Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 1 · Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX. Verſe 1. Give me children, or elſe I die]
SHe was ſick of the fret; and could not live, unleſs Jacob could cure her. Prov. 14.30.Envie is the rottenneſs of the bones, and ever devours it ſelf firſt; as the worm doth the nut out of which it groweth.
Verſ. 2. And Jacobs anger was kindled] He that will be angry, and not ſin, muſt not be angry, but for ſin. Reprove thy wife, thou maiſt; chide her, thou maiſt not, unleſs the offence be againſt God, as here, and Job 2.10. And here a man may carry a ſevere rebuke in his countenance, as God doth, Pſal. 80.16. though he ſay nothing: he may chide with his looks onelyonly. [Am I in Gods ſtead?] who carrieth this key under his own girdle; as is afore-noted. Lo, children are an heritage that cometh of the Lord, as David once ſang for Solomon, who had the experience of it: for of ſo many wives, he had but one ſon, that we read of; and he was none of the wiſeſt. Eccleſ. 2.19.This Solomon foreſaw, and bewailed, as one unhappie bird, in his neſt of Vanities.
Verſ. 3. Behold my maid Bilhah] Given her by her father on purpoſe, it may ſeem; that in caſe ſhe proved barren, ſhe might be built up by her. So Stratonice, the wife of King Dei…tarus, being barren, gave ſecretly her maid Electra unto her husband; by whom ſhe had an heir to the Crown, as Plutarch relateth.
Verſ. 4. And Jacob went in unto her] Meerly to pleaſe his wiſe, he yeelded to that which he could not but diſallow, as evil. Heed muſt be taken, that the hen crow not, that the wife rule nor. This foreign, was a part of Jacob's puniſhment.
Verſ. 6. God hath judged me, &c.] A vile prophanation of Gods holy Name, under an opinion and pretence of piety. So they that, brow-beating their brethren, better then themſelves, ſaid, Let the Lord be glorified: and it grew to a Proverb, Iſai. 66.5.In nomine Domini incipit omne malum. Act. & Mon.The Conſpirators in Edward the ſixth's time, indorſed their Letters with Glory be to God on high, on …arth peace, &c. A fair glove drawn upon a foul hand.
Verſ. 8. With great wrestlings] Heb. with wrestlings of God; Magno defiderio, precibu…, ſuſpiriis, luctata eſt adverſus ſor…rem Parcus in loc.that is, with excellent and moſt earneſt wreſtlings and endeavours; by ſtorms of ſighs, and ſhowers of tears. Stupidity is the lowe extreme, like the dull earth. Deſpair is as much too high, as it were in the element of fire, which ſcorches up the ſpirit. The middle region of Air and Water, Sighs and Tears, is the beſt.
Verſ. 14. And found mandrakes] Some render it, Lovely flowers; others, Violets; others, Lilies; others again, Cherries of Jury; the Greek, and moſt Interpreters, Mandrakes, or Mandrakeapples. It is a plant very amiable, foreign Vide Druſ. in fine com Ruth.(according to the name) both for ſweetneſs of ſmell, Ca…. 7.13; the lovelineſs of the flower, reſembling a man; and for the peculiar vertue it hath, to cauſe ſleep, affection, and conception.
Verſ. 15. Therefore he ſhall lie with thee, &c.] Thus he is bought and ſold by his emulous wives: which was no ſmall affliction to him, and a puniſhment of his Polygamy.
Verſ. 16. Thou must come in unto me] Theſe contentions (ſaith an Interpreter) were not meerly carnal, but partly alſo, Ainſw.for deſire of Gods ordinary bleſſing in propagation; and chiefly, for the increaſe of the Church, and obtaining the promiſed ſeed for ſalvation.
Verſ. 18. God hath given me my hire] Wherein ſhe was much miſtaken, as having not her ſenſes exerciſed to diſcern good and evil. Here ſhe rejoyceth, in that for which ſhe ſhould have repented; and was in the common errour, Foelix ſeclus virtus vocatur. Tull. de div…n. lib. 2.of meaſuring and judging of things, by the ſucceſs; as if God were not many times angry with men, though they outwardly proſper. Thus Dionyſius, after the ſpoils of an Idol-temple, finding the windes favourable, Lo, ſaid he, how the gods approve of ſacriledge.
Verſ. 20. God hath endued me with a good dowry] That is as it proves, though. Children are dulcis acerbitas, ſaith One, foreign Plutar. de prolis amore.certain cares; but uncertain comforts, ſaith Another; yet all men deſire them: How much more ſhould we covet grace, and thoſe things that accompany ſalvation? Theſe having gotten, we may ſafely and ſurely ſay, God hath endued me with a good dowry.
Verſ. 22. And God remembred Rachel] She begun to think, that God had forgotten her, becauſe ſhe was ſo long ſuſpended, and her prayers not anſwerd, This is a common fault. David bewails it in himſelf. Baſil grew ſo weary of the Arrian perſecution, Pſal. 77.that once he cried out, An Eccleſias ſuas prorſus dereliquit Dominus? an noviſſima hora est? &c. So the Church of old; Where is thy zeal and thy ſtrength, Iſa. 63.15.Lord? the ſoundings of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards us? are they reſtrained? Here we muſt check and chide our ſelves, for once queſtioning Gods kinde remembrance of us, whom we cannot forget; and learn, and labour not to waken our Welbeloved, Cant. 3.5. Iſa. 30.19. Cant. 2.17.until he pleaſe. He Waits to be gracious; and, when it is fit, will come leaping over the mountains of Bether, all lets and impediments.
Verſ. 23. God hath taken away my reproach] That is, her barrenneſs, (with which ſhe was often upbraided) when now ſhe was ſufficiently humbled; beſides that her children, (as the reſt of thoſe women that were long barren) are noted to have been the beſt, and moſt gracious: Ambroſeas Iſaac, Iacob, Ioſeph, Samuel, the Baptiſt, &c. A childe of many prayers cannot lightly miſcarry, as he told Monica.
Verſ. 24. The Lord ſhall add to me another ſon] A ſweet and ſure way of argumentation, God that hath thus and thus done me good, Pſal. 138.8. Bernard.will not be wanting to me in any thing, that may conduce to mine eternal comfort; but will perfect that which concerneth me. Qui ad vituli hortatur eſum, quid tandem mihi negaturus eſt?
Verſ. 26. Exod. 2.Let me goe] Here Iacob was too haſty; as Moſes was, in doing juſtice before his time, and therefore fled for it.
Verſ. 27. I pray thee, if I have found favour &c.] This miſerable muck-worm, ſo he may advance his own ends, abaſeth himſelf to his ſervants, colloguing, or any thing, to curry favour, and compaſs commodity. But he that is ſwallowed up of the earth (as Core was) his eares ſtopped, his heart ſtuffed, and all paſſages for Gods ſpirit obſtructed by it, ſhall have earth enough, when he dyes: his mouth ſhall be filled with a ſpade-ful of mould, and his Never-enough quit with fire enough, in the bottom of hell. Such another courteous caytife as this in the text, was that Plautianus a rich Roman; Dio in vita Severi. Is tantum filiae ſuaededit quantum reginis 50 ſa…iseſſet. Ibid.of great authority with Severus the Emperour. Omnia enim petebat ab omnibus, et cupiebat omnia, ſaith the Hiſtorian. Herein only he differed from Laban; when he married his daughter to Antonius the ſon of Severus, he gave her as much portion, as would have ſufficed for fifty Queens.
Verſ. 30. The Lord hath bleſſed thee ſince my coming] Heb. at my foot. Hence grew that proverb uſed in Africa; Homo boni pedis; a man whoſe coming is proſperous; and is appliable to the Miniſters of the Goſpel; whoſe feet are beautiful and proſperous, if they faithfully feed the flock.
Verſ. 21. What ſhall I give thee?] Solent multum quaerere, qui cupiunt parum dare. But Laban would know his price, that he might be out of his pain.
Verſ. 32. And of ſuch ſhall be my hire] As white and black ſheep were moſt ſet by in Meſopotamia, ſo were the party coloured in Palestina, (Jacob's countrey) whence the ſhepherds there are called Nochudim, (Amos 1.1) that is, keepers of ſpotted cattel. This might be a reaſon, why Jacob deſires to be paid in ſuch; and, perhaps, had learned that skill there, which he uſed in the following verſes.
Verſ. 33. So ſhall my righteouſneſs, &c.] A good conſcience fears no judge, no not God himſelf, in ſome particulars; as Pſal. 7.3, 4. That which Jacob did here, was of God, Chap. 31.10. It was alſo a plain bargain between them; and Laban was handled in his kinde. Beſides, the means Jacob uſed, was not fraudulent, but natural; not depending on mans skill, but Gods bleſſing: and all to recover out of the wretches hands, that which was but due to him for his hard ſervice, and for his wives dowry.
Verſ. 34. Behold, I would it might be] He was glad to have him on the hip for a bad bargain, but is fairly deceived himſelf. God will ſee to his ſervants, that they ſhall not loſe all: though the world think it neither ſin, nor pity, to defraud them of their due.
Verſ. 36. And he ſet three days journey] Hoping ſo to diſappoint Jacob of having any thing, and to make his own party good with him. For, naturally, the cattel would bring forth others like themſelves; and ſo Jacobs part ſhould be little enough. Sed & hic fallitur ſordidus impoſtor, ſaith Pareus. Laban was utterly out in his count, and croſs'd in his deſigne.
Verſ. 38. And he ſet the rods which he had pilled] This was done, partly by the force of the phantaſie, which is much affected with objects of the ſight; or ſome other cogitation in the time of conception: partly, and chiefly, by the bleſſing of God: For, he that ſhall now try the ſame concluſion, ſhall finde himſelf fruſtrated.
Verſ. 43. And the man increaſed exceedingly] So ſhall all thoſe do, (if it be for their eternal good) that depend upon God for ſucceſs, and bleſſing upon their hard and honeſt labours. As for others, that will needs care and carve for themſelves, being troubled about many things, but neglecting that One thing neceſſary, the Lord either gives the ſouls of ſuch over to fuſter ſhipwrack, or elſe ſtrips them of all their lading and tacklings, breaking their eſtates all to pieces, and making them glad to go to heaven upon a broken plank.