The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

VERS. XVII.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

Fourteen Generations.

ALthough all things do not square exactly in this three fold number of fourteen gene∣rations, yet there is no reason why this should be charged as a fault upon Matthew, when in the Jewish Schools themselves it obtained for a custom, yea almost for an Axiome, to reduce things and numbers to the very same, when they were near alike. The thing will be plain by an Example or two, when an hundred almost might be produced.

Five Calamitous things are ascribed to the same day, that is, to the ninth day of the month Ab. g 1.1 For that day, say they, it was decreed, that the people should not go into the promised land: the same day the first Temple was laid waste, and the second also: the City Bitter was destroyed, and the City Jerusalem plowed up. Not that they believed all these things fell out precisely the same day of the month, but as the Babylonian Gemara notes upon it. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 That they might reduce a for∣tunate thing to a holy day, and an unfortunate to an unlucky day.

The Jerusalem Gemara, in the same tract, examines the reason, why the daily prayers consist of the number of eighteen, and among other things hath these words; h 1.2 The day∣ly prayers are eighteen, according to the number of the eighteen Psalms, from the beginning of the book of Psalms to that Psalm, whose beginning is, The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, (which Psalm indeed is the Twentieth Psalm.) But if any object that nineteen Psalms reach thither, you may answer, The Psalm, which begins, Why did the Heathen rage, is not of them. A distinct Psalm. Behold with what liberty they fit numbers to their own case.

Inquiry is made, whence the number of the thirty nine more principal servile works to be avoided on the Sabbath day, may be proved. Among other we meet with these words; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 i 1.3 R. Chaninah of Zipp••r saith in the name of R. Abhu, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Aleph denotes one, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Lamed thirty, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He five, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Dabar one, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Debarim two. Hence are the forty works, save one, concerning which it is written in the Law. The Rabbins of Cesarea say, Not any thing is wanting out of his place: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Aleph one, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Lamed thirty, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Cheth eight: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Our profound Doctors do not distinguish between He and Cheth: that they may fit numbers to their case, for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 These, they write, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and change 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Cheth at their pleasure.

l 1.4 R. Josua ben Levi saith, In all my whole life I have not looked into the (mystical) book of Agada, but once: and then I looked into it, and found it thus written, An hundred seventy five Sections of the Law; where it is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He spake, he said, he commanded, they are for the number of the years of our Father Abraham. And a little af∣ter, An hundred and forty and seven Psalms which are written in the book of the Psalms, (note this number) are for the number of the years of our father Jacob. Whence this is

hinted, that all the praises, wherewith the Israelites praise God, are according to the years of Jacob. Those hundred and twenty and three times, wherein the Israelites answer Hallelujah, are according to the number of the years of Aaron, &c.

They do so very much delight in such kind of concents, that they oftentimes screw up the strings beyond the due measure, and stretch them till they crack. So that, if a Jew carps at thee, O Divine Matthew, for the unevenness of thy fourteens, out of their own Schools and Writings thou hast that, not only whereby thou mayest defend thy self, but retort upon them.

Notes

• g 1.1

  Taanith, cap. 4. artic 6.
• h 1.2

  Taanith, fol. 65. 3.
• i 1.3

  Hieros. Schabb. fol. 9. 2.
• l 1.4

  Id. Ibid. fol. 15. 3.