paffed the Euphrates (C), and was got up the mountains of Gilead, where he had pitched his tent for that night. The last thing worth in quiring into, is, what induced Rachel to fteal her father's gods. To which fome anfwer, that she did it to repay herself for the damage which they had fuftained by her father (167); others,that the thought by that means to prevent Laban's inquiring of them, which way Jacob went (168); others, that fhe would thereby cure her father of his idolatry, against which Jacob had read his wives many a lecture (169). The learned Shuskford looks upon this theft to have been committed by her, out of a fond regard for her ancestors (170). And lastly, others think, that both fhe and her fifter were ftill addicted to that fuperftition, and that their defigning to continue in it, made her to conceal the theft from her hufband (171); which feems the most probable, fince Jacob, making a thorough reformation in his houfe, caufed them to be taken from her, and buried them under a tree in Sichem (172). (C) Though the text doth not fay what river he passed, yet it is plain, it could be no other than the Euphrates, which the Scripture fometimes calla the river Perah, sometimes the great river, and sometimes emphatically, the river, or flood (173); either because that and the Nile were the only two confiderable ones they knew; or, because it was one of, the four rivers of Paradife; or laftly, because it was the boundary of the promised land (174). However, Jacob must have made prodigious speed to have arrived at mount Gilead in 10 days, with all his family, cattle and lumber, it being little lefs diftant from Haran than 250 miles; so that he must be fuppofed to have travelled at the rate of 25 miles a day, unless he had perhaps taken the advantage of two or three days journey, under pretence of fresh pasture before he fet out for good. Laban and his company must have made still greater hafte to have overtaken him in feven days, and have travelled at the rate of 37 miles a day; which plainly fhews, that he was no less eager to wreak his refentment on him, than Jacob was to avoid it. (166) Jud. xvii. 1, & feqq. (168) Abenezra in loc. (169) Greg. Nazianz. orat. de S. Pafch. & al.. P. 342. vol. ii. l.vii. p. 154. (171) Cyril. Mufc. Calv. & al. (172) Gen. xxxv. 4. xxiv. alib, (174) Vid. Gen. xv. 18. (167) Percir. Johnson, & al. Theodoret. quæft. 9. Rab. Sal. (170) Connect. vol. i. l. v. in Gen. xi. Chryfoft. Cajet. (173) Vid. Fof, i. 4 Searches It is evident, that he had fome ill defign against his fon-inlaw; but God, who appeared to him that night in a dream, was pleased to avert it, by threatening him feverely, if he committed any hoftility or violence against him; fo that he contented himself with expoftulating Laban with him, that he had ftolen away without giving him an overtakes opportunity of kiffing his children and grandchildren, them. and fending them away with the ufual ceremonies of mufic and dances. Jacob, on the other hand, was not without his complaints; Laban's deceiving him, and making him ferve fo long for a woman he did not care for; the changing his falary fo many times, and his late ftrange behaviour towards him and his family; all these and many more, he answered him, were but ill requitals for all his diligence and care, or for the bleffings which GOD had heaped upon him for his fake. Laban had yet another thing to lay to his charge, namely, the ftealing of his gods; and Jacob, ignorant of Rachel's theft, defired him to make the most diligent fearch for them throughout his family, promising that the perfon on whom they were found, fhould be immediately put to death. Laban loft no time, but fearched every tent, and laft of all came to that of Rachel, who for his gods had hid the teraphim under the camel's litter, and had fet herself down upon them. She kept fitting whilft he was curiously examining every corner, and excufed it, with telling him, that the condition fhe was then in, allowed her fex to difpenfe with the ufual ceremonies. This prevented all further fcrutiny; and Laban, departing with an heavy heart, acquainted his fon-in-law with his ill fuce cefs. This caufed fome fresh expoftulations; which being ended, they fell upon a more agreeable fubject, which was to make an alliance between them, and to erect a monument as a standing witness of it to future ages. They covenant all put a helping hand, and reared the pile, which Laban with Jacalled in the Syrian tongue Jegar-fahadutha, and Jacob cob. in Hebrew, Gilead; both which fignify the heap of wit- They rear nefs b. Here they likewife fwore, that neither would a monupafs over that monument to hurt the other; and Jacob, ment in methat he would ufe his wives and children with all becom-mory of it. ing tenderness and affection. The ceremony being ended, Laban reand a facrifice offered upon the occafion, Jacob feasted turns home. the whole company the reft of that day; and the next morning Laban having embraced and bleffed the whole family, returned home to Padan-aram ©. Vid. fup. vol. i. p. 347, & feqq. & vol. ii. p. 292. Gen. xxxi, p. tot. JACOB, Makes a fion. Maha- B. I. Jacob'svi- JACOB, who thought his abfence a greater fecurity than the oaths he had fworn, was glad to have so well escaped ; but one fear fucceeded another, and the refentment of his brother Efau began now to give him a fresh trouble; but a vifion which he had of an hoft of angels, who met him in his way to Canaan, allayed his anxiety for a while; and in memory of this vifion he called the place Mahanaim (two camps). But, being ftill fearful of his brother, he refolved to foften him with a fubmiffive message; and though ftill near 120 miles from him, yet to fend a meffage to acquaint him with the fuccefs he had during his ftay in Mefopotamia, the riches and multitude of wives, children, fervants, and cattle, which he had acquired; and that he did not think fit to proceed further homewards, till he had fent him his beft compliments (D). The meffengers returned with the news, that Efau was coming to meet him, accompanied with four hundred of his men. This was enough to make him conclude, that he came with a defign to deftroy him, and all that belonged to him; but, recovering little from his fear, he fet himself about giving orders to his family. He divided them into two bands, in hopes that if the one perifhed, the other might escape; which done, he addressed himself to GoD in a very humble prayer, acknowlegeing his great mercies, and his own unworthiness, He fends and begging his future protection against his brother's Jome pre- fword, and that he would fulfil all his former proSents to mifes to him. After this he refolved to try how far preEfau. fents would work upon Efau's temper; and, having fet a Vid. fup. vol. ii. p. 166. (D) As Jacob was ftill fo many miles from mount Seir, where Efau then dwelt, this meffage would have been fuperfluous or premature, had he not defigned, by acquainting him with the great wealth he had got in Haran, to have difpofleffed his brother of a prejudice, that he came emptyhanded, and with a view only of inheriting his old father's fubftance, which might have rekindled his refentment, and caufed a fresh misunderstand ing. It might moreover be done with a politic view, to inform himself how he ftood affected towards him, in order to ftop short or fleer another courfe, if he found him in no better temper than he had left him. And this, as a judicious divine rightly observes (172), fufficiently accounts for Jacob's meffage, without fuppofing two lands of Edom, one nearer, and another farther from Gilead, as Adrichomius, and others after him, have done. (172) See Shuckford's connect. vol. ii. p. 156, & feqq. apart apart two hundred fhe-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty fhe-camels, with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty fhe-affes and ten colts, he fent them before him in feparate bands, and charged their drivers, when they met his brother, to tell him, that they were prefents fent by Jacob to his lord Efau, in order to intreat his favour and good will b. On the next morning he made all his family and flocks go over the brook Jabbok long before break of day, whilft himself tarried at Mahanaim. Here appeared to him in the shape of a man, according to the prophet Hofea c, the fame divine perfon that had before at Bethel, who wrestled with him till the morning; and, not being able to prevail with him, touched the hollow of his thigh, and put it out of joint; then defired him to let him go, fince day appeared. Jacob then begged, that he might have his Jacob is bleffing first; upon which he changed his name from Fa-named Ifcob to Ifrael, which fignifies a man that has prevailed rael at Pewith GOD. But, when he was defired to tell his own niel. name, he refused, and departed from him (D). Jacob therefore b Gen. xxxii. 14, 15. (D) Moft verfions, as well as ours, render the words of the angel to Jacob in the latter part of the 28th verfe, as if Jacob had prevailed over men as well as over him; whereas he had been fo far from prevailing over the only two enemies he had, viz. Esau and Laban, that he had been forced to flee from them both. This makes it therefore neceffary to have recourfe to a better verfion of these words, if the original can bear us out in it, which it will do without the least violence; or rather, by following the most strict and literal fenfe of it, which runs thus, Thou haft acted or behaved prince-like (in thy wreftling) with GoD, and thou fhalt alfo prevail over men. And indeed, what could be Hof. xii. ver. 4. more comfortable to Jacob in Some of the antient fathers (173) Hieron, qu, Hebr. Orig. & al. 5 above Meets with his brother Efau. Year of the flood 609. Bef.Chrift therefore called the place Peniel, or the face of God; and, when he came to march, he found that he halted upon his thigh; upon which account his pofterity never eat of that joint d. And Jofephus tells us, that neither Jacob, nor any of his pofterity ever fince, did eat that part of any creature: and though the text mentions only the finew that fhrank; yet so scrupulous have fome of the Jews been even to this day, that, for want of knowing which joint it was, they abftain from the whole hindquarter; though others, lefs nice, abftain only from the thigh; and fome again will eat even that, and content themselves with plucking the finew out of it. Some think, that Jacob's lamenefs was foon over; others, that he halted all his life. However, the new affurances which the angel gave him inspired him with such fresh courage, that he marched on chearfully, till he had overtaken his family, and was come in fight of his brother. How tender and affectionate their meeting was, and how contrary to Jacob's expectation, we have already fhewn 8 (E); which was closed with a kind invitation to d Gen. xxxii.22-32. O. T. in loc. his e Ant. 1. i. c. 20. f Calm. g Vid. fup. vol. ii. p. 166. 1739. above-quoted; whereas, when it is GOD or CHRIST, that appears like one, he is diftinguifhed by the angel of the covenant, or fome other word (177). But what follows in the very next verse of the prophet above-quoted, plainly confutes that notion, he found him in Bethel, even the LORD GOD of hosts. That it was GOD who met him in Bethel, is plain, by his faying, I am the GOD of Bethel (178). The general opinion therefore of antient and modern authors is, that it was CHRIST who wreftled with Jacob here. 1. Because he bleffed him; and, 2. Because Jacob fays, I have feen GOD face to face, &c. and called the place Peniel (179). (E) It is very probable, that Ifaac and Rebecca had taken much pains to convince him, during his brother's absence, that what Jacob and she had done, was by order of GoD himself, who had decreed the inversion of the fucceffion before they were born; that it would therefore be not only in vain, but even an unpardonable crime, for him to oppose the decrees of providence; and that, inftead of recovering his brother's bleffing, he would bring a terrible curfe on his own head: by which, and other fuch-like (179) Tertul. (177) Pereir. in loc. & al. (178) Gen. xxxi. 13. lib. ii. cont. Marcion. Hilar. de Trin. l. iv. Ambr. de fid. 1. vi." Chryfoft. in cap. vii. actor. & al. Calv. Merc. Jun. & al, mult. arguments, |
