EXPOSITION. Ver. 31-And when the Lord saw-liter- version of her husband's affections; and she ally, and Jehovah saw. As Eve's son was regarded the birth of Reuben as a. signal obtained from Jehovah (eh. iv. 1), and Je- proof of the Divine pity. hovah visited Sarah (eh. xxi 1), e.nd was Ver. 33.-And she conceived again, and entreated for Rebekah (eh. xxv. 21), so here bare a son (probably the following year) ; he a.gain interposes in connection with the and said, l!ecaUBe the Lord hath heard that onward development of the holy seed by I was hated (the birth of Reuben had obvi- giving children to J acob's wives. The pre- ously not answered Lcah's expectations in sent section (vers. 31-35) is by Davidson, increo.sing Jacob's love), he hath therefore Kalisch, and others o.ssigned to the J ehovist, given me this son also (the faith and piety by Tuch left undetermined, o.nd by Colenso of Leah are as conspicuous as her affection in several parts ascribed to the Elohist. for Jacob) : and she called his name Simeon Kalisch thinks the contents of this section -i. e. Hearing, because God had heard that must have found a pince in the earlier of the she was hated (ut supra). two documents-that Leah was hated,-i. e. Ver. 34.-And she conceived again (say, less loved (cf. Mal i. 3)- he opened her in the third year of her m,miage), and bare womb (cf. 1 Sam. i. 6, 6; Ps. cxxvii. 3) : a son; and said, Now this time will my but Rachel was barren-as Sarai (eh. xi. 30) and Rebekah (eh. xxv. 21) had been. The husband be joined unto me,-ili?, to join, is fruitfulness of Leah and the sterility of the root from which comes 1)2 (Levi), bcr Rachel were designed not so much to equalise the conditions of the sisters, the one having son's name-becaUBe I have born him three beauty and the other children (Lange), or to sons : therefore was his name called Levi- punish Jacob for his partiality (Keil), or to Associated, or Joined. discourage the admiration of mero beauty Ver. 85.-And she conceived again, and (Kalisch), but to prove that "the origin of bare a son (possibly in the fom1:h year of Israel was to be a work not of nature, but of marriage, nnd in Jacob's eighty-eighth year gmce" (Keil). of n.ge, he having been seventy-seven when Ver. 32.-And Leah conceived, and bare ho arrived in Haran, and eighty-four when a son, and she called his name Reuben he was united to Laban's daughters) : and (literally, Reit-ben, Behold a Son I an ex- she said, Now will I praise the Lord. Well pression of joyful surprise at the Divine she might ; for this was the ancestor of the compnssion) : for she said, Surely the Lord promised seed (Murphy). There cannot bo hath looked npon my affliction. Though a doubt that her excellence of character ns not directly contained in the term Reuben, well as eminence of piety eventually wrought the sense of these words is implied (Kalisch). a change upon her husband (vide eh. xxxi. As Leah's child was an intimation that she 4, 14 ; xlix. 31). Therefore she called his had been an object-of J ehovah's compassion, name Judah (i. e. Praise); and left bearing. so did she expect it to be II means of drawing Literally, stood still, i. o. ceased, J1·om towards herself Jacob's affection. Now there- bearing. Not altogether (eh. xxx. 16); only fore (literally, for now) my husband will for a time, "th11t sho might not be untluly love me. She was confident in the first lifted up by her good fortune, or attributo flush of maternal ;joy that Jaeob's hell.l't to the fruitfulness of her own womb wl11tt would turn towards her; she believed tho t the faithfulness of Jehovah, the cove1111nt God had sent her child to effoct this con- God, hnd bestowed uron her" (Keil.)
HOMILETICS. Vera. 31-35. -Leali and Racliel, or the two wives. I. RACIIEL TIIE DELOVED, "Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah." That Leah was not hated in the sense of being regarded with aversion, the numerous family she bore to Jacob proves; tbut 864 THE BOOK OF GEN~S1S. [en. xicx. 1-11',