until now g, EE RIS f Which Title being but a civil reſpe& commonly given in Scri- pture to ſuch perſons as have no authority nor ſuperiority over them who uſe it, as Gen: 23: 6: and 24. 18. Jacob doth not hereby re- nounce his Right of Primogeniture which was devolved upon him, nor return it to Eſau. Nor if he did hereby acknowledge Eſau his t Superioc for the preſent, would this have been injurious to that Right, becauſe Jacob was not yet in aQual poſleſſion of it, for it was not to commence till his Father's death; and indeed did more belong to his poſterity than to his perſon ; and asto his perſon,did more reſpet&t his ſpiritual advantages, than his- worldly greatneſs. See Gen. 27. 29. g As a ſtranger and exile, and ſoa more proper obje& for thy pity, than for thy envy. |
5 And I have oxen, and aſles, flocks, and men-ſer- vants, and women-ſervants h: and I have ſent to tell my Lord z, that I may find grace in thy fight &,
h Yet in my exile God hath bleſſed me with a competency of worldly goods, and therefore I am nor likely to be either a burden to thee, or adiſgrace to.our Family. # To acquaint him with my coming, and with the ſtate of my Affairs. & That I may obtain pardon for my former errors, and thy favour and friendſhip for the future.
6 And the meſſengers returned to Jaceb,ſaying, We came to thy brother Eſau /, and alſo * he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him »s.
{ Who gave them but an imperfe& and a doubtful anſwer, as ap- pears from Jacob's fear, ver. 9. m Which he brought either as his uſual guard, he being then a great man in thoſe parts; or in oſten- cation of his power and greatneſs, in ſpight of all the injury which his Father or Brother did him ; or becauſe at firſt he deſigned miſ- chicf to Jacob, as may ſeem by his diſmiſſing of his meſſengers without any teſtimony ofhis favour ; though afterwards upon Ja- cob*s prayer, God changed his mind.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid », and diſtreſſed, and he divided the people that wes with him, and the
flocks, and. herds, and the camels into two bands, » Notwithſtanding the renewed promiſe of God, and the late
+ Heb: 4d,
Thap.3 3.
GENESIS.
Laban roſe up and kiſ-.
| dred, and I will deal well with thee ;
Chap. |
to which God left him for his Trial and Exerciſe, and to quicken him to prayer, that ſo God might have more Glory, and he more” Comfort in the Mercy.
8 And ſaid, If Eſau come to the one. company, and {mite it, then the other company which is lefe, (hall e- ſcape 8 t
o Either by flight, or becauſe he ſuppoſed Eſau's be ſatisfied with thefirſt ſlaughter.
9 And Jacob ſaid, O God p of my father Abraham, and God of my father Iſaac, the LORD . which faidft unto me, * Return unto thy countrey, and to thy kin-
Revenge would
FChap. 33 1 3-
p It is obſeryable,that Jacob direRs his prayers to God immediare= ly,and not to the Angels, though now, if ever, he had- reaſon and obligation to do ſo, from their viſible apparition to him for his ſuc- cor and comfort.
10 + I amnot worthy of the leaſt of all the mercies, + Heb. 7 and of all the truth, which thou haſt ſhewed unto thy ,, bſe ſervantq: for with my ſtaffr, I paſſed over this Jordan han all, s, and now I am become two bands z. _ &.
q In fulfilling thy promiſes made to me ; and much more am I unworthy of thoſe further mercies which I am now about to beg of thee. r Having nothing with me bur. my travelling ſtaff for my ſupport. s Or, that Jordan, either which I now ſee, as being at this time upon an high hill ; or, which my mind is ſer upon, as that river which I am going to repaſs,that I may go t6 my Father, and to that good Land which thou haſt given to:me and mine for ever. t Or, two Troops, or companies; into which he had now dis vided his people and cattle, ver. 7.
* 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my
| brother, from the hand of Eſau : for Ifear him,leſt he n | will come, and ſmite me, and the mother, + with the pon. Church, for whoſe proteCtion they
Heb:
children «. * | ; u A proverbialſpeech, noting a total deſtrution. Compare Deus. 22: 6, Hoſ: 10:4. : : 1Chap.a8; 12 And* thou faidft, T will ſurely do thee good,and : 'D 4 make thy ſeedas the ſand of the ſea, which cannot be ? © numbred for multitude, TT | 13 And he lodged there that ſame night, and took of that which came g his hand x, a preſent for Eſau his brother : x Either that which was in his hand and power; or rather, that which was neareſt ar hand, and moſt ready for him, becauſe the ap- proaching night, and his own great fear, gave him not leave to make ſo ſcrupulous a choice as otherwiſe he would have made. = 14 Twohundrd ſhe-goats, and twenty he-goats,two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, | 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts,fourty kine, and ten bulls, twenty (he-afles, and ten foals. _ 16 And he delivered hem into the hand of his ſe;« vants, every drove by themſelves, and ſaid unto his ſer= vants, Paſs over before me; and put a ſpace berwixt drove and drove y. | |
%
» That his gift might be repreſented to Eſau with moſt advantage; and his mind might by little and little be ſweetned towards hims 17 And he commanded the foremoſt ſaying, When Eſau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, ſaying; Whoſe artthou ? and whither goeſt thou > and whole are theſe before thee ? | 13 Then thou ſhalt ſay; They be thy ſervant Ja- cob's : 'itis a preſent ſent unto my lord Eſau : and be< hold alſo, he is behind us z. _ & Coming toſee thy face, and beg thy favour. bs Ch 19 And ſo commanded he the ſecond, and the third, and all that followed the droves,ſfaying, On this manner ſhall you ſpeak unto Eſau, when you find him. | 20 And ſay ye moreover,Behold,thy ſervant Jacob is behind us : for he ſaid, I will appeaſe him @ with the preſent that goeth before me,and afterward I vill - his face: peradventure he will accepty of me b, —
a Heb. appeaſe or allay his anger : for the Hebrew word panim ſig- nifies both anger, as Pſal: 21.9. and 34. 16. and face, as every where, becauſe a mans a»ger is moiſt diſcernable in his* face or counte-= nance, Prov: 21: 14..6 Heb. willlift up my face 'or countenance, whiclt now is dejected with the ſenſe of his diſpleaſure. Compare Gen:4: 6: or, will accept of my perſon, as this phraſe is oft uſed. \ ,
21 So wentthe preſent over before him: and himſelf lodged that night in the company, a ph nit bobs oO
28 And he rcofe up that night, and took his rwo