The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 403

oeedingly,-literally, feared a ureat fear, to one has called Ma name Jacobf ::;iq being a great dl!{lree; shuddered in greo.t terror employed when the reason is unknown (vide above measure (Lange). The renderings Ewald, 'Heb. Synt.,' § 324). On the mean- iF;,"T'I Ji 'Iaad,o l,oc,rae111, µ,iya'AljV c,~68pa ing of Jacob cf. eh. xxv. 26-for (literally, (LXX. ), E:r:pavit stupore, et ultra quam credi and) he hath supplanted me (a paronomasia potest admiran, (\iulgefo), "wondered with on the word Jacob) these two times-or, o.n exceedingly great admiration" (Onkelos), already twice; ill being used ad'l"Crbially in emphasise the patriarch's astonishment, the the eetlBE of now (Gesenins1..,'Gramn11u,' § 122) first even suggesting the idea of a trance or The predse import of .l':sau's exclamation supernatural elevation of the prophetic COD• bas been rendered, "Has he not been justly eciousness (Augustine); whereas that which (Ju,uiwi;, LXX. ; juste, Vulgate; rightly, A. is depicted is rather the alarm produced V.) named Supplanter from supplanting 1" within the patriarch's breast, not so much (Rosenn.uller). "Is it because he was named by the discovery that his plan bad been Jacob that he hath now twice supplanted defeated by a woman's wit and a son's craft me I" (Ainsworth, Bush). " Has he received - these would have kindled indignation the name Jacob from the fact •- :..~, he has rather than feer-ns by the awakening con- twice outwitted me I" (Keil). "i:,;nall he get viction not that be bad blessed, but that be the advantage of me because he was thus bad been seeking to bless, the Wl'Ong person inadvertently no.med Jacobi" (Lange). "Has (Calvin, Willet)-and said, Who 1 where is in truth his name been called Jacob J '' (Ka- he--<(lti& est et ubi est f (Jarchi); but rather, lisch). All agree in bringing out that Esau who ihen is he I (Rosenmiiller, Kalisch, designed to indicate a corresrondcnce Lc- Lauge)-that bath taken venison, -liter- tween Jacob's name and Jacob's practice. ally, the one hunting prey= that hunted, or :e:e took away my birthright;- this was has hunted, the part. ho.ving the force of a scarcely correct, since Esau voluntarily sold perfect (vide Ewa.Id's 'Heb. Synt.,' § 336)- it (eh. :nv. 33)-and, behold, 110w he hath and brought it me, and I have eaten of taken away my bleaaing. Neither was thi~ all before thou camest, and have bleBSed exactly accurate, since the blessing did nut him 1 yea, and he shall be blessed-thus originally belong to Esau, however he may before Jacob is named he pronounces the have imagined tho.t it did. And he said, Divine sentence that the blessing is irre- Hast thou not reserved a blessing for vocable (Lange). me 1 The question indicates that Esau had Ver, 34. -And when Esau heard the no proper conception of the spiritual charac- words of hie father, he cried with a great ter of the blessing which hill brother had and Hceeding bitter cry-literally, he ci-ied obtained. a C'li/, great and bitter e:ccecdingly; expres- sive of the poignant anguish of his soul Ver. 37.-And Isaac answered and said (Kalisch, Bush), if not also of his rage unto Esau (repeating the substance of the against his brother (Philo, Eusebius), of his blessing already conferred on Ja.cob), Behold, envy of the blessing (Menochius, Lapide), I have made him thy lord,-litero.lly, behold, and of the desperation of his spirit (Calvin). a lord (vide ou ver. 29) have I constituted Cf. Heb. xii. 17-and said unto hie father, him to thee; lsanc hereby intimating that in lllesa me, even me alao, 0 my father. A pronouncing the words of blessing he hail proof of Esnu's blind incredulity in ima- been speaking under a celestio.l impulse, nnJ. 1,liniug it to be within his fnther's power to therefore with absolute authority-and all impart benedictions promiscuously without hia brethren have I given to him for serv- ond beyond the Divine sanction (Calvin); a ants (for the fulfilment vide 2 Snw. viii. sign thnt he supposed the theocratic blessing 14), and with corn and wine have I sus- cnpnble of divis10n, nnd ns dependent upon tilined him :-i e. declared that by these he liis lamentations nud pmyers as upon the shall be sustained or supported (cf. \'Cl", 28) caprice of his father (Lo.nge) ; an evidence -and what shall I do now unto thee, my that "now e.t Inst be hnd learned iu some BOD 1 measure ndcquntely to Ynlue" the birth- Yer, 38.-And Eaa\~ 6aid unto his father, right (Co.udlisl:); bnt if so it was post Hast thou but one blessing, my father l horam. Not as desiring either tho reversal of tho Ver. 86.-.iild he (i. e. lsne.c) enid, Thy :patriarchnl sentence upou Jacob, which ho brother c:.me with eubtilty,-with wisdom appears to ho.ve understoo,l to be irrevocnblo, (Onkelos) ; rather with fraud, µm1 co:\ov or an extension of its gracious provisions, so (LXX.)-and hath taken away thy bleeeii::.g e.s to include him as well as Jacob; but as -i. e. the bles..'ling which I thought was soliciting such n benediction ns would pince thine, since !sane now understood that from him, at least in respect of temporalities, on o. the first it had been designed for Jacob. Jovel with the favourite of Rebekah, either Ver. 86.-And he (Esau) said, la he not because he did not recognise the spiritual _rightly named .Jacob 1--literally, ia it that chnrncter of the covenant blessing, or becnuse,  S42 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [cu. xxvn. 80-40.