The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 578

Version, or is derived from M)lj), an uncertain e.ry,' &:c.), though the word miahpetainn has J'oot, eignifying to cover (Geseniue, Kalisch). been also rendered ava µl<1ov rwv kArypwv B'is eyee shall be red with wine, and his (LXX. ), int,er urminos (Vulga.te, Rosenmiil- teeth white with milk. Otherwise rendered ler), "within their own boundaries" (On- "redder than wine," and "whiter than kelos, Targnms of Jerusalem and Jonathan), milk" (LXX., Vulgate, Targum of Jerusalem, "between two burdens" (.A. V., Lange, et alii), as a description of Judah's per.son, Murphy, &:c.). And he saw tha.t rest wa~ which scarcely seems so 11i;,propriate as the good, and the land that it was plea.ean t. received translation (Calvm, Rosenmiiller, lssacha.r was to manifest a keen appreciation Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, Lange, and others), of the land or portion of territory that should which completes the preceding picture of be RSsigned to him, and to renounce the Judah's prosperity. Not only would Judah's warlike spirit and military enterprises of his soil be so fertile that its vines should be brethren for the indolent and luxurious repose employed for tying asses and colts to their of his fat pastures, crouching between his brauches, but the grapes of those vines should sheep-folds, or rejoicing within his tents, like be so plentiful and luscious as to make wine a, lazy ass, capable indeed of mighty efforls, run like the water in which he washed his but too self-satisfied to put forth much exer- clothes, while the wine and milk should he tion, devoting himself to agriculture ancl so exlillarating and invigorating as to impart pastoral pursuits, and preferring rather to a sparkling brilliance to the eyes and a pay tribute to his brethren, in order to secure charming whiteness to the teeth. The aged their protection, than to leave his ploughshare prophet, it has been appropriately remarked, and cast aside his shepherd's crook to follow has here no thought of debauchery, but only them into the tented field of war, as tho paints before the mind's eye a picture of tho patriarch next describes. And bowed hie 1-ichest and most ornate enjoyment (Lange). ehoulder to bea.r, a.nd beca.me a. servant unto Minime c<msimtanewm esse vid-etwr profusam tri]>ute-or a tributary servant. The phrase intemperiem et projectwnem in benedicti<YM i:;)liCt;), though sometimes used of servi- censeri (Calvin). tude under a. foreign sovereignty (Deut. xx. 11; Josh. xv:i.10), commonly refers to tribute Ver. 13.-Zebulun shall dwell at the rendered by labour (1 Kings ix. 21 ; 2 Chron. haven of the sea. ;-not 1rap' opµov 1rXoiwv viii. 8), and is correctly renq.ered ,i v9pw1ra~ (LXX.), in statwnenavfam (Vulgate), but to, tii; 1/)opov aov~_ivwv (Aquila), factusque est or at, or beside, the shore (from the idea of tributo serviens (Vulgate). The transl!ltion being washed by the waters of the ocean) of kai lyEv71911 av,jp y,wpyo!: (LXX.) disco,-ers the waters, i. e. of the Galilean and Mediter- in the clause an allusion to Issachar's agri- ranean seas-a.nd he shall be for an haven cultural pursuits. of ships ;-literally, and he to, at, or on, a shore of ships, i. e. a shore where ships are Vers. 16-18.-Dan sha.lljudge his people unloaded (sc. shall dwell), the words being a as one of the tribes of lera.el With a play repetition of the previous thought, with only upon his name, the firstbom son of Racbel's the expansion, suggested by the term ships, handmaid, Bilhnh, is described as one who that Zebulun's calling should be in the should occupy an important placeand exer- direction of cammerce ;-and hie border shall cise highly beneficial functions in the future be unto Zidon-literally, and his side, or commonwealth, enjoying independence nm! hinder part (sc. shall be, or extend), towards, self-government as one of the tribes of Israel mther than unto,---usque cul (Vu1gate), fwi; (Herder, and others), and performing the (LXX. ),-Zidon, since the territory subse- office of an administrator among the peoplo quently allotted to Zebulun neither actually not of his own tribe merely, but also of all touched the Mediterranean, nor reached to Israel, 11 prediction pointing perhaps to the Zidon-a circumstance that may be noted as tr!lnsient supremacy enjoyed by Dan over the an indirect hint that this prophecy was not other tribes in the days of Samson (Onkelos, spoken, or even first written, after the occu- et alii). Da.n shall be a eerpent by the wa.y, pation of the land. an adder in the pa.th, the.t biteth the horse Vers. 14, 16.-Issachar is a strong a.BB heels, BO that hie rider sha.11 fa.ll ba.ckwa.rd. couohing down between two burdens - The JiEl 1E;l~, from the Syrie.c ~;)~, to glide literally, an ass of bone-hence astron~, power- (Gesenius); from ~~l!i, to sting· (Kalisch), ful animal, asinua fortis (Vulgate), asinus 'tJalidi c.orpori., (Geseniue), asin11,s robustus ~~~. to bite (Flirst), was the horned serpent, (Rosenmiiller)-lymg down between thefolds, cerctstes, of the colour of sand, and marked or cattle-pens, which received e.nd protected with white and bl11ck spots, which was the flocks by night, the dual being used pro- exceedingly dangerous to passers-by, its bita bably beceuse such pens·were divided into two being poisouous and fatal. The allusion ha~ parts for dHferent kinds of CRttle (Gesenius, been almost unanimously explained as point- Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, 'Speaker's Comment• ing to Samson (Judges xvi. 28), but the tril'I'  628 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [en. XLIX. 1--33