16 And Maacah the wife of Machirbare a ſon, and ſhe called his name Pereſh, andthe name ofhis brother was Shereſh, and iis ſons were Ulam and Rakem.
Manaileh.
r To wit, Aſbriel and Zelophehad, narhed, v. 14, 15. the Relative ma, - ms na to the remoter Antecedent ; as is frequent in 18 And his ſiſter « Hammoleketh bare Thod | and Abiezer, and Mahalah z. ; = - e. Gileaas Siſter. 8 Underſtand, and Shemida, out of the next erle. 19 And the ſons of Shemida were Ahian,and Shechem; and Likhi, and Aniam. > x
' 20 And the ſons of Ephraim ; Shuthelah, and Bered his ſon «, and Tahath his ſon, and Eladab his ſon, and Tahath his ſon, ;
« Either, 1. the Son of Sharelah ; and ſo Tahath the ſon of Bered : ſo the reſt, which make up ſeven ſucceeding ors 4 Or 2. _- ſon of Ephraim, and ſo Tahath is the ſon not of Bered, but of Ephraim and ſo forward. And thus all theſe were Brethren, and Sons or Grandchildren of Ephraim living together at one time with their Father. Obj. This cannot be, becauſe then Ephraim had two ſons called Shathelah, and two called Tahath, Avſw. That might eaſily happen ; either becauſe the firſt Shathelah and Tahath were dead before the other two of thoſe Names were born : or becauſe rivo of them were Ephraims Sons, and two of them his Grandchildren called rm _ _ For this is certain, the Name of Sons is
romiſcuo uſed concernzng immediate Chi a Skdren, DT Gm pe: Fran I 008 Crane 21 And Zabad his ſon, and Shutelah his ſon, and Ezer, andElead, whom the men of Gath that were born in zhat land, flew *, becauſe they came down to take away their cattel.
x This Hiſtory is not recorded elſewhere in Scripture, but it 15 in the ancient Hebrew Writers, though mixed with many Fables. The Philiſtines (_ one of whoſe Cities this Gath was) and the Egyptians were next Neighbours; and in thoſe ancient Times it was uſua for ſuch to make Inroads one into anothers Countrey, and to carry thence what Prey they could take ; as we find both in Scripture and. in profane Writers. And as the Philif;nes had probably made ſuch Inroads formerly into Egypr, and particulacly into the Land of Goſber, which was the utmoſt part of Egypr bordering upon the Phil:fiines Land ; ſo the Iſraelites might requite them in the like kind : and parti* cularly the Children of Ephraim, either preſuming upon their Num*-
and Zethan, and Tarſhiſh, and Ahiſhahar.
| bers and Strength ; or having poſlibly received the greateſt _ rem
12 Shuppim alſo and Huppim 5, the children of || Ir, j| 0; \ Iri, v. Te h Called Muyppimand Huppim, Gen: 46. 21. alſo Hupham and Shuphan | Or, * Numb. 26. 39. i But divers take the Hebrew Word aher for a f4biram Common, not Proper Name, and render the words thus, another ſon Numb, or the ſon of another Family or Tribe, to wit, of Dan, as may be 26+ 38,
* Gen,
k i.e. The Grandchildren * for Bilhah was Jacobs Concubin 46. 24+
Mother both to Naphtali, the Father of theſe laſt named Ro Shillm,
17 And the ſons of Ulam, * Bedan. Theſe * 1 Sam, the fons of Gilead, the ſon of Machir, the fm of ts ws
_ 4
40 N,;
Sm,
[0
,
oy
VII.
; AT) -
| NR. from the Ph1;Fines in their Tat Invaſion, might make an Attempt upon the P:1l;Rines to their own great lofs ; as 1s here related. And this ſeems to have happzned alittle before the Egypiian Perſecution, and before the Reign of rhat new King mentioned, Exod. x. 8. The P..liſtines are here called the men of Gath, either becauſe they were {ubjc& ro the King of Gat, as afterwards that Peop'e were ; or becauſe rhey lived about Gath. And this Clauſe, that were born in tha: land, may be added emphatically, as the Motive which made them more reſolute and furious in their Fight with the Epnraimites, becauſe they fought in, and for their own Land, wherein all their Wealth and Concerns lay, and againſt thoſe that unjuſtly endea- voured to turn them out of their Native Countrey.
22 And Ephraim their father y mourned many days and kis brethren z came to comfort him.
Either, 7. That Ephraim of whom he ſpeaks, v. 20. whoſe Sons are here named. Bur that to many ſeems hard, _— if theſe ſeveral Sons named, v. 20, 21. be underſtood ſucceſſively ſo as each Man be the ſon of him who is named next and immediately before him, which ſeems moſt probable ; for ſo here are ſeven ſucceſſive Generations of Ephraim, which it is notlikely that Ephraim lived to ſee ; for then he muſt have been near 200 yearsold, Although it is not neceſſary that the Perſons here ſaid to be ſlain, ſhould be that Generation which was laſt mentioned3 but the Particle whom may belong to the other Sons of E2braim of the fourth, or fifth, o* ſixth Generation. Nor is the word, whom, in the Hebrew Texr, which runs thus, and the men of Gath -/lew them, i. e. the Soay 0: Ephraim in the genera], as they are expreſfled in the beginning of v.20. without reſpe&to this or that particular Generation. And therelative Particle, them, may be referred not unto the Perſons Jaſt named, but unto ſome of the other and more remote Perſons: th's being acommon Obſervation of Hebricians, that the Relative ofc belongs to the remoter Antecedent. Or, 2. Zabaathe Father of the three Perſons and Families laſt named, who mighr poſſivly have two Names and be called both Zebad and Epiraim. Or rather the Name of Ephraim may be pur patronymically ( as the Learned ſpeak) for the Son and Succeflor of Ephra m3 who being now in Ephraim's ſtead, the Head ofthe Tribe, as 01d Epiraim was 1n his time, might well be called by the ſame name. Thus 7c is pur for his Son Jaco5 or Iſrael, Aims 7. 9. and Moſes for the Sons of Moſes, ſal, go. Title, and David for his Son Kehoboam, 1 Kings 12, 16. and for Chiiſt, Fer. 30. 9. Ezek; 34.23, ind ( as many think ) Abraham for Jacob, Abrahams Grandchild, 48; 7.16 And theſe words, their Father, ſe:m to be added by way of diltinQion, to ſhew that he meant nor this of the od Ephraim, bat of another, who was Father to the three Perſons faid to be ſlain, wv. 21. For if he hal underſtood this of the firſt Ephra/mghaving called theſe rhe Sons of Ephraim, 1t might ſeem ſuperfluous a1d tautological to tell us that Ephraim was their Father. % 4.e. His Kinſman, as that Word is frequently uſed.
22 And when he went in to his wifz, ſhe conceived, and bare a ſon, and he called his name Beriah, becauſe It went evil with his houſe. |
24 ( And hisdaughter « was Sherah, who built þ Beth-