part, as appears from Chap. 31. 1, 8. Or, for a'l that Jacob defired to be ſuch. h Hence it appears, that Laban through Envy and Co- vetouſneſs did break his ag- cement made with Jacob, and altered it as he thought meer, and that Jacob patieatly yielded to all ſuch changes. :
9 Thus God hath taken away the cattel of your fa-
ther, and given them to me. | ? . t lng "SEP
10 And it came to pals at the time that the catte] con- ceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and faw in a dream, and behold, the} rams which leaped upon the cattel, ere ring-ſ{traked, ſpeckled, and grizied 7.
# Which were marked with Spots, like Hail in colour and pro- portion, as the word ſignifieth.
11 And the Angelof God ſpake unto me in a dream, ſaying, Jacob ; and, I ſaid, Here am I.
I2 And he faid, Lift up now thine eves, and ſee, all the rams which leap upon the cattel are ring-ſtraked, ſpeckled, and grizled; for I haveſeen all that Laban doth untothee»
13 I am the God of Bethel, * where thou anointedſt the pillar, azd where thou vowedlſt a vow unto me & now * ariſe, get thee out fromthis land, and return un- to the land of thy kindred.
k Of which ſee Gen: 28. 19, 20. And this God here mentions to |
ſhew his acceptance of that a&tion of Jacob's, his mindfulneſs even of the pait and forgotten ſervices of his People, and his purpoſe now to fulfil the p:omiſe there made to him. _
I4 And Rachel and' Leah anſwered and ſaid unto him, 1s there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our
fathers houſe /? | |
I We can expe& no further benefit from him, but Deceit, and Oppreſſion, and Injury, and therefore are willing to leave him. This was the fruit of his unnaturaland unwcrthy Carriage to them, that it did eat out their natural Affe&ion to him. |
a5 Aig we not counted of him ſtrangers 22 forhe L
\ whatſoever God hath ſaid unto thee, do.
«» I& - | 12D. 4 [ hath ſold us», and hath quite devoured aiſo our mo- *Chap:2 ncy 0» J F3 27.
m As if we had no more right to his Eſtate than Strangers. » In” ſtead of a good part of his Eftare, which by the Law of God and Na- ture belongs to us, 2 Cor. 12. 14: wherewith he ſhould have endow- ed us upon our Marriage, he hath made tals of us for this :4 years hard Se vice, ſeeking only his own, not our advantage. . o Hath not on!y with-held from us, bur ſpent upon himſelf that Money | which he got by thy care and Induſtry, whereof a conſiderable ' partwas due in equity to us and to our children. | 15 Forall the riches which God hath taken from
| our father, hat is ours p, and our childrens: Now then
}
| _ þ Not only by God's ſpecial gifr, but by the natural right which Children have to a ſhare in his Eſtare, and upon the account of thy faithful and laborious Service. | | 17 Then Jacob roſe up, and ſethis ſons, and his wives upon camels. | ka 18 And he carried away all his cattel, and all his
\
goods which he had gotten, the catcel of his getting, which he had gorten in Padan-Aram ; for to go to Iſaac his father to the land of Canaan. - 19 And Laban went to ſhear his Sheep: and Rachel _ had ſtollen the + Images that ere her father's g. # Heb. Te- 9 Queſt. 1: What were thoſe T:raphims or Images ? © Anſs They rophim, |. were Images made in the ſhape of Men, 1 S-m.19. 13, 16. Which the Gentiles worſhiped as ſubordinate gods, wer. 3o, 32, of this ap= ter,to which they committed the proteQion of their Families, 1 Sam, 19. 13. which they uſed ro conſult about ſecret or future things, & from which they received anſwers about them, Ezek: 21. 21. Zechs 10, 2, Of theſe ſee more Judg: 17. 5. and 18. 14, 17, &c." Hoſ. 3. 4. f And theſe Idols Laban worſhipped together with the true God. Queſt. 2. Why did Rachel ſteal them ? »/. Partly, leſt her Father by conſulting them ſhould diſcover their flight, and the courſe which they took ; and partly becauſe ſhe ſeemed-yer to retain a ſu- perſtitious conceit of them, as may be gathered from Gen. 35. 2. O- - thers, becauſe they were pretty and precious things, made of Silver j
and Gold, which ſhe took as a part of what was due to her both as his daughter, and for her Husband's ſervice. Others, that ſhe might remove ſo great an occaſion ofher Father's Idolatry,and ſhew him the vanity of ſuch gods as might be ſtoln away. . -
20 And ſacob ſtole away F unawares to Laban r the + Heb. th8 Syrian, in that he told him nor that he. fled. _ ; Peart of
# Heb. . Stole away the heart of Laban, to wit, his daughters, his Laban. Cattel, and his gods, upon which his heart was vehemently ſer, as . Michal's was, Judg. 18. 24: Bur if this had been meant, it hid been imputed to Rachel,a nd not to Jacob, who knew nothing of the pods. Or rather, ffole away from the heart, &c. the Hebrew eth being put for meeth, as G.n: 4.1. and 49. 25. 71 King: 8: 43. compared with 2 Chron: 6: 33: Mic. 3:8: 5. e: without the knowledge ind conſent (f Laban, which ſenſe is confirmed by the words next following,and by wer. 25, 27. and by the like uſe of the Phraſe, 2 Sam:19. 3: Thug he fled, becauſe he knew Labar's ſclfifh, and unrighteous, and cru« el Di/poſti-m that he would always hinder him from departing, either by frau'\ulent Pretences,or by open force, nor ſuffer ſo great: a diminntion in that Eſtate.. which he thought one time or other he might in good meaſure recover to himſelf. | f
21 So he fled with all that hehad, and he roſe up, and paſſed over the river s, and ſet his face # toward the mount Gilead «,
s Euphrates, which lay between Meſopotamia and Chaldea, Gen: rg, 18; which for its largeneſs and famouſi eſs is oft called the River em-« vhatically, as Exod: 23 31. Jo. 24. 2, 3, &c. t(7.e.) Reſolurely, dire&ed his cowirſe. See Fer. 50: 5. Luke 9. 51, 53. « Avery higts and:long Mountain beyond Jordan; adjoyning to the :Mountain of Lebanon, at the foot of -which there was a large and fruitful Coun« try, which from the mountarn received-the name of Gilead, Deut.z 4. I: Fer. $8. 22. and 22.6. This Mountain is here called Gilad by an« ticipation, as appears from wer. 48. - - . $ES-h | | 22 And ir was told Laban on the third day x, that Jacob was fled. MET 2 |
x That he heard of it no ſooner, muſt be aſcribed to the great di- ſtance which Laban had pur berween his and. Facob's Flock+, Gen: 30. $6. and to the care andart which Jacob uſed to prevent. a ſooner diſcovery. * oy ; | | |
23 And he took his brethren with him, and purſued after him ſeven days jourgey ; and they overtook him
. a
in the mount Gilead. | |