Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 1 · Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII. Verſ. 1. He divided the children.]
CArnal fear oft expectorates a mans wiſdom, and leaves him ſhiftleſs. But Jacob, after he had prayed, and prevailed, was not ſo moped, as not to know what to do in that great danger: he maſters his fears, and makes uſe of two the likelieſt means: 1. The marſhalling of his wives and children in beſt manner, for the ſaving of the laſt, at leaſt. 2. The marching before them himſelf, and doing lowe obeyſance. So Eſther, when ſhe had prayed, reſolved to venture to the King, whatever came of it. And our Saviour, though before fearful, yet, after he had prayed in the garden, goes forth, and meets his enemies in the face, asking them, Whom ſeek ye? Great is the power of prayer, to ſteel the heart againſt whatſoever amazements.
Verſ. 2. He put the handmaids, &c.] Of children and friends, ſome may be better beloved then others: And whereas all cannot be ſaved or ſuccoured, the deareſt may be chiefly cared for.
Verſ. 3. And he paſſed over before them] As a good Captain and Shepherd, ready to be ſacrificed for the ſafety of his charge. So the Captain of our ſalvation, the Arch-ſhepherd, Chriſt. So ſhould the under-ſhepherds, the captains, (as Miniſters are called, Heb. 12.5.) fight in the front, and bear the brunt of the battel; not loving their lives unto the death, ſo they may finiſh their courſe with joy; de ſcuto magis quàm de vita ſolliciti, as Epaminondas. The diamond in the Prieſts breſt-plate, ſhewed what ſhould be their hardneſs, and hardineſs, for the peoples welfare.
Verſ. 4. And kiſſed him] The word kiſſed hath a prick over every letter, in the Original: to note, ſay the Hebrew Doctors, that this was a falſe and hypocritical kiſs, a Judas-kiſs. foreign, ſaith Philo: Amor non ſemper est in oſculo. But our Interpreters are agreed, that this kiſs was a ſigne, Qui probabil…us loq…untur, aiuns co ipſo…o…ari animi Eſauici c… ver…ionem. Am.that his heart was changed from his former hatred; and that thoſe extraordinary pricks do denote the wonder of Gods work therein: which is further confirmed, in that they both wept; which could not eaſily be counterfeit; though they were in Iſhmael, that notable hypocrite, Jer. 41.6, and in the Emperour Andronicus, who, when he had injuriouſly cauſed many of the Nobility to be put to death, pretended himſelf ſorry for them, Turk. hiſt. fol. 50.and that with tears plentifully running down his aged cheeks, as if he had been the moſt ſorrowful man alive. Ibid. fol. 175.So the Egyptian Crocodile, having killed ſome living beaſt, lieth upon the dead body, and waſheth the head thereof with her warm tears; which ſhe afterward devoureth, with the dead body. We judge more charitably of Eſau here. And yet we cannot be of their minde, that here-hence conclude his true converſion and ſalvation. We muſt take heed we neither make Cenſures whip, nor Charities cloke too long: we may offend in both, and incur the curſe, Iſai. 5.20. Joh. Manl. loc. com. 496.as well by calling evil good, as good evil. Latomus of Lovain wrote, that there was no other a faith in Abraham, then in Cicero. Another wrote a long Defence and Commendation of Cicero, and makes him a very good Chriſtian, and true penitentiary; Ibid. 483.becauſe he ſaith, ſomewhere, Reprehendo peccata mea, quòd Pompeio confiſus, ejuſque partes ſecutus fuerim. I believe neither of them.
Verſ. 5. The children which God hath graciouſly given] Sept. foreign. For children are Gods gifts, as David taught Solomon, Pſal. 127. It is well obſerved, that good Jacob, before a bad man, ſpeaks religiouſly; (God of his grace, &c.) and Eſau, as bad as he was, makes no jeſt of it. There is no ſurer ſigne of a profane heart, then to jeer at good expreſſions; then which, nothing now adays is more familiar. Carnal ſpirits cannot hear ſavoury words, but they turn them off with a ſcorn, as Pilate did our Saviour, ſpeaking of the truth, with that ſcornful profane queſtion, What's truth? Shall theſe ſcoffers be counted Chriſtians? Could any that heard Elijah mocking the ſervice and ſervants of Baal, believe, that Baal was god in his eſteem? Shall not Eſau riſe up in judgement againſt ſuch profane perſons? And ſhall not Jacob diſclaim all ſuch profligate profeſſors for having any relation to him, that dare not ſpeak religiouſly, for fear of ſome Eſau in company? that are aſhamed to ſeem what they are, with Zedekiah, leſt they that are fallen to the Chaldeans ſhould mock them?
Verſ. 7. After came Joſeph neer, &c.] Juſſus accedere Joſeph, (ſaith Junius;) for he was but a little one of ſix yeers old; therefore he did nothing, but as his mother bade him; and, becauſe he went before her, he is firſt named.
Verſ. 8. What meaneſt thou by all this drove, &c.] He met it, but had not yet accepted of it: either that he might take occaſion, at their meeting, more mannerly to refuſe the Preſent; or, that he might ſhew his brotherly affection frankly and freely, not purchaſed or procured by any gift or Preſent. Piſcator.Ʋtrunque liberale & civile eſt, oblata munera modeſtè recuſare, praeſertim ſi grandia ſint, & eadem ab inſtante humaniter acceptare.
Verſ. 9. I have enough, my brother] Here's no mention of God: God is not in all the wicked mans thoughts: he contents himſelf with a natural uſe of the creature, (as bruit beaſts do;) the godly taketh all as from God; and findeth no ſuch ſweetneſs, as in taſting how good the Lord is, in the creature. Tam Dei meminiſſe, opus eſt, quàm reſpirare, ſaith One. But prophane Eſaus will neither have God in their heads, Pſal. 10.4, nor hearts, Pſal. 14.1, nor ways, Tit. 1.16, nor words, Pſal. 12.4. They ſtand in a poſture of diſtance, nay of defiance to God.
Verſ. 10. As though I had ſeen the face of God] I cannot but ſee God, and his goodneſs, in thy ſo unexpected kindneſs. The Lord hath done great things for me, whereof I am glad, and think my Preſent well beſtowed.
Verſ. 11. I have enough] Heb. I have all. Eſau had much, but Iacob had all, becauſe he had the God of all. Habet omnia, qui habet habentem omnia, ſaith Auguſtine. Eſau's enough, in the Original, is not the ſame with Iacob's. foreignThere are two manner of enoughs: Godlineſs onelyonly hath contentedneſs, 1 Tim. 6.6.
Verſ. 12. Let us take our journey] The Hebrews note, that Eſau ſpeaks in few, Iacob more fully: becauſe it is the guiſe of proud ſtately perſons, to ſpeak briefly, and hardly to bring forth half their words. The poor ſpeaketh ſupplications, ſaith Solomon; Prov. 18.23.but the rich anſwer roughly.
Verſ. 13. If men ſhould over-drive] A pattern of a good Paſtor, ever to have an eye to the weak ones; and ſo to regard all in his flock, as he over-drive not any. Zech. 4.10. Rom. 14.1.Who hath deſpiſed the day of ſmall things? Weak ones are to be received, but not to doubtful diſputations. Novices are not to be put upon the auſterities of Religion, Matth. 9.15. Chriſt preached as they were able to hear, Mark 4.33. Peter was ſpecially charged to look to the lambs, Ioh. 21.15. Chriſt bears them in his boſom, and gently leads thoſe that are with young, Iſai. 40.11.
Verſ 14. Ʋntil I come to my lord, to Seir] Which yet he never meant, ſay ſome: it was but an officious lye, ſaith Toſtatus. Others think, that he did go to Seir, though it be not recorded. It is like he purpoſed to go, but was otherwiſe warned by God; as the wiſemen were, Matth. 2. or neceſſarily hindered, as Saint Paul was, in many of his intended journeys.
Verſ. 15. Let me finde grace] That is, Condeſcend unto me, and leave none.
Verſ. 16. On his way, unto Seir] Whither God had ſent him aforehand, to plant, out of Jacobs way. He was grown rich, deſired liberty, and ſaw that his wives were offenſive to the old couple; therefore he removed his dwelling to mount Seir, and left better room for Jacob; who, perhaps, had intelligence thereof from his mother, by Deborah, and ſo was the rather willing to return.
Verſ. 17. built him an houſe, and made boothes] So did his poſterity, at their going out of Egypt, Exod. 12.37. and, for a perpetual memorial thereof, Tuguria, a tege…do dicta.were appointed to keep a yeerly feaſt of boothes or tabernacles, Lev. 23.34, made of green boughs of trees, in praiſe of God, who had now vouchſafed them better houſes. And here one would wonder, M. Th. Goodw.(ſaith a Divine) that all along, during the raign of David and Solomon, (who gave a pattern of, and built the Temple) and all thoſe ſucceeding reformers, there ſhould ſomething be omitted about this feaſt of tabernacles, till their return from Babylon: Yet ſo it was, Neb. 8.16, 17. This feaſt was kept (as 'tis thought) by Solomon, 2 Chron. 7.8, and by theſe ſame Jews, Ezra 3.4. yet not in this manner, Neh. 8.14. Now they had learned, by ſad experience, to keep it aright, in dwelling in boothes, by having been lately ſtrangers out of their own land: to ſignifie which, and profeſs themſelves ſtrangers, (as this Syrian ready to periſh, Deut. 26.5.their father, was now at Succoth) was the intent of that feaſt, and that rite of it, dwelling in boothes. This is intimated, verſ. 17. They did read alſo out of the law, &c. verſ. 19. which, till then, they had not done.
Verſ. 18. Came to Shalem] Or, came ſafe and ſound to Shechem, as the Chaldee interprets it.
Verſ. 19. Sic pecunia, a pecude.For an hundred pieces of money] Heb. lambs, (as we call Angels, Jacobuſſes) becauſe ſtampt with the image of a lamb. So Joſh. 24.32. Job 42.11.
Verſ. 20. And he erected there a… altar] 1. As a memorial of the promiſes, and a ſymbol of Gods preſence. 2. As an external profeſſion of his piety. 3. That he might ſet up God in his family, and ſeaſon all his worldly affairs with a relliſh of Religion.