and what soever is made for the same. And it is forbid den (by Deut. 7. 26.) to have any use (or profit) by any of these things. Maimony treat. of Idolatry, c. 7. S. 1. 2. the oke] or, as the Greeke and Chaldee doe translate it, the Terebinth, (or Turpentine tree,) the tree under which afterwards Iosua set up a stone for a witnesse, when having clensed the people of their idols, he made a covenant with them & gave them a law in Sechem, Ios. 24. 23. 25. 26. There al∣so he hid them from the knowledge of his family, under an oke, that they might not easily be found: okes and other trees being consecrated in those times to religious uses, and therefore stood long unfelled. Deut. 12. 2. see Gen. 21. 33. Vnder such also, they sometimes buried the dead, as after in v. 8. The Greeke version here addeth, Iakob hid them under the Terebinth tree in Sechem, and abolished them unto this day.
V. 5. they journeyed] the Gr. explaineth it, And [unspec 5] Israel removed from Sechem. terror of God] that is, a mighty terror sent of God upon the cities. The Chaldee saith a terror from before the Lord. Other∣wise all the cities round about, would and easily might have destroyed Iakobs family, for the mas∣sacre done at Sechem.
V. 7. El Bethel] that is, the God of Bethel before [unspec 7] he called it Bethel, that is, Gods house, Gen. 28. 19. now for addition of graces from God, hee addeth to the name, calling the place God, figuratively, as being his house. The like is in Exod. 17. 15. was revealed] or, were revealed, that is, did appeare in more manifest sort. Here againe a word plurall, is joyned with the name of God, to signify the myste∣rie of the Trinity in the unity of the godhead: see the notes on Gen. 20. 13. The Gr. translateth it sin∣gularly, was revealed (or did appear:) so also doth the Chaldee, save that for God, it saith, the angel of God.
V. 8. nurse] sent with her from her fathers house, Gen. 24. 59. How she came to be in Iakobs family, [unspec 8] is uncertaine: the Iewes say, she was sent to call Ia∣kob home, as was promised in Gen. 27. 45. She might also come thither upon other occasion, af∣ter Rebekahs death. The oke of weeping] Hebr. Allon Bacuth: this name sheweth his griefe, for the death of this matron; the place also being the safe∣est and most honorable that there hee could have for such a purpose; see the notes on v. 4. & on Gen. 23. 2. The Chaldee paraphrast, for Oke, translateth the Plaine (or vally) of weeping. But the Greeke tur∣neth it an Oke: and so doth the Ierusalemy Thar∣gum. See also Gen. 12. 6.
V. 9. again] the Gr. addeth, in Luz: where he had appeared to him before, Gen. 28. 11. 12. 19. [unspec 9]
V. 10. Israel] the name given him before of the Angel, is here againe given & confirmed of God: [unspec 10] for the strengthning of Iakobs faith, and assurance of Gods grace unto him, See Gen. 32. 28.
Ver. 11. Almighty] or Alsufficient: see Gen. 17. 1. [unspec 11] The Gr. translateth it, thy God. an assembly] or company: church of nations: the Chaldee saith, an as∣sembly of tribes. Here God confirmeth the blessing given to Iakob by his father Isaak: and amplifieth it, see Gen. 28. 3. and 48. 3. 4. Kings] the Chal∣dee addeth; that shall rule over the peoples: thus God giveth him the blessing of Abraham, Gen. 28. 4. and 17. 6.
Ver. 12. and] or, that is to thy seed: see Gen. 13. 15. [unspec 12] The Chaldee explaineth it, and to thy sonnes: the Greeke addeth through their generations.
Vers. 13. God] the Chaldee saith, the glory of the [unspec 13] Lord: meaning the vision which now appeared unto Iakob. See Gen. 17. 22.
Vers. 14. set up] this he had done before, and [unspec 14] now repeateth it: or as is likely, being ruinated, he new repaireth it, see Gen. 28. 18. drinke of∣fring] or, a powred out-offring, an effusion: usually called a drinke offring, because it was onely of li∣quors or moist things, as the Minchah or meat-offe∣ring was of dry. And this drink-offring by the law of God, was of wine, or Sechar, Exod. 29. 40. Num. 28. 7. among the heathens sometime of blood, Psal. 16. 4. oile] to consecrate it, see Gen. 28. 18.
Vers. 15. Bethel] that is, Gods house: see Gen. 28. [unspec 15] 19. Thus hee renewed the memoriall of his faith and thankfulnesse to God, as God did before of his promises to him, v. 10. 11. 12.
Vers. 16. they journeyed] the Greeke version ad∣deth, [unspec 16] Iakob journeyed from Baithel, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Gader: borrowing these words from the 21. verse. a little peece] or, about a mile, as the Chaldee paraphrase explaineth it, This word is so used also in Gen. 48. 7. 2 King. 5. 19. and not elsewhere. Ephrath] a towne cal∣led usually, Bethlehem, that is, The house of Bread: v. 19. some thinke it to have the name Ephrath of Calebs wife, so called, 1 Chron. 2. 19. 24. It hath both names in Mic. 5. 2. Bethlehem Ephrata: there Christ was borne, Matt. 2. 1. the bread of God that came from heaven, Ioh. 6. 33. had hard child-birth] Hebrew, shee was hard in her child-bearing: that is, had sore and painfull labour. According to the chastisement layd on Eve and her daughters, Gen. 3. 16. It is daily to be seene, and the Philo∣sopher observeth it, that no creature suffreth such strong paines in trauell, as woman doth, (Aristot, de Animal. l. 7.) notwithstanding shee shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in faith, &c. 1 Tim. 2. 15.
Ver. 17. midwife] named in Hebrew, of helping [unspec 17] the woman in child-birth: so Exod. 1. 15. 16. thou shalt have] or, this also (shall bee) to thee a sonne: as Ioseph before was. And this was according to Rachels desire; see Gen. 30. 24.
Vers. 18. departing] or going-out, from the body [unspec 18] to God that gave it, as Eccles. 12. 7. Psal. 146. 4. This sheweth the Soule of man to bee a spirituall immortall substance, distinct from the body. The heath ens acknowledged this, saying, that death is nothing else, but the departing of the soule from the body, Aristot. in his book of Death: and that the soules of men are divine, and when they goe out of the body, they returne unto heaven: Cicero lib. de Amicit. Ben. oni] the Greek and Chaldee interprets it, Son of my sorrow. In that shee answered nothing, but thus named her son; it sheweth she received no comfort. The like case, was in 1 Sam. 4. 20. 21. The word oni, is after used by Iakob for his painfull strength: Gen. 49. 3. Benjamin] that is, Son of