was pleased with what Sarah had determined; 30 he delivered Ismael to his mother, as not yet able to go by himself, and commanded her to take a bottle of water, and a loaf of bread, and so to depart, and to take necessity for her guide. But as soon as her necessary provisions failed, she found herself in an evil case; and when the water was almost spent, she laid the young child, who was ready to expire, under a fir-tree, and went on farther, that so he might die while she was absent; but a divine angel came to her, and told her of a fountain hard by, and bid her take care, and bring up the child, because she should be very happy by the preservation of Ismael. She then took courage, upon the prospect of what was promised her, and meeting with some shepherds, by their care she got clear of the distresses she had been in.

When the lad was grown up, he married a wife, by birth an Egyptian; from whence the mother was herself derived originally. Of this wife were born to Ismael twelve sons; Nabaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mabsam, Idumas, Masmaos, Massaos, Chodad, Theman, Jetur, Naphesus, and Kadmas. These inhabited all the country from Euphrates to the Red Sea, and called it Nabatene. They are an Arabian nation, and name their tribes from these, both because of their own virtue, and because of the dignity of Abraham, their father.

CHAP. XIII.

Of Isaac, Abraham's legitimate Son.

OW Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten, and given to him at the borders of old age, by the favor of God. The child also endeared himself to his parents still more, by the exercise of every virtue, and adhering to his duty to his parents, and being zealous in the worship of God, Abraham also placed his own happiness wholly in this prospect, that when he should die he should leave his son in a safe and secure condition, which accordingly he obtained, by the will of God; who being desirous to make an experiment of Abraham's religious disposition towards himself, appeared to him, and enumerated all the

wades, children, Antiq. V. 8. and 9. Accordingly in Xenophon we have waïdes for children, till 16 or 17 years of age, Kúgu waid. Edit. Hutch, page 12. *Gen. xxi. 14.

+ Note that both here and Heb. xi. 17, Isaac is called Abraham's μovoyev, only begotten son, though he at the same time had another son, Ismael. The Septuagint express the true meaning by rendering the text by αγαπητὸν the beloved son.

blessings he had bestowed on him; how he made him superior to his enemies; and that his son Isaac, who was the principal part of his present happiness, was derived from him, and he said that he required this son of his as a sacrifice, and holy oblation. Accordingly he commanded him to carry him to the mountain Moriah, and to build an altar, and offer him for a burnt-offering upon it, for that this would best manifest his religious disposition towards him, if he preferred what was pleasing to God be fore the preservation of his own son.

Now Abraham thought that it was not right to disobey God in any thing, but that he was obliged to serve him in every circumstance of life, since all creatures that live enjoy their life by his providence, and the kindness he bestows on them; accordingly he concealed this command of God, and his own intentions about the slaughter of his son from his wife, as also from every one of his servants, otherwise he would have been hindered from his obedience to God: and he took Isaac, together with two of his servants, and laying what things were necessary for a sacrifice upon an ass, he went away to the mountain. Now the two servants went along with him two days, but on the third day, as soon as he saw the mountain, he left those servants that were with him till then in the plain, and having his son alone with him, he came to the mountain. It was that mountain upon which king David afterwards built § the temple. Now they had brought with them every thing necessary for a sacrifice, excepting the animal that was to be offered. Now Isaac was twenty-five years old, and as he was building the altar, he asked his father what he was about to offer, since there was no animal there for an oblation ? to which it was answered, that God would provide himself an oblation, he being able to make a plentiful provision for men out of what they have not, and to deprive others of what they already have, when they put too much trust therein; that, therefore, if God pleased to be present and propitious at this sacrifice, he would provide himself with an oblation.

As soon as the altar was prepared, and Abraham, had laid on the wood, and all things were entirely ready, he said to his son, "O son! I poured out a vast number of prayers that I might have thee for

Gen. xxii. 2.

my

§ Here is a plain error in the copies, which say that king David afterwards built the temple on this mount Moriah, while it was certainly no other than king Solo mon who built that temple, as indeed Procopius cities it from Josephus; only if we change lepov into Bwoy temple into altar, we need not correct the name, for it was David, and not Solomon, who built rhe first altar there, as we learn, 2 Sam. xxiv. 18. &c. 1 Chron, xxi. 22, &c. || An. 1912.

son;

son; when thou wast come into the world, there' was nothing that could contribute to thy support for which I was not greatly solicitous; nor any thing wherein I thought myself happier than to see thee grown up to man's estate; and that I might leave thee, at my death, the successor to my dominion; but since it was by God's will that I became thy father, and it is now his will that I relinquish thee, bear this consecration to God with a generous mind, for I resign thee up to God, who has thought fit now to require this testimony of honor to himself, on account of the favors he hath conferred on me, in being to me a supporter and defender. Accordingly, thou my son, wilt now die, not in any common way of going out of the world, but sent to God, the father of all men, beforehand, by thy own father, in the nature of a sacrifice. I suppose he thinks thee worthy to leave this world, neither by disease, by war, nor any other severe way by which "death usually comes upon them, but so that he will receive thy soul with prayers and holy offices of religion, and will place thee near to himself, and thou wilt there be to me a succourer and supporter in my old age, on which account I principally brought thee up; and thou wilt thereby procure me God for my comforter instead of thyself."

Now Isaac was of such a generous disposition as became the son of such a father, and was pleased with this discourse, and said that he was not worthy to be born at first, if he should reject the determina. tion of God and of his father, and should not resign himself up readily to both their pleasures; since it would have been unjust if he had not obeyed, even if his father alone had so resolved: so he went immediately to the altar to be sacrificed; and the deed had been done if God had not opposed it, for he called loudly to Abraham by his name, and forbade him to slay his son, and said it was not out of a desire of human blood that he was commanded to slay his son, nor was he willing that he should be taken away from him whom he had made his father,

shewed in his piety, he was delighted in having bestowed such blessings upon him, and that he would not be wanting in all sort of concern about him, and in bestowing other children upon him; and that his son should live to a very great age, that he should live a happy life, and bequeath a large principality to his children, who should be good and legitimate. He foretold also that his family should * and that those paincrease into many nations, triarchs should leave behind them an everlasting name; that they should obtain the possession of the land of Canaan, and be envied by all men. When God had said this, he produced to them a ram,t which did not appear before, for the sacrifice; so Abraham and Isaac receiving each other unexpectedly, and having obtained the promises of such great blessings, embraced one another; and when they had sacrificed, they returned to Sarah, and lived happily together, God affording them his assistance in all things they desired.

CHAP. XIV.

Of the Death and Burial of Sarah, Abraham's Wife.

NOW Sarah ‡ died a little while afterward,having

lived one hundred and twenty-seven years. They buried her in Hebron, the Canaanites publicly allowing them a burying place, which piece of ground Abraham bought, for four hundred shekels, of Ephron, an inhabitant of Hebron: and both Abraham and bis descendants built themselves sepulchres in that place.

CHAP. XV.

Of the nation of the Troglodytes, who were de rived from Abraham by Keturah.

be obedient to such a command: since, therefore, he now was satisfied as to the surprising readiness

It seems both here, and in God's parallel blessing to Jacob, c. 19. that Josephus had yet no notion of the hidden meaning of that most important and most eminent promise. In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed; he saith not of seeds, as of many, but as of one; and to thy seed, which is Christ. Gal. iii, 16. Nor is it any wonder, he being, I think, as yet not a Christian: and had he been a Christian, yet since he was till the latter part of his life no more than an Ebonite Christian, who above all the apostles rejected and despised St. Paul, it would be no great wonder If he did not now follow his interpretation. In the mean time we have in effect St. Paul's exposition in the testament of Reuben in Authent. Rec. Part. I. page 302, who charges his sons" To worship

VOL. 1.-NO. II.

whom six sons were born to him, men of courage, and of sagacious minds. Zambran, and

the seed of Judah, who should die for them in visible and invisible wars, and should be among them an eternal king." Nor is that observation of a learned foreigner of my acquaintance to be despised, who takes notice, that as seeds in the plural must signify posterity, so seed in the singular may signify either posterity, or a single person; and that in this promise of all nations being happy in the seed of Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, &c. it is always used in the singular; to which I shall add, that it is sometimes, as it were, paraphrased by the son of Abra ham, the son of David, &c. which is capable of no such ambiguity. See Boyle's Lectures, page 247-272. + Gen. xxiii. 13. ‡ Gen. xxiii, i. 2. An. 1900. Jazar,

G

Jazar, and Madan, and Madian, and Josabak and Sons. Now the sons of Sons were Sabathan and Dadan. The sons of Dadan were Latusim, Assur, and Luom. The sons of Madian were Ephas, Ophren, Anoch, Ebidas, and Eldas. Now Abraham' contrived to settle all these sons and grandsons in colonies, and they took possession of Troglodytis, and the country of Arabia the Happy, as far as it reaches to the Red Sea. It is related of Ophren, that he made war against Lybia, and took it; and that his grand-children, when they inhabited it, called it from his name Africa: and indeed Alexander Polyhistor gives his attestation to what I here say when he speaks thus: "Cleodemus, the prophet, who was also called Malchus, who wrote a history of the Jews, in agreement with the history of Moses, their legislator, relates that there were many sons born to Abraham by Keturah. He even names three of them, Apher, and Surin, aud Japhran: that from Surim was the land of Assyria denominated; and that from the other two, Apher and Japhran, the county of Africa took its name; because these men were auxiliaries to Hercules, when he fought against Libya and Antaus; and that Hercules married Aphra's daughter, and of her begat a son Diodorus; and that Sophon was his son, from whom the barbarous people called Sophacians were denominated."

Now

CHAP. XVI.

Of Isaac's Marriage.

W when Abraham, the father of Isaac, had resolved to take Rebeka, who was granddaughter to his brother Nahor, for a wife to his son Isaac, who was then about forty years old, he sent the eldest of his servants to betroth her; after he had obliged him to give him the strongest assurances of his fidelity, after the following manner. They put each other's hands under each other's thighs, and called upon God as the witness of what was to be done. He also sent such presents to those that were there as where in esteem, on account that they either rarely, or never were seen in that coun. try. This servant got thither not under a considerable time; for it requires much time to pass through Mesopotamia, in which it is tedious travelling both in winter, for the depth of the clay, and in summer, for want of water; and besides this for the robberies there committed, which are not to be avoided by travellers, but by the utmost caution. However, the servant came to Haran; and when he was in the suburbs, he met a considerable number of maidens going to the water; he therefore prayed to God

* An. 1897.

9

that Rebeka might be found among them, or her whom Abraham sent him as his servant to espouse to his son, in case his will were that this marriage should be consummated; and that she might be made known to him by this sign, that while others denied him water to drink, she might give it him.

With this intention he went to the well, and desired the maidens to give him some water to drink: but while the other refused, on pretence that they wanted it all at home, and could spare none for him, one only of the company rebuked them for their peevish behaviour towards the stranger, and said, "What is there, that you will ever communicate to any body, who have not so much as given the man some water ?" She then offered him water in an obliging manner, and he began to hope that this grand affair would succeed; but desiring still to know the truth, he commended her for her generosity and good nature, that she did not scruple to afford a sufficiency of water to those that wanted it, though it cost her some pains to draw it. He then asked who were her parents, and wished them joy of such a daughter; " and mayest thou be espoused, said he, to their satisfaction, into the family of an agreeable husband, and bring him legitimate children. Nor did she disdain to satisfy his enquiries, but told him her family. "They call me Rebeka," said she: " my father was Bethuel, but he is dead; and Laban is my brother, and, together with my mother, takes care of all our family affairs, and is my guardian." When the servant heard this, he was very glad at what had happened, and at what was told him, as perceiving that God had thus plainly directed his journey; and producing his bracelets, and some other ornaments which it was esteemed decent for virgins to wear, he gave them to the damsel, by way of acknowledgment, and as a reward for her kindness in giving him water to drink, saying it was but just that she should have them, because she was so much more obliging than any of the rest. She desired also that he would come and lodge with them, since the approach of the night gave him not time to proceed farther. Then producing his precious ornaments for women, he said, he desired to trust them to none more safely, than to such as she had shewed herself to be; and that he helieved he might guess at the humanity of her mother and brother, that they would not be displeased from the virtue he found in her, for he would not be burthensome, but would pay the hire for his entertainment, and spend his own money; to which she replied, that he guessed rightly as to the humanity of her parents, but complained that he should think them so parsimonious as to take money, for that he should have all his wants supplied freely; but she said, she would first

inform

inform her brother Laban, and if he gave her leave, she would conduct him in.

As soon as this was done, the servants of Laban brought the camels in, and took care of them, and the stranger was himself brought into supper by Laban, and after supper he said to him, and to the mother of the damsel, addressing himself to her, "Abraham is the son of Terah, and a kinsman of yours: for Nahor, the grandfather of these children, was the brother of Abraham, by both father and mother, upon which account he hath sent me to you, being desirous to take this damsel for his son to wife. He is his legitimate son, and is brought up as his only heir. He could indeed have had the most happy of all the women in that country for him, but he would not have his son marry any of them, out of regard to his own relations. I would not, therefore, have you despise his affection; for it was by the good pleasure of God that other accidents fell out in my journey, and that thereby I met with your daughter and your house; for when I was near to the city, I saw a great many maidens coming to a well, and I prayed that I might meet with this damsel, which has come to pass accordingly. Do you therefore confirm that marriage, whose espousals have been already made by a divine appearance, and shew the respect you have for Abraham, who has sent me with so much solicitude, in giving your consent to the marriage of this damsel." Upon this they understood it to be the will of God, and greatly approved of the offer, and sent their daughter, as was desired. Accordingly Isaac married her, the inheritance being now come to him; for the children of Keturah were gone to their own remote habitations.

her pregnancy, Isaac was very anxious, and enquired of God: who answered, that Rebeka should bear twins, and that two nations should take the names of those sons; and that he who appeared the second, should excel the elder. Accordingly she, in a little time, as God forerold, gave birth to twins, the elder of whom, from his head to his feet was very rough and hairy; but the younger took hold of his heel as they were in the birth. Now the father loved the elder, who was called Esau: a name agreeable to his roughness, for the Hebrews call such an hairy roughness Esau, I or Seir; but Jacob the younger was best beloved by his mother.

When there was a famine in the land, Isaac resolved to go into Egypt, the land there being good; but he went to Gerar as God commanded him. Here Abimelech, the king, received him kindly, because Abraham had formerly lived with him, and had been his friend; but when he saw that God was with Isaac, and took such great care of him, he became envious, and drove him away. Percejving this change in Abimelech's temper, Isaac retired to a place called the Valley, not far from Gerar: and as he was digging a well, the shepherds fell upon him, and began to fight, in order to hinder the work; and because he did not desire to contend, the shepherds seemed to get the better of him. So he still retired, and dug another well; and when certain other shepherds, in the service of Abimelech began to offer him violence, he left that also, and still retired: thus purchasing security to himself by rational and prudent conduct. At length the king gave him permission to dig a well, which he named Rehoboth; denoting a large space. But of the former wells, one was called Escon, which denotes strife; the other Sitenna, which name signifies humanity.

Isaac's affairs were now in a flourishing condition and his power increased from his great riches. But Abimelech thinking Isaac throve in opposition to him, while their living together made them sus-. picious of each other: and Isaac's retiring shewed a secret enmity also, the king was afraid that his former friendship would not secure him, if Isaac should endeavour to revenge the injuries he had formerly received: he therefore renewed his friendship with him, in the presence of Philoc,** one of his generals, and when he had obtained every thing he desired, by reason of Isaac's good nature, who preferred the earlier friendship Abimelech had

shewed to himself and his father, to alter his wrath against him, he returned home.*

Now when Esau, one of the sons of Isaac, whom the father principally loved, was come to the age of forty years, he married Adah, † the daughter of Helon; and Aholibamah, the daughter of Esebeon; which Helon and Esebeon were great lords among the Canaanites: thereby taking upon himself the authority, and pretending to have dominion over his own marriages, without so much as asking the advice of his father. For had Isaac been the arbitrator, he would not have given him leave to marry thus: for he was not pleased with contracting any alliance with the people of that country; but not wishing to act harshly by his son in commanding him to put away these wives, he resolved to be silent.

But when he was old, and could not see at all, he called Esau to him, and told him, that besides his blindness, and the disorder in his eyes, his very old age hindered him from his worship of God, by sacrifice; he bade him, therefore, to go out a hunting, and when he had caught as much venison as he could, to prepare him a supper; ‡ that after this he might make supplication to God to be to him a supporter and an assister, during the whole time of his life saying, that it was uncertain when he should die, and that he was desirous, by his prayers for him, to procure, before-hand, God to be merciful to him.

Accordingly Esau went out a hunting. But Re

our new edition calls him Phicol, by the same name with the general at the league made with Abraham, (which old league is not so distinctly mentioned by Josephus,) but this conjectural reading is too uncertain to be depended on.

* Gen. xxvi. 31.

+ An. 1817.

This supper of savory meat, as we call it Gen. xxvii. 4. to be caught by hunting, was evidenly intended for a festival on a sacrifice; and upon the prayers that were frequent at sacrifices Isaac expected, as was then usual in such eminent cases, that a divine impulse would come upon him, in order to the solemn blessing of his son there present, and his foretelling his future behaviour and fortune. Whence it must be, that when Isaac had blessed Jacob, and was afterward made sensible of his mistake, he did not attempt to alter it; because he knew that this blessing caine not from himself, but from God; and that an alteration was out of his power. A second afflatus then came upon him, and enabled him to foretell Esau's future behaviour and fortune also.

Whether Jacob or his mother Rebeka were most blameable in this imposition upon Isaac in his old age, I cannot determine. However, the blessing being delivered as a prediction of future events, by a divine impulse; and according to what Rebeka knew to be the purpose of God, when he answered her enquiry, before the children were born, Gen. xxv. 23, that one people should be stronger than the other; and that the elder, Esau should

beka thinking it proper to have the supplication made for obtaining the favor of God to Jacob, and that without the consent of Isaac, bade him kill kids of the goats, and prepare a supper. Jacob obeyed his mother, according to all her instructions, and when the supper was ready, he took a goat's skin and put it about his arm, that by reason of its hairy roughness, his father might believe him to be Esau: for they being twins, and in all things else alike, differed only in this thing. This was done out of his fear, that before Isaac had made his supplications he should be caught in his evil practice, and thereby provoke his father to curse him. So he brought in the supper to his father, Isaac, perceiving, by the peculiarity of his voice, who he was, called his son to him: who gave him his hand which was covered with the goat's skin. When Isaac felt that, he said, "Thy voice is like the voice of Jacob; yet because of the thickness of thy hair, thou seemest to be Esau." So suspecting no deceit, he ate the supper, and offered up his prayers and intercessions to God, and said, "O Lord of all ages and creator of all substance, it was thou that didst propose to my father great plenty of good things, and has vouchsafed to bestow on me what I have; and has promised to my posterity to be their kind supporter, and to bestow on them still greater bles sings. Do thou therefore confirm these thy promises, and do not overlook me, because of my present weak condition, on account of which I more earnestly pray to thee. Be gracious to this my son,

serve the younger Jacob. Whether Issac knew or remembered this oracle, delivered in our copies only to Rebeka; or whether if he knew and remembered it, he did not endeavour to alter the divine determination, out of his fondness for his elder son Esau, to the damage of his younger son Jacob; as Josephus supposes, II. 7. I certainly cannot say. If so, this might tempt Rebeka to contrive, and Jacob to practise this imposition upon him. However, Josephus, says here, that it was Isaac and not Rebeka, who enquired of God at first, and received the forementioned oracle; which, if it be the true reading, renders Isaac's procedure more inexcusable. Nor was it probably any thing else that so much encouraged Esau formerly to marry two Canaanitish wives, without his parents consent, as Isaac's unhappy fondness for him.

N. B. Upon this occasion it may be necessary to cantion the reader against a common prejudice of the moderns; as if the bare relation of what we should esteem the faults and blemishes of the patriarchs, and other very good men in the scripture, implied a justification of them. The scripture affords us faithful accounts of the great men with whom it is concerned; and relates their vices and follies as impartially as their good and wise actions; yet does it not always characterize those actions, but frequently leaves them to the reader's own judgment and censure; to their imitation of the good, and avoidance of the bad.

preserve