not compleat as appears by comparing this with IX 28 29. where he is said to have lived three hundred and fifty Years after the Flood and in all nine hundred and fifty Whereas it should have been nine hundred fifty one if he had been full six hundred Years old when the Flood began V. 10. And it came to pass after seven Days c. As he had said verse 4. Ver. 11. In the second Month. Of the Year not of the six hundredth Year of Noah's life i. e. In October for anciently the Year began in September Which was changed among the Israelites in Memory of their coming out of Egypt into March Exod. XII 2. The seventeenth Day of the Month. Which was the beginning of our November All the Fountains of the great deep were broken up c. Here are two Causes assigned of the Deluge First The breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep And Secondly The opening the Windows of Heaven By the great Deep is meant those Waters that are contained in vast quantities within the Bowels of the Earth Which being pressed upward by the falling down of the Earth or some other Cause unknown to us gushed out violently at several parts of the Earth where they either found or made a vent For that 's meant by breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep The great holes or rather gaps that were made in the Earth at which those subterraneous Waters burst out This joined with the continual Rains for forty Days together might well make such a Flood as is here described For Rain came down not in ordinary Showers but in Floods Which Moses calls opening the Windows or Flood-gates of Heaven And the LXX translate Cataracts Which they can best understand who have seen those fallings of Waters in the Indies called Spouts Where Clouds do not break into Drops but fall with a terrible violence in a Torrent In short it is evident from this History that the Waters did once cover the Earth we know not how deep so that nothing of the Earth could be seen till God separated them and raised some into Clouds and made the rest fall into Channels which were made for them and commanded dry Land to appear Gen. I. 2 7 10. Therefore it is no wonder if these Waters were raised up again by some means or other to cover the Earth as before Especially when the Waters above the Firmament came down to join with those below as they did at the beginning This some wise Heathen look'd upon as a possible thing For Seneca treating of that fatal Day as he calls it L. III. Nat. Quest c. 27. when the Deluge shall come for he fansied it still Future questions how it may come to pass Whether by the force of the Ocean overflowing the Earth or by perpetual Rains without intermission or by the swelling of Rivers and the opening of new Fountains or there shall not be one Cause alone of so great a mischief but all these things concurr uno agmine ad exitium humani generis in one Troop to the Destruction of Mankind Which last Resolution he thinks is the Truth both there and in the last Chapter of that Book Where he hath these remarkable Words Where hath not Nature disposed Moisture to attack us on all sides when it pleases Immanes sunt in abdito lacus c. There are huge Lakes which we do not see much of the Sea that lies hidden many Rivers that slide in secret So that there may be Causes of a Deluge on all sides when some Waters flow in under the Earth others flow round about it which being long pent up overwhelm it and Rivers join with Rivers Pools with Pools c. And as our Bodies sometimes dissolve into Sweat so the Earth shall melt and without the help of other Causes shall find in it self what will drown it c. There being on a sudden every where openly and secretly from above and from beneath an eruption of Waters Which Words are written as if he had been directed to make a Commentary upon Moses Ver. 12. And the Rain was upon the Earth forty Days c. It continued raining so long without any intermission Ver. 13. In the self-same Day c. In that very Day when the Rain began did Noah and his Family c. finish their going into the Ark. Which could not be done in a Day or two but required a good deal of time And now he had compleated it the very last Creature being there bestowed For it is likely he put in all other things first and then went in himself with his Wife and Children and their Wives Who were no sooner entred but the Waters brake in upon the Earth from beneath and came down pouring from above Ver. 16. The LORD shut him in Or shut the Door after him Closed it so fast that the Waters could not enter though it was not pitched as the rest of the Ark. How this was done we need not enquire It is likely by an Angelical Power which I supposed before conducted the several Creatures into the Ark. Ver. 17. And the Flood was forty Days upon the Earth c. After forty Days Rain the Waters were so high that they bare up the Ark so that it did not touch the Earth Ver. 18. And the Waters prevailed By more Rain which fell after the forty Days the Inundation grew strong and mighty as the Hebrew word signifies so strong that the Waters bore down Houses and Trees as some expound it And were increased greatly He said before verse 17. they were increased but now that they were greatly increased Which must be by more Rain still falling on the Earth though not in such uninterrupted Showers as during the forty Days And the Ark went upon the Face of the Waters Moved from place to place as the Waves drove it Ver. 19. And the Waters prevailed exceedingly upon the Earth This is an higher Expression than before signifying their rising still to a greater pitch by continued Rains And all the high Mountains that were under the whole Heaven were covered There were those anciently and they have their Successors now who imagined the Flood was not Universal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but only there where Men then dwelt as the Author of the Questions Ad Orthodoxos tells us Q. 34. But they are confuted by these Words and by other Passages which say all Flesh died For the truth is the World was then fully peopled as it is now and not only inhabited in some Parts of it as may be easily demonstrated if Men would but consider That in the space of One thousand six hundred fifty six Years when Men lived so long as they then did their increase could not but be six times more than hath been in the space of Five thousand Years since Mens lives are shortned as we now see them Therefore it is a strange weakness to fansie that only Palaestine Syria or Mesopotamia or some such
another Light being the Work of the first Day Ver. 6. And God said Let there be a firmament The next thing that God commanded to come forth of the Chaos was the Air particularly that Region next to us wherein the Fowls fly as it is expounded afterwards verse 20. The Hebrew word Rachia properly signifies a Body expanded or spread forth as may be seen in Exod. XXXIX 3. Isai XL. 19. Jer. X. 9. where it can have no other meaning but is by the LXX translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and from thence by us Firmament because the Air though vastly extended and fluid yet continues firm and stable in its place In the midst of the Waters and let it divide the Waters from the Waters This Region of the Air manifestly parts the Waters above it in the Clouds from those below it here upon Earth the one of which Waters bear a good proportion and are in some measure equal unto the other for there are vast Treasures of Water in the Clouds from whence the Waters here below in Springs and Rivers are supplied This appeared afterwards in the Deluge which was partly made by continued Rains for many days The great Objection against this Exposition is That now there were no Clouds neither had it after this rained on the Earth Gen. II. 6. But it must be considered That neither were the Waters below as yet gathered into one place And therefore Moses here speaks of the Air as a Body intended to be stretched between the Waters above and beneath when they should be formed That the Clouds above are called Waters in the Scripture-Language is plain enough from Psalm CIV 3. Jer. X. 13. and other places Ver. 7. And God made the firmament and divided c. What his Divine Will ordered his Power effected by that Light which rowled about the CHAOS and that Heat which was excited within it whereby such Exhalations were raised as made the Firmament That is the thicker Parts of them made this Region of the Air which is the lower firmament verse 20 And the thinner Parts of them made the Aether or higher Firmament wherein the Sun and the Planets are seated verse 14 15. Ver. 8. And God called the firmament Heaven Made it so different from the rest of the Mass called Earth that it had the Name of Heaven to distinguish it from the other So all above the Earth is called as appears by the following part of the Chapter in the Verses now mentioned And that 's the very import of the word Schamaim which in the Arabick Language as Aben Ezra observes signifies heighth or altitude And the Evening and the Morning were the second Day This was the Work of another whole Day Concerning which it is commonly noted That it is not said of this as of all the Works of the other five Days God saw that it was good What the reason of this should be is enquired by all Interpreters and the most solid Account that I can find of it is this That the Waters mentioned upon this Day were not yet separated and distinguished from the Earth And therefore in the next Day 's Work when he did gather the Waters together verse 10. and when he commanded the Earth which was become dry to bring forth verse 1.2 these words God saw that it was good are twice repeated Which made Picherellus and Ger. Vossius think the two next Verses 9 10. belonged to the second Days Work and that the first words of the ninth Verse should be thus translated And God had said Let the Waters under the Heaven c. And so the words in the end of the tenth Verse God saw that it was good relate to the second Day L. 2. de Orig. Idolol c. 67. Ver. 9. And God said Let the Waters under the Heaven All the Waters which continued mixed with the Earth and covered the surface of it Be gathered together c. Collected into one Body by themselves And let the dry Land appear Distinct and separate from the Waters There being such large portions of Matter drawn out of the CHAOS as made the Body of Fire and Air before-mentioned there remained in a great Body only Water and Earth but they so jumbled together that they could not be distinguished It was the Work therefore of the third Day to make a separation between them by compacting together all the Particles which make the Earth which before was Mud and Dirt and then by raising it above the Waters which covered its Superficies as the Psalmist also describes this Work Psalm CIV 6. and lastly by making such Caverns in it as were sufficient to receive the Waters into them Now this we may conceive to have been done by such Particles of Fire as were left in the Bowels of the Earth Whereby such Nitro-sulphureous Vapours were kindled as made an Earthquake which both lifted up the Earth and also made Receptacles for the Waters to run into as the Psalmist otherwise I should not venture to mention this seems in the fore-mentioned place to illustrate it Psalm CIV 7. where he says At thy rebuke they i. e. the Waters fled at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away And so God himself speaks Job XXXVIII 10. I brake up for it i. e. for the Sea my decreed place and set bars and doors Histories also tell us of Mountains that have been in several Ages lifted up by Earthquakes nay Islands in the midst of the Sea Which confirms this Conjecture That possibly the Waters were at the first separated by this means and so separated that they should not return to cover the Earth For the Word in the beginning of this Verse which we translate gathered comes from Kav which signifies a Square a Rule or perpendicular Line And therefore denotes they were most exactly collected and so poised in such just Proportions that they should not again overflow the dry Land This Work of God whereby the Waters were sent down into their proper Channels and the Earth made dry and fitted for the habitation of such Creatures as were afterwards created is observed by Strabo in his Geography as an act of Divine Providence L. XVII Because says he the Water covered the Earth and Man is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Creature that can live in the Water God made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. many Cavities and Receptacles in the Earth for the Water and raised the Earth above it that it might be fit for Man's habitation Ver. 10. And called the dry Land c. This is sufficiently explained by what hath been said upon Verse 5 8. only this may be added That the word Eretz Earth in Arabick signifies any thing that is low and sunk beneath opposite to Schamaim Heavens which in that Language as I noted before signifies high and lifted up Ver. 11. And God said Let the Earth bring forth grass the Herb yielding c. Or rather it should be translated and the Herb yielding
should one day make Discourse XXV where he observes that the more lively to express this God so disposed That the very Place where the Ram was offered instead of Isaac should be the Place of Sacrifice for Israel For there it was where the LORD answered David by Fire from Heaven 1 Chron. XXI 26. and so designed it for the Place he had chosen for his Altar There David pitched him a Tabernacle 1 Chron. XXII 1. and there Solomon built him an House 2 Chron. III. 1. Ver. 14. Jehovah-jireh The LORD will see or provide That is take care of their Safety who sted-fastly obey him As it is said to this day Which is thus called to this day Or as others interpret it now it is a proverbial Speech when Men are in great straits in the Mount of the LORD it shall be seen Where a double variation is observed from what was said before For here is Jehovah instead of Elohim verse 12. and then Jeraeh instead of jireh i. e. the Passive instead of the Active Signifying that the LORD will not only see or provide but make himself conspicuous by so providing that all shall behold the Care he takes of those that fear him Ver. 15. And the Angel of the LORD called c. This confirms what was noted on verse 12. that it was God himself who called to Abraham to stay his Hand and now says By my self have I sworn saith the LORD c. What can be clearer as Hackspan glosses Disput II. de Nominibus Divinis n. 16. than that we are to turn away our Eyes from the Angel and fix them upon God who blessed Abraham and is called the LORD for whose sake verse 12. Abraham spared not his only Son In all like Cases therefore which exceed the Angelical Dignity we are always to understand some such words as these here mentioned Neum Jehovah thus saith the LORD Ver. 16. By my self have I sworn c. I observed upon XII 7. and XVII 6. That God inlarged his Mercies to Abraham proportionable to his Obedience Which is apparent in this great and last Trial of all the offering his Son Which was rewarded by the Ratification of God's former Promise or Covenant by a most solemn Oath By my self have I sworn I will multiply thy Seed c. This was promised before but not confirmed by an Oath And besides the very Promise is now more Affectionate if I may so stile it in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee c. In the latter end also of the Blessing there seems to be couched the highest of all Blessings That God would make his own only Son such a Sacrifice as Abraham was ready to have made his Son Isaac That all the Nations of the World verse 18. might be blessed in him i. e. all that would follow the Faith of Abraham So Abarbinel himself interprets it upon XII 3. Ver. 17. Possess the Gates that is the Cities of his Enemies And consequently their Country For the Gates being taken thereby they entred into their Cities And their Cities being surrendred the Country was conquered Ver. 18. In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed God promised to make Abraham's Seed as numerous as the Stars of Heaven XV. 5. which Promise he assures him here shall be fulfilled in Isaac verse 17. But moreover directs him to expect after the multiplying of his Posterity One particular Seed who should bring a Blessing to all Mankind This Singularity St. Paul observes and presses very much Gal. III. 16. applying it to the Messiah And it is further observable that there is an increase of Sence in these words as there is in the former For he doth not simply say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall be blessed but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall bless themselves or count themselves blessed in him To show as Jacobus Altingius thinks that this Person should not stand in need of any Blessing himself as the rest of Abraham's Seed did But be the Author of all Blessings unto others who should derive them from him alone L. II. Schilo c. 2. Because thou hast obeyed c. As a Reward the word in the Hebrew signifies for obeying my Voice Ver. 19. Went together to Beer-sheba Where he had for some time setled his abode XXI 33. Ver. 20. Milcah hath born Children c. The following Genealogy is set down to show whence Rebekah the Wife of Isaac was descended For she alone of all Bethuel's Daughters which is probable were many is mentioned verse 23. Ver. 21. Huz his first-born There were two other of this Name One the Son of Aram X. 23. another of the Posterity of Esau XXXVI 28. But this Vz here mentioned is be from whom Job descended Whose Country was called Ausitis so the LXX translate Vz Job I. 1. and his Posterity called Ausitae by Ptolemy who were a People of Arabia Deserta near Chaldaea not far from Euphrates Buz. From whom came Elihu the Buzite Job XXXII 2. a People in some part of the same Country or near it Aram. Who inhabited perhaps some part of Syria Which had the Name of Aram from another mentioned X. 23. Ver. 22. Chesed He was the Father of the Chaldaeans who are called Chasdim in Scripture from this Chesed or Chasad as some read it Where the rest that follow setled or whether they had any Posterity or no I cannot find It 's likely they never grew to make a Nation or a Family and so left no Name behind them Ver. 24. And his Concubine This was not an ill Name in these ancient Times But signifies a Wife who was not the Mistress of the Family but only taken for the increase of it by Procreation of Children Such Wives were generally Servants whereas the Prime Wife was a Free-Woman or made so by being married to govern the Family and bring Children to inherit the Estate CHAP. XXIII Ver. 1. AND Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty c. The whole Verse may be thus translated And the years of the life of Sarah were in the whole an hundred twenty and seven years It being usual with the Hebrews to repeat a word as Life is here when they would signifie any thing to be compleat And Sarah is the only Woman whose intire Age is set down in Scripture Ver. 2. Kirjath-arba i. e. The City of Arba who was a famous Man among the Anakims as we read Josh XIV ult and either built this City or made it the place of his residence from whence it took his Name It doth not appear when Abraham left Beer-sheba and removed to this place The same is Hebron A very ancient City as appears from Numb XIII 22. When it assumed this Name instead of Kirjath-Arba is not certain But some conjecture it might be after Abraham purchased a Burial-place in this Country See XIII 18. Abraham came Some fansie he was in some other Part of the Country
Parables as he calls them in one of which every word hath some peculiar signification In the other the whole Parable represents the thing intended but every word hath not it's weight some serving only for Elegance Among the first sort he reckons this In which the Ladder may be thought to represent the Divine Providence which governs all things and particularly now directed Jacob in his Journey every step of which was under God's Guidance It being set upon the Earth denoted he thinks the stedfastness of Providence which nothing is able to shake And the top of it reaching to Heaven signifies that it extends it self all the World over to every thing great or small high or low And the several steps in the Ladder the Motions and Actions of Divine Providence The Angels which went up and down signifies that they are the great Ministers of God's Providence by whom he manages all things here below And that they are never idle but always in motion to serve those especially who serve God faithfully Their ascending represents their going to receive the Divine Orders and Commands and their descending the execution of his Orders Or with a peculiar respect to Jacob's present Condition the one signified their safe Conduct of him in his Journey to Padan-Aram and the other their bringing him safe home again This is infinitely more solid than the Conceit of almost all the ancient Rabbins that God represented in this Ladder the rise and the fall of the four great Monarchies For where is there any mention in this Dream of four Angels Or of seventy Steps representing the seventy Years Captivity in Babylon Or of two and fifty Steps representing the time of the Reign of the four Kings of Persia and Media according to their computation c. All this is the pure invention of idle Men who dream upon the Holy Scriptures Ver. 13. And behold the LORD stood above it Finally he saw the Divine Majesty or Glory so the Targum here expounds it as the unmovable Mover of all things From whom all comes as the first Cause and to whom all returns as the last End I am the LORD God c. This is the first time that we read of God's appearing to Jacob And it was only in a Dream But it made such a deep impression upon him that he doubted not of the Truth of what was now expresly promised him by God himself that he should have the blessing of Abraham as his Father had told him verse 4. Ver. 15. Behold I am with thee Or will be with thee i. e. My peculiar Providence shall be over thee and take Care of thy safety as Maimonides well expounds it in his More Nevoch P. III. cap. 18. I will not leave thee c. This shows the intent of the Dream was to comfort Jacob in his solitary and poor Condition by an assurance that God's watchful Providence should attend him till he had accomplished all his Promises to him Ver. 16. Surely the LORD is in this place By his special extraordinary Presence For here he had manifested himself to him and given him singular Assurances of his Favour and that the very first Night after he went from home Which made this place more acceptable to him than his Father's House For now he was become a Prophet as Maimonides observes More Nevoch P. II. cap. 45. where he says That they who Prophesie in a Dream do not call it a Dream after Prophecy is come to them in a Dream but simply say it was a Prophecy Thus the Patriarch Jacob after he awakned out of his Prophetick Dream wherein he heard the LORD speak to him verse 13 14. he doth not call it a Dream but roundly says Surely the LORD is in this place c. And I knew it not I did not expect to meet with such a Divine Appearance and Revelation to me Ver. 17. And he was afraid Possessed with a Religious Awful Apprehension of God Which made him say How dreadful is this place With what Reverence ought I here to behave my self This is none other but the House of God The Divine Majesty dwells here This is not a common Place but a Sacred having a Divine Presence in it And this is the Gate of Heaven Here God keeps his Court attended by his Holy Angels Whom he had seen come from Heaven hither and go up from hence thither So Mr. Mede explains it Book II. p. 436. The Presence of God in one Place more than another consists in his Train or Retinue A King is there where his Court is And so God is there specially present where the Angels keep their Station Which is the meaning of the Gate of Heaven i. e. Heaven's Court For the Gate was wont to be the Judgment-Hall and the Place where Kings and Senators used to sit attended by their Guards and Ministers Ver. 18. Took the Stone and set it up for a Pillar Upon the top of some other Stones which he heaped up together That it might remain as a Monument of the Divine Mercy to him and preserve the Memory of this Heavenly Vision And that by this Token he might know this Place when God brought him back again and commemorate his Goodness to him here This Stone was held in great Veneration by the Jews in future times and translated to Jerusalem After the destruction of which by Titus they were wont upon that Day when it was taken which was the only Day they were permitted to come thither with great Lamentation and rending their Garments to go and anoint this Stone Such is the Power of fond Superstition See Vossius de Idolol Lib. VI. cap. 38. Poured Oil on the top of it Not in honour of this Stone as Bonfrerius himself confesses much less of any Idol to which it was dedicated But to consecrate it as a Monument of God's great Mercy to him in the before-mentioned Celestial Vision Oil it appears by this was anciently used in consecrating things before the Law of Moses And not only in this Family but in others also it is probable from whence the Pagan Custom came of anointing Stones which by Theophrastus are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon which Superstitious People were wont when they met with them in the High-ways to pour Oil and fall down and worship A great many Authors mention them which are collected by Elmenhorstius in his Observations upon Arnobius p. 37. They that would be satisfied how wretchedly some of the Romish Writers plead for the worship of Images from this very place may read Dr. Jackson's Treatise of the Original of Vnbelief Chap. XXXV where he excellently explains this action of Jacob n. 5 6 7. Ver. 19. And he called the Name of that place Bethel From this word Bethel came the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Scaliger in his Animadv upon Euseb p. 198. and others think among the Heathen Whereby they denoted rude Stones which they worshipped either as Symbols of Divinity or
Hebrew Nation That he who gave them the Law contained in these Books was the King and Law-giver of the whole World Which was like a great City governed by him Whom therefore he would have them look upon not only as the Enacter of their Laws but of those also which all Nature obeys See L. VII De Praepar Evang. c. 9 10. L. XII c. 16. The Heaven and the Earth The Hebrew Particle Eth put before both Heaven and Earth signifies as much as with if Maimonides understood it aright and makes the Sence to be this He created the Heavens with all things in the Heavens and the Earth with all things in the Earth as his Words are in More Nevochim P. II. cap. 30. Certain it is these two words Heaven and Earth comprehend the whole visible World Some would have the Angels comprehended in the word Heaven particularly Epiphanius Haeres LXV n. 45. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But others of the Fathers are of a different Opinion as Petavius there observes It is a pretty Conceit of Theophilus Antiochenus L. 2. ad Autolycum That the Heavens are mentioned before the Earth to show that God's Works are not like ours For he begins at the top we at the bottom That is he first made the fixed Stars and all beyond them fo I take the word Heaven here to signifie for they had a beginning as well as this lower World though they do not seem to be comprehended in the six days Work which relates only to this Planetary World as I may call it which hath the Sun for its Center And thus Philo understood the first word Bereschith in the beginning to respect the order wherein things were created God began his Creation with the Heaven as the most noble Body and then proceeded to the Earth an account of which follows Ver. 2. And the Earth was without form c. Some connect this Verse with the foregoing by translating the first Verse in this manner When God first created or began to create the Heaven and the Earth the Earth was without form c. That is at first he only created a rude Matter of those things which afterwards were fashioned as we now see them Without form A confused indigested heap without any order or shape And void Having no Beasts nor Trees nor Herbs nor any thing else wherewith we now behold it adorned So these two words Tohu Vabohu are used in Scripture where we meet with them which is not often for confusion and emptiness XXXIV Isaiah 11. IV Jer. 23. Being a description of that which the Ancients called the CHAOS of which the Barbarians had a Notion no less than the Greeks wherein the Seeds and Principles of all things were blended together This is called in the Pagan Language by Epicharmus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first of the Gods Because all things sprang out of this which was indeed the first of the Works of God who as Moses shows in the sequel produced this beautiful World out of this CHAOS And darkness was upon the face of the deep Nothing was to be seen for want of Light Which lay buried as all things else did in that great Abyss or vast confused heap of Matter before-mentioned So the Hebrew word Tehom signifies which we translate deep tumult and turbid confusion The first Matter being very heterogeneous as they speak i. e. of various sorts and kinds hudled together without distinction And the Spirit of God moved Men have been extreamly fansiful in the exposition of these plain Words Some understanding by the Spirit of God the Sun which gives Spirit and Life to all things upon Earth others the Air or the Wind When as yet there was no Sun in the Firmament nor any Wind that could stir without the Power of the Almighty to excite it This therefore we are to understand to be here meant The Infinite Wisdom and Power of God which made a vehement Commotion and mighty Fermentation by raising perhaps a great Wind upon the face of the Waters That is on that fluid Matter before-mentioned to separate the parts of it one from the other Waters That which Moses before called the Deep he now calls the Waters Which plainly shows that some Parts of the confused Mass were fluid and light as other Parts were solid and heavy The heavy naturally sunk which he calls the Earth and the lighter Parts got above them which he calls the Waters For it is clearly intimated the Waters were uppermost The Word we here translate moved signifies literally brooded upon the Waters as an Hen doth upon her Eggs. So the ancient and modern Interpreters have observed And Morinus who opposes it hath said nothing to make us doubt of this Sence of the Phrase From whence some have not unhappily conjectured the Ancients took their Notion of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a first laid Egg out of which all things were formed That is the CHAOS out of which all the old Philosophers before Aristotle thought the World was produced consisting of Earth and Water of thicker and thinner Parts as an Egg doth of Yolk and White Now the Spirit of God thus moved upon the Waters that by its incubation as we may call it it might not only separate as I said those Parts which were jumbled together but give a vivifick Virtue to them to produce what was contained in them The Souls and Spirits that is of all living Creatures were produced by the Spirit of God as Porphyry saith Numenius understood it For his Opinion he tells us was That all things came out of the Water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being Divinely inspired For which he quoted these Words of the Prophet as he called Moses See Porphyry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on those words of Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which gives us to understand that the Spirits of all living Creatures which we call their active Forms did not arise out of Matter for that is stupid but proceeded from this other Principle the Powerful Spirit of God which moved upon the Face of the Waters by a vital Energy as St. Chrysostom speaks so that they were no longer standing Waters but moving having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a certain living Power in them From whence we may also gather that the Spirits of living Creatures are distinct things from Matter which of it self cannot move at all and much less produce a Principle of Motion And thus indeed all the Ancient Philosophers apprehended this Matter And some of them have most lively expressed it For Laertius in the Life of Anaxagoras tells us that he taught among other things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things were hudled together And then the Mind came and set them in order And Thales before him as Tully informs us L. 1. de Nat. Deor. Aquam dixit esse initium rerum Deum autem eam mentem quae ex aqua cuncta fingeret said Water was the beginning of things And God that Mind who
c. though the copula be omitted which is usual in Scripture Particularly in Habak III. 11. the Sun Moon i. e. the Sun and Moon Moses having shown how the first Matter ver 2. and then the Elements of things as we call them ver 3 6 9 10. were produced he proceeds to the Production of more compounded Bodies And here an account is given of all sorts of Vegetables which are ranged under three Heads Grass which comes up every Year without sowing Herbs bearing a Seed which comprehends as Abarbinel here notes all sort of Corn and whatsoever is sown and Trees which also bear Fruit. There are several kinds of all these which some have cast into Eighteen others into Six and thirty Classes none of which could at the first spring out of the Earth of it self by the power of external and internal Heat and of the Water mixed with it no not so much as one single Pile of Grass without the Almighty Power and Wisdom of God who brought together those Parts of Matter which were fitted to produce them and then formed every one of them and determined their several Species and also provided for their continuance by bringing forth Seed to propagate their Species to the end of all things And here it is very remarkable how God hath secured the Seeds of all Plants with singular Care Some of them being defended by a double nay a treble inclosure Ver. 12. And the Earth brought forth Grass and the Herb c. These things did not grow up out of Seed by such a long process as is now required to bring them to maturity but they sprung up in their Perfection in the space of a Day with their Seeds in them compleatly formed to produce the like throughout all Generations Thus Moses gives a plain Account of the first Production of things according to the natural Method For supposing they had a Beginning the Herb and the Tree must naturally be before the Seed they bear As the Hen is before the Egg she lays And to make a Question which was first as some of the Philosophers did is very frivolous because that Power which alone could produce the Seeds of all things could as easily make the things themselves with a power to propage their kind by Seed It is therefore most judiciously noted by Abarbinel a learned Jew That the Production of Plants in the beginning differed from their Production ever since in these two things First That they have sprung ever since out of Seed either sown by us or falling from the Plants themselves but at the beginning were brought out of the Earth with their Seed in them to propage them ever after And Secondly They need now as they have done since the first Creation the influence of the Sun to make them sprout But then they came forth by the Power of God before there was any Sun which was not formed till the next Day Of this last Theophilus Antiochenus long before Abarbinel took notice L. II. ad Autolycum where he says God produced things in this order foreseeing the Vanity of Philosophers who saying nothing of him made all things to be produced by the Sun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the Elements Porphyry himself also L. II. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could observe out of Theophrastus That the Earth brought forth Trees and Herbs before Beasts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Which Eusebius remembers in his Praepar Evang. L. I. c. 9. p. 28. Ver. 14. Let there be Lights This is a different word from what we had verse 3. signifying as Paulus Fagius observes that which is made out of Light luminous Bodies whereby Light is communicated to us The Hebrew Particle Mem before a word being used to express the Instrument of an Action And so now we are to conceive that the Light produced at first having for three Days circulated about the Earth and that near unto it to further the Production of the things before-mentioned was on this fourth Day distributed into several Luminaries at a great distance from the Earth So it follows In the firmament of Heaven in the upper Region which we call the Aether or Sky where the Sun and the Planets are placed To divide the Day from the Night By a continued circular Motion finished in four and twenty Hours in one part of which by the presence of the Sun the Day is made and in the other part by the Sun's absence Night is made in a constant succession And let them be for Signs and for Seasons That is for Signs of the Times or Seasons as Ger. Vossius expounds it by the Figure of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by Times are meant the Spring Summer Autumn and Winter And by consequence the Seasons for Ploughing Sowing Planting Pruning Reaping Vintage Sailing c. L. de Scientiis Mathemat c. 38. And for Days and Years By a speedy swift Motion round in twenty-four Hours to make Days and by a slower longer Motion to make Years and a grateful variety of Seasons in the several Parts of the Earth which by this annual Motion are all visited with the Sun's Beams Ver. 15. And let them be for Light c. i. e. Let them there continue to give constant Light and Warmth to the Earth And so they do immovably Ver. 16. And God made two great Lights It is observable that nothing is said to have been created since the first Matter out of which all things were made or formed And the two great Lights or Luminaries Inlightners as the word signifies are the Sun which inlightens us by Day and the Moon which inlightens us by Night The Moon indeed is not so great as the rest of the Planets for it is the least of all except Mercury but it affords the greatest Light to us by reflecting the Beams of the Sun to us in its absence and thereby very much abating the disconsolate darkness of the Night He made the Stars also That is the rest of the Planets and their attendants Ver. 17. And God set them in the Firmament of Heaven c. By the repetition of this so often Moses intended to fix in the Peoples Mind this Notion That though the heavenly Bodies be very Glorious yet they are but Creatures made by God and set or appointed by his Order to give us Light And therefore he alone is to be worshipped not they It is commonly taken notice of that there is no mention of the Creation of Angels in all this History nor was there any need of it For the ancient Idolatry consisting in the worship of the Sun Moon and Stars as appears from the very Names of the most ancient Idols in the Old Testament such as Moloch Ashtaroth and the like which they believed to be eternal Beings The great Design of Moses was to confute this Opinion by representing them over and over as the Work of the Eternal God which struck at the very Root of Idolatry The worship of
and Animals The former of which spring out of the Earth indeed but continue fix'd in it and perish if they be separated from it Whereas Animals though made out of the Earth and living upon it have a separate existence and do not still adhere to it After his kind Three sorts of living Creatures are immediately mentioned which were formed out of such Matter as the Earth afforded not simple Earth we must understand no more than before simple Water for it was impregnated with many other Principles the first of which Behemah which we translate Cattle always signifies the Flocks and Herds of tame Beasts when it is distinguished from Chaja which we translate in the end of the Verse Beasts of the Earth that is wild Beasts Between which two he mentions a third kind of living Creatures on the Earth which he calls Remesh creeping things because whatever Feet they have they are so short and small that they seem to the naked Eye to have none at all but to crawl on their Bellies upon the Ground Of all these three kinds there are various sorts wherewith God hath replenished the Earth And of every kind some vastly great and others very little as Abarbinel notes even among Reptiles there being Serpents of a prodigious length and other creeping things far smaller than Ants. Ver. 25. And God made c. The Earth did not bring them forth by Virtue of the Influence of Heaven upon prepared Matter But God framed them out of the Matter so prepared and produced them in their full perfection after their several kinds And God saw it was good Was pleased with the great variety of these Creatures and their compleat Structure fitting them for their several uses Ver. 26. Let us make Man God not only reserved Man for the last of his Works but doth as it were advise and consult about his Production Not to signifie any Deliberation within himself or any Difficulty in the Work but to represent to us the Dignity of Man and that he was made as Abarbinel glosses with admirable Wisdom and great Prudence To the same purpose S. Chrysostom here speaks And see Greg. Nyssen de Opificio Hominis cap. 3. and Orat. I. on these words With Greg. Nazianzen Orat. XLIII p. 699. who observes that God brought him into this World as into a noble Palace ready furnished with all manner of things Which is the Notion also of Methodius See Epiphanius Haeres LXIV n. 18. It is to be observed also That God doth not say Let the Earth bring forth Man as he said before verse 24. of other Animals for the same reason To represent Man as a far more noble Work than any other upon Earth For though he was made as we read in the next Chapter of the dust of the ground yet a greater Power and Skill was imployed in producing a Creature of such Beauty and Majesty Let us The ancient Christians look'd upon this as a plain intimation of a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead Insomuch that Epiphanius says This is the Language of God to his WORD and only Begotten as all the faithful believe Haeres XXIII n. 2. and see Haeres XLIV n. 4. and Haeres XLVI n. 3. where he says Adam was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 formed by the Hand of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost To which one cannot but incline who considers how poorly the Jews expound this place Who fansie a kind of Senate or Council of Angels without whom God doth nothing which they ground upon Dan. IV. 14. whereas there is not the least signification as yet of any such Beings much less that they had any hand in the making Man who was not made in their Image but in the Image of God Yet thus Saturnilus foolishly expounded these words as Epiphanius informs us in the fore-named Haeres p. 62. Edit Paris And Moses Gerundensis still more foolishly imagines God spake to the Earth that it should bring forth Man as it had done other Creatures But Maimonides who magnifies that Saying of their Masters That God doth nothing without his Council is forced to acknowledge More Nevoch P. II. cap. 6. That it is not to be understood as if he askt their Advice or was assisted by their Judgment but only that he used them as Instruments in the producing of every thing Which is directly contrary to the very words which are not in the form of a Command but of a Consultation before Execution Others therefore think God speaks after the manner of Kings who advise with their Council but do things themselves And are wont to speak in the Plural Number when they declare their Pleasure But I take this to be a Custom much later than the Days of Moses when they spake as the King of Egypt doth to Joseph Gen. XLI 41 44. I am Pharaoh and see I have set thee not we have set thee over the land of Egypt In which Stile the King of Persia writes long after this Ezra VI. 8. I Darius make a decree All these poor shifts are a plain confession that they found it very hard as the Socinians do at this day to give any account of this way of speaking without granting a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead And therefore Menasseh Ben Israel in his Conciliator mentions one of their Doctors who in Bereschith Rabba says That when Moses by God's Direction was about to write these words Let us make Man he cryed out O Lord of the World why wilt thou give Men occasion to err about thy most simple Vnity To which he received this answer Write as I bid thee and if any Man love to err let him err The same Story is told by Joseph Albo. Which shows that their Doctors have been long puzzled with this manner of Speech which unavoidably suggested to their Thoughts more than One Person in the Deity Which till they believe they are at a loss what to say about it In our Image after our likeness Two words some think to express the same thing With this difference only as Abarbinel explains it That the last words after our likeness give us to understand that Man was not created properly and perfectly in the Image of God but in a resemblance of him For he doth not say in our likeness says that Author as he had said in our Image but after our likeness where the Caph of similitude as they call it abates something of the Sence of what follows and makes it signifie only an approach to the Divine Likeness in Vnderstanding freedom of Choice Spirituality Immortality c. Thus Tertullian explains it Habens illas ubique lineas Dei quà immortalis anima quà libera sui arbitrii quà praescia plerumque quà rationalis capax intellectus scientiae L. II. contra Marcion cap. 9. And so Gregor Nyssen cap. 16. De Opific Hom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. All have a Power of Considering and Designing of Consulting
and Fore-appointing what we intend to do Purity and Holiness likewise seem to be comprehended in this As may be gathered from the Apostle Coloss III. 10. For the new Man consists in righteousness and true holiness Ephes IV. 24. But though he was created with a Faculty to judge aright and with a Power to govern his Appetite which he could controul more easily than we can do now yet he was not made immutably good quia hoc Soli Deo cedit which belongs to God alone as Tertullian excellently discourses in that place but might without due care be induced to do evil as we see he did For an habituated confirmed estate of Goodness was even then to have been acquired by Watchfulness and Exercise Whereby in process of time he might have become so stedfast that he could not have been prevailed upon by any Temptation to do contrary to his Duty And let them have dominion c. Some have thought the Image of God consisted in this alone See Greg. Nyssen cap. 4. De Opific Hom. p. 143. Which rather follows upon Man's being made in God's Image viz. An intelligent being which gave him Dominion over other things that are not indued with such Understanding I conclude this Note with a very pertinent Observation of his in that Book cap. 16. That Moses speaks more Magnificently of Man than any Philosopher ever did For they could say nothing of him beyond this That he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little World But according to the Churches account his Greatness consists not in his Likeness to the created World but in his being made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the Image of the Nature of the Creator of all things Over all the Earth Over all four-footed Creatures in the Earth though never so wild as Bochartus observes Ver. 27. And God created Man in his own Image From these words Origen gathers there is a great deal of difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Image and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Likeness because though God said verse 26. Let us make Man in our Image and after our Likeness yet here he is said to have made him only in his own Image and not for the present after his Likeness For that saith he Lib. IV. contra Celsum is reserved to the other World when as St. John says 1 Epist III. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we shall be like him But this seems too curious No doubt God made Man just as he designed in such a compleat resemblance of himself that there is no Creature like to Man no more than God hath any equal to himself As some of the Hebrew Doctors explain this Matter And therefore Moses repeats it again In the Image of God created he him To imprint upon the Minds of Men a Sense of the great Dignity of Humane Nature which was foully debased by worshipping any Creature Male and Female created he them He made Woman the same Day he made Man as he did both Sexes of all other living Creatures and as he made Herbs and Plants with Seed in them to propagate their Species on the same Day they were produced It is plain by this also That Woman as well as Man was made in the Image of God And it seems to be pertinently observed by Abarbinel That Moses here again uses the word Create and that three times to denote the Original of Humane Souls which are not made out of pre-existent Matter as our Bodies are but by the Power of God when they had no Being at all Ver. 28. And God blessed them c. The former part of this Blessing be fruitful and multiply God had bestowed before verse 22. upon other Creatures Unto which he adds two things here replenish the Earth and subdue it He gives them the whole Earth for their Possession with a Power to subdue it That is to make it fit for their Habitation by bringing under or driving away wild Beasts For Secondly he gives them the Dominion unto which he designed them in their Creation over all other Creatures whether in the Water Air or Earth And he speaks to them in the Plural Number which is a demonstration that Man and Woman were both created and received his Blessing on the same Day Ver. 29. Behold I have given you c. Here he assigns them their Food and makes no mention at all of Beasts but only of Plants and Fruits of the Earth For Beasts being made by pairs in their several Species we may well suppose as Man and Woman were and not being yet multiplied the killing of Beasts Birds and Fishes would have been the destruction of the kind Whereas there were Plants innumerable and great variety of Fruit for their sustenance And therefore here being no grant made to them of Animals for their Food though no prohibition neither it is very probable they abstained from eating Flesh till after the Flood when God expresly gave them every living thing for Meat as much as the Herbs IX 2. unless it were upon some special occasions As perhaps when they sacrificed living Creatures which they did in process of time IV. 4 though not at the first Ver. 30. And to every Beast c. Here he gives to the Beast and Fowl and Creeping things all Herbs for their Food but saith nothing of Fruit from which we cannot well think the Birds would abstain And therefore they are included in the Phrase of every green Herb. Ver. 31. Very good From these words Epiphanius confutes the Manichees Haeres LXVI n. 18. where there is an explanation of this Phrase God saw that it was good throughout this whole Chapter Where it being said at the end of every Day 's Work God saw it was good and particularly here on the Sixth Day before he had quite ended the Work of it he saith so of the formation of the Beasts ver 25. Abarbinel will have this to relate peculiarly to the Creation of Man and Woman But the beginning of the Verse plainly shows that he speaks of every thing that he had made And therefore their Doctors in Bereschith Rabba whom he mentions say a great deal better That Man is meant in the first and principal place when Moses says God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good CHAP. II. MOSES having given a short Account of the orderly Production of all things from the meanest to the noblest explains more largely in this Chapter some things which were delivered briefly in the foregoing because he would not too much interrupt the coherence of his discourse about the Works of the Six Days Particularly he relates how Eve was made and also further illustrates the Production of Adam c. Ver. 1. Thus the Heavens and the Earth i. e. The visible World Were finished Brought to that Perfection wherein we see them And all the host of them That is all Creatures in Heaven and in Earth which are called Host or Army because of their vast
variety and excellent order Ver. 2. And on the seventh Day God ended his Work Or rather had ended as it may be translated for he did not work on the Seventh Day But rested from all his Work which he had made haing so compleatly finished it that there remained no more to be done An Emblem of the Rest that we shall have when we have done our Work faithfully and left none undone as Origen's words are L. VI. contra Celsum Ver. 3. And God blessed the seventh Day and sanctified it As God sanctified Jeremiah in after-times from his Mother's Womb Jer. I. 5. by ordaining him to be a Prophet So he now determined and appointed the Seventh Day from the very beginning of the World to be observed in Memory of its Creation And this setting it apart and consecrating it to that Holy Use was his blessing it or recommending it to be observed as a Day of blessing and praising him in all his Works of Wonder And I know not why I should not add of his bestowing Blessings upon all his pious Worshippers There is no mention indeed made of Adam's or Abel's c. observing this Day which hath inclined many to conclude these words to have been written by way of anticipation This Day being set apart in after-times by the Law of Moses for God's Service but in their Opinion not till then To which I cannot agree because it seems to me far more reasonable to think That God took Care to preserve the Memory of the Creation in the Minds of Mankind and the Worship of Him the One Only God by whom it was created Which could not be done by any means more effectually than by setting apart this Day for that purpose Which if he had not appointed yet Men being made Religious Creatures I cannot but think they would have agreed upon some set time for the Exercise of their Religion as well as some set Place though that be not mentioned neither where to meet for Divine Service And what time more proper wherein to Honour their Creator with their Sacrifices Praises and Thanksgivings than this Day Which Philo well stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the birth-day of the World Which was so much observed all the World over though they forgot the reason that the Seventh Day he observes may be truly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vniversal Festival kept by all People Josephus speaks to the same purpose and there is a great deal more said by Aristobulus a Peripatetick Philosopher out of Hesiod Homer and others in Eusebius his Praepar Evang. L. XIII c. 12. concerning the Sacredness of the Seventh Day Which though Mr. Selden L. III. de Jure N. G. cap. 17 c. endeavours to prove is meant of the Seventh Day of the Month not of the Seventh Day of the Week yet we may look upon that as a Remain of this ancient Tradition Which in time Men forgot as they did the most Natural Duties having so corrupted their ways as we read Gen. VI. 10 11. that there was nothing good among the generality of them And therefore no wonder if they did not regard the Service of God every Seventh Day To which I shall show in due place Noah the only righteous Man among them had some regard Which continued in the Family of Abraham after the Flood Moses speaking of it not long after their coming out of Egypt where it is likely they were not suffered to observe it having no time free from their intolerable Labours as a Day known to them before the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai Exod. XVI 23 25 26. Which is not to be understood as if the Patriarchs before and after the Flood kept such a Rest as God enjoyned the Israelites by Moses For that was proper to them for a peculiar reason because they had been Slaves in Egypt and therefore were commanded to keep the Sabbath without doing any manner of work upon that Day Deut. V. 15. Which is all the Christian Fathers mean when they say the Patriarchs did not Sabbatizare keep the Sabbath as the Jews did See Tertullian adv Judaeos cap. 2 4. Irenaeus and others For in Religious Offices I doubt not they observed the Seventh Day as a proper time for that Sacred Hymn which Galen himself L. III. de usu Partium says we should all sing to the Creator of all if we our selves first know and then tell others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. how wonderful he is in Wisdom how great in Power and how rich in Goodness Because that in it he had rested from all his work This is the reason why this Day was distinguished from the other Six That a remembrance of God's resting from all his Works on this Day might be preserved by Mens laying aside their other Employments so long as to praise him Solemnly by whom this great World was made Which God created and made Or as the Hebrew phrase is created to make i. e. rested from all the Six Day 's Work For he created something at the first out of which to make all the rest in six Day 's space and now he ceased from all Ver. 4. These are the generations c. That is this is a faithful Account of the Original of the World Which Moses here repeats more deeply to imprint on the Peoples Minds that the World was not a God but the Work of God Which they were to acknowledge every Seventh Day In the Day i. e. At that time so Day often signifies when the LORD God made the Earth and the Heavens It is observed by Tertullian That exinde Dominus qui retro Deus tantum c. from henceforward verse 7 8 9 15 c. he is called LORD who hitherto was called only God Of which he endeavours to give a reason L. adv Hermog cap. 3. The Hebrew Doctors observe that Jehovah Elohim LORD God joyned together is the full and perfect Name of God And therefore fitly reserved till this place when the Works of God were perfected and not before Ver. 5. And every Plant in the Field before it was in the Earth c. That is before there was any Seed to produce them God made them to spring up with their Seed in them as was said before in the first Chapter And Moses here mentions these alone because they were the first Productions out of the Earth without which there had been no Food for living Creatures For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the Earth and there was not a Man to till the Ground Here are two reasons to confirm that Plants were not produced in the way they are now For there had been no showers of Rain nor was there any Man to prepare the Earth to receive the Seed if there had been any both which are necessary in the ordinary Method of Divine Providence ever since the World was made From hence some collect there were no Praedamites People before Adam for then
his Son Lamech the Name of one of Cain's Grand-Children IV. 18. Ver. 12. Begat Mahalaleel This Name imports as much as a Praiser of God Which Cainan imposed upon this Son of his as Jacobus Capellus fansies because he was born after he had lived ten Weeks of Years i. e. when he was Seventy Years old in the beginning of the Sabbatick Year Which was the Eighth Jubilee from the Creation For as there were Sacrifices and a distinction of clean Beasts and unclean so he conceives there might be a distribution of Years by Sevens or Weeks as they spake in after-times from the very beginning of the World But there is no certainty of this Nor of what the fore-named Arabian Writers say of this Mahalaleel that he made his Children swear by the Blood of Abel so Patricides not to come down from the Mountainous Country where they dwelt to converse with the Children of Cain He is mentioned also by the Mahometans as Hottinger observes in his Histor Orient p. 20. Ver. 15. Begat Jared The same Arabian Writers make him also a strictly Pious Man and an excellent Governor But say That in his Days some of Seth's Posterity about an hundred in number notwithstanding all his Persuasions to the contrary would go down and converse with the Children of Cain by whom they were corrupted And thence they fansie he was called Jared which signifies descending either because they went down from the Holy Mountain as they call it where Seth's Posterity dwelt or Piety in his time began very much to decline See Hottinger's Smegma Orient L. I. cap. 8. p. 235 c. Ver. 18. Begat Enoch Whom the Arabians call Edris and represent him as a very learned Man as well as a Prophet And especially skilled in Astronomy See Hottinger Histor Orient L. I. c. 3. and Smegma Orient p. 240. The Greeks anciently had the same Notion of him as appears by a Discourse of Eupolemus which Eusebius quotes out of Alexand. Polyhistor L. IX Praepar Evang. c. 17. where he says Enoch was the first who taught the knowledge of the Stars and that he himself was taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Angels of God and was the same Person whom the Greeks call Atlas Certain it is his Story was not altogether unknown to the ancient Greeks as appears in what they say of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same with Enoch whose Name in Hebrew is Chanoch For Stephanus in his Book De Vrbibus says that this Annacus lived above Three hundred Years and the Oracle told the People that when he died they should all perish as they did in the Flood of Deucalion In which he confounds the History of Enoch and Methuselah as Bochart well observe L. II. Phaleg c. 13. Ver. 21. Begat Methuselah Enoch being a Prophet as we learn from St. Jude and foreseeing the destruction that was coming upon the Earth by a Deluge immediately after the death of this Son of his gave him this Name of Methusela which imports as much For the first part of it Methu evidently carries in it the Name of Death being as much as he dies And sela signifies the sending forth of Water in Job V. 10. And therefore Methusela is as much as when he is dead shall ensue an emission or inundation of Waters to the destruction of the whole Earth Which ingenious Conjecture of Bochartus in his Phaleg L. II. c. 13. is far more probable than any other Account of his Name Ver. 22. Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah Of all the rest Moses only says they lived after they begat those Sons here mentioned but of this Man that he walked with God i. e. Was not only sincerely Obedient to God as we suppose his Fore-fathers to have been but of an extraordinary Sanctity beyond the rate of other Holy Men and held on also in a long course of such singular Piety notwithstanding the wickedness of the Age wherein he lived And the very same Character being given of Noah VI. 9. it may incline us to believe That as Noah was a Preacher of Righteousness so Enoch being a Prophet was not only Exemplary in his Life but also severely reproved the Wickedness of that Age by his Word Ver. 24. And Enoch walked with God Persevered in that Course before-mentioned to the end of his Days And was not He doth not say that he died as he doth of the rest in this Chapter both before and after but that he was not any longer among Men in this World For God took him Translated him to another place Which plainly signifies the different manner of his leaving this World in so much that the Apostle faith he did not see death Heb. XI 5. Which confutes the Conceit of Aben Ezra and R. Solomon and others who would have this word took to signifie that he was snatcht away by an untimely death Contrary to the Opinion of their other better Authors particularly Menachem who in his Commentary on this place saith that God took from Enoch his Bodily Cloaths and gave him Spiritual Raiment But whither he was translated we are not told The Author of the Book of Ecclesiasticus Chap. XLIV according to the vulgar Translation saith into Paradise And upon this Supposition the Aethiopick Interpreter hath added these words to the Text God translated him into Paradise as Ludolphus observes L. III. Commentar in Aethiop Hist Cap. V. n. 40. And accordingly we find in the Calendar of that Church a Festival upon July XXV called The Ascension of Enoch into Heaven for they were not so foolish as to understand by Paradise a place upon Earth but a Heavenly Mansion unto which he was advanced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Eusebius speaks L. VII Praepar Evang. cap. 8. because of his consummate Vertue And it is no unreasonable Conjecture That God was graciously pleased to take him unto himself at this time to support and comfort Mankind in their State of Mortality Adam the Father of them all being dead not above fifty-seven Years before with the hope of a better Life in the other World For which reason it is not improbable that he was translated in some such visible manner as Elijah afterward was by a glorious Appearance of the SCHECHINAH from whence some heavenly Ministers were sent to carry him up above Ver. 25. Begat Lamech The same Name with one of Cain's Posterity IV. 18. But as he was of another Race so he was the Grand-Child and the Father of the best Men in those Days viz. Enoch and Noah Ver. 27. All the Days of Methuselah c. What was wanting in the Days of his Father God in some sort made up in his Age Which was extended to the longest term of all other Men. He died in the very Year of the Deluge according to the import of his Name See Verse 21. Ver. 29. He called his Name Noah Which signifies Rest or Refreshment which proceeds from
Country was drowned by the Flood no more of the Earth being then inhabited For those Countries could not have held the fortieth part of the Inhabitants which were produced between the Creation and the Flood no all the Earth was not more than sufficient to contain them as many have clearly proved Plato says there were in his days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ancient Traditions which affirm'd there had been sundry destructions of Mankind by Floods as well as other ways In which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a small parcel of Mankind were left And particularly he saith concerning Floods That they were so great that only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some very little Sparks of Mankind were saved and those upon the tops of Mountains And the like he saith of Beasts That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very few of them were left to support the life of Mankind L. III. De Legib p. 677. Edit Seran But this appears to have been an imperfect Tradition the higher Mountains having been covered with the Waters as well as the low Countries and that all the Earth over Which need not seem strange if we consider what was said before upon Verse 11. And withal observe that the Diameter of the Earth being seven thousand Miles and consequently from the Superficies to the Center no less than Three thousand five hundred Miles it is not incredible as Sir W. Raleigh discourses L. I. c. 7. § 6. that there was Water enough in the great Deep which being forced up from thence might overflow the loftiest Mountains Especially when Water came pouring down also from above so fast that no Words can express it For there is no Mountain above thirty Miles high upright which thirty Miles being found in the Depths of the Earth One hundred and sixteen times why should we think it incredible that the Waters in the Earth Three thousand five hundred Miles deep might be well able to cover the space of thirty Miles in heighth It would help Mens unbelief if they would likewise consider the vast Inundations which are made yearly in Egypt only from the Rains that fall in Aethiopia And the like Overflowings yearly in America of the great River Orenoque whereby many Islands and Plains at other times inhabited are laid twenty Foot under Water between May and September Ver. 20. Fifteen Cubits upwards did the Waters prevail c. Moses doth not here plainly say That the Waters prevailed fifteen Cubits above the highest Mountains though I do not see but there might be Water enough heaped up by the fore-mentioned means to cover them so high And the whole Verse be thus interpreted The Waters prevailed fifteen Cubits upwards after the Mountains were covered Otherwise by the high Hills in the Verse before we must understand only such single Hills as are in several Countries and by Mountains in this Verse those long Ridges of Hills such as Caucasus and Taurus c. which stretch themselves many hundreds of Miles through a great part of the Earth See VIII 5. Ver. 24. And the Waters prevailed upon the Earth an hundred and fifty Days These words seem to me to import That whatsoever short intermissions there might be yet the Rain continued an Hundred and fifty Days Otherwise it is hard to explain how the Waters increased more and more as it is said verse 17 18 19. Besides had the Rain ended as we commonly suppose at forty Days end the Waters could not have prevailed an Hundred and fifty Days but would have sunk much before that time by reason of the declivity of the Earth And yet they were so far from falling that as Mr. Ray hath observed in his pious and learned Discourse of the Dissolution of the World the tops of Mountains were not seen till the beginning of the tenth Month that is till Two hundred and seventy Days were passed CHAP. VIII Ver. 1. AND God remembred Noah c. Took Compassion upon him and heard his Prayers which we may well suppose he made for himself and for all Creatures that were with him Thus the word remember is used XIX 29. XXX 22. The Hebrew Doctors here again take notice of the word Elohim See VI. 12. which is the Name for Judges and observe that even God's Justice was turned to Mercy Justice it self was satisfied as Sol. Jarchi expresses it And God made a Wind to pass over the Earth c. Some gather from hence that during the fall of the Rain there was no Storm or violent Wind at all but the Rain fell down-right And consequently the Ark was not driven far from the place where it was built It having no Masts or Sails but moving as a Hulk or Body of a Ship without a Rudder upon a calm Sea Philo indeed in his Book De Abrahamo gives a quite different Description of the Deluge representing the incessant Showers to have been accompanied with dreadful Thunder and Lightning Storms and Tempests But there is not a word in this Story to countenance it This Wind it is very probable was the North-Wind which is very drying and drives away Rain Prov. XXV 23. which came perhaps out of the South as I said upon VI. 14. Thus Ovid represents it in the Flood of Deucalion where he saith Jupiter Nubila disjecit nimbisque Aquilone remotis c. And the Waters asswaged This drying Wind and the Sun which now began to shine with great power made the Waters fall For if the Second Month when the Flood began was part of our October and November then the Flood abated after an Hundred and fifty Days in the beginning of May when the Summer came on apace Ver. 2. The Fountains also of the Deep There was no further irruption or boiling up of the Water out of the Bowels of the Earth And the Rain from Heaven was restrained So that the Rains ceased at the end of an Hundred and fifty Days Ver. 3. And the Waters returned from off the Earth continually c. The Waters rolling to and fro by the Wind fell by little and little And after the end of the Hundred and fifty Days began to decrease So the vulgar Latin well translates the latter end of this Verse were abated i. e. began sensibly to decrease Ver. 4. And the Ark rested in the seventh Month c. Of the Year not of the Flood Vpon the Mountains of Ararat i. e. Upon one of the Mountains as XIX 29. God overthrew the Cities in which Lot dwelt i. e. In one of which he dwelt Judg. XII 7. Jephtah was buried in the Cities of Gilead i. e. In one of the Cities For there was no one Mountain called by this Name of Ararat But it belonged to a long Ridge of Mountains like the Alps or Pyrenaean which are Names appertaining not to one but to all And Sir W. Raleigh I think truly judges that all the long Ridge of Mountains which run through Armenia Mesopotamia Assyria Media Susiana c. i. e. From Cilian to Paraponisus are called by
Sin which is of the very same signification with Pelusium Ver. 18. And the Arvadite These People are the same with the Aradii who possessed the Island called Aradus upon the Coast of Phoenicia and part of the neighbouring Continent Where a place called Antaradus opposite to the Island was seated Strabo and others speak of this Island and mention another of the same Name in the Persian Gulph as Salmasius observes upon Solinus p. 1023. whose Inhabitants said they were a Colony from this Island I now speak of and had the same Religious Rites with these Aradians Who were very skilful in Navigation and therefore joyned by Ezekiel with Zidon XXVII 8. where he makes them also a Warlike People verse 11. Zemarite They who make these the same with the Samaritans do not observe that these Names are written quite differently in the Hebrew And that the Samaritans so much spoken of in Scripture had their Name from Somron And therefore Bochart thinks these are the Samarites mentioned by St. Hierom who says they inhabited the Noble City of Edessa in Coelosyria it should be the City of Emesa or Emisa which was in that Country but Edessa in Mesopotamia beyond Euphrates and so both the Chaldee Paraphrases have here for Zemarite Emisaei But I do not see why we should not rather think this Son of Canaan Zemarus from whom the Zemarites came was the Founder of the City of Zemaraim Josh XVIII 22. which fell to the Lot of the Tribe of Benjamin Hamathite These were the posterity of the last Son of Canaan From whom the City and Country of Hamath took its Name Of which Name there were Two one called by the Greeks Antiochia the other Epiphania The former called the Great Amos VI. 2. to distinguish it from this which St. Hierom says in his time was called Epiphania and by the Arabians in the Nubian Geographer Hama This is the City which is meant when we so often read that the bounds of Judaea were to the Entrance of Hamath Northward Numb XIII 21. XXXIV 8. and other places For it is certain they did not reach to Antiochia but came near to Epiphania Afterwards were the Families of the Canaanites spread abroad In process of time they enlarged their bounds For they possessed all the Country which lies from Idumaea and Palestine to the mouth of Orontes Which they held for Seven hundred Years or thereabout Moses indeed confines the Land of Canaan in narrower bounds toward the North as hath been said but we must consider that he describes only that part of Canaan which God gave to the Israelites for their Portion Now there being Eleven Nations who had their Original as appears from this and the foregoing Verses from so many Sons of Canaan we do not find that the First and the Five last were devoted by God to destruction as the rest were For we read nothing of the Zidonians Arkites Sinites Aradites Zemarites and Hamathites among those Nations upon whom the Sentence of Excision was pronounced by God and their Country bestowed upon the Israelites But read of Two others not here mentioned who made up the Seven Nations whom God ordered to be cut off viz. the Perizzites and those who were peculiarly called Canaanites who sprang from some of the fore-named XI Families but we do not know from which We shall meet with it in the XV. Chapter of this Book Ver. 19. And the border of the Canaanites c. Here Moses describes the Bounds of that Country which was given by God to the Jews From Sidon i. e. The Country of Sidon which extended it self from the City so called towards the East as far as Jordan or near it This therefore may be lookt upon as the Northern bounds of the promised Land As thou comest to Gerar unto Gaza c. These and all the rest belong to the Southern bounds For these two were Cities near to the Philistims We often read of Gaza and Gerar was famous for Abraham's and Isaac's sojourning there Gen. XX. 1. XXVI 1. and for the overthrow of the Cushites 2 Chron. XIV 13. Sodom and Gomorrha c. These Four Cities are famous for their destruction by Fire and Brimstone from Heaven Even unto Lashah Or Lasa which St. Hierom takes for Callirrhoe as doth Jonathan also A place famous for hot Waters which run into the dead Sea But Bochartus L. IV. Phaleg c. 37. doubts of this because Callirrhoe was not in the Southern part of Judaea as Lashah was He propounds it therefore to consideration whether it may not be a City of the Arabs called Lusa Which Ptolomy places in the middle way between the Dead Sea and the Red. Ver. 20. These are the Sons of Ham after their Families c. This is sufficiently explained by what was said upon verse 5. where Moses concludes his account of the Sons of Japhet Only it may be observed in general that these Four Sons of Ham and their Children had all Africa for their Portion Mizraim having Egypt and Phut the rest and no small part of Asia which fell to the share of Cush and Canaan Ver. 21. Vnto Shem also the Father of all the Children of Eber. That is of the Hebrew Nation whom Moses would have to know from what an illustrious Original they sprung and therefore breaks off the Thread of his Genealogy to give a short touch of it I can give no reason so likely as this why he calls Shem the Father of Eber's Children rather than of any other descended from him He having told them before that Ham was the Father of Canaan IX 22. whom God Cursed and at the same time Blessed Shem He now tells them that this blessed Man was the Father from whom their Nation was descended that they might comfort themselves in their noble Stock and believe Canaan should be subdued by them The Brother of Japhet the Elder Scaliger translates these Words Sem the Elder Brother of Japhet But the he which is prefixt to Gadol i. e. Greater plainly directs us to referr the Word Greater or Elder to him who was last spoken of viz. Japhet Who may be plainly proved to have been the Eldest Son of Noah from this observation That Noah was Five hundred years old before any of his Three Sons Sem Ham and Japhet were born V. 32. When he was Six hundred Years old he entred into the Ark with them VII 11. And when he came out two Years after the Flood Shem begat Arphaxad being then an Hundred Years old XI 10. and consequently Noah was Six hundred and two From whence it follows that Shem was born when Noah was Five hundred and two Years old And therefore Japhet must be two Years older than he for Noah began to have Children when he was Five hundred But God preferred Shem before him giving hereby an early demonstration of which there were many instances afterward that he would not be confined to the order of Nature in the disposal
Bread and Wine This he did as a King not as a Priest For it was not an act of Religion but of Hospitality Thus Heathens themselves understood this History as we find by Eupolemus quoted by Eusebius L. IX c. 17. who saith he received Abram as they were wont to do strangers in a City called Argarizin which he interprets the Mount of the most High We know not in what Language it so signifies or whether it be misprinted for Harelion But I think the plain Sence is that he treated Abram and his followers by causing Provisions to be brought forth for their Refreshment after the Fight For Bread and Wine comprehend all sort of Provision for their Repast As to eat Bread with another in this Book is to feast with him XLIII 25. And thus Tertullian it is certain understood it who saith expresly he brought them forth to Abram and offered them to him and not to God L. adv Judaeos c. 3. And Epiphanius observes that the word in the Greek is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not he offered but brought out So it seems his Copy had it Ver. 19. And he blessed him This he did as a Priest which Office is just before mentioned as he did the other as a King Blessed be Abram of the most high God He prayed God to confirm the Blessing which he had pronounced upon him Possessor of Heaven and Earth Rather Creator as the LXX and vulgar Latin translate it See Dr. Spencer L. I. De Leg. Hebr. c. 4. § 10. and Lud. de Dieu before him in his Notes on this place and Hotting Smegma Orient p. 87. By this and the next Verse wherein he gives Glory to the most high God for Abram's Victory it is apparent that he was a worshipper of the One only True God the Maker and Governor of all things To whom he also ministred in the Office of a Priest who blessed Men in his Name And he gave him i. e. Abraham gave to Melchizedek as the Apostle explains it Hebr. VII 2. But the words are so doubtful as they lie here that Eupolemus in the place above-mentioned thought Melchizedek had bestowed Gifts upon Abram Tithes of all He doth not say of what all but that which goes before leads us to think he means Tithes of all the Spoil which he had taken from Chedorlaomer c. For he had nothing else there to Tithe unless it were the remainder of the Provisions he had carried along with him in this Expedition All the rest of his own Estate being many Miles off at Mamre And thus Josephus interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tithe of what was gotten by War And thus the Apostle himself seems to expound it Hebr. VII For having said Verse 2. he gave him the tenth part of all When he comes to argue from this he calls it the tenth part of the spoils Verse 4. And indeed it was a very ancient Custom to offer to God whose Priest Melchizedek was the tenth part of what they took in War Diodorus Siculus reports it of the Greeks and many Authors of the Romans From whence we cannot inferr that they gave only Tithe of such things but rather that these were extraordinary Acknowledgments of God's Mercy to them Which it was usual to make out of those Possessions which he had blessed them withal For why should they give Tithe of the Spoils if they were not wont to pay Tithe of other things And therefore St Chrysostom makes this Reflection upon this Practice of Abram That it should teach us to be willing and ready to offer unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the First-Fruits of all that he hath bestowed on us This is confirmed by the Story of Jacob Which together with this of Abram shows plainly the Custom of paying Tithes was before the Law of Moses And that not only of the Spoils of War but of their Flocks Corn and other Fruit which Jacob vowed unto God XXXVIII 22. See there Ver. 21. Give me the Persons c. A truly generous Disposition becoming a King to love the Persons of his Subjects better than their Goods Ver. 22. I have lift up my Hand i. e. Sworn as the Phrase is used in many places Exod. VI. 8. Numb XIV 30 c. Possessor of Heaven and Earth See Verse 19. Ver. 23. I will not take from a Thred c. i.e. The meanest thing I have made Abram rich He would have this to be only the Work of God who promised a great while ago to bless him and had now renewed his Promise by Melchizedek And he would not have it thought that love of Spoil had carried him to the War but only love of Justice In short here is a most noble Example as Maimonides observes P. III. More Nevoch c. 50. of Contentedness with what he had of despising Riches and seeking Praise rather from Vertue Ver. 24. Except only that which the young Men i. e. the Soldiers have eaten For which he did not think it reasonable they should pay And the Portion of them that went with me He could not bind his Confederates by his own Act but left them to deal with their Countrymen as they pleased In either keeping their share of the Spoil or parting with it as he had done The Jews truly observe that they who staid with the Stuff and Carriages had their Portion equal with those that fought As we read in the Story of David 1 Sam. XXX 25. But it is not certain that this Custom was as old as Abram's time which they would gather from this place For here they take the young Men for those who fought and pursued the Enemy And Aner Eshcol and Mamre staid to guard the Carriages But I see no ground for this it being most probable as I observed before that they attack'd the Enemy as well as Abram's Servants and thereby acquired a Title to part of the Spoil But whether we consider it this way or the other Abram could not give away their Right when he generously parted with his own CHAP. XV. Ver. 1. AND after these things After this great Victory and his generous refusal of the King of Sodom's offer The Word of the LORD came to Abram God revealed himself more clearly to him For this is the first time we read of the Word of the LORD coming to him and of his having a Vision That is being made a Prophet and that in an high Degree God revealing his Mind to him not in a Dream but in a Vision when he was awake but having his Senses as Maimonides explains it bound up from their ordinary Functions during the time that the heavenly Influence came upon his Mind and diffused it self to his Imagination where it represented several things to him More Nevochim P. II. c. 41. But these words may be understood of his having these things represented to him by the Divine Majesty when he was perfectly awake and used all his
Senses Fear not Abram He heard these words while he was in the Ecstasie according to Maimonides's Explication incouraging his hope in God that he and Lot should be safe from any new Invasion by these or any other Enemies For perhaps there were some Rumors abroad of the Assyrians recruiting their Forces with an intention to renew the War I am thy Shield I will protect and defend thee And thy exceeding great Reward Will give thee far more than thou hast lately denied to take for my sake Ver. 2. LORD God what wilt thou give me c. What good will all the Riches in the World do me if I have not a Child to inherit my Estate To go childless Is to die to go out of the World without Children as Luke XXII 22. truly the Son of Man goeth i. e. must die shortly He doth not slight God's Promise made in the foregoing Verse but only desires him to be so gracious as to give him a Child for his Reward And the Steward of my House is this c. He that takes Care of all I have and therefore deserves best of me is not of my Kindred Eliezer of Damascus Some think this signifies no more but that he was born of a Syrian Woman Ver. 3. And Abram said c. He repeats the same again out of a great Concern to have God's Promise fulfilled Which he did not disbelieve but earnestly long'd for more than for all the Riches in the World One born in my House is my Heir It is likely that Eliezer was one of those Souls i. e. Servants gotten in Haran XII 5. and had been such a wise and faithful Manager of all things committed to his Care that Abram intended before the Promise made to him to have left him his Heir Thinking he should have no Child of his own Sarah being barren as we read XI 30. Ver. 4. And behold the Word of the LORD came to him c. A new Assurance is given him from the Schechinah or Divine Majesty that he should have an Heir begotten by himself Ver. 5. And he brought him forth abroad and said c. Maimonides thinks More Nev. P. II. c. 46. that all this which follows was done in a Vision But others will have it that he was really conducted out of his Tent into the open Air and look'd upon the Stars The former Opinion is more probable because the Sun was not yet gone down verse 12. and therefore the Stars were not to be seen with the Eye but were represented only in a Vision So shall thy seed be Nehem. IX 23. He not only promises him an Heir but that this Heir should have a numerous Posterity Which as before XIII 16. he compared to the Dust of the Earth so here he compares to the Stars of Heaven Showing say some of the Jews by the former their Humiliation and by this their Exaltation and Advancement And indeed in this Chapter he speaks of both Ver. 6. He believed in the LORD Was fully persuaded that God both could and would perform his Promise though it seemed to be very difficult if not impossible according to the ordinary course of Nature He and Sarah both being very old And he counted it to him for righteousness The Lord esteemed it a most noble Act and high Expression of a pious Confidence in him as that Act of Phineas was in after-times Psalm CVI. 31. and thereupon graciously owned him for a righteous Person Though he was not free from all Sin whatsoever but was guilty of some that were not consistent with perfect Righteousness It is here to be considered That Abram believed this Promise before XII 1 2 3 4. but now his Faith was the more remarkable because notwithstanding some time had passed since the first making of the Promise and he had no Issue he still persisted in the belief that God would bestow a Son upon him though it grew every day more and more unlikely Ver. 7. I am the LORD that brought thee c. He re-minds him of what he had already done for him that he might confirm him in the belief of what he promised further to do To give thee this Land c. To bestow it upon thy Children for their Inheritance Ver. 8. Whereby shall I know c. This is not spoken doubtingly for the strength of his Faith is highly commended but he desires to have it more and more strengthned and confirmed As some good Men did in after-times when they were put upon very difficult Services So Gideon Judg. VI. 37 c. Ver. 9. And he said unto him Take me an Heifer c. i. e. Offer unto me so it should be rendered as Mr. Mede observes Book II. p. 472. the following Creatures Which are of four Sorts From whence the Hebrew Doctors would persuade us the rise and the fall of the four Monarchies are signified in these words But it is a better Observation That God hereby fore-signified their Sins should be expiated by Sacrifices For these were the Creatures and these alone which were appointed to be offered in sacrifice to God by the Law of Moses And it justifies their Opinion who think there were clean and unclean Beasts with respect to Sacrifice before the Law though not with respect to Meat Yet here is something singular That God required Abram to offer an Heifer of three Years old with a Goat and a Ram of the same Age whereas afterwards under the Law they were commonly of one Year old I know not the reason of this difference but certain it is that a Ram of three Years old is in its full strength and the vigour of its Age as Bochart observes Whence it is that Lucian introduces Ganymede proffering to offer unto Jupiter if he would dismiss him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. A Ram of three Years old a big one the leader of the Flock Hierozoic P. I. Lib. 2. c. 46. A young Pigeon The Hebrew word Gozal signifies the young Ones of Ring-Doves Wood-Pigeons or any other of that kind as he also observes Ver. 10. And he took unto him Now we must suppose he was come out of his Ecstasie and really performed all that follows Until he fell into it more profoundly than before Divided them in the midst There is no footstep of this Rite any where in the Scripture save only in the Prophet Jeremy XXXIV 18 19. But this place shows it to have been very ancient And St. Cyril in his Tenth Book against Julian derives this Custom from the ancient Chaldaeans As others derive the very word Berith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Covenant from the word used both here and in Jeremy viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Batar which is the very same by a transposition of Letters and signifies to divide or cut asunder Because Covenants were made by dividing a Beast and by the Parties covenanting passing between the parts of the Beast so divided Signifying that so should they be cut
import it to draw nigh to God in the Holy Language signifying no more but to worship him Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked As much as to say I know thou wilt not For such Questions strongly deny as in verse 17. Ver. 24. Fifty righteous within the City Of Sodom which was the Chief and comprehended the rest of the Country of Pentapolis Which one would guess by Gen. XIV 17. depended upon Sodom as the Metropolis So what is said here of it I take to referr to the whole Region Wilt thou not spare the place for the fifty c. He desires two things of God First That he would not destroy the Righteous with the Wicked Secondly That he would spare the Wicked for the sake of the Righteous if any considerable Number of them were found among the Wicked Ver. 25. Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right This referrs as we translate it only to the first part of his Request not to destroy the Righteous with the Wicked Which was contrary to common Justice much more to that exact Justice which is administred by the Supreme Lord of the World From whom there lies no Appeal But according to the Vulgar Translation which is this Thou who judgest all the Earth wilt by no means execute this Judgment it referrs to the other part also That God would not be so severe as to destroy a whole Country whilst there were many good Men still remaining in it And so the word Right includes in it Clemency And indeed this Passage seems to relate to both parts of his Request And is to be interpreted thus Shall not the Supreme Judge show Mercy as well as do Justice Ver. 26. And the LORD said If I find fifty c. then will I spare c. This shows the foregoing Interpretation to be right God promising most graciously to be merciful to all for the sake of a few in comparison with the Multitude of Offenders Ver. 27. Who am but Dust and Ashes Very mean and vile Ver. 28. Lack five of the fifty righteous A great Argument of Abraham's Modesty who durst not presume to ask too much at once but by degrees proceeds in the following Verses to petition for greater abatements And that with fear and trembling lest the LORD should be angry with his importunity Ver. 32. I will not destroy it for tens sake A wonderful representation of the tender Mercy of the most High who condescended so low as to grant a Reprieve to the whole Country for the sake of so small a Number if they could have been found in it And his Mercy was still greater even beyond Abraham's desire for he spared one of the five Cities For the sake of three or four Persons as we read XIX 20 21. We do not find that Abraham makes express mention of Lot in any of the foregoing Petitions But it is plain from XIX 29. that he was in his Thoughts which God knew and he is comprehended in those words Verse 23. of this Chapter Wilt thou destroy the Righteous with the Wicked Ver. 33. And the LORD went his way The Divine Majesty or the Glory of the Lord disappeared and ascended perhaps towards Heaven after this Communication with Abraham was finished And Abraham returned to his place In the Plain of Mamre verse 1. CHAP. XIX Ver. 1. AND there came two Angels There were three at the first XVIII 2. but the Chief of them was gone having dispatch'd his Message to Abraham unto whom he was peculiarly sent See XVIII 2. At even They had been with Abraham in the heat of the Day And were now come to the Gates of Sodom Lot sat in the gate of Sodom The Hebrew Doctors will have it that he was made a Judge in this City and the prime Judge of all For they adventure to Name five in Bereschith Rabba and say Lot was the President of the Court which sat in the Gate of the City But this is only a fansie of theirs He rather sat in the Gate of this City as Abraham did at his Tent door to invite Strangers to his House according to the Hospitality of those days which was the greater Charity because he knew the City to be so wicked that if we may believe the Hebrew Doctors they not only denied them all assistance but abused them and were cruel to them see Gemara Sanhedrim C. XI Pirke Elieser cap. 25. for which last they quote those words of Ezekiel XXII 29. they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully Which are spoken of Israel whom XVI 49. he had compared with Sodom One of whose Sins he says was want of Compassion to the poor and needy Rose up to meet them c. Just as Abraham did whose Civility he imitates as well as his Charity For the bowing himself so lowly was a Token of the great Honour he paid them Who had the appearance of great and noble Persons And therefore he calls them Lords in the next Verse Ver. 2. Turn in I pray you and tarry all night c. It is late and the Night draws on take up your Lodging with me and refresh your selves and go away as early as you please And they said Nay c. It was as great a Civility in strangers not to be forward to accept as it was in him to invite And therefore they refuse him at first to try his Kindness But intending no doubt to embrace his offer if he pressed them further So the following words are to be understood We will abide in the street all night Unless you persist in your Invitation In those hot Countries it was not unusual to lie in the open Air especially in Summer And in a City they were safe from being infested by wild Beasts or Robbers Concerning washing the feet see XVIII 4. Ver. 3. He pressed upon them greatly Would not be denied but was so earnest that they yielded It is the same word with that verse 9. Bake unleavened Bread which would be soonest ready that so they might in good time repose themselves Ver. 4. And before they lay down To take their rest Both old and young A manifest Token of an universal Depravation of Manners and Dissolution of Government From every quarter Or as some understand it from the most extream parts of the City As in Psalm XIX 4. One it seems told another what goodly Persons were come to their City And all ran to the House where they heard they were with the same wicked Inclinations This is a proof there were not ten righteous Persons in Sodom Ver. 5. That we may know them A modest word for a lewd Fact Some indeed will have it understood simply of their examining what they were whence they came and what their business was Which might perhaps be their pretence but Lot's answer to them verse 7 8. interprets their meaning to be filthy Ver. 6. Went out at the door To try if he could persuade them to depart From whence
of the LORD For wheresoever mention is made of the LORD it is to be understood of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his house of judgment as the Jewish Doctors speak i. e. of the Angels which attend his Divine Majesty And thus I find Arethas or Andreas Caesariensis in his Commentaries upon the Revelation p. 729. understand these words For he there compares that Captain who was over the Locusts Revel IX 11. to the Angel that was sent to cut off the Army of Senacherib and to this Angel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who had the Charge of executing the fiery destruction upon Sodom committed to him For all Angels saith he are not ministring Spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Mens Preservation but some serve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Punishment And that they can bring Fire from Heaven and raise Storms and Tempests appears by the Story of Job Out of Heaven From the Lord whose Seat is in Heaven The like expression we have Revel XX. 9. Vpon Sodom and upon Gomorrha And the neighbouring Cities Admah and Zeboim as appears from Deut. XXIX 23. Brimstone and fire A most hideous Shower or rather Storm of Nitre Sulphur or Bitumen mingled with Fire fell upon this Country from above and as the Tradition was among the Heathen accompanied with a dreadful Earthquake Which made an irruption of those bituminous Waters whereby this Country was turned into the Lake called Asphaltites or the salt or dead Sea So Strabo L. XVI in his description of that Lake And indeed it doth not seem improbable that the Earth quaked while the Heavens did so terribly frown and the Almighty's Voice thundred from the Clouds as Doctor Jackson speaks Book I. on the Creed c. 15. For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which St. Peter uses 2 Pet. II. 6. may be thought to import some such subversion But it was his Ignorance of the Sacred Tradition in the Scriptures which made Strabo wholly ascribe the desolation of that Country to the Earth and not at all to the Heavens Whereas Tacitus was better informed Who says these Judaical Cities as he calls them fulminum jactu or ictu arsisse were burnt by the stroke of Thunder-bolts from Heaven And a little after igne coelesti flagrasse were set on fire and consumed by Lightning L. V. Histor With which fell such abundance of bituminous Stuff that the Valley which had only some Pits of Bitumen in it before XIV 3 10. became a Lake of it Ver. 25. And he overthrew those Cities c. Super impium populum gehennam misit è coelo as Salvian glosses L. I. L. IV. de Gubern Dei He sent Hell from Heaven upon an impious People Of whose destruction there remains an everlasting Monument in the Salt-Sea Into which that plain Country is turned The quality of which and of the Soil about it is so contrary to the Nature of all other Seas or Inland Lakes that no Philosopher can give an account of it like that which Moses hath given us As the same Doctor Jackson truly observes He that will read Tacitus in the place fore-mentioned or Pliny or Diodorus may be satisfied of this The Country where these Cities stood being become a Pan or Receptacle as the fore-named Doctor well calls it of such a strange moisture that it may be called Liquid Pitch rather than Water For it is so stiff that no Wind will move it nor will a Camel sink if thrown into it nor any Fish or Bird that uses the Water live in it And therefore called the Dead-Sea and Salt-Sea as Salmasius thinks Exerc. Plinian Pag. 577 614. because no Creature can live there and because the noisom Steams that come from it blast all that grows of it self or is sown in the Earth about it Nor do the Rivers that run into it at all alter it but it infects all their Waters with the loathsom Qualities of those Dregs of God's Wrath to use Doctor Jackson's words once more which first setled in it at this overthrow Just like bad Humours when they settle in any part of our Bodies plant as it were a new Nature in it and turn all Nourishment into their substance Ver. 26. His Wife looked back from behind him She not only lagg'd behind as we speak but turned about and stood still a while bewailing perhaps the loss of all there Or as some of the Jews fansie to see what would become of her Kindred and whether they would follow her or no. Became a pillar of Salt Or as some understand it an everlasting Monument Whence perhaps the Jews have given her the Name of Adith as they call her in Pirke Elieser cap. 25. because she remained a perpetual Testimony of God's just Displeasure For she standing still too long some of that dreadful Shower before-mentioned overtook her and falling upon her wrapt her Body in a Sheet of Nitro-Sulphureous Matter Which congealed into a Crust as hard as Stone And made her appear like a Pillar of Salt her Body being as it were candied in it Kimchi calls it an heap of Salt which the Hebrews say continued for many Ages Their Conjecture is not improbable who think the Fable of Niobe was hence derived Who the Poets feign was turned into a Stone upon her excessive Grief for the death of her Children Ver. 27. Get to the place where he stood before the LORD Where he prayed say the Jews or communed with God XVIII 22 33. Ver. 28. The smoke of the Country c. Some think the Hebrew word signifies like the smoke of a Lime-Kiln or of a boiling Cauldron After the Showre was over the Reek or Steam of it remained And made that Country look dismally which before was like the Garden of God XIII 10. but now become a stinking Puddle of filthy Water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Diodorus speaks noisom beyond expression Ver. 29. Overthrew the Cities wherein Lot dwelt In one of which he dwelt Which is an usual manner of speaking in Scripture Gen. VIII 4. the Ark rested on the Mountains i. e. on one of the Mountains of Ararat Judg. XII 7. Jepthah was buried in the Cities i. e. one of the Cities of Gilead Which explains that of St. Matthew XXVI 8. when his Disciples i. e. one of his Disciples Judas saw it he had indignation c. Ver. 30. And Lot went up out of Zoar c. It appears from hence that this good Man was very timorous not having so strong a Faith as his Uncle Abraham For he that had lately obtain'd a Pardon for this Place because he was afraid he should not have time enough to get to the Mountain now forsakes it For fear I suppose a new Showre should come from Heaven and destroy it after the rest because the Inhabitants perhaps continued unreformed though they had seen such a terrible Example of the Divine Vengeance upon their wicked Neighbours If his fear to dwell in Zoar proceeded from this Cause it was
contra Cels It is well known also that these Mountains were well shaded with Trees so that commonly Groves and Mountains are mention'd together as Places for Religious Worship Ver. 3. And Abraham rose up early in the Morning c. Some here take notice of the readiness of his Obedience in several Instances First That he rose up early Secondly Sadled his Ass himself though the Phrase doth not certainly import so much Thirdly Carried Wood ready cleft along with him for the Offering lest he should find none there And Isaac his Son It is an Enquiry among the Jews how old Isaac was at this time Some of them say seven and thirty whom the Arabick Christian Writers follow Patricides and Elmacinus Aben Ezra more probably saith he was thirty But there is no certainty of such things For I find in the Gemara Sanhedrim Cap. X. n. 4. it is said this fell out a little after he was weaned See verse 9. And went unto the place That is toward the Place Which he did not see till the third Day after he set out Ver. 4. On the third Day It was not much above one Day 's journey from Beersheba to Moriah But an Ass goes slowly especially being loaded as this was with a burden of Wood and with Provisions we must suppose for their Journey And Abraham and his Son and Servants went on foot and could not travel far on a Day Isaac being but young for it doth not appear they had more than one single Ass verse 5. And saw the place afar off It is most reasonable to suppose that God had given him some Token or Sign whereby he should know it And I cannot but think it highly probable that the Divine Glory appeared in the place where he was to make the Oblation Which Conjecture I find confirmed by R. Elieser among other of the Jews who says That when God bad him go to the place he would tell him of verse 2. and there offer his Son he askt how he should know it And the Answer was Wheresoever thou seest my Glory there I will stay and wait for thee c. And accordingly now he beheld a Pillar of Fire reaching from Heaven to the Earth and thereby knew this was the Place See Pirke Elieser c. 31. Ver. 5. Go yonder and worship This confirms the fore-mentioned Conjecture That the Divine Glory appearing upon the Mountain he went thither to worship God And come again to you He either speaks of himself alone or believed God would restore Isaac to Life though he did slay him Ver. 6. And laid it upon Isaac his Son A Figure of Christ who carried his own Cross John XIX 17. according to the Roman Custom Philo's Reflection upon Isaac's carrying the Wood for his own Sacrifice is That nothing is more laborious than Piety Ver. 7. Behold the Fire and the Wood c. It appears by this that he had not hitherto acquainted Isaac with his Intention Ver. 8. So they went both of them together It seems they staid a while as they were going together verse 6. till Isaac had finished this Discourse with his Father and then they proceeded Ver. 9. Built an Altar there Of Turf some think or of such Stone as he could gather there And bound Isaac his Son Both his Hands and his Feet as it is explained in Pirke Elieser Cap. XXXI When the Gentiles offered humane Sacrifices they tied both their Hands behind their Backs as appears from Ovid L. III. de Pont. Eleg. 2. and other Authors Whether Isaac was thus bound it matters not but we cannot doubt that Abraham had now acquainted him with the Will of God and persuaded him willingly to comply and submit unto it Wherein he pre-figured Christ the more exactly who laid down his Life of himself and no Man without his Consent could take it from him as he speaks John X. 17 18. We have reason to believe this of Isaac because he being younger and stronger could have made resistance had he been so minded Josephus says he was twenty five Years old L. I. Antiq. 14. And Bochartus makes him twenty eight the word Naar which we translate Lad being used for one of that Age nay Joseph is called so when he was thirty Years old Hierozoic P. I. L. III. c. 9. This is certain That he was old enough to carry such a load of Wood Verse 6. as was sufficient to make a fire to offer up a Burnt-Offering There are those also who think Isaac was laid upon the Altar to be offered in that very Place where Christ was crucified And thus much is true That though Mount Calvary was without Jerusalem and therefore different from Mount Moriah on which the Temple stood Yet they were so near and it 's likely only Parts of one and the same Mountain that they were anciently both comprehended under the Name of Moriah Ver. 10. Abraham stretched forth his Hand c. His Obedience proceeded so far that it evidently appeared he was fully resolved to do as he was bidden For the Knife was just at Isaac's Throat ready to do the execution Insomuch that God made account of it as if it had been actually done and accepted his Obedience as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as intirely perfect and absolutely compleated as Philo speaks And yet there have been those who disparage this Obedience by endeavouring to make the World believe that the Sacrificing of Children was in use before Abraham's time And the very first thing that hath been alledged as a proof of it is the very Objection in Philo made by cavilling Calumniators as he calls them who said Why should such Praise be bestowed on Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he had attempted a thing altogether new which private Men and Kings and whole Nations do upon occasion The learned Reader cannot but know that one of our own Countrymen Sir J. Marsham in Canon Chronic. § V. hath set this in the front of all his Arguments to prove that Abraham was not the first who sacrificed his Son Without acquainting the Reader with Philo's Answer to this which quite overthrows all his Pretensions For he says Lib. de Abrahamo p. 375 376. Edit Paris That some Barbarians have done this following the Custom of their Country or being in great distress c. But nothing of this Nature could move Abraham to it for the Custom of Sacrificing Children was neither in Babylon nor Mesopotamia nor Chaldaea where he had lived a long time No nor as it follows a little after in that Country where he then lived But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was to be the Beginner of a perfectly new and unusual Example What plainer Confutation can there be of what the fore-named Author pretends than this Which he most disingenuously concealed Nor is there more strength in what follows in him out of Sanchuniathon who says that Saturn offered his only Son For by Saturn it is evident he meant Abraham as appears by the
Which was fulfilled when they came for Corn into Egypt of which these Sheaves some think were an apt representation Ver. 8. Shalt thou indeed reign over us It seems they could readily interpret the meaning of a Dream Which shows how common they were in those Days For his Dreams and for his Words This seems to import that he had more Dreams of like nature and was wont to talk of them Which they thought savoured of Arrogance Ver. 9. He dreamt yet another Dream Which confirmed the former by repeating the same thing under different Figures For as the former was taken from the Earth so this from Heaven And is more comprehensive than the former for it concerns his Father as well as his Brethren Behold the Sun and the Moon c. They seemed to descend to him or he to be carried up to them Where they bowed and lay at his Feet Ver. 10. His Father rebuked him Gave him a check that Joseph might not grow conceited of himself and his Brethren might not be provoked to hate him What is this Dream that thou hast dreamed What an idle Dream is this Shall I and thy Mother and Brethren c. Who can believe this Thy Mother is dead which is sufficient to show the vanity of this Dream and thy Father sure is not to truckle unto thee no nor thy elder Brethren Ver. 11. His Brethren envied him Though Jacob seemed to slight what he said it incensed his Brethren against him But his Father observed the Saying He did not look upon it as a mere Fancy but thought there might be something in it And therefore though he thought fit publickly to slight it yet he took such notice of it privately that he preserved it in Mind and laid it up in his Heart as the Scripture elsewhere speaks And it really was fulfilled when he went down into Egypt and no doubt showed that Respect which was due to the Vice-Roy of the Country And so did his Mother Bilhah and all his Brethren Ver. 12. His Brethren went to feed their Father's flock in Shechem As their Flocks increased so they inlarged their Pasture And they often removed to find fresh Pasture Besides he had made a Purchace in this Place where they fed his Flocks in his own Ground Ver. 13. Come I will send thee unto them Make thy self ready that I may send thee to inquire of thy Brethrens Welfare About which he was now the more solicitous because they were gone to a Place where they had some Years ago given great provocation to the Country by their barbarous Cruelty Ver. 15. A certain Man found him Some take this to have been an Angel Who took care of him when he was at a loss which way to go So Maimonides P. II. More Nevochim cap. 42 Where he makes this Passage the very same with that XVI 7. The Angel of the LORD found her c. Ver. 18. They conspired against him The Hebrew word signifies they took subtil and crafty Counsel against him to slay him Laid their Heads together as we now speak to kill him so that the Murder might be concealed from their Father Ver. 19. Behold this Dreamer cometh In the Hebrew This Master of Dreams or a frequent Dreamer one that hath Dreams at command Ver. 20. Cast him into some pit Which they were wont to dig frequently in those Countries to hold Rain-Water for their Cattle when they could not find a Spring or were near no River Ver. 21. He delivered him out of their Hands Preserved him from being murdred by them as they intended Which he did by the following Counsel Which seemed to have something of Humanity in it and yet would effect what they resolved Ver. 22. Cast him into this pit That he might perish with hunger And lay no Hands upon him c. Let not us kill him This he said that he might save his life intending secretly to draw him out of the Pit and restore him safe to his Father By which piece of good Service Reuben perhaps hoped to reconcile his Father to him who was justly angry with him for defiling his Bed XXXV 22. Ver. 23. His Coat of many colours By this it seems he was distinguished from the rest of his Brethren Being not yet grown up to such laborious Imployments as they followed abroad and therefore indulged to wear a richer sort of Garment with his Father at home For according to the common Notion it was wrought or embroidered with Flowers which was accounted Noble as well as Beautiful in ancient Times As appears by Plato who commending the Government then admired in Greece compares it to such a Garment that hath variety of Colours in it L. VIII de Republ. p. 557. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ver. 24. The pit was empty there was no Water in it This shows the use of such Pits was to hold Water Which at this time was dried up for want of Rain Ver. 25. A company of Ishmaelites In the Language of these Times it is called a Caravan Merchants not daring to travel alone or in small Numbers in those Eastern Countries through the Desarts for fear of Robbers or of wild Beasts From mount Gilead They came from Parts beyond that but passed that way to Traffick there With there Camels Which were and still are the most proper Beasts for Carriage in those Countries Being able to travel a great way in the Desarts without Drink And the Midianites who are here the same with the Ishmaelites ver 28. had as great a breed of them as any other Country As Bochart observes P. I. Hierozoic L. II. cap. 3. Bearing Spicery The word Necoth which we and a great many others translate Spicery in general seems to signifie some particular sort of Spicery as the following words do A great many Conjectures there are what sort and Bochart most probably concludes it to be Storax See the fore-named Book P. II. Lib. IV. cap. 12. Balm So Kimchi whom the Modern Interpreters generally follow expounds the Hebrew word Tzeri Which the Ancients interpret Resin and Bochart justifies them by such Reasons as these That there was no Balm in Gilead in these Days but it was brought thither out of Arabia Foelix in the Reign of King Solomon And then it grew on this side Jordan about Engaddi and Hiericho not beyond Jordan in the Land of Gilead Ib. Par. I. Lib. II. cap. 51. Ver. 26. What profit is it if we slay our Brother c. We shall get nothing by letting him die in the Pit Had we not better make Money of him And conceal his Blood Though we should be able to conceal his Murder which is not easie to do Ver. 27. For he is our Brother and our Flesh Natural Affection persuaded to this rather than to the other And his Brethren were content As many of them as were then present for Reuben was not among them at this Consultation Ver. 28. Then passed by Midianites They are called Ishmaelites just