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them a burying-place, which piece of ground || Abraham bought, for four hundred shekels, of Ephron, an inhabitant of Hebron: and both Abraham and his descendants built themselves sepulchres in that place.

CHAP. XV.

OF THE NATION OF THE TROGLODYTES, WHO WERE DERIVED FROM ABRAHAM BY KETURAH.

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BRAHAM after this married Keturah, by whom six sons were born to him, men of courage, and of sagacious minds. Zambran, and Jazar, and Madan, and Madian, and Josabak and Sous. Now the sons of Sous 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 grandchildren, 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 Surim, and Japhran: that from Surim was the land of Assyria denominated; and that from the other two, Apher and Ja

* An. 1897.

The present mode of swearing among the Mohammedan Arabs, that live in tents as the patriarchs did, according to de la Roque, (Voy. dans la Pal. p. 152.) is by laying their hands on the Koran. They cause those who swear to wash their hands before they give them the book; they put their left hand underneath, and the right over it. Whether, among the patriarchs one hand was under, and the other upon the thigh, is not certain; possibly Abraham's servant might swear with one hand under his master's thigh, and the other stretched out to Heaven. As the posterity of the patriarchs are described as coming out of the thigh, it has been supposed, this ceremony had some relation to their believing the promise of God, to bless all the nations of the earth, by means of one that was to descend from Abraham. B.

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phran, the country of Africa took its name; because these men were auxiliaries to Hercules, when he fought against Libya and Antæus; 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.

TOW when Abraham, the father of Isaac, had resolved to take Rebeka, who was grand-daughter 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 were in esteem, on account that they either rarely, or never were seen in that country. 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 Læstrygonians. (Od. vii. 20. et x. 105.) Dr. Shaw, speaking of the occupation of the Moorish women in Barbary, says, "to finish the day, at the time of the evening, even at the time that the women go out to draw water, they are still to fit themselves with a pitcher or goat-skin, and tying their sucking children behind them, trudge it in this manner two or three miles to fetch water." Travels, P. 421.

The same custom prevailed in ancient Greece. Homer represents Minerva meeting Ulysses as the sun was going down, under the form of a Phæcian virgin carrying a pitcher of water, that being the time when the maidens went out to draw water.

When near the fam'd Phæcian wall he drew,
The beauteous city op'ning to his view,
His step a virgin met, and stood before;
A polish'd urn the seeming virgin bore.

Odyss. b. vii. 25. Pope.

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prayed to God 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 others 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 who wanted it, though it cost her some pains to draw it. He then asked her 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,

See also Odyss. lib. x. 105.

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A similar custom prevailed also in Armenia, as may be seen in Xenophon's Anabasis, b. iv. B.

* The weight of the ornaments put upon Rebeka appears extraordinary. But Chardin assures us, that even heavier were worn by the women of the East when he was there. He says that the women wear rings and bracelets of as great weight as this, and even heavier, through all Asia. They are rather manacles than bracelets. There are some as large as the finger. The women wear several of them, one above the other, in such a manner as sometimes to have the arm covered with them from the wrist to the elbow. Poor people wear as many of glass or horn. They hardly ever take them off. They are their riches. Harmer's Observations, vol. ii. p. 500. Among the several female ornaments which Abraham sent by his servant, whom he employed to search out a wife for his son Isaac, were jewels of silver and jewels of gold, exclusive of raiment, which probably was very rich and valuable for the age in which Abraham lived. Rich and splendid apparel, especially such as was adorned with gold, was very general in the eastern nations, from the earliest ages and as the fashions and customs of the

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

Orientals are not subject to much variation, so we find that this propensity to golden ornaments, prevails even in the present age, among the females in the countries bordering on Judea. Thus Mungo Park, in the account of his travels in Africa, mentions the following singular circumstance, respecting the ornamental part of the dress of an African lady. "It is evident from the account of the process by which negroes obtain gold in Manding, that the country contains a considerable portion of this precious metal. A great part is converted into ornaments for the women and, when a lady of consequence is in full dress, the gold about her person may be worth, altogether, from fifty to eighty pounds sterling."

We find also that the same disposition for rich ornamental apparel prevailed in the times of the Apostles; for St. Peter cautioned the females of quality in the first ages of Christianity, when they adorned themselves, not to have it consist, in the outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on apparel. 1 Pet. iii. 3. See also Psalm xlv. 9, 13. Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.-Her clothing is of wrought gold. B.

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 in to 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 own 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 come near your 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.

* Gen. xxiv. 59.

† When Rebeka was sent away, it appears that her nurse accompanied her. Nurses were formerly held in very high esteem, and considered as being entitled to constant and lasting regard. "The nurse in an Eastern family is always an important personage. Modern travellers inform us, that in Syria she is considered as a sort of second parent, whether she has been foster-mother or otherwise. She always accompanies the bride to her husband's house, and ever remains there an honoured character. Thus it was in ancient Greece." Siege of Acre, b. ii. p. 35. Note.

Rebeka upon leaving her family received their blessing. Nuptial benedictions were used both by the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. That of the Jews was in this form: "Blessed be thou, O Lord, who hast created man and woman, and ordained marriage, &c." This was repeated every day during the wedding week, provided

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TSAAC's wife proved with child,§ after the death of Abraham; and when she was far advanced in her pregnancy, Isaac was very anxious, and inquired 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 foretold, 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 Esautt for 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 there were new guests. The Grecian form of benediction was, αραδη τυχη. The Latin was, Quod faustum felixque sit. The Jews constantly made use of the same form, but the Greeks and Romans frequently varied theirs : a benediction, however, in some form, was always used. See Selden de Jure, N. et G. 1. 5. c. 19. B

An. 1862.

Gen. xxv. 7.

§ The birth of Jacob and Esau is here said to be after Abraham's death; it should have been after Sarah's death. The chronology here certainly shews the other to be a mistake. The order of the narration in Genesis, not always exactly according to the order of time, seems to have led Josephus into it, as Dr. Bernard observes here. ** Gen. xxv. 23.

†† For Seir, in Josephus, the coherence requires that we read Esau or Seir; which signifies the same thing.

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