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and is only aroused by the sobs of the party. He then affectionately embraces his daughter, and tells her not to fear. The female domestics must each smell of the poor girl, and the men touch her feet. As Rebecca had her nurse to accompany her, so, at this day, the Aya (the nurse) who has from infancy brought up the bride, goes with her to the new scene. She is her adviser, her assistant, and friend; and to her will she tell all her hopes, and all her fears.ROBERTS.

Ver. 60. And they blessed Rebecca, and said unto her, Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of millions.

From the numerous instances which are recorded in the scriptures, of those who were aged, or holy, giving their blessing, may be seen the importance which was attached to such benedictions. Has a son, or a daughter, to leave a father, an aged friend, or a priest, a blessing is always given. To be the mother of a numerous progeny is considered a great honour. Hence parents often say to their daughters, "Be thou the mother of thousands." Beggars, also, when relieved, say to the mistress of the house, "Ah! madam, millions will come from you."-ROBERTS. Ver 64. And Rebecca lifted up her eyes; and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. It was always customary, in all the East, on perceiving a superior, to alight from the animal upon which they were riding. ANDERSON and IVERSON relate, that "when the governor of Mossul and his suite passed our caravan, we were obliged to alight from our horses, mules, and asses, and lead the animals till they had gone by." Even now, women show this mark of respect to men. NIEBUHR says, "that an Arabian lady who met them in a broad valley in the desert of Mount Sinai, retired from the road, and let her servant lead the camel till they had passed."—Burder.

Ver. 65. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master : therefore she took a veil, and covered herself.

Rebecca's covering herself with a veil, when Isaac came to meet her, which is mentioned Gen. xxiv. 65, is to be considered rather as a part of the ceremonial belonging to the presenting a bride to her intended husband, than an effect either of female delicacy, or desire to appear in the most attractive form. The eastern brides are wont to be veiled in a particular manner, when presented to the bridegroom. Those that give us an account of their customs, at such times, take notice of their being veiled all over. Dr. Russell gives us this circumstance in his account of a Maronite wedding, which, he says, may serve as a specimen of all the rest, there being nothing materially different in the ceremonies of the different sects.-HARMER.

CHAP. 25. ver. 21. And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren.

Under similar circumstances, the husband and the wife fast and pray, and make a vow before the temple, that, should their desire be granted, they will make certain gifts, (specifying their kind,) or they will repair the walls, or add a new wing to the temple; or that the child shall be dedicated to the deity of the place, and be called by the same name. Or they go to a distant temple which has obtained notoriety by granting the favours they require. I have heard of husbands and wives remaining for a year together at such sacred places, to gain the desire of their hearts-ROBERTS.

Ver. 28. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison; but Rebecca loved Jacob. Margin, "Venison was in his mouth." Has a man been supported by another, and is it asked, "Why does Kandan love Muttoo?" the reply is, "Because Muttoo's rice is in his mouth." "Why have you such a regard for that man ?" --"Is not his rice in my mouth?"-ROBERTS.

Ver. 30. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage.

mortar.

The people of the East are exceedingly fond of pottage, which they call Kool. It is something like gruel, and is made of various kinds of grain, which are first beaten in a The red pottage is made of Kurakan, and other grains, but is not superior to the other. For such a contemptible mess, then, did Esau sell his birthright. When a man has sold his fields or gardens for an insignificant sum, the people say, "The fellow has sold his land for pottage." "Does a father give his daughter in marriage to a low caste man, it is observed, " He has given her for pottage." Does a person by base means seek for some paltry enjoyment, it is said, "For one leaf of pottage, he will do nine days' work." Has a learned man stooped to any thing which was not expected from him, it is said, "The instruction or advice to others--" The Lizard, which gave learned one has fallen into the pottage pot." Has he given warning to the people, has fallen into the pottage pot." Of a man in great poverty, it is remarked, "Alas! he cannot get pottage." A beggar asks, "Sir, will you give me a little pottage?" Does a man seek to acquire great things by small means-" He is trying to procure rubies by pottage." When a person greatly flatters another, it is common to say, "He praises him only for his pottage." Does a king greatly oppress his subjects, it is said, "He only governs for the pottage." Has an individual lost much money by trade- The speculation has broken his pottage pot." Does a rich man threaten to ruin a poor man, the latter will ask, "Will the lightning strike my pottage pot?"ROBERTS.

Ver. 41. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand.

is at hand."

When the father (or the mother) has become aged, the children say, "The day for the lamentation of our father approaching." If requested to go to another part of the "The sorrowful time for our mother is fast country, the son will ask, "How can I go? the day of sorrow for my father is fast approaching." When the aged parents are seriously ill, it is said, "Ah! the days of mourning have come.' "-ROCERTS.

CHAP. 26. ver. 15. For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

To stop the wells, is justly reckoned an act of hostility. The Canaanites, envying the prosperity of Abraham and Isaac, and fearing their power, endeavoured to drive them out of the country, by stopping" up all the wells which their servants had digged, and filling them with earth." The same mode of taking vengeance on enemies, mentioned in this passage, has been practised in more recent times. The Turkish emperors give annually to every Arab tribe near the road, by which the Mohammedan pilgrims travel to Mecca, a certain sum of money, and a certain number of vestments, to keep them from destroying the wells which lie on that route, and to escort the pilgrims across their country. D'Herbelot records an incident exactly in point, which seems to be quite common among the Arabs. Gianabi, a famous rebel in the tenth century, gathered a number of people together, seized on Bassorah, and Caufa; and afterward insulted the reigning caliph, by presenting himself boldly before Bagdad, his capital; after which he retired by little and little, filling up all the pits with sand, which had been dug on the road to Mecca, for the benefit of the pilgrims. Near the fountains and wells, the robber and assassin commonly took his station; and in time of war, the enemy placed their ambush, because the flocks and herds, in which the wealth of the country chiefly consisted, were twice every day collected to those places, and might be seized with less danger when the shepherds were busily engaged in drawing water. This circumstance, which must have been familiar to the inhabitants of those countries, is mentioned by Deborah in her triumphal song: They

* It is common to fold a large leaf so as to hold the pottage.

CHAP. 27.

that are delivered from the noise of archers in the place of the drawing of water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord." But a still more perfect comment on these words is furnished by an historian of the croisades, who complains, that during the siege of Jerusalem by the Christian armies, numbers of their men were daily cut off, and their cattle driven away by the Saracens, who lay in ambush for this purpose near all the fountains and watering places.-PAXTON.

Ver. 18. And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham :- and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

This would appear a trifle among us, because water is so abundant, that it is scarcely valued, and nobody thinks of perpetuating his name in the name of a well. But in those deserts, where water is so scarce, and wells and springs are valued more, and as they are there the general permanent monuments of geography, it is also an honour to have given them names.-BURDER.

Ver. 20. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen.

See on chap. 13. 7.

Ver. 31. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from them in peace.

In the same manner, family alliances are frequent among the Arabian shepherds, and indeed rendered necessary, by the state of continual warfare in which they live with the neighbouring tribes. The eighteen Arab emirs of the family which d'Arvieux visited, kept near one another, encamping at no greater distance from their chief than a league or two, and all removing together every month, sometimes every fortnight, as their cattle wanted fresh pasture, that they might be able to assemble with ease.

But while Abraham and Isaac cultivated the friendship of their neighbours, entered into treaties of peace and amity with the kings and princes of Canaan, and entertained them in their tents,-Ishmael, animated by different principles and views, commenced a course of action, after leaving his father's house, so new and unprecedented, that it was made the subject of a distinct prediction. Standing on the verge of a burning desert, which he claimed as his proper inheritance, he assumed from the beginning a hostile attitude, spurned the ties of peace and friendship, and laid all the surrounding tribes under contribution. When he drew upon himself and his adherents the resentment of the fixed inhabitants, and was afraid to risk their attack, he withdrew into the depths of the great wilderness, where none could follow him with hopes of success. In the same manner have his descendants lived; when threatened with an unequal contest, they will strike their tents upon less than two hours' warning, and retire immediately, with all their effects, into the deserts, with whose wells and forage they only are acquainted. Within those impenetrable barriers, which are for ever guarded by hunger and thirst, the Arabians regard with utter contempt, the warlike array of the most powerful nations.-PAXTON.

Chap. 27. ver. 4. And make me savoury meat,
may
such as I love, and bring it to me, that I
eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

Our version of Gen. xxvii. 4, 7, 9, 14, 17, 31, may be presumed to have given us the true sense there of the word translated savoury, though it is undoubtedly of a more large and less determinate signification. That it is of a more large signification, is evident from hence, that a kindred word expresses the tasting of honey, 1 Sam. xiv. 43; and the taste of manna, which tasted like fresh oil, Numb. xi. 8, and like wafers made with honey, Exod. xvi. 31. These

two last passages are easily reconciled, though honey and
fresh oil are by no means like each other in taste, when
we consider the cakes of the ancients were frequently a
composition of honey, and oil, and flour; consequently,
in tasting like one of these wafers or thin cakes, it might
be said to resemble the taste of both, of oil mingled with
honey. The word yoyo matammeem, then, translated sa-
voury in a confined sense, signifies generally whatever is
gustful, or pleasing to the taste, whether by being salt and
spicy, which the English word savoury means, or pleasant
by its sweetness; or by being acidulated. However, it is
very probable, that in this account of what Isaac desired,
it means savoury, properly speaking, since though one
might imagine, that in so hot a climate, and among people
wont to observe so much abstemiousness in their diet, food
highly seasoned should not be in request; yet the contrary
is known to be fact. Almost all the dishes of the people
of Aleppo, Dr. Russell informs us," are either greasy with
fat, or butter, pretty high-seasoned with salt and spices;
many of them made sour with verjuice, pomegranate, or
lemon juice; and onions and garlic often complete the
seasoning.' As it was something of the venison kind
Isaac desired, it is very probable, the dish he wished for
was of the savoury sort. Some of their dishes of meat,
however, are of a sweet nature. "A whole lamb, stuffed
with rice, almonds, raisins, pistaches, &c. and stewed, is
a favourite dish with them." It was very just then, in our
translators, to render this word by a more extensive term
in Prov. xxiii. 3, "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
"Be not de-
consider diligently what is before thee," v. 1.
sirous of his dainties, for they are deceitful meat," v. 3.
It is translated in much the same manner in v. 6, dainty
meats. I would observe further, as to this subject, that
there is a great propriety in Solomon's describing these
dainty meats as very much appropriated to the tables of
rulers, or a few others of the great, since the food of the
common people of Aleppo, a large and rich commercial
"bread,
city, is very simple and plain; for Russell tells
us,
dibbs, the juice of grapes thickened to the consistence of
honey, leban, coagulated sour milk, butter, rice, and a very
little mutton, make the chief of their food in winter; as
rice, bread, checse, and fruits, do in the summer." De
la Roque gives much the same account of the manner of
living of the Arabs, whose way of life very much resem-
bles that of the patriarchs; "roast meat being almost pecu-
liar to the tables of their emirs or princes, and lambs or
kids stewed whole, and stuffed with bread, flour, mutton
fat, raisins, salt, pepper, saffron, mint, and other aromatic
herbs." I would only add further, with respect to the meat
Isaac desired, that perhaps his desiring Esau to take his
bow and arrows, and to kill him some venison,--an ante-
lope, or some such wild animal, when a kid from his
own flock would, as appears from the event, have done as
well,--might as much arise from the sparingness natural to
those that live this kind of life, together with the pleasure
he proposed to himself from this testimony of filial affec-
tion from a beloved son, as from the recollection of some
peculiar poignant flavour he had formerly perceived in
eating the flesh of wild animals, though now his organs of
taste were so much impaired as not to perceive the differ-
ence. So Dr. Shaw observes, that "the Arabs rarely di-
minish their flocks, by using them for food, but live chiefly
upon bread, milk, butter, dates, or what they receive in
exchange for their wool."-HARMER.

Ver. 19. And Jacob said unto his father, I am
Esau thy first-born; I have done according as
thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat
of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

The ancient Greeks and Romans sat at meals. Ho

mer's heroes were ranged on separate seats along the wall,
with a small table before each, on which the meat and
drink were placed. This custom is still observed in China,
and perhaps some other parts of the greater Asia. When
Ulysses arrived at the palace of Alcinous, the king dis-
placed his son Laodamas, in order to seat Ulysses in a
magnificent chair. The same posture was preferred by
But, afterward,
the Egyptians and the ancient Israelites.
when men became soft and effeminate, they exchanged
their seats for beds, in order to drink with more ease; yet

even then, the heroes who drank sitting were still thought entitled to praise; and those who accustomed themselves to a primitive and severe way of living, retained the ancient posture. The custom of reclining was introduced from the nations of the east, and particularly from Persia, where it seems to have been adopted at a very remote period. The Old Testament scriptures allude to both customs: but they furnish undeniable proofs of the sitting posture, long before common authors took notice of the other. It was the custom in Isaac's family to sit at meat; for Jacob thus addressed his aged father: "Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." At the entertainment which Joseph gave his brethren, on their return to Egypt, they seem to have followed the custom of their fathers; for "they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth." In the court of Saul, many ages after this, Abner sat at table by his master's side; and David also had his place allotted to him, which is emphatically called his seat. As this is undoubtedly the most natural and dignified posture, so it seems to have been universally adopted by the first generations of men; and it was not till after the lapse of many ages, and degenerate man had lost much of the firmness of his primitive character, that he began to lie flat upon his belly.-PAXTON.

Ver. 27. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed.

The Orientals endeavour to perfume their clothes in various ways. They sprinkle them with sweet-scented oils, extracted from spices, they fumigate them with the most valuable incense or scented wood, and also sew the wood of the aloe in their clothes. By some of these means, Jacob's clothes were perfumed. Pliny observes, (Nat. Hist. b. xvii. chap. 5,) "that the land, after a long drought, moistened by the rain, exhales a delightful odour, with which nothing can be compared:" and soon after, he adds, "that it is a sign of a fruitful soil, when it emits an agreeable smell, when it has been ploughed."- BURDER.

The natives are universally fond of having their garments strongly perfumed: so much so, that Europeans can scarcely bear the smell. They use camphor, civet, sandal wood or sandal oil, and a great variety of strongly scented waters. It is not common to salute as in England: they simply smell each other; and it is said that some people know their children by the smell. It is common for a mother or father to say, "Ah! child, thy smell is like the Sen-Paga-Poo." The crown of the head is the principal place for smelling. Of an amiable man, it is said, "How sweet is the smell of that man! the smell of his goodness is universal."--ROBERTS.

CHAP. 28. ver. 18. And Jacob rose.up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

One of the idols in the pagoda of Juggernaut is described by Captain Hamilton as a huge black stone, of a pyramidal form, and the sommona codom among the Siamese is of the same complexion. The ayeen Akbery mentions an octagonal pillar of black stone fifty cubits high. Tavernier observed an idol of black stone in the pagoda of Benares, and that the statue of Creeshna, in his celebrated temple of Mathura, is of black marble. It is very remarkable, that one of the principal ceremonies incumbent upon the priests of these stone deities, according to Tavernier, is to anoint them daily with odoriferous oils: a circumstance which immediately brings to our remembrance the similar practice of Jacob, who, after the famous vision of the celestial ladder, took the stone which he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. It is added, that he called the name of that place BETH-EL, that is, the house of God. This passage evinces of how great antiquity is the custom of considering stones in a sacred light, as well as the anointing them with consecrated oil. From this conduct of Jacob, and this Hebrew appellative, the learned Bochart, with great ingenuity and reason,

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insists that the name and veneration of the sacred stones, called baetyli, so celebrated in all pagan antiquity, were derived. These bactyli were stones of a round form; they were supposed to be animated, by means of magical incantations, with a portion of the deity: they were consulted on occasions of great and pressing emergency, as a kind of divine oracles, and were suspended, either round the neck, or some other part of the body. Thus the setting up of a stone by this holy person, in grateful memory of the celestial vision, probably became the occasion of the idolatry in succeeding ages, to these shapeless masses of unhewn stone, of which so many astonishing remains are scattered up and down the Asiatic and the European world.--BURDER.

CHAP. 29. ver. 1. Then Jacob went on his journey,

and came into the land of the people of the east.

The margin has, " lifted up his feet;" which, in Eastern language, signifies to walk quickly-to reach out--to be in good earnest--not to hesitate. Thus Jacob journeyed to the East, he lifted up his feet, and stretched forth in good earnest, having been greatly encouraged by the vision of the ladder, and the promise, "Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth."-ROBERTS.

Ver. 2. And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.

In Arabia, and in other places, they are wont to close and cover up their wells of water, lest the sand, which is put into motion by the winds there, like the water of a pond, should fill them, and quite stop them up. This is the account Sir J. Chardin gives us in a note on Ps. Ixix. 15. I very much question the applicableness of this custom to that passage, but it will serve to explain, I think, extremely well, the view of keeping that well covered with a stone, from which Laban's sheep were wont to be watered; and their care not to leave it open any time, but to stay till the flocks were all gathered together, before they opened it, and then, having drawn as much water as was requisite, to cover it up again immediately, Gen. xxix. 2, 8. Bishop Patrick supposes it was done to keep the water clean and cool. Few people, I imagine, will long hesitate in determining which most probably was the view in keeping the well covered with so much care. All this care of their water is certainly very requisite, since they have so little, that Chardin supposes, "that the strife between Abraham's herdmen and Lot's was rather about water, than pasturage;" and immediately after observes, "that when they are forced to draw the water for very large flocks, out of one well, or two, it must take up a great deal of time."--HARMER.

Ver. 2. And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. 3. And thither were all the flocks gathered and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.

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To prevent the sand, which is raised from the parched surface of the ground by the winds, from filling up their wells, they were obliged to cover them with a stone. In this manner the well was covered, from which the flocks of Laban were commonly watered and the shepherds, careful not to leave them open at any time, patiently waited till all the flocks were gathered together, before they removed the covering, and then having drawn a sufficient quantity of water, they replaced the stone immediately. The extreme scarcity of water in these arid regions, entirely justifies such vigilant and parsimonious care in the management of this precious fluid; and accounts for the fierce contentions about the possession of a well, which so frequently happened between the shepherds of different

masters. But after the question of right, or of possession, was decided, it would seem the shepherds were often detected in fraudulently watering their flocks and herds from their neighbour's well. To prevent this, they secured the cover with a lock, which continued in use so late as the days of Chardin, who frequently saw such precautious used in different parts of Asia, on account of the real scarcity of water there. According to that intelligent traveller, when the wells and cisterns were not locked up, some person was so far the proprietor, that no one dared to open a well, or a cistern, but in his presence. This was probably the reason, that the shepherds of Padanaram declined the invitation of Jacob to water the flocks, before they were all assembled; either they had not the key of the lock which secured the stone, or if they had, they durst not open it, but in the presence of Rachel, to whose father the well belonged. It is ridiculous to suppose the stone was so heavy that the united strength of several Mesopotamian shepherds could not roll it from the mouth of the well, when Jacob had strength, or address, to remove it alone; or, that though a stranger, he ventured to break a standing rule for watering the flocks, which the natives did not dare to do, and that without opposition. The oriental shepherds were not on other occasions so passive; as the violent conduct of the men of Gerar sufficiently proves.-PAXTON.

Ver. 7. And he said, Lo, it is yet high day.

Heb. "Yet the day is great." Are people travelling through places where are wild beasts, those who are timid will keep troubling the party by saying, "Let us seek for a place of safety:" but the others reply, "Not yet;" for "the day is great." " Why should I be in such haste? the day is yet great." When tired of working, it is remarked, Why, the day is yet great."-"Yes, yes, you manage to leave off while the day is yet great."--ROBERTS.

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Ver. 10. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

Twice in the day they led their flocks to the wells; at noon, and when the sun was going down. To water the flocks, was an operation of much labour, and occupied a considerable space of time. It was, therefore, an office of great kindness with which Jacob introduced himself to the notice of his relations, to roll back the stone which lay upon the mouth of the well, and draw water for the flocks which Rachel tended. Some of these wells are furnished with troughs and flights of steps down to the water, and other contrivances, to facilitate the labour of watering the cattle. It is evident the well to which Rebecca went to draw water, near the city of Nahor, had some convenience of this kind; for it is written, "Rebecca hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels." A trough was also placed by the well, from which the daughters of Jethro watered his flocks; and if we may judge from circumstances, was a usual contrivance in every part of the east. In modern times, Mr. Park found a trough near the well, from which the Moors watered their cattle, in the sandy deserts of Sahara. As the wells are often very deep, from a hundred and sixty to a hundred and seventy feet, the water is drawn up with small leathern buckets, and a cord, which travellers are often obliged to carry along with them, in their journey, because they meet with more cisterns and wells than springs. Dr. Richardson saw one of these buckets lying beside a deep well near a Christian church in Egypt to draw water for the congregation. And Buckingham found a party of twelve or fifteen Arabs drawing water in leathern buckets by cords and pulleys. To this custom, which they are forced to submit to by the scantiness of the population in those regions, the woman of Samaria refers in her answer, to our Lord: "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with ;" thou hast no bucket and cord, as travellers commonly have;

and the well is deep; from whence then hast thou that living water?"-PAXTON.

Ver. 18. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

Because he had no money or other goods which he could give to the father for his daughter. For among many people of the East, in ancient and modern times, we find it customary, not for the bride to bring a dowry to the bridegroom, but the bridegroom must, in a manner, purchase the girl whom he intends to marry, from the father. Therefore Shechem says, (ch. xxxiv. 12,) to Dinah's father and brothers, "Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife." In the same manner Tacitus relates, that among the ancient Germans, the wife did not bring the dowry to the man, but the man to the woman. "The parents and relations are present, who examine the gifts, and choose, not such as are adapted to female dress, or to adorn the bride, but oxen, and a harnessed horse, a shield, and a sword. In return for these presents he receives the wife." This custom still prevails among the Bedouins. "When a young man meets with a girl to his taste, he asks her of her father through one of his relations: they now treat about the number of camels, sheep, or horses, that the son-in-law will give to the father for his daughter; for the Bedouins never save any money, and their wealth consists only in cattle. A man that marries must therefore literally purchase his wife, and the fathers are most fortunate who have many daughters. They are the principal riches of the family. When, therefore, a young man negotiates with the father whose daughter he intends to marry, he says, 'Will you give me your daughter for fifty sheep, six camels, or twelve cows?' If he is not rich enough to give so much, he offers a mare or foal. The qualities of the girl, the family, and the fortune of him that intends to marry her, are the principal considerations in D'Arvieux, p. 119.) This is confirmed by Seetzen, in his making the bargain." (Customs of the Bedouin Arabs, by account of the Arab tribes whom he visited in 1808. The ceremonies at the marriage of a wandering Arab are remarkable; a young Arab knows a girl who pleases him; he goes to her father, and makes his wishes known to him. The latter speaks to his daughter. "Daughter," says he, "there is one who asks you for his wife: the man is good, and it depends upon yourself if you will become his wife; you have my consent." If the girl refuses, there is an end of the matter; if she is contented, the father returns to his guest, and informs him of the happy intelligence. "But," he adds, "I demand the price of the girl." This consists of five camels; but generally, by the intervention of others, a couple more are added, and those given are frequently miserable enough.--BURDER.

Ver. 19. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man abide with me.

So said Laban, in reference to his daughter Rachel; and so say fathers in the East, under similar circumstances. The thing like a consultation with the maiden. Her likes and whole affair is managed in a business-like way, without any dislikes are out of the question. The father understands therefore they manage the transaction. This system, howthe matter perfectly, and the mother is very knowing; ever, is the fruitful source of that general absence of domestic happiness which prevails there. She has, perhaps, never seen the man with whom she is to spend her days. He may be young; he may be aged; he may be repulsive or attractive. The whole is a lottery to her. Have the match? she will make her inquiries; but the result will servants or others whispered to her something about the never alter the arrangements: for though her soul abhor the thoughts of meeting him, yet it must be done.ROBERTS.

Ver. 23. And it came to pass, in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

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This deceit of giving Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel was the more easy, because the bride was introduced veiled to the bridegroom. The following passage from Olearius (Travels in Persia) is particularly applicable here. "If they are people of any consideration, they bring up their daughters, locked up in their chambers, to hide them from view, and they cannot be seen by the bridegroom till they are received in the chamber. In this manner many a one is deceived, and receives, instead of a handsome, a deformed and ugly girl, nay, instead of the daughter, some other relation, or even a maid. Also, when the bridegroom has sat down, the bride is seated by his side veiled, and magnificently dressed, and that neither may see the other, a piece of red silk is drawn between them, which is held by two boys."-ROSENMULLER.

Ver. 24. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah, Zilpah his maid for a handmaid.

Chardin observes, that none but very poor people marry a daughter in the East, without giving her a female slave for a handmaid, there being no hired servants there as in Europe. So Solomon supposes they were extremely poor that had not a servant. Prov. xii. 9.-HARMER.

Ver. 26. And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born.

The existence of this rule, and its application to practice, in those parts of the world, is confirmed by the Hindoo law, which makes it criminal to give the younger daughter in marriage before the elder; or for a younger son to marry while his elder brother remains unmarried.-PAXTON.

It has been said, (and with much truth,) that could Alexander revisit India, he would find the same customs and manners that prevailed in his day. From age to age the fashions and usages are carefully and reverently adhered to. When the eldest daughter is deformed, or blind, or deaf, or dumb, then the younger may be given first: but under other circumstances it would be disgraceful in the extreme. Should any one wish to alter the order of things, the answer of Laban given. Should a father, however, have a very advantageous offer for a younger daughter, he will exert all his powers to get off the elder; but until this can be accomplished, the younger will not be married. Younger brothers are sometimes married first, but even this takes place but very seldom.-ROBERTS.

Ver. 30. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

Polygamy was productive of many evils; and particularly gave occasion for jealousy and contention. It required, indeed, the utmost exertion of prudence on the part of the husband so to conduct himself towards his wives, as to prevent continual strife and discord. Wherever the practice obtains, the same care will always be requisite. Thus a late traveller, (Sir R. K. Porter's Travels in Persia, vol. ii. p. 8,) speaking of the number of wives a Persian keeps, says, "To preserve amity between these ladies, which had so excited my admiration, our communicative host told me, that himself, in common with all husbands, who preferred peace to passion, adhered to a certain rule, of each wife claiming, in regular rotation, the connubial attentions of her spouse: something of this kind is intimated in the domestic history of the ancient Jewish patriarchs, as a prevailing usage in the East, after men fell from the order of nature and of God, into the vice of polygamy."BURDER.

Ver. 35. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah, and left bearing.

Margin, "She called his name Praise,"-" and left bearing." Heb. "stood from bearing." Scriptural names have generally a meaning. Thus, Didymus, means a twin; Boanerges, a son of thunder; and Peter, a stone. The

names of the Orientals have always a distinct meaning. Thus, Ani Muttoo, the precious pearl; Pun Amma, the golden lady; Perrya Amma, the great lady; Chinny Tamby, the little friend; Kanneyar, the gentleman for the eye. Vast numbers of their children are named after their gods. "Stood from bearing." When a mother has ceased to bear children, should a person say it is not so, others will reply, "She stood from bearing at such a time."ROBERTS.

CHAP. 30. ver. 14. And Reuben went, in the days of wheat-harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

This plant is a species of melon, of which there are two sorts, the male and the female. The female mandrake is black, and puts out leaves resembling lettuce, though smaller and narrower, which spread on the ground, and have a disagreeable scent. It bears berries something like services, pale and of a strong smell, having kernels within like those of pears. It has two or three very large roots, twisted together, white within, black without, and covered with a thick rind. The male mandrake is called Morion, or folly, because it suspends the senses. It produces berries twice as large as those of the female, of a good scent, and of a colour approaching towards saffron. Pliny says, the colour is white. Its leaves are large, white, broad, and smooth, like the leaves of the beech-tree. The root resembles that of the female, but is thicker and bigger, descending six or eight feet into the ground. Both the smell and the taste are pleasant; but it stupifies those that use it, and often produces phrensy, vertigo, and lethargy, which, if timely assistance is not given, terminate in convulsions and death. It is said to be a provocative, and is used in the east as filters. The Orientals cultivate this plant in their gardens, for the sake of its smell; but those which Reuben found were in the field, in some small copse of wood perhaps, or shade, where they had come to maturity before they were found. If they resemble those of Persia rather than those of Egypt, which are of a very inferior quality, then we see their value, their superiority, and perhaps their rarity, which induced Rachel to purchase them from the son of Leah.--PAXTON.

Ver. 20. And Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six

sons.

Should it be reported of a husband, that he is going to forsake his wife, after she has borne him children, people will say, "She has borne him sons; he will never, never leave her." To have children is a powerful tie upon a husband. Should she, however, not have any, he is almost certain to forsake her.-ROBERTS.

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Ver. 30. And the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming.

Heb. "at my foot." By the labour of Jacob's foot, the cattle of Laban had increased to a multitude. Of a man who has become rich by his own industry, it is said, "Ah! by the labour of his feet these treasures have been acquired." How have yon gained this prosperity ?" "By the favour king is so prosperous?" "By the labour of the feet of his of the gods, and the labour of my feet." "How is it the

ministers."--ROBERTS.

CHAP. 31. ver. 2. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not towards him as before.

Heb. "as yesterday and the day be ore." See also marginal reading of Isa. xxx. 33. Of old, "from yesterday." The latter form of speech is truly Oriental, and means time gone by. Has a person lost the friendship of another, he will say to him, "Thy face is not to me as yesterday and the day before." Is a man reduced in his circumstances, he says, "The face of God is not upon me as yesterday and

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