37 4 Ard Jacob rook him rods þ of green poplar and of the haſel, and cheſnut tree ;; and pilled white itrakes in them, and made the white appear 7 which was inthe rods. |
h By Divine appointment, as will appear in the Sequel,which ; ſufficient for Jacob's Juſtification. 7 Either becauſe thel- Tees my next at hand; or becauſe he ſaw theſe in the Divine Viſion after. wards ment oned, and would exaQly follow his Pattern. 7 By pil- ling offthe Rind which covered.it.
33 And he ſet the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the guttersin the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they ſhould conceive when
they came to drink & k When by their refreſhment and meeting together, they were molt likely to generate and conceive. -
29 And the flocks conceived 1 before the rods _d brought furth cartel ring-{traked,ſpeckled, and ſpor-
ted m.
[ Beb. Were heated, i. e. inflamed or excited and diſpoſed to con. ceive, and this in a more than ordinary manner by the Divine Diſpoſal. m2 This hath ſome foundation in Nature, becauſe of the great power of Imagination ; and there are divers Inſtances in ma. ny Authors,both of Women and of Beaſts, who cither by the ftron Fancying, or by the aQual and frequent Contemplation of "Wt, certain Ovje&c,haye brought forth young ones exattly of the ſame Colour and Complexion, as one did an Ethiopian, &c. But the Providence of God was the principal Cauſe of this Effe&, without which the ProduQtions of that kind weuld neither have been fo many, nor ſo certain. This Policy of Jacob's could ſcarcely be ex- cuſed from Deceit and Injuſtice, if it were not manifeſt that jt was done by the Dire&Qion and Authority of the Sovereign Lord of all Eſtates, Ger. 31. 9, 11, &c. who may take them from one, and give them to another, as it pleaſeth him ; who alſo obſerved Lz. ban's Injuſtice, and gave to Jacob no-more than he abundantly de. ſerved from Laban,
40 And Jacob did ſeparate the lambs », and ſet the faces of the flocks towards the ring-liraked, and all the brown in the o flock of Labarrand he put his own flocks by themſelves; and put them not unto Labans cattel Po
n Such as were ring-ſtraked and brown, from the white, as it here follows. o He cauſed them to go foremoſt, and the white to follow them, that by the continued beholding of them in the time of their conjunttion, they might have their Colour more imprint= ed upon their Fancies, and thereby convey it to their young ones p Which he did upon the ſame reafon, leſt the conſtant beholding of them ſhould make them bring forth, the like, 5. e, ſingle colour- ed ones.
4x And it came te paſs, whenſoever the ftronger cattel did conceive q, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattel in the gutters, that they mighs conceive among the rods,
q It is known that the Cattel in thoſe parts did conceive and bring forth twice in a year, at Spring and in Autumn ; and it is ſuppoſed that the ſtronger here mentioned, -are ſfuchas joyned in the Spring, and the feeble they that joyned in Autunm.
[42 Buy
De | ap.
*N
I2.
+ Or, goat.
ap.
+ Heb. as yeſterday, and the day before.
* Neh: 4.
I2.
+ Or, he- goat.
y Chap.28 18.
* Chap: 32: 9.
TT
qF e y 1 ®»
> But when the cattelwere feeble, he put them not
*1: ſo the feebler were Labans, and theſtronger Jacobs. 42 ad the man increaſed exceedingly,and had much cattel, and maid-feryants, and men-ſervants, and Ca-
mels, and aſſes. | C HAP, XXXI.
Facoh obſerving Laban's envy, and God's command and promiſe, with the conſent of his wives, departs Jecretly, 1 -21. Laban purſues him ; God in a dream warns him not to treat Jacob ill ; he overtakes him 0n Mount Gilead ; taxes him: ſbarply for his [ecret departure, and with ſteal- ins his gods, 2330. Jacob excuſes his departure, 31. Denies the tak- ing either gods, or ought elle that was Labans, 32. Laban ſearches, but Gnds not, 33--=35- Jacrh is wroth, and rebukes him vehemently for all he had ſuffered from him, 36---40. He owns God as his defence in the day of his affiifion, 41.42. They make a covenant, in which Laban obliges Jacob not to hurt his aaughters, nor take other wives to them, 44 52. Jaced ſwears by the fear of I/anc, and offers ſacrifice,53, 54+ Laba? returns to his place,5 5.
A ND he heard the words of Labans ſons, ſaying, Jacob hath taken away all that as our fathers;
and of that which as our fathers hath he gotren all this
#lory 6. | a Theſe riches, which are called glory, Gen: 45. 13. Pſal. 49. 16. Iſz. 66. 12. compared with 1/a. 60. 6. becauſe their poſlſeſſors
uſe to glory in them, -artd by them gain glory and eſteem from others. 2 And Jacob beheldthe countenance of Laban,and behold, it 2vas not towards him Þ as before 6,
b And this change of his counteriance argued a change in his Mind, and preſaged ſomeevil intentions in him towards-Facos,
And the LORD {aid unto Jacob, Return unto theland of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will
be with thee. | And Jacob ſent and called Rachel: and Leah « to the field 4 unto his flocks; |. c Rachel is firſt named here, as alſo Rat5 4. 11. becauſe ſhe was his chief, and by right, his firft and only deſigned Wife. And therefore it is obſervable, that inthe enumeration of Jacob's Wives and Children, Gen: 46. Leah is only mentioned by her name, werſe 25. but Rachel is called Jacob's wife, verſe '19. by way of eminency, and in a peculiar manner. 4 Where they might more freely diſ- courſe of their buſineſs, and without fear or interruption, 5 And ſaid untothem,. I ſee your fathers counte- nance, that zs not toward me as before 3 But the God
ofmy father hath been with me e. |
e Either 1. Hath bleſſed me; hath ſtood conſtantly by me,when your Father hath failed anddeceived me. Or, 2. Hath appeared unto me, as verſe 13. ;
6 Andye know that with all my power f I have ſer- ved your father. :
f Bothof my Mind and Body, as I would.have done for my ſelf as became a faithful ſervant to do. ;
7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages * ten times g 3 but God ſuffered him not to hurt mee
g (5. e. ) Oft-times,as that certain number is commonly uſed, as Levit. 26. 26. Numb, 14. 22: 184.1» 8. Job 19: 3, Oc.
8 If he faid thus, The ſpeckled ſhall be thy wages ; then all the cattel * bare ſpeckled ; and ifhe ſaid thus, The rinpg-ſtraked ſhall be thy hire +; then bare all the
cattel ring-ſtraked,
* All is here, as oft elſewhere, put for the greater or the berter: