that such things were common in that early 
 age. It is more probable, however, that there is an allu- 
 sion to some civil division of the country, whereby each 
 family or tribe had a definite portion assigned them. 
 This is confirmed by some subsequent references. The 
 sons of Joktan " had their dwelling from Mesha as thou 
 goest unto Sephar, a mountain of the east." The 
 meaning is, that this tract of country was assigned to 
 these families in the division referred to. It is added 
 again, with a more general reference : — " These are the 
 sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in 
 their lands, after their nations." And again: "These 
 are the families of the sons of Noah, after their genera- 
 tions, in their nations ; and by these were the nations 
 divided in the earth, after the flood." 
 
 438. In this genealogy it is said that Arphaxad begat 
 Salah; but the Septuagint or Greek version, says, that 
 Arphaxad begat Cainan, and Cainan begat Salah. The 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 235 
 
 New Testament follows the Greek version. See Luke, 
 iii. 35, 36. 
 
 SECTION VII. — Genealogy of Ham. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 6. IT And the sons of Ham ; Cush, 
 and Mizraim, and Phut, and Ca- 
 naan. 
 
 7. And the sons of Cush; Seba, 
 and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Ra- 
 amah,and Sabtecha: and the sons 
 of ilaamah: Sheba, and Dedan. 
 
 8. And Cush begat Nimrod: he 
 began to be a mighty one in the 
 earth, 
 
 9. He was a mighty hunter be- 
 fore the Lord: wherefore it is said, 
 Even as Nimrod the mighty hunt- 
 er before the Lord. 
 
 10. And the beginning of his 
 kingdom was Babel, and Erech, 
 and Accad, and Calneh, in the land 
 of Shinar. 
 
 11. Out of that land went forth 
 Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and 
 the city of Rehoboth, and Calah, 
 
 12. And Resen between Nineveh 
 and Calah; the same is a great 
 city. 
 
 13. And Mizraim begat Ludim, 
 
 and Anamim, and Lehabim, and 
 Naphtuhim, 
 
 14. And Pathrusim, and Caslu- 
 him, (out of whom came Philis- 
 tim,) and Caphtorim. 
 
 15. IT And Canaan begat Sidon 
 his first-born, and Ileth. 
 
 16. And the Jebusitc, and the 
 Amorite, and the Girgasite. 
 
 17. And the Hivite, and the Ar- 
 kite, and the Sinite. 
 
 Ih'. And the Arvadite, and the 
 Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and 
 afterward were the families of the 
 Canaanites spread abroad. 
 
 19. And the border of the Ca- 
 naanites was from Sidon, as thou 
 comcst to Gerar, unto Gaza^ as 
 thou goest unto Sodom, and Go- 
 morrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, 
 even unto Lasha. 
 
 20. These are the sons of Ham, 
 after their families, after their 
 tongues, in their countries, and in 
 their nations. 
 
 439. The most important personage on this list, is 
 Nimrod, the mighty hunter. He was so distinguished in 
 his profession as to be the occasion of a proverb : — 
 " Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the^ Lord." 
 The beginning of his kingdom, that is, its chief city, was 
 Babel, afterwards called Babylon, to which the writer 
 adds others of less importance, Erech and Accad and 
 Calneh. They were all in the land of Shinar. It is prob- 
 able that the confusion of tongues, is to be placed in 
 the time of Nimrod, if not still earlier. 
 
 440. Canaan was the father of the Canaanites, as is 
 evident from the names given to the tribes, mentioned in 
 other places, as belonging to that country, and corres- 
 ponding with those here designated. The names Jebu- 
 
236 
 
 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 site, Amorite, Girgasite, &c., are not, as we might infer, 
 the names of individual sons of Canaan, as were Sidon 
 and lleth ; but they are national designations. The 
 meaning is, that these tribes came from Canaan, whatever 
 may have been the name (which the writer might not 
 have known) of the sons through whom they came. The 
 same remark will apply to Mizraim, Ludim, Anamim, 
 &c. ; for these endings [He and m) are the usual termi- 
 nations when tribes and nations are designated. Miz- 
 raim is another name for Egyptians ; and it is believed 
 that these people are here intended. Philistim from 
 Casluhim, is another name for Philistines, who are many 
 times referred to in the subsequent history. 
 
 441 Confusion of Tongues. — It seems Tery proper 
 to speak of the confusion of tongues in connection with 
 the race of Ham, as Tsimrod, one of this race, had Babel 
 for the capital of his kingdom ; and it is not certain but 
 all that is said of that event has reference to this branch 
 of the family of Noah. The confusion of tongues is de- 
 scribed thus : — 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 1. And the whole earth was of 
 one lanj^uage, and of one speech. 
 
 2. And it came to pass, as they 
 journeyed from the east, th;it they 
 found apbxin intheland ofShinar; 
 and they dwelt there. 
 
 3. And they said one to another. 
 Go to, let us make brick, and burn 
 them thoroughly. And they had 
 brick tor stone, and slime had they 
 for mortar. 
 
 4. And they said. Go to, let us 
 build us a city and a tower, whose 
 top may reach unto heaven; and 
 let us make us a name, lest we be 
 scattered abroad upon the face of 
 the whole earth. 
 
 5. And the Lord came down to 
 see the city and the tower, which 
 the children of men builded. 
 
 6. And the Lord said. Behold, 
 the people is one, and they have 
 all one language; and this they be- 
 gin to do: and now nothing will 
 be restrained from them, which 
 they have imagined to do. 
 
 7. Go to, let us go down, and 
 there confound their language, 
 that they may not understand one 
 another's speech. 
 
 8. So the Lord scattered them 
 abroad from thence upon tlie face 
 of :ill the earth: and they left ofl to 
 build tlie city. 
 
 9. Therefore is the name of it 
 called Babel; because he Lord 
 did there confound the language 
 of all the earth : and from thence 
 did tlie Lord scatter them abroad 
 upon the face of all the earth. 
 
 Josephus supposes that the purpose had in view, in 
 building the tower of Babel, was to provide a place of 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 237 
 
 refuge in case of another deluge ; but why they should 
 have built this tower upon a plain, rather than upon a 
 mountain, and by that means, made themselves so much 
 more labor, this author does not explain : and probably 
 did not see the diflSculty. Besides ; this view seems 
 hardly compatible with what is said in the passage itself. 
 It was not to provide themselves a place of refuge, but 
 to make themselves a name, that they undertook this 
 work. It was also to keep themselves from being scat- 
 tered abroad upon the earth. No evil intention is as- 
 cribed to the projectors of this scheme. Still, being 
 adverse to the design of the Creator, which was that man 
 should be scattered abroad upon the earth, the project 
 was not allowed to succeed. 
 
 442. From the remark with which this account begins, 
 that the whole earth was of one language and one speech, 
 the inference has been drawn that the confounding of lan- 
 guage here alluded to, consisted in breaking up the old 
 forms of speech and introducing a great number and 
 variety of tongues in the place of the one that had before 
 prevailed. This is not a necessary conclusion. All being 
 of one language, may be mentioned as the ground on 
 which they expected to succeed ; but the confusion intro- 
 duced into that language, shows that their expectations 
 were not well grounded. The ground of their confident 
 expectation failed them by a divine providence. To con- 
 found their language, so that they may not understand 
 one another's speech, does not necessarily, nor naturally 
 imply the destruction of the old language and the intro- 
 duction of new ones. Their language was confounded, 
 not destroyed. They did not understand one another's 
 speech ; not because they spake diiferent languages, but 
 because of some difficulty in speaking their own, or in 
 understanding it ; (orhearing it, as the word may mean ;) 
 the cause of this difficulty not being stated. Sudden 
 convulsions of the earth, induced by natural causes, but 
 ascribed by the ancients to the immediate agency of God, 
 inducing fear and agitation in the multitude of laborers, 
 or the loaders in the work, and various and conflicting 
 .opinions in their counsels, would be all that would be 
 necessary to bring about the result here announced. We 
 
238 NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 do not deny that there was a miraculous interposition ; 
 but we deny the necessity of any unnatural cause to bring 
 about an equally unnatural result. The miracle, if there 
 were such, consisted in the occurrence of natural events, 
 at a particular time, and to accomplish a specific pur- 
 pose — a purpose that resulted very naturally from the 
 cause that produced it. 
 
 The style of the language here employed has been dis- 
 cussed elsevv here to which the reader is referred, § 72-78. 
 
 SECTION YIIL — Genealogy of Japheth. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 1. Now these arc the generations ' kenaz, and Riphath, and Togar- 
 of the sons of Noah; Shem, Ham, mah. 
 
 and Japheth; and unto them were ! 4. And the sons of Javan; Eli- 
 sons born after the flood. shah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and 
 
 2. The sons of Japheth ; Gomer, Dodanim. 
 
 and Magog, and Madai, and Ja- : 5. By these were the isles of the 
 van, I Gentiles divided in their lands; 
 
 and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. [everyone after his tonirue, after 
 
 3. And the sons of Gomer ; Ash- i their families, in their nations. 
 
 443. " By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided, 
 in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their 
 families, in their nations." The division here referred to, 
 is probably the same as that before noticed, as taking 
 place in the days of Peleg. 
 
 444. Josephus gives us the different nations that orig- 
 inated from the sons of Noah as follows; — "Jupbeth, 
 the son ol Noah, had seven sons. They inhabited, so that, 
 beginning at the mountains of Taurus and Amanus, they 
 proceeded along Asia as far as the river Tanais, and along 
 Europe to Cadiz ; and settling themselves on the lands 
 they lighted upon, they called the nations by their own 
 names. For Gomer founded those which the Greeks now 
 call Gallatians, (Galls,) but were themselves called 
 Gomerites. Magog founded those that from him were 
 named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called 
 Scythians. 
 
 Josephus goes on to say that Madai was the founder 
 of the Medeans or Medes ; Javan settled Ionia, and all 
 the Grecians originated from him. The Iberes sprung 
 
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY. 239 
 
 from Tubal, and the Capadocians from Meshech. A 
 city among them called Mazaca he thinks took its name 
 from Meshech. Tiras originated the Thracians. He 
 traces the Rhtginians to Ashkenaz, son of Gomer, and 
 the Paphligonians to Riphath, and the Phrigians to To- 
 garmah. 
 
 445. The children of Ham, he says, possessed the land 
 of Syria and Amanus and the mountains of Libanus. 
 Cush ruled over the Ethiopians, sometimes called Cushites, 
 Mizraim is another name for the Egyptians. Phut founded 
 Lyhia ; Canaan gave name to Judea, once called Canaan. 
 Saba founded the Sabeans, Havilah the Getulians, Sabta 
 the Astaborians, Sabtekah settled Sabacteus, Raamah 
 originated the Ragmans, &c. All the children of Miz- 
 raim, being eight in number, possessed the country from 
 Gaza to Egypt : though it retained the name of one only, 
 the Philistim ; for the Greeks called part of the country 
 Palestine. As for the rest, Ludim, Anamim, &c., we 
 know nothing except their names. 
 
 446. The sons of Canaan, Josephus disposes of thus ; 
 — Sidon built Sidon ; Hamathite settled Epiphania. Hi- 
 vite possessed Acre. But for the seven others, Heth, 
 Jcbusite, Amorite, Girgasite, Sinite, Arvadite, and Zem- 
 arite, we have nothing in the sacred books ; for the He- 
 brews overthrew their cities. That is, as we understand 
 Josephus, there is nothing in the sacred books concerning 
 them, after the Hebrews overthrew their cities ; for, till 
 that time, several of these tribes are often mentioned in 
 the Jewish writings. 
 
 447. Shem had five sons who inhabited from the Eu- 
 phrates to the Indian Ocean. Elam gave name to the 
 Elamites or Persians ; Asshur to the Assyrians: Arphaxad 
 to the Chaldeans ; Aram to the Syrians ; Lud to the Lyd- 
 ians ; Uz son of Aram, settled Trachonitis and Damascus ; 
 Hal founded Armenia ; Gether originated the Bactreans; 
 Mash the Messaneans Heber gave name to the He- 
 brews. The sons of Joktan dwelt from Sepher an Indian 
 river and that part of Asia adjoining it. 
 
 In most respects this account of Josephus may be relied 
 upon as accurate, xit least it no doubt agreed with 
 the authorities and traditions then in existence and deem^ 
 ed reliable. 
 
240 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ABKAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Contents ; — Parentage and Relations ; Removes to Haran ; Goes 
 to Canaan ; Goes down to Egypt and returns ; Abrarn and Lot 
 separate ; Receives a Divine Communication ; Battle of the 
 Kings ; Another Vision ; Hagar given to Abram ; Another Vis- 
 ion ; Another ; Sodom Destroyed ; Lot and his Daughters ; So- 
 journ in Gerar; Birth of Isaac; Hagar and her Son Rejected; 
 Covenant with Abimelech; The Offering of Isaac ; Nahor; Death 
 of Sarah ; A Wife procured for Isaac ; Death of Abraham ; Ish- 
 mael and his Family. 
 
 SECTION I. — Parentage and Relations. 
 
 CHAP, XI. 
 
 27. IT Now these are the genera- 
 tions of Terah : Terah begat Abram, 
 Nahor, and Haran; and Haran be- 
 gat Lot. 
 
 28. And Haran died before hig 
 father Terah in the land of his na- 
 tivity, in Ur of the Chaklees. 
 
 29. And Abram and Nahor took 
 
 them wives: the name of Abram's 
 wife was Sarai; and the name of 
 Nahor's wife ^Iilcah, the daughter 
 of Haran, the father of Milcah, and 
 the father of Iscah. 
 
 30. But Sarai was barren; she 
 had no child. 
 
 448. It would seem from several circumstances, here 
 named, that Ur of the Chaldees, was the residence of 
 Terah and his family, for a long period. His three sons 
 were born there, and were there married. This is implied 
 in the case of Haran ; and is expressed with reference to 
 the others. The wife of Nahor was daughter of his brother 
 Haran. The same Haran was father of Iscah. The opin- 
 ion is not without foundation that this Iscah and Sarah 
 are the same. If this supposition is not true, then we have 
 the allusion to Iscah without any necessity ; and who 
 Sarah was, of which we should expect to be informed, 
 we are not told. Besides, if Sarah and Iscah are the same, 
 then Sarah and Milcah were sisters : and both were sisters 
 of Lot ; and this will give us a reason that might not 
 otherwise be so manifest, why Abram should have taken 
 Lot with him, and regarded him with so much interest; 
 for in this case, Lot was not only a nephew of the patri- 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 241 
 
 arch, but a brother of Sarah ; and his father, being dead, 
 he united his interests with those of his sister and uncle. 
 With this view the language of Abram concerning his 
 wife : — '' She is the daughter of my father, but not the 
 daughter of my mother,'^ xx. 12, may be explained bj 
 supposing that grand-daughter (as the word daughter 
 often means) was had in view, and by the additional sup- 
 position that Terah had two wives, one of whom was the 
 mother of Abram, and the other of Haran. 
 
 SECTION II. —Removal to Haran. 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 31. And Terah took Abram his 
 son, and Lot the son of Haran his 
 son's son, and Sarai his daughter- 
 in-law, his son Abram's wife ; and 
 they went forthwith them fromUr 
 of the Chaldees, to go into the land 
 
 of Canaan ; and they came into Ha- 
 ran and dwelt there. 
 
 32, And the days of Terah were 
 two hundred and five years : and 
 Terah died in Haran. 
 
 449. Terah being the head of the family, is said to have 
 taken Abram and others, and gone to Haran, though it 
 appears from another passage, that Abram had instigated 
 this movement, being instructed so to do by a divine 
 vision, xii. 1. 
 
 Haran was evidently named after Haran, the brother 
 of Abram, who had died in Chaldee. It was not, there- 
 fore, so called, when Terah and his family went there, 
 but received its name from them, in honor of their de- 
 ceased friend. Nothing can be more natural than this cir- 
 cumstance ; and there is a multitude of such and sim- 
 ilar ones, that tend strongly to confirm the truth of the 
 narrative. 
 
 The death of Terah is mentioned here, though Abram's 
 removal to Canaan, and many other events afterwards 
 recorded, must have taken place before his decease. 
 11 
 
242 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION III. — Abram goes to Canaan. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 1. Now the Lord had said unto | 
 Abram, Get thee out of thj- coun- 
 try, and from thy kindred, and 
 from thy father's house, unto a 
 land that I will shew thee: 
 
 2. And I will make of thee a 
 great nation, and I will bless thee, 
 and make thy name great; and 
 thou Shalt be a blessing: 
 
 3. And I will bless them that 
 bless thee, and curse him that curs- 
 eth thee: and in thee shall all fam- 
 ilies of the earth be blessed. 
 
 4. So Abram departed, as the 
 Lord had spoken unto him ; and 
 Lot went with him : and xVbram was 
 seventy and five years old when he 
 dep irted out of Haran. 
 
 5. And xVbrara took Sarai his 
 wife, and Lot his brother's son, 
 and all their substance that they 
 had gathered, and the souls that 
 
 XII. 
 
 they had gotten in Haran; and 
 they went forth to go into the land 
 of Canaan; and into the land of 
 Canaan they came. 
 
 6. IT And Abram passed through 
 the land unto the place of Sichem, 
 unto the plain of Moreh. And the 
 Canaauite wis then in the land. 
 
 7. And the Lord appeared unto 
 Abram, and said. Unto thy seed 
 will I give this land: and there 
 builded he an altar unto the Lord, 
 who appeared unto him. 
 
 8. And he removed from thence 
 unto a mountain on the east ol Be. 
 thel, and pitched his tent, having 
 Bethel on the west, nnd Hai on the 
 east: and there he builded :in altar 
 unto the Lord, and called upon 
 the name of the Lord. 
 
 9. And Abram journeyed, going 
 on still toward the south. 
 
 450. The message from God to Abram, here referred 
 to, was given to him while he was in Ur of the Chaldees. 
 It does not appear that Abram knew what land was in- 
 tended for him, till he came into the land of Canaan, and 
 received another and more definite statement. That he 
 should be greatly blessed, and that all men would 
 be blessed through him, are the two items in this 
 announcement. 
 
 451. How long Abram and Lot resided in Haran, is 
 not stated. " The substance they had gathered, and the 
 souls they had gotten in Haran," may be understood as 
 impl^nng a considerable period. 
 
 452. The Canaanite was then in the land. Abram, 
 therefore, could not claim the country by right of dis- 
 covery, nor as being the first settler. He could only 
 claim it as a divine 'bestowment ; and on this ground it 
 was claimed, and taken possession of, at a later day. 
 
 453. That Abram journeyed still toward the south, 
 shows that he had come from the north, (^r more prop- 
 edy, from the north-east. Hence we must place Haran 
 and Ur in that direction. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 243 
 
 SECTION IV. — Abram goes down to Egypt. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
 10. IT And there was a famine in 
 the land: and Abram went down ' 
 into Egypt to sojourn there; for 
 the famine was grievous in the 
 land. 
 
 11. And it came to pass, when 
 he was come near to enter into 
 Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his 
 wife, Behold now, I know that 
 thou art a fair woman to look 
 upon: 
 
 12. Therefore it shall come to 
 pass, when the Egyptians shall see 
 thee, that they shall say, This is 
 his wife; and they will kill me, but 
 they will save thee alive. 
 
 13. Say, I pray thee, thou ori 
 my sister ; that it may be well with 
 me for thy sike: and my soul shall 
 live bee lusa of thee. 
 
 14 *ir And it came to pass, that 
 when Abram was come into Egypt, 
 the Egyptians beheld the woman 
 that she ivas very fair. 
 
 15. The princes also of Pharaoh 
 
 , XII. 
 
 saw her, and commended her be- 
 fore Pharaoh ; and the woman was 
 taken into Pharaoh's house. 
 
 16. And he entreated Ahr.im well 
 for her sake: and he had sheep, 
 and oxen, and he-asses, and men- 
 servants, and maid -servants, and 
 she asses, and camels. 
 
 17. And the Lord plagne<i Pha- 
 raoh and his house with great 
 plagues, because of Sarai, Abram's 
 wife. 
 
 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, 
 and said, What is this that thou 
 hast done unto me? why didst thou 
 not tell me that she was thy wife? 
 
 19. Why saidst thou. She is my 
 sister ? so I might have taken her 
 to me to wife: now, therefore, ))c- 
 hold thy wife, take her, and go thy 
 way. 
 
 20. And Pharaoh commanded /j is 
 men concerning him: and they sent 
 him away, and his wife, and all 
 that he had. 
 
 CHAP. XIIL 
 
 1. And Abram went up out of 
 Egypt, he, and his wife, and all 
 that he had, and Lot with him, 
 into the south. 
 
 2. And Abram was very rich in 
 cattle, in silver, and in gold, 
 
 3. And he went on his journeys 
 from the south, even to Bethel, 
 
 unto the place where his tent had 
 been at the beginning, between 
 Bethel and Hai; 
 
 4. Unto the place of the altar, 
 which he had made there at the 
 first: and there Abram called on 
 the name of the Lord. 
 
 454. That there was a famine in Canaan, and not in 
 Egypt, is easily accounted for; the one was watered by 
 the clouds that descended upon the land, and it would 
 suffer immediately if they were withheld : the other was 
 watered by the overflowing of the Nile, and was not 
 affected by slight changes, such as would affect other 
 countries. The Nile did not often withhold its supplies, 
 but when it did, the effect was long continued. Hence 
 the seven years of plenty, followed by seven of famine, 
 was perfectly in accordance with natural circumstances. 
 
244 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Going dow7i to Eg^^pt is a reference, slight in itself, but 
 well fitted to strengthen our confidence in the narrative, 
 by its agreement with facts. Egypt was lower than 
 Canaan ; and therefore, those who went there from the 
 latter place, went down ; and on their return they went 
 nj) out of Egypt. 
 
 455. The deception instigated by Abram is recorded 
 as a historical fact, though it does not reflect well upon 
 the character of the patriarch ; and it shows a lack of 
 information concerning the place he was to visit. True, 
 it was not a sin of the first magnitude, nor was it prompted 
 by unworthy motives ; but a sin it was, and no less a sin 
 in the patriarch than it would have been in any other man 
 under the same circumstances, though some biblical 
 expounders have conceived the necessity of exonerating 
 him from all blame, which they would not feel at liberty 
 to do, in ordinary cases. One thing we ought not to 
 forget, that, if our sense of right and obligation is greater 
 than that of the patriarchs, it is mainly because we have 
 privileges which they had not. And indeed, were 
 we to find them as conscientious, as are well instructed 
 Christians of the present day, one of two conclusions 
 would follow that few of us would be willing to accept, 
 either that the record we have of those early times is 
 false, or that revealed religion has be^n of no use to the 
 world. 
 
 456. The ''plagues" that came upon Pharaoh in con- 
 sequence of Abram's wife, are not described, and may 
 have been only such "troubles," as would naturally 
 arise from the circumstances, though not the less brought 
 upon him by the Lord, on that account. Abram and Lot 
 went up from Egypt "into the south," that is, into the 
 south part of Canaan ; though, in going thither, they went 
 north or north-east. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 245 
 
 SECTION V. — Abram and Lot Separate. 
 CHAP. xrii. 
 
 5. IT And Lot also, which went 
 with Abram, had flocks, and herds, 
 and tents. 
 
 6. And the land was not able to 
 bear them, that they might dwell 
 together: for their substance was 
 great, so that they could not dwell 
 together. 
 
 7. And there was a strife between 
 the herdmen of Abram's cattle and 
 the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and 
 the Canaanite and the Penzzite 
 dwelled then in the land. 
 
 8 And Abram said unto Lot, 
 Let there be no strife , I pray thee, 
 between me and thee, and between 
 my herdmen and thy herdmen ; for 
 we be brethren. 
 
 9. Is not the whole land before 
 thee ? separate thyself, I pray thee, 
 from me; if thou wilt take the left 
 hand, then I will go to the right; 
 
 or \i thou depart to the right hand, 
 then I will go to the left. " 
 
 10. And Lot lifted up his eyes, 
 and beheld all the plain of Jordan, 
 that it wan well watered every 
 where, before the Lord destroyed 
 Sodom and Gomorrah, eren as the 
 garden of the Lord, like the land 
 of Egypt, as thou comest unto 
 Zoar. 
 
 11. Then Lot chose him all the 
 plain of Jordan ; and Lot journey- 
 ed east; and they separated them- 
 selves the one from the other. 
 
 12. Abram dwelt in the land of 
 Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities 
 of the plain , and pitched his tent 
 toward Sodom. 
 
 13. But the men of Sodom u'cre 
 wicked and sinners before the Lord 
 exceedingly. 
 
 457. This passage sets forth the character of Abram 
 to great advantage. His friendly disposition and his gen- 
 erous treatment of Lot, are worthy of all commendation. 
 The occupation of the patriarchs required an extensive 
 territory, especially as the wealth of Abram and Lot, con- 
 sisting inostly of flocks and herds, had become very great 
 at the time here referred to. That diflerences would 
 arise with their respective herdsmen, (for though Abram 
 and Lot were together, they seem to have had separate 
 interests,) was a very natural occurrence; and the sug- 
 gestion of Abram was exceedingly judicious as fitted to 
 prevent such occurrences. 
 
 458. The remark that the Canaanite and the Perizzite 
 were then in the land, was designed to give an additional 
 reason why Abram and Lot should keep on good terms, 
 as they would thus be better prepared to defend them- 
 selves, if occasion should require, against the inhabitants 
 of the land. It may be added that the term Canaanite 
 generally refers to all the people of Palestine, in which 
 case the Perizzites would be included ; but here, as in 
 some other instances, it refers only to a particular tribe. 
 
246 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 459. The plain of the Jordan is compared to Egypt as 
 to its fruitfulness ; and its situation along tlie valley of 
 that river, and watered by numerous smaller streams, 
 coming down from the mountains, and bringing the rich- 
 ness of the soil with them, renders the comparison very 
 fit and proper. 
 
 "As thou comest unto Zoar," in verse 10th, must be 
 understood as connected with "the plain of Jordan'' in 
 the former part of the verse, and not with Egypt in the 
 latter part, as the phrase now stands. The passage should 
 be construed thus ; — " And Lot lifted up his eyes and 
 beheld all the plain of the Jordan, as thou comest unto 
 Zoar, that it was well watered every where .... like 
 the land of Egypt." 
 
 SECTION YL — A Divine Communication. 
 
 CHAP XIII. 
 
 14. If And the Lord said unto 
 Abram, after that Lot was separa- 
 ted from him, Lift up now thine 
 eyes , and look from the place where 
 tUoa art northward, and south- 
 ward, and eastward, and westward : 
 
 35. For all the land which thou 
 seest, to thee will I give it, and to 
 thy seed tor ever. 
 
 16. And I will make thy seed as 
 the dust of the earth: so that if a 
 man can number the dust of the 
 
 earth, then shall thy seed also be 
 numbered. 
 
 17. Arise , walk through the land 
 in the length of it and in the 
 breadth of it ; for I will give it unto 
 thee. 
 
 18. Then Abram removed his 
 tent, and came and dwelt in the 
 plain of Mamre, which is in He- 
 bron , and built there an altar unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 460. This communication, given to Abram at this time, 
 seems intended to assure him, not merely that the land of 
 Canaan was to be his, but to be his exclusively ; and that 
 even Lot was not to participate in the possession. 
 
 461. Mamre was a long time the residence of this 
 patriarch, as well as of Isaac and Jacob afterwards ; and 
 though all of them had temporary residences in other 
 places, yet the associations of Hebron often brought them 
 back to that endeared spot. Many interesting circum- 
 stances connected witli Hebron will appear in the progress 
 of patriarchal biography. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 247 
 
 SECTION VII. — Battle of the Kings. 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, in the 
 days of Amraphel king of Sliinar, 
 Ariooii king of EUasar, Cliedor- 
 laoinei-, king of Elam, and Tidal 
 king uf nations; 
 
 2. That these made war with 
 Bera king of Sodom, and with 
 Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab 
 king of Admah, and Shemeber 
 king of Zeboiim, and the king of 
 Bela, Avhich is Zoar. 
 
 3. All these were joined together 
 in the vale of Siddim, which \s the 
 salt sea. 
 
 4. Twelve years they served Che- 
 dorlaomer, and in the thirteenth 
 year they rebelled. 
 
 5. And in the fourteenth year 
 came Chedorlaomer, and the kings 
 that M;ere.with him, and smote the 
 Kepliaims in Ashteroth-Karnaim, 
 and the Zuziras in Ham, and the 
 Emims in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, 
 
 (). And the Horites in their mount 
 Seir, unto Elparan, which is by 
 the wilderness. 
 
 7. And they returned and came 
 to Enniishpat, which is Kadesh, 
 and smote all the country of the 
 Amalekites, and also the Amorites 
 that dwelt in Hizezontamar. 
 
 8. And there Avent out the king 
 of Sodom, and the king of Gomor- 
 rah, and the king of Admah, and 
 the king of Zeboiim, and the king 
 of Bel:i, (the same is Zoar;) and 
 they joined battle with them in the 
 \ale of Sid lim; 
 
 9. With Chedorlaomer the king 
 of Elam, and with Tidal king of 
 nations, and Amraphel king of Shi- 
 nar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; 
 four kings with five. 
 
 10. And the vale of Siddim loas 
 full a/ slime-pits ; and the kings of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell 
 there ; and they that remained fled 
 to the mountain. 
 
 11. And they took all the goods 
 of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all 
 their victuals, and went their way. 
 
 12. And they took Lot, Abram's 
 brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, 
 and his goods, and dei^arted. 
 
 13. IT And there came one that 
 had escaped, and told Abram the 
 Hebrew ; for he dwelt in the plain 
 of Mamre the Amorite, brother of 
 Eschol, and brother of Aner: and 
 these were confederate with Abram. 
 
 14. And when Abram heard that 
 his brother Avas taken cai)tive, he 
 armed his tv-Mv^Qd servants, born in 
 his own house, three hundred and 
 eighteen, and pui'sued them unto 
 Dan. 
 
 15. And he divided himself a- 
 gainst them, he and his servants, 
 by night, and smote them, and 
 pursued them unto Hobah, Avhich 
 is on the left hand of Damascus. 
 
 16. And he brought back all t!ic 
 goods, and also brought again his 
 brother Lot, and his goods, and the 
 women also, and the people. 
 
 17. IT And the king of Sodom 
 went out to meet him faftcr his re- 
 turn from the slaughter of Che- 
 dorlaomer, and of the kings that 
 were with him,) at the valley of 
 Shaveh, which is the king's dale. 
 
 18. And Melchizedek king of Sa- 
 lem brought forth bread and wine: 
 and he loas the priest of the most 
 high God. 
 
 19. And he blessed him, and said. 
 Blessed be Abram of the most high 
 God, possessor of heaven and eii'th: 
 
 20. And blessed be the most high 
 God, which hath delivered thine 
 enemies into thy hand. And he 
 gave him tithes of all. 
 
 21. And the king of Sodom said 
 unto Abram, Give mo the persons, 
 and take the goods to thyself. 
 
 22. And Abram said to the king 
 of Sodom, Ihave lifted up my hand 
 unto the Lord, the most high God, 
 the possessor of heaven and earth, 
 
 23. That I will not take fi-om a 
 thread even to a shoe-latchet, and 
 that I will not take anything that 
 
:-L8 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 is thine lest thou shouldest say, I 
 have made Abram rich: 
 
 24. Save only that which the 
 young men have eaten, and the 
 
 portion of the men which went 
 with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mam- 
 re; let them take their portion. 
 
 462 It will be remembered that Shinar was the coun- 
 try in which men attempted to build the tower of Babel ; 
 and as Amraphael, king of Shinar, is the first mentioned 
 on the list of kings, it is quite probable that he was the 
 most important personage among them, though the war 
 was excited by Cherdorlaomer, king of Elam, to whom 
 the southern tribes had been subject, and from whom 
 they had recently revolted. The other places, mentioned 
 in connection with Shinar, were probably located in the 
 same region of country which was north or north-east of 
 Canaan. Tidal is called king of nations, for the reason 
 perhaps that he ruled over several cities or tribes. Per- 
 haps, however, the word for " nations '' should be ren- 
 dered as a proper name, in which case, Tidal would be 
 called simply king of " Goyim,'' which may be the name 
 of only one city or country. The king of Bela is not 
 named, either because Bela or Zoar was a very small 
 city, or for some other reason not apparent. 
 
 463. The confederate kings appear to have laid waste 
 the country on their way towards Canaan, and indeed 
 they must have gone past their former allies, whose sub- 
 jection thej^had mainly in view ; for they visited Elparan, 
 which was far beyond them in the direction of Egypt. 
 They then turned back and subdued Enmishpat or Ka- 
 desh, and smote the whole country of the Amalckites 
 and Amorites. 
 
 It was at this juncture that the kings of Sodom, Go- 
 morrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zoar, went out to meet 
 them, and joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim, 
 not far from Sodom. The result was that they were 
 signally defeated. Lot and his family were made cap- 
 tives; and it was in view of this circumstance, and the 
 part that Abram had in rescuing his friend, that the 
 narrative is given us. 
 
 464. Mamre was one of Abram's confederates ■ and 
 it was evidently after him tbat Abram's residence was 
 named. He was an Amorite, and as that tribe had suf- 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 249 
 
 fercd from the northern kings, this was a good and 
 sufficient reason, as well as being a confederate with 
 Abram, for joining in the pursuit. Abram pursued them 
 unto Dan, a place in the north of Palestine as Beersheba 
 was in the south ; hence the common saying, " from Dan 
 to Beersheba. '^ He then pursued them unto Ilobah on 
 the left hand of Damascus. These places of course 
 were in the direction of Shinar, whither the kings were 
 returning. 
 
 465. On the return of Abram, having recovered Lot 
 and his family, he was met by Melchizedek, king of 
 Salem, to whom Abram paid the tenth part of the spoils. 
 If this Salem is the same as Jerusalem, as there is some 
 reason to believe, the existence of a priesthood here, 
 and the payment of tithes, become interesting circum- 
 stances, as foreshadowing the Jewish priesthood in the 
 same place. Who this Melchizedek was, we are not in- 
 formed. That he was priest of the Most High, and wor- 
 shipped God according to the principles of true religion, 
 there can be no doubt, both from the respect shown him 
 by the patriarch, and from other references. See Heb. vii. 
 
 466. The interview which the king of Sodom had 
 with Abram, is interesting, as showing the justice of the 
 one, and the generosity of the other. The conduct of 
 the king shows that he was not wholly depraved, though 
 he was the ruler of a very corrupt and wicked people. 
 The proposition of Abram to give his confederates their 
 share of the spoils, shows that there was some estab- 
 lished rule for dividing the booty in such cases : but 
 whether such division was equal to each person, or other- 
 wise, we do not learn from this narrative. 
 
 For local references, see Geography, pp. 103-118. 
 11* 
 
250 ARRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION YIII. —Another Vision. 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 1. After these things the word of 
 the Lord came unto Abram in a 
 vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I 
 am thyshieLl, and thy exceeding 
 great reward. 
 
 •2. And Abram said. Lord God, 
 ■what wilt tliou give me, seeing I go 
 childless, and the steward of my 
 house ts this Eliezer of Damascus? 
 
 3. And Abram siid, Behold, to 
 me thou hast given no seed: and 
 lo, one born in my house is mine 
 heir. 
 
 4. IT And behold, the word of the 
 Lord came unto him, saying, This 
 shall not be thine heir; but he that 
 shall come forth out of thine own 
 bowels shall be thine heir. 
 
 5. And he brought him forth 
 abroad, and said, Look now toward 
 heaven, and tell the stars, if thou 
 be able to number them : and he , 
 sai<l unto hm. So shall thy seed ' 
 bo. 
 
 G. And he believed in the Lord; 
 and he counted it to him for right- 
 eousness. 
 
 7. And he said unto him, I am 
 the Lord that brought thee out of 
 Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee 
 this land to inherit it. 
 
 8. And he said Lord God , v.diere- 
 by shall I know that I shall inherit 
 it. 
 
 9. And he said unto him, Take me 
 aWifer of three years old, and a 
 she-go.it of three years old, and a 
 ram of three years ol 1, and a turtle 
 dove, and a yoano: piiroon. 
 
 10. And he took unto him all 
 these, an i divided them in the 
 midst, and laid each piece one 
 against another: but tho birds di- 
 vided he not. 
 
 11. And when the fowls came 
 down ujjon the carcases, Abram 
 drove them away. 
 
 12. And when the sun was going 
 down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram : 
 and, lo, a horror of great dai'kness 
 fell upon him. 
 
 13. And he said unto Abram, 
 Know of a surety that thy seed 
 shall be a stranger in a land that is 
 not theirs, and shall serve them; 
 and they shall afflict them four 
 hundred years; 
 
 14. And also that nation, whom 
 they shall serve, will I judge: and 
 afterward shall they come out with 
 great substance. 
 
 15. And thou shalt go to thy 
 fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buri- 
 ed in a good old age. 
 
 16. But in the fourth generation 
 they shall come hither again : for 
 the iniquity of the Amoritcs is not 
 yet full. 
 
 17. And it came to pass, that, 
 when the sun went down, and it 
 was dark, behold a smoking fur- 
 nace, and a burning lamp that 
 passed between those pieces. 
 
 18. In that same day the Lord 
 made a covenant with Abram, say- 
 ing. Unto thy seed have I given 
 thTs laud from the river of Egypt 
 unto the great river, the river Eu- 
 phrates : 
 
 19. The Kenites, and the Keniz- 
 zites, and the Kadmonitcs, 
 
 20. And thollittites, and the Pe- 
 rizzites, aud the Rephaims, 
 
 21 And the Amorites, and the 
 Canaanites, and the Girgasites, 
 and the Jebusites. 
 
 467. This communication is called a vision : but where 
 tlic vision ends —whether it embraces the whole of the 
 });issage, or only a part of it — seems to be a matter of 
 sonic uncertainty. We suppose the whole passage to be 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 251 
 
 included ; and that going forth abroad to count the stars, 
 was as much a part of the vision, as what precedes this. 
 So was the sacrifice, where the animals were slain and 
 parted. So was the deep sleep or trance that fell upon 
 the patriarch. So was the smoking furnace and burning 
 lamp. 
 
 It is added ; — " In that same day the Lord made a 
 covenant with Abram, saying, unto thy seed have 1 given 
 this land," &c. 
 
 The vision shows the occasion of this covenant, and 
 the ceremonies by which it was ratified, and as such it is 
 beautiful and instructive ; while to regard the greater 
 part of this as real, is to make it inconsistent and absurd. 
 
 468. The reference of Abram to being childless, need 
 not be regarded as murmuring at his lot. It simply 
 suggests a difficulty in the way of the divine promise. 
 He had twice before been told that his seed should 
 become very numerous. What more natural than his 
 reference to his childless condition, in view of these 
 promises ? Hence the promise of a son is here given. 
 
 469. The sacrifice here described is expressly said to 
 have been prepared for the confirmation of the divine 
 promise, that Abram should inherit the land of Canaan. 
 The animals are such as were used in sacrifices and ofier- 
 ings afterwards, according to the law of Moses. 
 
 470. The deep sleep and horror of great darkness that 
 fell upon Abram, was a fit condition for the announcement 
 that followed. The nation that Abram 's seed were to 
 serve, and by whom the}^ would be oppressed, is not 
 named ; but no one can doubt, in view of subsequent 
 history, that the allusion is to Egypt. 
 
 471. The statement that the iniquity of the Amorites 
 is not yet full, in this connection, shows clearly, that 
 though the seed of Abram were to inherit Canaan, accord- 
 ing to the divine promise, the sin of the Canaanites would 
 be the reason of their destruction. 
 
 472. The river of Egypt, used to define the limits of 
 Canaan, may have been the Nile, which was emphatically 
 the river of Egypt, in which case a near approach to that 
 river, though not actually reaching it, may be all that is 
 
252 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 intended ; or some other stream may be had in view that 
 separated the two countries. The Euphrates is a well 
 known river, l^^ing east of Palestine, and is in this pas- 
 sage made the boundary of Abram's possessions in that 
 direction, as the river of Egypt, in the other. 
 
 473. The several tribes here named were the people of 
 Canaan. All together they are called Canaanites, though 
 that term ig sometimes applied to a particular tribe. So 
 the Amorites, being a large and powerful tribe, are some- 
 times, as in verse 16th, put for the whole people of 
 Canaan. 
 
 SECTION IX. — Hagar given to Abram. 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 1. Now Sarai Abram 's wife bare 
 him no children: and she had an 
 handmaid, an Egyptian, whose 
 name was Hagar. 
 
 2. And Sarai said unto Abram, 
 Behold now, the Lord hath re- 
 strained me from bearing: I pray 
 thee, go in unto my maid; it may 
 be that I may obtain children by 
 her. And Abram hearkened to the 
 voice of Sarai. 
 
 3. And Sarai Abram 's wife took 
 Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, af- 
 ter Abram had dwelt ten years in 
 the land of Canaan, and gave her 
 to her husband Abram to be his 
 wife. 
 
 4. And he went in unto Hagar, 
 and she conceived : and when she 
 saw she liad conceived, her mistress 
 was despised in her eyes. 
 
 5. And Sarai said unto Abram, 
 My wrong be upon thee : I have 
 given my maid into thy bosom ; and 
 Avhen she saw that she had conceiv- 
 ed, I was despised in her eyes : the 
 Lord judge betAveen me and thee. 
 
 6. But Abram said unto Sarai. 
 Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; 
 do to her as it pleaseth thee. And 
 when Sarai dealt hardly with her, 
 she fled from her f;ice. 
 
 7. IT And the angel of the Lord 
 found her by a fountain of water in 
 
 the wilderness, by the fountain in 
 the way to fehur. 
 
 8. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's 
 maid, whence camest thou ? and 
 whither wilt thou go ? And she 
 said, I flee from the face of my mis- 
 tress Sarai. 
 
 9. And the angel of the Lord 
 said unto her, Return to thy mis- 
 tress, and submit thyself under her 
 hands. 
 
 10. And the angel of the Lord 
 said unto her, I will multiply thy 
 seed exceedingly, that it shall not 
 be numbered for multitude. 
 
 11. And the angel ( f the Lord 
 said unto her, Behold, thou art 
 with child, and shalt bear a son, 
 and shalt call his name Ishmael; 
 because the Lord hath heard thy 
 affliction. 
 
 12. And he will be a wild man ; 
 his hand will be against every man, 
 and every man's hand against him; 
 and he shall dwell in the presence 
 of all his brethren. 
 
 13. And she called the naBie of 
 the Lord that spake unto her. Thou 
 God seest me: for she said, Havel 
 also here looked after him that 
 seeth me? 
 
 14. Wherefore the well was called 
 Beer-lahairoi ; behold, it is between 
 Kadesh and Bered. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 253 
 
 15 IT And Hagar bare Abrara a 
 son : and Abram called his son's 
 name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 
 
 16. And Abram was fourscore 
 and six years old, when Hagar bare 
 Ishmael to Abram. 
 
 474. Hagar was an Egyptian ; and it will be remem- 
 bered that handmaids were among the gifts Abram re- 
 ceived from the king of Egypt, when he visited that 
 country. 
 
 475. No one can read the patriarchal narrative, without 
 noticing that the desire for olispring was one of the strong- 
 est passions of those days. But, as was very natural, it 
 is with those to whom that favor was denied, that we find 
 the expression of that desire, most emphatic. 
 
 476. When Hagar left her mistress, and was found in 
 the wilderness, she appears to have been on her way to 
 Egypt. It is quite natural that, being an Egyptian, she 
 should proceed toward that country. She was found by 
 a fountain of water in thG wilderness. It will be remem- 
 bered that, at a subsequent time, she and her son came 
 near perishing for the want of such an accommodation. 
 It was not safe to leave one fountain, in the hope of find- 
 ing another, unless the traveller was well acquainted with 
 the route, which Hagar could not be expected to be, as 
 she had probably never passed along that route but once 
 before, viz., when she first came with Abram from Egypt. 
 
 What is said of the angel of the Lord, in this passage, 
 will be best understood by consulting our criticism on that 
 word ; also our remarks upon the mode of divine commu- 
 nications in those days. pp. 67-70. 30, 31. 
 
 477. It is generally understood that the Arabs are the 
 descendants of Ishmael ; and they clearly exemplify the 
 character here ascribed to their illustrious progenitor. 
 They exist, too, as a distinct race, " in the presence of 
 all their brethren,'^ notwithstanding the efforts made to 
 exterminate them. 
 
254 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION X. — Abram has another Vision. — Circum- 
 cision Instituted. 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 1. And -when Abram was ninety 
 years old and nine, the Lord ap- 
 peared to Abram, and said unto 
 him, I am the Almighty God; walk 
 before me, and be thou perfect. 
 
 2. And I will make my covenant 
 between me and thee, and will 
 multiply thee exceedingly. 
 
 3. And Abram fell on his face ; 
 and God talked Avith him, saying, 
 
 4. As for me, behold, my cov- 
 enant is with thee, and thou shalt 
 be a father of many nations. 
 
 5. Neither shall thy name any 
 more be called Abram, but thy 
 name shall be Abraham; for a fa- 
 ther of many nations hate I made ! 
 thee. 
 
 6. And I will make thee exceed- 
 ing fruitful, and I will make na- 
 tions of thee, and kmgs shall come 
 out of thee. 
 
 7. And I will establish my cov- 
 enant between me and thee and thy 
 seed after thee in their generations 
 for an everlasting covenant, to be 
 a God unto thee, and to thy seed 
 after thee, 
 
 8 And I will give unto thee, and 
 to thy seed after thee, the land 
 wherem thou art a stranger, all 
 the land of Canaan, for an ever- 
 lasting possession; and I will be 
 their God. 
 
 9. IT And God said unto Abra- 
 ham, Thou shalt keep my covenant 
 therefore, thou, and thy seed after 
 thee in their generations. 
 
 10. This is my covenant, which 
 ye shall keep, between me and you 
 and thy seed after thee; Every 
 man child among you shall be cir- 
 cumcised. 
 
 11. And ye shall circumcise the 
 flesh of your foreskin ; and it shall 
 be a token of the covenant betwixt 
 me and you. 
 
 12. And he that is eight days old 
 shall be circumcised among you, 
 
 every man-child in your genera- 
 tions, he that is born in the house, 
 or bought with money of any 
 stranger, which is not of thy seed. 
 
 13. He that is born in thy house, 
 and he that is bought with thy mo- 
 ney, must needs be circumcised: 
 and my covenant shall be in your 
 flesh for an everlasting covenant. 
 
 14. And the uucii'cumcised man- 
 child whose flesh of his foreskin is 
 not circumcised, that soul shall be 
 cut ofl' from his people ; he hath 
 broken my covenant. 
 
 15. IT And God said unto Abra- 
 ham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou 
 shalt not call her name Sarai, but 
 Sarah shall her name be. 
 
 16. And I will bless her, and 
 give thee a son also of her: yea, I 
 will bless her, and she shall be a 
 mother of nations; kings of i^eople 
 shall be of her. 
 
 17. Then Abraham fell upon his 
 face, and laughed, and said in his 
 heart, Shall a child be born unto 
 him that is a hundred years old ? 
 and shall Sarah, that is ninety 
 years old, bear? 
 
 18. And Abraham said unto God, 
 
 that Ishmael might live before 
 thee! 
 
 19. And God said, Sarah thy 
 wife shall bear thee a son indeed: 
 and thou shalt call his name Isaac ; 
 and I will establish my covenant 
 with him for an everlasting cov- 
 enant, and with his seed after 
 him. 
 
 20. And as for Ishmael, I have 
 heard thee: Behold, I have blessed 
 him, and will make him fruitful, 
 and will multiply him exceedingly; 
 twelve i)rinces shall he beget, and 
 
 1 will make him a great nation. 
 
 21. But my covenant will I es- 
 tablish with Isaac, which Sarah 
 shall bear unto thee at this set 
 time in the next year. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 255 
 
 22. And he left off talking with 
 him, and God went up from Abra- 
 ham. 
 
 23. IT And Abraham took Ish- 
 mael his son, and all that were 
 born in his house, and all that 
 
 circumcised in the flesh of his fore- 
 skin. 
 
 25. And Ishmael his son was 
 thirteen years old, when he was 
 circumcised in the flesh of his fore- 
 skin. 
 
 were bought with his money, every | 26. In the self-same day 'was 
 
 Abraham circumcised , and Ish- 
 
 house: and circumcised the flesh of 
 their foreskin in the self-same day, 
 as God had said unto him. 
 
 24. And Abraham was ninety 
 years old and nine, when he was 
 
 mael his son. 
 
 27. And all the men of his house 
 born in the house, and bought with 
 money of the stranger, were cir- 
 cumsised with him. 
 
 478. This communication is not said to have been 
 given in a vision ; but its resemblance to the vision de- 
 scribed in chapter loth, must remove all doubt, as to 
 the question, whether the same mode was adopted in 
 both cases. 
 
 479. The promise of a numerous seed is here repeated, 
 and a change is made in the name of the patriarch, to 
 make it correspond more exactly with the nature of the 
 promise. It should be observed, however, that the 
 change was not wholly to bring about this conformity. 
 Any change, made in view of the promise, would have 
 accomplished the same purpose, which obviously was, to 
 remind him, every time his name was mentioned, of the 
 divine assurance of his prosperity. This idea will obvi- 
 ate a difficulty connected with the change in the name of 
 Abraham's wife ; for no reason, aside from the one here 
 suggested, can be assigned for the change. The one 
 name does not connect itself with the divine promise, 
 more than the other ; though many conjectures have been 
 resorted to, to make this out. Either name, being chosen 
 expressly with that intention, would serve as a constant 
 memorial of the promised blessing, The principle here 
 involved, shows itself very frequently in th{;se early 
 times, and was a matter of necessity, while the art of 
 writing was unknown, or was not generally prevalent. 
 
 480. The memory of important contracts, or other 
 events, was thus often refreshed by outward memorials. 
 And I may add, that the more important the thing to be 
 remembered, the more intimate and constant the memo- 
 rial selected. There is nothing, for example, that would 
 
256 ABRAHAM AJsD IllS FAMILY. 
 
 more constantly remind Abraham of God's promise than 
 his name. The promise was important, and tlie memo- 
 rial would freqiKMitly bring it to mind. The same remark 
 will apply to the name of Sarah. The bow in the clouds, 
 that was to assure Noah, and succeeding generations, 
 that there should no more be a flood of waters, has the 
 same purpose ; and the memento is as lasting as the 
 promise. The gift (.f sheep and oxen by Abraham to 
 Abimelech, when a covenant was entered into between 
 them, had the same purpose in view ; and though the 
 memorial would not very long continue, yet its continu- 
 ance, and the remembrance of it, would be as lasting as 
 would be required. And the seven ewe lambs, given to 
 Abimelech on the same occasion, were specially intended 
 as proof that a certain w^ell belonged to Abraham, about 
 which some misunderstanding, now settled, had existed. 
 So the stone set up for a pillar by Jacob, between his 
 country and that of Laban, was not to be passed, by 
 either party, with hostile intention ; and surely nothing 
 could have answered the purpose better. So, too, the 
 names given to places, in view of important circum- 
 stances that occurred there, of which many instances 
 may be found in this book. 
 
 481. The rite of circumcision was established on the 
 same principle with the one just illustrated, and w^as cho- 
 sen in view of the purpose to be accomplished. First, 
 it was to remind the Hebrew of the divine promise of a 
 numerous posterity. Second, it was to be early performed, 
 as showing the necessity of teaching the divine covenant 
 to their children. Third, the memorial would last as long 
 as life, so should the remembrance of the divine promise. 
 Fourth, it was to be repeated throughout their genera- 
 tions, and thus be co-extensive with the continuance of 
 their covenant relation to Jehovah. Fifth, the servant 
 and stranger, who would have the benefits of the covenant, 
 must also be subject to the same rite. 
 
 482. The covenant, here alluded to, comprehended 
 several particulars. First, that Abraham should be the 
 father of many nations. Sarah, too, was to be the mother 
 of nations. Second, it is said to Abraham, kings shall 
 come out of thee, and of Sarah, kings of people shall b« 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 257 
 
 of her. Third, God would, in a special manner, be a God 
 to Abraham and his seed after him. Fourth, the land of 
 Canaan was to be an everlasting possession to him and 
 his seed. 
 
 The soul uncircumcised was to be cut oiFfrom his peo- 
 ple — he was to be shut out from the blessings and privi- 
 leges of the covenant he refused to recognize. Some 
 think that being put to death was here had in view but 
 without sufficient reason. 
 
 483. Abraham laughed when told that he should have 
 a son ; and it was in view of this circumstance, that the 
 name of the son was Isaac, which in the Hebrew, mean^ 
 to laugh. That the patriarch laughed in the face of a 
 personal Jehovah, whom he saw with his natural eyes, 
 and with whom he conversed, as one man converses with 
 another, is quite unlikely, not to say absurd or blasphe- 
 mous ; though, that such a thing occurred in a vision, and 
 only seemed to be, is a very reasonable supposition ; and 
 surely the object had in view, could as well be accom- 
 plislied in this way, as the other. 
 
 484. Ishmael too, son of Hagar, was to be blessed, as 
 well as Isaac, in answer to the prayer of the patriarch, 
 lie was to be the father of twelve princes. These are 
 named in xxv. 13-15. But the covenant, before alluded 
 to, was to be with Isaac ; and the rite of circumcision 
 was to be confined to that branch of the family of Abram, 
 after they became separate. 
 
 485. The Lord left off talking with Abraham and went 
 up from him. That this was a mere appearance, may be 
 learned, from verse 1st, where it is said that the Lord ap- 
 peared to Abraham . The language answers to the descrip- 
 tion of a vision, and can be rationally understood in no 
 other way. The assurance the patriarch felt that the 
 vision was divine, and that its instructions were to be 
 complied with, induced him to comply immediately with 
 its requisitions. 
 
268 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION XI. — Another Vision. 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 I. Aud the Lord appeared unto 
 him in the phiins of Mamie : and he 
 sat in the tent dooi' in the heat of 
 the day ; 
 
 *2. xVnd he lifted up his eyes and 
 looked, and lo, three men stood by 
 him : and when he saw them , he ran 
 to meet them from the tent doi)r, 
 and bowed himself toward the 
 ground, 
 
 3. And said, My Lord, if now I 
 have found favor in thy sight, pass 
 not away, I pray thee, from thy 
 servant: 
 
 4. Let a little water, I pray you, 
 be fetched, and wash your feet, and 
 rest yourselves under the tree. 
 
 5. And I will fetch a morsel of 
 bread, and comfort ye your hearts; 
 after that ye shall pass on: for 
 therefore are ye come to your ser- 
 vant. And they said. So do, as 
 thou hast said. 
 
 6. And Abraham hastened into 
 the tent unto Sarah, and said, 
 Make i-eady quickly three measures 
 of fine meal, knead it, and make 
 cakes upon the hearth. 
 
 7. And Abraham ran unto the 
 herd, and fetclied a calf tender and 
 good; and gave it to a young man; 
 and he hastened to dress it. 
 
 8. And he took butter , and milk, 
 and the calf which he had dressed, 
 and set it bof(jre them ; and he stood 
 by them under the tree, and they 
 did eat. • 
 
 9. IT And they said unto him, 
 Where in Sarah thy wife? And he 
 said, Behold, in tlictent. 
 
 10. And he said, I will certainly 
 return unto thee according to the 
 time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy 
 wife shall have a son. And Sarah 
 heard it in the tent door, which was 
 behind him, 
 
 II. Now Abraham and Sarah 
 were old and well stricken in age; 
 and it ceased to be with Sarah after 
 the manner of women. 
 
 12. Therefore Sarah laughed 
 within herself, saying, After I am 
 wax :d old shall I have pleasure, my 
 lord being old also ? 
 
 13. And the Lokd said unto Abra- 
 ham, Wherefoi^e did Sarah laugh, 
 -saying. Shall I of a surety bear a 
 child, which am old? 
 
 14- Is any thing too hard for the 
 Lord ! At the time appointed I Avill 
 return unto thee, according to the 
 time of life, and Sarah shall have a 
 son. 
 
 15, Then Sarah denied, saying, 
 I laughed not; for she was afraid. 
 And he said, iS'ay; but thou didst 
 laugh. 
 
 lb. ^And the men rose up from 
 thence, and looked toward Sodom: 
 and Abraham went with them to 
 bring them on the way. 
 
 17. And the Lord, said Shall I 
 hide from Abraham that thing 
 ■which I do ; 
 
 18. Seeing that Abraham shall 
 surely become a great and mighty 
 nation, and all the nations of the 
 earth shall be blessed in him ? 
 
 19. For I know him, that he will 
 command his children and liis 
 household after him, and tlicy shall 
 keep the way of the Loro, to do 
 justice and judgment : that the 
 Lord may bring upon Abraham 
 that which he hath spoken of 
 iiim, 
 
 20. And the Lord said. Because 
 the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is 
 great, and because their sin is very 
 grievous 
 
 21. I will go down now, and see 
 whether they have done altoirether 
 according to the cry of it, which is 
 come unto me ; and if not, I will 
 know. 
 
 22. And the men turned their 
 fixces from thence, and went toward 
 Sodom Init Abraham stood yet be- 
 fore the Lord, 
 
 23. nr And Abraham drew near, 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 259 
 
 nnd said, Wilt thou also destroy the 
 righteous with the Avicked ? 
 
 24. I'eradventure there be fifty 
 righteous within the city : wilt thou 
 also destroy and not spare the place 
 for the filty righteous that are 
 therein ? 
 
 25. That be far from thee to do 
 after this manner, to slay the right- 
 eous Avith the wicked; and that the 
 righteous should be as the wicked, 
 that be far from thee: Shall not the 
 judge of all the earth do right? 
 
 26. And the Lord said, If I find 
 in Sodom fifty righteous within the 
 city, then I will spare all the place 
 for their sakes. 
 
 '27. And Abraham answered and 
 said, Behold now, I have taken 
 upon me to speak unto the Loed, 
 which am but dust and ashes: 
 
 28. Perad venture there shall lack 
 five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou 
 destroy all the city for lack o/five ? 
 And he said. If I find there forty 
 and five, 1 will not destroy it. 
 
 29. And he spake unto him yet 
 again, and said, Perad venture there 
 shall be forty found there. And he 
 said, I Avill not do it for forty's 
 sake. 
 
 30. And he said wnfo Am, Oh let 
 not the Lord be angry, and I will 
 speak : Peradventure there shall 
 thirty be found there. And he said, 
 I will not do it, if I find thirty 
 there. 
 
 31. And he said, Behold now, I 
 have taken upon me to speak unto 
 the Lord : Peradventure there shall 
 be twenty found there. And he 
 said, I will not destroy it for twen- 
 ty's sake. 
 
 32. And he said, Oh let not the 
 Lord be angry, and I will speak yet 
 but this once : Peradventure ten 
 shall be found there. And he said, 
 I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 
 
 33. And the Lord went his way, 
 as soon as he had left communing 
 with Abraham : and Abraham re- 
 turned unto his place. 
 
 486- That this is really another vision, may be assumed 
 from its resemblance to the former ones, and from the lan- 
 guage and nature of the representation. God appeared 
 to Abraham ; but he never appears to the natural vision 
 of man. So three men stood by him. The inference is, 
 that they suddenly appeared to him, as an image in a 
 dream. Abraham ruiis to meet them. This, and all else, 
 until the Lord went his way, as stated at the close of the 
 chapter, is of the same character. It all occurred in a 
 vision that came upon Abraham, as he sat or reclined in 
 his tent for rest, in the cool of the day. The tent was 
 placed under a tree, verse 8, for the purpose doubtless of 
 being better protected from the scorching rays of the 
 sun ; and the tent door was selected as the place of re- 
 pose, as being more exposed to the refreshing breeze. 
 How fit the circumstances for the vision that was to 
 follow I The laughing of Sarah, and her denial of having 
 laughed, seem much more fit and proper, when this is 
 regarded as a vision, than with any other view. 
 
 487. The persons who stood by Abraham, as here 
 
260 
 
 ARRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 stated, are called 7?ie?2. They were three in number. It 
 is not true that one of the three was the Lord, though 
 there is confessedly some ambiguity in the way thoy are 
 spoken of. The Lord and three men, is the more reason- 
 able construction. 
 
 488. " And the Lord said ; Because the cry of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very 
 grievous, I will go down now and see," &c. We ought to 
 render this And the Lord had said this ; as it is plainly 
 the writer's intention to inform us of something that had 
 been done, and not of what occurred at the time when 
 this interview of Abraham took place. The way such 
 language, as applied to God and indicating imperfection 
 in his attributes, is to be understood, we have illustrated 
 in another place, pp. 47-50. 
 
 The plea of Abraham, in favor of Sodom, is exceedingly 
 natural, especially in view of the fact that Lot and his 
 family resided in that city. 
 
 SECTION XII. — Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed. 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 1. And there came two angels to 
 Sodom at even ; and Lot sat in the 
 gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing 
 them rose up to meet them; and he 
 bowed himself with his face toward 
 the ground ; 
 
 2. And he said, Behold now, my 
 lords, turn in, I pray you, into 
 your servant's house, and tarry 
 all night, and wash your feet, and 
 ye shall rise up early, and go on 
 your ways. And they said, Nay; 
 but we will abide in the street all 
 night. 
 
 3. And he pressed upon them 
 greatly; and they turned in unto 
 him, and entered into his house; 
 and he made them a feast, and did 
 bake unleavened bread, and they 
 did eat. 
 
 4. IT But before they lay down, 
 the men of the city, even the men 
 of Sodom, compassed the house 
 
 round, both old and young, all the 
 people from every quarter: 
 
 5. And they called unto Lot, 
 and said unto him, Where are the 
 men which came in to thee this 
 night? bring them out unto us 
 that we may know them. 
 
 6. And Lot went out at the door 
 unto them, and shut the door after 
 him. 
 
 7. And said, 1 pray you, breth- 
 ren, do not so wickedly. 
 
 8. Behold now, I have two daugh- 
 ters which have not known man; 
 let me, I pray you, bring tliem out 
 unto you, and do ye to them as is 
 good in your eyes: only unto these 
 men do nothing ; for therefore came 
 they under the shadoAV of my roof. 
 
 9. And they said, Stand back. 
 And they said again, This one fel- 
 low came in to sojourn, and he will 
 needs be a judge: now will we deal 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 261 
 
 worse with thee, than with them. 
 And they pressed sore upon the 
 man, even Lot, ;aid came near to 
 bre ik the door. 
 
 10. But the men put forth their 
 hand, and pulled Lot into the house 
 to them, and shut to the door. 
 
 11. And they smote the men that 
 wei e at the door of the house with 
 blindness, both small and great; 
 so that they wearied themselves to 
 find the doo'-. 
 
 12. % And the men said unto 
 Lot, Hast thou here any besides? 
 son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy 
 daughters, and whatsoever th(.)u 
 hast in tlie city, bring them out of 
 this place: 
 
 13. For we will destroy this 
 place, because the cry of them is 
 waxen great before the face of the 
 Lord ; and the Lord hath sent us 
 to destroy it. 
 
 14. And Lot went out, and spake 
 unto his sons-in-law, which mar- 
 ried his daughters, and said, Up, 
 get you out of this place; for the 
 Lord will destroy this city. But 
 he seemed as one that mocked unto 
 his sons-in-law. 
 
 15. ^ And when the mornhig 
 arose, then the angels hastened 
 Lot, saying. Arise, take thy wife, 
 and thy two daughtei-s, which are 
 here ; lest thou be consumed in the 
 iniquity of the city. 
 
 16. And while he lingered, the 
 men laid hold upon his hand, and 
 upon the hand of his wife, and 
 upon the hand of his two daugh- 
 ters ; the Lord being merciful unto 
 him: and they brought him forth, 
 and set him without the city. 
 
 17. And it came to pass, when 
 they had brought them forth 
 abroad, that he said. Escape for 
 thy life; look not behind thee, 
 neither stay thou in all the plain ; 
 escape to the mountain, lest thou 
 be consumed. 
 
 18. And Lot said unto them. Oh, 
 not so, my Lord: 
 
 19. Behold now, thy servant 
 hatli found gv.ice in thy sight, and 
 thou hast magnified thy mercy, 
 which thou hast shewed unto me in 
 saving my life; and I cannot es- 
 cape to the mountain, lest some 
 evil take me, and I die: 
 
 20. Behold now, this city is near 
 to tlee unto, and it is a little one : 
 Oh, let me escape thither, {is it not 
 a little one ?) and my soul shall live. 
 
 21. And he said unto him, See, 
 I have accepted thee concerning 
 this thing also, that I will not 
 overthrow the city, for the which 
 thou hast spoken. 
 
 22. Haste thee, escape thither; 
 for I cannot do any thing till thou 
 be come thither. Therefore the 
 name of the city was called Zoar. 
 
 23. The sun was risen upon the 
 earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 
 
 24. IT Then the Lord rained upon 
 Sodom and upon Gomorrah brim- 
 stone and fire from the Lord out 
 of heaven; 
 
 25. And he overthrew those cities, 
 and all the plain, and all the in- 
 habitants of the cities, and that 
 which grew upon the ground. 
 
 26. IT But his wife looked back 
 from behind him, and she became 
 a pillar of salt. 
 
 27. IT And Abraham gat up early 
 in the morning to the place where 
 he stood before the Lord: 
 
 28. And he looked toward Sodom 
 and Gomorrah , and toward all the 
 land of the plain, and beheld, and 
 lo, the smoke of the country went 
 up as the smoke of a furnace. 
 
 29. IT And it came to pass, when 
 God destroyed the cities of the 
 plain, that God remembered Abra- 
 ham, and sent Lot out of the midst 
 of the overthrow, when he over- 
 threw the cities in the which Lot 
 dwelt. 
 
 489. I do not feel at all certain but that this chapter, 
 as far as verse 26th, is to be regarded in the same light 
 
262 ABRAHA]\I AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 as the former chapter, either as a part of the same vision, 
 or another that occurred during the nig-lit of the same 
 day. The destruction of Sodom, the residence of Lot, 
 h:id been announced ; and it is certain that the mind of 
 Abraham was excited with apprehensions on account of 
 his friend, of whose fate the vision had not informed him. 
 Wliat more natural then than that he should be favored 
 with another communication, wherein the fate of Lot 
 sh«uild be indicated, as well as the principal circum- 
 stances connected with that signal overthrow. 
 
 490. Many of the circumstances here spoken of, agree 
 mriCh better with this theory, than with any other. Tlie 
 whole of the people of Sodom gathering themselves 
 around the house of Lot, and though bent on securing 
 the stranger, yet being unable to do so, the supernaturjd 
 strength put forth by the angels, the pro} osition of Lot 
 to give up his two daughters to the mob ; the whole 
 multitude being struck with blindness ; the wife of Lot 
 becoming a pillar of salt ; and finally the cities of the 
 plain being destroyed by fire, coming down from the 
 Lord out of heaven, when it is evident that the cities 
 were swallowed up by an earthquake, and if burned at 
 all, burned with fire from the earth, rather than from hea- 
 ven. These are circumstances that are more fit to be 
 referred to a vision, than to be regarded as actual occur- 
 rences, and are with this view, no less instructive, as in- 
 dicating to Abraham the main facts about which he was 
 solicitous. 
 
 491. And I would add, that, with this view, the 
 account following the vision comes in with great pro- 
 priety : — " And Abraham got up early in the morning, 
 (having had the vision the preceding night,) to the plain 
 where he stood before the Lord ; (in the first vision,) 
 and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward 
 all the land of the plain ; and behold and lo the smoke 
 of the country went up, as the smoke of a furnace. And 
 it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the 
 plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot ouV 
 of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the 
 cities in which Lot dwelt.'' 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 263 
 
 This seems a plain historical statement of the destruc- 
 tion of Sodom and the escape of Lot, while the preced- 
 ing has in it many ciicumstances that, as matters of 
 fact, are difficult to understand, but which may very fitly 
 be brought in as appendages of a vision, and as such are 
 not difficult or incredible. For we know that in dreams 
 and visions, things natural and unnatural, possible and 
 impossible, are frequently combined ; and we are to look 
 at their significance, and not at their literal harmony or 
 possibility. Besides ; the last passage, upon the com- 
 mon view, is only a repetition of the other, so far as it 
 relates to the destruction of the cities and the escape of 
 Lot, and is therefore wholly unnecessary ; while, with 
 our view, it is not a repetition, but a historical statement 
 of what had before only been foreshadowed. 
 
 492. I would add, that, though the representation is a 
 vision, and therefore unreal, the circumstances of the 
 vision, constituting the drapery with which it is pre- 
 sented, arose out of existing facts. The hospitality of 
 Lot was quite in harmony with the spirit of the times ; 
 the proposition of the angels to remain in the street, 
 covered with their own tent only, it being a warm sea- 
 son, as we had been told in the previous chapter ; the 
 hostility of the men of the city toward Lot, because " he 
 would need be a judge -/^ the offer of Lot to give up his 
 daughters to the mob, rather than violate the rites of hos- 
 pitality held sacred in that country ; the divine protec- 
 tion extended to the righteous man, especially in view of 
 his being a relation of Abraham ; and finally, the over- 
 throw of the cities being referred directly to God. All 
 these, and other particulars, though changed somewhat 
 from a literal consistency and harmony, and exaggerated 
 above what would be expected as real occurrences, are 
 nevertheless all derived from the circumstances of the 
 age, and the prevailing habits and views of the people. 
 
 493. A few additional particulars, alluded to in the 
 passage, may be briefly noticed. 
 
 The angels that came to Lot are called men, through- 
 out the passage, whenever there is any allusion to them, 
 except when they are first announced. They were both 
 angels and men : angels as denoting their office, being 
 
264 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 messengers, as the word means, and men, as having all 
 the attributes, as well as form of men ; and hence they 
 are spoken of as eating, sleeping, putting forth physical 
 strength, &c. 
 
 Lot sat in the gate of the city. AVhether Lot was 
 really a judge in Sodom, as sitting in the gate would in- 
 dicate, we cannot say, but it is certain that he is so rep- 
 resented in the passage ; hence the complaint of the 
 people, " This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will 
 needs be a judge." 
 
 The rites of hospitality have always been regarded, in 
 the East, as peculiarly sacred ; and are so regarded at 
 the present day. 
 
 The sons-in-law of Lot, may have been the betrothed 
 of his daughters, as no other than the two daughters that 
 were saved with him, are mentioned in the narrative. 
 Or the representation may be intended merely to show, 
 that, out of regard to Lot, all his relations might be 
 saved, if they would, though as a reality he might have 
 had no sons-in-law. 
 
 SECTION XIII. — Lot and his Daughters in the 
 Mountain. 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 i 
 
 30. V And Lot went up out of j unto the younger, Behold, I lay 
 Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, ' yesternight with my father: let us 
 
 and his two daughters with him ; make him drink wine this night 
 for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and also; and go thou in, and lie with 
 he dwelt in a cave, he and his two j him, that we may preserve seed of 
 daughters. our father. 
 
 31. And the first born said unto 
 the younger, Our father is old, and 
 
 35. And they made their father 
 drink wine that night also: and the 
 
 there is not a man in the earth to i younger arose, and lay with him: 
 come in unto us after the manner and he perceived not when she lay 
 of all the earth: i down, nor when she arose. 
 
 32. Come, let us make our father ! 36. Thus were both the daugh- 
 drink wine, and we will lie with i ters of Lot Avith child by their 
 him, that we may preserve seed of father. 
 
 our f ither. | 37. And the firstborn bare a son , 
 
 33. And they made their fxther l and called his name Moab; the same 
 drink wine that night; and the first I is the father of the Moabites unto 
 born went in, and lay with her this day. 
 
 father; and he perceived not when 38. And the younger, she also 
 she lay down, nor when she arose, j bare a son, and called his name Ben- 
 
 34. And it came to pass on the ! ammi; the same is the father of the 
 morrow, that the first born said children of Ammon unto this day. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 265 
 
 494. Lot was unwilling to flee to the mountains when 
 Sodom was destroyed ; but afterwards, fearing to dwell 
 in Zoar, he went up to the mountain near by, and dwelt 
 in a cave. On what his fear was based, as to dwelling in 
 Z(jar, we are not informed. As the place was near to 
 Sodom he may have feared lest it would yet share the 
 same fate, and he concluded that the danger of the wild 
 beasts of the mountain, would be the least of two evils. 
 
 495. The conduct of Lot's daughters can be excused 
 only by one circumstance mentioned incidentally in the 
 narrative. They supposed that the destruction of Sodom 
 had swept away all the men in the country, and that the 
 future continuance of the race depended only on them- 
 selves. But it may be asked ; What need of recording 
 at all their abominable wickedness ? The answer is, that 
 the Moabites and the Ammonites are tribes that make a 
 conspicuous figure in the subsequent history ; and it was 
 deemed important to record their origin. They originated 
 from Moab and Ben-ammi, sons of Lot by his daughters. 
 
 SECTION XIV. — Sojourn in Gerar. 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 1. And Abraham journeyed from 
 thence toward the south country, 
 and dwelt between Kadesh and 
 Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 
 
 2. And Abraham said of Sarah 
 his wife, She is my sister : and A- 
 binielech king of Gerar sent and 
 took Sarah. 
 
 3. But God came to Abimelech in 
 a dream by night, and said to him, 
 Behold, thou art but a dead man, 
 for the woman which thou hast ta- 
 ken; for she is a man's wife. 
 
 4. But Abimelech had not come 
 near her; and he said, Lord, wilt 
 thou slay also a righteous nation ? 
 
 5. Said he not unto me. She is 
 my sister ? and she, even she her- 
 self, said. He is my brother: in the 
 integrity of my heart and innocen- 
 cy of my hands have I done this. 
 
 6. And God said unto him in a 
 dream, Yea, I know that thou didst 
 
 12 
 
 this in the integrity of thy heart; 
 for I also withheld thee from sin- 
 ning against me: therefore suffered 
 I thee not to touch her. 
 
 7. Now, therefore restore the 
 man his wife; for he is a prophet, 
 and he shall pray for thee, and thou 
 shalt live : and if thou restore her 
 not, know thou that thou shalt 
 surely die, thou, and all that are 
 thine. 
 
 8. Therefore Abimelech rose early 
 in the morning, and called all his 
 servants, and told all these thingc 
 in their ears: and the men were sore 
 afraid. 
 
 9. Then Abimelech called Abra- 
 ham, and said unto him, What hast 
 thou done unto us ? and what have 
 I offended thee, that thou haS'. 
 brought on me andonmy kingdo£i 
 a great sin ? thou hast done deedd 
 unto me that ought not to be done. 
 
266 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 10. And Abimelech said unto A- 
 braham, What sawest thou, that 
 thou hast done this thing ? 
 
 11. And Abraham said, Because 
 I thought, Surely the fear of God 
 is not in this place : and they will 
 slay me for my wife's sake. 
 
 12. And yet indeed she is my sis- 
 ter ; she is the daughter of my fath- 
 er, but not the daughter of my 
 mother ; and she became my wife 
 
 13. And it came to pass, when 
 God caused me to wander from my 
 father's house, that I said unto her. 
 This is thy kindness which thou 
 shalt shew unto me ; at every place 
 whither we shall come, say of me, 
 He is my brother. 
 
 14. IT And Abimelech took sheep, 
 and oxen, and men-servants, and 
 women-servants, and gave them 
 
 unto Abraham, and restored him 
 Sarah his wife. 
 
 If). And Abimelech said. Behold, 
 my land is before thee : dwell where 
 it pleaseth thee. 
 
 16. And unto Sarah he said. Be- 
 hold, I have given thy brother a 
 thousand pieces of silver: behold, 
 he is to thee a covering of the eyes, 
 xinto all that are with thee, and 
 with all other: thus she was reprov- 
 ed. 
 
 17. IT So Abraham prayed unto 
 God : and God healed Abimelech, 
 and his wife, and his maid-servants; 
 and they bare children. 
 
 18. For the Lord had fast closed 
 up all the wombs of the house of 
 Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abra- 
 ham's wife. 
 
 496. It will be remembered that when Hagar fled from 
 her mistress, she was found in the way to Shur. It ap- 
 pears that Kadesh, Gerar and Shur, were in the south 
 country. Other passages make it evident that this south 
 country was in the south-west part of Canaan, near to 
 Egypt ; and we before gave this as a reason why the 
 Egyptian handmaid was going that way. 
 
 497. That dreams, inspired by the divine spirit, were 
 not confined to the Hebrews, is shown in this passage ; 
 and it is not, we conceive, unreasonable, to suppose that 
 divine communications have been given to other nations 
 besides the Hebrews, if not to all nations ; though they 
 have not so clearly recognized them, or at least have not 
 so faithfully recorded and preserved them. 
 
 498. Here Abraham practices the same deception he 
 had formerly done in Egypt, and with the same success. 
 He was of opinion that the people of Gerar were so cor- 
 rupt, that they would not at all respect the marriage rela- 
 tion, and therelore, he was bound to deceive them, and so 
 avoid bad consequences. He found, however, that the 
 people were better than he expected. The same thing 
 has often occurred with others. Men regarded as hea- 
 then and infidels, are found practising on better principles 
 than they have the credit of doing. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 267 
 
 499. The afflictions brought upon Abimelech on ac- 
 count of Abraham's wife, were such only perhaps, as 
 might be expected from the circumstances, on natural 
 grounds. 
 
 SECTION XV. — Birth of Isaac. 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 1. And the Lord visited Sarah as 
 he had said, and the Lord did unto 
 Sarah as he had spoken. 
 
 2. For Sarah conceived, and bare 
 Abraham a son in his old age ; at 
 the set time of which God had spo- 
 ken to him. 
 
 3. And Abraham called the name 
 of his son that was born unto him, 
 whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 
 
 4. And Abraham circumcised his 
 son Isaac, being eight days old, as 
 God had commanded him. 
 
 5. And Abraham was an hundred 
 
 years old, when his son Isaac was 
 born unto him. 
 
 6. IT And Sarah said, God hath 
 made me to laugh, so that all that 
 hear will laugh with me. 
 
 7. And she said. Who would have 
 said unto Abraham, that Sarah 
 should have given children suck ? 
 for I have borne him a son in his 
 old age. 
 
 8. And the child grew, and was 
 weaned : and Abraham made a 
 great feast the same day that Isaac 
 was weaned. 
 
 ^ 500. This passage contains several references to the 
 time and occasion when the birth of Isaac was announced. 
 The promise given, the time it was to be fulfilled, the 
 name before indicated, the circumcision, &c., are all 
 alluded to with reference to what had taken place on that 
 occasion. 
 
 501. That feasts were common on the occasion of 
 weaning children, cannot be justly inferred from this sin- 
 gle reference. The peculiar circumstances, connected 
 with that child, may have induced the father to practice 
 some things that were not usual. 
 
268 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION XVI. — Hagar and her Son Rejected. 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 9. IT And Sarah saw the son of 
 Hagar the Egyptian, which she had 
 borne unto Abraham, mocking. 
 
 10. "Wherefore she said unto A- 
 braham. Cast out this bond-wo- 
 man and her son : for the son of this 
 bond-woman shall not be heir with 
 my son, even with Isaac. 
 
 11. And the thing was very griev- 
 ous in Abraham's sight, because of 
 his son. 
 
 12. And God said unto Abraham, 
 Let it not be grievous in thy sight 
 because of the lad, and because of 
 tliy bond-woman ; in all that Sarah 
 hath said unto thee, hearken unto 
 her voice; for in Isaac shall thy 
 seed be called. 
 
 13. And also of the son of the 
 bond-woman will I make a nation, 
 because he is thy seed. 
 
 14. And Abraham rose tip early 
 in the morning, and tuok bread, 
 and a bottle of Avater, and gave it 
 unto Hagar (putting it on her 
 shoulder) and the child, and sent 
 her away: and she departed, and 
 wandered in the wilderness of Ueer- 
 sheba. 
 
 15. And the water was spent in 
 
 the bottle, and she cast the child 
 under one of the shrubs. 
 
 16. And she went, and sat her 
 down over against him a good way 
 off, as it were a bow-shot, for she 
 said. Let me not see the death of 
 the child. And she sat over against 
 him, and lifted up her voice, and 
 wept. 
 
 17. And God heard the voice of 
 the lad ; and the angel of God call- 
 ed to Hagar out of heaven, and said 
 unto her. What aileth thee, Hagar? 
 Fear not : for God hath heard the 
 voice of the lad where he is. 
 
 18. Arise, lift up the lad, and 
 hold him in thine hand ; for I will 
 make him a great nation. 
 
 19. And God opened her eyes, 
 and she saw a well of water; and 
 she went, and filled the bottle with 
 water and gave the lad to drink. 
 
 20. And God was with the lad; 
 and he grew, and dwelt in the wil- 
 derness, and became an archer. 
 
 21. And he dwelt iu the wilder- 
 ness ofParan: and his mother took 
 him a wife out of the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 502. The feeling that Abraham had for his son Ishraael, 
 was exceedingly natural ; and it was perhaps quite as 
 natural that Sarah should have a different feeling. But a 
 divine command determined him in favor of carrying out 
 the wishes of his wife ; though he was obliged to sacri- 
 fice the tender feeling of paternal affection. 
 
 503. He made all the provision that the nature of the 
 case admitted of, for Hagar and her son, in their journey 
 and sent tliem away. As on a former occasion, so now, 
 ITagar directs her way toward her former home in Egypt. 
 The wilderness of Beersheba, where she wandered, lay 
 in that direction. See Geography. It appears that she 
 
 1 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 269 
 
 lost her way ; and as water was not easily obtained in 
 that country, death from the want of it, seemed inevi- 
 table. In this emergency Hagar did what any mother 
 might be expected to do, under the same circumstances; 
 and the narrative recording the circumstances, is afiect- 
 ing in proportion to its simplicity. The manner in which 
 the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, and communi- 
 cated to her what is here recorded, we suppose to be the 
 same as most other divine communications, contained in 
 this book; that is, in a vision. See p. 30. 
 
 504. The mother took, for Ishmael, a wife from the 
 land of Egypt, for the obvious reason that she was an 
 Egyptian ; and her rejection by the Hebrew patriarch, 
 doubtless increased her desire to ally her son with the 
 Egyptians rather than with the Hebrews. 
 
 SECTION XYH. — Covenant with Abimelech. 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 22. IT And it came to pass at that 
 time, that Abimelech and Phichol 
 the chief captain of his host spake 
 unto Abraham, saying, God is with 
 thee in all that thou doest: 
 
 23. Now therefore swear unto 
 me here by God that thou wilt not 
 deal falsely with me, nor with my 
 son, nor with my son's son: but 
 accordmg to the kindness that I 
 have done unto thee, thou shalt do 
 unto me, and to the land wherein 
 thou hast sojourned. 
 
 24. And Abraham said, I will 
 swear. 
 
 25. And Abraham reproved 
 Abimelech because of a well of 
 water, which Abimelech 's servants 
 had violently taken away. 
 
 26. And Abimelech said, I wot 
 not who hath done this thing: nei- 
 ther didst thou tell me, neither yet 
 heard I of it, but to-day. 
 
 27. And Abraham took sheep 
 and oxen, and gave them unto 
 Abimelech ; and both of them made 
 a covenant. 
 
 28. And Abraham set seven 
 ewe lambs of the flock by them- 
 selves. 
 
 29. And Abimelech said unto 
 Abraham, What mean these seven 
 ewe lambs which thou hast set by 
 themselves ? 
 
 30. And he said. For these seven 
 ewe lambs shalt thou take of my 
 hand, that they may be a witness 
 unto me, that I have digged this 
 well. 
 
 31. Wherefore he called that 
 place Beersheba; because there 
 they sware, both of them. 
 
 32. Thus they made a covenant 
 at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose 
 up, and Phichol the chief captain 
 of his host, and they returned 
 into the land of the Philistines. 
 
 33. IT And Abraham planted a 
 grove in Beersheba, and called 
 there on the name of the Lord, the 
 everlasting God. 
 
 34. And Abraham sojourned in 
 the Philistines' land many days. 
 
270 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAmLY. 
 
 505. The oath has, in all ages, been regarded as 
 placing men under the strongest obligations to carry out 
 those engagements having its sanction. The obligation, 
 in this instance, is rendered more binding by the bestow- 
 ment of a valuable gift, which would remind Abimelech 
 no less than the oath, of the necessity of fulfilling his 
 engagements. The seven ewe lambs had a special de- 
 sign. They were a memento that the well, about which 
 a misunderstanding had existed, was Abraham's and not 
 Abimelech's. The circumstance of their being lambs and 
 ewes would ensure their longer continuance, and thereby 
 would render the memento more valuable as such. 
 
 506. The forming of this covenant, seems to have 
 been recorded mainly to show the origin of the name 
 Beersheba, (well of the oath,) as that place became 
 somewhat noted in after times. When the name is asso- 
 ciated with events that occurred before this time, it is 
 given by anticipation ; in other words, the writer gives 
 the modem name, as better understood than the ancient 
 one. It is not certain but that the wilderness of Beer- 
 sheba and of Paran are the same. What is said of 
 Hagar and Ishmael seems to favor the idea of their 
 identity. 
 
 507. The grove planted by Abraham in Beersheba, 
 had a good object in view ; but groves were made the 
 places of idolatrous worship at a later day, and are often 
 alluded to in this connection, in other parts of the Bible. 
 
 SECTION XVIII.— Offering of Isaac. 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 
 1. And it came to pass after these 
 things that God did tempt Abra- 
 ham, and said unto him, Abraham: 
 and he said, Behold, here I am. 
 
 2. And he said, Take now thy 
 son, thine only son Isaac, whom 
 thou lovest, and get thee into the 
 land of Moriah; and ofter him 
 there for a burnt-offering upon one 
 of the mountains which I will tell 
 thee of. 
 
 3. And Abraham rose up early 
 
 in the morning, and saddled his 
 ass, and took two of his young 
 men with him, and Isaac his son, 
 and clave the wood for the burnt- 
 ottering, and rose up, and went 
 unto the place of which God had 
 told him. 
 
 4. Then on the third day Abra- 
 ham lifted up his eyes, and saw the 
 place afar off. 
 
 5. And Abraham said unto his 
 young men, Abide you here with 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 271 
 
 , the ass ; and I and the lad will go 
 yonder and worship and come 
 again to you. 
 
 6. And Abi-aham took the wood 
 of the burnt offering, and laid it 
 upon Isaac his son ; and he took the 
 fire in his hand, and a knife: and 
 they went both of them together. 
 
 7. And Isaac spake unto Abra- 
 ham his father, and said, My fa- 
 ther: and he said. Here am 1, my 
 son. And he said, Behold the fire 
 and the wood; but where is the 
 lamb for a burnt offering ? 
 
 8. And Abraham said. My son, 
 God will provide himself a lamb 
 for a burnt-offering: so they went 
 both of them together. 
 
 9. And they came to the place 
 which God had told him of; and 
 Abraham built an altar there, and 
 laid the wood in order; and bound 
 Isaac his son, and laid him on the 
 altar upon the wood. 
 
 10. And Abraham stretched forth 
 his hand, and took the knife to slay 
 his son. 
 
 11. And the angel of the Lord 
 called unto him out of heaven, and 
 said, Abraham, Abraham: and he 
 said. Here am I. 
 
 12. And he said, Lay not thine 
 hand upon the lad, neither do thou 
 any thing unto him: for now I 
 know that thou fearest God, see- 
 
 ing thou hast not withheld thy 
 son, thine only son from me. 
 
 13. And Abraham lifted up his 
 eyes, and looked, and behold, be- 
 hind him a ram caught in a thicket 
 by his horns: and Abraham went 
 and took the ram, and ottered him 
 up for a burnt-ottering in the stead 
 of his son. 
 
 14. And Abraham called the 
 name of that place Jehovah-jireh: 
 as it is said to this day. In the 
 mount of the Lord it shall be seen. 
 
 15. IT And the angel of the Lord 
 called unto Abraham out of heaven 
 the second time. 
 
 16. And said, By myself have I 
 sworn, saith the Lord, for because 
 thou hast done this thing, and hast 
 not withheld thy son, thine only 
 son : 
 
 17. That in blessing I will bless 
 thee, and in multiplying I will 
 multiply thy seed as the stars of 
 the heaven, and as the sand which 
 is upon the sea-shore ; and thy seed 
 shall possess the gate of his ene- 
 mies; 
 
 18. And in thy seed shall all the 
 nations of the earth be blessed ; 
 because thou hast obeyed my voice. 
 
 19. So Abraham returned unto 
 his young men, and they rose up 
 and went together to Beersheba ; 
 and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. 
 
 508. That Abraham should have shown a willingness 
 to sacrifice his son, can be accounted for, only bv his 
 having the fullest assurance that the command to do so 
 was truly divine. We may not be certain as to the 
 exact mode by which that command was given ; but 
 whatever that mode may have been, the patriarch did 
 not doubt its authenticity. Add to this consideration, 
 that, for aught we know to the contrary, the practice of 
 offering human sacrifices existed as early as the time of 
 Abraham, and had been practiced by idolatrous nations 
 around him ; and nothing had yet been made known to 
 him, by which he could be sure that they were not to be 
 a part of the worship of the true God. With some de- 
 gree of familiarity with human sacrificing on the part of 
 
272 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 others, therefore ; and having the fullest assurance of a 
 divine command, we can the more readily yield assent 
 to the historical fact here recorded, however unnatural 
 it may seem to us, aside from these circumstances. Add 
 to this, the reason given by Paul, that Abraham expect- 
 ed that Isaac would be raised from the dead — an expec- 
 tation he had every reason for entertaining, since it was 
 through Isaac, that the patriarch was to become the 
 father of many nations — and the verity of the transac- 
 tion becomes still more obvious. Make one more addi- 
 tion. The world needed precisely such an event to fix 
 the seal of God's displeasure upon human sacrifices, and 
 forever exclude them from his worship. And the effect is 
 seen in the remarkable fact, that, while no other nation 
 has been without such sacrifices, they have never been a 
 part of the worship sanctioned by divine revelation. 
 
 SECTION XIX. — Nahor. 
 CHAP. xxn. 
 
 20. IT And it came to pass after 
 these things, tliat it was told Abra- 
 ham, saying. Behold, Milcah, she 
 hath also borne children unto thy 
 brother Nahor: 
 
 21. Huz his firstborn, and Buz 
 his brother, and Kemuel the father 
 of Aram, 
 
 22. And Chesed, and Hazo, and 
 
 Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Beth- 
 uel. 
 
 23. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: 
 these eight Milcah did bear to Na- 
 hor, Abraham's brother. 
 
 24. And his concubine, whose 
 name was Reumah, she bare also 
 Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, 
 and Maachah. 
 
 509. Aram, grandson of Nahor, evidently gave name 
 to the country where Nahor resided, called Padan Aram ; 
 and the people are called Arameans, rendered in our 
 translation Syrians. Even Nahor is called an Aramean 
 or Syrian, though the name w^as derived from his grand- 
 son. 
 
 Bethuel begat Rebekah who afterwards became the wife 
 of Isaac. 
 
 Nahor, it appears, had a concubine as well as his broth- 
 er Abraham, though no reason for this is given, as is 
 done in the other instance. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 273 
 
 SECTION XX. — Death and Burial of Sarah. 
 
 CHAP. xxin. 
 
 1. And Sarah was a hundred and 
 seven and twenty years old: these 
 were the years of the life of Sarah. 
 
 2. And Sarah died in Kirjath- 
 arba; the same is Hebron in the 
 land of Canaan: and Abraham 
 came to mourn for Sarah, and to 
 weep for her. 
 
 3. IT And Abraham stood up 
 from before his dead, and spake 
 unto the sons of Heth, saying, 
 
 4. I am a stranger and a so- 
 journer with you : give me a pos- 
 session of a burying-place with 
 you, that I may bury my dead out 
 of my sight. 
 
 5. And the children of Heth 
 answered Abraham, saying unto 
 him, 
 
 6. Hear us, my lord: thou art a 
 mighty prince among us: in the 
 choice of our sepulchres bury thy 
 dead; none of us shall withhold 
 from thee his sepulchre, but that 
 thou mayest bury thy dead. 
 
 7. And Abraham stood up, and 
 bowed himself to the people of the 
 land, even to the children of Heth. 
 
 8. And he communed with them, 
 saying. If it be your mind that I 
 should bury my dead out of my 
 sight; hear me, and entreat for me 
 to Ephron the son of Zohar. 
 
 9. That he may give me the cave 
 of Machpelah, which he hath, 
 which is in the end of his field ; for 
 as much money as it is worth he 
 shall give it me for a possession of 
 a burying-place among you. 
 
 10. And Ephron dwelt among 
 the children of Heth ; and Ephron 
 the Hittite answered Abraham in 
 the audience of the children of 
 Heth, even of all that went in at 
 the gate of his city, saying, 
 
 11. Nay, my lord, hear me: the 
 field give I thee, and the cave that 
 
 12* 
 
 is therein, I give it thee; in the 
 presence of the sons of my people 
 give I it thee: bury thy dead. 
 
 12. And Abraham bowed down 
 himself before the people of the 
 land. 
 
 13. And he spake unto Ephron 
 in the audience of the people of the 
 land, saying. But if thou ivilt give 
 it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give 
 tijee money for the field; take it of 
 me, and I will bury my dead there. 
 
 14. And Ephron answered Abra- 
 ham, saying unto him, 
 
 15. My lord, hearken unt(j> me; 
 the land is worth four hundred 
 shekels of silver ; what is that be- 
 twixt me and thee ? bury therefore 
 thy dead. 
 
 16 And Abraham hearkened un • 
 to Ephron ; and Abraham weighed 
 to Ephron the silver, which he had 
 named in the audience of the sons 
 of Heth, four hundred shekels of 
 silver, current money with the mer- 
 chant. 
 
 17. And the field of Ephron, 
 which was in Machpelah, which 
 was before Mamre, the field, and 
 the cave which was therein , and all 
 the trees that were in the field , that 
 were in all the borders round 
 about, were made sure 
 
 18. Unto Abraham for a posses- 
 sion in the presence of the children 
 of Heth, before all that went m at 
 the gate of his city. 
 
 19. IT And after this, Abraham 
 buried Sarah his wife in the cave of 
 the field of Machpelah before Mam- 
 re : the same is Hebron in the land 
 of Canaan. 
 
 20. And the field, and the cave 
 that is therein, were made sure un- 
 to Abraham for a possession of 
 a burying-place by tbe sons of 
 Heth. 
 
274 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 510. It seems that Mamre, Hebron, and Kirjath-arba, 
 were different names of the same place. Abraham is 
 called a stranger and a sojourner in the land, though he 
 had been in Canaan more than lii'ty years. The language 
 is used comparatively. The sons of Heth had been there 
 much longer, and were indeed the original settlers of the 
 country. It is further evident that the land did not be- 
 long to the patriarch or his posterity, and became his 
 afterwards, by gift from God, who has a rightful claim to 
 the whole earth. 
 
 511. The generous conduct of the sons of Heth, and 
 of Ephron in particular, is worthy of special notice. And 
 the truthfulness of the narrative is made obvious by this 
 and other examples, where the generous virtues of others 
 that were not of the tribe of Abraham, are freely record- 
 ed. To the same effect are the recorded instances of the 
 faults of the patriarchs, with no excuse or palliation. 
 
 512. The unwillingness of Abraham to receive the field 
 of Machpelah as a gift may be interpreted as showing a 
 desire to keep himself, as much as possible, separate and 
 distinct from the people of the land, who, he plainly 
 foresaw, as indicated to him by the divine assurance that 
 their land would be his, would become his enemies. His 
 imwillingness to be in any way allied to the people of the 
 land, as shown in several instances, may be referred, in 
 part if not altogether, to the same cause. 
 
 For many of the allusions in this passage, viz., Real 
 Estate possessions. Money, Mode of burials, &c , See 
 Archaeology. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 275 
 
 SECTION XXI.— A Wife procured for Isaac. 
 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 1. And Abraham was old, and 
 well stricken in age : and the Lord 
 had blessed Abraham in all things. 
 
 2. And Abraham said unto his 
 eldest servant of his house, that 
 ruled over all that he had, Put, I 
 pray thee, thy hand under my 
 thigh: 
 
 3. And I wiU make thee swear 
 by the Lord, the God of heaven, 
 and the God of the earth, that 
 thou shalt not take a wife unto my 
 son of the daughters of the Ca- 
 naanites, among whom I dwell: 
 
 4. But thou shalt go unto my 
 country, and to my kindred, and 
 take a wife unto my son Isaac. 
 
 5. And the servant said unto 
 him, Peradventure the woman will 
 not be willing to follow me unto 
 this land : must I needs bring thy 
 son again unto the land from 
 whence thou camest ? 
 
 6. And Abraham said unto him. 
 Beware thou that thou bring not 
 my son thither again. 
 
 7. The Lord God of heaven, 
 which took me from my father's 
 house, and from the land of my 
 kindred, and which spake unto 
 me, and that sware unto me, say- 
 ing. Unto thy seed will I give this 
 land ; he shall send his angel before 
 thee, and thou shalt take a wife 
 unto my son from thence. 
 
 8. And if the woman will not be 
 willing to follow thee, then thou 
 shalt be clear from this my oath: 
 only bring not my son thither 
 again. 
 
 9. And the servant put his hand 
 under the thigh of Abraham his 
 master, and sware to him concern- 
 ing that matter. 
 
 10. nr And the servant took ten 
 camels of the camels of his master, 
 and departed ; for all the goods of 
 his master were in his hand: and he 
 arose, and went to Mesopotamia, 
 unto the city of Nahor. 
 
 11. And he made his camels to 
 kneel down without the city by a 
 well of water at the time of the 
 evening, even the time that women 
 go out to draw water. 
 
 12. And he said, Lord God of 
 my master Abraham, I pray thee, 
 send me good speed this day, and 
 shew kindness unto my master 
 Abraham. 
 
 13. Behold, I stand here by the 
 well of water; and the daughters 
 of the men of the city come out to 
 draw water: 
 
 14. And let it come to pass, that 
 the damsel to whom I shall say, 
 Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, 
 that I may drink; and she shall 
 say. Drink, and I will give thy 
 camels drink also: let the same be 
 she that thou hast appointed for 
 thy servant Isaac; and thereby 
 shall I know that thou hast shewed 
 kindness unto my master. 
 
 15. IT And it came to pass, be- 
 fore he had done speaking, that, 
 behold, Rebekah came out, who 
 was born to Bethuel , son of Mil- 
 cah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's 
 brother, with her pitcher upon her 
 shoulder. 
 
 16. And the damsel icas very 
 fair to look upon , a virgin ; neither 
 had any man known her: and she 
 went down to the well, and filled 
 her pitcher, and came up. 
 
 17. And the servant ran to meet 
 her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, 
 drink a little water of thy pitcher. 
 
 18. And she said. Drink, my 
 lord: and she hasted, and let down 
 her pitcher upon her hand, and 
 gave him drink. 
 
 19. And when she had done giv- 
 ing him drink, she said, I will 
 draw water for thy camels also, 
 until they have done drinking. 
 
 20. And she hasted, and emptied 
 her pitcher into the trough, and 
 ran again unto the well to draw 
 
276 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 water, and drew for all his camels. 
 
 21. And the man wondering at 
 her held his peace, to wit whether 
 the Lord had made his journey 
 prosperous or not. 
 
 22. And it came to pass, as the 
 camels had done drinking, that the 
 man took a golden earring of half 
 a shekel weight, and two bracelets 
 for her hands of ten shekels weight 
 of gold; 
 
 23. And said, Whose daughter 
 art thou ? tell me, I pray thee: is 
 there room in thy father's house 
 for us to lodge in ? 
 
 24. And she said unto him, lam 
 the daughter of Bethuel the son of ! 
 Mile ah, which she bare unto Na- 
 hor. 
 
 25. She said moreover unto him , 
 We have both straw and provender 
 enough, and room to lodge in. 
 
 26. And the man bowed down 
 his head, and worshipped the Lord. 
 
 27. And he said, Blessed be the 
 Lord God of my master Abraham , 
 who hath not left destitute my 
 master of his mercy and his truth: 
 I being in the way, the Lord led 
 me to the house of my master's 
 brethren. 
 
 28. And the damsel ran, and 
 told them of her mother's house 
 these things. 
 
 29. IT And Rebekah had a bro- 
 ther, and his name ivas Laban: 
 and Laban ran out unto the man, 
 unto the well. 
 
 30. And it came to pass, when 
 he saw the earring, and bracelets 
 npon.his sister's hands, and when 
 lie heard the Avords of Rebekah his 
 sister, saying, Thus spake the man 
 unto me; that he came unto the 
 man, and behold, he stood by the 
 camels at the well. 
 
 3L And he said, Come in, thou 
 blessed of the Lord; wherefoi'e 
 standest thou without? for I have 
 prei>ared the house, and room for 
 the camels. 
 
 32. And the man came into the 
 house: and he ungirded his camels, 
 and gave straw and provender for 
 the camels, and water to wash his 
 
 feet, and the men's feet that were 
 with him. 
 
 33. And there was set meat be- 
 fore him to eat: but he said , I will 
 not eat, until I have told mine 
 errand. And he said, Speak on. 
 
 34. And he said, I a7ii Abra- 
 ham's servant. 
 
 35. And the Lord hath blessed 
 my master greatly , and he is be- 
 come gi-eat: and he hath given hint 
 flocks, and herds, and silver, and 
 gold, and men-servants, and maid- 
 servants, and camels, and asses. 
 
 36. And Sarah my matter's wife 
 bare a son to my master when sho 
 was old: and unto him hath he 
 given all that he hath. 
 
 37. And my master made me 
 swear, saying. Thou shaltnot take 
 a wife to my son of the daughters 
 of the Canaanites, in whose land 1 
 dwell: 
 
 38. But thou shalt go unto my 
 father's house, and to my kindred, 
 and take a wife unto my son. 
 
 39. And I said unto my master, 
 Peradventure the woman will not 
 follow me. 
 
 40. And he said unto me, The 
 Lord, before whom I walk, will 
 send his angel with thee, and pros- 
 per thy way ; and thou shalt take a 
 wife for my son of my kindred, 
 and of my father's house: 
 
 41. Then shalt thou be clear from 
 this my oath, when thou comest to 
 my kindred ; and if they give not 
 thee one, thou shalt be clear from 
 my oath. 
 
 42. And I came this day unto 
 the well, and said, Lord God of 
 my master Abraham, if now thou 
 do prosper my way which I go: 
 
 43. Behold, I stand by the well 
 of -water; and it shall come to pass, 
 that when the virgin cometh forth 
 to draw water, and I say to her. 
 Give me, I pray thee, a little water 
 of thy pitcher to drink : 
 
 44. And she say to me, Both 
 drink thou, and I will also draw 
 for thy camels: let the same be the 
 woman whom the Lord hath ap- 
 pointed out for my master's son. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 277 
 
 45. And before I had done speak- 
 ing in mine heart, behold, Rebekah 
 came tbrth with her pitcher on her 
 shoulder ; and she went down unto 
 the well, and drew water : and I 
 said unto her. Let me di'ink, I pray 
 thee. 
 
 46. And she made haste, and let 
 down her pitcher from her shoulder, 
 and said. Drink, and I will give 
 thy camels drink also: so I drank, 
 and she made the camels drink also. 
 
 47. And I asked her, and said, 
 Whose daughter art thou? And 
 she said, The daughter of Bethuel, 
 Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare 
 unto him: and I put the earring 
 upon her face, and the bracelets 
 upon her hands. 
 
 48. And I bowed down my head, 
 and worshipped the Lord, and 
 blessed the Lord God of my mas- 
 ter Abraham, which had led me in 
 the right way to take my master's 
 brother's daughter unto his son. 
 
 49. And now if ye will deal kind- 
 ly and truly with my master, tell 
 me: and if not, tell me; that I may 
 turn to the right hand, or to the 
 left. 
 
 50. Then Laban and Bethuel an- 
 swered and said, The thing pro- 
 ceedeth from the Lord: we cannot 
 ripeak unto thee bad or good. 
 
 51. Behold, Rebekah is before 
 thee, take her, and go, and let her 
 be thy master's son's wife, as the 
 Lord hath spoken. 
 
 52. And it came to pass, that, 
 when Abraham's servant heard 
 their words, he worshipped the 
 Lord, bowing himself to the earth. 
 
 53. And the servant brought 
 forth jewels of silver, and jewels of 
 gold, and raiment, and gave them 
 to Rebekah: he gave also to her 
 brother and to her mother precious 
 things. 
 
 54. IT And they did eat and 
 drink, he and the men that icere 
 with him, and tarried all night; 
 and they rose up in the morning, 
 and he said. Send me away unto 
 my master. 
 
 55. And her brother and her 
 mother said. Let the damsel abide 
 with us a Jew days, at the least 
 ten ; after that she shall go. 
 
 56. And he said unto them. Hin- 
 der me not, seeing the Lord hath 
 prospered my way; send me away 
 that I may go to my master. 
 
 57. And they said. We will call 
 the damsel, and inquire at her 
 mouth. 
 
 58. And they called Rebekah, 
 and said unto her. Wilt thou go 
 with this man ? And she said I will 
 go. 
 
 59. And they sent away Rebe- 
 kah their sister, and her nurse, and 
 Abraham's servant, and his men. 
 
 60. And they blessed Rebekah, 
 and said unto her. Thou art our 
 sister, be thou the mother of thou- 
 sands of millions, and let thy seed 
 possess the gate of those which hate 
 them. 
 
 61. IT And Rebekah arose, and 
 her damsels, and they rode upon 
 the camels, and followed the man: 
 and the servant took Rebekah, and 
 went his way. 
 
 62. And Isaac came from the 
 way of the well Lahairoi; for he 
 dwelt in the south country. 
 
 63. And Isaac went out to medi- 
 tate in the field at the eventide: 
 and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, 
 and behold, the camels were com- 
 ing. 
 
 64. And Rebekah lifted up her 
 eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she 
 lighted off the camel. 
 
 65. For she had said unto the 
 servant. What man is this that 
 walketh in the field to meet us? 
 And the servant had said. It is my 
 master: therefore she took a vail, 
 and covered herself 
 
 66. And the servant told Isaae 
 all things that he had done. 
 
 67. And Isaac brought her into 
 his mother Sarah's tent, and took 
 Rebekah, and she became his wife; 
 and he loved her: and Isaac 
 was comforted after his mother's 
 death. 
 
278 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 513. The important trust committed to the eldest ser- 
 vant of Abraham shows, both the position of servants in 
 those days, and the confidence placed by Abraham in this 
 one in particular. The whole narrative, laying before us 
 the servant's mission, is related with great simplicity, and 
 has every mark of truthfulness. It shows clearly a primi- 
 tive state of society, when hospitality and simple honesty 
 were the prevailing traits of human character. The mode 
 of obtaining wives, here indicated, can the more readily 
 be received as true, from its resemblance to what we 
 know to have existed among other nations in their primi- 
 tive state. The manner in which the servant's prayer was 
 verified, is to be understood as a remarkable providence. 
 It is evident from the circumstances that there were sev- 
 eral damsels at the well, and the choice of one of them 
 from the rest, was made by the servant himself ; and his 
 prayer was that he might select one suitable for the wife 
 of Isaac. He made his choice, and it turned out to be 
 a judicious and satisfactory one. 
 
 SECTION XXII.— Abraham's Second Marriage. 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 1. Then again Abraham took a and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these 
 
 wife, and her name was Keturah, 
 
 2. And she bare him Zimran, 
 and .Jokshan, and Medan, and Mi- 
 dian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 
 
 3. And Jokshan begat Sheba, 
 and Dedan. And the sons of De- 
 dan were Asshurim, and Letushim, 
 and Leummim. 
 
 4. And the sons of Midian; 
 Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, 
 
 were the children of Keturah. 
 
 5. IT And Abraham gave all that 
 he had unto Isaac. 
 
 6. But unto the sons of the con- 
 cubines, which Abraham had, 
 Abraham gave gifts, and sent them 
 away from Isaac his son, (while he 
 yet lived,) eastward, unto the east 
 country. 
 
 514. It is worthy of notice that the sons of the second 
 wife, were treated in the same manner, as the son of the 
 concubine ; and Isaac is made the sole heir to Abraham's 
 estate. Thus the right of primogeniture receives the 
 sanction of the patriarch. May we not add that it received 
 the divine sanction long before, when the right to rule 
 over his brother, was given to Cain, the first born son of 
 Adam ? We know that it subsequently became one of the 
 patriarchal institutions. 
 
ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 279 
 
 SECTION XXIIL— Death of Abraham. 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 7. IT And these are the days of | the son of Zohar the Hittite, which 
 
 the years of Abraham's life which 
 he lived, an hundred three score 
 and fifteen years. 
 
 8. Then Abraham gave up the 
 ghost, and died in a good old age, 
 an old man, and full of years; and 
 was gathered to his people. 
 
 9. And his sons Isaac and Ish- 
 mael buried him in the cave of 
 Machpelah, in the field of Ephron 
 
 is before Mamre; 
 
 10. The field which Abraham 
 purchased of the sons of Heth: 
 there was Abraham buried, and 
 Sarah his wife. 
 
 11. And it came to pass after 
 the death of Abraham, that God 
 blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac 
 dwelt by the well Lahairoi. 
 
 515. Abraham lived to be a hundred and seventy-five 
 years old, and died thirty-eight years after the death of 
 Sarah. Both were buried together in the cave of Mach- 
 pelah near Hebron. Isaac and Ishmael, unlike as they 
 were in their maternal parentage, and unlike as they 
 were to be in the future history of their descendants ; 
 being both sons and no doubt affectionate sons of the 
 patriarch, joined in the last tribute of respect to their de- 
 parted parent. 
 
 516. That Abraham " was gathered to his people ^' 
 at the time he died, we take to be evidence that a future 
 life, and a re-union of friends there, were believed in by 
 the ancient Hebrews. 
 
 517. It is worthy of remark that when Rebekah was 
 brought to Isaac, he dwelt by the well La-hai-roi, which 
 is said to be in the south country, xxiv. 62, xxv. 11. 
 Observe that the well near which Hagar was found, the 
 first time she left her mistress, was called Beer-lahai-roi, 
 xvi. 14. It is said further, that she was found in the 
 wilderness, in the way of Shur, xvi. 1. It is said, too, 
 of the children of Ishmael, that they dwelt from Havilah 
 to Shur. All these statements together, show that Ish- 
 mael and Isaac resided, at least for a time, not far apart, 
 a circumstance that will show the reason why both were 
 together at the burial of their father, at the same time 
 that it indicates no unfriendly feeling between the two 
 brothers. 
 
280 
 
 ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION XXIV. — ISHMAEL AND HIS FaMILY. 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 12. IT Now these are. the genera- 
 tions of Ishmael, Abraham's son, 
 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's 
 handmaid, bare unto Abraham. 
 
 13. And these are the names of 
 the sons of Ishmael, by their names, 
 according to their generations ; the 
 first-born of Ishmael, Xebajoth ; 
 and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mib- 
 sam. 
 
 14. And Mishma, and Dumah, 
 and Massa, 
 
 15. Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, 
 Naphish, and Kedemah : 
 
 16. These are the sons of Ishmael, 
 and these are their names, by their 
 towns, and by their castles; twelve 
 princes according to their nations. 
 
 17. And these are the years of 
 the life of Ishmael, an hundred and 
 thirty and seven years : and he gave 
 up the ghost, and died, and was 
 gathered unto his people. 
 
 18. And they dwelt from Havilah 
 unto Shur, that is before Egypt, 
 as thou goest towards Assyria \ and 
 he died in the presence of all his 
 brethren. 
 
 518. The name of Ishmael was given to him before 
 his birth. The sons of Ishmael were twelve in number, 
 as had been foretold ; and they became very numerous 
 and powerful as had been promised to Abram and to Ha- 
 gar. Their dwelling was from Shur, before or near to 
 Egypt, unto Havilah on the Assyrian route : and though 
 we do not know the exact extent of the country here al- 
 luded to, we know, from the circumstances, that it was 
 quite considerable, xvi. 11 ; xvii. 20; xvi. 10. 
 
 519. It was said of Ishmael, xvi. 12, " he shall dwell 
 in the presence of all his brethren : " and now we are 
 told that " he died in the presence of all his brethren " ; 
 the meaning of which is, that, though his hand was 
 against every man, and every man's hand against him, 
 he was too powerful to be overcome, both during his life 
 and at the time of his death. It is generally believed 
 that the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael ; and 
 in them we find the character of their illustrious progen- 
 itor. 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 281 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Contents. — Birth of Esau and Jacob; Sale of Birthright; So- 
 journ in Gerar ; Removal to Beersheba ; Isaac's Blessing ; Esau 
 and Family ; Sier. 
 
 The birth of Isaac, his being offered in sacrifice, the 
 procuring for him a wife, &c., have all been recorded and 
 commented upon in that part of the book that relates to 
 Abram and his family. The narrative proceeds as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 SECTION I. — Birth of Esau and Jacob. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 19. IT And these are the genera- 
 tions of Isaac, Abraham's son; 
 Abraham begat Isaac : 
 
 20. And Isaac was forty years 
 old when he took Rebekati to wife, 
 the daughter of Bethuelthe Syrian 
 of Padan-aram,the sister to Laban 
 the Syrian. 
 
 21. IT And Isaac entreated the 
 Lord for his wife, because she ivas 
 barren: and the Lord was entreat- 
 ed of him, and Rebekah his wife 
 conceived. 
 
 22. And the children struggled 
 together within her; and she said, 
 If it be so, why am I thus? And 
 she went to inquire of the Lord. 
 
 23. And the Lord said unto her, 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Two nations are in thy womb, and 
 two manner of people shall be sep- 
 arated from thy bowels; and the one 
 people shall be stronger than the 
 other people; and the elder shall 
 serve the younger. 
 
 24. And when her days to be de- 
 livered were fulfilled, behold, there 
 were twins in her womb. 
 
 2§. And the iirst came out red, 
 all over like an hairy garment ; and 
 they called his name Esau. 
 
 26. And after that came his bro- 
 ther out, and his hand took hold 
 on Esau's heel; and his name was 
 called Jacob : and Isaac was three- 
 score years old, when she bare 
 them. 
 
 520. The cause of the difference, at their birth, between 
 Esau and Jacob, is not given, nor can it be inferred from 
 the circumstances. The fact, however, may be made in- 
 structive as illustrating a principle that may help us to 
 account for other differences among men that have come 
 up since that time. Indeed many of the peculiarities by 
 which different branches of the human race, are distin- 
 guished, may have had the same origin. There is no 
 doubt that great diversities among men have originated 
 
282 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 in this way ; and when once started, there is a strong ten- 
 dency to permanency, though nature may at last resume 
 her accustomed course. 
 
 SECTION II. — Esau Sells his Birthright. 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 27. And the boys gre-vr : and Esau 
 was a cunning hunter, a man of 
 the field ; and Jacob was a plain 
 man, dwelling in tents. 
 
 28. And Isaac loved Esau, be- 
 cause he did eat of his venison ; but 
 Rebekah loved Jacob. 
 
 29. IT And Jacob sod pottage ; 
 and Esau came from the field, and 
 he was faint. 
 
 30. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed 
 me, I pray thee , with that same red 
 pottage; for I am faint : therefore 
 was his name called Edom. 
 
 31. And Jacob said, Sell me this 
 day thy birth-right. 
 
 32. And Esau said, Behold, lam 
 at the point to die, and what profit 
 shall this birth-right do to me ? 
 
 33. And Jacob said, Swear to me 
 this day ; and he sware unto him ; 
 and he sold his birth-right unto 
 Jacob. 
 
 34. Then Jacob gave Esau bread 
 and pottage of lentiles, and he did 
 eat and drink, and rose up, and 
 went his way. Thus Esau despised 
 his birth-right. 
 
 521. This transaction has been made to reflect very 
 unfavorably upon the conduct of Jacob. He should not, 
 it is said, have taken advantage of his brother's necessi- 
 ties, so as to procure a valuable object to which he was 
 not otherwise entitled. But the narrative plainly implies 
 that Esau did not regard the birthright as a valuable pos- 
 session. The language " he despised his birthright," 
 evidently conveys this idea. It does not appear that 
 Jacob refused his brother food, nor that Esau must have 
 perished if Jacob had not supplied his wants. If this 
 were so, then the language, "he despised his birthright,'^ 
 is out of place. A man does not give evidence of despis- 
 ing a thing, or placing a small value upon it, when he parts 
 with it to save his life. The intention of the passage is 
 to show that Esau regarded the birthright as of little 
 value, and therefore parted with it for a small considera- 
 tion. Jacob, however, thought differently ; and surely 
 there was no wrong in receiving from his brother, what 
 the latter deemed of little consequence. 
 
 522. It may be well to ask here what value there really 
 was in the birthright ? 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 283 
 
 It appears from what is said of Cain and Abel, that one 
 privilege enjoyed by the first-born,was that of pre-eminence 
 over the rest of the iamily. Cain was to rule over his 
 brother. The conduct of Abraham would lead us to infer 
 that the first-born was heir to the estate of his father, 
 while others only received gifts and were sent away. 
 XXV. 6. From other references that will be considered 
 hereafter, it becomes obvious that the dying blessing of 
 the patriarch, upon the first-born, was expected to be 
 fraught with greater good, than upon the other children. 
 Esau seems to make a distinction between the blessing and 
 the birthright, xxvii, 36; but this may have been only 
 a pretence, and intended to justify himself, in seeking 
 to appropriate to himself what he had parted with, and 
 what he now could not justly claim. 
 
 SECTION III.— Isaac's Sojourn in Gerar. 
 
 CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 1. And there was a famine in the 
 land, besides the first famine that 
 was in the days of Abraham. And 
 Isaac went nnto Abimelech king of 
 the Philistines unto Gerar. 
 
 2. And the Lord appeared unto 
 him, and said. Go not down into 
 Egypt ; dwell in the land which I 
 shall tell thee of: 
 
 3. Sojourn in this land, and I 
 will be with thee, and will bless 
 thee; for unto thee, and unto thy 
 seed,! will give all these countries, 
 and I will perform the oath which 
 I sware unto Abraham thy father; 
 
 4. And I will make thy seed to 
 multiply as the stars of heaven, 
 and will give unto thy seed all 
 these countries; and in thy seed 
 shall all the nations of the earth be 
 blessed ; 
 
 5. Because that Abraham obeyed 
 my voice, and kept my charge, my 
 commandments, my statutes, and 
 my laws. 
 
 6. IT And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 
 
 7. And the men of the place 
 asked him of his wife; and he said, 
 She is my sister : for he feared to 
 
 say, She is my wife; lest, said he, 
 the men of the place should kill 
 me for Rebekah ; because she was 
 fair to look upon. 
 
 8. And it came to pass, when he 
 had been there a long time, that 
 Abimelech king of the Philistines 
 looked out at a window, and saw, 
 and behold, Isaac was sporting 
 with Rebekah his wife. 
 
 9. And Abimelech called Isaac, 
 and said. Behold, of a surety she 
 is thy wife: and how saidst thou, 
 She is my sister ? And Isaac said 
 unto him, Because I said. Lest I 
 die for her. 
 
 10. And Abimelech said. What is 
 this thou hast done unto us? one 
 of the people might lightly have 
 lain with thy wife, and thou should- 
 est have brought guiltiness upon us. 
 
 11. And Abimelech charged all 
 his people, saying. He that touch- 
 eth this man or his wife shall 
 surely be put to death. 
 
 12. Then Isaac sowed in that 
 land, and received in the same 
 year a hundredfold : and the Lord 
 blessed him. 
 
284 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 13. And the man waxed great, 
 and -went forward, and gre^w until 
 he became very great. 
 
 14. For he had possession of 
 flocks, and possession of herds, 
 and great store of servants: and 
 the Philistines envied him. 
 
 15. For all the wells which his 
 fixther's servants had digged in the 
 days of Abraham his father, the 
 Philistines had stopped them, and 
 filled them with earth. 
 
 16. And Abimelech said unto 
 Isaac, Go from us; for thou art 
 much mightier than we. 
 
 17. And Isaac departed thence, 
 and pitched his tent in the valley 
 of Gerar, and dwelt there. 
 
 18. And Isaac digged again the 
 wells of water, which they had 
 digged in the days of Abraham his 
 father; for the Philistines had 
 
 stopped them after the death of 
 Abraham: and he called their 
 names after the names by which 
 his father had called them. 
 
 19. And Isaac's servants digged 
 in the valley, and found there a 
 well of springing water. 
 
 20. And the herdmen of Gerar 
 did strive with Isaac's herdmen, 
 saying, The water is ours: and he 
 called the name of the well Esek; 
 because they strove with him. 
 
 21. And they digged another 
 well, and strove for that also: and 
 he called the name of it Sitnah. 
 
 22. And he removed from thence, 
 and digged another well; and for 
 that they strove not: and he called 
 the name of it Rehoboth ; and he 
 Baid, For now the Lord hath made 
 room for us, and we shall be fruit- 
 ful in the land. 
 
 523. The narrative seems to imply an intention on the 
 part of Isaac to go down to Egypt, as he expected he 
 could there alone receive supplies during the famine : but 
 a divine vision detained him in Gerar, a city of the Philis- 
 tines. The Abimelech here mentioned may have been 
 the one that entertained Abraham ; but it is highly prob- 
 able that another of the same name, perhaps a son of the 
 former, is had in view. It is not improbable that this was 
 a common designation of all the kings of that country, as 
 Pharaoh was of Egypt, and Cassar was of Kome. 
 
 524. It appears that the result of Abraham's deception, 
 concerning his wife, did not deter his son from doing the 
 same thing ; and the result, with the latter, was no more 
 fortunate than with the former. It is quite probable that 
 there are no circumstances, when deception, for an}' pur- 
 pose, can be justified. The narrative seems designed to 
 show us how much better truth would have answered the 
 purpose, in the case recorded, than falsehood; and if truth 
 were better then, it is better now. Another purpose had 
 in view by the narrator, may be to show, that, even among 
 heathens, there is the consciousness of right, implanted 
 in the heart by the Creator's hand. 
 
 525. Isaac went down to Gerar, and was expecting to 
 go on to Egypt, on account of a famine ; but being de- 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 285 
 
 tained in Gerar by a divine command, his wants are soon 
 supplied ; for he sowed the ground that same year and 
 received a hundred fold, verse 12. 
 
 The prosperity of the patriarch had, with the Philistines, 
 its usual effect. They envied him. A further result was, 
 that they sought to injure him by filling with earth the 
 wells that Abraham had digged while residing in that 
 land, and to which Isaac had a just claim. Isaac, there- 
 fore, by request of Abimelech, left that neighborhood, and 
 dwelt in the " valley of Gerar," a place that must have 
 been, from the circumstances, not far from his former resi- 
 dence. 
 
 526. It is worthy of notice, that what is said in verse 
 18th, properly belongs with verse i5th, and should have 
 succeeded it.. The wells that were filled up, and that 
 were dug anew, were not in the valley of Gerar ; but they 
 were in the former locality, from which Isaac had now 
 removed. Hence, it is added, that now Isaac's servants 
 digged in the "valley," that is, the '' valley of Gerar," 
 his new residence. But envy follows the patriarch 
 hither ; and a strife arises about this well. Another 
 is dug with the same result. Isaac now removes still 
 farther away, and digs another, about which there is no 
 strife. The names given to these wells are made to cor- 
 respond with the circumstances ; for Esek and Sitnah 
 mean enmity and strife ; and the last, which was not the 
 occasion of contention, was called Rehoboth, signifying 
 plenty of room. 
 
 SECTION IV.— Removal TO Beersheba. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 23. IT And he went up from 
 thence to Beersheba. 
 
 24. And the Lord appeared unto 
 him the same ni,o-ht, and said, I am 
 the God of Abi-aham thy father; 
 fear not, for I am with thee, and 
 will bless thee, and multiply thy 
 seed for my servant Abraham's 
 sake. 
 
 25. And he builded an altar 
 there, and called upon the name of 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 the Lord, and pitched his tent 
 there: and there Isaac's servanta 
 dijrged a well. 
 
 26. IT Then Abimelech went to 
 him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one 
 of his friends, and Phichol the 
 chief captain of his army. 
 
 27. And Isaac said unto them. 
 Wherefore come ye to me, seeing 
 ye bate me, and have sent me away 
 from you ? 
 
286 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 28. And they said, We saw cer- 
 tainly that the Loud was with thee: 
 and we said, Let there be now an 
 oath betwixt us, even betwixt us 
 and thee, and let us make a cov- 
 enant with thee; 
 
 29. Thatthou wilt dous nohurt, 
 as we have not touched thee, and 
 as we have done unto thee nothing 
 but good, and have sent thee away 
 in peace: thou art now the blessed 
 of the Lord. 
 
 30. And he made them a feast, 
 and they did eat and drink. 
 
 31. And they rose up betimes in 
 the morning, and sware one to 
 another: and Isaac sent them away, 
 and they departed from him in 
 peace. 
 
 32. And it came to pass the same 
 day, that Isaac's servants came, 
 and told him concerning the well 
 which they had digged, and said 
 unto him, We have found water. 
 
 33. And he called it Shebah: 
 therefore the name of the city is 
 Beersheba unto this day. 
 
 527. From the well Rehoboth, Isaac removes to another 
 place, which was afterwards called Beersheba, though 
 this removal does not seem, like the former, to have been 
 occasioned by the hostility of the Philistine herdsmen. 
 The circumstance that gave name to the place is here re- 
 corded, and recorded on this account, more than because it 
 possessed any other importance. Abimelech, seeing the 
 prosperity of Isaac, thought best to enter into an arrange- 
 ment with him formutual protection, to which the patriarch 
 was not averse: and the oath that passed between them, 
 gave name to a well that was being dug near the place. It 
 was called Beersheba, or well of the oath ; and from that 
 the name was given to the surrounding country. The ex- 
 pression of Abimelech that he and his people " had done 
 Isaac nothing but good and had sent him away in peace, ^' 
 must be referred to a former occasion and not to more 
 recent occurrences. 
 
 SECTION v.— Isaac's Blessing. 
 CHAP. XXVIL 
 
 1. And it came to pass, thatj 
 when Isaac was old, and his eyes| 
 were dim, so that he could not see, j 
 he called Esau his eldest son, and 
 said unto him. My son: And he 
 said unto him. Behold, here am I. 
 
 2. And he said. Behold now, I 
 am old, I know not the day of my 
 death : 
 
 3. Now therefore take, I pray 
 thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and 
 thy bow, and go out to the field, 
 and take me some venison: 
 
 4. And make me savory meat, 
 such as I love, and bring it to me, 
 that I may eat: that my soul may 
 bless thee before I die. 
 
 5. And Rebekah heard when 
 Isaac spake to Esau his son. And 
 Esau went to the field to hunt^br 
 venison, and to bring it. 
 
 6. IT And Rebekah spake unto 
 Jacob her son, saying. Behold, I 
 heard thy father speak unto Esau 
 thy brother, saying, 
 
 7. Bring me venison, and make 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 287 
 
 me savory meat; that I may eat, 
 and bless thee before the Lord be- 
 fore my death. 
 
 8. Now therefore, my son, obey 
 my voice, according to that which I 
 command thee: 
 
 9. Go now to the flock, and fetch 
 me from thence two good kids of the 
 goats ; and I will make them savo- 
 ry meat for thy father, such as he 
 loveth ; 
 
 10. And thou shalt bring it to 
 thy father, that he may eat, and 
 that he may bless thee before his 
 death. 
 
 11. And Jacob said to Rebekah 
 his mother. Behold, Esau my 
 brother is a hairy man, and 1 am 
 a smooth man; 
 
 12. My father peradventure will 
 feel me, and I shall seem to him as 
 a deceiver; and I shall bring a 
 curse upon me, and not a blessing. 
 
 13. And his mother said unto 
 him, Upon me he thy curse, my 
 son ; only obey my voice, and go 
 fetch me thein. 
 
 14. And he went, and fetched, 
 and brought them to his mother: 
 and his mother made savory meat, 
 such as his fither loved. 
 
 15. And Rebekah took goodly 
 raiment of her eldest son Esau, 
 which were with her in the house, 
 and put them upon Jacob her 
 younger son ; 
 
 16. And she put the skins of the 
 kids of the goats upon his hands, 
 and upon the smooth of his neck. 
 
 17. And she gave the savory 
 meat and the bread, which she had 
 prepared, into the hand of her son 
 Jacob. 
 
 18. And he came unto his Mher, 
 and said, My father: And he said, 
 Here am I; who art thou, my son? 
 
 19. And Jacob said unto his 
 father, I am Esau thy first-born; I 
 have done according as thou badest 
 me: arise, pray thee, sit and eat of 
 my venison, that thy soul may 
 bless me. 
 
 20. And Isaac said unto his son, 
 How is it that thou hast found it 
 so quickly, my son? And he said, 
 
 Because the Lord thy God brought 
 it to me, 
 
 21. And Isaac said unto Jacob, 
 Come near, I pray thee, that I 
 may feel thee, my son, whether 
 thou be my very son Esau or not. 
 
 22. And Jacob went near unto 
 Isaac his father; and he felt him, 
 and said, the voice is Jacob's voice, 
 but the hands are the hands of 
 Esau. 
 
 23. And he discerned him not, 
 because his hands were hairy, as 
 his brother Esau's hands : so he 
 blessed him. 
 
 24. And he said, Jlrt thou my 
 very son Esau? And he said, I am. 
 
 25. And he said. Bring it near 
 to me, and I will eat of my son's 
 venison, that my soul may bless 
 thee. And he brought it near to 
 him, and he did eat : and he 
 brought him wine, and he drank. 
 
 26. And his father Isaac said 
 unto him; Come near now, and 
 kiss me, my son. 
 
 27. Aiid he came near, and kiss- 
 ed him : and he smelled the smell 
 of his raiment, and blessed him, 
 and said. See, the smell of my 
 son is as the smell of a field which 
 the Lord hath blessed : 
 
 28. Therefore God give thee of 
 the dew of heaven, and the fatness 
 of the earth, and plenty of corn 
 and wine : 
 
 29. Let people serve thee, and 
 nations bow down to thee : be 
 lord over thy brethren, and let 
 thy mother's sons bow down to 
 thee : cursed be every one that 
 curseth thee, and blessed be he 
 that blesseth thee. 
 
 30. And it came to pass, as soon 
 as Isaac had made an end of 
 blessing Jacob, and Jacob was 
 yet scarce gone out from the 
 presence of Isaac his father, that 
 Esau his brother came in from 
 his hunting. 
 
 31. And he also had made sav- 
 ory meat, and brought ^ it unto 
 his father, and said unto his father. 
 Let my father arise, and eat of 
 
288 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 his son's venison, that thy soul 
 may bless me. 
 
 32. And Isaac his father said 
 unto him, Who art thou? And 
 he said, I am thy son, thy first- 
 born, Esau. 
 
 33. And Isaac trembled very ex- 
 ceedingly, and said, Who? where 
 is he that hath taken venison, 
 and brought it me, and I have 
 eaten of all before thou camest, 
 and have blessed him? yea, and 
 he shall be blessed. 
 
 34. And Tvhen Esau heard the 
 ■words of his father, he cried with 
 a great and exceeding bitter cry, 
 and said unto his father, Bless me, 
 even me also, my father. 
 
 35. And he said. Thy brother 
 came with subtility, and hath ta- 
 ken away thy blessing. 
 
 36. And he said, Is not he rightly 
 named Jacob ? for he hath sup- 
 planted me these two times: lie 
 took away my birthright; and be- 
 hold, now he hath taken away my 
 
 blessing. And he said, Hast thou 
 not reserved a blessing for me ? 
 
 37. And Isaac answered and said 
 unto Esau, Behold, I have made 
 him thy lord, and all his brethren 
 have I given to him for servants; 
 and with corn and wine have I sus- 
 tained him: and what shall I do 
 now unto thee, my son ? 
 
 38. And Esau said unto his fa- 
 ther. Hast thou but one blessing, 
 my father? bless me, even me also, 
 O my father. And Esau lifted up 
 his voice, and wept. 
 
 39. And Isaac his father an- 
 swered and said unto him, Behold, 
 thy dwelling shall be the fatness of 
 the earth, and of the dew of he iv- 
 en from above: 
 
 40. And by thy sword shalt thou 
 live, and shalt serve thy brother; 
 and it shall come to pass when thou 
 shalt have the dominion, that thou 
 shalt break his yoke from off thy 
 neck. 
 
 528. It is obvious, in the first place, that very great 
 weight was attached to the dying blessing that a father 
 might pronounce upon his sons. This wilj account for 
 two things, in this narrative, that might not otherwise be 
 so obviously rational. One is, the anxiety of Rebekah 
 that her favorite son should receive the blessing ; and the 
 other is, the exceedhig grief of Esau when he found him- 
 self supplanted. It will not do to interpret this matter 
 by our impressions, at the present day ; for if we do, we 
 shall surely be misled. Nor is it necessary to attach all 
 the importance to the subject that they attached to it. 
 We may rationally suppose that it was with them a mere 
 superstition. This does not alter the case, as bearing 
 upon a true and just interpretation. 
 
 529. Another difiBculty deserves some attention. We 
 find it difficult to understand how Isaac could be imposed 
 upon as he was ; but to obviate this objection, we must 
 consider, first, that all the care in preparing Jacob for de- 
 ceiving his father, that time and circumstances would 
 permit, would not fail to be exercised, in view of the great 
 issues that were at stake. But in the next place, it is ex- 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 289 
 
 pressly said, that " Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, 
 and he could not see ;'^ and when it is considered that, in 
 extreme old age, the hearing is apt to fail with the sight, we 
 can the more easily understand how the deception could 
 be made successful. The sight was wholly gone, the hear- 
 ing was imperfect, and the feeling had been effectually 
 guarded against. It appears from verse 27th, that Isaac 
 was also misled by the odor of Jacob's garments ; for it 
 was only what he would expect of Esau, who, as he sup- 
 posed, had just come from the field, and had prepared the 
 wild meat for food. Indeed, this will illustrate a clause 
 in that passage that might not otherwise be so well under- 
 stood : — " The smell of my son is as the smell of a field 
 which the Lord hath blessed.'' The smell of my son, is 
 as the smell of one who has just returned from a prosper- 
 ous hunt, and has been employed in preparing the game 
 he has taken. 
 
 530. Again ; we are not called upon to justify the 
 course pursued by Rebekah or Jacob in this affair. No 
 intimation is given in the book that the transaction was 
 an innocent one. On the contrary Jacob felt that it was 
 wrong and told his mother so. The only apology that 
 occurs to us as in the least available, is, the one we have 
 tioticed in another place, viz., that the blessing sought for 
 by Esau, was apart of the "birthright" which he had 
 sold to Jacob, and which the latter could only obtain by 
 stratagem. True, it had been announced to Rebekah that 
 " the elder should serve the younger ;" but this did not 
 excuse the deception. Doubtless her partiality for Jacob 
 was the only motive by which she was influenced. 
 
 531. The nature of what is called a " blessing,'' in this 
 passage, is a topic that ought to receive a few moment's 
 attention. Was the blessing a divine impulse, indicating 
 what would take place in the future, or was it a fervent 
 prayer of the patriarch, indicating what he wished might 
 take place ? We take the latter view, and there are many 
 other references that will sustain this opinion. When 
 Isaac sent Jacob away from him, xxviii. 1, it is said that 
 he blessed him, meaning obviously that he expressed his 
 good wishes for his prosperity and happiness. So Laban, 
 when about to part from his friends, xxxi. 55, kissed his 
 
 13 
 
290 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 sons and his daughters and blessed them ; in other words, 
 he gave them his parting benediction ; and it is not pre- 
 sumed that he was divinely inspired to utter this blessing. 
 The blessing upon Rebekah, xxiv. 60, shows clearly the 
 nature of this transaction. " They blessed Rebekah, and 
 said unto her, Thou art our sister, Be thou the mother 
 of thousands of millions ; and let thy seed possess the 
 gate of those which hate them." That this was a predic- 
 tion, cannot well be supposed, as we have no evidence 
 that those who uttered the language were divinely in- 
 spired. It was then simply an invocation ; and the same, 
 we infer, of the blessing upon Jacob and Esau. 
 
 532. When Isaac said, " Therefore, God give thee of 
 the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty 
 of corn and wine," he simply desired that his son Jacob 
 should be blessed with an abundance of the earth's pro- 
 ductions. " Let people serve thee, and nations bow down 
 to thee," was simply a desire that his son should be pros- 
 pered in a national point of view. " Be lord over thy 
 brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee," 
 was due to the first born, by the usage of those ancient 
 times ; and Isaac, on the presumption that he was blessing 
 the first born, assigns his son the customary position, and 
 invests him with its appropriate rights and privileges. 
 " Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be 
 he that blesseth thee," is a form of speech justified by 
 the usage of those times, and means no more than that 
 his son should triumph over his enemies, and be a blessing 
 to his friends. 
 
 533. The blessing upon Esau is similar to that upon 
 Jacob, in some respects, and dissimilar in others. " Be- 
 hold thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and 
 the dew of heaven from above," is substantially the same 
 as the blessing upon Jacob, having reference to the same 
 subject. 
 
 ."And by thy sword shaltthou live," was a reasonable 
 inference, from the character of the man of whom it is 
 spoken, and did not require divine enlightenment to 
 foresee, or at least to presume. ''And shalt serve thy 
 brother." This was due to the first born, and Jacob is 
 now regarded as such, and Esau is required to yield to 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 291 
 
 this demand. "And it shall come to pass, when thou 
 shalt have dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from 
 off thy neck." It was due to Esau that he should be 
 encouraged to look forward to the time when he should 
 no longer be in subjection to his brother ; and it was not 
 a far-fetched inference, from the character of the two sons 
 respectively, and from the circumstances in which they 
 were placed, that the subserviency of Esau to Jacob would 
 not always last. 
 
 It may be added that Isaac had divine authority for 
 expecting substantially what he expresses in his blessing; 
 for he had been divinely assured that Canaan, and all the 
 adjacent countries, should be given to him, and his seed, 
 and that his seed should be multiplied as the stars of 
 heaven, and in his seed all nations should be blessed. 
 
 SECTION VI. — Esau and his Family. 
 CHAP. XXXVI. 
 
 1. Now these are the generations 
 of Esau, who is Edom. 
 
 2. Esau took his wives of the 
 daughters of Canaan; Adah the 
 daughter of Elon the Hittite, and 
 Aholibamah the daughter of Anah 
 the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite ; 
 
 3. And Bashemath Ishmael's 
 daughter, sister of Nebajoth. 
 
 4. And Adah bare to Esau Eli- 
 phaz: and Bashemath bare Reuel; 
 
 5. And Aholibamah bare Jeush, 
 and Jaalam, and Korah: these are 
 the sons of Esau, which were born 
 unto him in the land of Canaan. 
 
 6. IT And Esau took his wives, 
 and his sons, and his daughters, 
 and all the persons of his house, 
 and his cattle, and all his beasts, 
 and all his substance, which he had 
 got in the land of Canaan; and 
 went into the country from the 
 face of his brother Jacob. 
 
 7. For their riches were more 
 than that they might dwell toge- 
 ther; and the land wherein they 
 were strangers could not bear 
 them, because of their cattle. 
 
 8. Thus dwelt Esau in mount 
 Seir: Esau is Edom. 
 
 9. IT And these are the genera- 
 tions of Esau the father of the 
 Edomites in mount Seir- 
 
 10. These are the names of Esau's 
 sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the 
 wife of Esau, Reuel the son of 
 Bashemath the wife of Esau. 
 
 11. And the sons of Eliphaz were 
 Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, 
 and Kenaz. 
 
 12. And Tirana was concubine to 
 Eliphaz, Esau's son; and she bare 
 to Eliphaz, Amalek: these were the 
 sons of Adah , Esau's wife. 
 
 13. And these are the sons of 
 Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Sham- 
 mah, and Mizzah: these were the 
 sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife. 
 
 14. IT And these were the sons of 
 Aholibamah, the daughter of An- 
 ah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's 
 wife: and she bare to Esau, Jeush, 
 and Jaalam, and Korah. 
 
 15. IT These were dukes of the 
 sons of Esau; the sons of Eli- 
 phaz, the firstborn son of Esau; 
 
292 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 duke Teman, duke Omar, duke 
 Zepho, duke Kenaz, 
 
 16. Duke Korah, duke Gatam, 
 and duke Amalek; these are the 
 dukes that came of Eliphaz in the 
 land of Edom; these were the sons 
 of Adah. 
 
 17. IT And these are the sons of 
 Reuel, Esau's son; duke Nahath, 
 duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke 
 Mizzah: these are the dukes that 
 came of Reuel in the land of Edom; 
 these are the sons of Bashemath, 
 Esau's wife. 
 
 18. IT And these are the sons of 
 Aholibamah, Esau's wife; duke 
 Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: 
 these were the dukes that came of 
 Aholibamah the daughter of An- 
 ah, Esau's wife. 
 
 19. These are the sons of Esau, 
 who is Edom, and these are their 
 dukes. 
 
 40. And these are the names of 
 the dukes that came of Esau, ac- 
 cording to their families, after their 
 places, by their names; duke Tim- 
 nah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, 
 
 41. Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, 
 duke Pinon, 
 
 42. Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, 
 duke Mibzar, 
 
 43. Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: 
 these be the dukes of Edom, ac- 
 cording to their habitations in the 
 land of their possession: he w 
 Esau the father of the Edomites. 
 
 534. The wives of Esau are spoken of in another place, 
 but with some variations that may not be easily explained. 
 The variations may be best understood by placing the 
 passages side by side ; and here may be a suitable place 
 for noticing this subject : — 
 
 CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 34. IT And Esau was forty years 
 old when he took to wife Judith 
 the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, 
 and Bashemath the daughter of 
 Elon the Hittite: 
 
 35. Which Avere a grief of mind 
 unto Isaac and to Rebekah. 
 
 CHAP. XXVIII. 
 9. Then went Esau unto Ishmael, 
 and took unto the wives which he 
 had, Mahalath the daughter of 
 Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister 
 of Nebajoth, to be his wife. 
 
 CHAP. XXXVI. 
 
 1. Now these are the generations 
 of Esau, who is Edom. 
 
 2. Esau took his wives of the 
 daughters of Canaan; Adah the 
 daughter of Elon the Hittite, and 
 Aholibamah the daughter of Anah 
 the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 
 
 3. And Bashemath Ishmael's 
 daughter, sister of Nebajoth. 
 
 It would be easy to pass over the diflSculty here seen, 
 with the simple remark, which may or may not be true, 
 that the writer has made a mistake, or that some careless 
 copyist has committed a blunder ; yet this is the last con- 
 clusion that a judicious critic will be willing to adopt. 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 293 
 
 535. The best solution we know of, is, that Esau had 
 all the wives here mentioned : — 
 
 1. Judith, daughter of Beeri ; 2. Bashemath, daugh- 
 ter of Elon ; 3. Adah, another daughter of Elon ; 4. 
 Aholibamah, daughter of Anah ; and 5. Bashemath, 
 daughter of Ishmael. It is not at all unreasonable to 
 suppose that Esau married two sisters, daughters of Elon, 
 either at the same time or successively ; nor is it a far 
 fetched supposition, that he had two wives of the same 
 name, one of them a daughter of Elon, and the other a 
 daughter of Ishmael ; nor again is it an extraordinary or 
 unnatural supposition that one passage should name some 
 of his wives and omit others. The wives last named, and 
 not before, may not have been his wives, at the time to 
 which the first passage relates ; or when giving the gene- 
 alogy of Esau, as in chapter xxxvi, those wives only would 
 be named, who had children, while others that had none, 
 would be omitted. 
 
 536. The removal of Esau from the land of Canaan, is 
 an important circumstance, affecting the relation of the 
 two brothers. It was a concession on the part of Esau, 
 that the land of Canaan was more properly his brother's. 
 And it is worthy of being considered whether this remov- 
 al from Canaan, was not the fulfilment of the language 
 of Isaac to Esau, xxvii. 40, and " it shall come to pass 
 when thou shalt have dominion, that thou shalt break his 
 yoke from off thy neck.'' Thou shalt escape from his 
 dominion, and be no longer subject to his authority, which 
 by a divine arrangement, belongs only to the land of 
 Canaan. This removal by Esau, seems to be a final re- 
 moval ; for he had been at Mt. Seir before, and it was 
 there that he seems to have been visited by Jacob, on his 
 return from Padan-aram. It would appear from all the 
 circumstances, that Esau had established himself at Mt. 
 Seir, while Jacob was in Mesopotamia, and had acquired 
 there large possessions. From that place ha had made a 
 visit to his brother, as the latter was returning from his 
 sojourn with Laban ; and in turn had been visited by 
 Jicob, in his progress to Canaan. Still later, both brothers 
 are found together with their aged father in Hebron ; and 
 by their united services, the old man is carried to his final 
 
294 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 resting place in Machpelah. It is then agreed that, as 
 the possessions of both brothers are very great, and as 
 the divine promise had designated Jacob for the possession 
 and government of Canaan, Esau shall entirely leave that 
 country and establish himself permanently at Mount Seir, 
 where he had before had a temporary residence, and where 
 he had married one or more of his wives. The passage 
 now under consideration, relates to the carrying out of 
 this plan, and the reason that induced it. 
 
 537. ' ' Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter 
 of Zibeon." It is remarkable how many difficulties some 
 men find in the Bible where there are none. And on the 
 other hand, how exceedingly obtuse the vision of these 
 men to any rational explanation of apparent difficulties 
 when such explanation lies directly before their eyes. 
 Here, says one, Anah is called the daughter of Zibeon ; 
 but in another place, in the same chapter, verse 24, the 
 same Anah is called the son of Zibeon. The truth is, 
 however, that, Anah is not called the daughter of Zibeon. 
 The passage says that Aholibamah was daughter of Anah, 
 daughter of Zibeon. It was Aholibamah that was daugh- 
 ter of Anah, and also daughter of Zibeon : that is, daugh- 
 ter of Anah, and grand-daughter of Zibeon ; and as Anah 
 was son of Zibeon, of course a daughter of the former, 
 would be grand-daughter of the latter. I am not aware 
 that grand-sons or grand-daughters are mentioned in the 
 Bible, the words son and daughter expressing both rela- 
 tions. The examples of this usage are too abundant not 
 to occur at once to the mind of the reader. In this same 
 chapter, verse 12, the grand-sons of Adah, wife of Esau, 
 are called her sons ; and in verse 13, the grand-sons of 
 Bashemath, another wife of Esau, are called her sons . 
 
 538. It will probably occur to the reader, as a very 
 natural circumstance, that Esau, having before this, re- 
 sided at Mt. Seir, should have formed connections with 
 the people of that country ; and having formed such con- 
 nections, that he should finally make that his permanent 
 residence, and at length succeed to the entire government 
 of the country. 
 
 539. It is worthy of remark, that, as the sons of Seir, 
 who had governed the country before it came into the 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 295 
 
 hands of Esau, are called dukes, the same name is applied 
 to the sons and grand-sons of Esau. The former, however, 
 were only seven in number, while the latter are fourteen, 
 which may arise from the government being enlarged, so 
 as to give each a province for his control ; or one portion 
 of these dukes may have been the successors of the 
 others. 
 
 540. For some reason, not apparent, another set of 
 dukes is added, after tracing the lineage and government 
 of Seir, eleven in number, and having some of the same 
 names with the former ones. This passage has the ap- 
 pearance of a supplement, intended to supply some omis- 
 sions ; and indeed this may have been its design. When 
 the country was under the government of Seir and his 
 family, it was first governed by dukes, who reigned con- 
 jointly, and afterwards by kings, who succeeded each 
 other. But no mention is made of kings among the sons 
 of Esau. 
 
 SECTION VII. — Seir, King of Edom. 
 
 CHAP. XXXVI. 
 
 20. ^ These are the sons of Seir 
 the Horite, who inhabited the land ; 
 Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, 
 and An ah, 
 
 21. And Dishon, and Ezer, and 
 Dishan: these are the dukes of the 
 Horites, the children of Seir in the 
 land of Edom. 
 
 22. And the children of Lotan 
 were Hori and Heman; and Lo- 
 tan's sister was Timna. 
 
 23. And the children of Shobal 
 were these; Alvan, and Manahath, 
 and Ebal, Shepho, and On am. 
 
 24. And these are the children of 
 Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this 
 was that Anah that found the 
 mules in the wilderness, as he fed 
 the asses of Zibeon his fxther. 
 
 25. And the children of Anah 
 were these; Dishon, and Aholiba- 
 mah the dausrhter of Anah. 
 
 26. And tliese are the children 
 of Dishon; Heradan, and Eshban, 
 and Ithran, and Cheran. 
 
 27. The children of Ezer are 
 these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and 
 Akan. 
 
 28. The children of Dishan are 
 these; Uz, and Aran. 
 
 29. These are the dukes that 
 came of the Horites; duke Lotan, 
 duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke 
 Anah, 
 
 30. Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, 
 duke Dishan: these are the dukes 
 that came of Hori, among their 
 dukes in the land of Seir. 
 
 31. IT And these are the kings 
 that reigned in the land of Edom, 
 before there reigned any king over 
 the children of Israel. 
 
 32. And Bela the son of Beor 
 reigned in Edom: and the name of 
 his city was Dinhabah- 
 
 33. And Bela died, and Jobab 
 the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned 
 in his stead. 
 
 34. And Jobab died, and Hush- 
 
296 
 
 ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 am of the land of Temani reigned 
 in his stead. 
 
 35 And Husham died, and Ha- 
 dad the son of Bedad, who smote 
 Midian in the field of Moab, reign- 
 ed in his stead: and the name of 
 his city was Avith. 
 
 36. And Hadad died, and Sam- 
 lah of Masrekah reigned in his 
 
 37. And Samlah died, and Saul 
 
 of Rehoboth by the ri ^er reigned 
 in his stead. 
 
 38. And Saul died, and Baal-ha- 
 nan the son of Achbor reigned in 
 his stead. 
 
 39. And Baal-hanan the son of 
 Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in 
 his stead: and the name of his city 
 icas Pan; and his wife's name was 
 Mehetabel, the daughter of Ma- 
 tred, the daughter ot Mezahab. 
 
 541. The Seir here mentioned, held the land of Edom 
 before it came into the possession of Esau and his descend- 
 ants. He is called the Horite, though the name seems 
 to have originated at a later day, and to have been derived 
 from Hori his grand-son. 
 
 542. Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, is 
 here associated with this circumstance, from some impor- 
 tance attached to it, that does not appear on the surface 
 of the record. To find some stray mules in the wilder- 
 ness, was a very small affair in itself; and unless there is 
 something else understood by the writer, and presumed 
 to be understood by the reader, we see no good reason 
 for stating it. We would suggest whether the meaning 
 is not, that this Anah found out the way of raising mules, 
 as he fed or had charge of the asses of his father, in the 
 wilderness. Such an invention is a circumstance worthy 
 of notice, perhaps, while the other cannot be so regarded. 
 
 543. It will be observed that the immediate sons of 
 Seir, are all called dukes. Each seems to have had a par- 
 ticular territory or province over which he exercised 
 authority, not successively, but cotemporarily. At a 
 subsequent period, the country was governed by kings, 
 who reigned in succession, as is obvious from the lan- 
 uage that one died and another reigned in his stead. 
 It is farther obvious that the term of each reign was 
 during life. 
 
 544. " These kings reigned in the land of Edom, before 
 there reigned any king over the children of Israel." 
 This passage is thought to be a gloss, and to have been 
 inserted at a late day, when there were kings that reigned 
 over the children of Israel ; but I would suggest that 
 
ISAAC AND HIS FAMILY. 297 
 
 another construction is possible ; and the character of 
 the passage renders it not improbable. Edom, the coun- 
 try here spoken of, was at first in the hands of one Seir 
 and his family, whose sons had at first governed it con- 
 jointly ; and afterwards it was governed by a succession 
 of kings, from the same tribe. All this was before it came 
 into the possession of Esau ; and this is the fact the writer 
 desires to inform us of. May not the passage, therefore, 
 be construed thus : — These kings reigned in the land of 
 Edom, before there reigned there any king over the chil- 
 dren of Israel ; meaning by the " children of Israel," the 
 descendants of Esau ; as that name, though strictly 
 applicable only to the sons of Jacob, would be apt to be 
 applied to all the descendants of Abraham. On the same 
 principle, Nahoris called an Aramean, from his grand-son 
 Aram ; and Seir is called a Horite, from Hori, among his 
 descendants. 
 
 545. Rehoboth by the River. There are several places 
 called Rehoboth, mentioned in the book of Genesis ; and 
 hence some circumstance, to distinguish one from the 
 other, had to be named. Rehoboth is the name of a city 
 built by Asshur in Assyria, x. 11 ; and it is there called 
 the city Rehoboth, to distinguish it, it may be, from the 
 well Rehoboth, xxvi. 22, belonging to Isaac. The city Re- 
 hoboth in Edom, is said to be on the river, to distinguish 
 it from the one in Assyria, or some other, not so located. 
 
 546. It is worthy of being added, that all the kings 
 mentioned on this list, are spoken of, each in connection 
 with a particular city, with hut one exception. No city is 
 named in connection with Baal-hanan ; but he is called 
 son of Achbor. Is not the meaning, that he was a citizen 
 of Achbor, as son is often used in this sense. This would 
 make the passages alike. 
 
 547. Why Mehetabel, wife of Hadar, is distinguished 
 by being named in this connection, does not appear, 
 though she was probably remarkable for some trait of 
 character, or important transaction, that made her worthy 
 of this distinction. 
 
 13* 
 
298 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Contents ; — Jacob goes to Padan-aram ; His Marriage ; His 
 Family ; Contract with Laban ; Leaves Laban ; I'he Pursued ; 
 Interview at Mount Gilead ; Prepares to meet Esau ; Meeting 
 of the Brothers ; Sojourn at Shalem ; Goes to Bethel ; Returns 
 to Isaac ; Joseph sold into Egypt ; Judah ; Joseph Tempted ; 
 Dreams of the Butler and Baker ; Pharaoh's Dreams ; Joseph 
 placed over the Land of Egypt ; First Journey to Egypt ; Second 
 Journey ; The Silver Cup ; Joseph made known to his Brethren ; 
 Jacob sent for ; Jacob goes to Egypt ; Joseph meets his Father ; 
 Interview of the Brethreii with Pharaoh ; Interview of the Father 
 with Pharaoh ; The Famine ; Israel about to die ; He blesses the 
 Sons of Joseph ; Blesses his own Sons ; Death of Jacob ; Death 
 of Joseph. 
 
 The birth of Jacob, and some other circum stances con- 
 nected with his life, have been noticed in connection with 
 the life of Isaac, as belonging more appropriately there. 
 Other things belong more properly to the present chapter. 
 
 SECTION I. — Jacob goes to Padan-aram. 
 
 CHAP. xxvn. 
 
 41 . IT And Esau hated Jacob, be- 
 cause of the blessing wherewith his 
 father blessed him : and Esau said 
 in his heart, The days of mourning 
 for my father are at hand, then will 
 I slay my brother Jacob. 
 
 42. And these words of Esau her 
 elder son were told to Rebekah. 
 And she sent and called Jacob her 
 younger son and said unto him, 
 Behold, thy brother Esau, as touch- 
 ing thee,doth comfort himself,pMr- 
 posing to kill thee. 
 
 43. Now, therefore, my son, obey 
 my voice: and arise, flee thou to 
 Laban my brother, to Haran ; 
 
 44. And tarry with him a few 
 days, until thy brother's fury turn 
 away; 
 
 45. Until thy brother's anger 
 turn away from thee, and he forget 
 that which thou hast done to him: 
 then I will send and fetch thee from 
 thence. Why should I be deprived 
 also of you both in one day ? 
 
 46. And Rebekah said to Isaac, 
 I am weary of my lite because of 
 the daughters of Heth : if Jacob 
 take a wife of the daughters of 
 Heth, such as these which are of 
 the daughters of the land, what 
 good shall my life do me ? 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 299 
 
 CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 1. And Isaac called Jacob, and 
 blessed him, and charged him, and 
 said unto him, Thou shalt not take 
 a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 
 
 2. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to 
 the house of Bethuel thy mother's 
 father, and take thee a wife from 
 thence of the daughters of Laban, 
 thy mother's brother. 
 
 3. And God Almighty bless thee, 
 and make thee fruitful, and multi- 
 ply thee, that thou mayest be a 
 multitude of people; 
 
 4. And give thee the blessing of 
 Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed 
 with thee ; that thou mayest inherit 
 the land wherein thou art a stran- 
 ger, which God gave unto Abram. 
 
 5. And Isaac sent away Jacob: 
 and he went to Padan-aram, unto 
 Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, 
 the brother of Rebekah, Jacob and 
 Esau's mother. 
 
 6. When Esau saw that Isaac had 
 blessed Jacob, and sent him away 
 to Padan-aram, to take him a wife 
 from thence ; and that, as he bless- 
 ed him, he gave him a charge, 
 saying. Thou shalt not take a wife 
 of the daughters of Canaan ; 
 
 7. And that Jacob obeyed his 
 father and his mother, and was 
 gone to Padan-aram ; 
 
 8. And Esau seeing that the 
 daughters of Canaan pleased not 
 Isaac his father : 
 
 9. Then went Esau unto Ishmael, 
 and took unto the wives which he 
 had, Mahalath, the daughter of 
 Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister 
 of Nebajoth to be his wife. 
 
 10. IT And Jacob went out from 
 Eeersheba, and went toward Ha- 
 ran. 
 
 IL And he lighted upon a certain 
 place, and tarried there all night, 
 because the sun was set: and he 
 took of the stones of that place, 
 and put them for his pillows, and 
 lay down in that place to sleep. 
 
 12. And he dreamed, and, be- 
 
 hold, a ladder set up on the earth, 
 and the top of it reached to heaven: 
 and, behold, the angels of God as- 
 cending and descending on it. 
 
 13. And, behold, the Lord stood 
 above it, and said, I am the Lord 
 God of Abraham thy father, and 
 the God of Isaac : the land whereon 
 thou liest, to thee will I give it, 
 and to thy seed ; 
 
 14. And thy seed shall be as the 
 dust of the earth; and thou shalt 
 spread abroad to the west, and to 
 the east, aad to the north, and to 
 the south; and in thee, and in thy 
 seed, shall all the families of the 
 earth be blessed. 
 
 15. And, behold, lam with thee, 
 and will keep thee in all places 
 whither thou goest, and will bring 
 thee again into this land : for I will 
 not leave thee, until I have done 
 that which I have spoken to thee of 
 
 16. And Jacob awaked out of his 
 sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord 
 is in this place, and I knew it not. 
 
 17. And he was afraid, and said, 
 how dreadful is this place ; this is 
 none other but the house of God, 
 and this is the gate of heaven. 
 
 18. And Jacob rose up early in 
 the morning, and took the stone 
 that he had put jTor his pillows, and 
 set it up /or a pillar, and poured 
 oil upon the top of it. 
 
 19. And he called the name of 
 that place Bethel : but the name of 
 that city was called Luz at the first. 
 
 20. And Jacob vowed a vow, say- 
 ing, If God will be with me, and 
 will keep me in this way that I go, 
 and will give me bread to eat, and 
 raiment to put on, 
 
 21. So that I come again to my 
 father's house in peace; then shall 
 the Lord be my God : 
 
 22. And this stone, which I have 
 set for a pillar, shall be God's 
 house: and of all that thou shalt 
 give me I will surely give the tenth 
 unto thee. 
 
300 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 CHAP. XXIX. 
 
 1. Then Jacob went on his jour- 
 ney, and came into the land of the 
 people of the east. 
 
 2. And he looked, and behold a 
 well in the field, and lo, there were 
 three flocks of sheep lying by it; 
 foi' out of that well they watered 
 the flocks: and a great stone was 
 upon the well's mouth. 
 
 3. And thither were all the flocks 
 gathered: and they rolled the stone 
 from the well's mouth, and watered 
 the sheep, and put the stone again 
 upon the well's mouth in his place. 
 
 4. And Jacob said unto them. 
 My brethren, whence be ye? And 
 they said, Uf Haran are we. 
 
 5. And he said unto them. Know 
 ye Laban the son of Nahor ? And 
 they said. We know him. 
 
 6. And he said unto them. Is he 
 well? And they said. He is well: 
 and behold, Rachel his daughter 
 cometh with the sheep. 
 
 7. And he said, Lo, it is yet high 
 day, neither is it time that the cat- 
 tle should be gathered together: 
 water ye the sheep, and go and 
 feed them. 
 
 8. And they said. We cannot, 
 until all the flocks be gathered to- 
 
 gether, and till they roll the stone 
 from the well's mouth; then we 
 water the sheep. 
 
 9. And while he yet spake with 
 them, Rachel came with her fath- 
 er's sheep; for she kept them. 
 
 10. And it came to pass, when 
 Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of 
 Laban his mother's brother, and 
 the sheep of Laban his mother's 
 brother, that Jacob went near, and 
 rolled the stone from the v.eirs 
 mouth, and watered the flock of 
 Laban his mother's brother. 
 
 11. And Jacob kissed Rachel, 
 and lifted up his voice, and wept. 
 
 12. And Jacob told Rachel that 
 he was her father's brother, and 
 that he was Rebekah's son: and 
 she ran and told her father. 
 
 13. And it came to pass, when 
 Laban heard the tidings of Jacob 
 his sister's son, that he ran to meet 
 him, and embraced him, and kissed 
 him and brought him to his house. 
 And he told Laban all these things. 
 
 14. And Laban said to him, 
 Surely thou art my bone and my 
 flesh. And he abode with him the 
 space of a month. 
 
 548. It does not appear that Isaac was informed as to 
 the intention of Esan,to slay his brother. Rebekah does 
 not seem to have desired to make known this circumstance 
 to him. Hence the reason given him by Rebekah, for 
 sending away Jacob, washer extreme unwillingness that 
 he should marry among the people of Canaan. " Rebekah 
 said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the 
 daughters of Ileth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters 
 of Heth, such as these which are the daughters of the 
 land, what good shall my life do me." Isaac acted ac- 
 cording to her wishes — he called his son Jacob to him, 
 renews his blessing upon him, admonishes him not to 
 take a wife of the daughters of Canaan, and sends him to 
 Padan-aram, to select a wife from among his mother's 
 relations. The reference made by Rebekah to the daugh- 
 ters of Heth, rather than to any other tribe of the land uf 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 301 
 
 Canaan, was suggested, and is explained by the fact, that 
 Esau had married into that tribe, and taken two of his 
 wives therefrom, xxvi. 34. 
 
 549. The blessing pronounced on Jacob, on the occa- 
 sion of his leaving, xxviii. 3, 4, contains a reference to 
 the promise that had been made to Abraham. It was 
 quite natural that a promise, so important, and coming 
 from such a source, should be made known to Abraham's 
 posterity, and should be regarded with special satisfaction 
 by those who reckoned themselves as the subjects of its 
 blessings. 
 
 550. A tribute is paid to the character of Esau, when 
 it is said that, having discovered that Isaac was not 
 pleased with his having married among the people of 
 Canaan, he went and took another wife from the family 
 of Ishmael. Indeed we shall find many things in the 
 conduct of Esau, to admire, though he was not chosen to 
 represent the family of Abraham. 
 
 551. It is worthy of being observed, that what Isaac 
 had craved in his blessing upon Jacob, is now announced 
 to Jacob himself by the divine Being ; and the blessing 
 of Abraham is declared to be his. xxviii. 10-15. 
 
 552. " Surely the Lord was in this place and I knew 
 it not." That was truly an honest confession. The same 
 mistake was common among the patriarchs. Abram had 
 made that mistake, when he went down into Egypt ; and 
 from the apprehension that there was no God there, had 
 felt himself called upon to guard against wrong and out- 
 rage by deception and fraud. Isaac had made the same 
 mistake while he sojourned with the Philistines : and now 
 Jacob labors under the impression, that, since he is far 
 away from the sacred altar at Beersheba, he is therefore 
 out of the reach of the divine presence. There was how- 
 ever a God in Egypt : and there was a God in the land 
 of the Philistines : and the same was true of the country 
 where Jacob reposed his head, for the night, upon a heap 
 of stones, not daring, it may be, to ask the hospitality of 
 the people of that (so regarded) godless land. 
 
 553. " This is none other but the house of God.'' The 
 idea here conveyed, is, that this ladder reached up into 
 
302 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 the house of God, or the residence of tlie Almighty. The 
 remark was probably a part of the dream ; and it gave 
 name to the place, for the meaning of Bethel is " house 
 of God." It is quite probable that what is here called a 
 city, was not such at the time when Jacob lodged there, 
 but became a city at a later day. It was at first called 
 Luz. 
 
 554. The promise of Jacob to give God the tenth of all 
 he had, was suggested, perhaps, by the conduct of Abra- 
 ham on a former occasion ; xiv. 20 ; and may be the 
 ground on which the system of tithes was instituted, at 
 a subsequent period, among the children of Israel. 
 
 555. The meeting at the well, the friendly kiss, the 
 hospitable reception, and all the circumstances recorded 
 in the same connection, are the characteristics of that 
 primitive age ; and one is half inclined, while reading this 
 narrative to wish himself away from what are called the 
 refinements of civilized society, and among the honest and 
 simple hearted people of those earl}^ days. 
 
 SECTION II. —Jacob's Marriage. 
 CHAP. XXIX. 
 
 15. And Laban said unto Jacob, 
 Because thou art my brother, 
 shouldest thou therefore serve me 
 for nought? tell me, vfhdit shall thy 
 wages be ? 
 
 16. And Laban had two daugh- 
 ters: the name of the elder was Le- 
 ah, and the name of the younger 
 was Rachel. 
 
 17. Leah was tender-eyed; but 
 Rachel was beautifnl and well-fa- 
 Tored. 
 
 18. And Jacob loved Rachel ; and 
 
 21. IT And Jacob said unto La- 
 ban. Give me my wife, for my days 
 are fulfilleil, that I may go in unto 
 her. 
 
 22. And Laban gathered toge- 
 ther all the men of the place, and 
 made a feast. 
 
 23. And it came to pass in the 
 evening, that he took Leah his 
 daughter, and brought her to him; 
 and he went in unto her, 
 
 24. And Laban gave unto his 
 daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid ybr 
 
 Slid, I will serve thee seven years an handmaid. 
 
 for Rachel thy younger daughter. ! 25. And it came to pass, that in 
 
 19. And Laban sii'l, It is better the morning, behold, it was Leah; 
 that I give her to thee, than that I and he said to Laban, What is this 
 should give her to another man: thou hast done unto me? did not I 
 abide with me. I serve with thee for Rachel ? wherc- 
 
 20. And Jacob served seven years fore then hast thou beguilded me ? 
 for Rachel; and they seemed unto 26. And Laban said, It must not 
 him hut a few days, for the love he be so done in our country, to give 
 had to her. ^ the younger before the first-born. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 303 
 
 27. Fulfil her week, and -we will 
 give thee this also, for the service 
 which thou shalt serve with me yet 
 seven other years. 
 
 28. And Jacob did so, and ful- 
 filled her week: and he gave him 
 Rachel his daughter to wife also. 
 
 29. And Laban gave to Rachel 
 his daughter, Bilhah his handmaid, 
 to be her maid. 
 
 30. And he went in also unto 
 Rachel, and he loved also Rachel 
 more than Leah, and served with 
 him yet seven other years. 
 
 556. The deception practiced upon Jacob by Laban, 
 as a moral transaction, cannot be justified : and we are 
 not called upon to justify it. The same remark applies 
 to the deceptive practices of others alluded to in the book. 
 If it be said that these things are not condemned in the 
 narrative, v^e reply that the writer is a historian, and as 
 such it was his business to give us facts, and not to moral- 
 ize upon the transactions he records. 
 
 The social customs brought to view in this passage are 
 treated of in the chapter on Archaeology. 
 
 SECTION III. —Jacob's Family. 
 
 557. Jacob had four classes of children ; and the pas- 
 sages that relate to their birth, may be arranged with ref- 
 erence to this circumstance. 
 
 CHAP. XXIX. 
 Children of Leah. 
 
 31. IT And when the Lord saw 
 that Leah rvas hated, he opened 
 her womb: but Rachel ivas barren. 
 
 32. And Leah conceived, and 
 bare a son. and she called his name 
 Reuben: for she said. Surely the 
 Lord hath looked upon ray afflic- 
 tion; now therefore my husband 
 will love me. 
 
 33. And she conceived again, 
 and bare a son ; and said, Because 
 the Lord hath heard that I was 
 hated, he hath therefore given me 
 this son also: and she called his 
 name Simeon. 
 
 34. And she conceived again, 
 and bare a son, and said. Now this 
 time will my husband be joined 
 unto me, because I have borne him 
 three sons: therefore was his name 
 called Levi. 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 Children of Rachel. 
 
 22. IT And God remembered Ra- 
 chel, and God hearkened to her, 
 and opened her womb. 
 
 23. And she conceived, and bare 
 a son; and said, God hath taken 
 away my reproach : 
 
 24. And she called his name Jo- 
 seph; and said, The Lord shall add 
 to me another eon. 
 
304 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Children of Leah. 
 35. And she conceived again, 
 and bare a son: and she said, Now 
 •will I praise the Lord: therefore 
 she called his name Judah; and 
 left bearing. 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 Children of Rachel. 
 16. IT And they journeyed from 
 Bethel, and there was but a little 
 way to come to Ephrath ; and Ra- 
 chel travailed, and she had hard 
 
 ! labor. 
 
 i 17. And it came to pass, when 
 she was in hard labor, that the 
 midwife said unto her, Fear not; 
 thou shalt have this son also. 
 
 i 18. And it came to pass, as her 
 soul was in departing, (for she 
 died) that she called his name Ben- 
 oni: but his father called him 
 Benjamin. 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 
 14. IT And Reuben went in the 
 days of Avheat harvest, and found 
 mandrakes in the licld ; and brought 
 them unto his mother Leah. Then 
 Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I 
 pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. 
 
 15. And she said unto her, Is it 
 a small matter that thou hast taken 
 my husband ? and wouldest thou 
 take away my son's mandrakes 
 also ? And Rachel said, Therefore 
 he shall lie with thee to-night for 
 thy son's mandrakes. 
 
 16. And Jacob came oitt of the 
 field in the evening, and Leah 
 went out to meet hira, and said, 
 Thou must come in unto me; for 
 surely I have hired thee with my 
 son's mandrakes. And he lay with 
 her that night. 
 
 17. And God hearkened unto Le- 
 ah, and she conceived, and bare 
 Jacob the fifth son. 
 
 18. And Leah said, God hath 
 given me my hire, because I have 
 given my maiden to my husband: 
 and she called his name Issachar. 
 
 19. And Leah conceived again, 
 and bare Jacob the sixth son. 
 
 20. And Leah said , God hath en- 
 dowed meivith a good dowry: now 
 will my husband dwell with me, 
 because I have borne him six sons: 
 and she called his name Zebulon. 
 
 21. And .afterwards she bare a 
 daughter, and called her name 
 Dinah. 
 
 558. That the Lord intended the fruitfulness of Leah 
 to offset against the beauty of Rachel, as the writer rep- 
 resents, may be set down as one of his inferences ; 
 though the principle from which it is derived, is one of 
 general application, so that the advantages of individuals 
 are more evenly balanced than is commonly supposed. 
 The conclusion* of Leah that she bore children because 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 o05 
 
 God had heard she was hated, is of the same character, 
 as the one just noticed. 
 
 559. Several expressions contained in these passages, 
 show how intense was the desire for offspring in those 
 days, the more intense, perhaps, where they were most 
 denied. 
 
 560. The mandrakes, we may infer, were regarded as 
 medicine, and good for the infirmity to which the wives 
 were both at times subject. With this view, the allusion 
 to them is significant, and appropriate in this connection, 
 though indicating a simplicity that we find it difficult to 
 appreciate at the present day. 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 Children of Leah's Maid. 
 
 9. When Leah saw that she had 
 left bearing, she took Zilpah, her 
 miiil, and gave her Jacob to wife. 
 
 10. And Zilpah, Leah's maid, 
 b.ire Jacob a son. 
 
 11. And Leah said, A troop com- 
 eth : and she called his name Gad. 
 
 12. iind Zilpah, Leah's maid, 
 bare Jacob a second son. 
 
 13. And Leah said, Happy am 
 I, for the daughters will call me 
 blessed: and she called his name 
 Assher. 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 
 Children of Rachel's Maid. 
 
 1. And when Rachel saw that 
 she bare Jacob no children, Rachel 
 envied her sister; and said unto 
 Jacob, Give me children, or else I 
 die. 
 
 2. And Jacob's anger was kin- 
 dled against Rachel: and he said. 
 Am I in God's stead, who hath 
 withheld from thee the fruit of t lie 
 womb? 
 
 3. And she said. Behold my maid 
 Bilhah, go in unto her; and she 
 sjall bear upon my knees, that I 
 may also have children by her. 
 
 4. And she gave him Bilhah her 
 handmaid to wife: and Jacob went 
 in unto her. 
 
 5. And Bilhah conceived, and 
 bare Jacob a son. 
 
 6. And Rachel said, God hath 
 judged me, and hath also heard 
 my voice, and hath given me a son : 
 therefore called she his name Dan. 
 
 7. And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, 
 conceived again, and bare Jacob a 
 second son. 
 
 8. And Rachel said, With great 
 wrestlings have I wrestled with my 
 sister, and I have prevailed; and 
 she called his name Naphtali. 
 
 56i. " She shall bear upon my knees" — she shall 
 bear me children, to be tended upon my knees, is proba- 
 bly the true meaning. 
 
306 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 The remark of Rachel that she would die if she had 
 no children, maybe regarded as a singular contrast to the 
 actual result of having them. It often occurs that what 
 we most desire, wall end in our greatest injury. 
 
 562. All the names of Jacob's sons and daughters are 
 significant, and were suggested by some circumstance 
 connected with their birth. We give here the names and 
 their definition, together with the remark of the mother 
 suggesting it. 
 J\'^ames. Definitions. Remarks. 
 
 Reuben. 
 
 See a son. 
 
 Surely the Lord hath looked upon 
 my affliction. 
 
 Simeon. 
 
 Hearing. 
 
 The Lord had heard that I was hated. 
 
 Levi. 
 
 Joined. 
 
 This time will my husband be joined 
 unto me. 
 
 Judah. 
 
 Praise. 
 
 Now will I praise the Lord. 
 
 Dan. 
 
 Judge, 
 
 God hath judged me. 
 
 Naphtali. 
 
 Wrestling. 
 
 With great wrestling have I wrest- 
 led with my sister. 
 
 Gad. 
 
 A Troop. 
 
 A troop cometh. 
 
 Asher. 
 
 Blessed. 
 
 The daughters will call me blessed. 
 
 Issachar. 
 
 Wages. 
 
 God hath given me my hire. 
 
 Zebulon. 
 
 Dwelling. 
 
 Now will my husband dwell with me. 
 
 Joseph. 
 
 Adding. 
 
 The Lord shall add to me another son. 
 
 Benjamin. 
 
 Son of my right hand 
 
 , 
 
 Dinah. 
 
 Judgment. 
 
 
 563. Remark. — Benjamin was at first called Ben-oni, 
 son of my sorrow, for an obvious reason ; but the reason 
 for changing this to Benjamin is not so obvious. Dinah 
 is called judgment, for a reason that does not appear. 
 May be she was born about the time Dan was, a son of 
 Rachel, and was named wdth a similar name : for Dan 
 and Dinah differ in Hebrew, only that one has the mascu- 
 line form, and the other the feminine. 
 
 564. The list of Jacob's children is repeated in 
 another passage thus : — 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 23. The sons of Leah : Reuben, 
 Jacob's first born, and Simeon, and 
 Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, 
 and Zebulon. 
 
 24. The sons of Rachel: Joseph, 
 and Benjamin: 
 
 25. And the sons of Bilhah, 
 
 Rachel's handmaid : Dan, and 
 Naphtali : 
 
 26. And the sons of Zilpah, 
 Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher. 
 These arc the sons of Jacob, which 
 were born to him in Padan-aram. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 307 
 
 Benjamin was not born in Padan-aram or Mesopotamia, 
 as the passage states ; but the place and circumstances of 
 his birth, having been just referred to by the writer, no 
 one could be misled by his being associated with the 
 others who were born in that country. Such discrepancies 
 belong to all historical documents. 
 
 565. Another list, including Jacob's grand-children, 
 as well as children, is found in another connection, and is 
 given as follows : — 
 
 CHAP. XLVI. 
 
 8. IT And these are the names of 
 the children of Israel, which came 
 into Egypt: Jacob and his sons; 
 Keuben, Jacob's first-born. 
 
 9. And the sons of Reuben ; Ha- 
 noch, and Phallu, andHezron,and 
 Carmi. 
 
 10. IT And the sons of Simeon: 
 Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and 
 Jachin, and Zohar: and Shaul, the 
 son of a Canaanitish woman. 
 
 11. IT And the sons of Levi: Ger- 
 shon, Kohath, and Merari. 
 
 12. IT And the sons of Judah : Er, 
 and Onan, Shelah, Fharez, and Za- 
 rah : but Er and Onan died in the 
 land of Canaan. And the sons of 
 Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. 
 
 13. IT And the sons of Issachar; 
 Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and 
 Shimron. 
 
 14. IT And the sons of Zebulon; 
 Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 
 
 15. These be the sons of Leah, 
 which she bare unto Jacob in Pa- 
 dan-aram, with his daughter Di- 
 nah: all the souls of his sons and 
 his daughters were thirty and three, 
 
 16. And the sons of Gad: Ziphi 
 on, and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, 
 Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 
 
 17. And thesonsof Asher; Jim- 
 nah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Be- 
 riah, and Serah their sister: And 
 the sons of Beriah ; Heber, and 
 Malchil. 
 
 18. These are the sons of Zilpah, 
 
 whom Laban gave to Leah Ms 
 daughter : and these she bare unto 
 Jacob, even sixteen souls. 
 
 19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob's 
 wife; Joseph and Benjamin. 
 
 20. And unto Joseph, in the land 
 of Egypt, were born Manasseh and 
 Ephraim. which Asenath, the 
 daughter of Poti-pherah priest of 
 On, bare unto him. 
 
 21. And the sons of Benjamin 
 v:ere Belah , and Becher, and Ash- 
 hel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and 
 Rosh, IMuppim, and Huppim, and 
 Ard. 
 
 22. These are the sons of Rachel, 
 which were born to Jacob ; all the 
 souls were fourteen. 
 
 23. And the sons of Dan; Hu- 
 shim. 
 
 24. And the sons of Naphtali; 
 Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and 
 Shillem. 
 
 25. These are the sons of Bilhah, 
 which Laban gave unto Rachel his 
 daughter : and she bare these unto 
 Jacob: all the souls were seven. 
 
 26. 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: 
 
 27. AndthesonsofJoseph,which, 
 were born him in Egypt, were two 
 souls ; all the souls of the house of 
 
 j Jacob, which came into Egypt, 
 ' were threescore and ten. 
 
 566. It will be seen that all the sons of Jacob had 
 
308 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 children that are named on this list. Some of their grand- 
 children are also mentioned. 
 
 567. It appears that some of the sons had wives, out- 
 side of the tribe to which they belonged. Shaul, one of 
 the sons of Simeon, is spoken of as son of a Canaanitish 
 woman. All the sons of Judah, too, a» we learn from 
 another passage, xxxviii. 2, were the fruit of a similar 
 marriage. The wife of Joseph was daughter of Poti- 
 pherah, priest of On, who from his position, must have 
 been a man of eminence. Of course she was an Egyptian. 
 
 568. It will be regarded perhaps, as not a little remark- 
 able, that so few dangliters are found on this list. Jacob 
 had but one, namely, Dinah. Asher, too, had one daugh- 
 ter, Serah. It is possible, however, that some others 
 among these names were daughters, for 1 take it that the 
 term " sons," in giving a family list, does not exclude 
 this idea ; and if this be admitted it will remove a difficulty 
 in verse 15th, where the sons and daughters of Jacob by 
 Leah and her handmaid, are spoken of, while apparently 
 no daughters are mentioned but Dinah. I conclude that 
 some of the names, among the grand-children, were 
 daughters. 
 
 569. The number of 33 includes not only the children 
 and grand-children of Leah, but Jacob the father, and two 
 sons that died in Canaan, Er and Onan. The number QQ 
 leaves out Er and Onan, and the two sons of Joseph born 
 in Egypt ; but it includes Jacob himself and Joseph. 
 
 570. It is remarkable that Benjamin the youngest had 
 the largest number of children ; but the Septuagint re- 
 gards some of them as his grand-children. With either 
 view, there seems a little difficulty. Just before this, 
 Benjamin is spoken of as a mere lad, too young to be 
 trusted from home. He is now the father of several 
 children, and perhaps some grand-children. The proba- 
 bility is, that some of the persons named as his children 
 were born in Egypt, and belong to a later period. 
 
 571. It will readily be seen that the nicest accuracy 
 of language is not observed in making out this list. 
 " These are the names of the children of Israel that came 
 into Egypt, xlvi. 8 ;" butin giving tlie names, Israel him- 
 self, as well as his children, are included. Verse 7 th 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 309 
 
 mentions his sons and daughters, while the enumeration 
 contains but one daughter. It is said they " came into 
 Egypt," but two are mentioned on the list, and are neces- 
 sary to make out the full number, that died in Canaan, 
 and of course did not come into Egypt. " All the souls 
 
 that came with Jacob into Egypt were three 
 
 score and six;" but this number includes Jacob himself, 
 as well as those that came with him ; it also includes 
 Joseph that came before and not with Jacob. The candid 
 and honest reader will not be disposed to find fault with 
 these trifling inaccuracies. It is only the captious that 
 seek to use them against the truth of the Bible record. 
 
 SECTION lY. — Jacob's Contract with Laban. 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 
 2§. IT And it came to pass, when 
 Rachel had borne Joseph, that Ja- 
 cob said unto Laban, Send me 
 away, that I may go unto mine 
 own place, and to my country. 
 
 26. Give me my wives and my 
 children, for whom I have served 
 thee, and let me go ; for thou 
 knowest my service which I have 
 done thee. 
 
 27. And Laban said unto hioi, 
 I pray thee, if I have found favor 
 in thine eyes, tarry: fori have 
 learned by experience that the Lord 
 hath blessed me for thy sake. 
 
 28. And he said, Appoint me thy 
 wages, and I will give it. 
 
 29. And he said unto him. Thou 
 knowest how I have served thee, 
 and how tliy cattle was with me. 
 
 39. For it was little which thou 
 hadst before I came, and it is yioio 
 increased unto a multitude; and 
 the Lord hath blessed thee since 
 my coming: and now when shall 
 I provide for mine own house 
 also? 
 
 31, And he said. What shall I 
 give. thee? And Jacob said. Thou 
 shalt not give me any thing: if thou 
 wilt do this thing for me, I will 
 again feed and keep thy flock. 
 
 32. I will pass through all thy 
 
 flock to day, removing from thence 
 all the speckled and spotted cattle, 
 and all the brown cattle among 
 the sheep, and the spotted and 
 speckled among the goats: and of 
 such, shall be my hire. 
 
 33. So shall my righteousness 
 answer for me in time to come, 
 when it shall come for my hire be- 
 fore thy face: every one that is not 
 speckled and spotted among the 
 goats, and brown among the sheep, 
 that shall be counted stolen with 
 me. 
 
 34. And Laban said, Behold, I 
 would it might be according to thy 
 word. 
 
 35. And he removed that day the 
 h. -goats that were ring-streaked 
 and spotted, and all the she-goats 
 that were speckled and spotted, 
 and every one that had some white 
 in it, and all the brown among the 
 sheep, and gave tfiem into the hand 
 of his sons. 
 
 36. And he set three days' jour- 
 ney betwixt himself and Jacob: 
 and Jacob fed the rest of Laban 's 
 flocks. 
 
 37. IT And Jacob took him rods 
 of green poplar, and of the hazol 
 and chestnut tree; and pilled white 
 streaks in them, and made the 
 
SIO 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 ■white appear which was in the 
 rods. 
 
 38. And he set the rods which he 
 had pilled before the flocks in the 
 gutters in the watering troughs 
 when the flocks came to drink, that 
 they should conceive when they 
 came to drink. 
 
 39. And the flocks conceived be- 
 fore the rods, and brought forth 
 cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and 
 spotted. 
 
 40. And Jacob did separate the 
 lambs, and set the faces of the 
 flocks toward the ring-streaked, 
 and all the brown in the flock of 
 Laban ; and he put his own flocks 
 
 by themselves, and put them not 
 unto Laban 's cattle. 
 
 4L And it came to pass, when- 
 soever the stronger cattle did con- 
 ceive, that Jacob laid the rods be- 
 fore the eyes of the cattle in the 
 gutters, that they might conceive 
 among the rods. 
 
 42, But when the cattle were 
 feeble, he put them not in: so 
 the feebler were Labans, and the 
 stronger Jacob's. 
 
 43. And the man increased ex- 
 ceedingly, and had much cattle, 
 and maid-servants, and men-ser- 
 vants, and camels, and asses. 
 
 572. That the mode adopted by Jacob to increase his 
 flocks and herds, is possible, is, we believe, conceded. 
 It is founded upon a principle in nature that is well known, 
 however mysterious and inexplicable it may be. But 
 here one suggestion, as to the credibility of this and sim- 
 ilar wonders, may not be out of place. Suppose, then, 
 we had never seen any such thing as is here described, is 
 there any other marvel recorded in the Bible, that would 
 have been more difficult to receive as trae ? We receive 
 this record as credible, because it implies the action of a 
 law with which we are acquainted. May not other won- 
 ders be as much the result of natural laws, though we 
 may not be acquainted with them ? We believe that all 
 miracles are the result of law (if one prefers that term) 
 as much as any other event. 
 
 573. The morality of the transaction is to be decided 
 upon, as we would decide upon any other in similar cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 311 
 
 SECTION V. — Jacob Leaves Laban. 
 CHAP. XXXI. 
 
 1. And he heard the words of 
 Laban 's sons, saying Jacob hath 
 taken away all that was our 
 father's ; and of that which was 
 our father's hath he gotten all this 
 glory. 
 
 2. And Jacob beheld the counte- 
 nance of Laban, and behold, it was 
 not toward him as before. 
 
 3. And the Lord said unto Ja- 
 cob, Return unto the land of thy 
 fathers, and to thy kindred ; and 
 I will be with thee. 
 
 4. And Jacob sent and called 
 Rachel and Leak to the field unto 
 his flock, 
 
 5. And said unto them, I see 
 your father's countenance, that it 
 is not toward me as before : but the 
 God of my father hath been with me. 
 
 6. And ye know that with all 
 my power I have served your father. 
 
 7. And your father hath deceiv- 
 ed me, and changed my wages ten 
 times; but God suflered him not to 
 hurt me. 
 
 8. Ifhe said thus. The speckled 
 shall be thy wages ; then all the 
 cattle bare speckled : and if he said 
 thus, The ring streaked shall be 
 thy hire; then bare all the cattle 
 ring-streaked. 
 
 9. Thus God hath taken away 
 the cattle of your father, and given 
 them to me. 
 
 10. And it came to pass at the 
 time that the cattle conceived, that 
 I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a 
 dream, and behold, the rams which 
 leaped upon the cattle were ring- 
 gtreaked, speckled and grizzled, 
 
 n. And the angel of God spake 
 unto me in a dream, saying, Ja- 
 cob : And I said here am I. 
 
 12. And he said. Lift up now 
 thine eyes and see, all the rams 
 which leap upon the cattle are 
 ring-streaked, speckled, and griz- 
 zled : for I have seen all that Laban 
 doeth unto thee. 
 
 13. lam the God of Beth-el, 
 where thou anointedst the pillar, 
 and where thou vowedst a vow 
 unto me; now arise, get thee out 
 Irom this land, and return unto 
 the land of thy kindred. 
 
 14. And Rachel and Leah an- 
 swered and said unto him. Is there 
 yet any portion or inheritance for 
 us in our father's house ? 
 
 15. Are we not counted of him 
 strangers? for he had sold us, and 
 hath quite devoured also our 
 money. 
 
 16. For all the riches which God 
 hath taken from our father, that is 
 ours and our children's: nowthen, 
 
 ' whatsoever God hath said unto thee 
 do. 
 
 I 17. Then Jacob rose up, and set 
 
 j his sons and his wives upon cam- 
 els: 
 
 j 18. And he carried away all his 
 cattle, and all his goods which he 
 had gotten, thecattle of his getting, 
 
 I which he had gotten in Padan- 
 
 ! aram, for to go to Isaac his father 
 
 I in the land of Canaan. 
 
 , 19. And Laban went to shear 
 his sheep : and Rachel had stolen 
 the images that were her father's. 
 
 20. And Jacob stole away una- 
 wares to Laban the Syrian, in that 
 he told him not that he fled. 
 
 21. So he fled with all that he 
 had, and he rose up, and passed 
 over the river, and set his face to- 
 ward the mount Gilead. 
 
 574. There seem to have been some transactions, be- 
 tween Laban and Jacob, of vt^hich we have no account. 
 There is a hint of this kind, in the remark of Jacob that 
 Laban had changed his wages ten times ; and also in that 
 
312 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 of his wives " Is there yet any portion or inheritance 
 for us in our father's house ? Are we not counted by 
 him strangers ; for he hath sold us and hath quite devour- 
 ed also our money ? '' The conduct of Jacob may receive 
 some mitigation, from the injustice that had been prac- 
 ticed upon him by Laban. So the taking of the images 
 on the part of Rachel, may have*15ecn regarded only as 
 seeking restitution for what her father had unjustly taken 
 from her. And, though one wrong does never justify 
 another, yet we cannot look upon a wrong act, when 
 done in self-defence, as we do when it is done without 
 any such reason. And, if in those days deception and 
 fraud were not regarded in the same light they are now, 
 the fact is one of many illustrations, of what Christianity 
 has done for the world. 
 
 575. It is well f )r us to remark here, as very plainly 
 shown in the book of Genesis, by many examples that 
 might be cited, and especially by what Jacob says in 
 verse 9th; and his wives in verse 16th, that God is said 
 to do many things that can be ascribed to him only indi- 
 rectly. God took from Laban his flocks and gave them 
 to Jacob, only by allowing Jacob to do it, by an expedi- 
 ent that cannot be excused by any strictly just and 
 righteous principle. 
 
 576. The country of Laban is called Padan-aram. 
 Ilis residence was Haran. It is a coincidence worthy of 
 note, that one of the grand-sons of Nahor was called 
 Aram: and as it was customary in those days to name 
 places from persons, there can be little doubt that Aram 
 was named after Aram, son of Kemuel, sou of Nahor, 
 brother of Abraham. It was called Padan-aram er Plain of 
 Aram, as that is the meaning of Padan. It should be 
 farther observed, that, in the Hebrew, what the transla- 
 tors call Syrian, is Aramean, (evidently from the same 
 Aram) though it is believed that both terms are equally 
 appropriate for the country referred to. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 313 
 
 577. The river, here referred to, is understood to be 
 the river Euphrates, as that is often called by way of dis- 
 tinction the river. The passage of this river seems to 
 have occurred more than once, before Jacob reached his 
 destination, owing", we suppose, either to some bend in 
 the river, or perhaps, to the meanderings of the accus- 
 tomed route. Comp. xxxii. 16, 21; xxxiii. 3. 
 
 578. That Laban was an idolater, is obvious from the 
 images that were stolen by Rachel, as these images are 
 expressly called Laban's gods, in verse 30. See also 
 XXXV. 2. The reason why Rachel stole them, may have 
 been from an idolatrous veneration that she entertained 
 for them, having been thus educated ; or, what is more 
 probable, from their value as composed of gold or silver. 
 And if the last, the disposition made of them afterwards, 
 and other valuables connected with them, may be regard- 
 ed as an indication of Jacob's abhorence of idol worship, 
 since he would not retain even the precious metal that 
 composed them, but buried it under a tree. 
 
 SECTION VI. — The Pursuit. 
 CHAP. XXXI. 
 
 22. And it was told Laban on 
 the third day, that Jacob was fled. 
 
 23. And he took his bx*ethren 
 with him, and i^ursued after him 
 seven days' journey ; and they 
 overtook him in the mount Gilead. 
 
 24. And God came to Laban the 
 Syrian in a dream by night, and 
 said unto him, Take heed that thou 
 speak not to Jacob either good or 
 bad. 
 
 SECTION VII. — The Interview in Mount Gilead. 
 
 CHAP. XXXL 
 
 25. IT Then Laban overtook Ja- 
 cob. Now Jacob had pitched his 
 tent in the mount- and Laban with 
 his brethren pitched in the mount 
 of Gilead. 
 
 26. And Laban said to Jacob, 
 What hast thou done, that thou 
 hast stolen away unawares to me, 
 and carried away my daughters, 
 as captives taken with the sword ? 
 
 14 
 
 27. Wherefore didst thou flee 
 away secretly, and steal away from 
 me; and didst not tell me, that I 
 might have sent thee away with 
 mirth, and with songs, with ta- 
 bret, and with harp ? 
 
 28. And hast not suffered me to 
 kiss my sons and my daughters? 
 thou hast now done foolishly in so 
 doing. 
 
314 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 29. It is in tlie power of aiy hand 
 to do you hurt; but the God of 
 your father spake unto me yester- 
 night, saying, Take tliou heed that 
 thou speak not to Jacob either 
 good or bad. 
 
 60. And now, though thou would- 
 est needs be gone, because tliou 
 sore longedst after thy Mher's 
 house, yet Avherefore hast thou 
 stolen my gods? 
 
 31 . And Jacob answered and said 
 to Laban, Because I was afraid: 
 for I said, Peradventure thou 
 wouldest take by force thy daugh- 
 ters from me. 
 
 32. ^Vith whomsoever thou find- 
 est thy gods, let him not live: be- 
 fore our brethren discern thou 
 what is thine with me, and take it 
 to thee. For Jacob knew not that 
 Rachel had stolen them. 
 
 33. And Laban went into Jacob's 
 tent, and into Leah's tent, and into 
 the two maid-servants' tents; but 
 he found them not. Then went he 
 out of Leah's tent, and entered 
 into Rachel's tent. 
 
 34. Now Rachel had taken the 
 images, and put them in the cam- 
 el's furniture, and sat upon them. 
 And Laban searched all the tent, 
 but found them not. 
 
 35. And she said to her father, 
 Let it not displease my lord that I 
 cannot rise up before thee; for the 
 custom of women is upon me. And 
 he searched, but found not the 
 images. 
 
 36 IT And Jacob was wi'oth, and 
 chode with Laban: and Jacob an- 
 swered and said to Laban, What is 
 my trespass? what is my sin, that 
 thou hast so hotly pursued after 
 me? 
 
 37. Whereas thou hast searched 
 all my stuff, what hast thou found 
 of all thy household stuff? set ti 
 here before my brethren, and thy 
 brethren, that they may judge be- 
 twixt us both. . 
 
 38. This twenty years have Ibeen 
 with thee; thy ewes, and thy she- 
 goats have not cast their young, 
 and the rams of thy flock have I 
 not eaten. 
 
 39. That which was torn o/Z/grts/s 
 I brought not unto thee; I bare the 
 loss of it; of my hand didst thou 
 require it, whether stolen by day, 
 or stolen by night. 
 
 40. Thus I was; in the day the 
 drought consumed me, and the 
 frost by night, and my sleep de- 
 parted from mine eyes. 
 
 4L Thus have I been twenty 
 years in thy house; I served thee 
 fourteen years for thy two daugh- 
 ters, and six years for thy cattle: 
 and thou hast changed my wages 
 ten times. 
 
 42. Except the God of my father, 
 the God of Abraham, and the Fear 
 of Isaac, had been with me, surely 
 thou hadst sent me away now 
 empty. God hath seen my afflic- 
 tion, and the labor of my hands, 
 and rebuked thee yesternight. 
 
 43. IT And Laban answered and 
 said unto Jacob, These daughters 
 are my daughters, and these chil- 
 dren are ijay children, and these 
 cattle are my cattle, and all that 
 thou seest is mine: and what can I 
 do this day unto these my daugh- 
 ters, or unto their children which 
 they have borne ? 
 
 44. Now therefore come thou, let 
 I us make a covenant, I and thou; 
 [ and let it be for a witness between 
 ; me and thee. 
 
 j 45. And Jacob took a stone, and 
 set it up yb?- a pillar. 
 
 46. Mid Jacob said unto his bre- 
 thren, Gather stones: and they 
 took stones, and made an heap; and 
 they did eat there upon the heap. 
 
 47. And Laban called it Jegar- 
 sahadutha: but Jacob called it 
 Galeed. 
 
 48. And Laban said. This heap is 
 a witness between me and thee this 
 day. Therefore was the name of 
 it called Galeed : 
 
 49. And Mizpah; for he said. 
 The Lord watch between me and 
 thee, when we arc absent one from 
 another. 
 
 50. If thou shalt afflict my daugh- 
 ters, or if thou shalt take other 
 wives besides my daughters, no 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 315 
 
 man is with us ; see, God is wit- 
 ness betwixt me and thee. 
 
 51. And Laban said to Jacob, 
 Behold this heap, and behold this 
 pillar, which I have cast betwixt 
 me and thee; 
 
 _ 52. 'J'his heap he witness, and this 
 pillar be witness, tliat I will not 
 pass over this heap to thee, and 
 that thou shalt not pass over this 
 heap and this pillar unto me, for 
 harm. 
 
 53. The God of A.braham, and the 
 God of Nahor, the God of their 
 
 father, judge betwixt us. And Ja- 
 cob sAvare by the fear of his father 
 Isaac. 
 
 54. Then Jacob oflered Sftcrifice 
 upon the mount, and called his 
 brethren to eat bread : and they did 
 eat bread, and tarried all night in 
 the mount. 
 
 55. And early in the morning La- 
 ban rose up, and kissed his "sons 
 and his daughters, and blessed 
 them: and Laban departed, and re- 
 turned unto his place. 
 
 579. It is not unreasonable to suppose that what La- 
 ban says of his willingness to send away Jacob and his 
 wives, was a mere pretence. It is much more reasonable 
 to conclude that Jacob was right, in his apprehensions, 
 that Laban would seek to retain his daughters, than that 
 he would send them away "with mirth and with songs, 
 with tabret and with harp.'' 
 
 580. It is plain from Jacob's protestations, that he 
 was not conscious of having taken the least thing from 
 Laban unjustly; and when* Laban had made a thorough 
 search and had found nothing, it was quite natural that 
 Jacob should be angry, and show his displeasure by well 
 merited reproaches. The fidelity with which he had at- 
 tended to his duty, while with Laban, was no vain boast, 
 as is evident from Laban's own acknowledgment. 30: 
 27. And the expedient made use of to increase his pos- 
 sessions, during his last engagement, was no more than an 
 offset for the fraud Laban had practiced upon him, and the 
 additional service of seven j^ears, thereby obtained. 
 
 581. Jacob felt conscious of being specially under the 
 Providence of the God of Abraham: and this consciousness, 
 connected, as it was, with the " fear of Isaac," or the 
 veneration he had for his father, had inspired him with a 
 desire to act well his part, to guard against frauds 
 sought to be practiced upon him, and to accumulate 
 wealth by a prudent care of what was intrusted to his 
 hands. 
 
 582. The meaning of Laban. in verse 43, is not quite 
 obvious, unless it be this, which seems most probable ;— < 
 
316 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAWILY, 
 
 " These daughters are my daughters ; and these children 
 are mine, &c. I can have no interest in inflicting injury 
 on them, while thc^^ retain this relation." There was a 
 better way ; and that he very wisely suggests in the next 
 verse. 
 
 583. As soon as a covenant is proposed, Jacob pro- 
 ceeds to the usual ceremonies — he gathers a heap of 
 stones, as a witness of the contract, and prepares a feast 
 for the mutual gratification and pleasure of both parties. 
 The heap of stones, Laban called Jegar-Sahadutha ; but 
 Jacob called it Galeed, both terms having substantially 
 the same meaning ; but the latter, being preferred, became 
 the permanent name of the mount. 
 
 The place was also called Mizpah, or " watch tower,^' 
 as if to indicate that there God would watch the movements 
 of both parties, and take cognizance of any injustice that 
 the one might do to the other. 
 
 584. The language of Laban : — " The God of Abram, 
 the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt 
 us," is quite significant. Abram and Nahor are placed 
 side by side, as the latter sustained the same relation to 
 Laban that the former did to Jacob ; and " their father," 
 that is, the father of Abram and Nahor, was Terah. It 
 may be added that the wives of Abram, Isaac and Jacob, 
 could be traced to the same parentage in Terah. 
 
 SECTION VIII. — Jacob prkparing to meet Esau. 
 
 CHAP. xxxn. 
 
 1. And Jacob went on his way, 
 and the anjjels of God met him. 
 
 2. And when Jacob saw them, he 
 said, This is God's liost: and he 
 called the name of that place Ma- 
 hanaim. 
 
 3. IT And .Jacob sent messengers 
 before him to Esau his brother, 
 unto the land of Seir, the country 
 of Edom. 
 
 4. And he commanded them, 
 saying, Thus sli.ill ye i^peak unto 
 my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob 
 saith thus, I have sojourned with 
 Laban, and stayed there until now: 
 
 5. And I have oxen, and 
 flocks, and men-servants, and wo- 
 men-servants: and I have sent to 
 tell my lord, that I may find grace 
 in thy sight. 
 
 6. IT And the messengers returned 
 to Jacob, saying, We came to thy 
 bi'other Esau, and also he cometh 
 to meet thee, and four hundred 
 men with him. 
 
 7. Then Jacob was greatly afraid 
 and distressed: and he divided the 
 l^eople that u-as with him, and the 
 flocks, and herds, and the camels, 
 into two bands; 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 317 
 
 8. And said, If Esau coiie to the 
 one company, and smite it, then 
 the other company which is left 
 shall escape. 
 
 9. IT And Jacob said, God of 
 ny father Abraham, and God of 
 ny father Isaac, the Lord which 
 jaidst unto me. Return unto thy 
 country, and to thy kindred, and 
 [ will deal well with thee: 
 
 10. I am not worthy of the least 
 of all the mercies, and of all the 
 truth, which thou hast shewed un- 
 to thy servant; for with my staff I 
 passed over this Jordan; and now 
 I am become two bands. 
 
 11. Deliver me, I pray thee, from 
 the hand of my brother, from the 
 hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest 
 he should come and smite me, and 
 the mother with the children. 
 
 12. And thou saidst, I will surely 
 do thee good, and malie thy seed 
 as the sand of the sea, which can- 
 not be numbered for multitude. 
 
 13. IT And he lodged there that 
 same night; and took of that which 
 came to his hand a present for 
 Esau his brother; 
 
 14. Two hundred she-goats, and 
 twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, 
 and twenty rams. 
 
 15. Thirty milch camels with 
 their colts, forty kine, and ten 
 bulls, twenty she-asses, and ten 
 foals. 
 
 16. And he delivered them into 
 the hand of his servants, every 
 drove by themselves; and said unto 
 his servants, Pass over before me, 
 and put a space betwixt drove and 
 drove. 
 
 17. And he commanded the fore- 
 most, saying. When Esau my bro- 
 ther meeteth thee, and asketh thee, 
 saying, Whose art thou ? and whi- 
 ther goest thou? and whose are 
 these before thee ? 
 
 18. Then thou shalt say. They be 
 thy servant Jacob's; it is a present 
 sent unto my lord Esau: and be- 
 hold, also he is behind us. 
 
 19. And so commanded he the 
 second, and the third, and all that 
 
 followed the droves, saying, On 
 this manner shall ye speak unto 
 Esau, when ye tind him. 
 
 20. And say ye moreover. Be- 
 hold, thy servant Jacob is behind 
 us. For he said, I will appease 
 him with the present that aoeth be- 
 fore me, and afterward I will see 
 his face; peradventure he will ac- 
 cept of me. 
 
 21. So went the present over be- 
 fore him: and himself lodged that 
 night in the company. 
 
 22. And he rose up that night, 
 and took his two wives, and his 
 two women-servants, and his eleven 
 sons, and passed over the ford 
 Jabbok. 
 
 23. And he took them, and sent 
 them over the brook, and sent over 
 that he had. 
 
 24. And Jacob was left alone; 
 and there wrestled a man with him 
 until the breaking of the day. 
 
 25. And when he saw that he 
 prevailed not against him,_ he 
 touched the hollow of his thigh; 
 and the hollow of Jacob's thigh 
 was out of joint as he wrestled 
 with iiim. 
 
 26. And he said. Let me go, for 
 the day b eakcth. And he said, I 
 will not let thee go, except thou 
 bless me. 
 
 27. And he said unto him, What 
 is thy name ? And he said Jacob. 
 
 28. And he said. Thy name shall 
 be called no more Jacob, but Is- 
 rael: for as a prince hast thou 
 power with God and with men, and 
 hast prevailed. 
 
 29. And Jacob asked him, and 
 said. Tell me, I pray thee, thy 
 name. And he said, Wherefore is 
 it that thou dost ask after my 
 name ! And he blessed him there. 
 
 30. And Jacob called the name of 
 the place Peniel: for I have seen 
 God face to face, and my life is 
 preserved. 
 
 31. And as he passed over Fe- 
 nnel, the sun rose upon him, and 
 he halted upon his thigh. 
 
 32. Therefore the children of 
 
318 
 
 JACOB AXD HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Israel eat not of the sinew which 
 shrank, which is upon the hollow 
 of the thigh , unto this day : be- 
 
 cause he touched the hollow of 
 Jacob's thigh in the sinew that 
 shrank. 
 
 585. The meeting of the angels of the Lord with Jacob, 
 is au allusion to some dream or vision, that gave name to 
 a place, on that route ; and this is its only significance, 
 so far as we can discover. 
 
 586. The tone and manner with which Jacob would 
 have the messengers address Esau, may be attributed to 
 his pacific disposition, or to his fears, or to both. There 
 is nothing in the account we have of this patriarch, that 
 can lead us to any other conclusion, than that he was a 
 man of peace. The difficulty that had arisen between 
 him and his brother, was not to be attributed to his fault, 
 unless a too great fidelity to maternal authority was his 
 fault. And now that he is about to return, and must 
 pass through the region of country occupied by Esau, he 
 shows his pacific disposition by sending him a friendly 
 message. 
 
 587. The return of the messengers, announcing the 
 approach of Esau, with four hundred men, creates consid- 
 erable alarm, as the messengers seem to have presumed 
 that he was coming with hostile intention : and Jacob, in 
 doubt whether his brother would approach him in a friend- 
 ly manner or otherwise, makes his arrangements to suit 
 either emergency. Dividing his company into two bands, 
 so that if one is attacked, the other may escape, he then 
 selects from his flocks and herds a well assorted and lib- 
 eral present, to be sent forward to his brother, with the 
 hope of thus appeasing his wrath, in the meantime, offer- 
 ing an earnest prayer to God for his protection. 
 
 588. The present being prepared and divided into sev- 
 eral droves, each being instructed to advance in regular 
 order, it is then sent over the Jordan, with specific in- 
 structions, in what manner to address the approaching 
 brother. Himself, with his wives and children, and what- 
 ever else he had with him, passed over the ford of Jabbok, 
 % small stream emptying into the Jordan. That night 
 was one of great excitement with Jacob. He wrestled 
 with a man, and the wrestling was long continued ; but 
 in the end, as the morning approached, he was successful, 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 319 
 
 and obtained a blessing from his antagonist. Was not 
 this an answer to the prayer of the patriarch, and sig- 
 nificant of the next days' experience f The passage is 
 evidently a vision as indicated by several circumstances. 
 It was in the night. Jacob saw God face to face. No 
 man hath literally seen God at any time ; but it was com- 
 mon in those ancient times for God to appear to men. 
 
 589. The place where this vision occurred, was called 
 Peniel or Penuel, meaning the "face of God." We 
 think, however, that verse 31, should be differently ren- 
 dered. " As the divine presence, or face of God, passed 
 away, the sun rose and he halted upon his thigh." The 
 effect upon Jacob, for the time being, was the same as if 
 the vision had been real. 
 
 590. The custom of not eating the sinew that shrank, 
 we believe is nowhere else alluded to in the Bible, and is 
 one that probably did not long continue among that people. 
 
 SECTION IX. — Meeting OF THE Brothers. 
 CHAP, xxxin. 
 
 1. And Jacob lifted up his eyes, 
 and looked, and behold, Esau came, 
 and with him four hundred men. 
 And he divided the children unto 
 Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto 
 the two handmaids. 
 
 2. And he put the handmaids 
 and their children foremost, and 
 Leah and her children after, and 
 Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 
 
 3. And he passed over before 
 them, and bowed himself to the 
 ground seven times, and he came 
 near to his brother. 
 
 4. And Esau ran to meet him, 
 and embraced him, and fell on his 
 neck, and kissed him: and they 
 wept. 
 
 5. And he lifted up his eyes, and 
 saw the women and the children ; 
 and said, Who are those with thee? 
 And he said, The children which 
 God hath graciously given thy ser- 
 vant. 
 
 6. Then the handmaidens came 
 near, they and their children, and 
 they bowed themselves. 
 
 7. And Leah also with her chil- 
 dren came near, and bowed them- 
 selves: and after came Joseph near 
 and Rachel, and they bowed them- 
 selves. 
 
 8. And he said. What meanest 
 thou by all this drove which I met ? 
 And he said. These are to find 
 grace in the sight of my lord. 
 
 9. And Esau said, I have enough, 
 my brother : keep that thou hast 
 unto thyself. 
 
 10. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray 
 thee; if now I have found grace in 
 thy sight, then receive my present 
 at my hand : for therefore I have 
 seen thy face, as though I had seen 
 the face of God, and thou wast 
 pleased with me. 
 
 11. Take, I pray thee, my bless- 
 ing that is brought to thee ; because 
 
320 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 God hath dealt g:raciously with me, 
 and because I have enough. And 
 he urged him and he took it. 
 
 12. And he said, Let us take our 
 journey, and let us go, and I will 
 go before thee. 
 
 13. And he said unto him, My 
 lord knoweth that the children are 
 tender, and the flocks and herds 
 with young are with me; and if 
 men should oyerdrive them one 
 day, all the flock will die. 
 
 14. Letmylord.Ipray thee, pass 
 over before his servant; and I will 
 lead on softly, according as the cat- 
 
 tle that goeth before me, and the 
 children be able to endure, until I 
 come unto my Lord, unto Seir. 
 
 15. And Esau said, Let me now 
 leave with thee some of the folk 
 that are with me. And he said, 
 What needeth it? let me find grace 
 in the sight of my Lord. 
 
 16. So Esau returned that daj- on 
 his way unto Seir. 
 
 IV. And Jacob journeyed to Suc- 
 coth, and built him an house, and 
 made booths for his cattle : there- 
 fore the name of the place is called 
 Succoth. 
 
 591. The division of his company into different bands, 
 had the same object in view with that before given, xxxii. 
 1, 8 ; the choicest being placed in the rear so as to have 
 the best chance to escape, if Esau shonld show a hostile 
 intention. Still, to conciliate his brother as much as pos- 
 sible, Jacob approaches him in the most respectful mannor, 
 according to the custom of that ancient time. We canuot 
 doubt that he was happily disappointed when his brother 
 approached, and in a most affectionate manner, embraced 
 and kissed him. And indeed the whole conduct of Esau 
 on that occasion, is fitted to give us a favorable view of 
 his character. In how delicate and generous a manner 
 does he decline the offer of a present from his brother, 
 and accepts it at last only, when to have objected farther, 
 might have been construed into a misconception of his 
 kind feelings. His proposition to go forward, and lead 
 the way to his home at Mt. Seir, was in harmony with 
 his disposition as shown by other circumstances. 
 
 And when this proposition was declined by Jacob, on 
 account of the slow progress he would be obliged to 
 make, the additional proposition on the part of Esau, to 
 leave some of his company as companions and guides, 
 shows the great kindness that was felt by that brother. 
 
 592. The allusion to Succoth was simply to account 
 for the name of that place. The name means " booths,'' 
 and was taken from the fact that Jacob had made a tem- 
 porary stop at that place, and had constructed booths for 
 his cattle. 
 
JACOB AND Ills FAMILY. 
 
 321 
 
 SECTION X.— Sojourn at Shalem. 
 
 CHAP. XXXIII. 
 
 18. ^ And Jacob came to Sha- 
 lem, a cit}^ of Shechem, which is 
 in the land of Canaan, when 
 he came from Padan-aram ; and 
 pitched his tent before the city. 
 
 19. And he bought a parcel of a 
 
 field where he had spread his tent, 
 at the hand of the children of 
 Hamor, Shechem's father, for an 
 hundred pieces of money. 
 
 20. And he erected there an al- 
 tar, and called it El-elohe-Israel. 
 
 CHAP. XXXIV. 
 
 1. And Dinah the daughter of 
 Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, 
 went out to see the daughters of 
 the land. 
 
 2. And when Shechem the son 
 of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the 
 country, saw her, he took her, and 
 lay with her, and defiled her. 
 
 3. And his soul clave unto Dinah 
 the daughter of Jacob, and he 
 loved the damsel, and spake kindly 
 unto the damsel. 
 
 4. And Shechem spake unto his 
 father Hamor, saying. Get me this 
 damsel to wife. 
 
 5. And Jacob heard that he had 
 defiled Dinah his daughter: (now 
 his sons were with his cattle in the 
 field : and Jacob held his peace un- 
 til they were come.) 
 
 6. IT And Hamor the father of 
 Shechem went out unto Jacob to 
 commune with him. 
 
 7. And the sons of Jacob came 
 out of the field when they heard it : 
 and the men were grieved, and they 
 were very wroth, because he had 
 wrought folly in Israel in lying 
 with Jacob's daughter ; which thing 
 ought not to be done. 
 
 8. And Hamor communed with 
 them, saying. The soul of my son 
 Shechem longeth for your daugh- 
 ter: I pray you give her him" to 
 wife. 
 
 9. And make ye marriages with 
 us, and give your daughters unto 
 us, and take our daughters unto 
 you. 
 
 14* 
 
 10. And ye shall dwell with us: 
 and tlie land shall be before you; 
 dwell and trade ye therein, and get 
 you possessions therein. 
 
 11. And Shechem said unto her 
 fixther nnd unto her brethren. Let 
 me find grace in your eyes, and 
 what ye shall say unto me I will 
 give. 
 
 12. Ask me never so much dowry 
 and gift, and I will give according 
 as ye shall say unto me: but give 
 me the damsel to wife. 
 
 13. And the sons of Jacob an- 
 swered Shechem and Hamor his 
 father deceitfully, and said, (be- 
 cause he had defiled Dinah their 
 sister,) 
 
 J 4. And they said unto them. 
 We cannot do this thing, to give 
 our sister to one that is uncircum- 
 cised; for thatu'ere a reproach un- 
 to us: 
 
 15. But in this will we consent 
 unto you: if ye will be as we be, 
 that every male of you be circum- 
 cised ; 
 
 16. Then will we give our daugh- 
 ters unto you, and we will take 
 your daughters to us, and we will 
 dwell with you, and we will become 
 one people. 
 
 17. But if ye will not hearken un- 
 to us, to be circumcised; then will 
 wc take our daughter, and we will 
 be gone. 
 
 18. And their words pleased Ha- 
 mor, and Shechem, Hamor 's son. 
 
 19. And the young man deferred 
 
322 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 not to do the thing, because he had 
 delight in Jacob's daughter; and 
 he was more honorable than all the 
 house of his father. 
 
 20. IT And Hamor and Shechem 
 his son came unto the gate of their 
 city, and communed with the men 
 of their city saying, 
 
 21. These men are peaceable witt 
 us; therefore let theui dwell in the 
 land, and trade thei-eiu; for the 
 land, behold, it is large enough for 
 them: let us take their daughters to 
 us for -wives, and let us give them 
 our daughters. 
 
 22. Only herein will the men con- 
 Bent unto us for to dwell with us, 
 to be one people, if every male 
 among us be circumcised, as they 
 are circumcised. 
 
 23. Shall not their cattle and 
 their substance and every beast of 
 theirs be ours ? only let us consent 
 unto them, and they will dwell with 
 us. 
 
 24. And unto Hamor and unto 
 Shechem his son , hearkened all that 
 went out of the gate of his city; and 
 every male was circumcised, all that 
 went out of the gate of his city. 
 
 25. IT And it came to pass on the 
 third day, when they were sore. 
 
 that two of the sons of Jacob, Sim- 
 con and Levi, Dinah's brethren, 
 took each man his sword, and came 
 upon the city boldly, and slew all 
 the males. 
 
 26. And they slew Hamor and 
 Shechem his son with the edge of 
 the sword, and took Dinah out of 
 Shechcm's house, and went out. 
 
 27. The sons of Jacob came upon 
 the slain, and spoiled the city, be- 
 cause they had defiled their sister. 
 
 28. They took their sheep, and 
 their oxen, and their asses, and that 
 which was in the city, and that 
 which uas in the field. 
 
 29. And all their wealth, and all 
 their little ones, and their wives, 
 took they captive, and spoiled all 
 even all that icas in the house. 
 
 30. And Jacob said to Simeon and 
 Levi, Ye have troubled me to make 
 me to stink among the inhabitants 
 of the land, amongst the Canaan- 
 ites and the Perizzites : and I being 
 few in number, they shall gather 
 themselves together against me, 
 and slay me ; and I shall be destroy- 
 ed, I and my house. 
 
 31 . And they said. Should he deal 
 with our sister as with an harlot ? 
 
 593. We got the impression from the preceding nar- 
 rative, that Jacob would pass by Mount Seir, on his way 
 to Canaan : but nothing being said of this, we suspect 
 that he did not take that route. It may be, however, 
 that Succoth was near to Seir, and that was the reason 
 of the temporary stay at that place. It may be, too, that 
 Seir was not on or near the regular route ; and this cir- 
 cumstance will place the conduct of Esau in a still more 
 favorable light: since it shows how much pains he took to 
 declare his kind disposition to his brother by going a long 
 way to meet him. 
 
 Our knowledge of localities, obtained only from the 
 book of Genesis, (for it does not fall in with our plan to 
 go beyond this book at present,) though much more 
 accurate and extensive than would at first be supposed, 
 must still be limited ; and some questions of this sort 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 323 
 
 must be left till we advance into the other books ; and 
 even then we may not be able to solve them all with accu- 
 racy. 
 
 594. The hundred pieces of silver, paid by Jacob for 
 the parcel of ground before the city, is, in the Greek ver- 
 sion, a hundred lambs, which suits what we know to have 
 been ancient usage, better than our translation. It may 
 be added, however, that the expression " a hundred pieces 
 of silver,'' need not be, of necessity, interpreted to mean 
 that Jacob paid for the land in silver money ; but it may 
 be understood as simply indicating the value of the con- 
 sideration. 
 
 As an illustration, it is said of Abimelech, xx. 14, that 
 he gave Abraham, " sheep and oxen and men servants 
 and women servants ;" and it is afterwards said, with 
 apparent reference to this same present, that he had given 
 him " a thousand pieces of silver." The meaning of our 
 version and that of the Greek is, therefore, substantially 
 the same ; the hundred lambs of the one, being equal to 
 the hundred pieces of silver in the other. 
 
 595. The circumstance of Dinah's misfortune, is men- 
 tioned by the writer, as a matter connected with the 
 biography of the patriarch, and as the occasion of the 
 treachery and cruel massacre enacted by his two oldest 
 sons and brothers of Dinah, and the farther occasion of the 
 malediction of these sons found in the last " blessing" 
 of their dying father. That malediction would not be 
 understood without a knowledge of the disposition and 
 conduct that merited it ; and the latter required the occa- 
 sion of their treachery and cruelty to be recorded, and 
 the excuse they urged in its justification, to be distinctly 
 stated. 
 
 596. The unwillingness of the sons of Jacob to be allied 
 with the people of Canaan, was a natural result of cir- 
 cumstances ; and if it was not a true interpretation of a 
 divine command, it was at least a correct deduction from 
 the example of their fathers. This feeling, however, did 
 not justify the treacherous conduct of the two sons of 
 Jacob ; nor is it justified in the narrative, but clearly 
 condemned. 
 
324 
 
 JACOB AND I] IS FAMILY. 
 
 597. The destruction of the whole city of Shalem by 
 the two sons of Jacob, would seem incredible, except for 
 the following circumstances : — 
 
 One is mentioned in the narrative. Another is, that 
 cities in those days were only small towns, many of them 
 containing only a few scores of inhabitants. Another, 
 that Simeon and Levi are to be regarded as the leaders in 
 the attack ; while doubtless the servants of Jacob, and 
 perhaps some of his other sons, were joined with them 
 in the enterprise. It is quite common with all writers, in 
 recording such enterprises, to name only the leaders, 
 although it is presumed that they were assisted by 
 others. 
 
 For social customs, see Archaeology. 
 
 SECTION XI. — Going to Bethel. 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 1. And God said unto Jacob, 
 Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell 
 there: and make there an altar un- 
 to God, that appeared unto thee 
 when thou fleddest from the face of 
 Esau thy brother. 
 
 2. Then JHcob said unto his 
 household, and to all that were 
 with him, Put away the strange 
 gods that are among you, an i be 
 clean, and change your garments: 
 
 3. And let us arise, and go up to 
 Bethel; and I will make there an 
 altar unto God, who answered me 
 in the day of my distress, and was 
 with me in the way which I went. 
 
 4. And they gave unto Jacob all 
 the strange gods which were in 
 their hand, and all their earrings 
 which were in tlieir ears ; and Ja- 
 cob hid them under the oak which 
 was by Shechem. 
 
 5. And they journeyed: and the 
 terror of God was upon the cities 
 that were round about them, and 
 they did not pursue after the sons 
 of Jacob. 
 
 6. IT So Jacob came to Luz, which 
 is in the land of Canaan, that is, 
 Bethel, he and all the people that 
 were with him. 
 
 7. And he built there an altar, 
 and called the place El-bethel: be- 
 cause there God appeared unto 
 him, when he fled from the face of 
 his brother. 
 
 8. But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, 
 died, and she was buried beneath 
 Bethel under an oak ; and the name 
 of it was called Allon-bachuth. 
 
 9. IT And God appeared unto Ja- 
 cob again, when he came out of 
 Padan-aram, and blessed him. 
 
 10. And God said unto him. Thy 
 name is Jacob: thy name shall not 
 be called any more Jacob, but Is- 
 rael shall be thy name; and he 
 called his name Israel. 
 
 11. And God said unto him, I 
 am God Almighty: be fruitful and 
 multiply; a nation and a company 
 of nations shall be of thee, and 
 kings shall come out of thy loins: 
 
 12. And the land which I gave 
 Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will 
 give it, and to thy seed after thee 
 will I give the land. 
 
 13. And God went up from him 
 in the place where he talked with 
 him. 
 
 14. And Jacob set up a pillar in 
 the place where he talked with him. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 325 
 
 even a pillar of stone ; and he pour- 
 ed a drink-offering thereon, and he 
 poured oil thereon. 
 
 15. And Jacob called the name of 
 the place, where God spake yrith 
 him, Beth-el. 
 
 598. The strange gods here alluded to, were those 
 that Rachel had brought with her from her father's house, 
 of which we have heard before. It appears that Jacob 
 had soEQe way been made acquainted with the larceny of 
 his wife ; and he is now taking means to rid himself of 
 the evil that was likely to grow into an idolatrous worship 
 with his family. But who were the " people" implicated 
 in the same charge of idolatry '/ The reference may be 
 to the wives of some of Jacob's sons, or to his servants, 
 of which we know he had many, or perhaps to the 
 " wives and children" that had been made captives in 
 the sacking of Shalem. 
 
 599. It may be remembered that when Jacob fled from 
 the wrath of his brother, he tarried over night at Bethel, 
 and had there erected a rude altar of stone ; and had 
 promised a tithe of all his possessions, provided the Lord 
 would prosper him in his way, and return him to his 
 father's house. Now the Lord had prospered him. giving 
 him "bread to eat and clothing to wear,'* and had re- 
 turned him to his own land, and had (as will soon appear) 
 brought him near to his father's house. And under these 
 circumstances, it seemed exceedingly proper, that he 
 should go again to Bethel, and renew the altar and make 
 suitable thank-offerings for the blessings he had received. 
 
 600. The Shechem here named, may be the same as 
 Shalem before alluded to, or it may be a neighboring city, 
 taking its name evidently from Shechem, son of Hamor, 
 alluded to in the narrative. 
 
 601. The •' terror of God" is a Hebraism, meaning a 
 great terror : and the allusion is to the recent sacking of 
 Shalem which Jacob supposed would provoke a war 
 against him by the neighboring tribes ; and the design ot 
 the narrative is to inform us that no such result followed, 
 as a great fear had taken possession of the neighboring 
 people. 
 
 602. As God had once appeared to Jacob in Bethel, 
 80 now we are told that he appeared to him again ; 
 though it is not said, in this case, as in the other, that 
 
326 JACOB AXD HIS FAMILY. 
 
 this appearance was in a dream ; yet we would suggest 
 whether this is not a fair conclusion ; and if so, it will 
 help to sustain our views of this subject proposed in 
 another place, p. 30. 
 
 603. Jacob is again told that his name should be 
 changed to Israel, as he had been told on a former occa- 
 sion, xxxii. 28 : and the reason of repeating the statement 
 now, is probably to connect the new name with the 
 promise given him, as a perpetual memento, for the same 
 reason that Abram was changed to Abraham, when the 
 same promise was given to him. And here we may 
 suggest, that this change in the name, was not merely 
 on account of the signilicancy of the name itself, but with 
 a view to bring the divine promise more frequently be- 
 fore the mind. This is evident from the change in the 
 name of Abram's wife, from Sarai to Sarah, for which no 
 reason can be given from the diflerence between the 
 names, though the reason we have suggested would 
 apply here as well as to that of her husband. The same 
 purpose was had in view in this case, as when a present 
 was exchanged between two parties, to ratify a treaty, 
 or a pillar of stones set up for the same purpose. The 
 difference was only in this, that the one was a transient 
 occurrence, and was commemorated by a monument 
 equally transient ; the other was more important and 
 enduring, and was kept in memory by a monument more 
 intimate and longer continued. 
 
 604. We remember to have seen the opinion expressed 
 by some writer, that the account here given of Jacob's 
 visit to Bethel, is only another version of the visit made 
 there on his going to Padan-aram ; but the reason for this 
 opinion drawn from some likeness of the two narratives, 
 is not conclusive. The likeness is such as could not well 
 be avoided, and such only as it would be expected, 
 allowing both to have occurred. That God, having ap- 
 peared to him before, and promised his protection, should 
 now appear to him again, is what might be expected ; 
 and with such appearance, that Jacob should build again 
 the altar, and pour thereon a drink-offering, in testimony 
 of his gratitude, was a natural occurrence. From both 
 passages, too, compared, it is evident that Bethel was on 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 327 
 
 the route to Padan-aram, and that it could not have been 
 far from the return route. And from the circumstances 
 that occurred there at first, Jacob would be quite likely to 
 visit the same place the second time. 
 
 SECTION XII. — Jacob's Keturn to Isaac. 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 16. IT And they journeyed from 
 Bethel, and there was but a little 
 •way to come to Ephrath ; and Ra- 
 chel travailed, and she had hard 
 labor. 
 
 17. And it came to pass, when 
 she was in hard labor, that the 
 midwife said unto her, Fear not; 
 thou shalt have this son also. 
 
 18. And it came to pass, as her 
 Boul was in departing, (for she 
 died) that she called his name Ben- 
 oni: but his father called him 
 Benjamin. 
 
 19. And Rachel died, and was 
 buried in the way to Ephrath, 
 which is Bethlehem. 
 
 20. And Jacob set a pillar upon 
 her grave: that is the pillar of 
 Rachel's grave unto this day. 
 
 21. And Israel journeyed, and 
 spread his tent beyond the tower 
 of Edar. 
 
 22. And it came to pass, when 
 
 Israel dwelt in that land, that Reu- 
 ben went and lay with Bilhah his 
 father's concubine: and Israel 
 heard it. Now the sons of Jacob 
 were twelve. 
 
 23. The sons of Leah; Reuben, 
 Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, 
 and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, 
 
 ■ and Zebulon : 
 
 24. The sons of Rachel; Joseph, 
 and Benjamin: 
 
 25. And the sons of Bilhah, 
 Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and 
 Naphtali: 
 
 '-c6. And the sons of Zilpah, 
 Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Ash- 
 er. These are the sons of Ja- 
 cob, which were born to him in 
 Padan-aram. 
 
 27. And Jacob came unto Isaac 
 his father unto I\Iamre, unto the 
 city of Arbah, which is Hebron, 
 where Abraham and Isaac sojourn- 
 ed 
 
 605. The death of Rachel, we may well suppose, 
 was a sad bereavement to Jacob. The notice of this 
 event, and of the occasion of it, is exceedingly brief 
 At first, we are surprised that this favorite wife should 
 have been buried in the way to Ephrath, and not in the 
 cave of Machpelah, where other members of the family 
 had been laid, and which had by that means acquired a 
 sanctit}'^ that did not belong to any other place. Still, 
 when we consider the circumstances of her death, and 
 the distance to Hebron that yet remained, our surprise is 
 removed. One token of respect that appears not to 
 have been usual, was shown to the burial place ; and 
 that was a monument over the grave, that remained for a 
 considerable period afterwards. 
 
328 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 606. "That is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this 
 day.''^ There are some who would make us believe that 
 the book of Genesis was written nearly or quite a thou- 
 sand years after the event here recorded, during many 
 hundreds of years of which period, the land was in the 
 hands of stangers, who could have no motive for pre- 
 serving the monument over Rachel's grave, and a part 
 of the time in the hands of enemies that might feel in- 
 clined to desecrate it. At all events the regular changes 
 that might be expected to come over that locality, with- 
 out any hostile intention, would obliterate all traces of 
 the burial place and the monument, in much less time 
 than is here supposed. The truth is, the circumstance of 
 Rachel's death was recorded, while it was fresh in the 
 memory of the family, and the fact that the pillar being 
 set up over her grave ; and a subsequent writer, not cer- 
 tainly later than Moses, added the clause that the pillar 
 remained to this day. 
 
 607. What is contained in the 21st verse, is probably 
 misplaced. It belongs more properly within the 16th 
 verse, and is so placed in the Septuagint version. 
 
 608. The conduct of Reuben has, in the Greek, a 
 clause, not found in our version, representing the wick- 
 edness of his son as " grevious in the sight of Jacob/^ 
 as doubtless it must have been. 
 
 609. The twelve sons of Jacob are said to have been 
 born to him in Padan-aram, while the youngest, it had 
 just been stated, received his birth near Bethlehem. 
 This circumstance shows that the nicest accuracy was 
 not intended by the writer. Infidelity has sought to 
 make something out of this circumstance. It seems to 
 us quite evident, that an impostor would have avoided dis- 
 crepances so obvious, while the honest writer, presuming 
 on the candor of others, would be ver^^ likely to have 
 some such upon his pages, where no one could be misled 
 by them. 
 
 610. When Jacob left home, Isaac, his father, was at 
 Beersheba, xxviii. 10 ; but during his absence he had re- 
 sumed the ancestral residence at Hebron, to which .place 
 Jacob now returns, and finds his father still alive, having 
 attained an age beyond that of Abraham. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 329 
 
 SECTION XIII. — Death of Isaac. 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 28. And the days of Isaac were | his people, being old and fall of 
 an hundred and fourscore years. | days: and his sons Esau and Ja- 
 
 29. And Isaac gave up the ghost, cob buried him. 
 and died, and was gathered unto | 
 
 611. That Isaac " gave up the ghost/' has nothing 
 in the original to justify precisely that rendering. He 
 expired would have been more accurate. That he " vras 
 gathered to his people" is a correct rendering, and 
 seems plainly to imply the belief of a conscious personal 
 existence beyond this life. Observe, that being gath- 
 ered to his people, has no reference to his burial. He 
 was gathered to his people, and afterwards buried by his 
 sons, in the cave of Machpelah. 
 
 612. The presence of Esau at the burial of his father 
 leads to two conclusions. One is, that the two branches 
 of Isaac's family were not hostile to each other. Anoth- 
 er is, that Mt. Seir, Esau's residence, was probably not 
 very far from Hebron. Or, if one is disposed to think 
 so, he may believe, what is quite natural under the cir- 
 cumstances, that Esau was with his father in his ex- 
 treme old age, awaiting his expected departure, and 
 that the arrival of Jacob was hastened by the same con* 
 sideration. 
 
 SECTION XIY. — Joseph sold and carried to Egypt. 
 
 CHAP. XXXVII. 
 
 1. And Jacob dwelt in the land 
 wherein his father was a sti-anger, 
 in the land of Canam. 
 
 2. IT These are the generations 
 of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen 
 years old, was feeding the flock 
 with his brethren ; and the lad was 
 with the sons of Bilhah, and with 
 
 4. And when his brethren saw 
 that their father loved him more 
 than all his >)i-ethren , they hated 
 him, and could not speak peacea- 
 bly unto him. 
 
 5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, 
 and he told it his brethren: and 
 they hated him yet the more. 
 
 the sons of Zilpah, his father's i 6. And he said unto them, Hear, 
 
 wives: and .Joseph brought unto 
 his father their evil report. 
 
 3. Now Israel loved Joseph more 
 than all his children, because he 
 was the son of his old age : and he 
 made him a coat of many colors. 
 
 I pray you, this dream which I 
 have dreamed : 
 
 7. For, behold, we ivere bind- 
 ing shea\es in the field, and, lo, 
 my sheaf arose, and also stood up- 
 right; and, behold, your sheaves 
 
330 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 stood round about and made obei- | 
 sance to my sheaf. | 
 
 8. And his brethren said to him, ] 
 Shalt thou indeed reign over us? j 
 or shalt thou indeed have domin- 
 ion over us? And they hated him 
 yet the more for his dreams, and 
 for his words. | 
 
 9. And he dreamed yet another j 
 dream, and told it his brethren, ' 
 and said, Behold, I have dreamed 
 a dream more ; and, behold, the } 
 sun, and the moon, and the eleven i 
 stars, made obeisance to me. j 
 
 10. And he told it to his father i 
 and to his brethren; and his fath- i 
 er rebuked him, and said unto him, j 
 "What is this dream that thou hast I 
 dreamed ? Shall I, and thy moth- 
 er, and thy brethren, indeed come 
 to bow down ourselves to thee to 
 the earth. 
 
 11. And his brethren envied him; 
 but his father observed the saying. 
 
 12 ^ And his brethren went to 
 feed their father's flock in She- 
 chem. 
 
 13. And Israel said unto Joseph, 
 Do not thy brethren feed the flock 
 in Shechem? come, and I will send 
 thee unto them. And he said to 
 him, Here am I. 
 
 14. And he said to him. Go, I 
 pray thee, see whether it be well 
 with thy brethren, and well with 
 the flocks: and bring me word 
 again. So he sent him out of the 
 vale of Hebron, and he came to 
 Shechem. 
 
 15. And a certain man found 
 him, and, behold, he was wander- 
 ing in the field : and the man ask- 
 ed him, saying, What seekest thou? 
 
 1 6 . And he said, I seek my breth- 
 ren : tell me, I pray thee,where they 
 feed their flocks. 
 
 17. And the man said. They are 
 departed hence; for I heard them 
 say. Let us go to Dothan. And 
 Joseph went after his brethren and 
 found them in Dothan. 
 
 18 And when they saw him afar 
 ofi", even before he came near unto 
 them, they conspired against him 
 to slay him. 
 
 19. And they said one to anoth- 
 er. Behold this dreamer cometh. 
 
 '20. Gome now, therefore, and 
 let us slay him, and cast him into 
 some pit; and we will say, Some 
 evil beast hath devoured him; and 
 we shall see what will become of 
 his dreams. 
 
 21. And Reuben heard it, and he 
 delivered him out of their hands; 
 and said, Let us not kill him. 
 
 22. And Reuben said unto them. 
 Shed no blood, but cast him into 
 this pit that is in the wilderness, 
 and lay no hand upon him; that 
 he might rid him out of their 
 hands, to deliver him to his father 
 again. 
 
 23. And it came to pass, when 
 Joseph was come unto his breth- 
 ren, that they stript Joseph out 
 of his coat, his coat of many col- 
 ors, that was on him. 
 
 24. And they took him, and cast 
 him into a pit: and the pit was 
 empty, there was no water in it. 
 
 25. And they sat down to eat 
 bread : and they lifted up their eyes, 
 and looked, and, behold, a compa- 
 ny of Ishmaelites came from Gil- 
 ead, with their camels bearing 
 spicery and balm and myrrh, go- 
 ing to carry it down to Egypt. 
 
 26. And Judah said unto his 
 brethren, What profit is it if we 
 slay our brother, and conceal his 
 blood? 
 
 27. Come, and let us sell him to 
 the Ishmaelites, and let not our 
 hand be upon him, for he is our 
 brother and our flesh; And his 
 brethren were content. 
 
 28. Then there passed by Midian- 
 ites, merchantmen ; and they drew 
 and lifted up Joseph out of tlie 
 pit, and sold Joseph to the Ish- 
 maelites for twenty pieces of silver; 
 and they brought Joseph into 
 Egypt. 
 
 29. And Reuben returned unto 
 the pit: and, behold, Joseph icas 
 not in the pit; and he rent his 
 clothes: 
 
 30. And he returned unto his 
 1 
 
and killed a kkl of the goats, and 
 dipped the coat in tlie blood ; 
 
 32. And they sent the coat of 
 vuiny colors, and they brought it 
 to their father; and said fliishave 
 we found; know now whether it be 
 thy son's coat or no. 
 
 33. And he knew it, and said, it 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 331 
 
 ''31 'AnltiroytokJ^eph'scoat, and mourned for his son many 
 
 ' days. , „ , . 
 
 35. And all his sons and all his 
 daughters rose up to comfort him ; 
 but he refused to be comforted; 
 and he said. For I will go down 
 into the grave unto my son mourn- 
 ing. Thus his father wept for him. 
 
 36. And the Midianites sold him 
 tsmvS)n's7oat7an evil beast hath into Egypt ^^^o Potiphar , an of. 
 de ou?2i him: Joseph is without ficer of Pharoah's, and captain 
 doubt rent in pieces. 1 of the guard. 
 
 613 '' Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father 
 was a" stranger, in the land of Canaan" . One won d 
 suDDOse that Isaac, the father of Jacob, having dwelt in 
 the'Cd o'f' Canaan the whole of his life of 180 years^ 
 could not well be called a stranger m the land. But, in 
 the sense of that term here employed, and elsewhere m 
 this book, he was a stranger : since he was ^/^t one of the 
 original settlers, but came from a distant land And it 
 may be added that the frequent references of t ns kind 
 seem to furnish a formidable objection to the theory of 
 some, that would make the land of Canaan to have be- 
 longed originally to the Hebrew people. This theory is 
 adopted to furnish justification to the Israelites, when 
 they returned from Egypt, for retaking Canaan and put- 
 ting its inhabitants to the sword. The people of Ca- 
 naan, it is said, were not the original settlers but only 
 occupied certain points as trading posts ; and therefore, 
 they could set up no opposing claim^ to the Israelites 
 This idea is set aside by several circumstances ihe 
 first grant of the land to Abram, contains a mention ot 
 its several tribes, viz : the Kenites. and Kemzzites, and 
 Kadmonites, and Hittites, and Perizzites and Rephaims 
 and Amorites, and Canaanites, and Girgashites, and Jebu- 
 sites So, too, in the account we have of the war ol the 
 confederate kings, mention is made of the Amorites and 
 other tribes ; and that these kings and their armies, weie 
 employed in laying waste a few trading posts, does not 
 accord with the spirit of the narrative. 
 
 614 The best explanation we know ot, ot the con- 
 duct of the children of Israel when they came from 
 
332 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 Egypt to Canaan, is, that He who owns all lands, had 
 given them this country, and instructed them to regain 
 its possession. Again ; what meaning shall be attaclicd 
 to the circumstance of Abram's purchase of Machpelah 
 for a burial place, xxiii. 16, and of Jacob buying a tract 
 of land of Ilamor near Shalem, xxxiii. 19, if the country 
 was not the possession of the people ? 
 
 The true explanation of this subject seems to be, that 
 the Canaanites, including all the tribes before named, 
 were the true inhabitants of Canaan — that the ground 
 was theirs, as much as any land belongs to any man or 
 set of men — that Abram and his family could settle 
 there only by the consent of the people — that in 
 process of time, when the iniquity of the Amorites was 
 full, they would forfeit all claim to the land, and it would 
 then become the possession of the Israelites, and that it 
 was in view of this prospective possession, that the land 
 was given to them by God. It is certain that the pa- 
 triarchs so understood the gift, else why offer to pur- 
 chase what was already theirs, and of which they held 
 the title from the original owner. And with this view ; 
 and with the fullest confidence that the grant of the coun- 
 try to them was divine, they went up from Egypt to take 
 possession of the country. Besides : if the Israelites 
 had a just title to Canaan, on natural grounds, what fitness 
 was there in making a formal gift of it to them on the 
 part of Jehovah. The gift is offered on the presumption 
 that, without it, they could not claim the possession. 
 
 615. Bilhah and Zilpah are here mentioned as Jacob's 
 wives, not because they were such in the highest sense of 
 that term; but, as the mothers of a portion of his children, 
 they were such. And when it is added, that Joseph 
 brought home their evil report, the reference seems to 
 be, and perhaps is, only to the sons of the handmaids, 
 who might have been, and would naturally be, more in- 
 censed at Jacob's partiality for Joseph, than the rest of 
 his sons, and might have been the instigators of the cruel 
 plot formed against him. 
 
 616. The coat of many colors has been the occasion of 
 considerable discussion, but without bringing us to any 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 333 
 
 other conclusion, than that it was a coat of many colors. 
 The form c;f the coat, what it was that constituted its 
 many colors, are questions that we cannot answer ; and 
 moreover they are questions that do not require an answer. 
 The efiect of the partiality of Jacob was as natural, as 
 was the partiality itself, and as unfortunate, for the time 
 being at least, as it was natural. 
 
 617. The dreams of Joseph were either natural, and 
 were subsequently verified as a remarkable Providence, 
 like many dreams at the present day ; or they were a 
 divine impulse, indicating his future elevation and ful- 
 filled accordingly. Either supposition is not inconsistent 
 with the spirit of the times. The last dream was under- 
 stood to include his mother, among those that were to bow- 
 down to Joseph, but his mother was dead and buried in 
 the way to Ephrath. How then could the dream be ful- 
 filled?*^ Perhaps the reference was to Leah, as we have 
 yet had no account of her death. This could not be ; for 
 though we have no account of her death, yet it is certain 
 that she did die before the dream was fulfilled, and was 
 buried in the cave of Machpelah, according to a subse- 
 quent statement. 
 
 618. The explanation is that dreams, as well as para- 
 bles, must not be made " to go on all fours." We may 
 interpret them with a greater strictness than they were 
 intended to be interpreted. The design of the dreams of 
 Joseph, allowing them the claim to inspiration, was to 
 indicate the elevation of Joseph over the rest of the 
 family ; and this design was truly fulfilled, though every 
 item in the dream, may not find its corresponding partic- 
 ular in the fulfilment. 
 
 619. The feeding of the flocks in Shechem, was a 
 natural circumstance, from the fact that they had occupied 
 that region of country on a former occasion, xxxv. 4 ; and 
 that having exhausted the pasturage there, they should 
 go to another place, was another natural circumstance 
 attaching itself to their mode of life. The location of 
 Dothan can only be determined by two circumstances. 
 One is, that it was not far from Shechem ; and another 
 is, that it lay on the route from Gilead to Egypt, a route 
 that Jacob and his family had recently passed over in 
 
331 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 coming from Padan-aram to Hebron. The place is made 
 sufficiently memorable, by the plot against Joseph, here 
 brought to view. 
 
 620. It will be seen that Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's 
 sons, joined in the conspiracy, only with an ultimate pur- 
 pose of saving the boy, and delivering him to his father. 
 And the suggestion of Judah seems to have been dictated 
 by the same spirit, when he proposed to sell him as a slave 
 to the Ishmaelites, that being the choice of two evils. 
 
 621. The merchantmen are called Ishmaelites, from 
 being the descenda,nts of Ishmael ; and they are called 
 Midianites, probably from the country to which they 
 belonged. 
 
 622. It appears that, after the determ.ination to cast 
 Joseph into the pit, suggested by Reuben, the latter had 
 returned to his own flocks, and had not known the change 
 of purpose on the part of his brethren : and when he finds 
 the pit empty, at the time when he expected to deliver 
 him from their malice and return him to his father, he is 
 greatly distressed, supposing, it would seem, that he had 
 been destroyed by wild beasts, or taken out and killed by 
 his brethren. And it does not appear that he was inform- 
 ed of the true state of the case, till after the disclosure in 
 Egypt. At least his language to his brethren in Egypt, 
 clearly conveys this idea : — " Spake I not unto you, say- 
 ing, Do not sin against the child ; and ye would not hear ; 
 therefore behold also his blood is reauiredJ^ xlii. 22. 
 
 623. "All Jacob's sons and all his daughters went up 
 to comfort him." But, saj^s one, all his daughters were 
 only Dinah, as we read of no others. We remark that 
 the wives of his sons may be here referred to, and we so 
 find them designated, xlvi. 15. It is also evident that he 
 had grand-daughters when he went down to Egypt ; and 
 may have had such, at the time of this occurrence with 
 Joseph ; and in Scripture parlance these would be called 
 his daughters. 
 
 624. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh 
 and captain of the guard. Slaves were common in Egypt, 
 at least we find them there, on the first visit of Abraham 
 to that country ; and they were among the presents he 
 received from the king. The present of servants to 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 335 
 
 Abraham on his departure from Egypt, and the selling of 
 Joseph to Potiphar, are two circumstances quite unlike, 
 and both are introduced very naturally in the narrative, 
 and with no apparent relation to each other ; yet they 
 harmonize perfectly in respect to the fact of servants or 
 slaves beng bought and sold, and regarded as property 
 in that country ; — an undesigned coincidence going to 
 establish the truth of the narrative. Compare pp. 34-37. 
 
 SECTION XV. — Digression concerning Judah. 
 
 CHAP. XXXVIIL 
 
 1. And it came to pass at that 
 time, that Judah went down from 
 his brethren, and turned in to a 
 certain AduUamite, whose name 
 was Hirah. 
 
 2. And Judah saw there a daugh- 
 ter of a certain Canaanite, whose 
 name was Shuah ; and he took her, 
 and went into unto her. 
 
 3. And she conceived, and bare 
 a son; and he called his name Er. 
 
 4. And she conceived again, and 
 bare a son ; and she called his name 
 Onan. 
 
 5. And she yet again conceived, 
 and bare a son; and called his 
 name Shelah : and he was at Che- 
 zib, when she bare him. 
 
 6. IT And Judah took a wife for 
 Er his firstborn, whose name was 
 Tamar. 
 
 7. And Er, Judah's firstborn, 
 was wicked in the sight of the 
 Lord; and the Lord slew him. 
 
 8. And Judah said unto Onan, 
 Go in unto thy brother's wife, and 
 marry her, and raise up seed to 
 thy brother. 
 
 9. And Onan knew that the seed 
 should not be his; and it came to 
 pass, when he went in unto his 
 brother's wife, that he spilled it on 
 the ground, lest that he should 
 give seed to his brother, 
 
 10. And the thing which he did 
 displeased the Lord: wherefore he 
 slew him also. 
 
 11. Then said Judah to Tamar 
 his daughter-in-law. Remain a 
 
 widow at thy father's house, till 
 Shelah my son be grown: (for he 
 said, Lest peradventure he die also , 
 as his brethren did:) and Tamar 
 went and dwelt in her father's 
 house. 
 
 12. IT And in process of time the 
 daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife 
 died; and Judah was comforted, 
 and went up unto his sheep-shear- 
 ers to Timnath, he and his friend 
 Hirah the AduUamite. 
 
 13. And it was told Tamar, say- 
 ing. Behold thy father-in-law go- 
 eth up to Timnath to shear his 
 sheep. 
 
 14. And she put her widow's 
 garments off from her, and cov- 
 ered her with a veil, and wrapped 
 herself, and sat in an open place, 
 which is by the way to Timnath; 
 for she saw that Shelah was grown, 
 and she was not given unto him to 
 wife. 
 
 15. When Judah saw her, he 
 thought her to be an harlot; because 
 she had covered her face. 
 
 16. And he turned unto her by 
 the way, and said, Go to, I pray 
 thee, let me come in unto thee; (for 
 he knew not that she was his daugh- 
 ter-in-law;) And she said. What 
 wilt thou give me, that thou may- 
 est come in unto me? 
 
 17. And he said, I will send thee 
 a kid from the flock. And she 
 said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, 
 till thou send it ? 
 
 18. And he said. What pledge 
 
336 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 shall I give thee? And she said, 
 Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and 
 thy staff that is in thy hand. And 
 he gave it her, and came in unto 
 her, and she conceived by him. 
 
 19. And she arose, and went 
 away, and laid by her veil from 
 her, and put on the garments of 
 her widowhood. 
 
 20. And Judah sent the kid by 
 the hand of his friend the Adulla- 
 mite, to receive his pledge from 
 the woman's hand: but he found 
 her not. 
 
 21. Then he asked the men of 
 that place, saying, Where is the 
 harlot, that was openly by the 
 way side? And they said, There 
 was no harlot in this place. 
 
 22. And he retui-ned to Judah, 
 and said, I cannot find her; and 
 also the men of the place said, that 
 there was no harlot in this place. 
 
 23. And Judah said. Let her take 
 it to her, lest we be shamed; be- 
 hold, I sent this kid, and thou hast 
 not found her. 
 
 24. IT And it came to pass about 
 three months after, that it was told 
 Judah, saying, Tamar thy daugh- 
 ter-in-law hath played the harlot; 
 and also, behold, she is with child 
 
 by whoredom. And Judah said. 
 Bring her forth, and let her be 
 burnt. 
 
 25. When she was brought forth, 
 she sent to her father-in-law, say- 
 ing. By the man, whose these are, 
 am I with child: and she said. Dis- 
 cern, I pray thee, whose are these, 
 the signet, and bracelets, and staff. 
 
 26. And Judah acknowledged 
 them, and said, Slie hath been more 
 righteous than I; because that I 
 gave her not to Shelah my son. 
 And he knew her again no more- 
 
 27. IT And it came to pass in the 
 time of her travail, that, behold, 
 twins were in her womb. 
 
 28. And it came to pass, when 
 she travailed, that, the one put out 
 his hand : and the midwife took and 
 bound upon his hand a scarlet 
 thread, saying. This came out first. 
 
 29. And it came to pass, as he 
 drew back his hand, that, behold, 
 his brother came out: and she said, 
 How hast thou broken forth ? this 
 breach be upon thee: therefore his 
 name was called Pharez. 
 
 30. And afterward came out his 
 brother, that had the scarlet thread 
 upon his hand: and his name was 
 called Zarah. 
 
 625. ''It came to pass at that time.^' We need not 
 suppose a reference here to the particular time of Joseph's 
 being sold into Egypt. Joseph was seventeen j'ears old 
 when the diflSculty occurred with his brethren. He was 
 thirty when promoted in Egypt. Then succeeded seven 
 years of plenty and two years of famine, before Jacob went 
 down with his family to that country . This was twenty-two 
 years from the time that Joseph was sold ; and at the time 
 of going to Egypt, we learn that Judah had some sons 
 and grand-sons, which ma}^ oblige us to refer the transac- 
 tions of this chapter farther back than the selling of Joseph. 
 
 And we feel the more at liberty to adopt this view, 
 because, what is here recorded, is not a part of the regu- 
 lar narrative, but a sort of episode, and need not, there- 
 fore, be very intimately connected, by dates or otherwise, 
 with the record which it interrupts. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 337 
 
 626. The custom here referred to, with respect to mar- 
 riage, is simply stated, while the reasons are left to con- 
 jecture. It will doubtless be remembered that this custom 
 was the basis of an objection to the resurrection, once 
 urged against the Saviour, by the Sadducees. 
 
 627. The scarlet thread was intended to show whi(Ji 
 of the twins was first born ; that being an important 
 circumstance with the people of those days, as we have 
 often had occasion to remark. And though the occasion 
 of the birth of these twins, might have been omitted, the 
 omission would have occasioned a break in the genealogy 
 of our Saviour. Matt. i. 3. 
 
 SECTION XVI.— Joseph Tempted. 
 
 CHAP. XXXIX. 
 
 1. And Joseph was brought 
 down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an 
 officer of Pharaoh, captain of the 
 guard, an Egyptian, bought him 
 of the hands of the Ishmaelites, 
 which had brought him down 
 thither. 
 
 2. And the Lord was with Jo- 
 seph, and he was a prosperous 
 man; and he was in the house of 
 his master the Egyptian. 
 
 3. And his master saw that the 
 Lord was with him, and that the 
 Lord made all that he did to pros- 
 per in his hand. 
 
 4. And Joseph found grace in his 
 sight, and he served him: and he 
 made him overseer over his house, 
 and all that he had he put into 
 his hand. 
 
 5. And it came to pass from the 
 time that he had made him over- j 
 seer in his house, and over all that 
 he had, that the Lord blessed the 
 Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake ; 
 and the blessing of the Lord was 
 upon all that he had in the house, 
 and in the field. 
 
 6 And he left all that he had, in 
 Joseph's hand; and he knew not 
 aught he had, save the bread which 
 
 15 
 
 he did eat. And Joseph was a 
 goodly person, and well-favored. 
 
 7. IT And it came to pass after 
 these things, that his master's wife 
 cast her eyes upon Joseph ; and she 
 said, Lie with me. 
 
 8. But he refused, and said unto 
 his master's wife. Behold, my mas- 
 ter wotteth not what is with me in 
 the house, and he hath committed 
 all that he hath to my hand ; 
 
 9. There is none greater in the 
 house than I: neither hath he kept 
 l>ack any thing from me but thee, 
 because thou art his wife: how 
 then can I do this great wicked- 
 ness, and sin against God ? 
 
 10. And it came to pass, as she 
 spake to Joseph day by day, that 
 he hearkened not unto her, to lie 
 by her, or to be with her. 
 
 11. And it came to pass about 
 this time, that Joseph went into the 
 house to do his business; and there 
 was none of the men of the house 
 there within. 
 
 12. And she caught him by his 
 garment, saying, Lie with me: and 
 he left his garment in her hand, 
 and fled, and got him out. 
 
 13. And it came to pass, when 
 
338 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 she saw that he had left his gar- 
 ment in her hand, and was tied 
 forth, 
 
 14. That she called unto the men 
 of her liouse,and spake unto them, 
 saying. See, he has brought in an 
 Hebrew unto us to mock us; he 
 came in unto me to lie with me, 
 and I crietl with a loud voice: 
 
 15. And it came to pass, when 
 he heard th:it I lifted up my voice 
 and cried, tiiat he left his garment 
 with me, and lied, and got him out. 
 
 16. And slio laid up his garment 
 by her until his lord came home. 
 
 17. And she spake unto him ac- 
 cording to these words, saying, 
 The Hebrew servant, which thou 
 hast brought unto us, came in unto 
 me TO mock me: 
 
 18. And it came to pass, as I 
 lifted up my voice and cried, that 
 he left his garment with me, and 
 fled out. 
 
 19. And it came to pass, when 
 
 his master heard the words of hia 
 ! wife, which she spake unto him, 
 saying. After tliis manuer did thy 
 servant to me; that his wrath was 
 kindled. 
 
 20. And Joseph's master took 
 him, and put him into the prison, 
 a place where the king's prisoners 
 were bound: and he was there in 
 the prison. 
 
 21. IT But the Lord was with Jo- 
 seph, and shewed him mercy, and 
 gave him favor in the sight of the 
 keeper of the prison. 
 
 22. And the keeper of the prison 
 committed to Joseph's hand all the 
 prisoners that were in the prison: 
 and whatsoever they did there, he 
 was the doer of it. 
 
 23. The keeper of the prison 
 looked not to any thing that was 
 under his hand; because the Lord 
 was with him, and that which he 
 did, the Lokd made it to prosper. 
 
 628. The promotion of Joseph in the house of Potiphar, 
 was a natural result of his faithfulness ; nor was there any 
 thing in the state of society in Egypt, that would inter- 
 fere with his promotion. Indeed the state of society was 
 precisely such as would lead to this result. The labor 
 being- done mostly by servants, it would be a very grati- 
 fying circumstance to find one that could take charge of 
 the rest, and conduct all the affairs in his hands, with 
 wisdom and prudence. But his promotion was only the 
 promotion of a servant, and must be so understood. 
 
 629. The crime charged upon Joseph by the wife of 
 Potiphar, one would suppose, would have subjected the 
 offender to a severer punishment than was here inflicted. 
 We feel surprised that Joseph was not immediately exe- 
 cuted ; and we are inclined to suspect that there was 
 some good reason for this lenity. 1 apprehend we shall 
 not be far from the truth, if we regard Potiphar as enter- 
 taining some suspicions of Joseph's innocence, or at least 
 presuming on some palliating circumstances of which his 
 wife did not inform him. A woman, so far gone in crime, 
 as she must have been, could hardly have been regarded 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 B39 
 
 by her husband as perfectly reb'able. Add to this, that 
 Joseph's former conduct would naturally incline the mas- 
 ter to exercise towards his servant some degree of lenity. 
 What confirms this opinion, is, the promotion of Joseph 
 in prison ; since'this same Potiphar, we infer from auotiier 
 passage, had charge of the prison. Compare xl. 3, 4. 
 It is hardly supposable that Joseph, for such a crime, 
 would have been only imprisoned, in such a country, and 
 under such a government as Egypt, unless there were 
 strong suspicions of his innocence. It is quite as hard to 
 believe, that the same officer he had offended, should place 
 him over all the prisoners in his hands. 
 
 SECTION XVII. — Dreams of the Butler and Baker. 
 CHAP. XL. 
 
 1. And it came to pass after 
 these things, that the butler of the 
 king of Egypt and his baker had 
 offended their lord the king of 
 Egypt. 
 
 2. And Pharaoh was wroth 
 against two of his officers, against 
 the chief of the butlers, and against 
 the chief of the bakers. 
 
 3. And he put them in ward in 
 the house of the captain of the 
 guard, into the prison, the place 
 where Joseph was bound. 
 
 4. And the captain of the guard 
 charged Joseph with them, and he 
 served them: and they continued a 
 season in ward. 
 
 5. IT And they dreamed a dream, 
 both of them, each man his dream 
 in one nicht, each man according 
 to the interpretation of his dream, 
 the butler and the baker of the 
 king of Egypt, which were bound 
 in the prison. 
 
 6. And Joseph came in unto 
 them in the morning, and looked 
 upon them, and behold, they were 
 sad. 
 
 7. And he asked Pharaoh's offi- 
 cers that were with him in the ward 
 of his lord's house, saying. Where- 
 fore look ye so sadly to-day ? 
 
 8. And they said unto him, We 
 have dreamed a dream, and there 
 is no interpreter of it. And Joseph 
 said unto them, Do not interpreta- 
 tions belong to God? tell me them, 
 I pray you. 
 
 9. And the chief butler told his 
 dream to Joseph, and said to him. 
 In my dream, behold, a vine was 
 before me; 
 
 10. And in the vine were three 
 branches : and it was as though it 
 budded, and her blossoms shot 
 forth; and the clusters thereof 
 brought forth ripe grapes: 
 
 11. And Pharaoh's cup was in 
 my hand: and I took the grapes, 
 and pressed them into Pharaoh's 
 cup, and I gave the cup into Pha- 
 raoh's hand. 
 
 12. And Joseph said unto him. 
 This is the interpretation of it: The 
 three branches are three days: 
 
 13. Yet within three days shall 
 Pharaoh lift up thy head, and re- 
 store thee unto thy place: and thou 
 shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into 
 his hand, after the former manner 
 when thou wast his butler. 
 
 14. But think on me when it 
 shall be well with thee, and shew 
 kindness, I pray thee, unto me. 
 
340 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 and make mention of me unto Pha- 
 raoh, and bring me out of this 
 house: 
 
 15. For indeed I was stolen away 
 out of the land of the Hebrews: 
 and here also have I done nothing 
 that they should put me into the 
 dungeon. 
 
 15. \Vhen the chief baker saw 
 that the interpretation was good, 
 he said unto Joseph, I also was in 
 my dream, and, behold, / had three 
 white baskets on my head: 
 
 17. xVnd in the uppermost basket 
 there was of all manner of bake- 
 meats for Pharaoh ; and the birds 
 did eat them out of the basket upon 
 my head. 
 
 18. And Joseph answered and 
 said, This is the interpretation 
 thereof: The three baskets are 
 three days : 
 
 19. Yet within three days shall 
 Pharaoh lift up thy head from off 
 thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; 
 and the birds shall eat thy flesh 
 fi'om otf thee. 
 
 20. And it came to pass the third 
 day, ivhich was Pharaoh's birth- 
 day, that he made a feast unto all 
 his servants: and he lifted up the 
 head of the chief butler and of the 
 chief baker among his servants. 
 
 21. And he restored the chief 
 butler unto his butlership again; 
 and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's 
 hand: 
 
 22. But he hanged the chief ba- 
 ker, as Joseph had interpreted to 
 them. 
 
 23. Yet did not the chief butler 
 remember Joseph, but forgat him. 
 
 630. It was the business of one of these men to super- 
 intend the drinJcing department of Pharaoh's court, and 
 the other the eating department. And as they were 
 chiefs in these departments, the inference is, that they 
 had a number of subordinates ; and this fact indicates the 
 ma2:nificence of the court which they served. 
 
 631. That the dreams here mentioned were divine, 
 need not, I apprehend, be supposed : though it is difficult 
 to understand how Joseph could have known the future 
 of these men, without divine aid. The result verified his 
 interpretation, and was the distant cause of his own 
 deliverance. I infer that the chief baker was first decap- 
 itated, and then his body suspended to a tree. Compare 
 verses 19 and 22. 
 
 632. The request of Joseph to be remembered by the 
 butler, was very natural : and it was quite unnatural that 
 he should have been forgotten. There are many suppos- 
 ablc circumstances, however, that render the forgetful- 
 ness of the butler a credible event. lie was doubtless 
 quite delighted with his own liberty. There might have 
 been circumstances rendering it dangerous for him to 
 interfere in a matter of that kind. Besides, the man ask- 
 ing the favor, was only a servant ; and though his position 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 341 
 
 in prison might make his favor an object, yet out of prison 
 no such motive couhi avail. 
 
 633. That Joseph was stolen from his own land, has 
 reference to the secret manner in which he was disposed 
 of, with reference to his father, and is not to be considered 
 an implication of those who bought him as a slave. 
 
 SECTION XVIII. — Pharaoh's Dreams. 
 
 CHAP. XLI. 
 
 1. And it came to pass at the end 
 of two full years, that Pharaoh 
 dreamed: and behold, he stood by 
 the river. 
 
 2. And behold, there came up 
 out of the river seven well-f^xvored 
 kine and fot-fleshed ; and they fed 
 in a meadow. 
 
 3. And behold, seven other kine 
 came up after them out of the 
 river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed ; 
 and stood by the other kine upon 
 the brink of the river. 
 
 4. And the ill-favored and lean- 
 fleshed kine did eat up the seven 
 well-favored and fat kine. So Pha- 
 raoh awoke, 
 
 5. And he slept and dreamed the 
 second time: and behold, seven ears 
 of corn came up upon one stalk, 
 rank and good. 
 
 6. And behold, seven thin ears 
 and blasted with the east wind 
 sprung up after them. 
 
 7. And the seven thin ears de- 
 voured the seven rank and full 
 ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and 
 behold, it was a dream. 
 
 8. And it came to pass in the 
 morning that his spirit was trou- 
 bled ; and he sent and called for all 
 the magicians of Egypt, and all the 
 wise men thereof: and Pharaoh 
 told them his dream ; but there ivas 
 none that could interpret them un- 
 to Pharaoh. 
 
 9. IT Then spake the chief butler 
 unto Pharaoh, spying, I do remem- 
 ber my faults this diy: 
 
 10. Pharaoh was wroth with his 
 Bervants, and put me in ward in 
 
 the captain of the guard's house, 
 both me and the chief baker: 
 
 11. And we dreamed a dream in 
 one night, I and he; we dreamed 
 each man according to the inter- 
 pretation of his dream. 
 
 12. And there was there with us 
 a young man, an Hebrew, servant 
 to the captain of the guard; and 
 we told him, and he interpreted to 
 us our dreams; to each man ac- 
 cording to his dream he did inter- 
 pret. 
 
 13. And it came to pass, as he 
 interpreted to us, so it was; me he 
 restored unto mine oJEce, and him 
 he hanged. 
 
 14. •[[ Then Pharaoh sent and 
 called Joseph, and they brought 
 him hastily out of the dungeon: 
 and he shaved hhn self, and chang- 
 ed his raiment, and came in unto 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 15. And Pharaoh said unto Jo- 
 seph, I have dreamed a dream, 
 and there is none that can inter- 
 pret it: and I have heard say of 
 thee, that thou canst understand a 
 dream to interpret it. 
 
 16. And Joseph answered Pha- 
 raoh, saying. It is not in me : God 
 shall give Pharaoh an answer of 
 peace. 
 
 17. And Pharaoh said unto Jo- 
 seph, In my dream, behold, I stood 
 upon the bank of the river: 
 
 18. And behold, there came up 
 out of the river seven kine, fat- 
 fleshed and well-favored; and they 
 fed in a meadoAv: 
 
 19. And behold, seven other kine 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 came up after them , poor and very 
 ill-fivored and lean-fleshed, such 
 as I never saw in all the land of 
 Egypt for badness: 
 
 20. And the lean and the ill-fa- 
 vored kinc did eat up the first 
 seven fit kine: 
 
 21. And when they had eaten 
 them up, it could not be known 
 that they had eaten them; but they 
 ivci-e still ill-fivorel, as at the be- 
 ginning. So I awoke. 
 
 22. And I saw in my dream, 
 and behold, seven ears came up in 
 one stalk, full and good: 
 
 23. And behold, seven ears, with- 
 ei*ed, thin, and blasted with the 
 east wind, sprung up after them: 
 
 24. And the thin ears devoured 
 the seven good ears: and I told this 
 unto the magicians; but there was 
 none that could declai'e it to me. 
 
 25. IT And Joseph said unto Pha- 
 raoh, The dream of Pharaoh is 
 one: God hath shewed Pharaoh 
 what he is about to do. 
 
 26. The seven good kine are se- 
 ven years; and the seven good ears 
 are seven years: the dream is one. 
 
 27. And the seven thin and ill- 
 favored kine that came up after 
 them are seven years; and the se- 
 ven empty ears blasted with the 
 east wind shall be seven years of 
 famine. 
 
 28. This is the thing which I 
 have spoken unto Pharaoh: What 
 
 God is about to do he shcwcth i;n- 
 to Pharaoh. 
 
 29. Behold, there come seven 
 years of great plenty throughout 
 all the land of Egypt: 
 
 30. And there shall arise after 
 them seven years of famine; and 
 all the plenty shall be forgotten in 
 the land of Egypt; and the fimine 
 shall consume the land; 
 
 31. And the plenty shall not be 
 known in the land by reason of that 
 famine following; for it shall be 
 very grievous. 
 
 32. And for that the dream was 
 doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is 
 because the thing is established by 
 God, and God will shortly bring it 
 to pass. 
 
 33. Now therefore let Pharaoh 
 look out a man discreet and wise, 
 and set him over the land of Egypt. 
 
 34. Let Pharaoh do this, and let 
 him appoint officers over the land, 
 and take up the fifth part of the 
 land of Egypt in the seven plen- 
 teous years. 
 
 35. And let them gather all the 
 food of those good years that come, 
 and lay up corn under the hand uf 
 Pharaoh, and let them keep food 
 in the cities. 
 
 36. And that food shall be for 
 store to the land against the seven 
 years of famine, which shall be in 
 the land of Egypt; that the land 
 perish not through the fimine. 
 
 634. ''At the end of two full years," refers probably 
 to the time Joseph had been in prison. The "river" is 
 not named, for the reason that every body would know 
 what river was intended. The Nile was had in view 
 without doubt. The seven lean kine, devouring the fat 
 kine, is in perfect keeping" with the nature of dreams, 
 wherein things natural and unnatural are brought before 
 the mind. The reference to the magicians and wise men 
 shows that there was a class of men in Egypt, thought to 
 be skilled in the interpretation of dreams ; and the confi- 
 dence placed in them, may be the reason why this should 
 have been made the instrument of Joseph's elevation. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 343 
 
 Nothing could have introduced him sooner to the confi- 
 dence of the king. 
 
 635 Pharaoh's spirit was troubled at his dreams. 
 They were well fitted to trouble him. They showed a 
 bad result ; and that was understood as an omen of evil. 
 And the interpretation Joseph gave, commended itself so 
 obviously to his understanding, and his suggestions as to 
 what was best to be done, so exactly met the emergency, 
 that the king did not hesitate to adopt the plan and enter 
 upon its execution. 
 
 636. ^' He shaved himself and changed his raiment." 
 From that time to this, it has been common to treat pris- 
 oners in a manner somewhat peculiar, in regard to their 
 clothing and personal habits. It would seem that, in the 
 prison 1n Egypt, men did not shave ; and besides that 
 they wore some peculiar garment. Still nothing more 
 may be intended than that Joseph prepared himself to 
 make a respectable appearance before the king, without 
 justifying the inference above drawn. 
 
 637. It is worthy of being noticed that, while Joseph 
 has an opportunity "of getting to himself some credit for 
 his sagacity, he disclaims all knowledge of dreams, ex- 
 cept what God is pleased to communicate to him. 
 
 638. That a fifth part of the product of the seven 
 years of plenty, would suffice during the seven years of 
 famine, might seem to us incredible ; but it must be 
 remembered that the seven plenteous years were very 
 productive ; and the amount raised might have been 
 greater on account of the expectation that a famine would 
 succeed : for if the king and court believed that a famine 
 was coming, and were making preparations for it, it is 
 reasonable to conclude that many of the people would 
 have the same opinion, and would make their arrange- 
 ments accordingly. If it be said that the people seem not 
 to have made any extra provision, we reply that there is 
 a seeming of this kind. But I suspect that " that year" 
 xlvii. lY, and "the second year," verse 18, were not the 
 first and second of the seven, but the last two. This is 
 made evident from the fact that the food for the '' second 
 year" was bought with the only thing the people had 
 left, " their bodies and lands ;" and the continuance of 
 
141 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 the famine after that, is not mentioned. Another circum- 
 stance, showing- the same thing, is, that the Israelites 
 came into Eg^^pt at the end of two years of the famine ; 
 and their being nourished by Joseph, during the famine, 
 is mentioned in advance of the two years called " that 
 year'' and the " second." 
 
 Another thing. The Canaanites were in distress before 
 two years came round, and had been twice to Egypt f • r 
 food, the reason of which is, that, with them, no famine 
 was expected. But the Egyptians were not pressed with 
 want till a later period, which is readily accounted for 
 upon our view that, being admonished, they made pre- 
 parations accordingly, not the one fifth merely, as re- 
 quired by Joseph, but a larger amount, on their own 
 account. 
 
 SECTION XIX. — Joseph placed over the Land. 
 
 CHAP. XLI. 
 
 37. IT And the thing was good in 
 the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the 
 eyes of all his servants. 
 
 38. And Pharaoh said unto his 
 servants, Can we find such an one 
 as this is, a man in whom the spirit 
 of God is ? 
 
 39. And Pharaoh said unto Jo- 
 seph, Forasmuch as God hath 
 shewed thee all this, there is none 
 so discreet and wise as thou art : 
 
 40. Thou shalt be over my house, 
 and according unto thy word shall 
 all my people be ruled: only in 
 the throne will I be greater than 
 thou. 
 
 41. And Pharoah said unto Jo- 
 seph, See, I have set thee over all 
 the land of Eirypt. 
 
 42. And Pharaoh took off his 
 ring from his hand, and put it 
 upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed 
 him in vestures of fine linen, and 
 put a gold chain about his neck; 
 
 43. And he made him to ride in 
 the second chariot which he had: 
 and they cried before him. Bow 
 the knee; and he made him ruler 
 over all the land of Egypt. 
 
 44. And Pharaoh said unto Jo- 
 seph, I am Pharaoh, and without 
 thee shall no man lift up his hand 
 or foot in all the land of Egypt. 
 
 45. And Pharaoh called Joseph's 
 name Zaphnath-paaneab: and he 
 gave him to wifeAsenath the daugh- 
 ter of Poti-pherah priest of On ; 
 and Joseph went out over all the 
 land of Egypt. 
 
 46. IT And Joseph was thirty 
 years old when he stood bcfi)re 
 Pharaoh king of Egyjjt: and Jo- 
 seph went out from the presence of 
 Pharaoh, and went throughout all 
 the land of Egypt. 
 
 47 And in the seven plenteous 
 years the earth brought forth by 
 handfuls. 
 
 48. And he gathered up all the 
 food of the seven years Avlaich were 
 in the land of Egypt, and laid up 
 the food in the cities: the food of 
 the field which was round about 
 every city, laid he up in the same. 
 
 49. And Joseph gathered corn as 
 the sand of the sea, very much, un- 
 til he left numbering, for it was 
 without number. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 345 
 
 50. And unto Joseph were born 
 two sons before the years of famine 
 came; which Asenath the daughter 
 of Poti-pherah priest of On bare 
 unto him. 
 
 51. And Joseph called the name 
 of the first born Manasseh ; for God, 
 said he, hath made me forget all 
 my toil, and all my father's house. 
 
 52. And the name of the second 
 called he Ephraim: For God hath 
 caused me to be fruitful in the land 
 of my affliction. 
 
 53. IT And the seven years of 
 plenteousness that was in the land 
 of Egypt, were ended. 
 
 54. And the seven years of dearth 
 began to come, according as Jo- 
 
 seph had said ; and the dearth was 
 in all lands; but iu all the land of 
 Egypt there was bread. 
 
 55. And when all the land of 
 Egypt was famished, the people 
 cried to Phtiraoh for bread: and 
 Pharaoh said unto all the Egypt- 
 ians, Go unto Joseph, what he saith 
 to you, do. 
 
 56. And the famine was over all 
 the face of the earth: and Joseph 
 opened all the stoi-e-houses, and 
 sold unto the Egyptians ; and the 
 famine waxed sore in the land of 
 
 i^gypt. 
 
 57. And all countries came into 
 Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; 
 because that the famine was so 
 sore in all lands. 
 
 639. "There is none so discreet and wise as thou.'^ 
 We do not think that Pharaoh's reasoning is entirely 
 sound, if he had in view, as the basis of his conclusion, 
 the single fact that Joseph had interpreted his dreams ; 
 for we see no necessary connection between that, and a 
 fitness to manage the affairs of state. But the suggestions 
 of Joseph, as to what was best under the circumstances, 
 were such as to commend themselves to the judgment of 
 any man : and this, in connection with his former man- 
 agement, both in the house of Potiphar, and in the prison, 
 may have had an influence to determine the course of the 
 king. 
 
 640. The ring, and fine linen, and gold chain, were 
 badges of authority ; and were necessary to establish his 
 authority with the people. So with the second chariot, 
 and the injunction to '' bow the knee.'' The chariot is 
 probably called " second," as having some mark to indi- 
 cate that Joseph was only second to the king. 
 
 641. The name given to Joseph was probably signifi- 
 cant of his position ; but its exact meaning is not well 
 determined. It was probably an Egyptian designation, 
 and is to be known only by reference to the language of 
 that country. 
 
 642. " The priest of On." On is, in the Septuagint, 
 Ileliopolis. It is mentioned only once or tw^ice in Genesis; 
 
 15-^ 
 
34G 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 a:id its location caiiDot be determined by these in- 
 stances. 
 
 643. We infer that the food, said to be gathered up in 
 all the land, was nut merely the one-filth mentioned 
 before, but all that could be spared ; while the fifth part 
 was reserved for the king, and it was this last that helped 
 to supply the people after the rest was gone, during the 
 last two or three years of the famine. 
 
 SECTION XX. — First Journey to Egypt. 
 CHAP. XLII. 
 
 1. Now when Jacob saw that 
 there was coin in Egypt, Jacob 
 said unto his sons. Why do ye look 
 one upon another? 
 
 2. And he s.iid, Behold, I have 
 heard that there is corn in Egypt: 
 get you down thither, and buy for 
 us from tlience; that we may live, 
 and not die. 
 
 3. IT And Joseph's ten brethren 
 went down to buy corn in Egypt. 
 
 4. But Benjamin, Joseph's bro- 
 ther, Jacob sent not with his bre- 
 thi-en; for he said. Lest peradven- 
 ture mischief befall him. 
 
 5. And the sons of Israel came 
 to buy corn among those that 
 came: for the famine was in the 
 land of Canaan. 
 
 6. And Joseph icas the governor 
 over the land, and lie // was that 
 sold to all the people of the land: 
 and Ji»3ci)h's brethren came and 
 bowed down themselves before him 
 with their fices to the earth. 
 
 7. An 1 Joseph saw his brethren, 
 and he knew them, but made him- 
 self strange unto them, and spake 
 roughly unto them; and he said 
 unto tliem, Whence come ye? And 
 they Slid, From the land of Ca- 
 naan to buy food. 
 
 8. And Joseph knew his bre- 
 thren, but they knew not him. 
 
 9. And Josepli remembered the 
 dreams which lie dreamed of them, 
 and said unto the.n, Yc arc spies; 
 
 to see the nakedness of the land ye 
 are come. 
 
 10. And they said unto him. Nay, 
 my lord, but to buy food are thy 
 servants come. 
 
 11. We are all one man's sons; 
 we are true men, thy servants are 
 no spies. 
 
 12. And he said unto them, Nay, 
 but to see the nakedness of the 
 land ye are come. 
 
 13. And they said, Thy servants 
 are twelve brethren, the sons of 
 one man in the land of Canaan; 
 and behold, the youngest is this 
 day with our ftither, and one is 
 not. 
 
 14. And Joseph said unto them, 
 That ts it that I spake unto you, 
 saying, Ye are spies: 
 
 15. Hereby ye shall be proved: 
 By the life of Pharaoh ye sliall not 
 go forth hence, except your young- 
 est brother come hither. 
 
 16. Send one of you, and let him 
 fetch your brother, and ye shall be 
 kept in prison, that your words 
 may be proved, Avhether there be 
 any truth in you: or else by the 
 life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 
 
 17. And he put them all together 
 into ward three days. 
 
 18. And Joseph said unto them 
 the third day, This do and live; /or 
 I fear God : 
 
 19. If ye be trnc men, let one of 
 your brethren be bound in the 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 house of your prison; go ye, carry 
 coru for the famine of your liouses : 
 
 20. But bring your youngest 
 brother unto me; so shall your 
 words be verified, and ye shall not 
 die. And they did so, 
 
 21. And they said one to ano- 
 ther. We are verily guilty concern- 
 ing our brother, in that we saw 
 the anguish of his soul, when he 
 besought us, and we would not 
 hear ; therefore is this distress come 
 upon us. 
 
 22. And Reuben answered them, 
 saying, Spake I not unto you, say- 
 ing. Do not sin against the child; 
 and ye would not hear? therefore, 
 behold, also his blood is required. 
 
 23. And they knew not that Jo- 
 seph unde^-stood them ; for he sjjake 
 unto them by an interpreter. 
 
 24. And he turned himself about 
 from them, and wept; and re- 
 turned to them again, and com- 
 muned with them, and took from 
 tJieip Simeon, and bound him be- 
 fore their eyes. 
 
 25. IT Then Joseph commanded 
 to fill their sacks with corn, and 
 to restore every man's money into 
 his sack, and to give them pro- 
 vision for the way: and thus did he 
 unto them. 
 
 26. And they laded their asses 
 with the corn, and departed thence. 
 
 27. And as one of them opened 
 his sack to give his ass provender 
 in the inn, he espied his money; 
 for, behold, it was in his sack's 
 mouth. 
 
 28. And he said unto his breth- 
 ren. My money is restored ; and lo, 
 it is even in my sack: and their 
 heart failed JAewi, and they were 
 afraid, saying one to another, 
 What is this that God hath done 
 unto us ? 
 
 29. IT And they came unto Jacob 
 
 their father unto the land of Ca- 
 naan, and told him all that befell 
 unto them, saying, 
 
 30. 'J he iiiHii, who is the lord of 
 the land, sjjake roughly to us, and 
 took us for spies of the country. 
 
 3J. And we said unto him. We 
 are true men ; we are no spies: 
 
 32. We be twelve brethren, sons 
 of our father; one is not, and the 
 youngest is this day with our fa- 
 ther in the land of Canaan. 
 
 33. And the man, the lord of the 
 country, said unto us, Hereby shall 
 I know that ye are lYVLemen ; leave 
 one of your brethren here with me, 
 and take food for the famine of 
 your households, and be gone: 
 
 34. And bring your youngest bro- 
 ther unto me; then shall I know 
 that ye are no spies, but that ye 
 are true men; so will I deliver 
 you your brother, and ye shall 
 traffic in the land. 
 
 35. IT And it came to pass as they 
 emptied their sacks, that behold, 
 every man's bundle of money was 
 in his sack: and when both they 
 and their father saw the bundles of 
 money, they were afraid. 
 
 36. And Jacob their father said 
 unto them. Me have ye bereaved 
 of my children : Joseph is not, and 
 Simeon is not, and ye will take 
 Benjamin away : all these things 
 are against me. 
 
 37. And Reuben spake unto his 
 father, saying. Slay my two sons, 
 if I bring him not to thee: deliver 
 
 I him into my hand, and I will bring 
 j him to thee again. 
 I 38. And he said, My son shall 
 j not go down with you; for his bro- 
 I ther is dead, and he is left alone:" if 
 i mischief befall him by the way in 
 I the which ye go, then shall ye 
 bring down my grey hairs with 
 I sorrow to the grave. 
 
 644. It appears from several instances recorded in Gen- 
 esis, that going to Egypt for supplies during famine, was 
 not an unusual occurrence. And the reason why Egj^pt 
 was more highly favored, in this respect, than Canaan 
 
348 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 and other lands, was that its fertility did not depend upon 
 rains falling directly upon the land, but upon the over- 
 flowing of the Nile. And though the lack of rain, at its 
 source, would in time lessen its waters and prevent the 
 overflowing of the land, and thereby occasion a famine, 
 yet this would require a considerable period ; and when 
 such an event occurred, it would evidently last a no less 
 period. Hence, a seven years of plenty, when the Nile 
 overflowed the land, and made its productions abundant, 
 followed by as long a period of dearth, was a natural 
 occurrence for that country ; though there is probably no 
 other land on the eartli where such a thing would be likely 
 to occur, except by a miracle. 
 
 645. That Joseph should know his brethren, and they 
 not know him, may seem at first a little strange : but 
 Joseph was of an age to change more than most of his 
 brethren who were older ; and besides, the fashion of 
 his clothing was probably quite different from theirs ; to 
 which we may add the ornaments he wore, as badges of 
 authority, all which would tend to disguise him in the 
 presence of his brethren. lie was familiar with their 
 dress and appearance ; but they were not familiar with 
 his. 
 
 646. The suspicion that the brethren may have come 
 "to see the nakedness of the land," was one of the best 
 devices that was possible, as the existence of a famine 
 there would seem to justify the charge : for it was not 
 to be presumed, by Joseph's brethren, that there had 
 been any special preparations for supplying the country, 
 in such an emergency. 
 
 647. "One is not,'' — that is, one is dead. That 
 was the story they had all along told ; and they tell it 
 now, to keep up the appearance of consistency. There 
 are two additional reasons for this. One is, that the 
 eldest brother Reuben, and perhaps some of the others, 
 had not yet known but that Joseph was killed : and it 
 was not best to inform them. Another is, that the facts 
 of the case would not be likely to increase the good opin- 
 ion they would have the Egyptian ruler entertain of 
 them. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 349 
 
 648. " By the life of Pharaoh," was the strongest 
 form of oath known in Egypt. It was equivalent to say- 
 ing, ** The life of the king be sacrificed, rather than 
 
 what I say prove untrue." 
 
 649. Joseph says that he fears God ; and he therefore 
 suggests retaining one of the brethren as a hostage, 
 and'allowing the rest to go back to Canaan, and carry 
 food to their families ; whereas be might, in view of his 
 suspicions, have kept them all, save one to go and bring 
 the youngest brother, as he had first proposed. 
 
 650. "We are verily guilty." Observe, that when 
 they allude to the anguish of Joseph, they are careful 
 not to drop a word about his fate ; and Reuben, hearmg 
 them, supposes they allude to his death, and makes his 
 remarks according to this supposition. 
 
 651. The language of Egypt was different from the 
 language of Canaan. Therefore the "interpreter" al- 
 luded to. 
 
 652. Why Simeon was selected as the hostage rather 
 than either of the others may not be certain. It may be 
 on account of his being the oldest, except Reuben ; and 
 the latter Joseph would be disposed to favor for his good 
 intentions, while the rest were plotting his destruction. 
 Besides, the absence of this brother might be less dis- 
 tressing to the father, as he had greatly incurred the old 
 man's displeasure in the sacking of Shalem. 
 
 653. This is the only place where inns are mentioned 
 in this book. The character of the establishment cannot 
 be justly inferred from this single instance. That the 
 travellers fed their own provender, is expressly stated ; 
 and being furnished in Egypt with provisions for the way, 
 would also indicate that these things were not expected 
 to be obtained at the inns along the route. Still, the cir- 
 cumstances were extraordinary, and extraordinary ar- 
 rangements had to be made. In times of plenty the inns 
 may have supplied these accommodations. 
 
 654. It would seem that one only had the money "in 
 the mouth of the sack," while, with the rest, it was at 
 the bottom, where they would not be likely to find it, till 
 they reached home. 
 
350 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 655. " Slay my tv/o sons." When Reuben went down 
 to l^gypt he had four sons ; but when this language 
 occurred he may have had but two. The proposition was 
 an emphatic way of giving the old man the assurance that 
 Benjamin should be returned. 
 
 656. With sorrow to the grave, to Sheol, the place of 
 the dead. See pp. 65-67. 
 
 SECTION XXI. — Second Descent to Egypt. 
 
 CHAP. XLIII. 
 
 1. And the famine was sore in 
 the land. 
 
 2. And it came to pass, when 
 they had eaten up the corn which 
 they had brought out of Egypt, 
 their father said unto them, Go 
 again, buy us a little food. 
 
 3. And Judah spake unto him, 
 saying. The man did solemnly pro- 
 test unto us, saying. Ye shall not 
 see my face, except your brother 
 be with you. 
 
 4. If thou wilt send our brother 
 with us, we will go down and buy 
 thee food: 
 
 5. But if thou wilt not send him 
 "we will not go down : for the man 
 said unto us. Ye shall not see my 
 face, except your brother be with 
 you. 
 
 6. And Israel said. Wherefore 
 dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the 
 man whether ye had yet a brother ? 
 
 7. And they said. The man asked 
 us straitly of our state, and of our 
 kindred, saying. Is your father yet 
 alive? have ye ariother brother? 
 and we tohl him according to the 
 tenor of these words: Could we 
 certainly know that he would say, 
 Bring your brother down ? 
 
 8. And Judah said unto Israel liis 
 fither, Send the lad with me, and 
 we will arise and go ; that we may 
 live, and not die, both we, and 
 thou, and also our little ones. 
 
 9. I will be surety for him; of my 
 hand shalt thou require him : If I 
 bring him not unto thee, and set 
 
 him before thee, then let me bear 
 the blame for ever; 
 
 10. For except we had lingered, 
 surely now we had returned this 
 second time. 
 
 11. And their father Israel said 
 unto them, If it must be so now, do 
 this ; take of the best fruits in the 
 land in your vessels, and carry 
 down the man a present, a little 
 balm, and a little honey, spices, and 
 myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 
 
 12. And take double money in 
 your hand; and the money that 
 was brought again in the mouth of 
 your sacks, carry it again in your 
 hand; peradventure it was an 
 ovei'siirht : 
 
 13. Take also your brother, and 
 arise, go again unto the man. 
 
 14. And God Almighty give you 
 mercy before the man, that he may 
 send away your other brother, and 
 Benjamin. If I be bereaved o/wy 
 children, I am bereaved. 
 
 15. IT And the men took that 
 present, and they took double mon- 
 ey in their hand, and Benjamin; 
 and rose up, and went down to 
 Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 
 
 16. And when Joseph saw Ben- 
 jamin with them, he said to the ru- 
 ler of his house. Bring these men 
 home, and slay, and make ready; 
 for these men shall dine with me at 
 noon. 
 
 17. And the man did as Joseph 
 bade; and the man brought the 
 men into Joseph's house. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 351 
 
 18. And the men were afraid, 
 because they were brought into 
 Joseph's house; and they said, 
 Because of the money that was re- 
 turned in our sacks at the first 
 time are we brought in; that he 
 may seek occasion against us, and 
 fall upon us, and take us for bond- 
 men, and our asses. 
 
 19 IT And they came near to the 
 steward of Joseph's house, and 
 they com :.uned Avith him at the 
 door of the house. 
 
 20. And said, O sir, we came in- 
 deed down at the first time to buy 
 food: 
 
 21. And it came to pass, when 
 we came to the inn, that we opened 
 our sacks, and behold, every man's 
 money was in the mouth of his 
 sack, our money in full weight: 
 and we have brought it again in 
 our hand. 
 
 22. And other money have we 
 brought down in our hands to buy 
 food: we cannot tell who put our 
 money in our sacks. 
 
 23. And he said, Peace ie to you, 
 fear not: your God, and the God 
 of your father, hath given you 
 treasure in your sacks : I had your 
 money. And he brought Simeon 
 out unto them. 
 
 24. And the man brought the 
 men into Joseph's house, and gave 
 
 ^ihem water, and they washed their 
 'feet; and he gave their asses prov- 
 ender. 
 
 25. And they made ready the 
 present against Joseph came at 
 noon: for they heard that they 
 should eat bread there. 
 
 26. And when Joseph came home, 
 they brought him the present 
 which was in their hand into the 
 
 house, and bowed themselves to 
 him to the earth. 
 
 27. And he asked them of their 
 welfare, and said. Is your father 
 well? the old man of whom ye 
 spake, is he yet alive? 
 
 28. And they answered. Thy ser- 
 vant our father is in good health, 
 he is yet alive : and they bowed 
 down their heads, and made obei- 
 sance. 
 
 29. And he lifted up his eyes, 
 and saw his brother Benjamin, his 
 mother's son, and said. Is this 
 your younger brother, of whom 
 ye spake unto me ? And he said , 
 God be gracious unto thee, my 
 son. 
 
 30. And Joseph made haste ; for 
 his bowels did yearn upon his 
 brother: and he sought where to 
 weep ; and he entered into his cham- 
 ber, and wept there. 
 
 31. And he washed his face, and 
 went out, and refrained himself, 
 and said. Set on bread. 
 
 32. And they set on for him by 
 himself, and for them by them- 
 selves, and for the Egyptians which 
 did eat with him by themselves; 
 because the Egyptians might not 
 eat bread with the Hebrews : for 
 that is an abomination unto the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 33 . And they sat before him, the 
 first-born according to his birth- 
 right, and the youngest according 
 to his youth: and the men mar- 
 velled one at another. 
 
 34. And he took and sent mes- 
 ses unto them from before him: 
 but Benjamin's mess was five times 
 so much as any of theirs. And 
 they drank and were merry with 
 him. 
 
 657. The conversation between Jacob and his sons, as 
 preliminary to their second journey, is what might have 
 been expected on such an occasion. The old man is griev- 
 ously distressed with the idea of parting with Benjamin ; 
 but still he sees no other way in view of the circumstances. 
 Reuben had given him the strongest pledges that his 
 darling boy should not be harmed ; and now Judah does 
 
352 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 the same ; and as we have yet found nothing in the 
 conduct of Judah, as he stood related to his father, to 
 incur the old man's displeasure, as we have Avith the three 
 older sons, we may conclude that his influence was more 
 available on that account. The consent is at last ob- 
 tained ; and the sons start for Egypt with their father's 
 solemn benediction on their heads ; and a few articles, 
 the choicest things they had, as a present to the king. 
 
 658. There seems a discrepancy between xlii. 35 and 
 xliii. 21. and there may be this discrepancy; as, in the 
 latter passage, the brethren seem to have been somewhat 
 excited, and were not very exact, in their statements. 
 Besides, it was not important that they should be exact, 
 in making the last statement, as it was not made to 
 Joseph, but to one of his servants. 
 
 659. The suspicions of the brethren that they are 
 brought into Joseph's house for bad purposes, was only 
 one of the results of a guilty conscience. They had been 
 guilty of an enormous wrong ; and though several years 
 had passed, since they committed the act, yet their guilt 
 still clung to them ; and whatever of misfortune befell 
 them, or was likely to befall them, they were ready to 
 attribute to their former conduct. It shows the necessity 
 of keeping clear from crime that is followed by such 
 consequences. 
 
 660. The feeling of Joseph towards his brother Benja- 
 min, was a natural state of things, as this was indeed his' 
 only brother by the same mother, and that mother was 
 dead. And though we find Joseph at last unable to re- 
 strain his feelings, in regard to all his brethren, and he 
 treated them most affectionately, 3^et Benjamin all along is 
 evidently regarded as the favorite one ; as very natural- 
 ly he would be. 
 
 SECTION XXII. — The Silver Cup. 
 CHAP. XLIV. 
 
 1. And he commandeil the stew- 
 ard of his house, sayin<r, Fill the 
 men's sacks with food, as much as 
 they can carry, and put every 
 man's money in his sack's mouth. 
 
 2. And put my cup, the silver 
 cup, in the sack's mouth of the 
 youui^est, and his corn money. 
 And he did according to the word 
 that Joseph had spoken. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 353 
 
 3. As soon as the morning was 
 light, the men were sent away, 
 they and their asses. 
 
 4. And when they were gone out 
 of the city, and not yet far off, Jo- 
 seph said unto his steward, Up, fol- 
 low after the men : and when thou 
 dost overtake them, say unto them. 
 Wherefore have ye rewarded evil 
 for good ? 
 
 5. Is not this it in which my lord 
 drinketh, and whereby indeed he 
 divineth f ye have done evil in so 
 doing. 
 
 6. IT And he overtook them, and 
 he spake unto them these same 
 words. 
 
 7. And they said unto him. 
 Wherefore saith my lord these 
 words? God forbid that thy ser- 
 vants should do according to this 
 thing: 
 
 8. Behold the money, which we 
 found in our sacks' mouths, we 
 brought again unto thee out of the 
 land of Canaan: how then should 
 we steal out of thy lord's house 
 silver or gold ? 
 
 9. Witti whomsoever of thy ser- 
 vants it be found, both let him die, 
 and we also will be my lord's bond- 
 men. 
 
 iO, And he said. Now also let it 
 be according unto your words; he 
 with whom it is found shall be my 
 servant ; and ye shall be blameless. 
 
 11. Then they speedily took down 
 every man his sack to the ground, 
 and opened every man his sack. 
 
 12. And he searched, and began 
 at the eldest, and left at the young- 
 est: and the cup was found in Ben- 
 jamin's sack. 
 
 13. Then they rent their clothes, 
 and laded every man his ass, and 
 returned to the city. 
 
 .14. IT And Judah and his breth- 
 ren came to Joseph's house, for 
 he was yet there: and they fell 
 before him on the ground. 
 
 15. And Joseph said unto them, 
 What deed is this that ye have 
 done ? wot ye not that such a man 
 as I can certainly divine ? 
 
 16. And Judah said, What shall 
 "^e say unto my lord ? what shall 
 
 we speak ? or how shall we clear 
 ourselves ? God hath found out the 
 iniquity of thy servants: behold, 
 we are my lord's servants, both 
 we, and he also with whom the cup 
 is found. 
 
 17. And he said, God forbid that 
 I should do so; but the man in 
 whose hand the cuji is found, he 
 shall be my servant; and as for 
 you, get you up in peace unto 
 your father. 
 
 18. IT Then Judah came near un- 
 to him, and said, Oh my lord , let 
 thy servant, I pray thee, speak a 
 word in my lord's ears, and let not 
 thine anger burn against thy ser- 
 vant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. 
 
 19. My lord asked his servants, 
 saying, Have ye a father, or a bro- 
 ther? 
 
 20. And we said unto my lord. 
 We have a father, an old man, and 
 a child of his old age, a little one; 
 and his brother is dead, and he 
 alone is left of his mother, and his 
 father loveth him. 
 
 21. And thou saidst unto thy ser- 
 vants, Bring him down unto me, 
 that I may set mine eyes upon him. 
 
 22. And we said unto ray lord. 
 The lad cannot leave his father: for 
 if he should leave his father, his 
 father would die. 
 
 23. And thou saidst unto thy ser- 
 vajits. Except your youngest bro- 
 ther come down with you, ye shall 
 see my face no more. 
 
 24. And it came to pass when we 
 came up unto thy servant my fo- 
 ther, we told him the words of my 
 lord. 
 
 25. And our father said. Go 
 again, and buy us a little food. 
 
 26. And we said, We cannot go 
 down: if our youngest brother be 
 with us, then will we go down : for 
 we may not see the man's face, ex- 
 cept our youngest brother be with 
 us. 
 
 27. And thy servant my father 
 said unto us. Ye know that my wife 
 bare me two sons : 
 
 28. And the one went out from 
 me, and I said, Sui-ely he is torn in 
 pieces; and I saw him not since; 
 
354 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 29. And if ye take this also from 
 me, and mischief befall him, ye 
 shall bring down my gray hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave. 
 
 30. Now theretbre when I come 
 to thy servant my father, and the 
 lad be not vvith us, (seeing that his 
 life is bound up in the lad's life:) 
 
 31. It shall come to pass, when 
 he seeth that the lad is not with us, 
 that he will die: and thy sersants 
 shall bring down the gray hairs of 
 thy servant our father with sorrow 
 to the grave. 
 
 32. For thy servant became 
 surety for the lad unto my father, 
 saying, If I bring him not unto thee, 
 then I shall bear the blame to my 
 father for ever. 
 
 33. Now therefore, I pray thee, 
 let thy servant abide instead of the 
 lad, a bondman to my lord; and 
 let the lad go up with his brethren. 
 
 34. For how shall I go up to my 
 father, and the lad be not with me? 
 lest perad venture I see the evil that 
 shall come on my father. 
 
 661. "Whereby he divineth." An allusion, it would 
 seem, to some practice of the magicians, and the refer- 
 ence to it, was intended to intimate that he could detect 
 them in their guilt, by some virtue belonging to that 
 cup. In another verse, (15th) this idea is conveyed 
 directly. 
 
 662 It is reasonable to suppose that Benjamin would 
 protest his innocence, and doubtless he did, but to no 
 effect, for, not only Joseph, but even Judah, assumed 
 that the larceny had been committed. But what they 
 should do, under the circumstances, they did not know. 
 True, they could leave Benjamin in Egypt as a slave, and 
 go back to Canaan, but they had given the strongest 
 assurances that Benjamin should be returned in safety ; 
 and how, in view of their pledges, could they meet their 
 aged father and Benjamin be not with them ? This was 
 truly a sad case. 
 
 663. The plea of Judah that follows, is the most per- 
 fect argument under the circumstances, that it was 
 possible for any mortal man to utter. We do not wonder 
 that it took eflect. 
 
 SECTION XXIII. — Joseph made known to ms Brethren. 
 CHAP. XLV. 
 
 1. Then Joseph could not refrain 
 himself before all them that stood 
 by him: and he cried, Cause every 
 man to go out frcnn mc. And 
 there stood no man with him, while 
 Joseph made himself known unto 
 his brethren. 
 
 2. And he wept aloud; and the 
 Egyptians and the house of Pha- 
 raoh heard, 
 
 3. And Joseph said unto his 
 brethren, I am Joseph: doth my 
 father yet live? and his breth- 
 ren could not answer him; for 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 35i 
 
 tlicy -were troubled at his pres- 
 ence. 
 
 4. And Joseph said unto his 
 brethren, Come near to me, I pray 
 you. And they came near. And 
 he said, lain Joseph your brother, 
 whom ye sold into E.<?ypt. 
 
 5. Now therefore be not grieved, 
 nor angry with yourselves, that ye 
 sold me hither; for God did send 
 me before you to preserve life 
 
 6. For these two years hath the 
 famine 0ee7i in the land ; and yet 
 there are live yeai's, in the which 
 there shall neither be earing nor 
 harvest. 
 
 7. And God sent me before you 
 to preserve you a posterity in the 
 earth, and to save your lives by a 
 great deliverance. 
 
 8. So now it was not you that 
 sent me hither, but God: and he 
 hath made me a fitherto Phai-aoh, 
 and lord of all his house, and a 
 ruler throughout all the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 9. Haste ye, and go up to my 
 father, and say unto him, Thus 
 saith thy son Joseph, God hath 
 
 made me lord of all Egypt: come 
 down unto me, tarry not. 
 
 JO. And tliou shalt dwell in the 
 land of Goshen, and thou shalt 
 be near unto me, thou, and thy 
 children, and thy children's chil- 
 dren, and thy flocks, and thy herds, 
 and all that thou hast: 
 
 11. And there willl nourish thee: 
 (for yet thereare five years of fam- 
 ine:) lest thou, and thy household, 
 and all that thou hast, come to pov- 
 erty. 
 
 12 And, behold, your eyes see, 
 and the eyes of my brother Benja- 
 min, that it is my mouth that 
 speaketh unto you. 
 
 13. And ye shall tell my father 
 of all my glory in Egypt, and of 
 
 j all that ye have seen; and ye shall 
 ■; haste, and bring down my father 
 hither. 
 
 14. And he fell upon his brother 
 Benjamin's neck, and wept; and 
 Benjamin wept upon his neck. 
 
 ; 15. Moreover, he kissed all his 
 : brethren, and wept upon them, 
 ! and after that his brethren talked 
 with him. 
 
 664. The scene here brought to view is intensely ex- 
 citing. Nothing could be more natural, and nothing 
 could be more affecting. If human language was ever 
 dictated by divine inspiration, we should say that the 
 language of Joseph on this occasion was so uttered. 
 And the doctrine inculcated is so beautifully expressed, 
 " Not you, but God, sent me here.'' The whole thing is 
 a divine Providence. The salvation of the people from 
 destruction, is the purpose accomplished, and God is 
 deserving of all the praise. If such were the purpose of 
 God with respect to Joseph's brethren, is it not reasonable 
 to conclude, that all sins are overruled, in like manner, 
 for good ? 
 
 665. It is reasonable to presume that if Joseph had 
 been at liberty to go up to Canaan, he would have done 
 80, and not required his father's family to come down 
 into Egypt. The latter arrangement was the one adopted, 
 mainly on account of the famine. Still, Joseph, if not 
 
356 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 retained in Egypt of necessity, had many reasons for re- 
 maining there ; and the change to that country, he doubt- 
 less regarded as a great advantage to his father's family. 
 666. The special aflection of Joseph for Benjamin, here 
 and elsewhere shown, was quite natural ; not only as 
 being nearly of the same age ; but as being the sons of 
 the same mother, while the other brethren were not so. 
 
 SECTION XXIV.— Jacob is sent for. 
 
 CHAP. XLV. 
 
 lb. IT And the fame thereof was 
 heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, 
 Joseph's bretliren are come: and it 
 pleased Pharaoh well, and his ser- 
 vants. 
 
 17. And Pharaoh said unto Jo- 
 seph, Say unto thy brethren, this 
 do ye; lade your beasts, and go, 
 get you unto the land of Canaan. 
 
 18. And take your father and 
 your households, and come unto 
 me: and 1 Avill give you the good 
 of the land of Egypt, and ye shall 
 eat the fat of the land. 
 
 19. Now thou art commanded, 
 this do ye; Take you wagons out 
 of the land of Egypt for your lit- 
 tle ones, and for your wives, and 
 bring your father, and come. 
 
 20. Also regard not your stuff : 
 for the good of all tlie land of 
 Egypt is yours. 
 
 21. IT And the children of Israel 
 did so; and Joseph gave t em wag- 
 ons, according to the command- 
 ment of Pharaoh, and gave them 
 provision for the way. 
 
 22. To all of them he gave each 
 man changes of raiment; but to 
 Benjamin he gave three hundred 
 
 pieces of silver, and five changes 
 of raiment. 
 
 23. And to his fother he sent af- 
 ter this manner; ten asses laden 
 with the good things of Egypt, and 
 ten she asses laden with corn and 
 bread and meat, for his father by 
 the way. 
 
 24. So he sent his brethren 
 away, and they departed: and ho 
 said unto them. See that ye fail not 
 out by the way. 
 
 2-5. IT And they went up out of 
 Egypt, and came into the land of 
 Canaan unto Jacob their father. 
 
 26. And told him, saying, Joseph 
 is yet alive, and he is governor 
 over all the land of Egypt. And 
 Jacob's heart fainted, for he be- 
 lieved them not. 
 
 27. And they told him all the 
 words of Joseph, which he had 
 said unto them; and when he saw 
 the wagons which Joseph had 
 sent to carry him, the spirit of Ja- 
 cob their fither revived. 
 
 28. And Israel said, // is enough: 
 Joseph my son is yet alive: I will 
 go and see him before I die. 
 
 667. The liberality of Pharaoh, as here exhibited, is 
 worthy of our admiration ; nor must we withhold it, 
 though it be bestowed upon a heathen ruler. That 
 wagons were to be taken from Egypt to bring down the 
 patriarch and his household, indicates clearly that these 
 vehicles were an Egyptian convenience, and that they 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 357 
 
 were not used in Canaan. The " good things of Egypt," 
 are not here described. They may have consisted of 
 garments and ornaments. They were obviously not pro- 
 visions, as these are specially named afterwards : and the 
 provisions sent, though said tu be for " his father" by 
 the way, were evidently intended for all the household, 
 consisting of many families, and a large company of 
 servants, 
 
 668. " See that ye fall not out by the way ;" — a very 
 fit and timely admonition, since, in view of the circum- 
 stances, a "falling ouf would be very apt to occur; 
 each one being disposed to reproach the others for the 
 cruel treatment of Joseph when they sold him to the 
 Ishmaelites. 
 
 669. The effect of the intelligence that Joseph was yet 
 living, upon his aged father, is precisely what we should 
 expect. The first shock was nearly overwhelming. The 
 news was too good to be true. At length, however, 
 when the evidence was such as could not be well resisted, 
 he yields a joyful faith to the message, and enters at once 
 upon the necessary arrangements for the journey. 
 
 SECTION XXV.— Journey TO Egypt. 
 
 CHAP. XLVI. 
 
 1. And Israel took his journey I 5. And Jacob rose up from Beer- 
 with all that he had, and came to sheba; and the sons of Israel car- 
 Beersheba, and offered sacrifices ' ried Jacob their father, and their 
 unto the God of his father Isaac. , little ones, and their wives, in the 
 
 2. And God spake unto Israel in I wagons which Pharaoh had sent to 
 the visions of the night, and said, I carry him. 
 
 Jacob, Jacob! And he said, Here ! 6. And they took their cattle, and 
 am I. ^ I their goods, which they had gotten 
 
 3. And he said, I am God, the i in the land of Canaan, and' came 
 God of thy father: fear not to go i into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed 
 
 down into Egypt ; for I will there 
 make of thee a gi'eat nation : 
 
 4. I will go down with thee into 
 
 with him : 
 
 7. His sons, and his sons' sons 
 with him, his daughters, and his 
 
 Egypt; and I will also surely bring ; sons' daughters, and all his seed 
 thee up again : and Joseph shall i brought he with him into Egypt, 
 put his hand upon thine eyes. 
 
 670. The temporary stop at Beersheba, was exceed- 
 ingly natural, as Jacob had resided there, (and so had 
 Abram and Isaac,) on a former occasion ; and we learn 
 
358 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 from this passag'e, as well as from others, that Beersheba 
 lay in the direction of Eg^^pt from Hebron. 
 
 671. "God spake to Israel in the visions of the night.'^ 
 And the reason of the comminacation seems to be, that 
 Jacob was now leaving the promised land, which had 
 been given to him and his seed ; and he may have had 
 doubts whether or not it was the divine pleasure that he 
 should do so ; and to assure him on this point, hi is en- 
 couraged to go down into Egypt with the promise that 
 he should again be brought up from that country, and 
 should at length come into possession of the long prom- 
 ised inheritance. The announcement to Abram, (chap. 
 XV.) that his seed should be a stranger in a land that 
 was not theirs, and should be afflicted four hundred years, 
 seemed now in the way of being fulfilled, though it does 
 not appear that Jacob understood the prediction as having 
 reference to his sojourn in Egypt, nor could it be certain 
 that such was its design, till a later period, as the pre- 
 diction did not specify the country where the servitude 
 should be suffered. 
 
 SECTION XXVI. — Joseph's meeting with his Father. 
 CHAP. XLVI. 
 
 28. And he sent Judah before 
 him unto Joseph, to direct his face 
 unto Goshen; and they came into 
 the land of Goshen. 
 
 29, And Joseph made ready his 
 chariot, and went up to meet Is- 
 rael his father to Goshen , and pre- 
 
 sented himself unto him, and he fell 
 on his neck, and wept on his neck a 
 good while. 
 
 30, And Israel said unto Joseph. 
 Now let me die, since I have seen 
 thy face, because thou art yet alivo. 
 
 672. Judah was sent in advance to inform Joseph, and 
 see to the requisite preparations. Joseph goes forward 
 to meet his father, and to mingle his tears of joy with 
 those of the old man whose happiness on earth is now 
 complete. 
 
 673. The location of Goshen is sufficiently indicated 
 by this passage. It was the nearest part of Egypt to 
 Canaan. The Septuagint calls it " Goshen of Arabia," 
 which sustains the same opinion. It must have extended 
 far enough to the East, beyond the northern point of the 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 359 
 
 Red Sea, to have joined Arabia and thereby to have 
 received this designation. 
 
 674. Joseph had a special chariot called " the second 
 chariot;" and with tliis he goes to meet his father, ac- 
 companied, it may be, with his customary attendants. 
 
 SECTION XXVII. 
 
 -Interview of the Brethren with 
 
 Pharaoh. 
 CHAP. XLVI. 
 
 31. And Joseph said unto his 
 brethren, and unto his father's 
 house, I will go up and shew Pha- 
 raoh, and say" unto him, my breth- 
 ren, and my father's house, which 
 were in the land of Canaan, are 
 come unto thee. 
 
 32. And the men arc shepherds, 
 for their trade hath been to feed 
 cattle; and they have brought their 
 flocks, and their herds, and all 
 that they have. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 1. Then Joseph came and told 
 Pharaoh, and said. My father, and 
 my brethren, and their flocks, and 
 their herds, and all that they have, 
 are come out of the land of Cana- 
 an: and, behold, they are in the 
 land of Goshen. 
 
 2. And he took some of his 
 brethren, even five men, and pre- 
 sented them unto Pharaoh. 
 
 3. And Pharaoh said unto his 
 brethren. What is your occupa- 
 tion ? And they said unto Pharaoh, 
 Thy servants are shepherds, both 
 we, and also our fathers. 
 
 4. They said moreover unto Pha- 
 raoh, For to sojourn in the laud 
 
 33. And it shall come to pass, 
 when Pharaoh shall call you, and 
 shall say. What is your occupa- 
 tion? 
 
 34. That ye shall say, Thy ser- 
 vants' trade hath been about cat- 
 tle from our youth even until now, 
 both we and also our tathers; that 
 ye may dwell in tlie land of Gosh- 
 en ; for every shepherd is an abom- 
 ination unto the Egyptians. 
 
 XLVII. 
 
 are we come, for thy servants have 
 no pasture for their flocks; for the 
 famine is sore in the land of Cana- 
 an ; now therefore, we pray thee, ■ 
 let thy servants dwell in the laud 
 of Goshen. 
 
 5. And Pharaoh spake unto Jo- 
 seph, saying, Thy father and thy 
 brethren are come unto thee. 
 
 6. The land of Egypt is before 
 thee : in the best of the land make 
 thy father and thy brethren to 
 dwell; in the land of Goshen let 
 them dwell: and if thou kncwest 
 any men of activity among them, 
 then make them rulers over my 
 cattle. 
 
 675. That the children of Israel were shepherds, would 
 incline Pharaoh to give them a separate part of the 
 country, in view of the prevailing prejudice, against that 
 class of men ; and this was precisely what the sons of 
 Jacob desired, as they could thus preserve their separate 
 identity and their separate customs. The reason why 
 shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, does 
 not appear from the narrative, though it may be found in 
 
3G0 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 the history of that country at a former period. That there 
 were no shepherds in Egypt, however, we must not con- 
 clude ; for the proposition of Pharaoh, xlvii. 6, to make 
 some of Joseph's brethren rulers over his cattle, would 
 refute this idea. And at a later day there are numerous 
 references to cattle in Egypt. But evidently this was not 
 the main business of the people ; and being uncommon 
 it was not regarded with favor ; and not being regarded 
 with favor, it became uncommon. 
 
 676. The result of this interview was what had been 
 desired — the land of Goshen was assigned to the Israel- 
 ites : and we infer from what is said of it, that it was 
 literally the best of the land. And being watered by 
 the Nile, the land would be productive, while such would 
 not be the case with the country of Canaan. And though, 
 at this time, we may conclude the land was less produc- 
 tive than common, on account of the famine, we may also 
 infer, that there was still some pasturage for the cattle. 
 
 SECTION XXVIII. — Interview of Israel with Pharaoh. 
 
 CHAP. XLVII. 
 
 7. And Joseph brought in Jacob I thirty years: few and evil have the 
 his father, and set him before Pha- ! days of the years of my life been, 
 
 raoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 
 
 8. And Pharaoh said unto Ja- 
 cob, How old art thou ? 
 
 9. And Jacob said unto Pha- 
 raoh, The days of the years of my 
 pilgrimage are an hundred and 
 
 and have not attained unto the 
 days of the years of the life of my 
 fathers in the days of their pilgrim- 
 age. 
 
 10. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 
 and went out from before Pharaoh. 
 
 677. We cannot doubt that much more occurred in 
 this interview than what is here recorded ; but allusion is 
 made to the age of the patriarch, as one important cir- 
 cumstance that seemed to be worthy of preservation in 
 the record. 
 
 Jacob blessed Pharaoh when the interview began, and 
 the same thing is repeated at the close. We infer that 
 this was customary, especially on important occasions. 
 The " blessing" was evidently nothing more than a ben- 
 ediction, or an expression of good wishes toward the 
 king. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 361 
 
 678. Isaac had lived to the age of 180 years, and Abra- 
 ham to the age of 175 ; so that Jacob, at 130 years, had 
 indeed not yet attained to the age of his fathers. There 
 is no reference to the longevity of the patriarchs before 
 the time of Abraham. 
 
 SECTION XXIX.— The Famine. 
 
 CHAP. XLVII. 
 
 11. And Joseph placed his father 
 and his brethren, and gave them a 
 possession in the land of Egypt, in 
 the best of the land, in the land of 
 Rameses, as Pharaoh had com- 
 manded. 
 
 12. And Joseph nourished his 
 father, and his brethren, and all 
 his father's household, with bread, 
 according to their families. 
 
 13. IT And there was no bread in 
 all the land; for the famine was 
 very sore, so that the land of 
 Egypt, and all theb^nd of Canaan, 
 fainted by reason of the famine. 
 
 14. And Joseph gathered up all 
 the money that was found in the 
 land of Egypt, and in the land of 
 Canaan, for the corn which they 
 bought: and Joseph brought the 
 money into Pharaoh's house. 
 
 15. And when money failed in 
 the land of Eerypt, and in the land 
 of Canaan, all the Egyptians came 
 unto Joseph, and said. Give us 
 bread: for why should we die in 
 thy presence ? for the money fail- 
 eth. 
 
 16. And Joseph said, Give your 
 cattle; and I will give you for 
 your cattle, if money fail. 
 
 17. And they brought their cat- 
 tle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave 
 them bread in exchange for horses, 
 and for the flocks, and for the cat- 
 tle of tho herds, and for the asses: 
 and he fed them with bread for all 
 their cattle for that year. 
 
 18. When the year was ended, 
 they came unto him the second 
 year, and said unto him, We will 
 
 16 
 
 not hide it from my lord, how that 
 our money is spent ; my lord also 
 hath our herds of cattle: there is 
 not aught left in the sight of my 
 lord, but our bodies and our lands: 
 
 19. Wherefore shall we die before 
 thine eyes, both we and our land ? 
 buy us and our land for bread, and 
 we and our land will be servants 
 unto Pharaoh, and give us seed, 
 ihat we may live and not die, that 
 the land be not desolate. 
 
 20. And Joseph bought all the 
 land of Egypt for Pharaoh: for 
 the Egyptians sold every man his 
 field, because the famine prevailed 
 over them; so the land became 
 Pharaoh's. 
 
 21. And as for the people, he re- 
 moved them to cities from 07ie end 
 of the borders of Egypt even to 
 the other end thereof 
 
 22. Only the land of the 
 priests bought he not; for the 
 priests had a portion assigned them 
 of Pharaoh, and did eat their por- 
 tion which Pharaoh gave them; 
 wherefore they sold not their lands. 
 
 23. Then Joseph said unto the 
 people, Behold I have bought you 
 this day, and your land for Pha- 
 raoh: lo, here is seed for you, and 
 ye shall sow the land. 
 
 24 . And it shall come to pass,in the 
 increase, that ye shall give the fifth 
 parf unto Pharaoh: and four parts 
 shall be your own, for seed of the 
 field, and for your food, and for 
 them of your households, and for 
 food for your little ones. 
 
 25. And they said, thou hast 
 
3G2 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 saved our lives; let us find grace 
 in the sight of my lord, and "we will 
 be Pharoah's servants. 
 
 '26. And Joseph made it a law 
 over the land of Egypt unto this 
 day, that Pharaoh should have the 
 fifth part; except the land of the 
 
 priests only, which became not 
 Pharaoh's. 
 
 27. IT And Israel dwelt in the 
 land of Egypt, in the country of 
 Goshen ; and they had possessions 
 therein , and grew, and multiplied 
 exceedingly. 
 
 679. The settlement in Goshen, requires no comment, 
 as this was the conclusion of an arrangement that has 
 already been sufficiently noticed. 
 
 680. We have suggested, in another place, that the 
 Egyptians, expecting a famine, would be apt to lay in an 
 extra store, besides the fifth exacted of them by the king. 
 Hence it appears that the special distress of the people, 
 was not felt till the last two years of the seven ; lor I 
 understand these to be the two years referred to in the 
 foregoing passage. 
 
 " That year," verse 17, we take to be the sixth year; 
 and " when that year was ended they come unto him the 
 second year,-' not the second year of the famine, but the 
 year following the one just alluded to, and "second'^ 
 with reference to that, but in fact the last of the famine. 
 This view is sustained, as before shown, by the fact that 
 no mention is made of any other years of famine succeed- 
 ing this. This is one circumstance. Another is, that the 
 people are now represented as parting with all they 
 possess, and becoming themselves the servants of Phara- 
 oh ; of course they had nothing to pay for other years of 
 famine. And finally, the people are here furnished with 
 seed to sow the land, as if the famine were at an end. 
 
 681. Joseph ''removed the people to the cities, from 
 one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end thereof." 
 The Septuagint says that he made the people servants, 
 from one end of Egypt to the other. The latter construc- 
 tion is in harmony with the context, while the other gives 
 us no intimation of the intention of what is there stated. 
 
 682. The priests in Egypt have always been the most 
 influential class of the citizens of that country. They 
 not only presided over the arrangements of religion : but 
 the sciences were in their hands ; and it was in view of 
 their importance to the state, that they wore granted 
 special privileges. They were not required, therefore, to 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 363 
 
 sell their lands ; but were furnished with a supply of pro- 
 visions, without any such consideration. 
 
 683. The fifth part of the products of the land, which 
 was the proportion exacted of the people during the seven 
 years of plenty, to prepare for the famine, was afterwards 
 made a permanent arrangement, and continued so, the 
 writer tells us, " unto this day •/' but when that period 
 was, we cannot say. It may be Moses, and it may be 
 some later writer, that added this clause. 
 
 SECTION XXX. — Israel about to Die. 
 
 CHAP. XLVII. 
 
 28. And Jacob lived in the land 
 of E^rypt seventeen years: so the 
 whole age of Jacob was an hundred 
 forty and seven years. 
 
 29. And the time drew nigh that 
 Israel must die: and he called his 
 son Joseph, and said unto him. If 
 now I have found grace in thy 
 sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand 
 under my thigh, and deal kindly 
 
 and truly with me ; bury me not, I 
 pray thee, in Egypt: 
 
 30. But I will lie with my fa- 
 thers, and thou shalt carry me out 
 of Egypt, and bury me in their 
 burying-place. And he said, I will 
 do as thou hast said. 
 
 31. And he said, Swear unto me: 
 And he sware unto him. And Is- 
 rael bowed himself upon the bed's 
 head. 
 
 684. Abram required the same form of oath of his 
 eldest servant, on an important occasion, and we may 
 reasonably infer that it was the customary form. 
 
 The great aim of the patriarch was to be carried back 
 to Canaan ; and he puts his son under the strongest pos- 
 sible obligation to execute his wishes ; and the reason of 
 applying to him, rather than to either of his other sons, 
 was not alone the affection he had for him ; but because 
 there was a reasonable probability that he would possess 
 an ability to do thus, that the others would not. 
 
 685. We may add, that, to be carried back to Canaan 
 and buried there, was not only the common feeling of all 
 men to be buried in one's own land, and among his own 
 kindred ; but, that country is looked upon as the promised 
 inheritance of the seed of Abraham ; and the patriarch 
 would be buried where his future seed were to occupy 
 and control the country. 
 
 " I will do as thou hast said,'' was not enough to satisfy 
 the patriarch. " Swear unto me," he says, and Joseph 
 
364 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 does swear accordingly ; and we learn that the oath was 
 faithfully executed. 
 
 SECTION XXXI. — Israel Blesses the Sons of Joseph. 
 CHAP. XLVIII. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, after 
 these things, that one told Joseph, 
 Behold, thy father is sick : and he 
 took with him his two sons, Ma- 
 nasseh and Ephraim. 
 
 2. And one told Jacob, and said, 
 Behold, thy son Josej^h cometh un- 
 to thee: And Israel sti-engthened 
 himself, and sat upon the bed. 
 
 3. And Jacob said unto Joseph, 
 God Almighty appeared unto me 
 at Luz in the land of Canaan, and 
 blessed me. 
 
 4. And said unto me, Behold, I 
 will make thee fruitful, and multi- 
 ply thee, and I will make of thee a 
 multitude of people; and I will 
 give this land to thy seed after 
 theeyb?- an everlasting possession. 
 
 5. And now thy two sons, Eph- 
 raim and Manasseh, which were 
 born unto thee in the land of 
 Egypt, before I came unto thee in 
 the land of Egypt, are mine ; as 
 Reuben and Simeon, they shall be 
 mine. 
 
 6. And thy issue which thou be- 
 gettost after them, shall be thine, 
 and shall be called after the name 
 of their brethren in their inheri- 
 tance. 
 
 7. And as for me, when I came 
 from Padan, Rachel died by me in 
 the land of Canaan, in the way, 
 when yet there was but a little way 
 to come unto Ephrath: and I bu- 
 ried her there in the way of Eph- 
 rath; the same is Bethlehem. 
 
 8. IT And Israel beheld Joseph's 
 sons, and said, Who are these? 
 
 9. And Joseph said unto his 
 father, They are my sons, whom 
 God hath given me in this place. 
 And he said. Bring them, I pray 
 thee, unto me, and I will bless 
 them. 
 
 10. (Now the eyes of Israel were 
 dim for age so that he could not 
 
 see. ) And he brought them near 
 unto him: and he kissed them, and 
 embraced them. 
 
 11. And Israel said unto Joseph, 
 I had not thought to see thy face, 
 and, lo, God hath shewed me also 
 thy seed. 
 
 12. And Joseph brought them 
 out from between his knees, and he 
 bowed himself with his face to the 
 earth. 
 
 13. And Joseph took them both, 
 Ephraim in his right hand toward 
 Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in 
 his left hand toward Israel's right 
 hand, and brought them near unto 
 him. 
 
 14. And Israel stretched out his 
 right hand, and laid it upon Eph- 
 raim 's head, who was the younger, 
 and his left hand upon Manasseh 's 
 head, guiding his hands wittingly; 
 for Manasseh was the first-born. 
 
 15. And he blessed Joseph, and 
 said, God, before whom my flithers 
 Abraham and Isaac did walk, the 
 God which fed me all my life long 
 unto this day, 
 
 16. The angel which redeemed 
 me from all evil, bless the lads; 
 and let my name be named on 
 them, and the name of my fathers 
 Abraham and Isaac ; and let them 
 grow into a multitude in the midst 
 of the eaith. 
 
 17. And when Joseph saw that 
 his father laid his right hand upon 
 the head of Ephraim, it displeased 
 him: and he held up his father's 
 hand, to remove it from Ephraim's 
 head unto Manasseh's head. 
 
 18. And Joseph said unto his 
 father, Not so, my father: for this 
 is the first-born; put thy right 
 hand upon his head. 
 
 19. And his father refused, and 
 said, I know it my son, I know it : 
 he also shall become a people, and 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 365 
 
 he also shall be great: but truly 
 his younger brother shall be great- 
 er than he, and his seed shall be- 
 come a multitude of nations. 
 
 20 And he blessed them that 
 day, saying, in thee shall Israel 
 bless, saying, God make thee as 
 Ephraim and as Manasseh. And 
 he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 
 
 21. And Israel said unto Joseph, 
 Behold, I die; but God shall be 
 with you, and bring you again un- 
 to the land of your fathers. 
 
 22. Moreover, I have given to 
 thee one portion above thy breth- 
 ren ; which I took out of the hand 
 of the Amorite with my sword and 
 with my bow. 
 
 686. Luz was the ancient name of Bethel ; and we 
 have seen that God had appeared to Jacob, several times, 
 in that place, and had, each time, given him substantially 
 the promise here referred to. It was obvious, therefore, 
 that the children of Israel would not always remain in 
 Egypt ; and when they returned to Canaan, it was the 
 wish of the patriarch that his two grand-sons, Ephraim 
 and Manasseh, should have a portion of the country 
 assigned to them, as well as to his other sons. He there- 
 fore says ''they are mine, as Reuben and Simeon;'' and 
 "they shall be called after the name of their brethren in 
 their inheritance.'' 
 
 687. The allusion to the death of Rachel, and to the 
 place of her burial, in this connection, seems to intimate 
 the portion of Canaan he would have the two sons of 
 Joseph occupy. I had not thought to see thy face ; and 
 lo, God hath showed me also thy seed. How exceedingly 
 natural and paternal. 
 
 688. That Jacob was impressed with the fact that 
 Ephraim would become much more numerous and power- 
 ful than Manasseh, may be the true interpretation of the 
 preference here signified ; and it may be explained as 
 simply the desire of the patriarch, that it should be so, 
 which providentially came about, or which God graciously 
 accomplished, in answer to the patriarch's prayer. 
 
 689. ''He blessed Joseph," that is, by blessing the 
 sons of Joseph ; for the blessing of Joseph directly, 
 occurred in the general blessing on all his sons, recorded 
 in the next chapter. " That Joseph's sons might grow into 
 a multitude is the burden of the prayer here recorded ; 
 and that is substantially the burden of all the prayers of 
 ancient times ; — a plain proof that a numerous posterity 
 was the most desirable object which could be presented 
 to the mind in those days. 
 
366 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 690. It seems plain from what is said of the hands of 
 Israel, that the right hand had more iniportance attached 
 to it than the left : and hence, the placing of that upon 
 the head of Ephraim, indicated his pre-eminence over his 
 brother. ''I know it,^' "I know it," is equivalent to, 
 " I very well know it." It is a part of a Hebrew idiom 
 elsewhere treated of. 
 
 "In thee shall Israel bless." — It shall be thought a 
 great favor to become as Ephraim or Manasseh ; and it is 
 here declared that his posterity would incorporate this 
 form into their established expressions for such occasions. 
 
 691. The portion given to Joseph, above the rest of his 
 sons, seems to refer to the parcel of ground lying near to 
 Shalem, xxxiii. 19, which Jacob bought of the children 
 of Hamor ; and hence the bones of Joseph were buried 
 there, on the arrival in Canaan. Josh. xxiv. 32. The 
 Evangelist makes allusion to the same parcel of ground 
 in John iv. 5. 
 
 692. " Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite/ 
 with m}' sword and with my bow," seems to declare that 
 this tract was not obtained by purchase, but by war. 
 The most natural way of removing the apparent contra- 
 diction, is, that the sword and bow have no connection 
 with the acquisition. The passage should be construed 
 thus ; — "I have given thee one portion of the country, 
 above thy brethren, namely, the parcel of ground I ob- 
 tained of the children of Hamor, near to Shalem ; and in 
 addition to this gift, I bequeath to you my sword and my 
 bow, as memorials of me." 
 
 SECTION XXXII. — Jacob Blesses his Sons. 
 CHAP. XLIX. 
 
 1. And Jacob called unto his 
 Bons, and said, Gather yourselves 
 together, that I may tell you that 
 which shall befaU you in the last 
 days. 
 
 2. Gather yourselves together, 
 and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and 
 hearken unto Israel your father. 
 
 3. IT Reuben, thou art my first- 
 born, my might, and the beginning 
 
 of ray strength, the excellency of 
 dignity, and the excellency of 
 power : 
 
 4. Unstable as water, thou shalt 
 not excel; because thou wentest up 
 to thy father's bed ; then defiledst 
 thou it : he went up to my couch. 
 
 5. IT Simeon and Levi are bre- 
 thren; instruments of cruelty are 
 in their habitations. 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 367 
 
 6. my soul, come not thou 
 into their secret; unto their assem- 
 bly, my honor, be not thou united: 
 for in their anger they slew a man, 
 and in their self-will they digged 
 down a wall. 
 
 7. Cursed he their anger, for it 
 was fierce; and their wrath, for it 
 was cruel: I will divide them in 
 Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 
 
 8. IT Judah, thou art he whom 
 thy brethren shall praise : thy hand 
 shall be in the neckof thy enemies; 
 thy father's children shall bow 
 down before thee. 
 
 9. Judah is a lion's whelp: from 
 the prey, my son, thou art gone 
 up: he stooped down, he couched 
 as a lion, and as an old lion; who 
 shall rouse him up ? 
 
 10. The sceptre shall not depart 
 from .Judah, nor a lawgiver from 
 between his feet, until Shilohcome; 
 and unto him shall the gathering 
 of the people be. 
 
 11. Binding his foal unto the 
 vine, and his ass's colt unto the 
 choice vine; he washed his gar- 
 ments in wine, and his clothes in 
 the blood of grapes ; 
 
 12. His eyes shall be red with 
 wine, and his teeth white with milk. 
 
 13. IT Zebulon shall dwell at the 
 haven of the sea; and he shall be 
 for a haven of ships; and bis border 
 shall be unto Zidon. 
 
 14. IT Issachar is a strong ass 
 couching down between two bur- 
 dens: 
 
 15. And he saw that rest was 
 good, and the land that it was plea- 
 sant; and bowed his shoulder to 
 bear, and became a servant unto 
 tribute. 
 
 16. IT Dan shall judge his peo- 
 ple, as one of the tribes of Israel. 
 
 17. Dan shall be a serpent by the 
 
 way, an adder in the path, that 
 I biteth the horse heels, so that his 
 I rider shall fall backward. 
 
 18. I have waited for thy salva- 
 I tion , Lord. 
 
 I 19. IT Gad, a troop shall over- 
 j come him: but he shall overcome 
 ; at the last. 
 
 I 20. IT Out of Asher his bread 
 ' shall be fat, and he shall yield 
 I royal dainties. 
 
 21. IT Naphtali is a hind let loose: 
 he giveth goodly words. 
 i 22. IT Joseph ts a fruitful bough, 
 \ even a fruitful bough by a well; 
 whose branches run over the wall: 
 23. The archers have sorely griev- 
 ' ed him, and shot at him, and hated 
 him: 
 
 24. But his bow abode in strength , 
 and the arms of his hands were 
 made strong by the hands of the 
 mighty GooJ of Jacob; (from thence 
 is theshepherd, the stone of Israel:) 
 
 25. Even by the God of thy fa- 
 ther, who shall help thee; and by 
 the Almighty, who shall bless thee 
 with blessings of heaven above, 
 blessings of the deep that lieth un- 
 der, blessings of the breasts, and of 
 the womb : 
 
 26. The blessings of thy father 
 have prevailed above the blessings 
 of my progenitors unto the utmost 
 
 : bound of the everlasting hills: they 
 i shall be on the head of Joseph, and 
 ' on the crown of the head of him 
 I that was separate from his brethren. 
 j 27. IT Benjamin shall raven as a 
 wolf: in the morning he shall de- 
 vour the prey, and at night he 
 shall divide the spoil. 
 
 28. IT All these are the twelve 
 tribes of Israel: and this is it that 
 their father spake unto them, and 
 blessed them; every one according 
 to his blessing he blessed them. 
 
 693. The blessing here pronounced upon the sons of 
 Jacob, by that aged and venerable patriarch, deserves a 
 particular exposition ; since, as we believe, it has very 
 generally been misapprehended. 
 
 ^ Though we firmly believe and maintain, that God gra- 
 ciously revealed many things to the patriarchs, of which 
 
368 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 they had no means of being otherwise informed ; yet we 
 do not agree with those interpreters who regard this 
 *' blessing" of Jacob, as a divinely inspired prediction, 
 by which theory they have subjected themselves to un- 
 necessary embarrassment, in the interpretation of the 
 future events of Hebrew history. 
 
 694. The particulars contained in this blessing, (so far 
 as they relate to the future at all,) are to be referred to a 
 reasonable inference, based upon what was known of the 
 temper and disposition of his sons ; or to his dying re- 
 quests, which his sons, or other descendants might, and 
 probably would carry out ; or finally, to his wishes, which 
 the divine Being would be likely to regard with favor. 
 
 695. It is worthy of special notice, that the past temper 
 and disposition of his sons, were specially had in view, 
 and are made the basis of what would be likely to overtake 
 them. 
 
 696. Reuben had been guilty of a heinous offence 
 against his father ; and on that account, could not expect 
 the paternal benediction ; and hence no benediction, 
 properly so called, is here expressed ; and all that is here 
 announced, is, that he should not excel ; and the reason 
 given, is, that he was unstable as water. I am not quite 
 sure but this language refers to his having fallen, like 
 water, from the high position to which, as first born, he 
 was entitled : and therefore he cotild not excel, that is 
 excel his brethren, or have a pre-eminence over them, as 
 he would have had, if he had not thus fallen. 
 
 697. Simeon and Levi are called brethren, as indi- 
 cating a similarity in their dispositions ; and the reference 
 to their cruelty is made in allusion to the sacking of 
 Shalem, so treacherously conceived and so barbarously 
 executed. "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter 
 them in Israel." It is my wish, that in the division of the 
 promised land, they should be so far separated as never 
 more to be able to concoct and execute such a nefarious 
 scheme. 
 
 698. The authority is given to Judah that properly 
 belonged to the first-born ; but the first-born had forfeited 
 that right, and so had the second and third. It was to 
 Judah, then, that the birthright belonged ; and the father 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 369 
 
 here invests him with its authority, and requires the other 
 sons to yield obedience thereto. His prowess is de- 
 scribed by the sagacity and dexterity of a lion seeking 
 his prey. 
 
 699. " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.'' 
 Judah had just been invested with authority over his 
 brethren ; in other words, the sceptre had been given into 
 his hands, and was not to be taken from him until Shiloh 
 come — until the people should come to Shiloh, a noted 
 place in the land of Canaan, of which we have frequent 
 notices at a later day. " And unto him shall the gather- 
 ing of the people be." The authority shall be in his 
 hands, and the people shall gather to him with a view to 
 its proper exercise, till the final settlement in the prom- 
 ised land. Farther than this, the patriarch does not express 
 his wishes. 
 
 700. That there is here an allusion to the coming of 
 the Messiah, at which time the sceptre should depart 
 from Judah, or the authority over the Jews transferred 
 to other hands, has not the slightest evidence in its favor. 
 That the phrase '' until Shiloh come '' will bear the con- 
 struction we put upon it, is proved by two facts. One is 
 that the original is not violated by this rendering. Another, 
 that the language of this "blessing'' is poetic, and it is 
 quite in harmony with the spirit of poetry, to make that 
 come to us to which we are going. 
 
 The rest of the blessing upon Judah is simply an ex- 
 pression of the patriarch's wish that this son might be 
 allowed to occupy the richest part of the country to 
 which he was to lead the people ; or it may be construed 
 as indicating that, wherever he settled, he would be likely 
 to make it very fruitful. 
 
 701. The language concerning Zebulon is to be con- 
 strued as pointing to a locality of Canaan best fitted to 
 the disposition and character of the man ; and though we 
 cannot refer to circumstances in his life that would have 
 led to this arrangement, yet we must bear in mind that 
 but few things are recorded of the sons of Jacob, except 
 Joseph. Still, as what is said of the other sons, is based 
 on what is known of them, we feel authorized to believe 
 the same of Zebulon. 
 16* 
 
370 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 702. Issachar is represented as a quiet and laborious 
 man, and more willing to be subject to tribute than to 
 make the requisite resistance to throw ofi" a foreign 
 power. 
 
 703. Dan was to judge his people. And the compari- 
 son of this son to a serpent, indicates his prevailing dis- 
 position ; and his success against his enemies is attributed 
 to cunning rather than to bravery. 
 
 704. Gad means a " troop, '^ as Dan means a "judge,'' 
 and lience these terms are brought into the patriarch's 
 benediction. And it is declared that, though a troop 
 might overcome this son, he would overcome at the last. 
 Though a sudden and unexpected attack might secure 
 against him a temporary triumph, his perseverance would 
 at last prevail. Hence the prominent trait in his character 
 may be here inferred. 
 
 705. That Asher would be skilful in cultivating the 
 earth, and make it yield " royal dainties," is all that is 
 here asserted, and all we have a right to infer. 
 
 706. Naphtali was active and eloquent. This, and noth- 
 ing more, is asserted of him. 
 
 707. The blessing of Joseph is enlarged upon ; but no 
 one can doubt what its meaning is in most of what is said 
 of him. A few expressions only are of doubtful signifi- 
 cance. " From thence is the shepherd, the stone of 
 Israel." The nearest antecedent to this clause " from 
 thence," is " Jacob ; " and the meaning is, that from 
 him, is the shepherd and the stone of Israel. Who more 
 clearly sustained this relation, or filled this position than 
 Joseph ? He was emphatically the Shepherd of Israel ; 
 for he fed and nourished his brethren as a shepherd does 
 his flock. He was the stone of Israel, or the rock, whose 
 cool and refreshing shade was so grateful to the sheep as 
 a protection from the scorching rays of the sun. 
 
 708. The blessings the patriarch was prepared to an- 
 nounce to Joseph, would far exceed any blessings that 
 had been enjoyed by his progenitors. " Unto the utmost 
 bound of the everlasting hills," is only an emphatic way 
 of expressing the fullness of these blessings. 
 
 709. Benjamin is mentioned last as being the youngest ; 
 and the comparison of him to a wolf, may denote some 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 371 
 
 prominent trait in his character ; but his dividing the 
 spoil, indicates a generosity with which the other trait 
 must not be made to conflict. 
 
 710. All this is called a ''blessing ;" but the name is 
 evidently taken from the general character of such an- 
 nouncements, and not from the specific character of what 
 was said to each individual. For some of these announce- 
 ments would more properly be designated as maledictions 
 than as blessings ; others simply describe the persons 
 they relate to ; and others contain an expression of the 
 patriarch's wishes. 
 
 711. If those who regard this passage as a veritable 
 prediction of coming events, shall insist on the expression 
 that what is related was to take place in the last days, we 
 reply that much of what is stated has no direct reference 
 to the future ; and what has such reference, is as applica- 
 ble to the wishes of the patriarch that such things might 
 occur, as to his prediction that they would occur. If 
 there is an appearance of the contrary, that appearance 
 may be referred to the importance that was attached to 
 one's wishes, uttered under such circumstances, by which 
 those who were in a condition to execute them, were held 
 bound, by the most solemn obligations, to do so. Hence 
 I remark, that if we find some of the things here an- 
 nounced, actually carried out, this circumstance is more 
 naturally referable to this sense of obligation to execute 
 the dying request of the patriarch, than to any inspiration 
 that revealed to him the realities of the future. 
 
 712. We venture to affirm, that, aside from some par- 
 ticulars of fulfilment of the kind here alluded to, there is 
 no just reason for regarding the passage as a divine pre- 
 diction ; for though some circumstances may be found in 
 connection with the history of each tribe, that correspond 
 in some measure with what is contained in the passage, 
 yet a similar correspondence could have been searched 
 out, if the announcement had, in each case, been quite 
 different; or even opposite, from what it now is. 
 
372 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 SECTION XXXIII. — Death of Jacob. 
 
 CHAP. XLIX. 
 
 29. And he charged them, and 
 said unto them, I am to be gathered 
 unto my people: bury me with my 
 fathers in the cave that is in the 
 field of Ephron the Hittite, 
 
 30. In the cave that is in the field 
 of Machpelah, which is before 
 Mamre, in the land of Canaan, 
 which Abraham bought with the 
 field of Ephron the Hittite for a 
 possession of a burying-place. 
 
 31. There they buried Abraham 
 
 and Sarah hia wife; there they 
 buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife , 
 and there I buried Leah. 
 
 32, The purchase of the field and 
 of the cave that is therein was from 
 the children of Heth. 
 
 33. And when Jacob had made 
 an end of commanding his sons, 
 he gathered up his feet into the 
 bed, and yielded up the ghost, and 
 was gathered unto his people. 
 
 CHAP. L. 
 
 1. And Joseph fell upon his fa- 
 ther's face, and wept upon him, 
 and kissed him. 
 
 2. And Joseph commanded his 
 servants the physicians to embalm 
 his father: and the physicians em- 
 balmed Israel. 
 
 3. And forty days were fulfilled 
 for him; for so are fulfilled the days 
 of those which are embalmed : and 
 the Egyptians mourned for him 
 threescore and ten days. 
 
 4. And when the days of his 
 mourning were past, Joseph spake 
 unto the house of Pharaoh , saying. 
 If now I have found grace in your 
 eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears 
 of Pharaoh, saying, 
 
 5. My father made me swear, 
 saying, Lo, I die: in my grave 
 which I have digged for me in the 
 land of Canaan, there shalt thou 
 bury me. Now therefore let me go 
 up, I pray thee, and bury my fa- 
 ther, and I will come again. 
 
 6. And Pharaoh said. Go up, 
 and bury thy father, according as 
 he made thee swear. 
 
 7. IT And Joseph went up to 
 bury his father: and with him went 
 up all the servants of Pharaoh, the 
 
 the 
 
 elders of his house, and all 
 elders of the land of Egypt, 
 
 8. And all the house of Joseph, 
 and his brethren, and his father's 
 house: only their little ones, and 
 their flocks, and their herds, they 
 left in the land of Goshen. 
 
 9. And there went up with him 
 both chariots and horsemen: and 
 it was a very great company. 
 
 10. And they came to the thresh 
 ing floor of Atad, which is beyond 
 Jordan, and there they mourned 
 with a great and very sore lamen- 
 tation: and he made a mourning 
 for his father seven days. 
 
 11. And when the inhabitants of 
 the land, the Canaanites, saw the 
 mourning in the floor of Atad, they 
 said. This is a grievous mourning 
 to the Egyptians: wherefore the 
 name of it was called Abel-miz- 
 raim, which is beyond Jordan. 
 
 12. And his sons did unto him 
 according as he commanded them : 
 
 13. For his sons carried him into 
 the land of Canaan, and buried 
 him in the cave of the field of Mach- 
 pelah, which Abraham bought with 
 the field for a possession of a bury- 
 ing-place of Ephron the Hittite, 
 before Mamre. 
 
 713. In addition to the special obligation he had placed 
 Joseph under, to carry him to Canaan, and bury him 
 
JACOR AND HIS FAMILY. 373 
 
 there, he here brings that matter before all his sons, and 
 makes it his last and dying request. The place is de- 
 scribed with the usual exactness and particularity. The 
 burial of Abraham in that place, and of Sarah, and of 
 Isaac, and Rebekah, had been mentioned before ; but the 
 death and burial of Leah is here, for the first time, re- 
 ferred to : and it becomes evident that she did not go 
 down with Jacob to Egypt, but must have died and been 
 buried before he left that country. The reason why his 
 favorite Kachel, was not placed in the same sacred cave, 
 has been elsewhere suggested. She died too far away 
 from Hebron to admit of this ; for in Canaan the art of 
 embalming the dead was not known, as it was in Egypt. 
 
 714. There can be no doubt that, "being gathered to 
 his people," has reference to a future state of existence, 
 and that the ancients expected a re-union with their de- 
 parted friends after leaving this world. 
 
 The phrase does not refer to the burial in the cave of 
 Machpelah, with Abraham, Isaac, &c., as some suppose ; 
 for Jacob was gathered to his people as soon as he died, 
 while his burial did not take place for several months, and 
 is a separate and distinct event, as the account clearly 
 shows. 
 
 715. The practice of embalming the dead was known 
 in Egypt, in the most ancient times, but is now unknown ; 
 nor is it important that it be restored, as we know of no 
 practical advantage it could yield. Still, what we now 
 regard as unimportant, and indeed what is now so, may 
 yet be found to have been one of the providential events 
 of ancient times for bringing down to our day the knowl- 
 edge of many important facts that had otherwise been 
 lost. Forty days were required for this process : or tlie 
 forty days may be the time allowed after the work of em- 
 balming was performed, to test its perfection. 
 
 716. The mourning ceremonies lasted seventy days ; 
 but whether this includes the forty of embalming, we 
 cannot certainly determine. 
 
 Seventy days of mourning were probably the usual terra 
 with the Egyptians. The seven days of mourning, after 
 arriving in Canaan, may have been the patriarchal custom. 
 Abel-mizraim means the " mourning of the Egyptians." 
 
374 
 
 JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 
 
 A threshing floor was situated on elevated ground ; and 
 it was therefore a fit place for the funeral festivities, as 
 the mourning here referred to, may, more appropriately 
 be called. 
 
 SECTION XXXIV. — Death of Joseph. 
 
 CHAP. L. 
 
 14. And Joseph returned into 
 Egypt, he, and his brethren, and 
 all that went up with him to bury 
 his father, after he had buried his 
 father. 
 
 15 And when Joseph's brethren 
 saw that their father was dead, 
 they said, Joseph will peradven- 
 ture hate us, and will cei'tainly re- 
 quite us all the evil which we did 
 unto him. 
 
 16. And they sent a messenger 
 unto Joseph, saying, Thy father 
 did command before he died say- 
 ing, 
 
 17. So shall ye say unto Joseph, 
 Forgive, I pray thee now, the tres- 
 pass of thy brethren, and their sin; 
 for they did unto thee evil; and 
 now, we pray thee, forgive the 
 trespass of the servants of the 
 God of thy father. And Joseph 
 wept when they spake unto him. 
 
 18. And his brethren also went 
 and fell down before his face ; and 
 they said, Behold, we be thy ser- 
 vants. 
 
 19. And Joseph said unto them. 
 Fear not, for am I in the place of 
 God? 
 
 20. But as for you, ye thought 
 
 evil against me; it/f God meant it 
 unto good, to bring to pass, as it is 
 this day, to save much people alive. 
 * 21. Now, therefore fear ye not; I 
 will nourish you, and your little 
 ones. And he comforted them, and 
 spake kindly unto them. 
 
 22. IT And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, 
 he and his father's house: and Jo- 
 seph lived an hundred and ten 
 years. 
 
 23. And Joseph saw Ephraim's 
 children of the third generation : 
 the chilJren also of Machir, the son 
 of Manasseh, were brought upon 
 Joseph's knees. 
 
 24. And Joseph said unto his 
 brethren, I die; and God will sure- 
 ly visit you, and bring you out of 
 this land unto the land which he 
 sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and 
 to Jacob. 
 
 25. And Joseph took an oath of 
 the children of Israel, saying, God 
 will surely visit you, and ye shall 
 carry up my bones from hence. 
 
 26. So Joseph died, being an 
 hundred and ten years old: and 
 they embalmed him, and he was 
 put in a cofl&n in Egypt. 
 
 717. It was quite natural that the brethren of Joseph 
 should entertain apprehensions for their safety, now that 
 respect for the aged and venerable patriarch, would no 
 longer restrain him from avenging their cruelty. " Thy 
 father did command before he died," was the strongest 
 appeal they could make ; though the gracious disposition 
 of Joseph, did not need any such appeal. That the father 
 did so command we may presume, as it is reasonable to 
 conclude that it would be a matter of conversation among 
 
JACOB AND HIS FAMILY. 375 
 
 them ; and nothing is said indicating that the story was 
 fabricated. It is interesting to see the workings of human 
 nature in the hearts of the brethren, who felt that they 
 had justly incurred his displeasure, and to see the God- 
 like temper and disposition of their brother, who wa>^ 
 g:rieved that they should entertain any doubts ol his 
 gracious disposition, and who seeks at once to reassure 
 
 them on this point. rnr.A +r. 
 
 718 We are not to suppose that the purpose ot bod to 
 brins: about a good result, from the sin of Joseph s 
 brethren, does, in the least, exculpate the ofienders. 
 Thoudi ™lty of a base and unholy act, God had made 
 that act the instrument of good ; and now that the good 
 was manifest, it was proper that they should reproach, 
 themselves no longer. ^ t- i • a 
 
 719 Joseph lived to see the children of Ephraim, and 
 the ^rand-children of Manasseh. The generations here 
 alluded to, commence with Joseph himself; hence the 
 children of Machir were the fourth generation. 
 
 720 Joseph had been assured by his father, that his 
 descendants would come again into Canaan, according to 
 the divine promise ; and this assurance is now repeated by 
 Joseph himself, and made the ground of an oath exacted 
 of his brethren, to bring him thither ^^^^^(1^^ bury him 
 in the promised land -an oath that was fj^lfiH^^i'/^l^^^ 
 the children of Israel went up to that country, under the 
 
 conduct of Moses. r ;i + ^^^^ 
 
 721 That the brethren of Joseph here referred to were 
 his own brethren, or their children, we may not certainly 
 determine, as the language may refer to f t^^r.- ^^ is^^* 
 unreasonable to conclude that some, if not all 1^^^ |;[ethren , 
 were yet alive. The obligation, however, would be ieJt 
 to be binding on the children, as well as on the original 
 parties in the contract. 
 
INDEX OF PASSAGES, 
 
 Chapter. Page. 
 
 I. 1 123 
 
 2 137 
 
 3-5 138 
 
 6-8 140 
 
 9-13 141 
 
 14-19 146 
 
 20-23 148 
 
 24-27 150 
 
 26-31 212 
 
 II. 1-3 157 
 
 4-7 150 
 
 8-17 201 
 
 18-25 214 
 
 III. 1-24 202 
 
 IV. 1-16 217 
 
 17-24 220 
 
 25-26 223 
 
 V. 1-32 221 
 
 VI. 1-4 225 
 
 5-8 174 
 
 8-10 227 
 
 11-13 174 
 
 14-16 184 
 
 17-18 188 
 
 19-20 185 
 
 21-22 187 
 
 Vn. 1 188 
 
 2-3 185 
 
 4-7 188 
 
 8-10 185 
 
 11-13 188 
 
 14-16 185 
 
 17-24 188 
 
 Vm. 1-19... 189 
 
 20-22 227 
 
 IX. 1-7 228 
 
 8-17 230 
 
 18-27 231 
 
 28-29 232 
 
 Chapter. Page. 
 
 X; 1-5 238 
 
 6-20 235 
 
 21-32 233 
 
 XL 1-9 236 
 
 10-26 233 
 
 27-30 240 
 
 31-32., 241 
 
 XII. 1-9 242 
 
 10-20 243 
 
 XIII. 1-4 243 
 
 5-13 245 
 
 14-18 246 
 
 XIV. 1-24 247 
 
 XV. 1-21 250 
 
 XVI. 1-16 252 
 
 XVII. 1-27 254 
 
 XVm. 1-33 258 
 
 XIX. 1-29 ....260 
 
 30-38 264 
 
 XX. 1-18 265 
 
 XXL 1-8 267 
 
 9-21 268 
 
 22-34 269 
 
 XXIL 1-19 270 
 
 20-24 272 
 
 XXIIL 1-20 273 
 
 XXIV. 1-67 275 
 
 XXV. 1-6 278 
 
 7-11 279 
 
 12-18 280 
 
 19-26 281 
 
 27-34 282 
 
 XXVL 1-22 283 
 
 23-33 285 
 
 34-35 292 
 
 XXVIL 1-40 286 
 
 41-i6 298 
 
 XXVm. 1-22 299 
 
 9 292 
 
378 
 
 INDEX OF PASSAGES 
 
 Chapter. 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 XXXII. 
 XXXIII. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 XXXV. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 Page. 
 
 1-14 300 
 
 15-30 302 
 
 31-35 303 
 
 1-8 305 
 
 9-13 305 
 
 14-21 304 
 
 22-24 303 
 
 25-43 309 
 
 1-21 311 
 
 22-24 313 
 
 25-55 313 
 
 1-32 316 
 
 1-16 319 
 
 17-20 321 
 
 1-31 321 
 
 1-15 324 
 
 16-27 327 
 
 28-29 329 
 
 1-3 292 
 
 1-19 291 
 
 20-39 295 
 
 40-43 292 
 
 XXXVIL 1-36..... 329 
 
 Chapter. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 XXXVIII- 1-30 
 
 33-) 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 1-23 .... 
 
 337 
 
 XL. 
 
 1-23.... 
 
 339 
 
 XLI. 
 
 1-36 .... 
 
 341 
 
 
 37-57 
 
 344 
 
 XLII. 
 
 1-38 ... 
 
 ... 346 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 1-34 
 
 350 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 1-34.... 
 
 352 
 
 XLV. 
 
 1-15.... 
 
 354 
 
 
 16-28 . . 
 
 356 
 
 XLVI. 
 
 1-7 
 
 357 
 
 
 8-27.... 
 
 307 
 
 
 28-30 ... 
 
 358 
 
 
 31-34 
 
 . . . 359 
 
 XLVn. 
 
 1-6 
 
 359 
 
 
 7-10.... 
 
 360 
 
 
 11-27.... 
 
 361 
 
 
 28-31 .... 
 
 363 
 
 XLVIIL 
 
 1-22.... 
 
 364 
 
 XLIX. 
 
 1-28.... 
 
 366 
 
 
 29-33 
 
 372 
 
 L. 
 
 1-13 
 
 372 
 
 
 14-26 
 
 374 
 
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