A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 48
CHAP. XLVIII.
Verſ. 4. I Will make of thee a multitude of people.]
That is, thirteen populous tribes.
Verſ. 5. And now thy two ſonnes, Ephraim and Manaſſeh, &c. are mine, as Reuben and Simeon are mine.]
That is, being by birth my grandchildren they ſhall by adoption be my ſonnes, and therefore accordingly in the diviſion of the promiſed land, they ſhall have the priviledge of my ſonnes, each of them a tvvelfth ſhare, no leſſe then Reuben and Simeon: thus hath Joſeph a double portion, the priviledge of the firſt-born, 1. Chron. 5. 1. Now the ſonnes of Reuben, the first-born of Iſrael; for he was the firſt-born, but foraſmuch as he defiled his fathers bed, his birthright was given unto the ſonnes of Joſeph the ſonne of Iſrael, Deut. 21. 17. But he ſhall acknowledge the ſonne of the hated for the firſt-born, by giving him a double portion.
Verſ. 6. And thy iſſue which thou begettest after them ſhall be thine, and ſhall be called after the name of their brethren.]
That is, ſhall be counted of the ſtock and tribe of Ephraim or Manaſſeh, as if they were their ſonnes, not their brethren; therefore though there be no other ſonnes of Joſeph mentioned, yet that is no proof that he had none: for it is here appointed that they ſhould be called after the name of their brethren.
Verſ. 7. And as for me, when I came from Padan Rachel dyed, &c.]
That is, though the Lord promiſed at Luz (as I have ſaid) that he would ſo exceedingly multiply my ſeed, yet as for me, my hope of having more children by your mother, my beloved Rachel, was ſoon taken from me by her death, (for even a while after ſhe dyed a little ſhort of Ephrath, and was there buried by me) ſo that my hope for the accompliſhment of Gods promiſe muſt be in my childrens children; and ſince I had by her but thee and thy brother, therefore thy two ſonnes ſhall be mine, &c. it may be thou maiſt have more; but as for me, Rachel dyed, and left me but onelyonly you two.
Verſ. 8. And Iſrael beheld Joſephs ſonnes, and ſaid, Who are theſe?]
His eyes being dimme by reaſon of age, he could not perfectly diſcern whether they were Joſephs ſonnes or no, and therefore he asked them who they were.
Verſ. 12. And Joſeph brought them out from between his knees.]
Jacob had hitherto onelyonly teſtified his love by imbracing and kiſſing them; Joſeph therefore doth remove them as it were from the boſome of the old man, firſt the one and then the other, that the next work might be done which was of moſt moment, namely the Patriarchall bleſſing of them, which it ſeems was uſually done with impoſition of hands.
And he bowed himſelf with his face to the earth.]
To wit, in reverence to his aged father, and by way of thankfulneſſe for the work in hand, the adoption of his ſonnes.
Verſ. 14. Guiding his hands wittingly.]
That is, though Jacobs eyes were dimme, as is before noted, verſ. 10. yet that was not the reaſon why he laid his right hand upon Ephraim that was the youngeſt, and his left hand upon Manaſſeh that was the eldeſt, but he did it wittingly: why elſe ſhould he croſſe his armes, that he might lay his right hand upon the youngeſt that ſtood at his left hand, and his left hand upon the eldeſt that ſtood at his right hand, but that he did it purpoſely as a ſigne of that which afterwards he foretold, to wit, that Ephraim which was the youngeſt ſhould have the preheminence; yea, this was one of the chief evidences that he did all he did in this buſineſſe by the ſpeciall revelation of the ſpirit of God, becauſe being ſo ill ſighted that he could not diſcern which was the eldeſt, and which the youngeſt, yet he did purpoſely croſſe his arms that he might lay his right hand upon the youngeſt, and his left hand upon the eldeſt.
Verſ. 15. And he bleſſed Joſeph.]
That is, in his children.
Verſ. 16. The Angel which redeemed me from all evil bleſſe the lads.]
That is, Chriſt the eternall ſonne of God, who is called the Angel, or, Meſſenger of the covenant, Mal. 3. 1. and of whom it is ſaid, Exod. 23. 21. that Gods name is in him. And indeed to ſay that a created angel redeemed Jacob from all evil, or might be prayed to by Jacob, that he would bleſſe the ſonnes of Joſeph, and make them grow to a multitude in the midſt of the earth, is to aſcribe to the creature Gods peculiar Prerogatives. Doubtleſſe no other angel is here meant, but he that is one God with the Father, and therefore here joyned with God: to the clearing whereof alſo obſervable it is, that this word, bleſſe, is here in the originall of the ſingular number, though it have relation both to God and the Angel mentioned in the foregoing words, The God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bleſſe the lads; which ſhould not have been, if in both clauſes Jacob had not ſpoken of one and the ſame almightie God.
And let my name be named on them.]
That is, though they were born in Egypt out of my family, yet let them be numbred amongſt my ſonnes, and ſo let them inherit the bleſſings promiſed to Abraham and his ſeed for ever.
Verſ. 17. And when Joſeph ſaw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, &c.]
Though Joſeph knew that his father was in this action guided by a propheticall ſpirit, to wit, in bleſſing his children, yet ſuppoſing that he might be miſtaken in this circumſtance of the impoſition of his hands, by reaſon of the dimneſſe of his ſight, he ſeeks to reform this errour as he deemed it, by informing his father that he had laid his right hand upon the younger. Neither is it queſtionable but that this was done ſo ſoon as ever he ſaw his father lay his hands in that manner upon them, even before he had added the bleſſing ſet down in the former verſes, though here it be related by Moſes after the bleſſing.
Verſ. 19. But truly his younger brother ſhall be greater then he.]
This was moſt evidently fulfilled in the dayes of Jeroboam, in whom the dignitie of that kingdome was ſettled upon the tribe of Ephraim: whence all thoſe ten tribes are uſually called Ephraim, Eſai. 7. 2. And it was told the houſe of David, ſaying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim.
Verſ. 22. Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, &c.]
Becauſe there was one portion of land in Canaan, which was Jacobs not onelyonly by Gods donation, as vvas all the land of Canaan; but alſo by a ſpeciall civill right, this he now bequeaths to Joſeph, to whom he intended to transferre the dignitie of the firſtborn, 1. Chron. 5. 1. His birthright was given unto the ſonnes of Joſeph, the ſonne of Iſrael, &c. for though it vvas now as well as the reſt of the land in the hand of the Canaanites, yet he did aſſuredly believe that God would caſt out the inhabitants, and plant his poſteritie in their room, and therefore as a pledge hereof, to confirm Joſephs faith herein, and the better to take off his affections from the delights of Egypt, and to pitch them upon the expectation of Gods promiſe herein, he novv bequeaths to him this parcell of land, which ſhould be his childrens over and above that lot which in the common diviſion of the land ſhould befall them. That this portion of land vvhichwhich Jacob gave to his ſonne Joſeph vvas nigh unto Shechem (vvhichwhich in proceſſe of time vvas corruptly called Sychar) is evident by the words of the evangeliſt, John 4. 5. Which is called Sychar, near to the parcell of ground that Jacob gave his ſonne Joſeph: And there though many Expoſitours underſtand it of the citie Shechem with all the field or territories adjoyning, which, ſay they, according to this prophecie of Jacobs, fell to the ſonnes of Joſeph when the land vvas divided amongſt the tribes, Joſh. 17. 7. The coast of Manaſſeh was from Aſher to Michmethah, that lyeth before Shechem; yet I conceive it is onelyonly meant of that parcell of land which there he bought of Hamor Shechems father for an hundred pieces of money, as is related Gen. 33. 19. which hereupon became his own proper inheritance, and there afterwards therefore Jacobs ſonnes fed their fathers flocks, Gen. 37. 12. and there Joſephs bones were buried by the Iſraelites when they came into Canaan, as in the inheritance peculiarly bequeathed him by his father Jacob, Joſh. 24. 32. The bones of Joſeph buried they in Shechem in a parcell of ground which Ja…ob bought of the ſonnes of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of ſilver, and it became the inheritance of the children of Joſeph. Nor is it of any great moment that is objected, that ſo ſmall a parcell of ground was not worth the bequeathing to ſo great a man as Joſeph was now: for vve cannot think it vvas ſo ſmall a tract of ground that Jacob bought for the feeding of his cattel that vvere very many. But beſides not ſo much the quantity as the qualitie of the gift is to be regarded: for this being all he had in Canaan by vvay of purchaſe, Jacob, by bequeathing this in ſpeciall to Joſeph, did as it vvere deſigne him his heir, and conferre upon him the dignitie of the firſtborn, vvhichwhich vvas no ſmall Prerogative. The greateſt difficultie in theſe vvords is, vvhy Jacob ſaith that he took this portion of the land of Canaan novv bequeathed to Joſeph, out of the hand of the Amorites with his ſword and with his bow? And for ſatisfiing this doubt, there are ſeverall anſvvers given by Expoſitours: for firſt ſome ſay that it is uſuall in the Scripture to ſpeak prophetically of things to come, as if they were done already: ſo the birth of Chriſt is foretold by the Prophet Eſai. 9. 6. under theſe terms, Ʋnto us a child is born; and ſo, ſay they, here Jacob, out of the aſſurance of his faith, ſpeaks of the Iſraelites taking this land out of the hands of the inhabitants by force of arms as if it vvere done already: 2. Others hold that he ſpeaks this vvith reference to the ſlaughter of the Shechemites by the ſvvord of his ſonnes and ſervants, vvhichwhich fact hovvever he deteſted and abhorred, yet becauſe they armed themſelves as it vvere under his name, and in revenge of vvrong done to him and his, and becauſe through …ods juſt vengeance upon the Shechemites and his ſingular favour to Jacob, the land, the inhabitants vvhereof they had utterly deſtroyed, fell to him, the neighbouring inhabitants not daring to oppoſe him by reaſon of a divine terrour vvherevvith they vvere ſtricken, and ſo he through Gods providence reaped the benefit of that deſolation vvhichwhich his ſonnes had vvickedly made in thoſe parts; therefore he affirms here, that he took it out of the hand of the Amorite with his ſword and with his bow: 3. Some again conceive that when Jacob removed to Hebron, after the ſlaughter of the Shechemites, the bordering inhabitants entered upon the territories of Shechem, and together with the reſt alſo took into their hands that parcell of ground which Jacob had there purchaſed; which when they would not reſtore, Jacob did by force of arms drive them out, and ſo recovered his own rightfull poſſeſſion; which however it were not before related, ſufficient it is, that it is here by Moſes occaſionally mentioned: And laſtly, ſome conclude that theſe words, Which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my ſword and with my bow, are figuratively ſpoken, and meant onelyonly of the purchaſe that he made of it (accordingly as we uſe to ſay that a man gets a thing ſuo Marte, or ſuis cop…is, when he gets it with his own proper charge and labour) and that of purpoſe thereby covertly to proteſt againſt the crueltie of his ſonnes in ſacking that place and deſtroying the inhabitants, and againſt any title that he laid to it upon that ground, and to make known that he challenged it not by virtue of that cruell fact of theirs, but by virtue of a juſt price paid for it, which he calls his ſword and his bow, as in oppoſition to their arms; becauſe thoſe were the weapons wherevvith he got it out of the hands of the Amorites, that is the Hivites, the inhabitants of Shechem, for Amorites was the common name of all the inhabitants of Canaan, as we may ſee Gen. 15. 19. Joſh. 24. 8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other ſide Jordan, &c. and indeed theſe tvvo laſt anſvvers I conceive to be the moſt ſatisfactory, becauſe it is evident that he challengeth this portion of land to be his by a ſpeciall right vvhichwhich he novv gives unto Joſeph; and he might as vvell have ſaid that he had taken the vvhole land of Canaan by his ſvvord and by his bovv, as this particular portion, if he had ſpoken prophetically concerning the conqueſt of the land in time to come by his poſteritie; and partly becauſe it is not probable that Jacob would alledge the cruell maſſacre of the Shechemites as the ground of his rightfull intereſt in this parcell of land which he did alwayes ſo abhorre and deteſt, or that he would call their weapons his ſword and his bow, which immediately afterwards he calls inſtruments of crueltie, or, weapons of violence, chap. 49. 5.