k Or, Counjel, or company, as the word 1s uſed, Pſal. 64. 2. Jer- houghed I5: 17: 7, e. donetpartake with them in their ſecret and wicked Ox. deſigns. Hereby heltignifies to all poſterity, that that bloody en= terprize was undertaken without his conſent or approbation, and that he could not think of it without dereſtation, ror let ir paſs without a ſevere cenſure. Or, O my ſoul, thow woſt net in their ſe= cret, as the Chald. Syr. and 4rab. take it, by acommon Enaliage of the future Tenſe for the paſt. / Either 1. properly ſo cailed. So- the ſenſe is, Let not my honour or good name be bound up with theirs; they gloried in this wickedneſs, which 1abominate, and which indeed 1s their thame. Or, 2. Improperly, ſo he underſtands either, 1. Bis Soul, which is indecd the glory of a man; though I do not remember ary place of Scriprure where that word muſt ; neceſſarily bz ſo underſtood. So this is a repetition of the ſame | thing in orher vvords, which 1s uſual in Scripture. Or rather, 2: His Tongue, for which the word honeur, or glory, is commonly put, as Pſal: 16; 9: compare with Affs 2: 26: Pſal: 3o: 12: and 57: 8: and 108: 1, becauſe the Tongue or Speech 1s the glory of a man, by which he 1s diſtinguiſhed from unreaſonable creatures, and, if well uſed, it brings much honour to God, and ro the man that ſpeaks with it. So the ſenſe 1s, As my Soul did not approve of that wick- | ed ation, ſo my Tongue never gave conſent to it, nor ſhal it now | by ſilence ſeem to own it, but ſhall publickly witneſs my abhorren» cy of it. ms ( i. e. ) Men, the Sichemites, Gen: 34: 25, 26: the Sin« gularNumber for the Plural, as Gen: 3: 2: and 32: 5. 1 Chron: 10. 1: compared with 1 Sam: 31: 1. He ſaith an rather than men, either with reſpe& unto the Prince, whoſe ſlaughter was princi- paliy deſigned; or to ſhew that they ſlew them all ro a man. » Tt may note, that this cruelty of theirs was committed, 1. By their own will and choice, not by Jacob's will or conſent, which they never asked nor obtained. 2. Without any neceſſity or ſufficient provocaticn, bur meerly by their own will and proper motion. 3. Notrafhly and haſtily, but wilfully and reſo}vedly,after mature de- \ibefation. 4. Not unwillingly, tut cheerfully, and with delight, and good will, as that word commonly ſignifies. e Not the Walls of the City, bur of private Houſes ; ir may be only of the Prince's Houſe, who upon the firſt noiſe of the Tumult might, and pro- bably did retire and ſecure himſelf in ſome ſtrong Room of the Houſe, whoſe Wall they brake down that they might come at him. For neither were the Walls of Houſes or Cities ſo ſtrong then as now many are; nor were S/meen and Levi deftitute of fir Inſtru-
Pym” hes 8
becaufe the Hebrew word is not Shur, a Wall, but Sckor, an Ox, others traſlate rhe words thus, They houghed, or killed #n Ox, or Bul,
a cd cette I Ind
| meaning Shechem,ſo called either from. his Luſt,or from his Strength . thy ſelf and for thy poſterity, IF ſhal be, given to others; the |
and Power, from which Princes are oft to called, as Deut: 33: 17:
Pſal: 22: 12: and 68: 3e. Or, rather thus, Zhey rooted out,or drove away an Ox, i: e. the Oxen, the Singular Number for the Plural, as
before, and under rhem are comprehended the other Cattel of the
Sichemires, which they droveaway, and as we read they did, Gen.34. ] 28, Forasthe words may bear this ſenſe, ſo ir ſeems more reaſon- ; able to underſtand them of that which certainly was done by them,
than of their breaking a Wall, of which we do not read any thing | in the Hiſtory. |
7 Curſed be p their anger,for it was fierce, and their
wrath, for it was cruel: 1*will divide them in Ta- cob, and ſcatter themin Iſrael g.
p Or, Curſed was. Ir was execrable and abominable bot
God and Mcn;fuch as deſerved and brought the Curſe of of pur chemſelves, which, as God's Inſtrument, am now to pronounce a- gainſt them. q ( 7. e. )}I do here declare in the Name of God thet they ſhall be divided and di'pzrſcd in Faceb, &c. that is, among the Chil. dren or Tribes of Jacob or Iſrael. Prophets are ſaid to do what they forete] that God will do, as feremy is ſaid to root our and pull down king< dems, Jer. 1. 10: and Ezekiel to d:ftroy the city, Exek:43. 3. Add Hoſes 6. 5. Note here how ſuitable their Puniſhment was to their Crime. They ſinned by Conſpiracy and Confederation in the Counſel and Action, and they are puniſhed with Diviſion or Szparation,not on<- ly of the two Brethren and their Tribes, but of the Children and Fae milies of the ſeveral Tribes, one from another. This was eminent= 'y fulfilled in the Tribe of Levi, which had no proper Portion or Iaheritance, but was ſcattered among all the Tribes, Joſs 18: 7. though afrerwards God turned this Curſe into a Bleſſing, And for Simeon, he had no part ofhis own in the Diviſion of the Land,but the Portion of Judah being too large for that Tribe, he was taken into tharlot, and was as an Inmate to them, Joſ: 19. 1, 2 9. andafter- wards part of them were forced to ſeek new Seats, and ſo were di. vided from the reſt of ther Brethren, x Chron: 4: 25, 39, 42+ And moreover the Jewiſh Dottors write, that that Tribe was ſo firaitned in their Habitations and Conveniencies, that a very greatnumber of them were forced to ſcatter themfelves a
m , get aſybfſtence by teaching their Children ade
* Joſhi21; $2047
8 5Tudah,
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hap. XLIX.
*: Cho, mics 5 5: 2.
* Numb, 23: 24:
8 © Judah, thow art he whom thy brethren ſhall praiſe r + thy hand ſhe# be in the neck « of thine ene- * thy fathers children # fhall bow down before thee «. |
7» Or rather, 7he4 art Tudah, thy brethren ſhall praiſe or celebrate