EXPOSITION. Ver. 27.-And the boys grew: and Esau of tho cider of tho two brothors-and 1acob was a cunning hunter,-literally, skilled in huntiWJ; ei3w, ~IJV7/)'Eiv (LXX.); qnai-us = w11s a plain man,-Cll;l a1rX.11<1ro, (LXX.) ; simplex (Vulgate) ; integer, i. c. mitis, of venandi (Vulgate); a sportsman-a man of mild nnd gentle mnnners (Rosenruiillcr) ; the field ;-not a husbandman, homo agricola blameless, ns a shophcrd (Knobel); pious (Vulgato), who is differently denominatcd- (Luther); righteous (Kalisch) ; obviously in- ish haadhamah (eh. ix. 20); but one addicted tended to ,loscribe J ncob ns, both in character to roaming through the fields in soarch of nncl life, tho antith0sis of Esau-dwelling in sport-aypottoc (LXX.); au inclication of the tents-i. e. loving to stny at home, ns op• ro11gh, fiery nnt11ro nnd wild, adYcnturous life posctl to Esa11, who loved to w:intlcr nfie:<1; 320 THE BOOK OF GE~ESIS. [ea. XXY. 27-34. ---- - -------------------- pn,fcrring II quirt, pcaccr l>lc, domestic, and ing transmitted through the paternal bene- pious mnnner of oxistenco to a lifo of "ex, diction ; and (8) 11rogenitorship of the pro- citcme11t, adrnntnre, and ,langcr," such as mised seed. Undor the lllosaic institute the captirnfr,I Esnu. privileges oftho first born were clearly defined. Y rr. 28. -And lsAac loved Esau, because '!'hey invoh·ed succession tc (1) the official he did e11t of his venison :-literally, because authority of the father; (2) n douole portion lc(s h1111tinq (i. c. its produce) 1cas in his of the father's property; and (3) the ruuctions m011.th; vr, ,j O~ra r.i,roii {3pw,m; aurq, of tho domestic priesthood (vide eh. xxvii. (LXX.) ; not perhaps the solo reason for <l, 19, 27-29; xlix. 8-; Exod. xxii. 2!); Isaac's prcfcr!'nce of Esau, though mentioned Numb. viii. 14-17 ; Deut. xxi. 17). here because of its connection with the en- Ver. 32.-And Esau as.id, Behold, I nm suing narrati,·c. Persons of quiet and re- s.t the point to die :-literally, going to die; tiring disposition, like Isaac, are often fas- meaning, '' on the eve of expiring," through cinated l>y thoso of more sparkling and hunger ; " ex animo testetur se morti.s sensu energetic tem\1eramcnt, such as Esau ; urqeri" (Calvin); or, "liable to denth," mothers, on t 1e other hand, are mostly through the dangerous pursuits of his daily dra,m towards children that arc gentle in calling (Ainsworth, Bush, Rosenmi\ller); disposition al'd home-keeping in habit. Ac- or, whnt is most probable, "on the way to conlingly it is a,lded-but Rebekah loved meet death" -uttered in a spirit of Epicurean Jacob. levity, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow Ver. 29.-And Jacob sod pottage:-liter- we die" (Keil, Kalisch)-and whs.t profit ally, cooked something cooked; ;,J,q11E ;;; shall this birthright do to me 1-literally, 'Ia.-,;,13 IJ,/;l}µa (LXX.); prepared boiled food, qf what (use) this (thing) to me, (ca1led) a of lcntiles (vide on .er. 34)-and Esau came birthri{Jlu? signifying, aecorcling to the from the field, and he was faint-exhausted, sense attached to the foregoing expression, the term being used of one who is both either, Of what use can a birthright be to a wearied and languishing (cf. Joi:, x_xii. 7; man dying of starvation! or, The birthright Ps. !xiii. 2; Prov. xxv. 25). is net likely ever to be of service to me, who Yer. 30.-And Ess.u said unto Jacob, Feed nm nlmost certain to be cut off soon by a me (literally, let me swallow, e.n expression violent and sudden death ; 01, What signifies for eating greedily), I pray thee, with that a birthright whose enjoyment is all in the Hme red pottage ;-literally, of that red, red future to a man who has only a sho1t time to (sc. pottage), or thing, in his excitement live! I prefer present gratifications to clo- forgetting the name of the dish (Knobel), or ferrecl· felicities. indicative of the haste produced by his vora- Ver. 33.-And Jacob said, Swes.r to me cious appetite (Wordsworth, Luther), though this day. On the expression " this day" the duplication of the term red bas been vi.de supra, ver. 31. The conduct of Jacob explained a.s a \\-itty play upon the resem- in this transaction is difficult to defend hlance of the lentil broth to his own red Though e.wnre of the heavenly oracle thnt skin, as thus: "Feed with that red me the assigned to him the prececlencc in his father's red one" (Langc)-for I am faint (videsupra, house, be was for from being justifiecl in en- Yer. 29): therefore was hie name called deavouring, by "cautions, prudont, anrl Edom-i. e. red. "There is no discrepancy conciliatory proposals" (Murphy), but rather in ascribing his name both to his complexion by unbelieving impatience, despicable mean- and the colour of the lentil broth. The ness, and miserable craft, to anticipate Divine propriety of a name may surely be marked providence, which in due timo without his l,y different circumstances" (A. G. in Lange). assistance would have implemented its own The Arabie.us are fond of giving surnames of designs. And he aware unto him. If Jacob's that kind to famous persons. Cf. Aki1-al demand of an oath evinced ungenerous sus- Jfurar, which was given to Hodjr, king of picion, Esau's giving of an oath showed a the Kendites, owiug to his wife saying in a low sense of honour (Lange). And he sold passion, " He is like a camel that devours his birthTight unto Jacob-thus meriting l,ushes" (vide Havernick, 'Introcluction,' the appellation of {3,{3q">o.ot (Hcb. xii. 16). § 18). Ver. 34.-Then Jacob gave Esau bread Yer. :n.-.And Jacob as.id, Sell me this and pottage of lentiles. "Lentiles (C'~1P. ; day-literally, as the day; os clearly as the E'l"Vum lena) were nnd are extensively nncl clay (Jarcl,i, Kimchi, Drusius); immediately, carefully grown in Egypt, Syria, nnd Pales- &tatim (Rosenmiiller); perhaps simply to- tine (2 Sam. xvii. 28; xxiii. 11); those of day, cnip.•pov (LXX., Glassius, Gescnius, Egypt wcro, e.t a later period varticularly Ji:alisch ; cf. I Sam. ix. 13, 27; I Kings i. famous ; and the manner of cookmg them is 49)-thy birthright. The right of primo• even immortalised on monuments" (Kalisch). geniture in the fomily of Abraham implied "The lentil does not grow more than six or (l) succession to the earthly inl1eritance of eight -inches high, and is pulled like flax, not Cauaa.n ; (2) 1ios,cssio11 or the coveoant blese- c11t witli the sickle. Wl1011 gm,u it rr8cmLle~ CH. XXV. 27-84.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 321
an incipient pea-vine, only the leaves rue an utterly carnal mind, which lives solely in differently arro.nged, smaller and more deli- and for the immediate gratification of appe- co.te-aomewhat like those of the mimosa., or tite. Thus Esau despised his birthright- sensitive plant" (Thomson,' Land nnd Book,' anil thus Scripture both proclaims his guilt p. 596). And he'did eat and drink, and rose and describes his offence. up, and went his way. A grl\phic portrait of