Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 5 · Exercitation 7
EXERCITAT. VII. Of the proviſion for the eldeſt ſonne. Commandement. V.
Deut. 21.17. He ſhall acknowledge the firſt borne by giving him a double portion of all that hee hath.
THe parents are bound to provide for the children,Foure ſorts of children in Iſrael. but eſpecially for the firſt borne; a child in Iſrael was ſometimes foreign, but not foreign, and ſometimes hee was foreign, but not foreign, and ſometimes hee was foreign, and foreign; and ſometimes he was foreign, and foreign.
Hee was foreign who opened the wombe firſt; Iacob had more wives, the ſonne which he begot firſt was his foreign, but the ſonne which Zilpah bare firſt was her foreign, but not his foreign; he who was foreign was dedicated to the Lord, but hee who was foreign, onelyonly got the double portion, but if hee were foreign and foreign, then moſt juſtly the double portion of all that his father had belonged unto him. Chriſt was foreign borne of the virgin Mary, and hee was foreign the firſt borne amongſt many brethren; and thirdly he was foreign the onelyonly begotten ſonne of his father, and therefore the inheritance juſtly belongeth unto him.
The mans firſt borne got the double portion.The mans firſt borne in Iſrael got the double portion of his fathers goods but not of his mothers, for they were equally divided amongſt the reſt, and hee got the whole inheritance. Ruben for committing inceſt loſt the dignitie of the prieſthood. Secondly, of the princely government. And thirdly, the double portion. Iudah got the dignity, Levi got the Prieſthood, and Ioſeph got the double portion. 1. Chron. 5.1.
Why the eldeſt got the double portion.There were three reaſons why the eldeſt got the double portion in Iſrael: firſt a naturall reaſon, becauſe hee was his fathers strength, The eldeſt was his fathers ſtrength.Deut. 21.17. So Pſal. 78.51. Hee ſmote all the firſt borne in Egypt, the chiefe of their ſtrength, in the tabernacle of Ham. So Pſalm. 105.36.
He kept the tribes diſtinguiſhed.Secondly, there was a politick reaſon to keepe the family in its owne dignity, and the tribes diſtinguiſhed.
Hee was a type of Chriſt.Thirdly, a ceremoniall reaſon, becauſe hee was a type of Chriſt, who was firſt borne amongſt many brethren.
Alluſion.The eldeſt ſonne was begotten in his fathers ſtrength, hence is that alluſion, Iob. 18.13. Primogenitus mortis, that is, a ſtrong death, and Eſay. 14.13. Primogeniti pauperum, id eſt, pauperrimi, very poore; ſo the firſt borne was the moſt honourable:Alluſion. hence is that alluſion. Heb. 12.23. Ye are come to the Church of the firſt borne. The firſt borne got the double portion, therefore Chriſt the firſt borne among many brethren was anoynted with the oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes. Pſal. 45.7.
This double portion which was given to the eldeſt was called Pi ſhenaijm. 1. Sam. 1.5. and 1. King. 2.29.foreign and the Chaldee paraphraſt calleth it Teren Hhullakin, duplam portionem, and the Seventy call it foreign that is, a worthy or a double portion, and Cajetan calleth it a portion which ſerveth for two mouthes.
If a man had three ſonnes in Iſrael, his goods were divided in foure parts, and the eldeſt got two parts;How the goods were divided amongſt the children. Alluſion. if hee had two ſonnes, his goods were divided in three parts, and the eldeſt got two, and Eliſha alludeth to this forme when he ſaid, I pray thee, How Eliſha required the double portion of the ſpirit.let a double portion of thy ſpirit be upon me. 2. King. 2.9. becauſe he was the eldeſt ſcholler in Elias ſchoole, therefore he deſireth a double portion; hee deſired not to have twiſe ſo many gifts as his maſter Elias had; as if Elias had eight, that he ſhould have had ſixteene: (for the diſciple is not above his maſter. Mat. 10.24.) but twiſe ſo much as any of the reſt of his fellowes, as if Elias ſpirit had beene divided into three parts, he deſireth but two parts; and the Apoſtle alludeth to this, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour. 1. Tim. 5.17.
Now that we may underſtand the better how the eldeſt got the double portion, wee muſt know firſt, that the tribes were divided into families; theſe families were like to our kinreds in Scotland, as Grahames, Murrayes, which Buchanan fitly termeth familias; and the families againe were divided into houſholds, this diviſion we ſee. Ioſh. 7. When Acans theft was diſcovered, the lot lighted firſt upon the tribe, ſecondly upon the familie, and thirdly upon the houſhold, and fourthly upon the perſon.foreign tribus. The land was firſt divided into tribes, and that diviſion remained ſtill, and the tribes got more or leſſe aſſigned unto them, according to their number.
foreign familia.The ſecond diviſion was the diviſion in the families, and this word familie is taken three wayes in the ſcripture:The word familie taken three wayes. Firſt, for the whole tribe. Iudg. 13.2. There was a certaine man of Zerah, of the familie of the Danites, that is, of the tribe of Dan; Secondly, familie is taken for the whole kinred deſcending of one ſtock. Iudg. 6.15. Behold my familie is poore in Manaſſeh, in the originall it is,foreign Alphi hadal, my thouſand is the meaneſt in Manaſſeh; in theſe families there were many. Iudg. 18.2. The children of Dan ſent five men of the chiefe of their families; becauſe there were but five families or kinreds in Dan. Thirdly, familie is taken for the chiefe houſe in the familie, this chiefe houſe in the familie had a greater portion of land,How the land was divided in the familie. then other houſholds had; and therefore their land might ſuffer diviſion. Example, in the familie of Elimelech, Ruth 4. the land was divided betwixt Elimelech and his brother N. and it got the denomination from the eldeſt brother, for it was called the family of Elimelech. This Elimelech the eldeſt ſonne got the double portion of his fathers goods, but he got not the double portion of the land in his fathers inheritance, for N. and Boaz got an equall part with him.
foreign domus. The diviſion of the goods in the houſe.Thoſe who were of the houſhold, a leſſe portion of ground was allotted to them, and the eldeſt got the whole, as alſo the double portion of his fathers goods; the reſt got but their ſhare of the goods, and went out of the houſe. Ieſſe Davids father had ſeaven ſonnes, the portion of land that was allotted to his houſe, it was ſo little that it could not ſuffer diviſion amongſt them. So Naboths vineyard, it could not have beene divided, it was the portion that belonged to one houſhold. When Machlon and Chilion died, N. refuſed to raiſe up ſeed to them, Boaz did the part of a kinſman, and married Ruth, and raiſed up ſeed to him. Ruth 4. therefore the double portion of the inheritance befell to Boaz; Now if the whole had fallen unto Boaz, he might have divided it into three parts as it was at the firſt, betwixt Elimelech, N. and BoaZ: and if he had had three ſonnes, he might have divided it amongſt them; but if he had had foure, he might not have divided it in foure parts.
But one in the goſpell came to Chriſt to deſire him to divide the inheritance betwixt him and his brother. Object. Luc. 12.13.
This diviſion is meant of the diviſion in the familie, Anſw. and not of the diviſion in the houſhold. So Prov. 17.2. A wiſe ſervant ſhall have a part of the inheritance amongſt the brethren, or as the Chaldee paraphraſt hath it, Hee ſhall divide the inheritance amongſt the brethren; this diviſion was meant of the chiefe houſe in the familie, and not of any diviſion in the houſhold. By this we may underſtand alſo, that diviſion which is ſpoken of in that parable of the forelorne ſonne; the eldeſt abode at home in the houſe with his father, and got all his fathers inheritance; but the youngeſt got a portion of his fathers goods, and went his way.
Whether did the firſt of the kings ſonnes ſucceed to the kingdome or not? Queſt.
By the law of nations, the firſt borne did ſucceed. Anſw. The firſt borne of kings ſucceeded by the law of nations.Exod. 11.5. From the firſt borne of Pharaoh who ſitteth upon the throne, and ſo amongſt the Edomites; He tooke the eldeſt ſonne who ſhould have reigned in his ſtead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. 2. King. 3.27, So 1. King. 2.15. Thou knoweſt that the kingdome was mine; and that all Iſrael ſet their faces upon me. And if we ſhall looke before the law was written amongſt the Patr…arches; we ſhall ſee, that the firſt borne had alwayes this dignitie. Gen. 49.3. Ruben thou art my firſt borne, my might, and the beginning of my ſtrength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power, which the Chaldee paraphraſeth this wayes. Te decebat ut acciperes tres partes, primogenituram, ſacerdotium, & regnum: It became thee to have three parts, the birthright, Prieſthood, and kingdome.
Although the kingdome went by ſucceſſion, and by right it befell to the eldeſt, yet it pleaſed God to alter this.God ſometimes made choiſe of others than the firſt borne to ſucceed the kingdome. When Rubens inheritance was divided. 1. Chron. 5. Ioſeph got the double portion, Levi got the Prieſthood, and Iudah got the kingdome; here it went not by ſucceſſion, but by free election: So David was the yongeſt of his fathers ſonnes, yet it pleaſed God to make choiſe of him to the kingdome; and ſo Salomon extraordinarily ſucceeded to the kingdome.Concluſion.
The concluſion of this is; he that was the firſt borne of the houſhold in Iſrael got all the inheritance, and the double portion of the goods, and the younger brethren were ſecluded from the inheritance, they got onelyonly the portion of the goods;We are all kings and coheires wi h Chriſt in the ſpirit al… kingdome. but in our ſpirituall inheritance, although our elder brother Chriſt hath gotten the double portion (being anoynted with oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes. Pſal. 45.7.) and the inheritance; yet we who are his younger brethren are not ſecluded from the inheritance, but we are coheires with Chriſt. Rom. 8.