shall goe forth to warre against his enemies, &c. Like∣wise in Breshith Rabba, speaking of this place, it is said; he sheweth us that when the Christ shall come to save Israel, he shall make ready his asse, and ride upon him, and come unto Israel with povertie. the foale] Hebrew, the son of his asse, that is, his yong asse: see the notes on Gen. 18. 7. washeth his ray∣ment] an other figurative promise of wine to bee plentifull as water, that he may wash his clothes in it ••••or, of a glorious victory that Iudah and Christ should get over his enemies, as in Esa. 63. 1. 2. 3. his conquest is set forth by such a parable. And in Revel. 19. 13. hee is clothed with a gar∣ment dipt in blood; and in Revel. 14. 20. his judg∣ment on the enemies, is the treading of a wine-presse. And so the Ierusalemy Thargum doth explaine it, saying, Hee shall kill kings and Princes, making the rivers red with blood of their slaine, and the bills white, with the fat of their mighty men: his garments shall be embrewed in blood, and he like to one pressing clusters of grapes. blood] that is, juice of grapes, which for the red colour is called blood: so Deut. 32. 14.
Vers. 12. red with wine] another signe of plenty of fruits; for the drinking of much wine maketh [unspec 12] red eyes, Proverb. 23. 29. 30. hereby also the plenty of spirituall blessings in Christ is signified: Prov. 9. 1. 1. 2. Esay 25. 6. and 55. 1. So Thargum Ierusalemy applyeth it, saying, How beautifull are the eyes of the King Christ to looke upon; more then fined wine, that he beholdeth not with them unchast co∣pulations or murthers of innocents. His teeth are ex∣ercised in the law, that he eateth not with them iniqui∣ties and robberies. His mountaines shall bee red with vineyards and winepresses: his hills shall be white with store of wheat, and stocks of sheepe. Other of the Iew Doctors, reckon Iudah for the seventh patriarch, thus, 1, Abraham, 2, Isaak, 3, Iakob, 4, Reuben, 5, Symeon, 6, Levi, 7. Iudah: and they compare him with the seventh (that is, the Sabbath) day. At Iudahs birth it is sayd of his mother, shee stayed from bearing, Gen. 29. 35. at the Sabbath day, it is said of God, herested and was refreshed, Exod. 31. 17. Of Iu∣dah it is said, Iudah thou, thy brethren shall consesse thee, Gen. 49. 8. (and, this time I will con∣fesse the Lord, Gen. 29. 35.) and of the Sabbath, it is good to confesse unto the Lord. Psal. 92. 2. Of Iu∣dah it is said, from the prey, my son, thou art gone up, Gen. 49. 9. the prey signifieth his food; as if hee should say, thou art gone up from doing even the worke for the life, as of the Sabbath it is said, in it thou shalt not doe any worke, Exod. 20. 10. Of Iudah it is said, he stou∣ped downe, he couched as a Lyon, &c. Gen. 49. 9. and of the Sabbath, abide ye every man in his place. Exod. 16. 29. Of Iudah it is said, binding his asse colt unto the vine, Gen. 49. 11. as if he should say; binding him from his worke: of the Sabbath it is sayd, that thine oxe and thine asse may rest. Exod. 23. 12. Of Iudah it is said, he washeth his raiment in wine, Gen. 49. 11. which signifieth the sanctifying of the day which is with wine, signifying the property of judgement, and there∣fore the Scepter was given him, as the Scepter shall not depart from Iudah, &c. And as Iudah was the fourth of the tribes (of Israel:) so the Sabbath is the fourth of the commandements, (Exod. 20.) R. Menachem, on Gen. 49.
Vers. 13. Zabulon] he though hee was yonger [unspec 13] then Issaehar, Gen. 30. 18. 20. yet Iakob gives him the blessing before him: so also doth Moses. Deut. 33. 18. and his lot befell him in his land, before Issachars: Ios. 19. 10. 17. seat] his bor∣ders were both to the maine sea westward, and to the sea of Galilee Eastward: see his portion, Ios. 19. 10. &c. Esay 9. 1. The Chaldee Paraphrast expoundeth it, hee shall subdue provinces with ships, and shall eate the good things of the sea, &c. Moses giveth him a blessing, to rejoyce in his going out, or, trading, Deut. 33. 18.
Vers. 14. strong boned] Hebrew, asse of bone, that [unspec 14] is, bony, hard, strong. two bounds] or set limits, borders: so the Chaldee paraphrast also expound∣eth it; and Thargum Ierusalemy more plainly thus, Issachar shall be a strong tribe, and his border shall be in the midst betweene two borders, So also the Greeke translateth, amidds the inheritances. Others expound it, betweene two burdens; such as are layd on asses backes.
Vers. 15. rest:] this may bee a note of their [unspec 15] slouthfulnesse: in respect whereof others are bla∣med, for sitting still betweene the two bounds, (or burdens) Iudg. 5. 16. Howbeit Moses biddeth them rejoyce in their tents, Deut. 33. 18. And the Ierusalemy Thargum expoundeth it, hee seeth the house of the sanctuary, that it proclaimeth rest, there∣fore it is good: &c. gathering this sense (as I sup∣pose) from Moses words, they shall call the people unto the (Lords) mountaine, &c. Deut. 33. 19. Thus it is their praise, for loving to be quiet, and being contented with their portion. Compare with this the time when Thola of Issachar judged Israel, in whose time Israel had rest, Iudg. 10.
Vers. 16. judge] an allusion to Dans name, Dan [unspec 16] Iadin: the Iudger shall judge: see Gen. 30. 6. This prophesie was fulfilled in Samson, one of his poste∣ritie, who judged Israel, Iudg. 15. 20. So the Chal∣dee paraphrast explaineth it, Of the house of Dan shall a man be chosen and rise up: in whose daies his people shall bee delivered, &c. But the Ierusalemy Thargum nameth him, saying, this is Samson sonne of Manoah. the tribes] This name Tribe is borrowed from the Latine word Tribus, used for a stocke or kinred that discend from one father. For Romulus the founder of Rome, divided the mul∣titude of his subjects into three parts, which hee named thereof Tribes, (as sheweth Pompon. Laetus de Rom. Magistrat.) But in the Hebrew a tribe is here called Shebet, that is, a staffe, rod, or scepter, (as is before touched, verse 10.) and elsewhere Mat∣teh, which is also a rod or staffe; either because they grew as rods and branches out of one root Israel, as is particularly mentioned of Ioseph verse 22. or because their names were written upon twelve rods, Numb. 17. 2. &c. And this judging as one of the tribes, is so spoken, because each stocke or tribe, had one chiefe head and Prince, ruler of the same. Numb. 1. 4. 16. and God raised up Iudges and defenders of Israel, out of many severall tribes, as the booke of Iudges sheweth. Wherefore the