Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 35
CHAP. XXXV.
1, God sendeth Iakob to Bethel. 2, He purgeth his house of Idols. 6, He buildeth an altar at Bethel. S, Deborah Rebekahs nurse dieth at Allon bacuth. 9, God blesseth Iakob at Bethel. 16, Rachel trauelleth of Benjamin, and dieth in the way to Ephrath. 22, Rubenlieth with Bilhah his fathers concubine. 23, The twelve sonnes of Iakob. 27, Iakob commeth to Isaak at Hebron. 28, The age, death and buriall of Isaak.
ANd God said, unto Iakob; arise, goe-up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar, unto God that appeared unto thee, when thou fleddest, from thy face of Esau thy brother. And Iakob said, unto his house; and unto all that were with him: Put-away the strange Gods, that are among you, and clense your selves, and change your garments. And let us arise and goe-up, to Bethel: and I will make there an altar, unto God that answered me in the day of my distresse; and hath beene with me, in the way which I have gone. And they gave unto Iakob, all the strange Gods, which were in their hand; and the earrings, which were in their eares: and Iakob hid him, under the oke, which was by Sechem. And they journeyed: and the terror of God, was upon the cities which were round about them: and they did not pursue, after the sonnes of Iakob. And Iakob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is Beth-el: hee, and all the people that were with him. And he builded there, an altar; and called the place, El Bethel: because there they, even God, was revealed unto him; when hee fled, from the face of his brother. And Deborah Rebekahs nurse, dyed and she was buried, beneath Bethel, under an oke: and hee called the name of it, The oke of weeping.
And God appeared unto Iakob againe; when he was come, out of Padan Aram: and blessed him. And God said unto him, thy name (hath beene) Iakob: thy name shall not be called any more Iakob, but Israel shall be thy name, and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God almighty, be thou fruitfull and multiply; a nation, and an assembly of nations, shall bee of thee: and kings, shall come out of thy loines. And the land, which I gave to Abraham and to Isaak, to thee will I give it: and to thy seed after thee, will I give the land. And God, went-up from him: in the place, where hee spake with him. And Iakob set-up a pillar, in the place where hee spake with him, a pillar of stone: and he powred-out a drink-offring thereon: and he powred oile thereon. And Iakob called the name of the place, where God spake with him, Bethel. And they journeyed, from Bethel; and there-was yet a little peece of ground, to come to Ephrath: and Rachel bare a child, and had hard child-birth. And it was, when she was in her hard child birth: that the midwife said unto her, feare not; for thou shalt have this sonne also. And it was, when her soule was departing, for she dyed; that shee called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Ben-jamin. And Rachel dyed; and shee was buried, in the way to Ephrath; that is Bethlehem. And Iakob set-up a pillar, upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachels grave, unto this day. And Israel journeyed: and he stretched-out his tent, beyond the tower of Geder. And it was, when Israel dwelt in that land; that Reuben went, and lay with Bilhah, his fathers concubine: and Israel heard it: o
And the sons of Iakob, were twelve. The sonnes of Leah; Reuben, Iakobs firstborne: and Simeon, and Levi, and Iudah, and Issachar, and Zebulun. The sonnes of Rachel; Ioseph, and Benjamin. And the sons of B…l hah, Rachels handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali. And the sonnes of Zilpah, Leahs handmaid; Gad and Aser: these, are the sons of Iakob; which were borne to him in Padan Aram. And Iakob came, unto Isaak his father; to Mamree, to the citie of Arba: that is Chebron; where Abraham and Isaak, had sojourned. And the dayes of Isaak, were: an hundred yeeres, and fourescore yeeres. And Isaak gave-up the ghost, and dyed, and was gathered unto his peoples; an old-man, and full of dayes: and Esau and Iakob his sons, buried him.
Annotations.
BEthel] that is, Gods house; a place distant from Sechem, about 30. English miles, southward: of it, see Gen. 28. 11. 19. an altar] that is, offer sacrifice and pay thy vow with thanksgiving for thy former deliverances, and strengthen thy faith, against thy present feares; Gen. 28. 20. 22. & 31. 13. and 34. 30.
Vers. 2. his house] the folke of his house, whom hee carefully clenseth of idols, (which have no agreement with the house of God, 2 Cor. 6. 16.) and informeth in Gods wayes, as did other saints, Gen. 18. 19. Ios. 24. 15. with him] this may be meant of the captived Sechemites, Gen. 34. 29. strange Gods] or strangers Gods: the Hebrew signifieth either Gods of alienation, that is, aliene or strange Gods, as the Greeke explaineth it, or Gods of the alien, that is, of a stranger, or strange nation; and so the Chaldee turneth it, Idols (or erroncous Gods) of the peoples. By these strange Gods are meant idols, images, or representations of God, as appeareth by ver. 4. So those which are called the Philistims Gods, which David burned, 2 Chron. 14. 12. are by another Prophet said to be their Idols, in 2 Sam. 5. 21. among you] either privily brought from Labans house, whence Rachel had stollen her fathers Gods, Gen. 31. 19. or lately taken from, and come with the captive Sechemites, which were idolaters. After this example, Iosuah, Samuel, and others, purged the church of idols, when by repentance and faith, they turned and were reconciled to the Lord, Ios. 24. 23. 2 Sam. 7. 3. 4. Iudg. 10. 16. clense] or purifie, which outwardly was (according to the law) by washing in water, and other carnall rites, Levit. 15. 13. Numb. 31. 23. inwardly, by the grace and spirit of God, Psal. 51. 4. 12. Ezek. 36. 25. Heb. 10. 22. It behoveth all, to take heed to their feet, when they goe to the house of God, that they give not the sacrifice of fooles; E…cles. 5. 1. garments] another signe of renuing by faith and repentance: for when men came before God, their garments were either changed if they were undecent, 2 Sam. 12. 20. or otherwise, washed, Exod. 19. 10. 14. Lev. 15. 13. So are wee exhorted to clense our selves, from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit, 2. Cor. 7. 1. and to hate even the garment spotted by the flesh, Iude, v. 23. From this practice of Iakob the Hebrew doctors have gathered a pollution by Idols, saying: Idols doe defile, by the doctrine of the Scribes, and it is closely-signified in the law, (Gen. 35. 2.) put away the strange Gods that are among you, and clense your selves, and change your garments. And therein are foure principall uncleannesses; by the Idol it selfe, and by the ministeriall instruments thereof, and by the Oblation offered thereto, and by the wine that is powred unto it. And they defile men and vessels, by touching them, &c. Deut. 7. 26. Esay 30. 22. Psal. 106. 28. Deut. 32. 28. Maimony in Misn. tom. 3. in Aboth Hatumoth, chap 6 S. 1. &c.
Vers. 3. answered me] the Chaldee translateth, received my prayer, in the time of my distresse, and his word was my helpe in the way which I have gone. Gods answering of his people, is when by word or work, he granteth their request: as he is said to answer by fire, when by such a signe hee testifieth his approbation, 1. King. 18. 24. so he answereth by giving men his blessings, Esay. 41. 17. 18. or delivering them from miseries, Psal. 22. 22. it is therefore more then bare hearing, as Esay 30. 19. when hee heareth thee, he will answer thee. So here Iakob calleth the vision and oracle of God, (Gen. 28. 12. 13. &c.) his answer.
Vers. 4. earrings] idolatrous jewels, and superstitious moniment, which are to be abolished as well as idols; & which may easily be turned into Idols themselves, Hos. 2. 13. Iudg. 8. 24.—27. Deut. 7. 25. and 12. 2. 3. Exod. 32. 3. 4. So by the Hebrew canons, It is commanded (they say) in Deut. 12. 2. 3. to destroy Idolatry, & the ministeriall instruments thereof, and what soever is made for the same. And it is forbid den (by Deut. 7. 26.) to have any use (or profit) by any of these things. Maimony treat. of Idolatry, c. 7. S. 1. 2. the oke] or, as the Greeke and Chaldee doe translate it, the Terebinth, (or Turpentine tree,) the tree under which afterwards Iosua set up a stone for a witnesse, when having clensed the people of their idols, he made a covenant with them & gave them a law in Sechem, Ios. 24. 23. 25. 26. There also he hid them from the knowledge of his family, under an oke, that they might not easily be found: okes and other trees being consecrated in those times to religious uses, and therefore stood long unfelled. Deut. 12. 2. see Gen. 21. 33. VnderUnder such also, they sometimes buried the dead, as after in v. 8. The Greeke version here addeth, Iakob hid them under the Terebinth tree in Sechem, and abolished them unto this day.
V. 5. they journeyed] the Gr. explaineth it, And Israel removed from Sechem. terror of God] that is, a mighty terror sent of God upon the cities. The Chaldee saith a terror from before the Lord. Otherwise all the cities round about, would and easily might have destroyed Iakobs family, for the massacre done at Sechem.
V. 7. El Bethel] that is, the God of Bethel before he called it Bethel, that is, Gods house, Gen. 28. 19. now for addition of graces from God, hee addeth to the name, calling the place God, figuratively, as being his house. The like is in Exod. 17. 15. was revealed] or, were revealed, that is, did appeare in more manifest sort. Here againe a word plurall, is joyned with the name of God, to signify the mysterie of the Trinity in the unity of the godhead: see the notes on Gen. 20. 13. The Gr. translateth it singularly, was revealed (or did appear:) so also doth the Chaldee, save that for God, it saith, the angel of God.
V. 8. nurse] sent with her from her fathers house, Gen. 24. 59. How she came to be in Iakobs family, is uncertaine: the Iewes say, she was sent to call Iakob home, as was promised in Gen. 27. 45. She might also come thither upon other occasion, after Rebekahs death. The oke of weeping] Hebr. Allon Bacuth: this name sheweth his griefe, for the death of this matron; the place also being the safeest and most honorable that there hee could have for such a purpose; see the notes on v. 4. & on Gen. 23. 2. The Chaldee paraphrast, for Oke, translateth the Plaine (or vally) of weeping. But the Greeke turneth it an Oke: and so doth the Ierusalemy Thargum. See also Gen. 12. 6.
V. 9. again] the Gr. addeth, in Luz: where he had appeared to him before, Gen. 28. 11. 12. 19.
V. 10. Israel] the name given him before of the Angel, is here againe given & confirmed of God: for the strengthning of Iakobs faith, and assurance of Gods grace unto him, See Gen. 32. 28.
Ver. 11. Almighty] or Alsufficient: see Gen. 17. 1. The Gr. translateth it, thy God. an assembly] or company: church of nations: the Chaldee saith, an assembly of tribes. Here God confirmeth the blessing given to Iakob by his father Isaak: and amplifieth it, see Gen. 28. 3. and 48. 3. 4. Kings] the Chaldee addeth; that shall rule over the peoples: thus God giveth him the blessing of Abraham, Gen. 28. 4. and 17. 6.
Ver. 12. and] or, that is to thy seed: see Gen. 13. 15. The Chaldee explaineth it, and to thy sonnes: the Greeke addeth through their generations.
Vers. 13. God] the Chaldee saith, the glory of the Lord: meaning the vision which now appeared unto Iakob. See Gen. 17. 22.
Vers. 14. set up] this he had done before, and now repeateth it: or as is likely, being ruinated, he new repaireth it, see Gen. 28. 18. drinke offring] or, a powred out-offring, an effusion: usually called a drinke offring, because it was onelyonly of liquors or moist things, as the Minchah or meat-offering was of dry. And this drink-offring by the law of God, was of wine, or Sechar, Exod. 29. 40. Num. 28. 7. among the heathens sometime of blood, Psal. 16. 4. oile] to consecrate it, see Gen. 28. 18.
Vers. 15. Bethel] that is, Gods house: see Gen. 28. 19. Thus hee renewed the memoriall of his faith and thankfulnesse to God, as God did before of his promises to him, v. 10. 11. 12.
Vers. 16. they journeyed] the Greeke version addeth, Iakob journeyed from Baithel, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Gader: borrowing these words from the 21. verse. a little peece] or, about a mile, as the Chaldee paraphrase explaineth it, This word is so used also in Gen. 48. 7. 2 King. 5. 19. and not elsewhere. Ephrath] a towne called usually, Bethlehem, that is, The house of Bread: v. 19. some thinke it to have the name Ephrath of Calebs wife, so called, 1 Chron. 2. 19. 24. It hath both names in Mic. 5. 2. Bethlehem Ephrata: there Christ was borne, Matt. 2. 1. the bread of God that came from heaven, Ioh. 6. 33. had hard child-birth] Hebrew, shee was hard in her child-bearing: that is, had sore and painfull labour. According to the chastisement layd on Eve and her daughters, Gen. 3. 16. It is daily to be seene, and the Philosopher observeth it, that no creature suffreth such strong paines in trauell, as woman doth, (Aristot, de Animal. l. 7.) notwithstanding shee shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in faith, &c. 1 Tim. 2. 15.
Ver. 17. midwife] named in Hebrew, of helping the woman in child-birth: so Exod. 1. 15. 16. thou shalt have] or, this also (shall bee) to thee a sonne: as Ioseph before was. And this was according to Rachels desire; see Gen. 30. 24.
Vers. 18. departing] or going-out, from the body to God that gave it, as Eccles. 12. 7. Psal. 146. 4. This sheweth the Soule of man to bee a spirituall immortall substance, distinct from the body. The heath ens acknowledged this, saying, that death is nothing else, but the departing of the soule from the body, Aristot. in his book of Death: and that the soules of men are divine, and when they goe out of the body, they returne unto heaven: Cicero lib. de Amicit. Ben. oni] the Greek and Chaldee interprets it, Son of my sorrow. In that shee answered nothing, but thus named her son; it sheweth she received no comfort. The like case, was in 1 Sam. 4. 20. 21. The word oni, is after used by Iakob for his painfull strength: Gen. 49. 3. Benjamin] that is, Son of the right hand: meaning loved, tendered, and especially regarded. So man of the right hand, in Psal. 80. 18. for one loved and much regarded of God. This only of all Iakobs children, was borne in the land of Canaan.
V. 20. unto this day] the time when Moses wrote this, and after in Sauls daies, 1 Sam. 10. 2. About this place, at Christs birth, many infants were murdered by Herod: then Rachel wept for her children, and would not bee comforted because they were not, Ier. 31. 15. Mat. 2. 16. 18.
V. 21. Geder] or Gader as the Gr. writeth it: by interpretation the flocke or herd. A tower of this name is also mentioned in Mic. 4. 8.
V. 22. concubine] a secondary wife; see Gen. 22. 24. She is called also his wife, Gē. 37. 2. By this shamefull crime (such as is not once named among the heathens, 1 Cor. 5. 5.) Reuben lost his first-birth: 1 Chron. 5. 1. Gen. 49. 4. Iakob also himselfe, having abused Bilhah, contrary to the first institution of mariage, Gen. 30. 4. is here chastised of God: So Absalom lying with his father Davids cōcubines; God thereby chastised Davids sins, 2 Sam. 12. 10. 11. and 16. 22. heard it] the Greek version addeth, and it appeared evill in his sight. But in the Hebrew, nothing is said; onelyonly an empty space is left in the line, with this marke o to move consideration: as before in Gen. 4. 8. Sometime sorrow is so great, as words or signes, cannot expresse it, Ezek. 24. 23. and such might here be Iakobs case. Here also is a pawse & breaking off, as to a new matter, even in the midst of the verse: so in Deut. 2. 8. twelve] which becomming fathers of many families, are called the twelve Patriarehs, Act. 7. 8. and the peoples that came of thē, are named the twelve tribes, Act. 26. 7. and although many great evills, have already and will hereafter more appeare in these sons of Israel; yet God in mercy pardoned them, and hath honoured them in the scriptures with great dignities, that their names should bee graven on twelve precious stones, and caried upon the hie priests heart, Exod. 28. 21. 29. and that the gates of the heavenly Ierusalē should be after the names of these twelve sons of Israel, Ezek. 48. 31. Rev. 21. 12. And their number as it was answerable to the twelve Princes that came of Ismael, Gen. 25. 16. so is it remembred by the twelve Apostles of Christ, Luk. 6. 13. Rev. 21. 14. And although of Ioseph there came two tribes, Gen. 48. 5. 6. so that after a sort, there were thirteene: yet the scripture in naming or rehearsing them, usually setteth downe but twelve; omitting the name now of one, then of another, as may in sunday places bee observed, Deut. 33. Ezek. 48. Rev. 7. &c.
V. 23. Issachar] of the naming and interpretation of these, see the notes on Gen. 29. and 30. Here is to be observed how Issachar & Zabulon, are set next after Iudah, though Dan & Naphtali, Gad & Aser, were borne between them, Gen. 29. 35. and 30. 6. 8. 11. 13. 18. because all the sonnes of one mother should be set together: so they are placed also in Gen. 46. 8. 14. 15. and 49. 3. 14. (where Zabulon is before Issachar,) and Exod. 1. 2. 3. Numb. 1. 5. 9. 26. 28. 1 Chron. 2. 1. And in this order, were they graven and set on the stones upon Aarons Ephod; see Exod. 28 10 21. in the annotations.
V. 26. were borne] so the Gr. expresseth it, the Hebrew being singular, was borne. So in Gen. 46. 22. Padan Aram] or Mesopotamia, see Gen. 25. 20. But here except Benjamin; for he was borne in Canaan, ver. 18. Iakobs sons, though borne out of the land, yet come thereinto, it being promised them of God, Gen. 28. 13. when Esaus sons borne in the land, do goe out and give place, Gen. 36. 5. 6.
Ver. 27. Mamre] see Gen. 13. 18. and 23. 2. the Greeke addeth, he being yet alive, to Mambre.
V. 29. his peoples] his godly forefathers: see Gen. 25. 8. buried him] so Isaak and Ismael buried Abraham: Gen. 25. 9. Esau & Iakob were now 120 yeeres old, Gen. 25. 26. the world was 2288. yeere old. And Isaak had lived blind, above 40. yeeres before his death, Gen. 27. 1. Which death is here mentioned, to make an end of Iakobs history: for otherwise the things following in Gen. 37. & 38. about Ioseph & Iudah, fell out before Isaak dyed.