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16. And he said, I feek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

17. And the man faid, They

17. Dothan: Com

are departed hence: for I heard pare 2 Kings 6. 13. them fay, Let us go to Dothan.

And Jofeph went after his brethren,

and found them in Dothan.

18. And when they faw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they confpired against him to flay bim.

19. And they said one to another, Behold this dreamer cometh.

20. Come now therefore, and let us flay him, and caft him into fome pit, and we will fay, Some evil beaft bath devoured him: and we fball fee what will become of his dreams.

20. We will fay: So easily do men proceed from one fin

to another.

21. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their bands, and faid, Let us not kill him.

22. And Reuben Said unto them, Shed no blood, but caft him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay na band upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

23. And it came to pass when Jofeph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Jofeph out of bis coat, bis coat of many colours that

was on him.

24. And they took him, and caft bim into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25. And they fat down to eat bread; and they lift up their eyes, and looked, and behold, a company

23. Stript Joseph: Took off that Robe which was a token of his Father's kind

nefs. See v.3.

24. Caft him into a pit: He being first bound as Jofephus tells us.

25. A company of Ihmeelites: Of Arabians, fays the Chab

dee:

of Ifhmeelites came from Gilead with their camels, bearing Spicery, and balm, and myrrhe, going to carry it down to Egypt.

dee: And Jofephus calls them Arabian Merchants of the Stock of Ishmael; 'Tis likely it was a mixt Company,conMidianites, (v. 28.)

fifting especially of Ifhmeelites and
who are elsewhere joined, Judg. 8. 24, 28.

26. And Judah faid unto his brethren, What profit is it, if we flay our brother, and conceal his blood?

content.

28. Drew up: In Reuben's abfence, as appears from v. 29. Pietes: i.e. Shekels.

27. Come, and let us fell him unto the Ihmeelites, and let not our band be upon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh; and his brethren were 28. Then there paffed by Midianites merchant-men, and they drew and lift up Jofeph out of the pit,and fold Jofeph to the Ifhmeelites for twenty pieces of filver, and they brought Jofeph into Egypt. 29. And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Jofeph was not in the pit: and he rent his

clothes:

30. And be returned unto his brethren, and faid, The child is not, and I, whither shall I go?

See the Note on ch. 20. 16,

29. Rent his clothes: In token of his forrow. See v. 34

30. Is not: i. e. Is dead. They are faid in Scripture Phrase not to be who are dead and appear not among the Living. See ch. 41. 13. and ch.44.20. Whither fhall I go? I, who being the firftborn, am most accountable for this mifcarriage, and I, who have already incurred my Father's juft Displeasure,

ch.

35.22.

31. And they took Jofeph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.

32. And they fent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father, and faid, This have we found: know now whether it be thy fon's coat, or no.

33. And

33. And he knew it, and faid, It is my fon's coat: an evil beaft hath devoured bim: Jofeph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put fackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his fon many days.

35. And all his fons, and all bis daughters rofe up to comfort him: but he refused to be comforted: and he faid, For I will go down into the grave unto my fon, mourn ing: thus his father wept for him.

34.Sack cloth: viz As a farther teftimony of his forrow, Jon. 3.5.

35. His fons: Who had been the occafion of his forrow. Daughters: Dinah Grave: Put here for the ftate of the

and his Son's Wives.

Dead.

36. And the Midianites fold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

CHA P. XXXVIII.

The ARGUMENT.

Judah begetteth Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marrieth Tamar. The wickedness of Onan. Judah's Wife dieth. He lyeth with Tamar not knowing who he was. She conceives with child, upon which she is by Judah's means condemned to die. He is convinced that she was with child by him, upon which she escapes. She bringeth forth twins Pharez and Zarah.

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AT that time:

i. e. In that fpace of time between Jacob's coming from Padan-Aram into Canaan,

and his going into Egypt. In this Chapter we have an account of feveral matters which fell out not all at once, but

fucceffively.

fucceffively. And though the greater part of the Chapter report matters that happened about and after the time when ph was fold into Egypt; yet Judah's marriage (which leads to those things) must have been before fofeb was fold. Otherwise it is hardly conceivable, that all thofe things fhould happen to Judah in the space of three and twenty years (for it could not be longer before he went into Egypt, after Jofeph was fold) which are reported, viz. the birth of Er, Onan and Shelah, feverally; The marriage of Er and Onan, The time which Tamar waited for Shelah (which were many days, v. 12.) The birth of Pharez and Zarah by Tamar; and after this, the birth of Hezron and Hamul of Pharez, (ch. 46. 12.) Compare Deut. 10.8. Adullamite: So called from the City Adullam, Josh. 12. 15.

2. And Judah faw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whofe name was Shuah, and he took her, and went in unto her.

2. Canaanite: The Chaldee renders the word by Merchant and fo the word fometime fignifies

Prov. 31. 24. And the Tigurin Verfion renders it fo in this place. But our English have tranflated it truly in this place, as will appear by comparing 1 Chron. 2. 3. It is true, ,that Judah ought not to have married into that Race; (Compare ch. 24. 3. with 28. 1. and the Notes on those places) and that ('tis like) is the reafon of the Chaldee's rendring. It was an unlawfull, and proved a very unhappy Marriage, and there remained none of the Pofterity of this Woman of Canaan. Shuah: The name of the Man, as appears from the Hebrew Text, and from 1 Chron. 2. 3.

3. And he conceived and bare a fon, and be called his name Er.

3. He called: Judah names the firftborn; his Wife gave

names to the other two, v. 4, 5.

4. And she conceived again, and bare a fon, and she

called his name Onan.

5. And she yet again conceived, and bare a fon, and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib when she bare him.

5. Chezib: This place is called Achzib, Jof. 15.44.

6. And Judah took a wife for Er his first born, whose name was Tamar.

7. And Er Judah's firft-born was wicked in the fight of the LORD, and the LORD few

bim.

8. And Judah faid unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up feed to thy brother.

Re

7. Wic markably fo, whatever his wickednes were; and was thereforę cut off betimes.

8. Marry her : This was afterward made into a Law Deut. 25. 5. (See the Notes on ch.7.2.)

But it was not lawfull where the Brother left Iffue behind him, Lev. 18. 16. 20. 21.

9. And Onan knew that the feed fhould not be his: and it came to pass when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, left that he should give feed to his brother.

9. Should not be called his: Or, Should not be called by his name: As the Chaldee renders it well.

Thus Envy carries him to another great

fin.

did, displeased the

11. A widow at thy father's house. Compare Levit. 22.

10. And the thing which he LORD: wherefore he flew him also. 11. Then faid Judab to Tamar bis daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's houfe, till Shelah my fon be grown: (for he faid, Left peradventure he die alfo as his brethren did :) and Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

13.

12. And in procefs of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died, and Fudah was comforted, and went up unto his fheep-fhearers to Timnath, he, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13. And it was told Tamar, faying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to fhear his Theep.

13. To fhear his Sheep: Which was a time of feafting. 2 Sam. 25.8, 1I. 14. And

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