4. And Efau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kiffed him, and they

wept.

4. Kifled him: As a token of Kindness this is an inftance of and Friendship: And prevailing

Jacob's

with Men as he had done with God, ch. 32. 28. Prov.

16.7.

5. And he lift up his eyes, and Saw the women, and the children, and faid, Who are those with thee? "And he faid, The children which God hath graciously given thy fer.

vant.

5. Women: Who followed after him in three Companies, (2.1, 3.) Graciously given, ch. 30. 2. with ch.39.31.

6. Then the hand-maidens came, near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7. And Leah alfo with her children came near, and bowed themfelves and after came fofeph near, and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

7. Jofeph: Who was the youngest, and at this time 2bout fix years old. See ch. 30.25.

a

8. And he faid, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he faid, Thefe are to find grace in the fight of my lord.

9. And Efau faid, I have e-9. Enough: Or, nough, my brother, keep that thou haft unto thy felf.

Io.And Jacob faid, Nay, I pray thee if now I have found grace in thy fight, then receive my "prefent at my hand for therefore I have feen thy face, as though I had feen the face of God; and thou waft pleafed with me.

table to me to meet thee ly, as I thereby receive a hath brought this to pafs.

much, as it is in the Hebrew.

10. For therefore: Or, Because that, as

the Hebrew Particles

fignifie, and are rendred, ch. 38. 26. As though I had feen Compare ch. 18. 5. the face of God: q.d. It is greatly comforpacified and reconciled, efpecial token of God's Favour alfo, who See ch.32.30. 2 Sam. 14.17. 11. Take,

11. Enough: Or, All, as in the He brew.

11. Take, I pray thee, my bleffing that is brought to thee; becaufe God hath dealt graciously with me and becaufe I have enough; and he urged him, and he took it:

12. And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

13. And he faid unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me and if men should over-drive them one day, all the flock will die.

1

14. Let my lord, I pray thee, pafs over before his fervant, and will lead on foftly, according as the cattel that goeth before me, and the children be able to endure, un till I come unto my lord unto Seir.

13. With young? Or, Giving fuck, as the Chaldee hath it, word fignifies, 1 Sam. and the Hebrew

6.7.

14. I come: It is not recorded that Jacob did come to him to Seir, but yet, notwithstanding that, he might do it; and may well be fup. pofed here to intend it fincerely.

15. And Efau faid, Let me now leave with thee fome of the folk that are with me: and he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the fight of my lord.

16. So Efau returned that day on his way unto Seir! 17. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an houfe, and made booths for his cattel: therefore the name of the place is called

Succoth.

any long stay, as appears 18. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-Aram, and pitched his kent before the city.

17. To Succoth: So called by antici pation. We find a led, Judg. 8. 15, 16. City that was fo calAn houfe: Not for afterward.

18. To Shalem city of Shechem: Or, chem. He having by Safe to the city She the favour of God overcome the diffi culties

culties which were in his way, came fafe into the Promised Land. In this fenfe the Chaldee understands the words: And this agrees with Jacob's words, ch. 28. 21. and with God's Promife to him, ch. 31. 3. and ch. 32.9. A city of Shechem: i. e. To a City called Sychem, Alt. 7. 16. Pitched his tent: Or, Encamped, Hebr.

19. And he bought a parcel of a field, where be bad spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an bundred pieces of money.

19. He bought: As Abraham had done, Pieces of ch. 23. money: In the Margent it is Lambs. The word in this

place rather fignifies Money; and it is likely it was ftamped Money alfo, and that with the figure of Lambs (as the Greeks afterwards ftamped theirs with the figure of an Ox, and called that Money fo ftamped, an Ox) whence it might eafily happen, that one word might fignifie both the Money and the Creature which was ftamped upon it. That it fignifies Money in this place is evident from Act. 7. 16.

20. And be erected there an altar and called it El-Elobe If

rael.

20. Called it: Not that he called the Altar by the name of God. But at this this fenfe the Chalder,

Altar he called upon God. And to Greek and vulgar Latin render thefe words: Or, fuppofing the words Elliptical, they may be rendred thus. And called it the Altar of God, the God of Ifrael: Which is a fair account of the meaning of this and other places. e. g. Mofes built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAŬmiff: i.e. The Altar of JEHOVAH-nifi, Exod. 17. 15. And the name of the city fhall be, The Lord is there: ie The City where God is, Ezek. 48. 35. See Pfalm 48, 1, 2. Nothing is more common among us to this day, than to call Churches and Confecrated Places by the very Names of those perfons to whofe Memories they were Confecrated. Thus we do when we for brevities fake call them Trinity, St. Mary, &c.

CHA

Shechem defiles Dinah, and defires her for his wife. Hamor, Shechem's Father, treats with Jacob and his Sons to that purpofe, and offers large Conditions. The Sons of Jacob refufe his Offer, but promise to intermarry with them on condition that they would Circumcife their Males. Hamor and Shechem perfwade the Men of their City to fubmit to the Condition required, and they are thereupon Circumcifed. Simeon and Levi kill the Males who were indifpofed by the Circumcifion of their Flesh, and took their wealth and Wives. Jacob's Expoftulation with them, and their Reply.

1. AND Dinah the daughter

of Leab, which fhe bare unto Jacob, went out to fee the daughters of the land.

That it was at a certain Festival.

1. To fee: viz. The Ornaments of the Women of that place, fays Jofephus, who alfo tells us 'Tis probable, that the

went alone, and her going out feems to be mentioned as the Occafion of her being defiled, Tit. 2. 5.

2. And when Shechem the fon of Hamor, the Hivite, prince of the countrey, faw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

2. Took her: By force, according to Fofephus and the Vulgar. Defiled her: Or, Humbled her, as word which is rendred

in the Hebrew. It is not the fame Defiled (v. 5.) but the word imports, That he afflicted her, and feems to intimate his Violence as well as her Dif fent; and this is probable from what follows (v. 3.) That he fpake kindly to her, for comorted her what he could under her grief.

3: And his foul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Ja cob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the

damset.

4. And Shechem Spake unto his father Hamor, faying, Get me this damfel to wife. j 5. And Facob heard that he bad defiled Dinah his daughter,(now his fons were with his cattel in the feld) and Facob held his peace untill they were come.

6. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to Commune with him.

7. And the fons of Jacob came out of the field, when they heard it, and the men were grieved: and they were very wroth, because he bad wrought folly in Ifrael, in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

as

4. Father: To whom that care did belong.

5. Held his peace: He ruled over his own Spirit, which fpoke him better

than his Sons, who took the City, Prov. 16.32.

6. With him: The

Daughter being to be difpofed of in marriage by the Father. See v. 4.

7. He had wrought folly in Ifrael; i. e He had committed tice in the Family a vile and lewd praof Jacob, or Ifrael. For Ifrael may well imply Jacob's Fami ly, (ch. 28. 9.) the that name which was to (See the Note on ch

name of Ifrael being given him be derived upon his Off-fpring. 32. 28.) who were to be a feparate and holy People, Deut. 23. 17.

8. And Hamor communed with them, faying, The foul of my fon Shechem longeth for your daughter I pray you give her him to wife.

8. Your daughter: i. e. The Daughter of your Family.

9. And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

10. And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you dwell, and trade you therein, and get you poffeffions therein.

11. And