The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 455

lllden with tho heo.venly blessing he had (ver. 1), and expressive of surprise-and saw won in his mysterious conflict with Elobim, the women and the children; and said, Who and to all appearance free from those para- are those with thee t (literally, to thee, i. e. lysing fears which, previous to the midnight whom thou hast). And he (Jacob) said, Th~ struggle, the pr?spect of meeting ~sau ~ad children which God (Elohim ; vide infra on inspired. Having already prevailed with ver. 10) he.th gracioualy given-the verb God, he had an inward assurance, begotten l~r;J being construed with a double accusative, by the words of bis celestial antagonist, that as in Judges xxi. 22; Ps. cxix. 29-thy he would likewise prevail with man, and so servant. ho lifted up his eyes (vide on eh. xiii. 10), Vers. 6, 7.-Then (literally, and) the and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and hand.maidens came near, they and their with him four hundred men (vide eh. xxxii. 6). children (since they occupied the front rank And he (i. e. Jacob) divided the children unto in the procession which followed Jacob), and Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two they bowed themselves (after his example). handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, thus omit- And Leah also with her children came near, ting no wise precaution to insure safety for and bowed themselves: and after came at least a portion of his household, in case Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed Esau should be still incensed and resolved themselves. The remark of Lango, that the on a hostile attack. And he put the hand- six-year old lad who comes before his mother maids and their children foremost, and Leah seems to break through all the cumbrous and her children after, and Rachel and ceremonial, and to rush confidently into tho losoph hindermost, as being most beloved arms of his uncle, is as fanciful an,l far-fetched (Kalisch, Murphy, Lange, and others) or as that of Jarchi, that Joseph took precedence most beautiful (Bush). of his mother because he feared lest Esau, Vera. 3, 4.-And he (the introduction of who was a h-0nw p1·ofanus, should be fasci- the pronoun giving emphasis to the state- nated by his mother's beauty, and seek to do ment) passed over before them (i. e. passed her ,vrong; in which case he would try to on in front of them, thus chivalrously putting hinder him. himself in the place of danger), and bowed Ver. 8.-And he said, What meanest than himself to the ground-not coIUplctely pros- by all this drove-literally, What to thee all trating the body, as Abraham did in eh. xix. this camp (Mahaueb)-whioh I met 1--i. e. 1, but bending forward till the upper part of yesterday, referring to the droves which hatl it became parallel with the ground, a mode been sent on by J11cob as ll present to my of expressing deep reverence and respect, lord Esau (eh. xxxii. 16). And he said, which may be seen to lifo in Oriental coun- These are to find grace in the sight of my tries at the present day (Roberts, 'Orient11l lord (vide eh. xxxii. 5). Illustrations,' p. 41)-seven times (not in Ver. 9.-Anci Esau said, I have enough immediate succession, but bowing and ad- (literally, Here u to me abundance), my vancing), until he came near to his brother. brother (it is impossible not to admire the The conduct of Jacob was dictated neither generous and affectionate disposition of Esau) ; by artful hypocrisy nor by unmanly timidity; keep that thou hast unto thyself (literally, but by true politeness and a sincere desire to let be to thee what is to thee, L e. what be- concili11to. And as such it was accepted by longs to thee). Esau, who ran to meet him, and, his better· Vers.10, 11.-AndJ'acobsaid, Nay, I pray feelings kindling at the sight of his long- thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, nbsent brother, embraced him, and fell on then receive my present at my hand: for hia neck, and kiased him-as Joseph after- words did to Benjamin (eh. xlv. 14, 15), therefore-l;;,-;l' 10, because (Gesenius, Rosen- though the puncta e:ctmordinai-ia of the mii1Ier, Quarry), ·or, for this purpose (Keil, Masorites over the word "kissed" seem to Kalisch, Hengstenberg, Lange, Ewald. Vide indicate either that in their judgment Esau eh. xviii. 5 ; xix. 8 ; xxxviii. 26)-I have was incapable of such fraternal affection seen thy fa.oe, as though I had seen the face (Delitzsch, Kalisch), or that the word was of God,-literally, as a vision of the face oj suspicious, Origen appearing not to he.ve Elohim, in which language Jacob neither found it in his codices (Rosenmiiller, Keil), uses adulation towards his brother(Tostatius), unless indeed the conjecture be correct that nor calls him a god in the senso in which the word waa marked to draw attention to heathen potentates nro styled deities (V ata- the power of God's grace in ch1mging Esau's blus, Arabic, Chaldee), nor simply uses ll heRrt (Ainsworth). And they wept-the superlative expression to indicate the majesty LXX. ndding both. "All this is beautiful, (lllenochius) or bencvo]cnco (Ains,rnrth) of natural, Oriental" (' Land and Book,' p. ES11u's countonanco, nor si~nifies that he had 872). recognised the person of Esau in the auge I Yer. 5.-A.nd he (i. e. Esau) lifted up his who contended with him at the .Tabhok eyes -conesponding to the act of Jacob (Bush) ; but either that he had recei'l'cd frou• 400 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [en. XXXIII. 1-20.