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ch. 46. 19.

a ch. 37. 33.

6 ch. 12. 35, 38.

us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest 27 brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my 28 wife bare me two sons: and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is 29 torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: and if ye 'take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us, 31 (seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life,) it shall come to pass, when he 1 Sam. 18. 1. seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring 32 down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, ‘If I bring him not 33 unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; Ex. 22 32; Heb. 7. 34 and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

i

presence.

45 Then Joseph could not refrain himself1 before all them that stood by him; and
he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with
2 him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept
3 aloud and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said
unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren
could not answer him; for they were troubled at his
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they
came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me
6 hither: 'for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years
hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there
7 shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve
8 you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So
now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land
9 of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy
son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10 and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me,
thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy
11 herds, and all that thou hast and there will I nourish thee; for yet there are
five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come
12 to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin,
13 that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all
my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring
down my father hither.

14

4

And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept 15 upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren 17 are come and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts; and go, get 18 you unto the land of Canaan; and take your father and your households, and come unto me and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall 19 eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and 20 bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff;" for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

21

5

deh. 43 9; John 13
35; Heb. 13, 1.
Ro. 57-10.

22; 1 John 3 16

Num. 14. 4

Ac. 7. 13

í ch. 37. 28.

k Is. 40. 2; 2 Cor. 27.

I eh. 50. 20; Pr. 165 16, 17. See 2 Sam 16. 10, 11; Ac & 27, 28.

cb. 41. 43: Judg. 17. 10; Job 22. 16.

eb. 47. 1; E1. 8. 22.

• ch. 47. 12.

Pch. 42 23.
Ac. 7. 14, 15.

ch. 27. 28; Num. 18. 12, 29.

And the children of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons, according 22 to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three 23 hundred pieces of silver, and 'five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent ch. 43. 34. after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she24 asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent

1 Overcome by the filial affection and fraternal regard which Judah's proposal displayed, Joseph found impossible, as it was unnecessary, to maintain any longer the sternness with which he had treated his brethren."

2 To see what good God has brought out of our sins, should increase rather than diminish our contrition; though, at the same time, it may well allay the anxiety we should feel respecting their injurious results.

3 This is an old English word signifying ploughing.

4 Near the north-east frontier of Egypt, which they might protect from irruption; whilst they would have room for pasture.

5 Wheeled carriages appear never to have been common in Palestine; though much used in very early times in the level country of Egypt, both for war and other purposes, as is shown by ancient paintings.

6 Such property as they could not conveniently carry

away.

25

his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, 'See that not out' by the way.

fall

ye And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob 26 their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all 27 the land of Egypt. "And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their 28 father revived: and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

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God encourages Jacob; his family enumerated.

I see ch. 42 22; Ps. 133. Phil. 2. 2;

1 Thes. 5. 13.

Job 29. 24; Ps. 126. 1; Lk. 24. 11, 41

ch. 46. 30.

y ch. 21. 31, 33: 28.10. eh. 26. 24, 25; 28. 13: 31. 42.

ch. 15. 1; Job 33 14, 15.

beh. 15. 13; 28. 13; I. 41. 10.

ch. 12. 2: 35 11: Ex. 1. 7-10; Deu 26. 5.

46 AND Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba,' 2 and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here 3 am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into 4 Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: "I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee' up again: andJoseph shall put 5 his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the 6 wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into 7 Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, and his sons' sons with Den. 26. 5; Jos. 24 him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

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d eh. 28. 15: 48. 21. ch. 15 14-16; 50. 13, 24, 25; Ex. 3. 8. ch. 50, 1.

6 Ac. 7. 15.

A ch. 45. 19, 21.

4; Ps. 105. 23: Is. 52. 4; Ac. 7. 15.

Num. 26. 5; 1 Chr. 5. 1.

Ex. 6. 15; 1 Chr. 4. 24.

1 Chr. 4. 24.

1 Chr. 6. 1, 16.

8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Ex. 1. 1; 6. 14 9 Jacob and his sons: 'Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. And the sons of Reuben; 10 Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and "Zohar, and Shaul the son of a 11 Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but P1 Chr. 2. 3; 4 21. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron 13 and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These be the sons of 15 Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah. All 16 the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. And the sons of 17 Gad; 'Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. "And

7 ch. 38. 3, 7, 10.

ch, 38. 29; 1 Chr. 2. 5.

1 Chr. 7. L

Num. 26. 15, etc.,
Zephon.

1 Chr. 7. 30.

ch. 30. 10.
ch. 29. 24.

ch. 44 27.

ach. 41. 50.

1 Chr. 7. 6; 8. 1. Num. 26,38 Ahiram. d Num. 26. 39, Shupham; 1 Chr. 7, 12, Shuppim.

the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Íshuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their 18 sister and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, 19 even sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah priest [or, prince] of On, bare unto him. 21And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and 22 Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, “Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. These are the sons 23 of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. And the 24 sons of Dan; Hushim. And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and 25 Jezer, and Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven. 26 'All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, ch. 30. 5. 7. 27 besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six: and the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: "all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

28

i

Hupham, Num. 26.

39.

1 Chr. 7. 12. gor, Shuham, Num. 26. 42. A1 Chr. 7. 13,

kel. 19. 29.

Ex. 1. 5.
Deu. 10. 22.
Ac. 7. 14.

• ch. 47. 1.

Jacob's arrival and settlement in Egypt with all his family. AND he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, "to direct his face unto Goshen;" ch. 31. 21. 20 and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto 30 him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel so ch. 45. 14. said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art 31 yet alive. And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's 32 house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the men are

9

1 Probably fearing that mutual reproaches might pro

duce a quarrel. See chap. xlii. 21, 22.

? Jacob did not pass the place where he and his fathers had worshipped, nor cross the boundary of Canaan, without obtaining the sanction and blessing of God.

3 Referring to his descendants.

? so L.k. 2. 29, 30. ch. 47. 1.

See

4 In this number Er and Onan are of course omitted. 5 That is, beside Jacob himself: when he is added, with Joseph and his two children, all the souls of his house' are seventy. See ver. 27.

ch. 47. 2, 3

shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their 33 flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass, when 34 Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say,What is your occupation? that ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle" from our youth even until now, ver. 32; 1 Cor. 7. 24 both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen;1 for every shepherd' is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

y

b

47 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land 2 of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And he took some of 3 his brethren, even five men, and "presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, 4 Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

5

C

d

"ch. 30. 35; 24 5; 37.12.

ch. 43 32; Ex. 8. 26

ch. 46. 31.
ch. 45. 10; 48. 28.
ch. 16. 33.

a Ac. 7. 13.

ch. 46. 34.

d eh. 15. 13; Dea.265

ch. 43. 1; Ac. 7. 11. fch. 46. 31.

A ver. 4.

And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are 6 come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land 6 ch. 20. 15; 45. 18-20 make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

7

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh and 8 Jacob blessed' Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 [How many are the days of the years of thy life?] And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: * few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and 'have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

11

0

1 Chr. 29. 15; Ps 39. 12; 119. 54: Heb. 11. 9. 13: 1 Pet. 211 * Job 14 1; Ps. 39. 4, 5: 90. 12; Jam. 4.14. ch. 5, 7:11. 11: 25 7:35, 28. Job 42.16 ver. 7.

Ter. 6

And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of " Rameses, as Pharaoh Ex. 1. 11; 12. 7. 12 had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

13

Joseph's administration in Egypt during the famine.

P ch. 41. 30; Ac. 7. 11.

AND there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, ch. 41. 56. and in the land of Canaan,' for the corn which they bought and Joseph brought 15 the money into Pharaoh's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give 16 us bread for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that

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When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not aught left in the sight of my lord, but 19 our bodies, and our lands: wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land?buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants" unto Pharaoh and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be 20 not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so 21 the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities

1 Thus, while enjoying a fertile settlement, they would be kept distinct from the Egyptians, and preserved from the contamination of their idolatry and vices.

2 That is, every wandering shepherd; for Pharaoh and the Egyptians had cattle themselves (chap. xlvii. 6, 18). The dislike of a settled people to the predatory habits of the wandering tribes was in their case augmented by the recent oppression of the Hyksos. We learn from ancient historians that Egypt had been overrun and subdued by a wandering pastoral people from the north-east, who were afterwards expelled, probably a little before Joseph was brought thither.

3 Eastern salutations still retain the form, though they have lost the spirit, of religious benediction.

ver. 19.

Neh. 5. 2, 3

4 Joseph's provident care, whilst it preserved the lives of many beside the Egyptians, must have greatly enriched that monarchy with the wealth of other nations.

5 Rather, the next year;' for it was probably the last of the seven.

6 Ancient records lead us to suppose that, till now, the authority of the Pharaohs over several districts and petty princes of Egypt was often little more than nominal. Now, however, that monarchy was consolidated by the purchase of the land, which was henceforth to be rented of the crown (see vers. 24, 26); by the provision for a regular revenue derived from a moderate taxation; and by the formation of cities, as centres both of authority and of wealth.

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! Ezra 7. 24.

"eh. 41. 45; 2 Sam.

8. 18.

22 from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.' 'Only the land of the "priests [or, princes] bought he not; for the priests' had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: 23 wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, 24 and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, forch. 41. 34; Le. 27. 32. seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food 25 for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find 26 grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; "except the land of the priests [or, princes] only, which became ⚫ver. 22 not Pharaoh's.

27

Jacob gives directions respecting his burial, and blesses Joseph and his two sons. AND Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they 28 had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred 29 forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with 30 me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he 31 said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware

3

y cb. 45. 7: Pro. 11.26. ch. 33. 15.

b ver. 11.

ch. 28. 14; 46. 3.

d so Deu. 31. 14; 1
K. 2. 1; Job 7. 1;
Heb. 9. 27.

eh. 24. 2.
ch. 24. 49.
so eh. 50, 25,

A ch. 25. 9; 2 Sam.
19. 37 Heb. 11. 14.

i eh. 49. 29; 50. 5, 13. keh. 48. 2: 1 Ki. 1. 47: Heb. 11. 21.

4 ch. 28. 13, 19; 35. 6, 9, etc.

unto him. And * Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.' 48 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father 2 is sick and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened 3 himself, and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared 4 unto me at 'Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting ch. 17. 8. 5 possession. And now thy "two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as 6 Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in 7 their inheritance. And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.

8

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And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said 9 unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And 10 he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them 11 near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also 12 thy seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed 13 himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards 14 Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. "And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15

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"ch. 41. 50: 46 20: Jos. 13. 7: 14. 4; ch. 16. & 17; 1 Chr. 5. 1, 2.

ch. 35. 9, 16-19.

see refs, ch. 33. 5. ch. 27. 1.

9 ch. 27. 4.

ch. 27. 27. teh. 37. 33; 42. 36; 45. 26.

"Heb. 11. 21.

* ver. 19.

Heb. 11. 21.
ch. 17. 1; 24. 40.

And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham 16 and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them. 9. 12; Aec. 15. 17.

That is, throughout the country; the people who cultivated the land being removed to the adjacent towns. 2 The caste of nobles.

3 This would remind Joseph, and all his family, that Canaan, not Egypt, was to be their country.

4 The Greek translators, differing only in a vowel point, render the word 'staff.' The idea, however, is the same; as the spear of the warrior and the staff of the chief were set at the bed's head. The patriarch turned himself in a posture of devotion. See Heb. xi. 21.

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C

ver. 14.

d ver. 14: eh. 17. 20, 21; 23 23

17 grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's 18 head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the first19 born; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, "I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall 20 become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee Num. 1. 3-5:2 shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: & and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21

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And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and 22 bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover 'I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took' out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

Jacob prophetically blesses his sons.

49 AND Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you "in the last days.'

2

3

Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob;

And "hearken unto Israel your father.

Reuben, thou art my firstborn,-my might, and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel:*

5

Because thouwentest up to thy father's bed;

Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Simeon and Levi are 'brethren;

"Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations."

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6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret;

y Unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their selfwill they digged down a wall."

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;—and their wrath, for it was cruel:

8

I will' divide them in Jacob,-and scatter them in Israel.

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:*

Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies ;3

Thy father's children shall bow down before thee.10

9 Judah is a lion's whelp :-from the prey, my son, thou art gone up:

A He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

And as an old lion;" who shall rouse him up?

12

k

10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,—nor a lawgiver 'from between his feet,
Until Shiloh come;" and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine,-and his ass's colt unto the choice vine;'

0

1 Though Manasseh had more land, Ephraim was always the more powerful tribe, ranking next to Judah; so that the ten tribes, after their separation from the kingdom of Judah, were called collectively by the name of Ephraim. See Hos. viii., ix.

2 This is supposed by many to refer to an event otherwise unnoticed, in Jacob's life, when he had to regain by force the land he had purchased near Shechem.

3 Or, hereafter. This chapter contains prophecies of the future destinies and characters of the tribes, as well as references to their founders. It should be compared with Deut. xxxiii.; and with the allotments of the different tribes, as recorded in Joshua.

4 No judge, prophet, prince, or person of renown is found of this tribe; nor was the tribe itself ever distinguished for anything good.

5 Or, their swords are weapons of violence;' but perhaps it is better to read, with the Septuagint and Samaritan, They perpetrated wickedness by their schemes.'

6 Or, 'houghed oxen;' or, perhaps, 'destroyed a prince;' i. e. Hamor or Shechem (chap. xxxiv).

7 Jacob is said to do that which he predicts. Similar phraseology is common in prophetical writings.

8 In allusion to the meaning of his name (Praise).

9 Or, over all thine enemies thou shalt be victorious.' 10 The supremacy and the great promise of Messiah are separated from the rest of the birthright and given to

13

19, 21: Des. 31 17;
Rev 7. 6.8.
so Ruth 4. 11, 12
Num. 10, 22, 23

A eh. 46. 4: 50. 21.
i ch. 33. 19. Jos
3: 1 Chr. 5. 1, 2.
John 4. 5.

ch. 15. 16: 34. 28;
Jos. 17. 14, etc.

¡ Deu. 33 1: Am. 27. Deu. 4. 30: Num. 24. 14: Is. 2. 7; 39. 6; Jer. 23, 20; Dan. 2. 28, 29: A. 2. 17; Heb. 1. 2

"Pa. 34. 11.

ch. 29. 32.
Deu. 21. 17; Ps. 78

51.

1 Chr. 5. 1; Jam. 1.8. ch. 35. 22; Deu Z.

20, 1 Chr. 5 L ch. 29. 33, 34

1 Pro. 18. 9.

rh. 34 25-29,

Pro, 1. 15. 16

y Ps. 26. 4, 5, 9; 28 3:

Eph. 5. 11.

P. 16. 9; 30 12; 57. 8.

ach. 31. 2.

b Mt. 5 22.

Jos. 19. 1-9: 21 5-7:1 Chr. 4. 21,39.

d eh.29 35, Deu. 33. 7. Judg. 1. 1, 2, Ps. 18.40.

ch. 27. 29; 1 Chr.5 2

5 Hus. 5. 14: Rev. 5.5 A Num. 21. 24; 24. 9. i Num 24. 17: Jer. 3

21; Zeeh, 10. 11.

& P. 67: 108. 8; or, Num. 21. 18.

Den. 28. 57.

I. 9. 6; 11. 1-5: 62 11: Jer. 2. 5, 6; Eze. 21. 27; Dan. 9. 25, 2: Mr. 1. 21; 21. 9: Lk. 1. 32. 33 P 72 8, 11; 1 2; 11. 10. 11; 42. L 4: 49. 6. 7, 22. 23: 55 4,5; 60 1,3-5: Hag. 2.7: LA. 1.32, 33; 2. 30-32 John 12. 32. R 15 12: Rev. 11. 15. 2 Ki. 18 3

Judah. See 1 Chron. v. 2, and note on chap. xlviii. 5.

11 Rather, lioness.' These figures, rising in a beautiful climax, indicate the warlike character and power of the tribe. First, it is compared to a lion's whelp, then to a full-grown lion, then to a lioness, which, when roused in defence of her cubs, exceeds all in fierce

ness.

·

The

12 Some of the most ancient versions give this word the meaning, He to whom it (i. e., the sceptre or kingdom) belongs.' But as the text now stands it is better to render it peace,' or 'the peaceful one.' Having announced the sovereignty of Judah, the patriarch goes on to declare that it should have no end, until one should come bearing the name of 'Shiloh,' whose sway both Israel and all mankind should acknowledge. subsequent history presents the fulfilment of this prediction. In the journeyings of the Israelites through the wilderness, and under the theocracy in the promised land, this tribe took the precedence; after the return from Babylon, it absorbed the others, and gave its name to the whole nation; and even under the dominion of the Romans it retained a measure of authority. But, on the appearance of Christ, all this quickly passed away to make room for the spiritual and universal reign of the Prince of Peace.

13 On the hills of Judah the vine was extensively cultivated, and numerous flocks were pastured.

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