indeed which was required in order to my marrying thy daughters, hard as it was, I own to have been tolerable: but as to those that were put upon me after those marriages, they were worse, and such indeed as an enemy would have avoided." For certainly Laban had used Jacob very ill: for when he saw that God was assisting to Jacob in all that he desired, he promised him, that of the young cattle which should be born, he should have sometimes what was of a white colour, and sometimes what should be of a black colour; but when those that came to Jacob's share proved numerous, he did not keep his faith with him, but said he would give them to him the next year, because of his envying him the multitude of his possessions. He promised him as before, because he thought such an increase was not to be expected; but when it appeared to be fact, he deceived him. 11. But then, as to the sacred images, he bid them search for them and, when Laban accepted of the offer, Rachel being informed of it, put those images into that camel's saddle on which she rode, and sat upon it; and said, that her natural purgation hindered her rising up: so Laban left off searching any further, not supposing that his daughter, in such circumstances, would approach to those images. So he made a league with Jacob, and bound it by oaths, that he would not bear him any malice on account of what had happened; and Jacob made the like league, and promised to love Laban's daughters. And these leagues they confirmed with oaths also, which they made upon certain mountains, whereon they erected a pillar in the form of an altar: whence that hill is called Gilead; and from thence they call that land the land of Gilead at this day. Now when they had feasted, after the making of the league, Laban returned home. -*** CHAP. XX. Concerning the Meeting of Jacob and Esau. 1. Now as Jacob was proceeding on his journey to the land of Canaan, angels appeared to him, and suggested to him good hope of his future condition; and that place he named the camp of God. And, being desirous of knowing what his brother's intentions were to him, he sent messengers to give him an exact account of every thing, as being afraid, on account of the enmities between them. He charged those that were sent to say to Esau, that "Jacob had thought it wrong to live together with him, while he was in anger against him, and so had gone out of the country; and that he now, thinking the length of time of his absence must have made up their differences, was returning that he brought with him his wives and his children, with what possessions he had gotten; and delivered himself, with what was most dear to him, into his hands; and should think it his greatest happiness to partake, together with his brother, of what God had bestowed upon him." So these messen gers told him this message. Upon which Esau was very glad, and met his brother with four hundred men. And Jacob, when he heard that he was coming to meet him with such a number of men, was greatly afraid: however, he committed his hope of deliverance to God; and considered how, in his present circumstances, he might preserve himself and those that were with him, and overcome his enemies, if they attacked them injuriously. He, therefore, distributed his company into parts: some he set before the rest, and the others he ordered to come close behind, that so if the first were overpowered when his brother attacked them, they might have those that followed as a refuge to fly unto. And when he had put his company in this order, he sent some of them to carry presents to his brother. The presents were made up of cattle, and a great number of four-footed beasts, of many kinds, such as would be very acceptable to those that received them, on account of their rarity. Those who were sent weet at certain intervals of space asunder, that, by following thick after one 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 in a passion. Instructions were also given to those that were sent to speak gently to him. 2. When Jacob had made these appointments all the day, and night came on, he moved on 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 small one, for that hé had overcome a divine angel; and to esteem the victory as & 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 befall him hereafter. And when the angel had said what is before related, he disappeared: but Jacob was pleased with these things, and named the place Phanuel, which signifies the face of God. Now when he felt pain by this struggling on his broad sinew, he abstained from eating that sinew himself afterward; and, for his sake, it is still not eaten by us. 3. When Jacob understood that his brother was near, 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 up to his brother Esau, and bowed down to him, 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, he having named the place roughness, from his own hairy roughness. -XXX CHAP. XXI. Concerning the violation of Dina's chastity. 1. HEREUPON Jacob came to the place, till this day called Tents [Succoth] from whence he went to Schechem, which is a city of the Canaanites. Now, as the Schechemites were keeping a festival, Dina, who was the only daughter of Jacob, went into the city to see the finery of the women of that country. But when Schechem, the son of Hamor the king, saw her, he defiled her by violence; and, * Perhaps this may be the proper meaning of the word Israel, by the present and the old Jerusalem analogy of the Hebrew tongue. In the mean time, it is certain that the Hellenists of the first century, in Egypt and elsewhere, interpreted Is-ra-el, to be a man seeing God, as is evident from the argument forecited. being greatly in love with her, he desired of his father that he would procure the damsel to him for a wife. To which desire he condescended; and came to Jacob, desiring him to give leave that his son Schechem 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, entreated him to give him leave to have a consultation about what he desired him to do. So the king went away, in hopes that Jacob would grant him 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 Schechemites were employed in ease and feasting, they fell upon the watch when they were asleep, and coming in the city, slew * all the males; as also their 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. 2. Now while Jacob was astonished at the greatness of this 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 light upon 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 Schechem, and departing thence, he offered sacrifice at Bethel, the place where he saw his dream when he went first into Mesopotamia. 3. And 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 the son that was born of her *Of this slaughter of the Schechemites by Simeon and Levi, see Authent. Rec. part is p. 309. 418. 432. 439. But why Josephus has omitted the circumcision of these Schechemites, as the occasion of their death, and of Jacob's great grief, as in the testament of Levi, sec. 5. I cannot tell. Benjamin, because of the sorrow the mother had with him. These are all the children of Jacob, twelve males, and one female. Of them 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. How Isaac died, and was buried in Hebron. FROM thence Jacob came to Hebron, a city situate among the Canaanites; and there it was that Isaac lived: and so 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 by his sons, with his wife, in Hebron, where they 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. + 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, I suppose, that in correspondence to 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 Benjamim, which probably is here of the same signification, only with the Chaldee termination in, instead of im, in the Hebrew, as we pronounce Cherubin or Cherubim indifferently. Accordingly, both the testament of Benjamin, § 2. p. 401. and Philo de nominum mutatione, p. 1959. write the name Benjamin, but explain it not the son of his right hand, but the son of days. |
