acceptable to those that received them, on account of their rarity. Those who were sent proceeded at certain intervals of space asunder, that by following thick one after another, they might appear to be the more numerous, that Esau might remit of his anger on account of these presents, if he were still unappeased. Instructions were also given to those that were sent, to speak submissively to him. When Jacob had made these appointments, and night came on, he began to move with his company: and as they were gone over a certain river, called Jabboc, Jacob was left behind; and meeting with an angel, he wrestled with him, the angel beginning the struggle; but he prevailed over the angel, who used a voice, and spake to him in words, exhorting him to be pleased with what had happened to him, and not to suppose that his victory was a trifling one, but that he had overcome a divine angel, and to esteem the victory as a sign of great blessings that should come to him, and that his offspring should never fail, and that no man should be too hard for his power. He also commanded him to be called Israel,* which in the Hebrew tongue signifies one that struggled with the divine angel. These promises were made at the prayer of Jacob; for when he perceived him to be the angel of God, he desired he would signify to him what should befal him hereafter, and when the angel had said what is before related, he disappeared. Jacob was pleased with these things, and named the place Phanuel, which signifies the face of God. But when he felt pain by this struggling upon his broad sinews, he abstained from eating that sinew himself afterward, and for his sake it is still not eaten by us.† When Jacob understood that his brother was approaching, he ordered his wives to go. before, each by herself, with the handmaids, that they might see the actions of the men as they were fighting, if Esau were so disposed. He then went and bowed down to his brother so quick, by the great numbers which they have, that they are obliged to remove them too often, which is very destructive to their flocks, on account of the young ones, which have not strength enough to follow." This circumstance shews the energy of Jacob's apology to Esau for not attending him. Harmer's Observations, i. 126. B. * Perhaps this may be the proper meaning of the word Israel by the present and the old Jerusalem analogy of the Hebrew tongue. But it is certain that the Hellenists of Esau, who had no evil design upon him, but saluted him, and asked him about the company of the children, and of the women; and desired, when he had understood all he wanted to know about them, that he would go along with him to their father; but Jacob pretending that the cattle were weary, Esau returned to Seir, for there was his place of habitation, which he had named roughness, from his own hairy roughness. A CHAP. XXI. OF THE VIOLATION OF DINA'S CHASTITY. place, till this day called Succoth, or FTER this interview, Jacob came to the Tents, whence he went to Shechem, a city of the Canaanites. Now as the Shechemites were keeping a festival, Dina, who was the only daughter of Jacob, went into the city, to see the women of that country; but when Shechem, the son of Hamor the king, saw her, he defiled her by violence; and being greatly in love with her, he desired his father to procure the damsel for him in marriage. To this request Hamor acceded, and came to Jacob, desiring permission that his son Shechem might according to law, marry Dina; but Jacob, not knowing how to deny the desire of one of such great dignity, and yet not thinking it lawful to marry his daughter to a stranger, intreated leave to have a previous consultation. So the king went away, in hopes that Jacob would approve of this marriage; but Jacob informed his sons of the defilement of their sister, and of the address of Hamor, and desired them to give him their advice, what they should do. Upon this the greatest part said nothing, not knowing what advice to give; but Simeon and Levi, the brethren of the damsel, by the same mother, agreed between themselves upon the action following: it being now the time of a festival, when the Shechemites were em the first century, in Egypt and elsewhere, interpreted Is-ra-el, to be a man seeing God. † Gen. xxxii. 32. When Jacob and Esau met they saluted each other. Esau ran to meet Jacob, embraced him, fell on his neck, and kissed him, Gen. xxxiii. 4. Such persons as are intimately acquainted, or of equal age and dignity, mutually kiss the hand, the head, or the shoulder of each other. Shaw's Trav. p. 237. B. ployed in ease and feasting, they fell upon the watch when they were asleep, and entering into the city,* slew all the males, as also the king and his son with them, but spared the women; and when they had done this, without their father's consent, they brought away their sister. Now, while Jacob was astonished at this daring act, and was severely blaming his sons for it, God stood by him,† and bid him be of good courage, but to purify his tents, and to offer those sacrifices which he had vowed to offer when he went first into Mesopotamia, and saw his vision. As he was therefore purifying his followers, he found the gods of Laban, (for he did not before know they were stolen by Rachel,) and he hid them in the earth, under an oak, in Shechem; and departing thence, he offered sacrifice at Bethel, the place where he saw his vision when he went first into Mesopotamia. When he was gone thence, and was come over against Ephrata, he there buried Rachel, who died in childbed; she was the only one of Jacob's kindred that had not the honour of burial at Hebron; and when he had mourned for her a great while, he called * Why Josephus has omitted the circumcision of these Shechemites, as the occasion of their death; and of Jacob's great grief, as in the testament of Levi, I cannot tell. † Gen. xxxv. 1. ↑ Gen. xxxv. 19. Since Benoni signifies the son of my sorrow, and Benjamin the son of days, or one born in the father's old age, Gen. xliv. 20, I suspect Josephus's present copies to be here imperfect, and suppose that, in correspondence to the son that was born of her Benjamin,|| because of the sorrow the mother had with him. These are all the children of Jacob, twelve males, and one female; of whom eight were legitimate, viz. six of Leah, and two of Rachel; and four were of the handmaids, two of each, all whose names have been set down already. CHAP. XXII. OF ISAAC'S DEATH AND INTERMENT AT HEBRON. ROM thence Jacob went to Hebron, a city situate among the Canaanites, and the residence of Isaac; and there they lived together for a little while: for as to Rebeka, Jacob did not find her alive. Isaac also died not long after the coming of his son, and was buried, with his wife, in Hebron, where the family had a monument belonging to them from their forefathers. Now Isaac was a man who was beloved of God, and was vouchsafed great instances of providence by God, after Abraham his father, and lived to be exceeding old; for when he had lived virtuously one hundred and eighty-five years, he then died. other copies, he wrote that Rachel called her son's name Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin; Gen. xxxv. 18. As for Benjamin, as commonly explained, the son of the right-hand, it makes no sense at all, and seems to be a gross modern error only. The Samaritan always writes this name truly, Benjamin, which probably is here of the same signification, only with the Chaldee termination in, instead of im, in the Hebrew. A divided their habitations respectively. called Gebelatis, and that denominated from Nor did they retain what they had before: but Esau departed from the city of Hebron, and left it to his brother, and dwelt in Seir, and ruled over Idumea. He called the country by that name from himself; for he was named Adom, on the following occasion: He once returned from the toil of hunting, very hungry, when he was a child in age, Amalek, Amalekites; for Idumea was a large country, and preserved the name of the whole: while in its several parts it kept the names of its peculiar inhabitants. CHAP. II. OF JOSEPH, THE YOUNGEST OF JACOB'S SONS, AND THE ENVY OF HIS BRETHREN. T happened that Jacob attained so great. and met with his brother, when he was get-ppiness as rarely any other person has ting ready lentile-pottage for his dinner; it was of a very red colour, on which account he the more earnestly longed for it, and desired some of it to eat. But Jacob took advantage of his brother's hunger, and forced him to give up his birth-right; and he being pinched with famine, resigned it up to him, under an oath. Whence it came, that on account of the redness of the pottage, he was, in way of jest by his contemporaries, called Adom; for the Hebrews call what is red, Adom; and this was the name given to this country. But the Greeks gave it a more agreeable pronunciation, and named it Idu mea. He became the father of five sons, of whom Jaus, Jolomus, and Coreus were by one wife, whose name was Alibama; but of the rest Aliphaz was born to him by Ada, and Raguel || arrived at; he was richer than the rest of the inhabitants of that country, and was at once envied and admired for such virtuous sons; for they were deficient in nothing, but were of great strength, both for labouring with their hands, and enduring of toil, and shrewd also in understanding. And God exercised such a providence over him, and such a care of his happiness, as to bring him the greatest blessings, even out of what appeared to be the most sorrowful condition: and to make him the cause of our forefathers' departure out of Egypt; him, I say, and his posterity. The occasion was this: when Jacob had this son Joseph born to him by Rachel, his father loved him above the rest of his sons, both because of the beauty of his body, and the virtues of his mind; for he excelled the rest in prudence. This affection of his father excited the envy and the hatred of his brethren, as did also his dreams which he related to his father and to them; which foretold his future happiness; it being usual with mankind to envy their very nearest relation such prosperity. Now the visions which Joseph saw in his sleep were these: When they were in the middle of harvest, and Joseph was sent with his brethren to gather the fruits of the earth, he saw a vision in a dream, greatly exceeding the customary appearances that come when we are asleep; which when he got up he told his brethren, that they might judge what it portended. He said, he saw the last night, that his wheat sheaf stood still, in the place where he set it; but that their sheafs ran to bow down to it, as servants bow down to their masters.* But as soon as they perceived the vision foretold that he should obtain power and great wealth; and that his power should be in opposition to them, they gave no interpretation of it to Joseph: as if the dream were not understood by them. But they prayed, that no part of what they suspected to be its meaning might come to pass; and their hatred against him was augmented on that account. But God in opposition to their envy sent a second vision to Joseph, which was more wonderful than the former; for it seemed to him that the sun took with him the moon, and the rest of the stars, and came down to the earth, and bowed down to him. He told this vision to his father, and that, as suspecting nothing of ill will from his brethren, when they were there also; and desired him to interpret what it should signify. Now Jacob was pleased with the dream; for considering the prediction in his mind, and shrewdly and wisely guessing at its meaning, he rejoiced at the great things thereby signified; because it declared the future happiness of his son: and that by the blessing of God, the time should come when he should be honoured, and thought worthy of worship by his parents and brethren; as guessing that the moon and sun were like his mother and father the former as she that gave increase and nourishment to all things; and the latter, he that gave form and all other powers * Gen. xxxvii. 7. † Gen. xxxvii. 9.. to them; and that the stars were like his brethren, since they were eleven in number, as were the stars that receive their power from the sun and moon. And thus did Jacob make a shrewd judg ment of this vision; but these interpretations caused great grief to Joseph's brethren; and they were affected to him hereupon as if he were a stranger that was to have those good things which were signified by the dreams, and not as one that was a brother, with whom it was probable they should be joint partakers; and as they had been partners in the same parentage, so should they be of the same happiness. They also resolved to kill the lad: and having fully ratified that intention, as soon as their collection of the fruits was over, they went to Shechem, which is a country good for feeding of cattle, and for pasturage; there they fed their flock, without acquainting their father with their removal. Jacob, therefore, had melancholy suspicions about them, as being ignorant of his sons' condition; and receiving no messenger from the flocks that could inform him of their true state, he sent Joseph to learn the circumstances his brethren were in, and to bring him word how they did. CHAP. III. OF JOSEPH'S CRUEL TREATMENT TOW these brethren rejoiced as soon as NOW they saw their brother coming to them; not, indeed, as at the presence of a near relation, or even as one sent by their father; but as at the presence of an enemy, and one that by divine providence was delivered into their hands; and they already resolved to kill him, and not let slip the opportunity that lay before them. But when Reubal, the eldest brother saw them thus disposed, and that they had agreed together to execute their purpose, he tried to restrain them:‡ shewing them the heinous enterprise they were going about, and the horrid nature of it; that this action would appear wicked in the sight of God, and impious before men; even though they should kill one not related to them; but more flagitious and detestable to appear to Gen. xxxvii. 21.. that the anger of God would for this cause be more severe upon them if they slew him who was judged by God to be worthy of that prosperity which was to be hoped for; and while by murdering him, they made it impossible for God to bestow it upon him. Reuben said these, and many other things, and likewise used intreaties to divert them from the murder of their brother; but when he saw that his discourse had not mollified them at all, and that they prepared to do the fact, he advised them to alleviate the wickedness they were going about in a manner of taking Joseph off; for, as he had exhorted them first when they were going to revenge themselves, to be dissuaded from doing it; so since the sentence for killing their brother had prevailed, he said that they would not be so grossly guilty, if they would be persuaded to follow his present advice, which would include what they were so eager about, but was not so very bad, but, in the distress they were in, of a lighter nature. He begged of them, therefore, not to kill their brother with their own hands, but to cast him into the pit that was hard by, and so to let him die, by which they would gain so much, that they would not defile their own hands with his blood. To this the young men readily agreed; so Reuben took the lad, and tied him to a cord, and let him down gently into the pit, for it had no water in it; and when he had done this, he went his way to seek for such pasturage as was proper for feeding their flocks. have slain their own brother; by which act the father must be treated unjustly in the son's slaughter, and the mother* also be in perplexity while she laments that her son is taken away from her; and this not in a natural way. He, therefore, intreated them to have a regard to their own consciences, and wisely to consider what mischief would befal them upon the death of so good a child, and their youngest brother; and they would also fear God, who was already both a spectator, and a witness of the designs they had against their brother; that he would love them if they abstained from this act, and yielded to repentance and amendment. But in case they proceeded to do the fact, all sorts of punishments would overtake them from God; since they polluted his providence, which was every where present, and which did not overlook what was done either in deserts or in cities. For wherever a man is, there ought he to suppose that God is also. He told them farther, that their consciences would be their enemies if they attempted to go through so wicked an enterprise: which they never can avoid, whether it be a good conscience, or whether it be such a one as they will have within them when once they have killed their brother. He also added, that it was not a righteous thing to kill a brother, though he had injured them; that it was a good thing to forget the actions of such near friends, even in things wherein they might seem to have offended; but that they were going to kill Joseph, who had been guilty of nothing that was ill towards them; in whose case the in-But Judas, being one of Jacob's sons also, firmity of his tender years should rather procure him mercy, and induce them to unite in the care of his preservation. He likewise observed, that the cause of killing him made the act itself much worse, while they determined to take him off out of envy at his future prosperity, an equal share of which they would naturally partake while he enjoyed it; since they were to him not strangers, but the nearest relations; for they might reckon upon what God bestowed upon Joseph as their own; and that it was fit for them to believe, * We may here observe, that in correspondence to Joseph's second dream, which implied that his mother, who was then alive as well as his father, should come and bow down to him, Josephus represents her here as still alive after she was dead, for the decorum of the dream seeing some Arabians, of the posterity of Ishmael, carrying spices and Syrian wares out of the land of Gilead to the Egyptians after Reuben was gone, advised his brethren to draw Joseph out of the pit, and sell him to the Arabians, for if he should die among strangers, a great way off, they should be freed from this barbarous action. This, therefore, was resolved on; so they drew Joseph up out of the pit, and sold him to the merchants for twenty pounds. He was now seventeen years old; but Reuben coming in that foretold it, as the interpretation of that dream does also in all our copies, Gen. xxxvii. †The LXXII. have 20 pieces of gold; the testament of God, 30; the Heb. and Samar. 20 of silver; the vulgar Latin 30. What was the true number and true sum, cannot therefore now be known. |