Annotations upon the five bookes of Moses, the booke of the Psalmes, and the Song of Songs, or, Canticles VVherein the Hebrevv vvords and sentences, are compared with, and explained by the ancient Greeke and Chaldee versions, and other records and monuments of the Hebrewes: but chiefly by conference with the holy Scriptures, Moses his words, lawes and ordinances, the sacrifices, and other legall ceremonies heretofore commanded by God to the Church of Israel, are explained. With an advertisement touching some objections made against the sinceritie of the Hebrew text, and allegation of the Rabbines in these annotations. As also tables directing unto such principall things as are observed in the annotations upon each severall booke. By Henry Ainsworth.

CHAP. XXXIII.

1, Iakob goeth before his family, and boweth unto Esau seven times. 4, the kindnesse of Iakob and Esan at their meeting. 6, Iakobs wives and children bow unto Esau. 10, With much intreaty, he receiveth Ia∣kobs present. 12, Offereth to accompany Iakob, but his courtefie is modestly refused. 17, Iakob commeth to Succoth. 18, At the city of Sechem he buyeth a field, and buildeth an altar called El-Elohe-Israel.

ANd Iakob, lifted up his eyes; and [unspec 1] saw, and behold Esau came; and with him, foure hundred men: and he di∣vided the children, unto Leah and unto Ra∣chel; and unto the two handmaids. And he [unspec 2] put the handmaids and their children, first: and Leah and her children, after; and Ra∣chel and Ioseph, aftermost. And he, passed [unspec 3] over before them: and bowed himselfe to the ground, seven times; untill hee came neere to his brother. And Esau ran to meet [unspec 4] him, and imbraced him; and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he lif∣ted [unspec 5] up his eyes; and saw the women and the children; and said, who are these with thee? and he said, The children, which God hath graciously given to thy servant. And [unspec 6] the handmaids came-neere, they and their children, and bowed-themselves. And Leah [unspec 7] also came-neere, and her children, and they bowed-themselves: and after, came Ioseph neere, and Rachel, and they bowed-them∣selves. And he said, what meanest thou, by [unspec 8] all this company, which I met? And he said, to find grace, in the eyes of my Lord. And [unspec 9] Esau said, I have much: my brother, let that which is thine, be thine. And Iakob said; [unspec 10] Nay I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thine eyes; then take my present, at my hand: for therefore I have seene thy face as though I had seene the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Take I pray thee [unspec 11] my blessing, which is brought to thee; be∣cause God hath dealt-graciously with mee, and because I have all: and he urged him, and he tooke it. And he said, let us take our jour∣ney [unspec 12] and goe: and I will goe, before thee. And hee said unto him, my Lord knoweth, [unspec 13] that the children are tender; and the flockes and herds, are with young with me: and if they overdrive them one day, then all the flockes will dye. Let my Lord, I pray thee, [unspec 14] passe over before his servant: and I will lead∣on softly, according to the foot of the worke which is before me, and to the foot of the children; untill I come unto my Lord, to Seir. And Esau said; Let me appoint I pray [unspec 15] thee with thee, some of the folke which are with me: and he said, wherefore is this? let me find grace in the eyes of my Lord. And [unspec 16] Esau returned, in that day; on his way, to Seir. And Iakob, journeyed to Succoth; [unspec 17] and built him an house: and made boothes for his cattell; therefore he called the name of the place, Succoth.

And Iakob came safe, to the City of Se∣chem; [unspec 18] which is, in the land of Canaan; when he came from Padan Aram: and he encam∣ped, before the City. And he bought a par∣cell [unspec 19] of a field, where hee had stretched-out his tent; at the hand of the sonnes of Ha∣mor, the father of Sechem: for an hundred lambs. And he set-up there an Altar: and [unspec 20] called it, El-Elohe-Israel.

Annotations.

HAndmaids] in the Chaldee, concubines. So [unspec 1] one of them is called, Gen. 35. 22.

Vers. 3. seven] this may be taken for many times: [unspec 3] as, the barren hath borne seven, that is, many, 1 Sam. 2 5. seven (that is, many) abominations are in (the hatefull mans) heart, Prov. 26. 25. and sundry the like. Here Iakob doth that himselfe, which God promised should bee done unto him, Gen. 27. 29. But humility goeth before honour. And it is no∣ted by the Hebrew Doctors, as a decree of God, that Esau should be ruler over Iakob, in this world; and Iakob ruler over Esau in the world to come. Pirkei. R. Eliezer, ch. 37.

Vers. 4. kissed him] These were signes of Esaus [unspec 4] affections changed from his former hatred, Gen. 27. 41. Luk. 15. 20. and of Iakobs prevailing with men, as he had with God, Genes. 32. 28. for his waies pleasing the Lord, hee made his enemies at peace with him, Prov. 16. 7. Therefore the word kissed is extraordinarily noted in the Hebrew with three prickes over it, as leading the reader to ob∣serve well this matter. In the words following the Greeke addeth, they wept both.

Vers. 8. what meanest thou] Hebr. what to thee? [unspec 8] company] or camp, the drove sent before, Gen. 32. 16. to finde] that is, that I may finde: the Greek explaineth it, that thy servant may finde grace.

Vers. 9. much] Hereby he may meane, inough, or, a great deale: the Greeke translateth it, many things. [unspec 9] Iakob in vers. 11. speaketh more freely, I have all things. Thus Esau had received his blessing; Gen. 27. 39. be thine] that is, keepe it to thy selfe: or, (as the Chaldee explaineth it,) much good doe it thee, that which thou hast.

Vers. 10. therefore] or, because: as this word sig∣nifieth in Gen. 38. 26. face of God] that is, ho∣nourable [unspec 10] and comfortable. The Chaldee for God (Elohim) translateth Princes: as the word some∣time signifieth, Psal. 82. pleased] or, thou hast favourably accepted me.

Vers. 11. blessing] that is, the gift, which by the blessing of God I have received, and doe with a [unspec 11] willing and liberall heart give unto thee. Hereup∣on the scripture often useth a blessing for a bounte∣ous gift, or liberality, 1 Sam. 25. 27. and 30. 26. 2 King. 5. 15. and so the Apostle useth it, in 2 Cor. 9. 5. 6. The Chaldee keepeth here the word used in the former verse, the present. all] that is, inough of all: the Greeke turneth it plurally, all things. A more full acknowledgment and contentation then Esaus, who said he had much, vers. 9. he took it] Iakob herein had the preeminence, for it is more blessed to give, than to receive, Act. 20. 35. and A∣bram would not bee inriched by the king of So∣dom, Gen. 14. 23. The Hebrew Doctors in Bresith rabbah here say, that all the gifts which Iakob gave to Esau, the kings of the world shall restore unto the King Christ; as Psal. 72. 10.

Vers. 12. and goe] meaning unto Seir, where hee [unspec 12] would lovingly entertaine his brother, and gratifie his kinenesse. By Iakobs answer in vers. 14. it see∣meth he did so understand him.

Vers. 13. with yong] or, giving-sucke, as the Chal∣dee [unspec 13] translateth it. The Hebrew may imply both; as 1 Sam. 6. 7.

Vers. 14. will lead on] or, will gently-lead softly. As [unspec 14] Iakob here with his flocke, so Christ the good sheepherd, is prophesied to deale with his people, Esa. 40. 11. the foot of the worke] that is, the pace of the cattell, as they are able to goe: called a worke, because about them his labour was imploy∣ed. So in Exod. 22. 8. Thus Christ preached as men were able to heare, Mark. 4. 33. & so did his Apostles, becomming weake to the weake, 1 Cor. 3. 2. & 9. 22. Rom. 15. 1. For foot the Greek translateth leisure.

Vers. 15. appoint] or set; and consequently leave, [unspec 15] as the Greeke and Chaldee doe translate it. So in Exod. 10. 24. let mee finde grace] that is, grant my desire, and leave none. So to finde grace, is to have a request granted, Gen. 34. 11. and 47. 25. 1 Sam. 25. 8. Or, as the Greeke translateth, it is inough that I have found grace; as being a thankfull refusall: and so the Hebrew phrase seemeth elsewhere to im∣port, as in Ruth 2. 13. 2 Sam. 16. 4.

Vers. 17. an house] in Greeke, houses: they were [unspec 17] cottages for present use; for hee stayed not there long. Succoth] that is, boothes, or tents: hereof the place had the name, and so the citie that was after there builded, was called Succoth, Iudg. 8. 15. 16. Likewise the place whither Iakobs sonnes first came, after they went out of Egypt, was called Succoth, Exod. 12. 37. and in memoriall of their dwelling in boothes God appointed a yeerely feast for all the people, called the feast of Succoth; that is, of boothes, or tents, made of green boughes of trees, wherein they dwelt seven daies in a yeere, Levit. 23. 34—42. 43.

V. 18. came safe] or came in peace, sound, & whole, [unspec 18] he and all that he had; having got the victory over all troubles and dangers, according to the promi∣ses of God, Gen. 31. 3. & 32. 28. The Hebrew Sa∣lem is so interpreted here by the Chaldee para∣phrase safe, or sound: but the Greeke maketh it the name of a place, to Salem the citie of the Sichimites: Howbeit we finde elsewhere no mention of such a citie. Yet if so it be understood, it is an other then that Salem where Melchisedek raigned, Gen. 14. 18. which was Ierusalem; from which this Salem was 40. miles distant. In Ioh. 3. 23. there is menti∣on of a Salem by Enon, where Iohn baptised; which is thought to bee that Saalim spoken of in 1 Sam. 9. 4. Sechem] or Sychem, as in Greeke it is called Act. 7. 16. called also Sichar, Ioh. 4. 5. Padan Aram] or Mesopotamia of Syria, as the Greeke hath it, See Gen. 25, 20. encamped] pitched his tents.

Vers. 19. he bought] yet was that land given of [unspec 19] God to him and his fathers, Gen. 12. 6. 7. but hoc was a pilgrim on it, as were they, Heb. 11. 9. and in hope of that promise in time to be fulfilled, he pur∣chased this field; as Ieremie bought a field, for like signification, Ier. 32. 9. 15. After, it became the por∣tion of Ioseph & his children, Ios. 24. 32. Ha∣mor] or Emmor, as it is written, Act. 7. 16. in He∣brew Chamor. 100. lambs] so the Greek & Chal∣dee both translate the word. Others thinke

they 〈…〉〈…〉ere pieces of money, on which the images of lambs were stamped. So in Ios. 24. 32. Iob 42. 11. It hath beene an ancient custome in many nations, to buy and sell, not onely for money, but by ex∣change of one thing for another, as among the Greekes, Homer. Iliad. 8.

Vers. 20. an altar] for thanksgiving to God, as [unspec 20] his fathers had done, Gen. 12. 7. and 13. 18. &c.

El Elohe Israel] that is, God the God of Israel, so named, as a 〈…〉〈…〉stimoniall of his faith, and a memo∣riall of the mercie of God, who gave him that new name: Gen. 32. 28. The like Moses did, Exod. 17. 15. calling his altar, Iehovah Nissi. The Greek here translateth, he called upon the God of Israel: also the Chaldee, he sacrificed upon it, before God the God of Israel. About this time, fell out the departure of Iudah from his brethren, and mariage with a Ca∣naanitish woman, mentioned in Gen. 38. 1. &c. see the annotations there.