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is very likely that the wives taken by Esau were daughters of chiefs among the Hittites, and by this union he sought to increase and strengthen his secular power and influence.

which are a grief to his parents.

b

35 Which a were a-grief of A. M. cir. 2200. mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

b Heb. bitterness of spirit.

B. C. cir. 1804.

tice or providence of God requires. There are, however, many who owe their poverty to their want of diligence and economy; they sink down into indolence, and forget that word, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to Verse 35. Which were a grief of mind] Not the do, do it with thy might; nor do they consider that marriage, though that was improper, but the persons; by idleness a man is clothed with rags. Be diligent they, by their perverse and evil ways, brought bitter-in business and fervent in spirit, and God will withhold ness into the hearts of Isaac and Rebekah. The Tar- from thee no manner of thing that is good. gum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and that of Jerusalem, say they were addicted to idol worship, and rebelled against and would not hearken to the instructions either of Isaac or Rebekah. From Canaanites a different conduct could not be reasonably expected. Esan was far from being spiritual, and his wives were wholly

carnal.

2. From many examples we find that the wealth ofthe primitive inhabitants of the world did not consist in gold, silver, or precious stones, but principally in flocks of useful cattle, and the produce of the field. With precious metals and precious stones they were not unacquainted, and the former were sometimes used in purchases, as we have already seen in the case of Abraham buying a field from the children of Heth. But the blessings which God promises are such as spring from the soil. Isaac sowed in the land, and had possessions of flocks and herds, and great store of servants, ver. 12-14.. Commerce, by which nations and

THE same reflections which were suggested by Abraham's conduct in denying his wife in Egypt and Gerar, will apply to that of Isaac; but the case of Isaac was much less excusable than that of Abraham. The latter told no falsity; he only through fear sup-individuals so suddenly rise and as suddenly fall, had pressed a part of the truth.

not been then invented; every man was obliged to acquire property by honest and persevering labour, or be destitute. Lucky hits, fortunate speculations, and adventurous risks, could then have no place; the field must be tilled, the herds watched and fed, and the proper seasons for ploughing, sowing, reaping, and laying up, be carefully regarded and improved. No man, therefore, could grow rich by accident. Isaac waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great, ver. 13. Speculation was of no use, for it could have no object; and consequently many incitements to knavery and to idleness, that bane of the

could not show themselves. Happy times! when every
man wrought with his hands, and God particularly
blessed his honest industry. As he had no luxuries,
he had no unnatural and factitious wants, few diseases,
and a long life.

O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint,
Agricolas !-

1. A good man has a right to expect God's blessing on his honest industry. Isaac sowed, and received a hundred-fold, and he had possession of flocks, &c., for the Lord blessed him. Worldly men, if they pray at all, ask for temporal things: "What shall we eat what shall we drink? and wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Most of the truly religious people go into another extreme; they forget the body, and ask only for the soul! and yet there are "things requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soul," and things which are only at God's disposal. The body lives for the soul's sake; its life and comfort are in many re-physical and moral health of the body and soul of man, spects essentially requisite to the salvation of the soul; and therefore the things necessary for its support should be earnestly asked from the God of all grace, the Father of bounty and providence. Ye have not because ye ask not, may be said to many poor, afflicted religious people; and they are afraid to ask lest it should appear mercenary, or that they sought their portion in this life. They should be better taught. Surely to none of these will God give a stone if they ask bread: he who is so liberal of his heavenly blessings will not withhold earthly ones, which are of infinitely less consequence. Reader, expect God's blessing on thy honest industry; pray for it, and believe that God does not love thee less, who hast taken refuge in the same hope, than he loved Isaac. Plead not only his promises, but plead on the precedents he has set before thee: "Lord, thou didst so and so to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and to others who trusted in thee; bless my field, bless my flocks, prosper my labour, that I may be able to provide things honest in the sight of all men, and have something to dispense to those who are in want." And will not God hear such prayers? Yea, and answer them too, for he does not willingly afflict the children of men. And we may rest assured that there is more affliction and poverty in the world than either the jus

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thrice happy husbandmen! did they but know their

own mercies.

But has not what is termed commerce produced the reverse of all this? A few are speculators, and the many are comparatively slaves; and slaves, not to enrich themselves, (this is impossible,) but to enrich the speculators and adventurers by whom they are employed. Even the farmers become, at least partially, commercial men; and the soul, the fruitful parent of natural wealth, is comparatively disregarded: the consequence is, that the misery of the many, and the luxury of the few, increase; and from both these spring, on the one hand, pride, insolence, contempt of the poor, contempt of God's holy word and commandments, with the long catalogue of crimes which proceed from pampered appetites and unsubdued passions: and on the other, murmuring, repining, discon

Isaac desires his son Esau

CHAP. XXVII.

tent, and often insubordination and revolt, the most fell and most destructive of all the evils that can degrade and curse civil society. Hence wars, fightings, and revolutions of states, and public calamities of all kinds. Bad as the world and the times are, men have made them much worse by their unnatural methods

to prepare him savoury meat

of providing for the support of life. When shall men learn that even this is but a subordinate pursuit; and that the cultivation of the soul in the knowledge, love, and obedience of God, is essentially necessary, not only to future glory, but to present happiness?

CHAPTER XXVII.

Isaac, grown old and feeble, and apprehending the approach of death, desires his son Esau to provide some savoury meat for him, that having eaten of it he might convey to him the blessing connected with the right of primogeniture, 1-4. Rebekah hearing of it, relates the matter to Jacob, and directs him how to personate his brother, and by deceiving his father, obtain the blessing, 5-10. Jacob hesitates, 11, 12; but being counselled and encouraged by his mother, he at last consents to use the means she prescribes, 13, 14. Rebekah disguises Jacob, and sends him to personate his brother, 15-17. Jacob comes to his father, and professes himself to be Esau, 18, 19. Isaac doubts, questions, and examines him closely, but does not discover the deception, 20-24. He eats of the savoury meal, and confers the blessing upon Jacob, 25-27. In what the blessing consisted, 28, 29. Esau arrives from the field with the meat he had gone to provide, and presents himself before his father, 30, 31. Isaac discovers the fraud of Jacob, and is much affected, 32, 33. Esau is greatly distressed on hearing that the blessing had been received by another, 34. Isaac accuses Jacob of deceit, 35. Esau expostulates, and prays for a blessing, 36.· ́`Isaac describes the blessing which he has already conveyed, 37. Esau weeps, and earnestly implores a blessing, 38. Isaac pronounces a blessing on Esau, and prophecies that his posterity should, in process of time, cease to be tributary to the posterity of Jacob, 39, 40. Esau purposes to kill his brother, 41. Rebekah hears of it, and counsels Jacob to take refuge with her brother Laban in Padan-aram, 42-45. She professes to be greatly alarmed, lest Jacob should take any of the Canaanites to wife, 46.

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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 savoury meat, such as I

d

2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that

a Chap. xlviii. 10; 1 Sam. iii. 2.- b Prov. xxvii. 1; James iv. 14.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII. Verse 1. Isaac was old] It is conjectured, on good grounds, that Isaac was now about one hundred and seventeen years of age, and Jacob about fifty-seven; though the commonly received opinion makes Isaac one hundred and thirty-seven, and Jacob seventy-seven; but see the notes on chap. xxxi. 38, &c.

And his eyes were dim] This was probably the effect of that affliction, of what kind we know not, under which Isaac now laboured; and from which, as well as from the affliction, he probably recovered, as it is certain he lived forty if not forty-three years after this time, for he lived till the return of Jacob from Padan-aram; chap. xxxv. 27-29.

Verse 2. I know not the day of my death] From his present weakness he had reason to suppose that his death could not be at any great distance, and therefore would leave no act undone which he believed it his duty to perform. He who lives not in reference to eternity, lives not at all.

Verse 3. Thy weapons] The original word 'keley signifies vessels and instruments of any kind; and is probably used here for a hunting spear, javelin, sword, &c. Quiver] teli, from n talah, to hang or sus

Chap. xxv. 27, 28. Heb. hunt.

pend. Had not the Septuagint translated the word paperpav, and the Vulgate pharetram, a quiver, I should rather have supposed some kind of shield was meant ; but either can be suspended on the arm or from the shoulder. Some think a sword is meant ; and because the original signifies to hang or suspend, hence they think is derived our word hanger, so called because it is generally worn in a pendent posture; but the word hanger did not exist in our language previously to the Crusades, and we have evidently derived it from the Persian

khanjar, a poniard or dagger, the use of which, not only in battles, but in private assassinations, was well known.

Verse 4. Savoury meat] D'yos matammim, from ny team, to taste or relish; how dressed we know not, but its name declares its nature.

That I may eat] The blessing which Isaac was to confer on his son was a species of Divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate' ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion, and that Isaae could not

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B. C. cir. 1779.

to supplant his brother. 12. My father peradventure will A. M. cir. 2225. * feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

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14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father 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 savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

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of the kind to plead, and therefore had recourse to the most exceptionable means to accomplish her ends.

Verse 12. I shall bring a curse upon me] For even in those early times the spirit of that law was under

convey the right till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing. As Isaac was now old, and in a feeble and languishing condition, it was necessary that the flesh used on this occasion should be prepared so as to in-stood, Deut. xxvii. 18: Cursed is he that maketh the vite the appetite, that a sufficiency of it might be taken to revive and recruit his drooping strength, that he might be the better able to go through the whole of this ceremony.

This seems to be the sole reason why savoury meat is so particularly mentioned in the text. When we consider, 1. That no covenant was deemed binding unless the parties had eaten together; 2. That to convey this blessing some rite of this kind was necessary; and, 3. That Isaac's strength was now greatly exhausted, insomuch that he supposed himself to be dying; we shall at once see why meat was required on this occasion, and why that meat was to be prepared so as to deserve the epithet of savoury. As I believe this to be the true sense of the place, I do not trouble my readers with interpretations which I suppose to be either exceptionable or false.

blind to wander out of the way; and Jacob seems to have possessed at this time a more tender conscience than his mother.

·Verse 13. Upon me be thy curse, my son] Onkelos gives this a curious turn: It has been revealed to me by prophecy that the curses will not come upon thee, my son. What a dreadful responsibility did this woman take upon her at this time! The sacred writer states the facts as they were, and we may depend on the truth of the statement; but he nowhere says that God would have any man to copy this conduct. He often relates facts and sayings which he never recommends..

Verse 15. Goodly raiment] Mr. Ainsworth has a sensible note on this place. "The priest in the law had holy garments to minister in, Exod. xxviii. 2–4, which the Septuagint there and in this place term TM σToληY, THE robe, and orohm aylav, the holy robe. Whether the first-born, before, the law, had such to minister in is not certain, but it is probable by this example; for had they been common garments, why did not Esau himself, or his wives, keep them? But being, in all likelihood, holy robes, received from their ances

Verse 5. And Rebekah heard] And was determined, if possible, to frustrate the design of Isaac, and procure the blessing for her favourite son. Some pretend that she received a.. Divine inspiration to the purpose; but if she had she needed not to have recourse to deceit, to help forward the accomplishment.tors, the mother of the family kept them in sweet Isaac, on being informed, would have had too much piety not to prefer the will of his Maker to his own partiality for his eldest son; but Rebekah had nothing

chests from moths and the like, whereupon it is said, ver. 27, Isaac smelled the smell of his garments.” The opinion of Ainsworth is followed by many critics,

Jacob provides savoury meat,

A. M. cir. 2225.
B. C. cir. 1779.

CHAP. XXVII.

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I 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.

and imposes on his father.

B. C. cir. 1779.

hands were hairy, as his brother A. M. cir. 2225.
Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau?
And he said, I am.

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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.

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23 And he discerned him not, because this 28 Therefore God give thee of the dew 4 Verse 4- Heb. before me. Verse 12.- Verse 16. Hosea xiv. 6. Hebrews xi. 20.——— Deut. xxxiii. 13, 28;

" Verse 4.

2 Sam. i. 21.

Verse 19. I am Esau thy first-born] Here are naturally suppose were laid up with the clothes; a cusmany palpable falsehoods, and such as should neither tom which prevails in many countries to the present be imitated nor excused. “Jacob,” says Calmet, "im- day. Thyme, lavender, &c., are often deposited in poses on his father in three different ways.. 1. By his wardrobes, to communicate an agreeable scent, and - words : I am thy first-born Esau. 2. By his actions; under the supposition that the moths are thereby prehe gives him kids' flesh for venison, and says he had vented from fretting the garments. I have often seen executed his orders, and got il by hunting. 3. By his the leaves of aromatic plants, and sometimes whole clothing; he puts on Esau's garments, and the kids' sprigs, put in eastern MSS., to communicate a pleasant skins upon his hands and the smooth of his neck. In smell, and to prevent the worms from destroying them. short, he made use of every species of deception that Persons going from Europe to the East Indies put could be practised on the occasion, in order to accom- pieces of Russia leather among their clothes for the plish his ends." To attempt to palliate or find excuses same purpose. Such a smell would lead Isaac's refor such conduct, instead of serving, disserves the collection to the fields where aromatic plants grew in cause of religion and truth.. Men have laboured, not abundance, and where he had often been regaled by only to excuse all this conduct of Rebekah and Jacob, the scent. but even to show that it was consistent, and that the whole was according to the mind and will of God!

Verse 28. God give thee of the dew of heaven] Bp. Newton's view of these predictions is so correct and appropriate, as to leave no wish for any thing farther on the subject.

Non tali auxilio, non defensoribus istisThe cause of God and truth is under nò obligation to "It is here foretold, and in ver. 39, of these two such defenders; their hands are more unhallowed than brethren, that as to situation, and other temporal adthose of Uzzah; and however the bearers may stum-vantages, they should be much alike. It was said to ble, the ark of God requires not their support. It was the design of God that the elder should serve the younger, and he would have brought it about in the way of his own wise and just providence; but means such as here used he could neither sanction nor recommend.

Jacob: God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine; and much the same is said to Esau, ver. 39: Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. The spiritual blessing, or the promise of the blessed seed, could be given only to ONE; but temporal good things might be imparted to both. Mount Seir, and the adjacent country, was at first in the possession of the Edomites; they afterwards extended themselves farther into Arabia, and into the southern parts of Judea. But wherever they were situated, we find in fact that the Edomites, in temporal advantages, were little inferior to the Israel, ites. Esau had cattle and beasts and substance in Verse 27. The smell of my son is as the smell of abundance, and he went to dwell in Seir of his own a field] The smell of these garments, the goodly rai- accord; but he would hardly have removed thither ment which had been laid up in the house, was proba-with so many cattle, had it been such a barren and debly occasioned by some aromatic herbs, which we may Isolate country as some would represent it. The Edom,

Verse 23. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy] From this circumstance we may learn that Isaac's sense of feeling was much impaired by his present malady. When he could not discern the skin of a kid from the flesh of his son, we see that he was, through his infirmity, in a fit state to be imposed on by the deceit of his wife, and the cunning of his younger son.

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GENESIS.

and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow
down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and
blet thy mother's sons bow down to thee:
cursed be every one that curseth thee, and
blessed be he that blesseth thee.

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Jacob's deceit discovered.

d

B. C. en. 1779.

the fatness of Isaac his father, tnat Esau his A. M. cir. 2225.
plenty of corn brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and
brought it unto his father, and said unto his
father, Let my father arise, and eat of 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
and said, Who?

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 Chap. xlv. 18.

trembled very exceedingly, where is he that hath taken

Chap. xii. 3.- d Ver. 4. e Heb. trembled with a great trembling greatly.- Heb. hunted.

-2 Deut. xxxiii. 28.- La Chap. ix. 25; xxv. 23. Chap. xlix. 8. ites had dukes and kings reigning over them, while the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. When the Israel ites, on their return, desired leave to pass through the territories of Edom, it appears that the country abounded with FRUITFUL FIELDS and VINEYARDS: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; Num. xx. 17. And the prophecy of Malachi, which is generally alleged as a proof of the barrenness of the country, is rather a proof of the contrary: I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness, Mal. i. 3; for this implies that the country was fruitful before, and that its present unfruitfulness was rather an effect of war, than any natu-cursed as Balaam the son of Beor; and he who blessral defect in the soil. If the country is unfruitful now, neither is Judea what it was formerly." As there was but little rain in Judea, except what was termed the early rain, which fell about the beginning of spring, and the latter rain, which fell about September, the lack of this was supplied by the copious dews which fell both morning and evening, or rather through the whole of the night, And we may judge, says Calmet, of the abundance of these dews by what fell on Gideon's fleece, Judges vi. 38, which being wrung filled a bowl. And Hushai compares an army ready to fall upon its 'enemies to a dew falling on the ground, 2 Sam. xvii. 12, which gives us the idea that this fluid fell in great profusion, so as to saturate every thing. Travellers in these countries assure us that the dews fall there in an extraordinary abundance.

their temporal advantages were to each other," says Bp. Newton, "in all spiritual gifts and graces the younger brother was to have the superiority, was to be the happy instrument of conveying the blessing to all nations: In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed; and to this are to be referred, in their full force, those expressions: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth_ thee. The same promise was made to Abraham in the name of God: I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, chap. xii. 3; and it . is here repeated to Jacob, and thus paraphrased in the Jerusalem Targum: He who curseth thee shall be

eth thee shall be blessed as Moses the prophet, the lawgiver of Israel.' It appears that Jacob was, où the whole, a man of more religion, and believed the Divine promises more, than Esau. The posterity of Jacob likewise preserved the true religion, and the worship of one God, while the Edomites were sunk in idolatry; and of the seed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy instrument of conveying these blessings to all nations. This was his greatest superiority over Esau; and in this sense St. Paul understood and applied the prophecy : The elder shall serve the younger, Rom. ix. 12. The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of some one family; and Jacob's was preferred to Esau's, out of the good pleasure of Almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and has undoubted right to dispense his favours as he shall see proper; for he says to Moses, as the apostle proceeds to argue, ver. 15: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' And when the Gentiles were converted to Christianity, the prophecy was fulfilled literally: Let people serve thee, and let nations bow down to thee; and will be more amply fulfilled when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved."

The fatness of the earth] What Homer calls ov@ap apovone, Ilias ix., 141, and Virgil uber glebæ, Æneis i., 531, both signifying a soil naturally fertile. Under this, therefore, and the former expressions, Isaac wishes his son all the blessings which a plentiful country can - produce; for, as Le Clerc rightly observes, if the dews and seasonable rains of heaven fall upon a fruitful soil, nothing but human industry is wanting to the plentiful enjoyment of all temporal good things. Hence they are represented in the Scripture as emblems of prosperity, of plenty, and of the blessing of God, Deut, xxxiii. 13, 28; Micah v. 7; Zech. viii. 12; and, on Verse 33. And Isaac trembled] The marginal readthe other hand, the withholding of these denotes bar-ing is very literal and proper, And Isaac trembled with renness, distress, and the curse of God; 2 Sam, i. 21. See Dodd.·

Verse 29. Let people serve thee] "However alike

a great trembling greatly. And this shows the deep concern he felt for his own deception, and the iniquity of the means by which it had been brought about.

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