The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 33 – Section 34
SECT. XXXIII.
ELeven years after Jacob's return into Canaan, V. Theſe are the Generations of Jacob] viz. theſe mentioned, Ch. 35. v. 23.26. The Hiſtorical Narration of whom being interrupted by a relation of Eſau's Poſterity, Ch. 46. he now reſumes.when he was now about 108 years old, He ſent his Son Joſeph (being 17 years of age) to the Sons of his Hand-Maids (that were feeding the Flock) that he might he trained up in the knowledge and skill of ordering Cattel; And he the rather ſent him to them than to his Sons by Leah, to avoid envy and emulation; and poſſibly he hoped that the Sons of Bilhah (Rachels Hand-Maid) would for Rachels ſake be more kind to him. Jacob loved him more(a)Benjamin was now but three or four years old, and not come yet to any proof to gain ſo much of his Fathers affections. than all his Children, being the Son of his beloved Rachel, and the Son of his old age; and poſſibly he ſaw in him, beſides the comelineſs of his Perſon, ſome Preſages of more than ordinary Wiſdom, and a great Mind. And to teſtifie his love to him, he made him a Coat of divers colours [ſuch a Coat Tamar had, and ſuch Kings Daughters uſed to wear, who were Virgins. See 2 Sam. 13.18.] But becauſe of Jacob's ſingular love to Joſeph, his Brethren hated him, and could not ſpeak peaceably to him. Joſeph relates to his Father their injurious uſage of him, and their evil Converſation among themſelves, which could not but be a great trouble to the good old Man. Joſeph after this dreamed a Dream, which was to this purpoſe, viz. That as they were binding Sheaves in the field, his Sheaff roſe up and ſtood upright, and that his Brothers Sheaves ſtood round about it, and made obeyſance to it.
This Dream he himſelf being much affected with, out of an youthful ſimplicity told it to his Brethren. This much inrag'd them that he ſhould dream ſuch a Dream, as if he ſhould Reign and Rule over them, and they hated him for it. He dream'd again another Dream, to wit, that the Sun, Moon, and eleven Stars made obeyſance to him; and telling this alſo to his Father and to his Brethren, his Father rebuked him for it, not knowing that theſe dreams were of God, but fearing that they proceeded from his own ambitious thoughts, and the effect of them would be to ſtir up the envy of his Brethren againſt him; What (ſays he) ſhall I and thy Mother (b)Leah was his S…p-mother, who afterwards bowed down to him in her Sons, and Rachel in Benjamin, and Jacob himſelf in his Sons.Leah, and thy eleven Brethren come and bow down to thee? This he ſaid at preſent to prevent the exalting of Joſephs mind, and to abate the envy of his Brethren. But afterwards when he came to conſider that his Dream was doubled, and both tended to ſignifie the ſame thing, he began to think there might be ſomething more in it than he yet perceived, and ſo laid it up in his heart. Having therefore as 'tis like for a while kept Joſeph at home with him at Hebron where he now dwelt, (to prevent all diſcord between him and his Brethren) ſome time after he ſends him to viſit his Brethren that were feeding their Flocks at Shechem, about 16 miles off, the place where about four years ago they had committed that Maſſacre upon the Shechemites, and ever ſince, as 'tis like, the leſs inhabited, and ſo more fit for Paſturage. I ſay, he ſends him to ſee how His Brethren did, and whether all things were well with them, and poſſibly Jacob thought hereby to oblige them, and to procure to Joſeph ſome kindneſs among them. Joſeph accordingly goes to ſeek his Brethren, and being directed by a Stranger, he found them in Dothan, about eight miles diſtant from Shechem. As ſoon as they ſaw him coming towards them, they ſaid in deriſion among themſelves, behold This dreamer cometh, Come let us kill him, and caſt him into ſome Pit, and then tell our Father that ſome evil Beaſt hath devoured him, and ſo we ſhall ſee what will become of his Dreams. But Reuben (the eldeſt of Jacob's Sons by Leah who had moſt cauſe to be jealous of this eldeſt Son by Rachel) deſigning to ſave him from their fury, and to deliver him to his Father again, advis'd them by no means to lay violent hands on him themſelves, but rather to put him into a Pit that was there in the Wilderneſs, and ſo they might more handſomely rid themſelves of him. But this he advis'd not with any intent to let him lie there, but to take him out ſecretly afterwards, and ſo to reſtore him to his Father. They agreeing to what Reuben advis'd, forthwith ſtript Joſeph of his fine Coat, and caſt him into the Pit (notwithſtanding all his erneſt intreaties and tears, and the anguiſh of Soul they ſaw him in, Gen. 42.21.) In which, though very deep, yet there was no water.*See Jer. 38.6. & Zach. 9.11. When they had done this, without any remorſe for their cruel Fact, they ſat down to eat bread, and make merry, not at all regarding the afflictions of Joſeph, Amos 6.6. Immediately whilſt they were eating, they ſee a Caravan of Merchants, that were partly Iſhmaelites (deſcended of Iſhmael, Hagars Son) and partly Midianites (deſcended of Midian, Keturahs Son, Gen. 25.2.) who dwelling both in Arabia, 'tis like did Traffick together; and having bin at Gilead to buy Balm and Spicery, were now travelling that way towards Egypt to ſell their Merchandize there. Reuben (it ſeems) before they ſat down to eat, had, upon ſome pretence, ſlip'd away from them, intending, without their knowledge, to take Joſeph out of the Pit; but he being abſent, and theſe Merchants coming by, Judah ſaid to them, What profit would it be to us to kill our Brother, and then conceal his death? we ſhould remember that he is our own Fleſh and Blood; In my opinion we had better ſell him to theſe Merchants, and ſo rid our ſelves of him. To this motion they readily agreed, and accordingly drawing Joſeph out of the Pit, they ſold him to theſe Merchants (for 20 pieces of Silver (c)Joſeph herein a Type of Chriſt, ſold for 30 pieces of ſilver. See Acts 7.9.amounting to about 1 l. 5 s. of our money) who carried him down into Egypt, and there ſold him to Potiphar *Pſ. 105.17.an Officer of Pharoahs, and Captain of his Guard. Reuben not long after Joſeph was gone (knowing nothing of what they had done) came to the Pit, and not finding him there, he rent †See v. 34. of this Ch. and Ch. 44.13. 2 Sam. 3.31.his Clothes (as they uſed to do in caſes of great and extream ſorrow (to intimate how their hearts were rent and torn with grief) and came to his Brethren, and told them their Brother was not in the Pit, and he ſuppos'd they had ſlain him in his abſence, as at firſt they intended. But when they had told him that they had only ſold him to the Iſhmaelites, and had not kill'd him, he conſented with them to Conceal this their Fact from their Father, and to deceive him with a forged Tale. For they killed a Kid, and dipped Joſeph's Coat in the blood of it, and ſent it to their Father by Meſſengers of their own appointing, who bringing it to Him, told him, They had found it, and deſired to know of him whether it was his Son Joſephs Coat or no. Old Jacob immediately knew it, and cry'd out, O my Son Joſeph is dead! doubtleſs He is rent in pieces by wild Beaſts. Then He rent his Clothes, and put Sackcloth upon his Loins, and mourned for him many days. And all his Sons and their Wives with Dinah his Daughter roſe up to comfort him, but he refuſed to be comforted; that is, his Paſſions did ſo far prevail over him, that he minded not what they ſaid, but gave way to the extremity of his ſorrow. He told them, He ſhould carry this ſorrow with him to his grave, and ſhould go mourning into the ſtate of the dead, to his dear Son; All which did much aggravate the wickedneſs of his Sons, who had brought this great ſorrow upon their aged Father, yea and upon Iſaac their Grandfather alſo, who lived ſome years after this, and therefore had his ſhare doubtleſs in this great Affliction.
Gen. 37. whole Chapter.
SECT. XXXIV.
NOt long after this Jacob goeth to the Valley of Mamre near Hebron to viſit his Father, who ſhortly after died, and was gathered unto his People, that is, to the ſociety of the Juſt, ſuch as he Himſelf was, aged 180 years, and was buried in Hebron by his two Sons Jacob and Eſau (d)Gen. 35.19.as Iſaac and Iſhmael buried Abraham, Gen. 25.9. See Sect. 17. When the Funeral was over, Eſau removed out of that Land, with his Wives and his Subſtance, to Mount Seir *See Sect. 29.(ſo called from a man of that Name) in the Southern Border of Canaan, which Land God gave to Eſau, Deut. 2.5, 12. Joſ. 24.4. partly becauſe His and his Brother Jacob's Riches and Stock were ſo increaſed, that they could not conveniently dwell together in the ſame Land; and eſpecially God in his all-wiſe Providence thus diſpoſed and inclined Eſau's heart to it, that he might leave Jacob in the Poſſeſſion of Canaan, which was appointed for his Poſterity, and that when the Iſraelites ſhould come afterwards to inherit that Land, Eſau's Poſterity might neither be deſtroyed, nor diſplaced. Eſau was called Edom, as we have ſeen before, Gen. 25.30. and from him Idumaea took its Name. The Dominion of this Land was firſt in the hands of Seir the Horite, (whoſe Race is ſet down) among whom Ana is reckon'd, (Eſau's Father in law) who firſt found out or deviſed the joyning of a Mare and an He-Aſs together, whence iſſued a kind of beaſt half-Aſs and half-Horſe, (e)This after was forbidden, Lev. 19.19. Thou ſhalt not let thy Cattel gender with a diverſe kind.called Mules, that never bred of themſelves, and are only thus begotten. And thus the Temporal bleſſings promiſed unto Eſau by his Father Iſaac, [Gen. 27.39.] had their full accompliſhment in due time; As likewiſe the Promiſe to Abraham, [Gen 22.17.] I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of Heaven, and as the ſand upon the Sea-ſhore: As alſo the Oracle given to Rebecca, Gen. 20.22. Two Nations are in thy Womb, and two manner of People ſhall be ſeparated from thy bowels, &c. Eſau had a great Poſterity: Many Dukes deſcended from him, as we find Gen. 36. from verſ. 15. to 20. and after Dukes there were eight Kings of his Poſterity, verſ. 31. which bare ſucceſſively a golden Scepter (while Jacob's Poſterity was in bondage in Egypt, and before there reigned any Kings over the Children of Iſrael,) and after Kings, Dukes again. So that we ſee the accompliſhment of the Promiſe made to Abraham, Gen. 17.16. That Kings ſhould proceed from Sarah.
Gen. 36. whole Chapter.
1 Chron. 1. from verſ. 35. to the end.