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Tamar lays aside her veil.

A. M. cir. 2277. B. C. cir. 1727.

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B. C. cir. 1727.

18 And he said, What pledge place said, that there was no A. M. cir. 2277. shall I give thee? And she said, harlot in this place. Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside? And they said, There, was no harlot in this place.

22 And he returned to Judah, cannot find her; and also the

and said, I men of the

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Ver. 25.- c Ver. 14.- d Or, in Enajim.— Heb. become a contempt. Judg. xix. 2.- — Lev. xxi. 9; Deut. xxii. 21. between a buyer and seller, by giving and receiving of which the bargain was ratified; or a deposit, which was to be restored when the thing promised should be given. St. Paul uses the same word in Greek letters, appaßwv, 2 Cor. i. 22; Eph. i. 14. From the use of the term in this history we may at once see what the apostle means by the Holy Spirit being the EARNEST, appaßwv, of the promised inheritance; viz., a security given in hand for the fulfilment of all God's promises relative to grace and eternal life. We may learn from this that eternal life will be given in the great day to all who can produce this erabon or pledge. He who has the earnest of the Spirit then in his heart shall not only be saved from death, but have that eternal life of which it is the pledge and the evidence. What the pledge given by Judah was, see on ver. 25. Verse 21. Where is the harlot that was openly by the wayside?] Our translators often render different Hebrew words by the same term in English, and thus many important shades of meaning, which involve traits of character, are lost. In ver. 15, Tamar is called a harlot, zonah, which, as we have already seen, signifies a person who prostitutes herself for money. In this verse she is called a harlot in our version; but the original is not but kedeshah, a holy or consecrated person, from wp kadash, to make holy, or to consecrate to religious purposes. And the word here must necessarily signify a person consecrated by prostitution to the worship of some impure goddess.

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The public prostitutes in the temple of Venus are called iɛpodovho yvväikes, holy or consecrated female servants, by Strabo; and it appears from the words zonah and kedeshah above, that impure rites and public prostitution prevailed in the worship of the Canaanites in the time of Judah. And among these people we have much reason to believe that Astarte and Asteroth occupied the same place in their theology as Venus did among the Greeks and Romans, and were worshipped with the same impure rites.

23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid. and thou hast not found her.

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24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamai thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot and also, behold, she is with child by whore dom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, i the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

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Verse 23. Lest we be ashamed] Not of the act, for this he does not appear to have thought criminal; but lest he should fall under the raillery of his companions and neighbours, for having been tricked out of his signet, bracelets, and staff, by a prostitute.

Verse 24. Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.] As he had ordered Tamar to live as a widow in her own father's house till his son Shelah should be marriageable, he considers her therefore as the wife of his son; and as Shelah was not yet given to her, and she is found with child, she is reputed by him as an adulleress, and burning, it seems, was anciently the punishment of this crime. Judah, being a patriarch or head of a family, had, according to the custom of those times, the supreme magisterial authority over all the branches of his own family; therefore he only acts here in his juridical capacity. How strange that in the very place where adultery was punished by the most violent death, prostitution for money and for religious purposes should be considered as no crime!

Verse 25. The signet] non chothemeth, properly a seal, or instrument with which impressions were made to ascertain property, &c. These exist in all countries.

Bracelets] on pethilim, from pathal, to twist, wreathe, twine, may signify a girdle or a collar by which precedency, &c., might be indicated; not the muslin, silk, or linen wreath of his turban, as Mr. Harmer has conjectured.

Staff.] no matteh, either what we would call a common walking stick, or the staff which was the ensign of his tribe.

Verse 26. She hath been mare righteous than I] It is probable that Tamar was influenced by no other motive than that which was common to all the Israelitish women, the desire to have children who might be heirs of the promise made to Abraham, &c. And as Judah had obliged her to continue in her widowhood under the promise of giving her his son Shelah when he should be of age, consequently his refusing or delaying

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27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

an Ver. 14.

are named Pharez and Zarah.

B. C. cir. 1727.

29 And it came to pass, as A. M. cir. 2277. he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

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30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand and his name was called Zarah.

Job xxxiv. 31, 32.- - Or, Wherefore hast thou P That is, a breach.- - Chap, xlvi. 12; Num. xxvi. 20; 1 Chron.
made this breach against thee?
ii. 4; Matt. i. 3.

to accomplish this promise was a breach of truth, and so laboriously delicate as to cover the sin which it an injury done to Tamar. professes to disclose? Elaborate treatises on the subject will never be read by those who need them most, and anonymous pamphlets are not likely to be regarded.

In many

Verse 28. The midwife-bound upon his hand a scarlet thread] The binding of the scarlet thread about the wrist of the child whose arm appeared first in the birth, serves to show us how solicitously the privileges The sin of self-pollution, which is generally conof the birthright were preserved. Had not this cau-sidered to be that of Onan, is one of the most de tion been taken by the midwife, Pharez would have had the right of primogeniture to the prejudice of his elder brother Zarah. And yet Pharez is usually reckoned in the genealogical tables before Zarah; and from him, not Zarah, does the line of our Lord proceed. See Matt. i. 3. Probably the two brothers, as being twins, were conjoined in the privileges belonging to the birth-duces violent secretions, which necessarily and speedily right.

structive evils ever practised by fallen man.
respects it is several degrees worse than common
whoredom, and has in its train more awful consequences,
though practised by numbers who would shudder at the
thought of criminal connections with a prostitute. It
excites the powers of nature to undue action, and pro-

action of the nerves relaxed and impeded, the understanding confused, the memory oblivious, the judgment perverted, the will indeterminate and wholly without energy to resist; the eyes appear languishing and without expression, and the countenance vacant; the ap

exhaust the vital principle and energy; hence the musVerse 29. How hast thou broken forth?cles become flaccid and feeble, the tone and natural mah paratsta, this breach be upon thee, y aleycha parets; thou shalt bear the name of the breach thou hast made, i. e., in coming first into the world. Therefore his name was called Parets, i. e., the person who made the breach. The breach here mentioned refers to a certain circumstance in parturition which it | petite ceases, for the stomach is incapable of performis unnecessary to explain.

Verse 30. His name was called Zarah.] Zarach, risen or sprung up, applied to the sun, rising and diffusing his light. "He had this name," says Ainsworth, "because he should have risen, i. e., have been born first, but for the breach which his brother made."

THERE are several subjects in this chapter on which it may not be unprofitable to spend a few additional

moments.

ing its proper office; nutrition fails, tremors, fears, and terrors are generated; and thus the wretched victim drags out a most miserable existence, till, superannuated even before he had time to arrive at man's estate, with a mind often debilitated even to a state of idiotism, his worthless body tumbles into the grave, and his guilty soul (guilty of self-murder) is hurried into the awful presence of its Judge! Reader, this is no caricature, nor are the colourings overcharged in this shocking picture. Worse woes than my pen can relate I have witnessed in those addicted to this fascinating, unnatural, and most destructive of crimes. If thou hast entered into this snare, flee from the destruction both of body and soul that awaits thee! God alone can save thee. Advice, warnings, threatenings, increasing debility of body, mental decay, checks of conscience, expostulations of judgment and medical assistance, will all be lost on thee: God, and God alone, can save thee from an evil which has in its issue the

1. The insertion of this chapter is a farther proof of the impartiality of the sacred writer. The facts detailed, considered in themselves, can reflect no credit on the patriarchal history; but Judah, Tamar, Zarah, and Pharez, were progenitors of the Messiah, and therefore their birth must be recorded; and as the birth, so also the circumstances of that birth, which, even had they not a higher end in view, would be valuable as casting light upon some very ancient customs, which it is interesting to understand. These are not forgot-destruction of thy body, and the final perdition of thy ten in the preceding notes.

2. On what is generally reputed to be the sin of Onan, something very pointed should be spoken. But who dares and will do it, and in such language that it may neither pollute the ear by describing the evil as it is, nor fail of its effect by a language so refined and VOL. I. ( 16 1

soul! Whether this may have been the sin of Onan
or not, is a matter at present of small moment; it may
be thy sin; therefore take heed lest God slay thee for
it. The intelligent reader will see that prudence for-
bids me to enter any farther into this business.
the remarks at the end of chap. xxxix.

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Joseph is bought by Potiphar,

GENESIS.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

and advanced in his house

Joseph, being brought to Potiphar's house, prospers in all his undertakings, 1-3. Potiphar makes him his overseer, 4. Is prospered in all his concerns for Joseph's sake, in whom he puts unlimited confidence, 5, 6. The wife of Potiphar solicits him to criminal correspondence, 7. He refuses, and makes a fine apology for his conduct, 8, 9. She continues her solicitations, and he his refusals, 10. She uses violence, and he escapes from her hand, 11-13. She accuses him to the domestics, 14, 15, and afterward to Potiphar, 16-18. Potiphar is enraged, and Joseph is cast into prison, 19, 20. The Lord prospers him, and gives him great favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison, 21, who intrusts him with the care of the house and all the prisoners, 22, 23.

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4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and

Ch. xxxvii. 36; Psa. cv. 17.--bCh. xxxvii. 28.- Ver. 21; chap. xxi. 22; xxvi. 24, 28; xxviii. 15; 1 Sam. xvi. 18; xviii. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIX.

Verse 1. An officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard] Mr. Ainsworth, supposing that his office merely consisted in having charge of the king's prisoners, calls Potiphar provost marshal! See on chap. xxxvii. 36, and xl. 3.

Verse 4. He made him overseer] Tp hiphkid, from pɔ pakad, to visit, take care of, superintend; the same as ETLOKOTOS, Overseer or bishop, among the Greeks. This is the term by which the Septuagint often express the meaning of the original.

Verse 6. Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.] 7" x 7' yepheh thoar, vipheh mareh, beautiful in his person, and beautiful in his

countenance.

to Rachel; see them explained chap. xxix. 17. The beauty of Joseph is celebrated over all the East, and

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5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house and in the field.

6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well-favoured.

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14, 28; Acts vii. 9.—d Psa. i. 3.- Chap. xviii. 3; xix. 19; ver. 21.- Gen. xxiv. 2. Ch. xxx. 27. 1 Sam. xvi. 12. is none other than a glorious angel!"-Surat xii., verse 32.

Two of the finest poems in the Persian language were written by the poets Jamy and Nizamy on the subject of Joseph and his mistress; they are both en titled Yusuf we Zuleekha. These poems représent Joseph as the most beautiful and pious of men; and Zuleekha the most chaste, virtuous, and excellent of women, previous to her having seen Joseph; but they state that when she saw him she was so deeply affected by his beauty that she lost all self-governmert, and became a slave to her passion. Hafiz expresses this, and apologizes for her conduct in the following elegant couplet :

می از ای حسن روز افزون که یوسف داشت The same expressions are used relative

دانستم

که عشق از پرده عصمت برون ارد زلیخارا the Persian poets vie with each other in descriptions of

his comeliness. Mohammed spends the twelfth chapter of the Koran entirely on Joseph, and represents him as a perfect beauty, and the most accomplished of mortals. From his account, the passion of Zuleekha (for so the Asiatics call Potiphar's wife) being known to the ladies of the court, they cast the severest reflections upon her in order to excuse herself, she invited forty of them to dine with her, put knives in their hands, and gave them oranges to cut, and caused Joseph to attend. When they saw him they were struck with admiration, and so confounded, that instead of cutting their oranges they cut and hacked their own hands, crying out,

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Men az an husn-i roz afzoon keh Yusuf dasht danistam
Keh ishk az pardah-i ismat beroon arad Zuleekhara.
"I understand, from the daily increasing beauty which
Joseph possessed,

:

How love tore away the veil of chastity from Zu

leekha."

The Persian poets and eastern historians, however, contrive to carry on a sort of guiltless passion between them till the death of Potiphar, when Zuleekha, grown old, is restored to youth and beauty by the power of God, and becomes the wife of Joseph. What traditions they had beside the Mosaic text for what they say on this subject, are now unknown; but the whole story, with innumerable embellishments, is so generally current in the East that I thought it not amiss to take ( 16* )

Joseph is tempted to sin

A. M. cir. 2285.

B. C. cir. 1719.

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B. C. cir. 1719.

7 And it came to pass after I lifted up my voice and cried, A. M. cir. 2285. these things, that his master's that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: * how then can I do this great wickedness, and 1 sin against God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

:

19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

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21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22 And the keeper of the prison " committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he

15 And it came to pass, when he heard that did, the LORD made it to prosper.

12 Sam. xiii. 11.

Prov. vi. 29, 32. Chap. xx. 6; Lev. vi. 2; 2 Sam. xii. 13; Psalm li. 4. m Prov. vii. 13, &c. Heb. great. Exod. xxiii. 1; Psa. cxx. 3.-P Prov. vi. 34, 35. Psa. cv. 18; 1 Pet. ii. 19.

this notice of it. The twelfth chapter of the Koran, which celebrates the beauty, piety, and acts of this patriarch, is allowed to be one of the finest specimens of Arabic composition ever formed; and the history itself, as told by Moses, is one of the most simple, natural, affecting, and well-told narratives ever published. It is a master-piece of composition, and never fails of producing its intended effect on the mind of a careful reader. The Arab lawgiver saw and felt the beauties and excellences of his model; and he certainly put forth all the strength of his own language, and all the energy of his mind, in order to rival it.

Verse 8. My master wotteth not] Knoweth not, from the old Anglo-Saxon pitan, witan, to know; hence pic, wil, intellect, understanding, wisdom, prudence.

Verse 9. How then] T veeik, and how? Joseph gives two most powerful reasons for his noncompliance with the wishes of his mistress: 1. Gratitude to his master, to whom he owed all that he had. 2. His fear of God, in whose sight it would be a heinous offence, and who would not fail to punish him for it. With the kindness of his master and the displeasure

Chap. xl. 3, 15; xli. 14.- s Heb. extended kindness unto him.- Exod. iii. 21; xi. 3; xii, 36; Pşa. cvi. 46; Proverbs xvi. 7; Daniel i. 9; Acts vii. 9, 10." Chapter xl. 3, 4. ▾ Ver. 2, 3.

of God before his eyes, how could he be capable of committing an act of transgression, which would at once have distinguished him as the most ungrateful and the most worthless of men?

Verse 14. He hath brought in a Hebrew unto us] Potiphar's wife affects to throw great blame on her husband, whom we may reasonably suppose she did not greatly love. He hath brought in—he hath raised this person to all his dignity and eminence, to give him the greater opportunity to mock us. tsachek, here translated to mock, is the same word used in chap. xxvi. 8, relative to Isaac and Rebekah; and is certainly used by Potiphar's wife in ver. 17, to signify some kind of familiar intercourse not allowable but between man and wife.

-le לצחק

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Imprisonment of the

GENESIS.

chief butler and baker. 1. He who acknowledges God in all his ways, has | fight and when to fly are of great importance in the the promise that God shall direct all his steps. Jo- Christian life. Some temptations must be manfully seph's captivity shall promote God's glory; and to met, resisted, and thus overcome; from others we this end God works in him, for him, and by him. must fly. He who stands to contend or reason, espeEven the irreligious can see when the Most High dis- cially in such a case as that mentioned here, is infallitinguishes his followers. Joseph's master saw that bly ruined. Principiis obsta, "resist the first overtures Jehovah was with him; and from this we may learn of sin," is a good maxim. After-remedies come too late. that the knowledge of the true God was in Egypt, 4. A woman of the spirit of Potiphar's wife is even before the time of Joseph, though his worship capable of any species of evil. When she could not was neither established nor even tolerated there. get her wicked ends answered, she began to accuse. Both Abraham and Isaac had been in Egypt, and This is precisely Satan's custom he first tempts men they had left a savour of true godliness behind them. to sin, and then accuses them as having committed it, even where the temptation has been faithfully and perseveringly resisted! By this means he can trouble a tender conscience, and weaken faith by bringing confusion into the mind. Thus the inexperienced especially

2. Joseph's virtue in resisting the solicitations of his mistress was truly exemplary. Had he reasoned after the manner of men, he might have soon found that the proposed intrigue might be carried on with the utmost secrecy and greatly to his secular advan-are often distracted and cast down; hence Satan is protage. But he chose to risk all rather than injure a kind benefactor, defile his conscience, and sin against God. Such conduct is so exceedingly rare that his example has stood on the records of time as almost without a parallel, admired by all, applauded by most, and in similar circumstances, I am afraid, imitated by few. The fable of the brave and virtuous Bellerophon and Sthenobaea, wife of Prœtus, king of the Argives, was probably founded on this history.

perly called the accuser of the brethren, Rev. xii. 10. Very useful lessons may be drawn from every part of the relation in this chapter, but detailing the facts and reasoning upon them would be more likely to produce than prevent the evil. An account of this kind cannot be touched with too gentle a hand. Others have been profuse here; I chose to be parsimonious, for reasons which the intelligent reader will feel as well as myself. Let this remark be applied to what 3. Joseph fled and got him out. To know when to has been said on the sin of Onan, chap. xxxviii.

CHAPTER XL.

Pharaoh's chief butler and his chief baker, having offended their lord, are put in prison, 1-3. The captain of the guard gives them into the care of Joseph, 4. Each of them has a dream, 5. Joseph, seeing them sad, questions them on the subject, 6, 7. Their answer, 8. The chief butler tells his dream, 9–11. Joseph interprets it, 12, 13. Gives a slight sketch of his history to the chief butler, and begs him to think upon him when restored to his office, 14, 15. The chief baker tells his dream, 16, 17. Joseph interprets this also, 18, 19. Both dreams are fulfilled according to the interpretation, the chief butler being restored to his office, and the chief baker hanged, 20-22. The chief butler makes no interest for Joseph, 23.

B. C. cir. 1718.

B. C. cir. 1718.

A. M. cir. 2296. AND it came to pass after 3 And he put them in ward A. M. cir. 2296. these things, that the abut- in the house of the captain of ler of the king of Egypt and his baker had the guard, into the prison, the place where offended their lord the king of Egypt. Joseph was bound.

2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.

a Neh. i. 11 b Prov. xvi. 14.

NOTES ON CHAP. XL. Verse 1. The butler]p mashkeh, the same as saky among the Arabians and Persians, and

signifying a cup-bearer.

Baker] D opheh; rather cook, confectioner, or the like.

Had offended] They had probably been accused of attempting to take away the king's life, one by poisoning his drink, the other by poisoning his bread or confectionaries.

Verse 3. Where Joseph was bound.] The place in which Joseph was now confined; this is what is implied in being bound; for, without doubt, he had his

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e Chap. xxxix. 20, 23. personal liberty. As the butler and the baker were state criminals they were put in the same prison with Joseph, which we learn from the preceding chapter, verse 20, was the king's prison. All the officers in the employment of the ancient kings of Egypt were, according to Diodorus Siculus, taken from the most illustrious families of the priesthood in the country; no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the presence of the king. As these persons, therefore, were of the most noble families, it is natural to expect they would be put, when accused, into the state prison. Verse 4. They continued a season] literally days; how long we cannot tell.

Dyamim,
But many

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