The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 573

time giving special thanks to_ Elohim for his suverabundant mercy in permitting him to see Joseph's sons, and Ins beloved Rachels offspring. (2) Guiding his hands wittingly, he ~ets them crosswise upon his grandsons' heads, tho rig·ht hand upon that of. Eplrnnm, the y~unger, and the left hand upon that of Manasseh, the elder. Supposing tha_t the patz:iarch had ~rred, Joseph endeavours, by changing· his father's hands, to rectify the nnstake, saymg, 11 Not so, my father: for tl1is is the firstborn • put thy righ~ hand upon his head." But the old man replies, thinking perhaps at th~ moment of himself and Esau, when they came before Isaac for his blessing II I know it, my son, I know it," but refuses to complywith his son's suggestion. 2.' The con- tents of the blessing. (1) The blessing upon Ephraim, This was the heirship of the theocratic blessing, the right of primogeniture, the place and power of the firstborn. " Truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." (2) The blessing upon Manasseh. 11 He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great." (3) The blessing upon both. "The angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the lads "-a promise of spiritual blessing for themselves; and "In thee shall Israel bless, saying "-a promise of ~piritual influence with others. (4) The blessing upon Joseph. Joseph was blessed in the blessing of his sons, by their adoption into Jacob's family,-" My name shall be named upon them, imd the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac;" and by their reception of a double portion of the inheritance,-" Moreover, I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword an<l with my bow." IV. AN OLD PROPIIET's PREDICTION. "Behold, I die ; but God shall be with you; and bring you again into the land of your fathers." 1. T!te timewlien it was uttered. ,vhen Jacob was on the eve of death. It is not at all improbable that the soul's vision of unseen ( celestial and future) things becomes clearer as the obscuring veil of this mortal flesh wears thin; but the power of apprehending things to come, which Jacob in this instance displayed, was not due to such intensified spiritual penetration. Neither is it necessary to suppose that he received at-this moment any special super- natural communication. Simply, he directed his dying gaze to the sure word 0£ promise. 2. The substance of what it said. It announced nothing more than God already promised, viz., that he would continue with Jacob's descendants in Egypt, and eventually bring them up again to Canaan. 3. The guarantee to wltich it pointed. This was implicitly contained in the expression, "the land of your fathers." Canaan had been given in covenant to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and hence of necessity it would ultimately be restored -to their seed according to the terms of the covenant. HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ch. xlviii.-We are admitted into the inner ch~mbe~ of the patriarch's dep~rting life, and we see there the presence of Jehovah with him. He 1s-l. The sub;ect of inspiration. 2. Tbe mediator ~f the, l)ivine pr~mises. He i? under the_ ~ontrol, of purposes which ]1ave been swaymg b1m all his hfe. 3. A witness to Divine faith- fulness. The grandfatb~r blessing the grandchild~en .. The blessing· passes on !o _the third and fourth generat10n. Yet the human blessmg 1s only the type of the D1vme. " The angel which redumed me from all evil b[ess the lads." Jaco~ made n cross with his hands over the heads of the boys. It displeased Joseph, but 1t pleased God. The imposition of hands is also here. The name of Jacob is named upon them, the syml.iol of the covenant. Their _prosperity is predicted, but i~ is. connected. imm~di- ately with their covenant standmg. The elevated state of mmd m the patnnrch 1s a 1estirnony to the sustaining power of religion in fleshly weakness. It points on t_oo to the survival of the soul after the death of the body. The preference of Ephrlllm reminds us that all is ascribed to the grace of God.-R. Vera. 15, lG.-The threefold blessinr,. Though the doctrine of the Trinity is not revealed in the Old Testament with the same clearness as in the New Testament, the light of the gospel reveals many indications of it. In Numb vi. 24, 27, the II nnme" of God is pnt upon the children of Israel in a triple formula, A name sn~gests what on. XLIX. 1-33.J TIIE BOOK OF GENESIS. 523