Jacob goes CHAP. XXVIII. to Padan-aram. CHAPTER XXVIII. Isaac directs Jacob to take a wife from the family of Laban, 1, 2; blesses and sends him away, 3, 4. Jacob begins his journey, 5. Esau, perceiving that the daughters of Canaan were not pleasing to his parents, and that Jacob obeyed them in going to get a wife of his own kindred, 6-8, went and took to wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, his father's brother, 9. Jacob, in his journey towards Haran, came to a certain place (Luz, ver. 19), where he lodged all night, 10, 11. He sees in a dream a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, on which he beholds the angels of God ascending and descending, 12. God appears above this ladder, and renews those promises which he had made to Abraham and to Isaac, 13, 14; promises Jacob personal protection and a safe return to his own country, 15. Jacob awakes, and makes reflections upon his dream, 16, 17. Sets up one of the stones he had had for his pillow, and pours oil on it, and calls the place Beth-el, 18, 19. Makes a vow, that if God will preserve him in his journey, and bring him back in safety, the stone should be God's house, and that he would give him the tenths of all that he should have, 20-22. NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII. Ch. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's 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 blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan ; xvii. 1, 6.- Heb. an assembly of people.- i Ch. xii. 2. pillow; and from chap. xxxii. 10 that he went on Verse 1. And Isaac called Jacob] See the note on foot with his staff in his hand; nor is there even ver. 46 of the preceding chapter. And blessed him] Now voluntarily and cheerfully confirmed to him the blessing, which he had before obtained through subtlety. It was necessary that he should have this confirmation previously to his departure; else, considering the way in which he had obtained both the birth-right and the blessing, he might be doubtful, according to his own words, whether he might not have got a curse instead of a blessing. As the blessing now pronounced on Jacob was obtained without any deception on his part, it is likely that it produced a salutary effect upon his mind, might have led him to confession of his sin, and prepared his heart for those discoveries of God's goodness with which he was favoured at Luz. Verse 2. Go to Padan-aram] This mission, in its spirit and design, is nearly the same as that in chap. xxiv., which see. There have been several ingenious conjectures concerning the retinue which Jacob had, or might have had, for his journey; and by some he has been supposed to have been well attended. Of this nothing is mentioned here, and the reverse seems to be intimated elsewhere. It appears, from ver. 11, that he lodged in the open air, with a stone for his the most indirect mention of any attendants, nor is it probable there were any. He no doubt took provisions with him sufficient to carry him to the nearest encampment or village on the way, where he would naturally recruit his bread and water to carry him to the next stage, and so on. The oil that he poured on the pillar might be a little of that which he had brought for his own use, and can be no rational argument of his having a stock of provisions, servants, camels, &c., for which it has been gravely brought. He had God alone with him. Verse 3. That thou mayest be a multitude of people] y ap likhal ammim. There is something very remarkable in the original words; they signify literally for an assembly, congregation, or church of peoples; referring no doubt to the Jewish church in the wilderness, but more particularly to the Christian church, composed of every kindred, and nation, and people, and tongue. This is one essential part of the blessing of Abraham. See ver. 4. Verse 4. Give thee the blessing of Abraham] May he confirm the inheritance with all its attendant blessings to thee, to the exclusion of Esau ; as he did to me, to the exclusion of Ishmael. But, accord gone to Padan-aram; f and sees the vision of the ladder. 10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. A. M. cir. 2225. 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; b a Ch. xxiv. 3. xxvi. 35.- b Heb. were evil in the eyes, &c. Ch. xxxvi. 3, she is called Bashemath. d Ch. xxv. 13. ing to St. Paul, much more than this is certainly intended here, for it appears, from Gal. iii. 6-14, that the blessing of Abraham, which is to come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, comprises the whole doctrine of justification by faith, and its attendant privileges, viz., redemption from the curse of the law, remission of sins, and the promise of the Holy Spirit, including the constitution and establishment of the Christian church. Verse 5. Bethuel the Syrian] Literally the Aramean, so called, not because he was of the race of Aram the son of Shem, but because he dwelt in that country which had been formerly possessed by the descendants of Aram. | 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. Ch. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder e Hos. xii. 12. f Called, Acts vii. 2, Charran.xli. 1. Job xxxiii. 15. Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael to be his wife. See the notes on chap. xxxi. 38, &c. Verse 11. A certain place, and tarried there] From ver. 19 we find this certain place was Luz, or some part of its vicinity. Jacob had probably intended to reach Luz; but the sun being set, and night coming on, he either could not reach the city, or he might suspect the inhabitants, and rather prefer the open field, as he must have heard of the character and conduct of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. Or the gates might be shut by the time he reached it, which would prevent his admission; for it frequently happens, to the present day, that travellers not reaching a city in the eastern countries previously to the shutting of the gates, are obliged to lodge under the walls all night, as when once shut they refuse to open them till the next day. This was probably Jacob's case. He took of the stones] He took one of the stones that were in that place; from ver. 18 we find it was about forty-eight miles distant from Beer-sheba; too great a journey for one day, through what we may conceive very unready roads. Verse 12. He dreamed, and behold a ladder] A multitude of fanciful things have been spoken of Jacob's vision of the ladder, and its signification. It might have several designs, as God chooses to accomplish the greatest number of ends by the fewest and simplest means possible. 1. It is very likely that its primary design was to point out the providence of God, by which he watches over and regulates all terrestrial things; for nothing is left to merely natural causes, a heavenly agency pervades, actuates, and directs all. In his present circumstances it was highly necessary that Jacob should have a clear and distinct view of this subject, that he might be the better prepared to meet all occurrences with the con Verse 9. Then went Esau unto Ishmael] Those who are apt to take every thing by the wrong handle, and who think it was utterly impossible for Esau to do any right action, have classed his taking a daughter of Ishmael among his crimes; whereas there is nothing more plain than that he did this with a sin-one stone only which he had for his pillow. Luz was cere desire to obey and please his parents. Having heard the pious advice which Isaac gave to Jacob, he therefore went and took a wife from the family of his grandfather Abraham, as Jacob was desired to do out of the family of his maternal uncle Laban. Mahalath, whom he took to wife, stood in the same degree of relationship to Isaac his father as Rachel did to his mother Rebekah. Esau married his father's niece; Jacob married his mother's niece. It was therefore most obviously to please his parents that Esau took this additional wife. It is supposed that Ishmael must have been dead thirteen or fourteen years before this time, and that going to Ishmael signifies only going to the family of Ishmael. If we follow the common computation, and allow that Isaac was now about one hundred and thirty-six or one hundred and thirty-seven years of age, and Jacob seventy-seven, and as Ishmael died in the one hundred and thirty-viction that all was working together for his good. seventh year of his age, which according to the common computation was the one hundred and twenty-third of Isaac, then Ishmael must have been dead about fourteen years. But if we allow the ingenious reasoning of Mr. Skinner and Dr. Kennicott, that Jacob was at this time only fifty-seven years of age, and Isaac consequently only one hundred and seventeen, it will appear that Ishmael did not die till six years after this period; and hence with propriety it might be said, Esau went unto Ishmael, and took 2. It might be intended also to point out the intercourse between heaven and earth, and the connexion of both worlds by the means of angelic ministry. That this is fact we learn from many histories in the Old Testament; and it is a doctrine that is unequivocally taught in the New: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 3. It was probably a type of CHRIST, in whom both worlds meet, and in whom the divine and human nature are conjoined. The LADDER set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham hy father, and the God of Isaac: the land thereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and b thy seed; e 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of John i, 51. Hebr. i. 14.- b Ch. xxxv. 1. xlviii. 3. Ch. xiii. 14. Xii 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. xxvi. 4. vis set up on the EARTH, and the TOP of it reached to BRAVEN; for GOD was manifested in the FLESH, and in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Nothing could be a more expressive emblem of the incarnation and its effects; Jesus Christ is the grand connecting medium between heaven and earth, and between God and man. By him God comes down to man; through him man ascends to God. It appears that our Lord applies the vision in this way Asif, 1st, In that remarkable speech to Nathanael, Hereafter ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man, Jaha i. 51. 2ndly, In his speech to Thomas, John 1.6: I am the WAY, and the truth, and the life; no ran cometh unto the Father but by me. k Jacob sets up a pillar. A. M. cir. 2225. 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 for his pillows, and P set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. thee of-until the Messiah shall be born of thy race, and all the families of the earth-the Gentiles, be blessed through thee; the gospel being preached to them, and they, with the believing Jews, made ONE FOLD under ONE SHEPHERD, and one Bishop or Overseer of souls. And this circumstantial promise has been literally and punctually fulfilled. Verse 16. The Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.] That is, God has made this place his peculiar residence; it is a place in which he meets with and reveals himself to his followers. Jacob might have supposed that this place had been consecrated to God. that, his mind having been brought into a humble And it has already been supposed frame, he was prepared to hold communion with his Verse 13. I am the Lord God of Abraham] Here | Maker. God confirms to him the blessing of Abraham, for which Isaac had prayed ver. 3, 4. Verse 14. Thy seed shall be as the dust] The people that shall descend from thee shall be extremely Lumerous, and in thee and thy seed-the Lord JESUS descending from thee, according to the flesh, shall the families of the earth-not only all of thy race, but all the other families or tribes of mankind which have not proceeded from any branch of the Abrahanic family, be blessed; for Jesus Christ by the of God tasted death FOR EVERY MAN, Heb. ii. 9. Verse 15. And, behold, I am with thee] he heavens and the earth. For I fill 'My WORD shall be thy -Targum. And will keep thee in all places, ev ry Taog, in all this way.-Septuagint. I shall direct, ep, and support thee in a peculiar manner, in thy present journey, be with thee while thou sojournest with thy uncle, and will bring thee again into this d; so that in all thy concerns thou mayest consider thyself under my especial providence, for I will Hot leave thee. Thy descendants also shall be my peculiar people, whom I shall continue to preserve as such until I have done that which I have spoken to 183 Verse 17. How dreadful is this place!] The apglory at the top of the ladder, must have left deep, pearance of the ladder, the angels, and the divine solemn, and even awful impressions on the mind of Jacob; and hence the exclamation in the text, How dreadful is this place! Chaldee gives this place a curious turn: "This is not for a pillar] He placed the stone in an erect posture, Jacob calls the name A. M. cir. 2225. B. C. cir. 1779. GENESIS. of the place Beth-el. A. M. cir. 2225. 19 And he called the name the name of that city was called B. C. cir. 1779. of that place Beth-el: but a a Judg. i. 23, 26. Hos. iv. 15. God. See chap. xxxv. 14. The Brahmins anoint verses were made: Ni fallat fatum,-Scoti quocunque locatum Camden's Perthshire. Edward I. had it brought to Westminster; and there this stone, called Jacob's pillar, and Jacob's pillow, is now placed under the chair on which the king sits when crowned! It would be as ridiculous to attempt to disprove the truth of this tradition, as to prove that the stone under the old chair in Westminster was the identical stone which served the patriarch for a bolster. And poured oil upon the top of it.] Stones, images, and altars, dedicated to divine worship, were always anointed with oil. This appears to have been considered as a consecration of them to the object of the worship, and a means of inducing the god or goddess to take up their residence there, and answer the petitions of their votaries. Anointing stones, images, &c., is used in idolatrous countries to the present day, and the whole idol is generally smeared over with oil. Sometimes, besides the anointing, a crown or garland was placed on the stone or altar to honour the divinity, who was supposed, in consequence of the anointing, to have set up his residence in that place. It appears to have been on this ground that the seats of polished stone, on which the kings sat in the front of their palaces to administer justice, were anointed, merely to invite the deity to reside there, that true judgment might be given, and a righteous sentence always be pronounced. Of this we have an instance in HOMER, Odyss. lib. v., ver. 406-410: Εκ δ' ελθων, κατ' αρ' έζετ' επι ξεστοίσι λιθοισιν, Οἱ οἱ εσαν προπαροιθε θυραων ύψηλαων, Λευκοί, αποστιλβοντες αλείφατος· οἷς επι μεν πριν Νηλεύς ίζεσκεν, θεοφιν μήστωρ αταλαντος. The old man early rose, walked forth, and sate On polished stone before his palace gate; With unguent smooth the lucid marble shone, Where ancient Neleus sate, a rustic throne. POPE. This gives a part of the sense of the passage; but the last line, on which much stress should be laid, is Luz at the first. b That is, the house of God. very inadequately rendered by the English poet. It should be translated, Where Neleus sat, equal in counsel to the gods; because inspired by their wisdom, and which inspiration he and his successor took pains to secure by consecrating with the anointing oil the seat of judg ment on which they were accustomed to sit. Sone of the ancient commentators on Homer mistook the meaning of this place by not understanding the nature of the custom; and these Cowper unfortunately ollows, translating "resplendent as with oil;" which as destroys the whole sense, and obliterates the alusion. This sort of anointing was a common cusiom in all antiquity, and was probably derived from this circumstance. Arnobius tells us that it was customary with himself while a heathen, "when he saw a smooth polished stone that had been smeared with oils, to kiss and adore it, as if possessing a divine virtue." Si quando conspexeram lubricatum lapidem, et ex olivi unguine sordidatum (ordinatum?), tanquam inesset vis præsens, adulabar, affabar. And Theodoret, in his eighty-fourth question on Genesis, asserts that many pious women in his time were accustomed to anoint the coffins of the martyrs, &c. And in Catholic countries when a church is consecrated they anoint the door-posts, pillars, altars, &c. So under the law there was a holy anointing oil to sanctify the tabernacle, laver, and all other things used in God's service, Exod. xl. 9, &c. Verse 19. He called the name of that place Beth-el] That is, the house of God; for in consequence of his having anointed the stone, and thus consecrated it to God, he considered it as becoming henceforth his peculiar residence; see on the preceding verse. This word should be always pronounced as two distinct syllables, each strongly accented, Beth-El. Was called Luz at the first.] The Hebrew has □ Ulam Luz, which the Roman edition of the Septuagint translates Ovλapλov? Oulamlouz; the Alexandrian MS., Ovλaμμavs Oulammaus; the Aldine, Ovλaμμaovs Oulammaous; Symmachus, Aapμαους Lammaous; and some others, Ovλaμ Oulam. The Hebrew ulam is sometimes a particle signifying as, just as; hence it may signify that the place was called Beth-El, as it was formerly called Luz. As Luz signifies an almond, almond or hazel tree, this place probably had its name from a number of such trees growing in that region. Many of the ancients confounded this city with Jerusalem, to which they attribute the eight following names, which are all expressed in this verse: Solyma, Luza, Bethel, Hierosolyma, Jebus, Ælia, From Beth-El came the Baetylia, Bethyllia, Bairuλta, or animated stones, so celebrated in antiquity, and to which divine honours were paid. The tradition of Jacob anointing this stone, and calling the place Beth-El, gave rise to all the superstitious accounts of the Baetylia or consecrated stones, which we find in Sanchoniathon and others. These became abused to idolatrous purposes, and hence God strongly prohibits them, Lev. xxvi. 1; and it is very Ekely that stones of this kind were the most ancient objects of idolatrous worship; these were afterwards formed into beautiful human figures, male and female, when the art of sculpture became tolerably perfected, and hence the origin of idolatry as far as it refers to the worshipping of images, for these being consecrated by anointing, &c., were supposed immediately to become instinct with the power and energy of some divinity. Hence, then, the Baetylia or living stenes of the ancient Phoenicians, &c. As oil is an emblem of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, so those who receive this anointing are considered as being alive unto God, and are expressly called by St. Peter living stones, 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. May not the apostle have reference to those living stones or Baetyllia of antiquity, and thus correct the notion by showing that these rather represented the true worshippers of God, who were consecrated to his service and made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and that these alone could be properly called the living stones out of which the true spiritual temple is composed? Verse 20. Vowed a vow] A vow is a solemn, holy promise, by which a man bound himself to do certain things in a particular way, time, &c., and for power to accomplish which he depended on God; hence all Tows were made with prayer. If God will be with me, &c.] Jacob seems to make this vow rather for his posterity than for himself, as we may learn from ver. 13-15; for he particularly refers to the promises which God had made to him, which concerned the multiplication of his offspring, and their establishment in that land. If, then, God shall fulfil these promises, he binds his posterity to build God a house, and to devote for the maintenance of his worship the tenth of all their earthly goods. This mode of interpretation removes that appearance of self-interest which almost any other view of the subject presents. Jacob had certainly, long ere this, taken Jehovah for his God; and so thoroughly had he been instructed in the knowledge of Jehovah, that we may rest satisfied no reverses of fortune could have induced him to apostatize: but as his taking refuge with Laban was probably typical of the sojourning of his descendants in Egypt, his persecution, so as to be obliged to depart from Laban, the the tenth of all his goods. then shall the house in peace; LORD be my God: A. M. cir. 2225. B. C. cir. 1779. 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. f Ver. 17. Ch. xiv. 20. xxxv. 7, 14.- Lev. xxvii. 30-33. Deut. xiv. 22, 23. bad treatment of his posterity by the Egyptians, his rescue from death, preservation on his journey, reestablishment in his own country, &c., were all typical of the exodus of his descendants, their travels in the desert, and establishment in the promised land, where they built a house to God, and where, for the support and maintenance of the pure worship of God, they gave to the priests and Levites the tenth of all their worldly produce. If all this be understood as referring to Jacob only, the scripture gives us no information how he performed his vow. Verse 22. This stone-shall be God's house] That is (as far as this matter refers to Jacob alone), Should I be preserved to return in safety, I shall worship God in this place. And this purpose he fulfilled, for there he built an altar, anointed it with oil, and poured a drink-offering thereon. For a practical use of Jacob's vision, see note on verse 12. On the doctrine of tithes, or an adequate support for the ministers of the gospel, I shall here register my opinion. Perhaps a word may be borne from one who never received any, and has none in prospect. Tithes in their origin appear to have been a sort of eucharistic offering made unto God, and probably were something similar to the minchah, which we learn from Gen. iv. was in use almost from the foundation of the world. When God established a regular, and we may add an expensive worship, it was necessary that proper provision should be made for the support of those who were obliged to devote their whole time to it, and consequently were deprived of the opportunity of providing for themselves in any secular way. It was soon found that a tenth part of the produce of the whole land was necessary for this purpose, as a whole tribe, that of Levi, was devoted to the public service of God; and when the land was divided, this tribe received no inheritance among their brethren. Hence, for their support, the law of tithes was enacted; and by these the priests and Levites were not only supported as the ministers of God, but as the teachers and intercessors of the people, performing a great variety of religious duties for them, which otherwise they themselves were bound to perform. As this mode of supporting the ministers of God was instituted by himself, so we may rest assured it was rational and just. Nothing can be more reasonable than to devote a portion of the earthly good which we receive from the free mercy of God, to his own service; especially when by doing it we are essentially serving ourselves. If the ministers of God give up |