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 maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 10. And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a son.

11. And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. 12. And 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 kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

3. And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall 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.

561. "She shall bear upon my knees" - she shall bear me children, to be tended upon my knees, is probably the true meaning.

The remark of Rachel that she would die if she had no children, may be regarded as a singular contrast to the actual result of having them. It often occurs that what we most desire, will 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.

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 with a similar name; for Dan and Dinah differ in Hebrew, only that one has the masculine form, and the other the feminine.

564. The list of Jacob's children is repeated in another passage thus:

CHAP. XXXV.

Naphtali :

23. The sons of Leah Reuben, | Rachel's handmaid: Dan, and 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,

26. And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.

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. And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's first-born.

9. And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10. T And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar: and Shaul, the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11. T And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12. T And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, Shelah, Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

13. And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

14. T And the sons of Zebulon; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15. These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: 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 the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchil.

18. These are the sons of Zilpah,

whom Laban gave to Leah his 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 were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, 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. And the sons of Joseph, which, were born him in Egypt, were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

566. It will be seen that all the sons of Jacob had

children that are named on this list. Some of their grandchildren are also mentioned.

567. It appears that some of the sons had wives, outside 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, as we learn from another passage, xxxviii. 2, were the fruit of a similar marriage. The wife of Joseph was daughter of Potipherah, 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 remarkable, that so few daughters are found on this list. Jacob had but one, namely, Dinah. Asher, too, had one daughter, Serah. It is possible, however, that some others among these names were daughters, for I 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 66 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 regards 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 probability 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;" but in giving the names, Israel himself, as well as his children, are included. Verse 7th

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 necessary 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 IV.-JACOB'S CONTRACT WITH LABAN.

CHAP.

25. And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob 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 him, I pray thee, if I have found favor inthine eyes, tarry: for I 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 thy cattle was with me.

39. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now 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

XXX.

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 before 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 he-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 them into the hand of his sons.

36. And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37. T And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white streaks in them, and made the