The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 433

pioLy, which rocognisecl and grntefolly nc- the beginning of the six years' service, the knowlcd~ed that not hie own "consummate present clause seems to point to the end of cunning,• but Jehovah's watehful caro had that period as the date of its occurrence; in enabled him to out.wit the dishonest craft of which case it would require to be understood Laban (Rosenmiillnr, Ainsw-orth, Bush, Cand- as II Divine intimation to Jacob that liis lish, Murphy). immense wealth was not to be ascribed to the Ver. 10.-And it co.me to re.ea at the time success of his own stratagem, but to the that the cattle conceived (this obviously goes blessing of God (Delitzsch). 'fhe difficulty back to the commencement of the six years' of harmonising the two views has led to the service), that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw suggestion that Jacob here mixes the accounts in a dream, and, behold, the rams-Cl'1!;1V., of two different visions accorded to him, at he-goats, from nn unused root, to be ready, the commencement and e.t the close of tho perhaps because ready and prompt for fight- period of servitude (N achmaniclc~, Rosen- ing (Gesenius, sub voce)-which leaped (lit- mhller, Kurtz, 'Speaker's Commentary,' erally, going up) upon the cattle were ring- Murphy, Candlish). straked, speckled, and grisled. The grisled Ver. 13.-I am the God of Beth-el,-tho (beruddim, from barad, to scatter hail) were angel here identifies himself with Jehovah spotted animals, as if they had been sprinkled (viae eh. xxviii. 13). Contrary to usual with hail, not o. fifth sort in 11ddi tion to the custom, ',~;:,, though in the construct. state, four already mentioned (Rosenmiiller), but the same as the teluim of eh. xxx. 35 (Ka- has the art. (vide Ewald, 'Heb. Synt. ,' § 290) lisch). Wordsworth observes that the English -where thou anointedst the pillar, and term grisled, from the French word grele, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now hail, is a literal translation of the Hebrew. arise, get thee out from this land, and return Gesenius connects with the Hebrow root the unto the land of thy kindred-i. e. to the words 1Tap80,;, pa1·dus, leopard (so called land of Canaan, which was Jacob's true from its spots), and the. French broder, to inheritance. embroider. The LXX. understanu tho Vers. 14-16. -And Rachel and Leah Cl 11~ to include both sheep and goats, 11nd (vide on ver. 4) answered and said unto him translate oi rpayo1 11:ai ol 1:p1oi tivaf3aivovrfi; (Kalisch overdoes his attempt to blacken E1T< Ta ,rpof3ara 1<ai rdc alya,;. J11cob's character and whitewash Laban's when he says that Rachel and Leah were so Ver.11.-And the angel of God-literally, ontirely under their hnsba.nd's influence that the angel (or Maleneh) of Elohim, i. o. of they spoke about their fathe.r "with severity the God who was with me 11nd protecting a.nd boldness bordering on disrespect." It mo, though himself continuin~ unseen- rather seems to speak badly for Laban that spake unto me in a dream, saymg, J'acob : his daughters eventually rose in protest And I said, Here nm I (vide eh, xx. 1, 11). against his heartless rruclty 11nd insatiable Ver. 12.-And he said, Lift up now thine greed), Is there yet any portion or inherit- eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the anoe for us in our father's house l The oattle are ringstre.ked, speckled, and grisled. interrogative p11rticle indicates II spirited in- Since nll the parti-coloured 1mimals had al- quiry, to which a negative response is anti- ready been removed (eh. xxx. 36), this vision cipated (cf. eh. xxx. 2; vide Ewnld, 'Heb. must hnve been intended to 11Ssure him that Synt. ,' § 324). Knlisch obviously regards it the flocks would produce speckled o.nd spotted us preposterous that Rachel and Leah should progeny all tho s11me ns if the ringstraked have expected anything, since "married and grisled mms nnd he-goats h11d not been daughters in the East never h:i.d e.ny such removed from their midst (cf. Kurtz, § 78). cluim where there were sons." But Lo.bun hud To insist upon o. contradiction between this not treated Jncob's wives even us dunghters. 11ccount of tho increase of Jarob's flocks and Are we not counted of him stror.gers 1 for that mentioned in eh. xxx. '137 is to forg~t he hath sold us (however much they loveu tho.t both m11y be true. Eque.11y arbitrary Jacob they could not but resent the mercen- does it seem to be to accuse Jacob of fraud in nry mcnnness of Luban, by which they, the ndopting the artifice of the pilled rods (K11- free-born dnughters of II chieftain, huu been lisch). Without resorting to the supposition sold ns common serfs), and hath quite de- that he acted under God's guidance (Words- voured also our money-literally, and hath worth), we may believe that the dream sug- eaten up, yes even eating up, our money, gested the expedient referred to, in which some see J 11cob's unbelief o.nd impatience the inf. ubs., ~i:i~, nfter the finite verb, ex- (Kurtz, Gosman in Lange), e.nd others e. pressing the continuance (Keil) anu inten- pmiseworthy instance of self-help (Keil). sity (Kalisch) of the action (vide Ew:i.lu, For I have seen all that Laban doeth unto 'Hob. Synt.,' § 280). For- 1'.;l js by some thee. If the preceding .clause appe11rs to interpretors rendered but (Jnrchi), so thu.t imply thnt the vision was sent to J ncob at (Keil), inueeu (Kalisch), though there is no  87G THE BOOK OF GENEStS. [clt. XltXI. 1-21.