worthies in general, as believing in the existence of angels, and recognizing their influence in human affairs.

(111.) The erection of pillars for religious purposes, and anointing them with oil, is of high antiquity. They received the name of Baixa, probably from 3, and are mentioned occasionally as animated stones. See CLEMent of Alexandria, Strom. Lib. VII. p. 713, Sylburg's edition, and Sanconiathon in EUSEBIUS, Evang. Prep. Lib. I. cap. x. p. 37, Cologne edition, 1688. Jacob raises his pillar merely as commemorative; but the heathen paid to theirs a species of divine adoration. See Rosenmüller in loc., and particular his Alte und Neue Morgenland, Vol. I. p. 125–128.— The twentieth verse does not imply indecision in Jacob's purpose. Since God had promised to bless him, he vows obedience as an expression of his gratitude.

According to the Masoretical accentuation, which is followed by our English translation, the patriarch's vow commences with the latter clause of the twenty-first verse: “then shall the Lord be my God." And certainly the sense is good and clear; 'I will devote myself to the service of Jehovah,' in contradistinction to that of any false God. In the opinion of Hengstenberg, however, (ubi sup. p. 370, 371,) this clause precedes the commencement of the vow, thus: Since God will be with me, &c.—and Jehovah is my God; this stone, &c.' He argues in favor of this construction from the tense of, whereas the following verbs

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and are future in their form. This is of little moment, as the vau is conversive. But, to declare as part of a vow, that Jehovah should be one's God, that the benefitted party would accept him as protector and Lord, is not accordant with scriptural usage, which always, as the author says, embodies the grateful feeling in some outward action. Besides, the thirteenth verse seems to confirm this construc

tion: "I am the God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac." This illustrates the language of Jacob: 'since Jehovah is to me what he declared himself to have been to Abraham and Isaac ;' and it is confirmed by the declaration in the fifteenth verse, "I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again to this land." The last clause, and Jehovah is my God,' concentrates, as it were, all that the holy man had just said, implying guidance, protection, security, and happy restoration to the promised land, and the paternal home.

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(112.) MICHAELIS supposes that Jacob received Leah at the commencement of the seven stipulated years, and that the chronology requires this admission. USHER, in his chronology, and JUNIUS and TREMELLIUS in their note on this place, maintain the same opinion. So also RICHARDSON, Bishop of Ardagh, in his very useful "Observations upon the Book of Genesis," London, 1655, on v. 20. But the language of the twenty-first verse is evidently unfavorable to this view. It is very harsh to render, as the last mentioned author does, "my days are filled or filling up," that is, I am advancing in age; or, with the first, ‘I am quite marriageable, and can no longer defer making such a connexion, unless I forego the hope of having a family.' Whatever Jacob's age may have been at this time, we know he must have lived fifty years beyond it, when he was presented to Pharaoh, (compare xlvii. 9, with xlv. 6, xli. 47, 46, xxxi. 41, and xxx. 25 ss. ;) and it is evident, that neither his age nor constitution and habits correspond with

such a construction. Besides, the Hebrew will not bear it. The ordinary phrase to express advanced age is, PI. See Josh. xiii. 1, xxiii. 2, 1 Kings i. 1, and

a similar form in 1 Sam. xii. 2.

3, when used in con

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nexion with time, means to fill up, expire, complete,' designating accomplishment or end, never advancement or progress. Thus 1 Sam. xviii. 26, " the days were not expired, ," that is, the time appointed had not come to an end; Levit. xii. 4, "until the days of her purifying have expired

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of a עַד־מְלֹאת xxv. 30, * until the expiration ; עַד־מְלֹאת

full year;" Num. vi. 5, 13; Jer. xxv. 34, " for your days—are accomplished," or expired, ; also xxix. 10; Dan. x. 3. There are no exceptions to this meaning. In Jer. vi. 11, “the aged with " signifies' with him who has accomplished his days,' as we would say, is just expiring, not him who is advancing in age; so also Lam. iv. 18. In 2 Sam. vii. 12, and the parallel place 1 Chron. xvii. 11, the phrase "when thy days be fulfilled" or "expired" means,' when thy life is ended,' as the words immediately following prove. The view given by Michaelis and Richardson is not supported by usage. The chronological difficulties alluded to must therefore be removed in some other way.

(113.) The term "hated” in v. 31 is comparative, implying very inferior regard, as the preceding verse intimates; and in this sense it is often used in Scripture. See Luke xiv. 26: 66 if any man come to me and hate not his father, &c."; Rom. ix. 13, compared with Mal. i. 3: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated;" and Deut. xxi. 15-17: “if a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated."

(114.) Reuben, 37, means literally, 'see a son;' but the former part of the name is not the ordinary word for 'see, behold,' (although it is occasionally so used, as in xxxix. 14,) which is, and the context shows that it alludes to the Lord's having seen the mother's affliction. When the

slighted and mortified Leah became the mother of a son, she cried out, under a feeling of the triumph which, (according to the spirit of the time and people,) she supposed herself to have gained, "see, a son!" and this name she imposes on the infant, as a lasting monument of her own honor and a disgrace to her competitor for the husband's favor: "for she said, surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction,

In those words, she does not refer to .כִּי־רָאָה יְהוָה בְּעָכְוּר

the name Reuben, the derivation and meaning of which are clear enough of themselves, but to the fact of her being permitted to make the declaration, to the painful reminiscences which were connected with the name. Her language contains a paronomasia, and adheres as closely as possible to the origin of the former part of the word and the sound of the latter. Any other connexion of the words is not to be thought of.

Thus, for substance, Drechsler, ubi sup. p. 212, 213. He proceeds to add: How ridiculously pedantic, then, for lexicographers of the nineteenth century seriously to examine whether Leah's words are consistent with conjugation and declension." No doubt he alludes to Gesenius, who, under the word, remarks as follows: "See ye, a son! although the author of Genesis, in xxix. 32, seems to ex

provided for רָאוּ רָאוּי בְּעָנְיִי plain the name as being for

my affliction." The language of the critic will hardly be considered too caustic, when we reflect that the lexicogra pher's remark seems to imply ignorance on the part of the Hebrew author himself.

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Simeon, 1, is from to hear;' and it implies Leah's domestic calamity, and also her belief that the Lord had not forgotten her. Levi, 173, from to join,' denotes the union of heart which the tried, yet happy mother hopes may result. Judah, 777, from 777 in Hiphil, 'to praise,

זז

expresses her gratitude to God, in which every other consideration seems to be absorbed.

(115.) Dan is derived from the root 7, 'to judge,' meaning, to espouse the cause of, as where God is said to "judge his people ;" and where it is commanded to "judge the fatherless." See Heb. x. 30, Deut. xxxii. 36, Isa. i. 17.— Naphthali is a word formed from the root, to strive, wrestle,' implying that she had used all her efforts to equal her sister, and had succeeded.

(116.) The word 7, according to the reading in the margin, means 'good fortune comes;' according to that in the text, with a slight change in the punctuation of the first letter, it signifies, 'with good fortune,' that is, ‘happily, auspiciously,' v rúxn, as it is in the Septuagint. The sense of "troop" is unsupported. In Gen. xlix. 19, the similarity of and 77 is the sole ground of the alliteration. Compare v. 29.-In' the thirteenth verse, our translators have followed the Septuagint, paxagía y the literal version of the Hebrew is, ' with,' or 'for my happiness'; that is, the birth of this son will contribute to it.

is probably contracted from יִשְׂשָׁכָר or יִשָׂשכָר (.117)

,will bring hire.'

(118.) The paronomasia is a favorite figure with the Hebrews, and may often be traced in the application of names. And if this play upon a word comprehends an allusion to more ideas than one, it is considered as so much the more spirited. Hence it is that Rachel, at the birth of her first son, applies the term Joseph in a two-fold respect; in part, as she connects with him the wish, that the Lord may add