Secondly, For the other action — ' He worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff,' Here you have (1.) The action — ' He worshipped ; ' (2.) The gesture 'Leaning upon the top of his staff.'
1. The action — 'He worshipped/ This worship was not a civil worship performed to Joseph, but religious worship to the Lord. The indefinite expression shows that it must be taken in a more noble sense ; that is, he worshipped God. Now what kind of worship was this? He was about to resign his soul, and therefore there is thanksgiving contained in it for mercies already received, and prayer for mercies to come.
[1.] There is thanksgiving in it. So the Targum, Laudes Dei cecinii super spondam suam. Joseph had sworn and promised to bury him in the land of Canaan, to lay him with his fathers ; the society of the grave was a pledge of the communion of saints in heaven, then he sings the praises of God upon his bed's head, and glorifies God in the midst of his weak estate. I find the like passage concerning David when he heard the shouting and the acclamations of the people when the king- dom was settled u{)on Solomon, it is said, 1 Kings i. 47, ' The king bowed himself upon the bed.' So Jacob, having ubtained his desires, and passed through the pikes, and all the dangers of the present life, falls a-praising and glorifying of God As men are, so are their thoughts and carriage at death : Jacob is worshipping, blessing, and praising God for past experiences, for present assurance, and for future hopes ; so we should go out of the world praising and glorifying God both for what is past, and present, and to come, that we shall have a society with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for ever.
[2.] It may imply his prayer to God likewise, that those blessings might be accomplished.
2. The gesture — ' Leaning on the top of his staff.' It is said, Gen, xlvii. 31, ' Israel bowed himself upon the bed's-head.' Some reconcile these places thus ; that to give the greater honour to God, he rose out of his bed, and sat upon his bed, leaning upon his staff ; for it is said, after these blessings were finished, he gathered up his feetinto the bedand died. The most genuine reconciling of the place is this, to acknowledge a condescension of the Holy Ghost, in making use of a corrupt transla- tion that was then in use. The Seplungiut, they read as the apostle doth
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here, rrpoaKvvrjcrev iirl to ciKpov rr)? pd/BBov avrov, ' That he worshipped upon the top of his staff.' When the Hehrew bible was without pricks or vowels, there might be a mistake of the word HIOD, lectus, a bed, for npPj hacuhis, a staff or rod. But possibly it might be both, he might lean upon his bed, and upon the top of his staff at the same time. And the apostle would not contend in a thing indifferent, nor bring any other exposition than what was now in their hands, for he writes to the Hebrews; and the Jews living among the Grecians had accustomed themselves to the Septuagint. The apostles were not so f-crupulous but that they did accommodate themselves to the weak in things not weighty, to show what condescension we should use in like cases to the infirmities of others. But what is the meaning of this posture and gesture ? IMany fond superstitions are drawn from hence, as all matters of external gesture and ceremony are apt to be abused ; superstition presently gets in, and improves them to vile uses. Some plead fi'om hence for bowing to the east, and bowing to the cross, which they suppose figured in Jacob's hands laid cross upon Joseph's sons ; others to some supposed image upon the top of his staff. But this gesture was used, partly, to show his reverence and humility in tbe worship of God. Though he was now grown weak and impotent with age and sickness, and could hardly get out of his bed, yet he was loth to use an irreverent gesture. Having special business with God, he raiseth up himself leaning upon his bed, and praises the Lord ; he doth, as well as he can, put himself into the posture of such as worshipped with a bended knee, an expression of reverence and humility. And partly, this gesture w^as a public profession of his dependence and reliance upon God's promises. I find there are two interpretations made of this gesture. Some (as Grotius and others) make it to be an emblem of faith, as trust is often compared to leaning. Trust in the creatures is compared to leaning upon a reed or staff in 2 Kings xviii. 21, * Behold thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it shall go into his hand.' So they make it to be an emblem or public profession of his faith, and that, I think, it is in general. Another more suitably and more probal)ly con- ceives Jacob's leaning upon his staff was, not only to sustain his feeble body, but that he migho use this gesture as a piot'ession of his pilgrim- age— and faith in the heavenly country. The patriarchs were wont upon all occasions to declare they were pilgrims ; now a staff was an emblem of their pilgrimage : Gen. xxxii. 10, ' With my staff I passed over this Jordan;' Exod. xii. 11, they Avere to eat the passover 'with their staff in their hands ; ' and Mark vi. 8, the disciples were com- manded ' to take nothing for their journey but a staff,' &c. So Jacob, to declare his hopes were in another and a better country, that here he was but a sojourner and |)iigrim, he leaned on his staff. But I will rather content myself with the general observation, that it is the gesture by which he did pidjlicly express and declare his humility and thank- fulness to God for the great mercies bestowed on him, and his faith in God.